The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-11 00:00:00

RUSSIAN PEASANTS.

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The Russian peasant may with propriety be calk'
slave, for, notwithstanding the partial ernancipstif;
effected at different times by Catherine 11. and Alessnat
this class of slaves forms in Russia more than nine-tent'
of the whole population. The reproach of this humilistil
degradation of that portion of the human race which
plunged in the most abject and debasing state of servilitli!
attaches to those who govern that vast empire. Not °DI),
is every means neglected which might raise this pear)
from that state of barbarous ignorance in which I
present lie, but, on t contrary, every thing is done:,
keep them in that state, and, if possible, to make the
worse than they are. The Russian empire is compometig
ninety-five different nations, who speak in more than fo/
different idioms. Thus there are ninety five nations wbic
ought to be civilized at once—to be freed from their re'
judices, their barbarous manners, and their superstitiet*
This work would he indeed very difficult, if not altogether
impossible. The Russian peasant is a slave by nature; he
has no feeling of his own existence ; he knows not that be
was a man before he was a slave, and has no idea of 01,
precious liberty in which all men have an equal right t°
participate. He conceives himself born for others. 111
Government require machines which will obey the lA°,
that directs them, and such machines will they keep I',
leaving them in their present state of ignorance.
It may be said, without even the slightest fear of CO
tradiction, that the Russian slave is not yet ripe fl
civilization. Before they shall be capable of receiving a°
feeling its benefits a long period must elapse, an'i
great change must take place. There is no such thing
at present as education of the people in Russia. The
pe.sant knows what his father has taught him, and wbs,
„
he knows, as it were, by instinct—to eat, to drink,
suffer (if he knows what suffering is), and to obey'
Curbed under servitude, he cannot raist his ideas to sof
thing above the soil to which he is perpetually attachet
He cannot call any thing his own. The nobles only, 5°
a few privileged bourgeois, can possess landed propeltl'
His children even are not his own, they belong to bit.,
Lord, of whom he is the dependant, who can either O.
or exchange him and his children, together or separately'
as he may think proper. He is looked upon as a mere
piece of furniture or fixture, depending on the humonc
and caprice of his master. The Russian peasant is a°,
enemy to every thing new : he does what his father did
before him, ant therefore he brings nothing to perfection'
Hence the mechanical arts are in their mere jasper'
Their furniture, utensils, and vehicles are all of the safe
kind as those used 200 years ago. Even the education
of the animals is in Russia in its infancy. In the mint"
however, the Russian peasant is seen to a little more ad'
vantage, both as regards industry and intelligence, than
anywhere else. In these subterranean prisons labour A°
infinite number of slaves, who are kept to work by the
fear of the knout, and other punishments, as terrible 0
they are infamous.
The greediness of the Russian is extreme; but it is
natural enough that a man who possesses nothing of li/
own should wish to take something from his masters
rapacity. As soon as he has saved a few roubles he writ'
them, and often dies without being able to enjoy hd
treasure, which remains lost and buried in the earth'
The use of water as a drink is almost unknown emote
them. They commonly drink a species of hydrotnel, hot
brandy takes the first rank; brandy drinking is their
ruling passion ; as soon as they get any money they get
drunk with brandy, The innumerable fetes of the
calendar are all days consecrated to intemp-rance. Al
the morrow always feels the effect of the previous even'
ing's debauch, it may be said that the Russian peasant 1,
intoxicated three-quarters out of the whole year. TV
effects of this course of life are felt at an early period ;
at 60 he becomes decrepit, and few attain the age of '7o'
The poorness of the food taken, and the manner of pro'
tecting themselves from the cold—namely, shutting the'
selves up in their heated apartments, the air of which if
sedom changed—also contribute to the depopulation °
the empire.—From tie Polonais.

We observe it stated by the Kilkenny Mode'
rator, that Louis Phillip, Kintr of the French, has recently
written to Dr. Chalmers, of Edinburgh, for the puree
of being supplied with the plans of education which bsve
proved so eminently successful in Scotland, and also with
the the best methods of conveying scriptural knowledge to big
people. Scotsman.
THE LATE STORM.-011 Thursday the
wind blew very heavy front the S.W., with heavy shoWeri
of rain. Towards evening it shifted to the S., and lei
creased in violence, and finally settled in the N.W. until
Friday evening, when it abated. During the whole 0
Thursday night the gusts of wind were terrific, but it WO
not until Friday morning that the storm attained its
height. The tide was full about noon, and at that time
the sea was covered with spray as far as the eve could
reach, and the waves rolling full against the Western pier
broke on it with a violence impossible to describe. Dense
volumes of spray were thrown up at least 100 feet high"
and it is no exagg-ration to say that occasionally the whole
of the outer harbour was completely enveloped in the
showers. Even against the Old Quay the waves broke
with such violence as to send showers of spray quite t°
the further end of the harbour. In the inner harbour the
agitation was excessive. Vessels lying at their tnoorirll49
were lifted six or eight feet by each wave. A little sloop
which lay behind the Western Pier was every now a°
then buried in the spray, and then emerged only to be
enveloped by the succeeding wave. Fortunately her hall;
sers held, and in the course of the afternoon she ventured
to run for the inner harbour, which she safely reached'
Several laden vess,ls put back, and put into port 0°
Thursday and Thursday night ; and on Friday at noon"
when the storm was at its height, much interest tes,9.
excited by three vessels descried through the storm, with
most of their sails blown away, evidently making for tbi.
port. The first, a sloop, ran in in good style. The secoudt
the Sully, of Harrington, a brig, likewise rounded the
pi r with ease, but owing to some mismanagement drifted
ashore at the foot of Lowther-stri et ; she was got 011
wi•hout damage on Sunday morning. The third vessel
was the Belleisle, of Belfast ; she was fortuna'e enough
to get into Barrington. At about two o'clock on Friday
afternoon, when almost every wave was breaking over the
new lOndiouse on the Western Pier, a very heavy sea
broke again,t it with such violence as to mike a clear
breach through the lanthorn, carrying away about fort,'
squares of ghat, and one of the reflectors. The square+
are about ten inches each way, of plate glass, nearly use'
fourth of an inch thick, so that their strength is very great'
S much for the effects of the gale seaward ; landwarde
they were hardly less tetnarkable. Had the storm raged
with equal violence during the night many lives must
have been lost.— Whiteleaven Herald.

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