The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-02 00:00:00

RUSSIAN RAILWAYS.

The financial success of the two first lines finally
(-leterroined the Russian Government to order the
construction of the long projected railway between
St. Pethersburg and Moscow. Jealous that such
an important road should be in the hands of private
individuals, the Emperor resolved to make the con
struction of the line a national undertaking, to be
defrayed from the public funds. Chevalier von
Gerstner thereupon offered to the Government his
own excellent plan, the result of a careful, personal,
and scientific survey, the chief feature of whirs was
to connect the railway with a complete system of
steam navigation on tine Volga, along the banks of
which it was to run for a cnaasiderable distance,
meeting on its way all the more imp,?rtant towns of
the provinces of Novgorod, Icier, and Nita7:ww• The
plan was approved of by the Imperial &rate, and
presented for final sanction to Czar Nicholas, at the
beginning of 1842. His Majesty, just then busy
with a new scheme for conquering the tribes of the
Caucasus, looked at the map laid before him for
moment. "Is this the nearest road to Moscow ? '
he inquired; " the quickest for transporting troops?"
"It is not," was the reply, " the nearest road; but
it is believed to be the best, as it connects ail the
great towns on the road, and would lead, by its ap
preach to the Volga, to a large increase of commerce
and prosperity among your Majesty's humble sub-
jects.' " But I want the shortest road," retorted
Nicholas ; " I want to go in a day from n.y northern
to my southern capital. Give me the map." Which
saying, the Emperor took up a ruler—according to
some, the sword at his side—and with a pencil drew
a straight line trom St. Petersburg to Moscow.
"Here is my clan of the railway. Give my com-
pliments to Chevalier von Gerstner." Thus origi-
nated the line from St. Petersburg to Moscow, the
first railway in the world—and probably the last—
designed by an Emperor.
As designed, so the railway was constructed under
Imperial auspices. The chief aide-do-camp of the
Emperor, Count Kleinmichael, was appointed su-
perintending engineer, with full power to expro-
priate all necessary lands, to hew down forests, and
press any number of serfs and soldiers into his ser-
vice for the construction of the line. Count Klein-
michael, wisely aware of his own deficiencies in
engineering science, engaged Major Whistler, an
American engineer, as his alter ego, who, is his
turn enlisted a number of his countrymen from the
United States to assist in building the Imperial
railway and to share in the rich harvest of Imperial
roubles about to be reaped. Two Americans, Messrs.
Harrison and E istwiek, established—at the expense
of the Russian Government, of course—an immense
locomotive and rolling stock factory at Alexan-
drowski, near St. Petersburg ; while other gentle-
men took, as contractors, the superintendence of all
the works-along the line. Never since the begin-
ning of railways were finer jobs submitted to lucky
contractors. The bills they were allowed ,to make
out were Imperial in every respect, whereas the
wages and outgoings amounted to a mere trifle. At
one period, 50,000 soldiers and 20,000 peasants were
pressed into service, at a cost inferior to that of ten
score English navvies. The Emperor was most
anxious to hove the railway finiailed in 1848, in
celebration of the 700th anniversary of the founda-
lion of the city of Moscow. Less anxious to finish
their work, however, were the contractors, and it
was only the employment of a new portion of the
Imperial army which made the line ready for traffic
by the middle of 1851. The first travellers over the
new railway, we believe, were five regiments of the
Guards, carried from St. Petersburg to *Moscow,
' August 16, 1851. Some days after the Emperor
' with his whole family went over the road, which,
on the 13th of November following was opened to
the public.—Railway .News.

EMIGRATION FROM LIVERPOOL.—Tho Govern-
ment returns for the past month show a great in-
crease in the number of emigrants from Liverpool. During
the month 35 ships have s tiled under the Act for the
United States with 13,118 steerag and 359 cabin passen-
gers; 2,609 were English, 314 Scotch, 9,250 Irish, and 945
foreigners. Two ships have sailed for Victoria with 584
steerage and seven cabin passengers; 212 were English,
55 Scotch, and 306 Irish. Of ships not under the Act 16
ships sailed to various places and carried 420 passengers.
The total emigration for the quarter Was 26,647 persons.