The Express.
London, England, 1858-04-03 00:00:00

IN RUSSIA.

A St. Petersburg correspondent of the Indepen-
dance Be/ye gives as the following information as to
an important measure of reform now undertaken by
the Russian government:
I have said that the activity going on In the War-offi.es
has slackened but little. That may be easily understood.
The reduction of the army has given the clerks a great deal
to do in regulating the allowance.. of the °Meer' placed on
hell-pay ; then the " cadres" of the regiments have to be re-
organised; the question of military equipments has to be
studied ; the administrative abuse during the late war have
to be silted ; there are investigetione to be made, end so on.
But in the midst of ell this, I repented' myself for not having
mentioned to you a measure of exalted humanity that has
recently evidenced the pure sentiment of justice whir h ani-
mates the heart and nand of the Emperor Alexander 11. I
need hardly name it ; it is the projected abolition of the mili-
tary colonies.
In the first instance the reduction of the army, which may
have affected a few individuals to their detriment, has lied
two results, both equally favourable to the country ; one, by
diminishing to a consitbrable amount the drain on the
treasury; the other, by restoring to the land, to agriculture,
to every branch of industry now springing up, a multitude of
hands and consumers hitherto unproductive. I have said
that the Minister of the li.terior'e report proves clearly to
what en extent the agricultural population bad been thinned
by the necessity there was of tilling up vacancies in the
army, which numbered more than a million of soldiers, for it
le this clam that supplies almost exclusively the military re-
cruits, owing to the numerous exemptions that exist in
favour of the other classes. Among these we may cite the
officials, whose numbere are so large, the licensed tradms,
the clergy, the principal (Wren,. &c.
The Emperor then, by reducing the army end decreeing
that before the expiration of three years no fresh levy shall
be made, has contested a twofold benefit on the country, but
by the suppression of the military colonies he ham given it •
proof of his humanity.
More than thirty years ago, thousands of labourers, they,
their families and posterity, were converted into military
colonists. A village formed • squadron and was subjected to
all the strict hardship of military service. The children,
from their birth, were registered among the ranks, the mar-
riageable girls were mated in a chsaoe.medley way with such
young men as had reached the age prescribed fur marriage.
The women, in the midst of their rand occupations, were
themselves appurtenances of the colony; cottages, live stock,
furniture, dead stock,—ail alike was the property of the
military commune; nobudy could hold anything as hie own;
besides, the hours of toil, its duration, Its nature, every ac-
tion of life, every movement in short, was placed under
severe and rigid romp discipline.
But now, by the imperial will, all these men who were thus
cut off from social life have once more become citizens,
fathers, husbands, sons, heads of their families; they now
peww their cottage, their field, which they till how they
please ; they work, go and return at whatever time they
chase, and intermit the cares of husbandry or of such trade
as they have followed, when they feel so diaposed. We may
Imagine the joy dell these people, deprived so many years
of their common risrhts—rights of which men attached to the
glebe are only deprived in part.
In consequence of the abolition of the military colonies,
the institution of eutoniste has been likewise suppressed.
These cantonista were the children of the moldier'. Accord-
ing to a law of the last reign, they belonged to the 'my es
soon as born, and on reaching tbo legal age for car4ing a
musket entered some regiment. It was a service et 25 years
the entered upon.
These children remained with their mothers until their
seventh year. This term expired, they were taken away from
them, and God knows the painful and harrowing scenes, the
heartrending spectacles, the teen, the desolation.
All these poor little wretches were bundled together under
the guardianship of a corporal and a few officer!, whose duty
it was to make them learn to read and get used to the mili-
tary exercises. Brought up in this rude fashion, far away
from their parents, strangers to all domestic life, these chil-
dren grew up in complete ignorance of the simplest duties,
and of course of all softening family infirteaces.
But now, all this has ceased to exist : there are no more
cantonista, except a couple of corps at St. Petersburg, which
are in a comparatively far less suffering condition, from being
under the epee of the superior authorities. However, they
will be broken up like the rest. The children of soldiers are
now free to follow whatever calling they prefer, and in this
respect obey their own inclination. It bar been observed
that the great majority of them have chosen agriculture.
Since I em speaking to you of matter relating to the
army, permit me to tell you a word about a measure that has
been tried with a view to correct an abase hitherto tolerated,
and which exhibits the disgraceful picture of colonels jobbing
with the accoutrements of their men and putting the money
in their own pockets. Very bungling must their work have
indeed been, if they don't manage to get en income of 40,000
franca. I give you one of the lowest estimates I have been
tu• Lashed with.

To remedy this state of things they have devised the
creation of committees, the nomination of the members to be
left to the offioers, which will have to furnish the regi-
ment with its supplies at the cheapest rate possible. To
indemnify the colonels for the loss of perquisites sanctioned
in some sort by custom and impunity, a higher made of pay
is awarded them.

measure, applied in the first instance to two regi-
ments of the Guar&, has just been attended to two more ;
and I have no doubt, should the experiment oontinue to be
satifactory, that it will be applied to all the Guards, and then
probably to the entire army.
A clerk in the commissariat has told me that one of his
predecessors, having taken it into his head for sheer honesty's
sake not to profit by the perquisites of his berth, was enabled
at the end of the year to hand over to his chief a bonus of
60,000 and odd roubles, that this person procured him incon-
sequence a commander's cross ea • reward, and then • few
months later sent him adrift. On my observing that this
wee a strange method of treating such an official, he replied
that that bungler of a clerk had oomprotnieed his chief and
colleagues by producing those savings, that formed in them-
selves • manifest charge against the past administration of
the office. The reasoning was absolute, and I should not
have repeated it to you if t had not been made to myself.
Here is another supreme decision full of wisdom : the
senate is no longer to be a retreat for old generals. The
Emperor thinks, end rightly it seems to me, that military
savior may be rewarded in some other mode than by giving
them a seat in the first judicial body of the country. This
tribunal requires special men, whose pursuits do not call
them away from the grave duties they have to fel&
Already lute • number of military preeentationa been can-
celled to make room for civil appointments, and if I am well
informed, the Grand Duke Constantine was not a stranger
to this important and judkions measure.

THE PEN, THE CHISEL, AND TILE BRUSH.—
About thirty years ago, Sir Walter Scott gave to Sir Francis
Chantrey a specimen of the celebrated Mustard and Pepper
breed of terriers. When in the Lotuses of time the dog
waxed old and was about to die, Sir Edwin Lindner Nes-
aerated it on canvas and prexated the sketch to Its 'snow-
Mg master. In the background of th+s little picture, which
attracted much notice at the time of its exhibition, Sr. re-
presented the Interior of the sculptor's studio, an Imitable:l
bust of Sir Walter, two woodcocks brought down at a single
shot by Chantrey at Holkham, his favorite cat, snuff-box,
modelling tools, &c. , The picture has recently been offered
by Lady Chantrey to her Majesty, who has been gracictuily
pleased to accept such an interesting memorial of the friend-
ship which so long existed between these three great artists.
Tissue .

Sir Roderick Murchison's sake's, in Belgrave-
square, were the scene, on Wednesday night, of a brilliant
assemblage of rank and scientific eminence. Amongst
other celebrities we (Literary Gazette) particularly no-
ticed the commanding figure and fine thoughtful
head of Baron Bruanow. He awned as much at home
among as as if his late absence had been a trip for pleasure,
and not the mann of a deadly struggle between ua and the
nation he represents.

We (Ati enceum) hear that there is a chance of
Mr. Herbert's great cartoon, intended for the sew paws,
being exhibited in Trdalgar-equate next month.

The French Exhibition will this year open on the
17th of April, limied of the let of Ng. This is eartshily
s change for the better.

HENRY WATT, THE ENGINEER OF THE CAGLIARI.
—At • meeting of the Newoastle Town Council, held on
Wednesday last, Mr. Newton, a councillor end a sur-
geon, made a statement regard* the cue of Henry
Watt, the engineer' recently returned from Naples. He
said that ha had seen Mr. Watt four or five times in
London, and on two occasions in company with Dr.
Forbes Winslow--a distinguished authority in mental
diseases—and with Mr. Hood, an eminent surgeon in Lon-
don, and they were of opinion that Mr. Henry Watt was
decidedly insane. Ile took that opportunity of saying that
hie friends and fellow-workman would, of course, ant
expect an ovation when he came to Newcastle, as he would
owns shortly, but rather an occasion of mourning. He
(Mr. Newton) did not take so gloomy a view of hie case al
Dr. Winslow • he thought time might restore him to seem.
He thought that in thew presence and that of the Few he
might with propriety make this communication. It was
only justice to ray that both the Mends of Mr. Watt sad
the people of Newcastle mast be very deeply indebted to
Mr. George Ridley for his kindness, and for the interest he
had taken ix Mr. Watt's oase. He believed Mr. Ridley had
called in to hie cold--perlutps with the concurrence of Govern-
ment—the very highest medical advice, and his kindness
had hem frateraal. _ _ .

WAI:OFFICT., APRIL 1.-. The Queen has been
ElsoloosiP_lteased to give milers for the apintment of
Fredetiok Weymouth Hibbs, Esq., Ptecoptor topo his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales, tole an Ordinary Menhir of
the Civil Division of the Third Clan. or Companion of the
moat Honourable Order of the Bath.—Bezette.

GRENADES.—The effect of the grenades directed
the Emperor's so much greater them
that own baud-==iti mama probable that
It may lead to a change, not only hi our own army, but in
the armlet' of other European nations. Our grenades Sr.
fired by a fuse, those of the aseassios Implode by percussion.
Dispensing with the fuse (If peril:de) Is a siniplifinstion, sad
so an advantage.— United &rola Osatie.