The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-22 00:00:00

SLAVERY IN RUSSIA.

On the Paane day that we have to announce
that Russia is a party to the treaty for abolishing
the slave trade, iu she has little ar no con-
, cern, the Tory Times coritelitis the following de-
SCription of Slavery in Russia An instance of
a noble, WIN, had his female serfotlezged for in-
toxication, beirrg an ultra-Liberal, a tkilent de-
mocrat, a disciple oriatmennais in his library, is
a good illustration of the small effect that the
culture of the Russian nobles Piss on their social
state. faild it over as it will the original barba-
rism is not to be concealed, as is happily ex-
pressed in a mina& O•ted. by Captain Jesse
Il ant toujours attendre; dans un connaissance
Russe, de voir un jour le peau cle Fours.'
"This is the condition of the enlightened class,
which is further illustrated by the state in which
they alio?, the other class to remain—a class from
whom every particle of moral or intellectual light
seems to be carefully excluded, except in those few
instances where, from accomplishrrien to in the serf,
the lord hopes to derive a profit. Among the
unfortunate body of serfs there seems to prevail
one unmitigated system of barbarity, the slavery
of their minds being worse than the slavery of
their bodies. TV at • one of the thoughts which
elevate man above the level of an astute animal
Pppears to exist amid the utter darkness. Their
habits are filthy and revolting to the most repul-
siye degree; the one shirt is worn unwashed from
Lager to Easter, their pleasure is but bestial in-
to,ication, the very feast held in honour of their
deceased relatiVeS being a disgusting gorge
over the tombs, and a colninnal swill of the
national spirit called ' votka.' For the
serf' there is no hope of an elevation above
hig degradation ; the notion of emanci-
pation' *Thiel/ once existed in a few li-
beral mind, seems now to be wholly extinct;
and even it this slave can acquire exten-
sive wealth, he is liable to be called on to per-
forni the most menial offices at the table of his
master ; be is incapacitated from purchasing his
freedom, and the lord takes a false glory in
exhibiting to his friends the wealth of his de-
pendent, not with the ho lest pride with which a
proprietor would show the prosperity of his te-
nantry, btit ander circumstances that prove his
willingness to make their villenage conspicuous.
The religion of these serfs (as well as of many
that are not serfs) is a superstition of the most
degrading kind, little more that: a reverence
for charms and usages; for, as for a higher
object, it seems by no means clear to the pea-
sant of Russia which is the highest, the Deity or
the Emperor, a doubt which all pains are taken
to foster, since there is not a posthouse where
the Imperial arms are not made almost an object
of worship. An adoration similar to that of the
hat, which Gessler endeavoured to introduce
atnotr• the Swiss, is adopted with great compla-
cency
try the Russian serf; if indeed the name of
complacency can be given to a state of unresist-
ing dulness. Nor does it seem, from observations
which Captain Jesse has made, that these serf's
are merely slaves of the soil, though legally they
cannot be sold without it. Many expedients are
used, he says, to evade the prohibitive ukase,
which of course render the serf?, slaves in the
extreme Havannah sense of the word."

THE NON-INTRUSION QUESTION.

The following statement appears in the Glasgow Argus.
We are not inclined to give much credit to it, as we can-
not imagine Sir Robert Peel and the Earl of Aberdeen
would sacrifice the religious and civil liberty of the
people of Scotland, to the selfish claims of the Non-In-
trusionist-clergy ! Better proof must be afforded
before we can believe them so pusillanimous as to desert
their own friends and the friends also of law and order,
and transfer the whole power of the Kirk into the hands
of men whose unprincipled conduct for the last six years
has brought her to the brink of ruin:—" If we are not
misinformed, we shall soon be enabled to lay before our
readers, in such a shape as to merit their attention,
some account of the results in which the negotiations
between the Non-Intrusion Committee of the General
Assembly and the Members of her Majesty's Go-
vernment' have terminated. We speak, at this moment,
on rumours that have just reached ourselves, and have
come to us through channels on which we know
that we can place very great reliance. We
confess that we are astonished beyond measure at
the information which has been conveyed to us,
and which amounts to this, that a Bill is to be
brought into Parliament by her Majesty's Government
giving to the Church Courts in Scotland the full measure
of 'the liberiam arbitriuni—in other words, placing the
settlement of ministers in vacant parishes in the hands of
the Church, non obstante the patron or the people ! Under
this Bill, the patron may contend that his presentee is
qualified,' and the people may say he is acceptable ;'
but if the Church Courts determine, without reason asked
or given, that he is unsuitable' for the cure, the pre-
sentation, and what would be denominated the cull,' are
alike to be set aside ! Such is the only meaning which
this proposed Bill—a draft of which we have seen—ap-
pears to us capable of bearing. It purports to be a
modification of Lord Aberdeen's, and is, in fact, an edi-
tion of the Duke of Argyll's, giving more decidedly the
whole power in settling ministers to the Church Courts."

HONESTY REWARDED.—Between eight and
nine o'clock on Monday morning a gentleman named
Edwin Wells, residing in Abingdon-street, Westminster,
was on his way to the City, and in passing through the
crowd assembled in Newgate-street to witness the exe-
cution of Ward some expert thief contrived to rob him of
his pocket-book. Mr. Wells did not miss it at the time,
but was surprised on his arrival at his office in Bucklers:
bury to find a boy inquiring for him, and who
pre-
sented
him with his pocket-book. The honest littlefel-
low had examined the contents of the book, which
bad picked up in Newgate-street, and finding theimietho he
va:uable sought for the address of thea owner, which he
found written upon a piece of paper pasted
book. Mr. Wells gave the little fellow two
within the
and took down his name and place of btwo sovereigns,
a
to see to his welfare. The contents of ode, promising
consisted of two 301. Bank of England the
pocket-book
property, amounting altogether ina value v l notes, and other
to about 250/.
COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—On Thursday
last, a Commission de Lunatico Inquirendo as to the
state of mind of Mr. Thomas
in this county, was held at Ware Clay, of Witcham,
the Hoop Hotel, before W.
Hunt, Esq., G. Leapin
Esq., three of the Commissioner li , Esq., and F. J. Gunning,
issioners. After a number of
witnesses had been called the unfortunate gentleman
was brought in, and '
in answer to uestions put to him, I
stated his
Christian name London,that there were
was
fourteen shillin in sixpences in
half-a-crown ;gs a sovereign, and eight
and being asked to count four pens,
stated, first that there were eight, then nine, and then
fourteen..; The Ju expressed themselves perfectly
~,s,asued, and immediately returned a verdict, through
E. Foster rtheir
that Mr. Thomas Ware
, 4.,5-..,
4 foreman,
Clay was a confirmed lunatic, and incapable of managing
his Own affairs, and had been so since the 17th December,
1821.—Cambridge Advertiser.
Last night, shortly after nine o'clock, as.a poor man
engaged by Mr. Jacobs, the ven-
who was only yesterday
triloquist, to take care of the Strand Theatre, was in the 1
act of passing over Waterloo-bridge with a small parcel,
and had just reached the toll-gate on the Surrey side, he
suddenly stagger, ed and fell to the ground. He was in-
stantly removed to the shop of Mr. Handley-, surgeon, at
the corner of Upper Stamford-street, but life was extinct.
He was about sixty years of age.
'rile Duchess of Somerset has, for the last
three weeks, been suffering from severe illness. Yester-
day it was stated, in answer to inquiries, that the Duchess
was much better, and that not the slightest danger was
apprehended. Dr. Chambers and Mr. Locock are in
daily attendance.

EVENING SUN

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUI I.

I reason
Sica,—ln the aameolreigi humanity, ant
I earnestly and respectfully beg the favour of tb e inset,
tion, in your Journal, of the following corvine :ng and
conclusive argument against the dreadful custeen of war.
—Yoir's, &c.
H. MAR=TIN.
16, Wood-street, Brompton, Kent.
SUPERIORITY OF ARBITRATION OVER WATT.
War pays no regard to the merits of a case. Its rule
is might, not.right. But arbitration does oon skier
those merits. Again; the stronger party being more
- liteely than the weaker to be the aggressor, a re-
sore to war in the case renders it probable that
the injured party will receive additional injury,
instead of obtaining redress ; whereas, by arbitration,
flat party would in all probability obtain r edress.
In cases where two parties are nearly equal in strength,
by resorting to war, they generally leave off where they
err n, nothing being decided, and both parties being
saely injured. Arbitration in such cases, also. would
answer a better purpose in both respects. And in
eases where the stronger party is the injured one, nl-
Laugh by a resort to war, redress is generally obtained,
hoer hard the way of obtaining it ! Arbitration.'
seould afford it in an easier Way, In every case,
seen, the ends of justice are better subscrved by arbi-
tration than by war, and all the evils of war are pre-
vented besicies. Furthermore ; war is an intiJagement
of the independence of nations. Surely it is- such an
infringement, fOr one nation to dictate to another,
end to Attempt to enforce its dictation, as is away*
done by. one of the parties in war. But arbitrat ion
respects national sovereignty. Here is no dictatiree,
no coercorr, nothing but friendly counsel. Ones:
more ; by resorting to war, nations violate one of the,
plainest dictates of reason, viz., that parties should
not. be judges irr their own cases, which they always
assume to be kr war Arbitration respects this
dictate, by providi'ug a disinterested party as a
judge. Then again : the custom of war affords the
strong an opportunity to oppress the weak, and the am-
bitious to pursue their schemes of conquest and aggran-
dizement. Arbitration is a check to oppression and
ambition, and the best security of the defenceless.
And again ; the custom of war, by which nations take
their position on what they denominate the point of
honour, refusing to make the pteper concessions anti
overtures for the preservation of peace, and sacrificing
justice itself to resentment and pride is one vast sys-
tem of duelling. The principle of international arbi-
tration is the principle of order and peace on a scale
of equal magnitude. Jo short, every reason that can
be urged in favour of the peaceful adjustment
of individual disputes, and against a resort to
individual violence; can be urged with as much greater
force in favour of international arbitration, and against:

war, as the evils of war exceed in ever; respect the
evils resulting from individual combat. Now, then, if
the ends of justice itself can be better sub served by
arbitration than by war, and so much evil p •evented,
and so much good done, what plea remains for war ?
Extracted from the Appendix of the ilmericals Prize
Essays on a Congress of Nations.

DISCOVERIES IN THE TEMPLE

CHURCH.

Oa the southern side of the building, near the hi&
altar, is an elegat3 marble piscine or lavacrum, which
wes in like manner discovered on pulling down the
modern oak wainscoting-, This interesting remnant
of antiquity has been beautifully restored, and well
merits attention. It was cocstructed for the use of
the priest who officiated at the adjoining sOtar, and was
intended to receive the water in which the tAbalice had
been rinsed, and in which the priest washed his hands
before the consecration of the bread and wine. It
consists of two perforated hollows or small basins, in-
closed in an elegant marble niche, adorned' with two
graceful arches, which rest on small marble cclumns.
The holes at the bottom of the basins comsun9icate
with two conduits or channels for draining oil the
water, which anciently made its exit through the thick
walls of the church. In the olden time, before the con-
secration of the host, the priest walked to the
accompanied by the c!erk, who poured water over his
bands, that they might be purified from all stain bo.-
fore he ventured to touch the body of our Lord. Ctzes
of these channels was intended to receive the water ins
which the priest washed his hands, and the other that in'
which ha had rinsed the chalice. The piscina, conse-
quently, served the purposes of a sink.—Addison's His-
tory of the Knights Temple rs.

FREDERICK WILLIAM L's EARLY
AVERSION TO POMP.

In his boyhood Frederick William manifested nu
pleasure in the extravagant splendour with which he
was surrounded. An eye-witness relates, that " wham
the first coat like a man's was made for the Prince,.
bordered with broad gold lace, he looked at it with to-
lerable satisfaction, and quietly suffered it to be put on
hint ; but when a dressing gown of brocade was brought
to him, he examined it before and behind, inside and
outside, and then, snatching it up, flung it into. the fire,
env', as it was winter time, there happened to be a very
large one." Another not less decided indication of his
aversion to useless expense was given by hire while
Priosv Royal. One day, on entering the King's ante-
? chamber, lie there found several courtiers and chamber-
lains seatc6l round a blazing tire. The Prince, vrho had
begun co weer a unifiirm, had been exempted from the
burden of a IloNing wig, and had only a bob ; baing in
a merry vciu, he took off his light brad-covering , and
consigned it to the flames, with the exclamatit-o„ " A
scoundrel who will not do the same !" Tho cc ti.rtiers
looked aghast at each other, but they had no thoice
left ; the grave air and emphatic tone or the Prince
Royal coined them that it was not meant for a joke.
One after the other lifted the huge mass, beplast,a ed
with pomatum and powder, front his bare sconce, ttnd
with unwilling hand committed it to the flames. Not
merely did the courtiers regret the lots of an expensEve
apparatus, which, mostly imported from Paris, and
chargeable with a high stamp duty, cost two hundreei
dollars, or, perhaps, a larger sum, but, what was stilt
more painful to them, was to see their hopes of the,
future government of such a Sovereign vanish in smoke,.
which left behind it not the most agreeable odour."—.
Campbell's Frederich the Great and his Times.

The Censeur of Lyons reports that several
young men of that city, belonging to families in easy
circumstances, were arrested, on tne 14th inst., as par-
ticipators in robbing the Lyons and Turin diligence of
27,000 f., which we have already mentioned.
THE TEMPLE CHURCH.—Shortly after the
Reformation, the Protestant lawyers, from an over-
anxious desire to efface all the emblems of the Popish:
faith, covered the gorgeously-painted ceiling of this ve-
nerable structure with an uniform coating of whitewash;;
they buried the antique tesseleted pavement under hun-
dreds of cart-loads of earth and rubbish, on the surface
of which, two feet above the level of the ancient floor,
they placed another pavement, formed of old grave-
stones. They, moreover, disfigured ail the magnificent
marble columns with a thick coating of plaster and
paint, and destroyed the beauty of the elaborately
wrought mouldings of the arches, and the el-quisite.ty-
carved marble ornaments, with thick incrustations al
whitewash, clothing the whole edifice in one uniforne
garb of plain white, in accordance with the puritanical:
ideas of these times..—Addison's History of the 16:49hts
Tempt-tr.%
The Carlisle Patriot has the following im-
portant news :—llre are informed that during the recent;
bvyisitthoefdSii:elJ.saiomnesofG.
variousraham tolr Netherby,ater.course water-courses,
has pro vieted.
abundant employment for the labourers of the district,
BOROUGH OF MARYLEBONE BANK.—Last
evening. a considerable number of shareholders assembled
at the Boar and Castle, Oxford-street, for the purpose of
adopting measures for the protection of the shareholders
from the threatened consequences of litigation. The
chair was taken by
Mr. Parnell,
who explained the ob,-
jects of the meeting ; and was followed at considerable
length by Mr. Abrahams
m, a shareholder, who took a re-
trospective view of the Abrahams of the Directory,
which he characterised as being grossly at variance with
the interests of the proprietary-
The respective financial
statements were described by Mr. Abrahams ; one being
from the bank, and another from Mr. Quilter, an account-
ant., their variation being described by the speaker as
I Wed by moving
evincing a desire to conceal.
Thaltietchoisncmteetine•-do form
a resolution to the effet--
fund, to be applied in liquidation:
a defence society,
and
undd in defence of actions which might;
of public creditors,.a. c
I.idual
proprietors," &c. A meet
-
be brought against individual Lying
been appointed for Thurs-
day of the Directoz about
calling
a general meeting of
day next to arrange
the proprietors, not but till
after the Directors had been:
do so b • Mr. Bebb, solicitor to the pro-
prietors,much pressed to
.y
omitted to furnish a list of creditors,
as they had
and other information, the above meeting had been,
. After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the
called
meeting A
acljourn to Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1842.
THE Sr. HELEN'S MURDER.—A reward or
1501. is -
' illation as shall lead to the apprehension and conviction
of the murderers of Mr. Grayson, of Rainford, who wag
recently found dead near Denton-green, St. Helen's; sea.
by her Majesty's Government, 50/. by the personal re-
presentatives of the deceased, and 50/. by the Earl of
Derby. Her Majesty's pardon is also held out to any,
one giving the information, not being the person who
aetually committed the murder.
An Oxford student joined without invitation a
party dining at an inn. After dining, he boasted so
much of his abilities, that one of the party said, " You
have told us enough of what you can do, tell us some-
thing you cannot do." " Faith," said he, "I cannot pay
my share of the reckoning ! "
The Editio Princeps of Virgil, which is now
in the possession of a Noble Lord, was, a few years
since, discovered in a monastery in Suabia. The jolly
old monks to whom this valuable morsel belonged could
not be prevailed on t ) part with it for money. It, how-
ever, happened to be known that they were remarkably
fond of hock, which came to the ear of an English con-
noisseur, and for seven guineas worth of hock he ob-
tained this rare copy of Virgil. He afterwards sold it
to a collector of books for 501., and it cost
the present
possessor 4001
A letter from Helvoetsluys states that, on the 11th
instant, the Swedish brig Fanny, bound from Hull to
St. Übes, was totally wrecked on the Ooster. The cap-
tain and two sailors were-saved. Two men were thrown
ashorelifeless,and four more were believed to be drowned
in the vessel