The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

A FRESH MAN

RIGA AND ITS COMMERCE.

We are indebted to M. F. Germain de Lagny for a
very interesting description of this important commercial
point of Russia in the Baltic, of which his long residence
in that portion of Northern Europe renders him peculiarly
qualified to speak with accuracy and knowledge.
Between St. Petersburg and the frontiers of Prussia
four rich provinces border the southern shores of the
Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea ; these are Ingria;
Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland. Here the coasts pre-
sent a different aspect from those of the more northern
provinces of Russia in the Baltic ; they are more sloping,
and less bristling with rocks and shoals. The soil in
some places is sandy, in others marshy, or partly covered
with muddy water and reeds. But more inland, in the
higher parts, the arable land has a thicker bed of soil
than in Finland, resting on a substratum of granite
rocks, which occasionally crops out to the surface. The
mountain chain of the Valdais extends its last undulating
and sterile branches to the shores of the Baltic across
Livonia. Of all the towns along these coasts Riga is
the most important, and indeed, it is one of the righest,
finest, and most active of the Russian empire. Situated
at the bottom of the Gulf of Riga, it is shut in by two
large and very important islands, Oesel and Dago, of
which we will speak afterwards. Riga is celebrated by
more than one passage in the history of Germany.
Under the Knights of the Order of Swoadbearcrs Bassi
Feri), so powerful during the latter period of the middle
ages, under the Danish dominion, and' under the rule of
Sweden. Riga was always the capital of LiVonia. By
the treaty of Nystad, in 1721, it was ceded to Russia,
and became the chief place of the province of Riga, and
capital of the Government of Livonia.
Its position on the right bank of the Western Dwina,
a short distance only from its mouth, has attracted to
it a commerce which, by its extent, has raised Riga to
the rank'ef the second Russian port in the Baltic. The
river has a majestic breadth, even under the very walls
of the town, but ships of very large tonnage cannot
ascend so high, and are obliged to discharge and take
in cargo at Dunamunde, a small fortified port which
commands the entrance to the Dwina. _

No town, which they have conquered displays in so
striking a manner the disorganising spirit of the Rus-
sians. It seems as if everything that bears the imprint
of an anterior civilisation 'annoys and irritates that peo-
ple, and excites it to the task of defacing every trace by
any means in their power. Beside a German town of
brick and wooden gables, in all the quaintness and ori-
ginality of Teutonic architecture, the Russians have
raised a new town the exact type of their retrograde
genius. It is built of logs, and presents All the charac-
teristics of a Muscovite town, in which utility is sacri-
ficed to effect. The houses are low, ill-lighted, plastered
over with coloured chalk, and in every respect on the
model of Moscow, Sirubirsk, or Archangel. On first
walking through Riga, you are almost tempted to ask
whether you are not dreaming. At first the impression
is that
„you are in some old-fashioned German town,
when suddenly, in the midst of your illusion you turn a
a corner and find yourself in modern Russia, with broad
streets and houses as straight and regular as a regiment
of 'soldiers at "carry arms I" The German town runs
along the bank of the river ; the Russian town stands
on a part of the old fortifications, and in the same degree
as the one is busy and animated, the other is silent and
gloomy. In the first one almost believes in freedom ;
in the other you feel Russia and its instruments of tor-
et ur
oroe
ked,
eadr: and
nfldaggasyl tai
no
dn .r e enrde
otnhee
ostt r
te tes
oal
dr e
towns narrow, o
f
the Hansa, where the people were free, independent, and
almost sovereign ; there the straight line represents the
Cossack's lance, the autocratic will of a despot, who
sums up in himself the whole national will Every one
in Livonia
nivaon.ia..speaks German and nothing else ; theman-
pt habits are the same as they were under this
grandmaster Gothard Khetsler.
The Protestant churches used to suffice for the railgious wants of the population of Riga. _That did not
meet the views of orthodoxy, and a reform' was deter-
mined on.. In less than a century eight Greek churches
were built, and that in a town whew the garrison alone
belonged to the Greek faith. -It would be curious to
know what the Emperor Nicholas would think if Prussia
should some day put forward a claim to the protection _
of her Courland and LiVolliAll co-religionists against
Russian intolerance./

Riga still possesses some monuments of her Oa
glory ; two or three churches.with towers in the middle
gothic style, an ancient palace in which the 'grand mss•
tern of the Teutonic knights formerly resided, .and- st-
town. hall which presents" nothing remarkable. The -
Russian Government, to flatter the turbulent poPele°.
tion whose discontent it apprehended, built hospitals;
barracks, public promenades, and a palace for the gover-
nor. It did not forget the prisons, and by degrees it
widened a few of the principal streets..
Riga-is a fortified town of the first class. Besides very
strong fortifications, it has -I citadel which commands
.the lower.course of. the river. The distance of the town-
-from sea, hoWever, protects it from surprise.

sdelril. thli sUßtiLti°:
pii 1 tur En
0 FlrNi cc ER sE.A-8 ET
.hAeNDp
annual ralcci:lclioiunisrt m"adSe AUr '
has been presented to Parliament. .It shows the effect • .
of changes made during the year 1853. The chief item
's set down to the Post-office, in which department
1,220 more persona have been engaged, at salaries •
Amon n ting to 26, 3581. ;
the convict establishment also •
-has 109 more servants than in the previous.year ; the
• .
enstoms,--- 67.; .Stamps and Taxes, 59.._ On , the • other
.land, tbe.Exciselias 207-less, and the consequent saving • ;
in th-at departnsePt is 2.43.7341. ; 134 there is an increase
•,. -.
in- th.e same 'department, -under the head_of expenses, -.-
„The. general. result -is ini,_ in- .:..
to- -the-- extent of 15,748/.,
-.crease of;l,oB.l.fi'lle-iiiimbei.' of.'pers6ns breproyedin
some of the public offices, and a diminution of 236 in
the number employed in others ; in money, an increase
of expense in the one set of °facts to the extent of
105,6721., awl e decrease in the other to the extent of
is,olv, - -