There is a quote that sounds like: Such a language could only be given
to a great people.' the language referred to is Russian but I am not
sure who said it.It might have been Turgenev, but possibly it is
earlier than that. I badly need to know the exact quote and the author
of it.

Dear gaucho34-ga,
You were almost there. According to this essay, it is by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev.

"In the last of his wonderful Poems in Prose, Turgenev cried out: "In
these days of doubt, in these days of painful brooding over the fate
of my country, thou alone art my rod and my staff, O great, mighty,
true and free Russian language! If it were not for thee, how could one
keep from despairing at the sight of what is going on at home? But it
is inconceivable that such a language should not belong to a great
people." "

Source - 
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Essays on Russian Novelists, by William
Lyon Phelps, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1911.
http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext04/essrs10h.htm

I have been unable to find an online source for the full text of Poems in Prose.

I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder

Search strategy
?russian language? people Turgenev, led me to a misquote, but this
allowed me to try ?belong to a great people?

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Clarification of Answer by answerfinder-ga on 27 Sep 2004 09:35 PDT

I'm sorry, I have found the text. Slightly different translation.
Final paragraph of this link
http://isis.library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/pg-html/pg/etext05/8drpm10.txt

"The Russian Tongue
In days of doubt, in days of dreary musings on my country?s fate, thou
alone art my stay and support, mighty, true, free Russian speech! But
for thee, how not fall into despair, seeing all that is done at home?
But who can think that such a tongue is not the gift of a great
people!

June 1882."

Further texts of Turgenev
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/t/turgenev/ivan/

answerfinder-ga

thank you - absolutely spot on and just in time to be typed in. Brilliant.
.