The Letter of the Bees

I'll try to give you something unrelated to John of Kronstadt at some point, but this letter is much too sweet to keep to myself. (I just realized that's going to turn out to be a horrific pun, but it's staying.)

From Evdokim Makarov Meshkov, a peasant of Tver', who included some honey with his letter to Father John:

I have the honor of presenting you with a little present from my bees and ask your blessing for this my production. I am also desirous of obtaining your portrait as a souvenir and as a blessing. 

Second, I would like to present my bee gift to our young Sovereign. This gift I would like to present for the year 1893, for the bee-keeping exhibition. This exhibition enlightened me, it showed me all there was to know about raising bees and I wish to thank [him] for the way which was shown to me. 

But I am a peasant and barely literate, I learned at home I was never in any school anywhere, but I was in Moscow at the coronation of Alexander III. And also at Nicholas II. ... The monarchs gave me an honorary certificate in bee-keeping. I would like to thank him for all of this but because I am a peasant and don't know who I can send it through please tell me how I might.

A postscript: "Nicholas II received so many gifts that he finally decided to forbid people to present him with anything expensive."