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STATE OF SOCIETY IN RUSSIA.
The following extracts arc from
a work, which has just made its ap*
pearance at Paris, entitled, “ Rus
sia and Slaverybv M. Passena
us, who passed several years in that
country.
Slavery. —There is no regulation,
by the laws of Russia, for the hours
of labour, clothing, food or wages,
of slaves : every thing is left to the
masters. It is not uncommon for
a Russian nobleman to compel his
slaves to work five days in the week
for hire, and leave them only the
remaining two to provide for them
selves and families. A Russian
calculates his riches by the num
ber of his vassals. Formerly,
slaves in Russia were sold in the
public markets, and regularly ad
vertised. The emperor Alexan
der, ashamed of this publicity, but
-unwilling or afraid to abolish the
custom, ordered the mode of adver
tising to he altered. In the present
day, therefore, the sale of a slave is
frequently announced in the follow
ing terms :—A. B.—naming his
various qualifications —is permit
ted to go to service. Apply to .
Modern Peasantry. —The house,
or rather the hut of the peasants,
is formed of pieces of timber piled
upon each other ; the interstices be
ing filled with moss : there is rare
ly more than one window, formed
of a single pane of glass, or a piece ■
of tale. Ihe entry is by a verv
large door, opening into a narrow :
court. The stable and hay loft are
nt the back of the house: the door ;
is so low that it is impossible for a i
moderately sized person to enter I
without stooping. On the right is ;
a large stove or oven, the top ol i
which serves for a bed place for
the whole family, who sleep upon
mats without tal> ingoff their clothes.
.During the winter, when the cold
is intense, the pigs, poultry, and
calves, are allowed to sleep in the
room where the oven is ; but there
are verv few of the peasants, in
deed, who have any cattle or poul
try to take care of. The furniture
of the hut is exceedingly simple : a
few pots ranged about the oven, are
the kitchen utensils ; a bench serves
for a seat, and a large plank-for a
table. At their repasts, the family
sit round the table, after having
made the sign of the cross. The
usual fare is soup, made with bread
and some cabbage, poured into a
large dish, out of which each one
helps himself. The coarse cloth
worn by the peasant, is generally of
his own manufacture, and is made
into articles by his wife. Their
shoes are made of bark, and seldom
last longer than a fortnight. Hos
.pitalitv is a virtue practised even
by the poorest peasant: the travel
ler enters his hut, makes the sign
of the cross, and after saying,‘bread
and salt,’ sits down unceremoni
ously to table. In no part of the
world are there so few deformed
persons, as amongst the lower class
of Russians. The bad living and
hard labour which they undergo,
however, render them unable to re
sist the rigours of the climate.—
The children, even in depth of win
ter, have frequently no other cov
ering than a shirt. When the cold
seizes them, they run to the stove,
where they experience a heat which
is almost insupportable —The)- pass
suddenly from a temperature of
twenty-five or thirty degrees of
cold, to twenty-five degrees of beat:
it is easy to imagine what must be
the effect upon the constitution.—
The physical strength of a Russian
peasant, or other labourer, is very
inferior to’ that oi the same descrip
tion of persons in France or Eng
land. A Paris porter will carry
with ease a burthen which a Rus
sian could scarcely lift lrorn the
ground.
The Baths —We went to one of
the most celebrated baths on the
other side ol the river Moscow ;
on our way thither, we saw hund
reds of young men and women ba
thing naked in the river, without
appearing to excite the least curi
osity in the passengers: but what
struck me most forcibly was, the
sight of several washer-women,
who had stripped themselves in
order to w ash their linen with grea
ter ease. Omatriving at the bath,
which was a treble range of build
ings, one side being appropriated
for men, and the other for women,
but ‘a ith'no other division than win •
clows without curtains, 1 remarked,
that the men, when they left the
bath, crossed through the court in
which die women were, without
seeming to inconvenience the lat
ter. I noticed upon the bodies ol
the bathers, male and female, mar *s
of a peculiar nature, and on inquiry,
found, that they were the result ol
■ the bastinado. When we had ta
ken off our clothes, we entered the
, bath, where I was nearly suffocated
i by the vapour. In the centre ol
, the room was an immense stove
covered with red-hot stones ; in
another part were straw palliases,
covered with white linen,and strew
ed yvith aromatic herbs. Ihe ser
vant who waited upon us, commen
ced by throwing water upon the hot \
stones, from which proceeded a va- ,
pour which soon produced profuse
perspiration. He then flogged us
yvith a kind of yvhip calculated to
keep every muscle in motion, yvith-,
out producing pain, and when yve
had been well syveated, we “'ere
rubbed doyvn yvith soap and flan
nel. This process yvas repeated,
several tunes.
The Army. —"l he Russian noble- j
men are bound to supply recruits
for the new regiments. They are
hound to clothe them and find them
in provisions lor six months. Un
til lately, the nobles yvould send
none to the army, but the yvorst ol
their slaves : and there yvere instan
ces of nobles, who had no very bad [
characters,of yvhom they wished to!
rid themselves, purchasing such of I
their neighbours at a rate of Hi. to j
60/. per head, according to j
riod. It is no protection for a slave ,
to have a family ; he must serve ;;
and yvhen the campaign is long, it
is by no means uncommon for a no
ble to compel the yvife to marry
again, for tlie purpose of increas
ing the population of his estate. .
Manners. —To such a degrada
tion has the slavery of the body re
duced the minds of the serfs, that
they think of nothing but debauch- j
ery. It is computed, that upwards
of 200,0(X) persons die annually in |
Russia, from the effects of intoxi-!
eating liquors.—The nobles are |
destitute of principle, and therefore I
rarely pay their debts. Their per- 1
sons and houses are sacred ; but if!
any of their slaves are found away
from the premises of their owner,
they may be seized, and retained
by the creditor. —I once saw the
coachman, groom, and cook of a
Russian nobleman, taken under his
own eyes. ‘I am glad of it,’ said
he, ‘ they were an extravagant set
of rascals, who were bringing me
to ruin.’ I kneyv another noble
man, who bestowed an abundance
of alms, but yvho yvould never pay
a debt. His stair-case yvas daily
crowded with beggars, to whom he
gave liberally. On one occasion,
he yvas surprised to see a creditor
of his to a large amount, amongst
the beggars. 4 Give freely,’ said
the creditor, holding out his hand,
4 it is all I shall receive from you
to relieve the misery which you.
have caused me.’ Minerva.
<J3>
FROM ENGLAND.
Charleston, June 2.
By the ship Isabella, Captain
W hclden, in 33 days from London,
yve have papers from that place to
the 24th April, which is tyvo days
later than by the last arrival.
The King of England yvas again
j laboring under a violent attack of
the gout.
It yvas reported at Bayonne, on
the 15th, that the celebrated parti
zan Royalist Priest, commonly call
ed the Trappist , had been arrested
by the Duke d’ Angoulcme, for ha
ving violated his orders, by ill
treating the Constitutionalists, ta
ken prisoners.
An Ambassador of the Holy
Alliance, had arrived at the head
quasters ol the newly organized
Spanish Junta, at Orthes.
Extract of a letter from London, da
ted Aptil 24.
The French army, though in
Spain, has hitherto made no im
pression on it—and seems to be
pursuing a most weary course.—
But at sea, several captures are said
to have been made on both sides—
and we infer the yvar on that ele
ment will be carried on with spirit.
Ihe policy and determination of
this country are evidently neutrali
ty. But if, as is rumored Russia j
has intimated an intention to assist
trance, we should think it imposst- j
ble to preserve it —iind if any thing
like a general yvar takes place in
Europe, produce of all kinds yvill
feel most sensibly its effects.
Paris, April 21.
A telegraphic despatch announ
ces that yve have found at Pancor
vo, which place the enemy had eva
cuated, 31 pieces of cannon, besides
several bombs and a great quantity
of cannon shot.
“ The head-quarters arc at Vit
toria, where his Royal Highness
has been received with enthusi
asm.
London, April 22.
The Dublin Evening Post of
Thursday last contains the particu
lars of many ferocious outrages in
Cork, Limerick Clare, Galway,
Meath and Dublin. The tyvo Grand
furies of the county and city of
Cork have addressed the Lord
Lieutenant upon the state of the
country. It is affirmed in these
addresses, “ that the spirit of in
surrection is rapidly extending—
that there have come before the
County Grand Jury, nearly’ a hun
dred petitions for compensation
for damage sustained bv fire, de
struction of cattle by stabbing and
houghing, breaking machinery,
See,” ano that after a patient inqui
ry 7 , there are not more than four or
five Cases which do not appear fit
subjects of relief from the country
—that many have been turned na
ked out of their dyvellings, to be
hold them, a feyv moments after-
in flames—that many have
been intimidated into an abandon
ment of their lands—that all yvho
have given evidence againt the in
surgents have done so at the risk
of their lives, and some yvho have
made statements respecting prop
erty destroyed, have been speedily
punished by the destruction of
their oyvn houses. In the county
of Cork two soldiers and a police
man yvere attacked on the road
yvhile returning home from duty.-
One of the soldiers died next day
from the brutal treatment he had
received, and the policeman had
| one of his ears and one of his cheeks
! cut off. The spirit of depredation
[ has approached, it seems, within
two miles of Dublin. A Mr.
Loughman, of Prospect-place, yvas
forced to deliver up a large quan
tity of arms, which the ruffians de
manded from him as 4 a loan.’ Se
veral cabins have been attacked
and levelled yvith the ground in the
same metropolitan county, and the
inhabitants barbarously ill-treated.
Ireland. — Additional melancholy
information had been officially com
municated to Parliament respecting
the reneyved disturbances in Ire
land. It is contained in the ex
tracts of a despatch from the Loid
Lieutenant (dated the Bth of April )
to Mr. Secretary Peel, and in the
enclosures accompanying the des
i patch. It conveys the conviction
of Lord Wellesley that it is neces
sary forthwith to reneyv the Insur
rection Act, contrary to the hopes
held out by him, in January last,
that the internal state of the country
was improving.
From Bell's Weekly Messenger.
London, April 21.
A report has just reached us and
yve fear upon good authority, that
our Government has recieved an
intimation that the Emperor Alex
ander tojtally disapproves of the con
duct of the British Government in
its recent negotiation yvith France
in regard to Spain; and being of
opinion that such a negotiation has
a direct tendency to yveaken all the
efforts of France, and to confirm
yvhat he is pleased to deem the au
dacity of the Spanish Cortes he (the
Emperor Alexander) deems it
necessary to notify, that he shall
support the French king yvith the
yvhole forces of his empire ; and, to
that end,Has ordered the march of
a Russian army towards the Neth
erlands. A corp d’ armie of eighty
thousand men is immediately to
be assembled at Dantzic and it is
understood, that this corps yvill
be instantly marched fonvards.
The Emperor Alexander expresses
it as his decided conviction’ that
the French cause is the cause of all
croyvned heads ; and that unless a
common effort be made to extirpate
revolutionary principles and practi
ces, there yvill not be a monarch/ in
Europe.
We understand, that the effect of
the Spanish Revolution upon the
Russian dominions in Poland,!
have led to this decisive step on
the part of the Russian Empeior ;
and that, under the panic of appre
hension of the result of these doc
trines, he is resolved to mqke a
direct alliance and an avowed com
mon cause yvith the King of France
in the yvar against Spain.
Noyv, is it impossible not to fore
see that this measure ol the Russian
despot may lead to the most im
portant results and that it becomes
the duty of the British Govern
ment to take a deliberate survey ot
its oyvn situation, and of the proba
ble cost and possible issue of its
neutrality under such a condition of
circumstances. Ihe question, in a
yvord, consists of tyvo points ; —the
first, YY hat yvould it cost us in our
own immediate scarificcs to go to
yvar ; and whether the possible good
ol such a war he equivalent to this
cos#! > The second point is, yvhat
will be the possible result of our
remaining at peace —how will it ef
fect our future condition ?
As to the first ol these questions,
we have no hesitation in saying,
that ihe country cannot go to war
on a great scale without a most
enormous expense—an expense both
in money and suffering so great
as to render it a point ol prudence
to avoid it at every event short of
incurring a greater peril in future.
We cannot afford a yvar for mere
principles. We cannot afford a
yvar from sympathy or generosity
to a brave and 4 iree people suffering
under opprssion. I hree years’
war would fix us yvith three or four
millions additional taxes upon the
I peace which should conclude it :
and yvhere and whence are those
taxes to come ? YY'e may borrow
the principal and the expenditure
ot the principal amongst us, so long
as it lasts, may invigorate trade,
j commerce and
mechanics will be employed, and
there will, in every thing, be a
larger consumption. But this will
necessarily cease with the peace,
and then the community’ must pay
the reckoning—must pay the annual
interest ol the one hundred and
lor tv millions by which the debt
will be augmented. This yvill be
the cost ol war, the replacement of
the taxes which have been recently
i remov ed,or ol others still more bur
thensome.
On the other hand, let us look to
the second question, what will be
the event ol our remaining at peace ?
The event will be this, —first that
the Spaniards yvill be overwhelmed ;
—secondly, that a most abominable
and aurocious principle yvill be es
tablished—so lar as the Continent
is concerned—in the Law cf Na
tions, namely, that it is the right
and duty ol Kings to superintend
the interests ol monarchy in all
neighboring nations ; and to put
down any reform, or attempts at
reform, which menace to abridge
the plenary power of Kings oyer
their subjects ; —and, thirdly, that
the power ol Russia, already so
enormous as to excite ajust appre
hension lor the balance of power,
will be further confirmed and aug
mented, inasmuch as such a tri
umph over popular principles must
necessarily consolidate the Russian
power. In Poland, only, has Rus
sia any thing to fear, and Europe
any thing to hope, as respects the
subdivision of the Russian empire ;
and it is the unquestioned policy of
every nation in Europe, not to stop
the moral effect of this cause, by
the course of which, alone, Russia
can be reduced within the due lim
its ol the balance ot power. Rus
sia, as she rests at present, is an
immense, a cumbrous, an over
whelming physical force, over
charging free Europe ; and it is
unquestionably the first interest of
mankind in general, that this pow
er should be broken bv division.
What, then, is the true point of
policy l YVe think this, —that we
should join in the war so far as our
own actual interests allow , namely
by such a naval force as would be
sufficient to save Cadiz, and there
by render nugatory the invasion by
France * and which would not, at
the same time, cost more than this
country could afford, and that the
object would be worth. We think
that Mr. Canning’s objection to
this course is a mere rhetorical
flourish of words, —a mere fanciful
point of national pride. We are
bound, we think, in due policy, to
do all that we can ; and as we can
do this, and as the object is unques- 1
tionably Woi th it,we think vve ought
so to act.
If the Russian army should entc;
Spain, we think that the English
ministry will be inexcusable, unless
they take immediate possession
(for the Spaniards) of Cadiz, Co
runna, Ferrol, and whatever other
towns may be within our reach, anti
within our means of defence by sea.
We should be the last to advise a
war without any object proportion
ate to its cost; we well know, that
any such war (to make use of the
argumentum ad homincm ) will cost
ourselves and all others in the same
condition of life, at least twenty
pounds a year for fity years to come’;
and yve, and all others like us, have
therefore a direct interest in the
question. But even with this con
sideration before us, yve say grave
ly and deliberately, let us venture
a naval yvar; and let us assist by
garrisoning Spanish towns and forts
if Russia shall enter Spain. Let
neither Russia nor France have a
ship on the ocean ; and let us spare,
no efforts to excite Poland to make
another venture for her independ
ence.
It appears that the tyvo Svanish Am
bassadors in London, the Due de San
Lorenzo and Admiral Jabat, have giv
en up to the public service of Spain,
not only the yvhole of the income as
signed them as ambassadors, but the
profits of all the offices of every kind
which they hold from the Spanish go
vernment. JYat. Intell.
HORRIBLE CATASTROPHE.
Extract of a letter from Malta , dated
Feb. 21.
An accident took place here on
Shnove Tuesday of the most fatal
and appalling nature. It is the
custom on that day to attract the
poor hoys away from the crowd and
riot in the streets (it being the lass
day of the Carnival,) by making a
procession to one of the Churches,
and afterwards distributing bread
to them. Previous to their receiv
ing the bread, they were all (in
number about 700) put in the corri
dor of the convent—a room where,
I believe, there were no yvindows—
and there locked in. The cries of
the poor creatures were shortly
heard from inside, calling for assis
tance, and to be let out, but the
man yvith the key yvas not to be
found ; the alarm outside was tre
mendous, as the door could not be
opened: at length a man, who tho’t
his son yvas inside, rushed forward
and broke it open, yvhen a dreadful
■scene presented itself: a great
number of these poor boys having
been suffocated. The consterna
tion in the ity,on this being known,
yvas indescribable. The bodies
were taken out, but there being so
many, ho one kneyv yvhat to do yvith
them. Twenty were taken to one
doctor’s shop, and a great number
to the hospital, yvhere I saw more
than 95 bodies of young lads, from
10 to 14, lying breathless on the
floor. The expressions of the mob
against the priests and friars yvere
very violent, as it yvas attributed to
them. The number of dead, bv a
proclamation from Government,
yvho yvish to hush the business, is
stated to be about 100. At least
133 yvere killed, and the general
number is stated to be 150. An in
vestigation is to be made by Gov
ernment into the affair.”
A good many years ago, a Bos
tonian equipped a yessel for a tra
ding voyage to the North-west
coast —having procured yvorkmeu
and tools of different descriptions,
with the intention of making a tem
porary settlement—he added to his
cargo a hogshead of Neyv-England
rum. On the passage he touched
at Botany Bay to get a supply 0l
yvaler—the inhabitants of that place
on dicovering that he bad rum on
board, were so anxious to become
possessed of it that they bartered
the blankets yvhich had been fur
nished them by government. Our
adventurer then pursued his voy
age, and having converted the blan
kets into Indian dresses, he trader
them off on the N. W. coast for
furs; yvith these he sailed to Can
ton anti there bartered them for
Bohea tea. Returning with this
cargo to Boston, he turned the tea
into cash, and realized to the
amount of 60,000 dollars, all said
to be from the proceeds ol a hogs
head of Neyv-England rum, by lair
trade. He then, the account sav s *
was so prudent ruj to retire *rom t ‘
sea*.