Researching DNA of some of my spouse's French family I was astonished to see a lot of Russian blood. However, it's not really surprising. The Tsarist court and aristocracy spoke French. Much of the 19th century Tsarist mining industry was intimately connected to or controlled by French firms and technology, some from companies around Saint Etienne and Saint Chamond. Highly educated Russian technicians came to Saint-Etienne for study at the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne (School of Mines Saint-Étienne) and work and there was a considerable counter-flow to Russia of French mining technicians and engineers as well as whole companies. Coincidentally the French gun industry was in Saint Etienne.. So it's not surprising that French gunsmiths wound up working in Saint Petersburg.
