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‘%\\\\ M\bSSE*\CiUU. 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*.