The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-06 00:00:00

IN A .RUSSIAN POLICE-COURT;

Next day, at 10, I am at the police-office, and,
among a crowd of people of all sorts, am obliged to
wait till 2 before the chief makes his appearance.
In the meantime I have coaxed a secretary with
another consideration to make out the certificate on
the back of my old passport, that there may be no
delay when he does come. Well aware as I was of
the practically irresponsible position held and the
almost unlimited power exercised by officials of this
kind at such a distance from head-quarters, still I
was scarcely prepared for the experience I acquired
during a patient waiting of four hours for this offi-
cial. I had been, as usual, asking questions, and
moving about from one part of the large room to
another. There were no mere spectators present.
That all had business was fully manifested by the
enormously large papers each held in hand. These
papers contained their various cases, as they were
to be submitted to the chief of the police, and as
they had been written out by the under function.
aries of the police establishment for a consideration,
duly or unduly proportioned to the nature of cases
and the demands of the officials. Accommodation
in an inner room was offered to me, but declined,
for I wanted to know more of a Russian police-
court. " What are you wanting here, brother ?" I
said to a decent-looking man. " You are an Eng-
lishman, I will tell you. You see that man in the
blue caftan ?" " Yes." " Well, my brother and I
caught him stealing from my premises six months
ago. He had two horses with him for carting my
goods off, and as we caught him in the act, we gave
him and the horses up to the police." " Well," I
said, " that is a plain case, easily settled. " God
help me ! I thought so too, But you see they have
been sending for my brother and me, on one pre-
tence or another, from our village, 15 versts away,
every week for six months, writing papers and
giving evidence, until I have cause to believe that
the affair itself must have been a dream. I am so

tired out, I cannot go on telling the truth any
longer. Besides it's of no use. Last week my
brother saw the very same two horses in the
police-master's carriage," " I see, the thief
is free at the cost of two good horses. And what
do you do now ? That paper is--" " A state-
ment that the whole thing must have been a dream
and delusion on the part of my brother and myself,
and that we have nobody to accuse. I wish we were
quite quit of the business." And he crossed him-
self. " Why do you cry, my dear mother, and what
is your petition about ?" I said to a poor woman.
" Oh, I have been, cheated. I am a widow ; my
husband died three months ago. He bought the
little house and garden 12 months before that, and
paid 200 roubles—all the money except 20 roubles.
The police-master signed the deed of sale for it, but
has forgotten all about it. The man that sold the
place denies the selling and the paying. I and my
children are turned out, and this is the fourth peti-
tion I have presented. I have no money to give his
Excellency to make him remember." Poor woman !
The only appeal from official rapacity is to the Em-
peror ; his ears are indeed never shut to the lowliest
of his subjects ; but how can a poor woman tramp
600 miles of Russian road to sue for justice ? Wan-
dering among these confused but silent groups I
was heartily glad to see an Englishman. An old
gray-haired, long-bearded peasant, with a head like
an apostle, attracted my attention. " Good father,
why are you here; what is that paper in your
hand ?" "My son has been misbehaving and rebel-
lious to me, his father, and I am come to get him
whipped by the police." " Is your son young then ?"
"He has seen 34 summers." ".How can you think
of whipping a man of that age ?" " Well, you see,
before he left me for St. Petersburg, nine years ago,
he was and had always been a good and respectful
scn. But he has learnt bad manners among the
fine folks, He drinks, sir ; puts on fine airs ; sets
himself up against my authority ; and is corrupt-
ing the rest of my children. I must get him
whipped, for while I live I will be the father of my
own house." Suddenly there was a bustle and a
stir. The waiting claimants for justice, with a score
of prisoners under arrest, arranged themselves in
rows all round the room, and I had time to ensconce
myself behind a large and greasy merchant, when
in came the long-looked-for chief of the police—
judge, jury, law, and Emperor in one. He was a
colonel, dressed in full regimentals, a man who
seemed to be naturally bold, shrewd, and intelli-
gent ; but his nose was scarlet, his face blotched, and
he reeled rather than walked. Doing his best to
stand erect, he scowled upon the assembled mob, all
of whom, except myself, stood bending and bowing
before him.-411 the Year Bound.

COUNTRY MARRETS.

MANCHESTER-SETT. 5.

New English wheat was held firmly for 2s per qr ads
vance, and foreign was 4d to 6d per cental, but sold slowly.
New English flour in moderate request, and is dearer per
sack ; American in moderate demand, and unaltered in
value. Oats and oatmeal were difficult to sell, supporting
late quotations. Beans firm. Indian corn is dearer. The
market waa well atteri.a_