The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-24 00:00:00

ST. PETERSBURG.

The Augsburg Gazette, of the 20th, publishes a
report, from which we give the following extract:—

" Within these last few days several Frenchmen have
passed through Berlin, having been obliged to leave St.
Petersburg. They state that a perfect paralysis is
seizing trade and commerce in that city, rendered more
grievous by the enormous price of provisions. Many
bankruptcies are imminent. Paper money had fallen
considerably below its nominal value, and gold was
eagerly sought for. Economy in every branch of the
national expenditure was being attempted. Thus, the
building of the Church of Isaac was suspended—a most
ominous and momentous matter in Russia. The pa-
triotism of the wealthy inhabitants was perpetually
racked by the crying wants of private misery and distress.
The bullion in the treasury was removed to Moscow."

KONIGSBERG, May 19.—The English Consul-
General at St. Petersburg, Michel, has now, at the
desire of the Russian government, left that capital,
and arrived here yesterday.
A letter from Moscow, 12th, says that the
Emperor of Russia has ordered, in the Eastern
zone of the Empire, a levy of 12 men out of every
1,000, 9 being for the contingent of this year, and
3 to equalise the contingents of that zone with
those of the Western one.
The Journal de St. Petersbourg of the 11th
publishes a rescript, addressed by the Emperor
Nicholas to Admiral de Ricord, on the occasion
of the 60th anniversary of his entrance into the
Russian service. In the rescript the Emperor
announces to Admiral de Ricord, who commands
the division of the Russian fleet anchored in the
port of Cronstadt, that he appoints him to the
command of the two divisions united. The old
Admiral has served under four reigns.
The shareholders of the Steam-boat Company
on the Wechsel, at Warsaw, have received notice
that the Polish Government are about to put in
requisition, on paying an indemnity, the nine dis-
posable boats to transport military effects for the
use of the troops who are about to be canton ed in
the kingdom. Last month there were very few
movements of troops in Poland, but this month
they are very frequent, and Warsaw appears to be
chosen as the place of assembly. The military en-
gineers have ze-established the bridge over the
IN iemen, at Icowno, where five regiments of infan-
try, with a park of artillery, have already passed,
and a similar number are expected. 90 ovens for
baking bread for the troops have been established
near that town. It is generally mentioned in
Warsaw that a Russian corps d'armee will be soon
placed in observation near the frontiers and terri-
tory of Cracow.
Advices from St. Petersburg of the 12th instant
represent the Emperor's last ukase, requiring fresh
recruits for both army and navy, as his manner of
replying to the information that General von Grun-
wald lately brought him from Vienna. This calling
out of fresh recruits for the reserve levies, first of
all, nine in the thousand souls in the eastern pro-
vinces, to see them even with the western provinces,
and then three in the thousand more, making alto-
gether twelve. Of the Jews, who have to contri-
bute their flesh and blood on every occasion of a
levy of recruits, ten out of every thousand are to
be made food for heretical powder in defence of
the orthodox faith. The levy is to commence on
the 27th of July, and be concluded in a month.
Apart from the misery that is inflicted on these
220,000 men, who are torn from their homes
against their wills, and without their possess-
ing any of the elevating feelings that make
the career of a soldier bearable and even de-
sirable, the money value of this man tax, levied on
the lauded proprietors, amounts to 22,000,000 of
silver roubles yearly (about 3,650,0001.), taking the
produce of a " soul" (duscha) at the highest valua-
tion put on that species of property by Herr Bezo-
brasow. Fortunately, this heavy taxation falls this
time almost exclusively on the Russians par excel-
lence, the inhabitants of the eastern provinces ; it
hits them particularly hard to have to raise 12 per
mille, and that, too, all at once, for when the Em-
peror in 1836, for the purpose of recruiting, divided
the empire into two halves, which were to be alter-
nately scourged by recruiting, the normal rate was
fixed at five for every, thousand. In addition to the
value of the human property thus confiscated to the
use of the Crown, each proprietor has to pay down
in cash 10 silver roubles 20 copecks per recruit to-
wards his clothing, S c., ; this amounts, for the
220,000 men, to 366,650'.
One of the grand delusions kept up in Russia, in
spite of this drain on the population for their
fathers' and brothers' flesh and blood, is, that there
are no war taxes in Russia. Knowing by recent
and bitter experience how fruitless any attempt
would be at negotiating a loan anywhere in Europe,
the Russian Government refrains from attempting
to put forward anythinc, of the kind ; and while it
points out to its subjects the Governments of the
West straining every nerve to obtain insufficient
supplies to commence the war with, it self-compla-
cently points out the contrast exhibited by the
paternal management of the Emperor. The ex-
isting laws provide for the furnishing of recruits ;
the voluntary contributions of the people, which
the authorities know CO well how to extort by a
little gentle hint " how desirable it would be
that the Emperor should not remark any luke-
warmness on their part," have hitherto helped out
very considerably ; but lately a fresh method of
raising an equally voluntary taxation has been in-
troduced by Herr Bezobrasow. Before even any
circular for collecting contributions has been sent
round, he has notified, as he says, in order to meet
the wishes of several persons impatient to make
their offerings, that taking the net annual produce
of a " soul" at five silver roubles (15s. 10d.) as a
minimum, it is proposed to contribute half the an-
nual produce of a " soul." A house in the capital
worth 15,000 silver roubles is reckoned at an equal
assessable value with an estate to which 100 souls
are attached, and it is expected will tax itself ac-
c"rding y• It is suggested to all owners of noble
estates not yet registered to have them registered
at once, so that they may enjoy the privilege of
contributing. It must be observed that all the

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