The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-07 00:00:00

A RUSSIAN PRISON.

Strange things are done sometimes in Russian prisons,
'or which the defective state of the law is less to blame
than the carelessness or brutality of subordinate offi-
cials. A case of this sort has just been discovered at
Charkoo, the central point of the railway system
of southern Russia. The chief magistrate of the district
received an anonymous letter from St. Petersburg, stating
that gross abuses existed in the management.of the State
prison. Determined to ascertain the truth, ho paid an
unexpected visit to the gaol, and was shown over it by
the warder. On attempting to enter ono department ho
was met by all sorts of excuses. Ife insisted, however,
on being admitted, and was surprised to find a room,
on the floor of which several stone chests wore ranged, each
just large enough to hold a middle-sized man. Lamentable
cries issued from these when the door of the apartment was
opened, and the visitor was horrified to discover that each
chest had a living tenant. The occupants of these speci-
mens of a Russian " little-ease" were wasted to skeletons
and loaded with heavy chains. To the inspector's inquiries
the chief warder replied with much naivete, "It is an old
custom to confine prisoners here; but no one, as far as I
know, ever died of it." The release of the sufferers was
immediately ordered, and the whole affair will probably be
made the subject of a judicial investigation.

RUSSIAN COMMERCE IN CENTRAL ASIA.
The St. Petersburyh Golos publishes a long article
on Russian commerce in Central Asia, which
says that the state of Russian manufactures not
permitting the country to compete with Euro-
pean merchandise, renders it especially desirable to secure
those markets which are inaccessible to the traders of
other countries. Such a market exists in Central Asia, where
European goods can scarcely penetrate, and the taste of the
inhabitant is little developed. In exchange for our com-
modities, says the Golos, we have lately been receiving a
good deal of cotton from Central Asia,andas in the event of
another European war and the blockade of our ports, we
may not get a single pound of American cotton, it is very
lucky we have discovered another source of supply. As
cotton can be grown in largo quantities in Central Asia
its price depends on the pleasure of our merchants.
In our Central Asian commerce, too, the exports are in excess
of the imports, and we give manufactured articles in ex-
cllange for raw produce. The Central Asian trade is,
therefore, more profitable than tho European, but we must
remember that the slightest mistake on our part is
likely to expose us to the energetic and experi-
enced competition of the English. East India sent
6,000 camel loads of tea to Bokhara in 1869. The greatest
attention should therefore be made to the improvement of
the communications with Central Asia. The Golos goes
on to discuss at some length the political situation of
Bokhara and Kashgai. The ruler of the latter Yakub
Bey, has not yet opened his country to foreign
merchants, but it seems that owing to difficulties with
China, the inhabitants of this district, numbering
20,000,000, are cut off from their ordinary sources of supply,
and the Russians are therefore sanguine of obtaining an
entry. Should these hopes fail, the Tashkent Russian
trade which, in 1868, was valued at thirty million
roubles, is capable of a large increase. Russia has already
a treaty with Bokhara, but it is practically useless, as the
rulers of that country think themselves at liberty to break
any covenant with Christians. Taskkeut, on the other
hand, belongs to Russia, and offers all desirable guarantees
for the safety of life and property, besides being conve-
niently situated, being between Kaehgar, Khokand, and
Bokhara.