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In The Exploits and Triumphs in Europe of Paul Morphy, Frederick Edge wrote:
One night, after the day's battle was over, Morphy and I
were sitting in our room, chatting together, when an immense
stranger appeared, and announced himself as follows:—
" I am Prince Galitzin; I wish to see Mr. Morphy." Morphy looked
up from a fauteuil in which he was buried, and replied, " I am he."
The Prince answered, "It is not possible! you are too young;" and
then he seated himself by Morphy's side, and told him, " I first
heard of your wonderful deeds on the frontiers of Siberia. One of
my suite had a copy of the chess paper published in Berlin, the
Schachzeitung, and ever since that time I have been wanting to
see you." And he told our hero that he must pay a visit to
St. Petersburg; for the Chess Club in the Imperial Palace would
receive him with enthusiasm.
I did not hear Morphy promise to go, however.
So, who was this Prince Galitzin?
The tranliteration of the Russian name Голицын I've seen as Galitzin, Galitzine, Gallitzin, Golitsyn, Golitsin and a half-dozen other variations, making finding and verifying data very difficult. However, it seems most likely that Prince Galitzin is Prince Serge Galitzin (Serge, itself, could be Sergey, Sergei or even Sergius). He is noted in Nouvelle Régence to have sent in a game between Petroff and Hoffmann (Serge Galitzin lived in Warsaw, same as did A.D. Petroff). Nouvelle Régence also mentions Galitzin playing in a handicap tournament in the Café de la Régence in 1862 (receiving P and 2 moves).
La Stratégie, Juillet 15, 1867:
M. Paul Morphy est à Paris depuis quelque jours.
Ainsi que nous l'avons announcé, nous avons ca la visite
de. M. C.F. Jaenisch. Nous avons aussi reçu, la visit de
MM. Lowenthal, rédacteur du Chess-Magazine; le prince
Serge de Galitzin, de Varsovie; le prince Michel Wolkonsky,
de Saint-Pétersbourg; le major Volgler, de Sumatra; Rino
Tornielli, de Venise; Kaulla, de Vienne; Ch. A. Maurian;
de la Nouvelle-Orléans; vicomte de Lastic, de Montauban;
Émil Frau, de Lyon; Dupin, de Alais; A. Blanchard, de Limoges.
Nous attendons M. Bingen, fort amateur, de Gênes.
Paul Morphy has been Paris for some days.
As we announced we have had a visit from Mr. F.C. Jaenisch.
We have also received a visit from MM. Lowenthal, editor of the
Chess-Magazine, Prince Serge Galitzin, Warsaw; Prince Michael
Wolkonsky, of St. Petersburg; Major Volgler, Sumatra; Rino
Tornielli Venice; Kaulla of Vienna; Ch. A. Maurian; of New
Orleans; Viscount de Lastic, Montauban; Émil Frau, Lyon,
Dupin, of Alais, A. Blanchard, of Limoges.
We are expecting Mr. Bingenof Genoa, a strong amateur.
In December 1861, La Stratégie had published this mate from a game by Serge Galitzin as a puzzle:
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