The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-10-30 00:00:00

A

f the ORIGINdits of
of
n,y the RUSSIAN EMPIRE,
n MISTERS.
We will enquire into the origin, and follow thel
progress of that Northern Empire, which is twice as
large as the whole of Europe, and which holds under
the same yoke people still barbarous, or hut half ci-
vilized. The reunion of so many countries under
one Government is without exutnpla in the annals of
the world.
The monarchy of Alexander the Great, after his
vast conquests, nor the Roman Empire so wonder-
fully enlarged, did not acquire so extensive a terri-
tory. But that gigantic empire is overspread with
solitude, with deserts, and wild forests ; bounded
by frozen seas, where her fleet is confined for half
Vie year, and possessed but of a small extent of coast
in proportion to her size ; little of her land Lille-
bited or inhabitable ; all empire peopled wick slaves,
and where they speak eighty ditlerent idioms, where
where power itself has nothing certain, where luxury
and misery, corruption and ignorance, are united ;
that empire, which presents to our view, a strong
assemblage of different countries, and people with-
out union or concord, deprived as it is of that
happy geographical situation, of that vital force re-
setting frem an agreement of. the population with the
extent of territory ; advantages that give to the Em-
pire of France a certainty- of a long course of pro-
sperity and glory.
The people comprised under the name of Russians
have incontestibly descended from the great race of
slaves, from whom the Poles, the Bohemians, .the
Wendes, and the Sclavonians, take a common ori-
gin. At the fall of the Roman Empire, the slaves
occupied that part of Europe anciently called Scythia
and Sarmatia ; in the sixth century they took the
Lame of Slaves, that it might be understood that
they were seekers of glory, for that is the significa-
tion of the word in the Sclavonic language. I low-
tver, they did not consider the Slaves as the founders
of the Russian Empire, but carried hack their origin
to the Scandinavians or Normans, who, haiing ra-
vaged the coasts of Europe, gave laws to Normandy,
Eueand, and the two Sicilies.
it was irons the bosom of Norway and Sweticm
that the founders of the Russian empire came in the
ninth century, as the founders of the French
monarchy in Gaul came from the bosom of West.

penile.. , I
The author of the annals of Berlin, who is
the first that mentions the Russians, gives Sweden
as their country. In this point he agrees with Nes-
tor, a monk of Kiovie, the first annalist of-the Rus-;
leans, who makes them come from Scandinavia or
Normandy, which he also calls Woregues.
The mime of Russel, or Raotzi, is still given to
Seeder, from thence it passed to the Slaves. Be that I
as it may, Rurick, the Norman, is generally sup-
posed to have been the founder of the Russian Em-
pire; towards the middle of the ninth century.
Rut they do not imagine that the Walnut's, or
• Normans, came in lei eat numbers to establish them-
mike. in the &set ts of Russia. e I
Rurick brought v.ith him but a few chosen war-
riors. when the slaves, mho inhabited and governed
Ingria and Novogorod, sent to ld be) end the sea,
a deputation, to he ite hint to become their legislator
and chief. lie fixed his residence at Alti-leyoborg,
which they suppose to he Staraia-Lecloga ; he trans-
ferret' it afterward, to Novegornd, which became the
capital of the Russian nation. Rurick gave the go-
vernmeet of many of the towns, belonging to the
sieves, to the noble Waregues, who had accompanied
him in his enterprise.
The Grand Dukes, his soccessers, extended their
conquests to the White Sea, the Baltic, and almost
to the Euxine; and made the Emperors of Constan-
tinople tremble on their thrones. Wlatlimer the
Great, great-graialson of Rurick, was the first
Crand Duke who embraced Christianity ; he intro-
decode the rites of the Greek Church into Russia, on
accomee of his marriage with Ann Romanowna, sis-
ter of Beene 11. Emperor of the Greeks. From I
that time the literature of the Greek% passed to the I
Russians with their religion. Wladimer encouraged
from Constantinople artists and artificers of all kinds
—he entered into treaties of peace and amity with the
neighbouring Princese-Boleslas, of Poland, Etienne,
of ilungvf ry, and Ulric, .of Bohemia. The power of
leussia increased rapidlyander Ms reign. They cousi-
der Jarostow, the sett and successor of Windimer, as
she first Legislator of Russia. h is sister, Ann, married
Henry 1. King of Franceouid she became the too
-
finer of ail the Kings -and Princes of the Capetine
eace. Under these two brilliant reigns, the Rue.,
setns established a regular trade upon the coast of i
the Black Sea, founded new towns,- and gave
them the laws that Jaros:ow himself had composed
of • the Ecclesiastical ordinances, and caused all sorts
of Greek books to be translated into the Sclavouie
lengnage.
But that rapid flight was suddenly arrested by the I
divisiOn of the Erapireamong his twelve sons, a per-
nicious police which had commenced at the death of
NVlallimer ttietireat.
The vast regions of Russia being divided between
'natty Princes, there soon sprung op. three grand in.
dependent Duchies--Novogorod. Ai ow, Wlaklimer,
and many principalities, separated or feudatory ; it
is the image of what happened in the rest of Europe,
from whence proceeded divisions and intestine
wars. A nation thus torn by faction and civil
war, could not support itself against its barbarous
upighbours, and became an easy prey to the Mon-
gols and Tartars, who seemed then destined to reign
eerie the nine of the universe. Lett by the famous
Tchinges-Khan, who had conceived the idea of con-
quering the world, the Mongols came from the north
of Trireme, to subjugate the half of Asia.
The maxim of that eerrible devastator was to ex-
terminate every thing that offered the least resistance.
Tonsehi, his olds* sou, having approached the Cas-
pian Sea, to seek the Pelowziaus,. met the Russian
Allies of that people. The battle was give on the
16th of Jones 1%28, on the bank; of the River Kat-
*ka. The Russians, coretnatided by Prince Kiovie,
werelotally.defeated ; six lenssian Princes perished
on the field, of battle, and all the West of Russia was
opened 40 the Asiatic Conquerors ; from thence pro-
. ceeded the crowd of calamities that - fell •upon the!
Ilerseiart -.llvn pi tee e ston-Khani the grandson 4
T;ciie:Bl47gtio, and founder of the dynastystrgoit:
eele ef'Ketestechnk, became et his bun: the tette:ilea
41..- Itussitsike He took Kezar, and Moscow, ettteiti'