The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-11 00:00:00

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BARBARISM IN THE NAVY.

'that lic.tica among his noble add priests which has
abetted aid oneyarsged him in his lawless designs
against Turkey and Austria. Against the Russian
nation the Western Powers nourish no hostile
sentiments. They regard, indeed, the Masco•
vita as a roes far in arrest. of the civilisation of
Europe; they do not believe that Poland has been
benefited—or that Persia or Turkey, or the Bola-
conic populations on the frontier-lands of Turkey,
Austria, and Russia, would be benefited—by being
subjected to Muscovite rule; they wish to see the
Muscovite yoke removed from the necks of all
Russia's neighbours; bat they sincerely desire to

see the Muscovites flourish, and advance in the arts
of civilised life in those :lands which they can pro-
perly call their own. It is only since tke close of
the fifteenth century—sinoe the expulsion of the

Tartars—that Russia can be said to have a history.
Looking back upon its national records, we find
everywhere traces of the rudest barbarism, of the
most narrow-minded superstition; but we also witness

incessant flashes of an energetic spirit, and a rude
natural intelligence. The colonisation of Siberia,
the extension of mercantile enterprise to and along
the shores of the Arctic Ocean, to America, to the
Chinese frontier, to the Hiodoo Kush, and far into
Persia, bear witness to the indefatigable energy of
the Muscovite race; for these have been mainly ao-
oomplished by private adventurers, possessed of
comparatively slender capitals. The more robust
temperament of the Russian has absorbed into his
nationality and assimilated to it many heterogeneous
tribes of less natural energy. Among the numerous
sects which have sprung up within the bosom of the
orthodox church in Russia it is curious to trace the
workings (in a ruder form) of the same metaphy-
sical inquiries and passionate yearnings which
have broken up the Western Church into so
many discordant communions. The efforts which
the Russian serfs are continually making to detach
themselves from the bonds which connect them with
the soil—the wealth and knowledge to which many
of them attain—the talent for social and industrial
combinations which they evince, and their good faith
to each other and their employers—all mark them as
a race destined for a glorious future. They are slowly
but surely working out their own elevation—even

the efforts of their Government to convert them into

mere automata to subserve its purposes are indi-
rectly aiding their struggles. Bat their progress
will be accelerated by their being thrown back upon
their own resources—by their having their minds
diverted from dreams of foreign conquest and propa-
gandism. The most friendly service that can at present
be rendered to the Russians is to coop them and their
Government up within their own confines—except
in so far as commercial enterprise may lead them
abroad—to think over and readjust their mutual
relations undisturbed by any foreign interference.—
Daily News.

Tax evils of our old military system, which some
persona still regard as essential to the national
safety, and require to be extended, are every day
becoming more prominent. For example, the former
system of recruiting still continues, and after the
army has become an attractive service for all classes,
and might be made still more so, false representa-
tions are still used to delude and mislead our youth
in order to tempt them to enter its ranks. They
are taught to expect nothing but light and trivial
enjoyments, instead of being prepared for earnest
and stern duties, and the disappointment caused by
the falsehood leads to discontent and demo-
ralisation. Then severe authority steps in ; a some-
what indecent, not to say brutal, system of discipline
is called into play ; and the cat-o'-nine-tails and the
Provost-Marshal secure the obedience that would be
voluntary, and exertion that would be cheerful, were'
not the foundation of the service trickery and deceit'
What is true of the Army is also true of the Navy;
and flaming posters inviting volunteers continually
appear, which tempt young men to enter her MA-
JUTE'S ships by promises of enjoyment and promo-
tion not to be found in the service. From the fraud
discontent, disappointment, disobedience, and turbu-
lence ensue; and to keep them in check that corporal
punishment is had recourse to which still dishonours
and disgraces both Army and Navy.
According to a return, recently published,792 cor-
poral punishments were, in the year 1853, inflicted
on the seamen, marines, and boys, employed in her
MAJESTY'S ships, which is equivalent, we presume, to
792 persons—or something more than lin 50 serving
afloat—having been flogged in the year. The number
is about equal to a whole regiment, and 24,807 lashes
were inflicted, which is at the rate of 31 3-10 lashes
laid on every naked back. Thirty-one lashes with a
boatswain's-mate's cat, wielded by a stalwart arm,
under the impulse of a threat of similar punishment
unless the culprit was hit hard, would peel off the
skin from the nape of the neck to the rump, and
stud the back with clots of stagnant blood under the
bruised skin, or send the blood streaming into
the trousers. A shocking spectacle this, of
792 lacerated backs, bruised and bleeding, orna-
menting her MAJESTY'S ships equally, in all
parts of the world, in the year 185$.
There might be more—for from some ships only two,
and from others only three, returns were made, while
from each ship, supposing her to be in commission for
• whole year, there ought to be four returns ; so that
the number stated . may not express the total of the
brutal exhibition,. At least, however, there were
792 men and boys stretched up crosswise by the
hands and legs, or tied to the gun and scourged with
30 and odd lashes, each to bleeding.
In the first half of 1854—0 f which, however, the
returns appear not to be complete, for from many ships
there are only one instead of two returns-330 rim'.
be spectacles were exhibited, some of them in sight
of
the Russian fleet in Sebastopol, the sailors of which
sight, if they heard of them or saw them, exult at
Wag the serfs of the CZAR. By the end of the year,l
when the returns are all completed, the 330 will
reliably be swollen up to more than 792. In the
eighteen months, however, more than 1,100 sash,
horrible spectacles were exhibited in her MAJESTY.S'i
elips. Mr. COBBItTY and others, in times past, dwelt
1111 the fast of all burdens being named after the
people, and all privileges and powers after the
Srewn. The debt it was sneeringly said is national,
the fleet is her MAJESTY'S. Now the people may
mat that the fleet is her MAJESTY'S, deeming it
letter, is they no doubt will, to bear the burden of
Salsa* than the disgrace of 1,100 human backs
braised and bleeding by flogging. These backs are
found net, ma board the national fleet, but on board
lbw ][a7liere ships.
The plain now distinguished much mom by
gingkoes failure than splendid success, who uphold
system, must not tell us, with this return in our
lhoads, ordered by the House of Commons to be
,ieted on thi 23rd nit,' that such punishments art

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by an attack,
metheet. lir it: Bat he it s great offender against the peace and the
I. lo the Ca
' sa. happiness el Europe, sad the moat dispassioeate Joe
d, that on klit 2 el Sep
ties respires that ,shonld be ma* tre;feel deeply. 6
Inaliuncatteell'ied off 2,000 "a6eapt.ta"lt b and bitterly the humiliation to whitish, has exposed
troops of the neighbonriny station himat. . .
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