Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-09-02

fence the ClaInoFs VI MS Stttun ny
close confinement.
In January last, the writer Of this
article passed through the province
of CORTLAND, and found the typhus
fever raging all over the country,
notwithstanding the rigor of the sea-
season. Inquiring for the causes of
this evil, he was informed, that some
months ago, according to the orders
OF the reigning Pasha, two or three
thousand persons, men.' women, and
children, living in the country. were
driven by the Cossacks and other IN
s,ruments oftyranny. to the city OF
inflow, and there shut up in the cas-
tie. Very soon the typhus ragged a
mong them. the apartment nearly re-
sembling the black hole of Calcutta.
So crowded were they with the poor
prisoners. that dead and living lay
for weeks together in the same room.
At length the governor general was
informed of the circumstances, and
sent commissioners to investigate the
matter, Finding that the evil arose
from the bad air ofthe dungeon, they
set the prisoners at liberty, giving
them passports to retire to their ma
tive homes. Thus an infected part
o. the population was thrown, upon
the country in the most wretched
state, being already stripped OF their
small prop, rty oy the Cossacks and
others on their way to prison. They
fingered and died mostly on the high
roads--or if Hospitality received in
the farms and inns of the country,
their inhabitants were invol' ed in
their destruction.
The whole crime of the poor suffer-
ers consisted in not possessing per-
mission from the nobleman on whose
estate they were born, to change
their residence, although they were
allowed for ten or twenty years to
live in Courland without any inqui-
~ OF the subject.
The public opinion is generally
deceived by the flatterins reports OF
the establishment of liberal institu-
tons IN Russia. Whenever the news
papers ring with applause on the late
ukase concerning liberties granted
gradually to the peasantry; or on
the accounts of the fourishing state
of the settlements in the southern
Misunderstanding of all this really
exists, other than the law on the sub
iect, which very seldom is brought
into operation, or when executed,
sometimes after two Or three years,
ia curtailed or interpreted different
ly by the governors of the provinces
In the beginning of AS reign, the
enlightened principles of prince "a
,;tzin, Counts Sharemetzof and Ra-
soumousky triumphed over the pow
erful faction of the great landhold-
ers: some good laws concerning the
peasantry and public instruction were
nut in force, and contributed greatly
to render the emperor beloved by bis
subjects; but since the dissracefuI
Congress of Vienna, Alexander |.
has adhered totally to the policy OF
the Austrian cabinet, contrary to his
own advantage.
The chief policy ola Russian en-
peror should be, to increase Popula-
ton throughout his dominions. in
order to oppose them to the over.
whelming power Of the nobility, and
this can only be effected by spread
ing instruction among the lower"lass-
es: but the ins,nuations OF Meter
Mich have induced the emperor to
stop entirely the progress of light in
his empire; and the preponderance
of the nobility continually interferes
with the laws intended by the sove-
reign to extricate the pcasantry from
slavery-tlie whole population now,
more than before the French war,
lingering still in thraidom.
Count Capo d'lstrias, and other
men of liberal principles, have been
obliged to relinquish their office, the
faction of the great landholders ba
wing once more triumphed at the
Russian court; and Alexander has
become. from the friend of mankind.
the greatest enemy of all the nations
of Europe not by his own tyranni-
cal temper, but from a want Of firm
ness to resist the intrigues Of the a.
ristOcrats,
Notwithstanding, the rays of light