The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-24 00:00:00

THE RUSSIAN MILITARY COLONIES.

Sr. PETEUSBUROII. DEC. 17.
The Official Report respecting the Military Colonies is now
published, and is extremely remarkable in its kind. Its author is
Count Arakschejeff the Governor of these Colonies. It appears
from this Report, that the advantages which were proposed in the
establishment of those Colonies have not been obtained. It was
calculated that they would increase within themselves sufficiently
to render any other mode of recruiting unnecessary. But the mor-
tality among the sons of the soldiers has been so great, in corn.
parison with the births, that Count Arakscheieff was obliged, in
order to complete the regiments, to take soldiers' children from the
Crown villages, or from villages belonging to other proprietors.
But where would children be found if the whole army were co.
lonised and the conscription abolished ?
We see further, from the Report, that of the 15,061 males
and 12,670 females composing the northern district, only 4751
have not become a burden to the Government. Consequently
the Government has had to provide for .251, instead of for
6,000, which was the utmost number provided for. Thus about
six.sercnth parts of these military colonists do not support and
maintain thonseives. as it was expected they would do. on the
contrary the Government must find support and provision. for
the colonised battalions, as well as for those on service, and at
the same time provide for the other indigent individuals, of whom
there is a constantly increasing number in these settlement.. It
may therefore he assumed that if of the 600 battalions of the
Russian army 200 were settled, the remaining part would cost
much mote than all the MO would have cost. I'o this muse he
added the expenses of the first establishment, and the loss in the
annual revenue. It is said that every colonized regiment cows the
State five millions of rubles annually ; this would make for 21't)
regiments the enormous sum of 1,000 millions of rubles. But if
we take only the half, the sum will still be very large. If the laud
were to be executed to its fullest extent, the colonization would in.
dude three millions of individuals. Each of these pays the Go.
vernment a poll tax, which on an average may be estimated at
eight rubles at the least. There would therefore be an annual loss
of 24 millions of rubles, not to mention the diminished amount of
the brandy distilleries, and many other branches of revenue, as this
colonization reduces the peasants to
i porerty. Such great sacrifices
were certainly not contemplated when this dea was suggested to
the late Emperor. Indeed other powers have conceived much too
formidable an idea of this system. It has, besides, produced effects
equally important and melancholy, with respect to the dispositions
of the people ; it has excited great discontent both among the nobi.
lity and the peasants. The former suffered in their revenue; the
latter were disturbed in their economy. The farmers distil sod
sell brandy. In this we must seek the first cause of a discontent,
foe which the late Emperor himself was not is any respect to blame.
—Allgemehic Zeitimg, Jon. 16.

Mr. Pelby, au actor of considerable reputation in
America, is to appear at Drury-laue, to-morrow, in the
character of Hamlet.