The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-06-20
Miscellaneous,
TIE EMPEROR NICHOLAS s. THE RUSSIAN
EMPIRE

RNSSlAN
EMPIRE.
The Emperor is now At years old, and for the last
20 years his life has been one of constant enterprise
and toll. The affairs OF his overgrown empire, of
which he claims the title OF "father'' are all to he
kept under his immediate superinendance if cour-
Ter arrives from Siberia or Warsaw or from the Cas-
pian he must not overlook the despatch;if his grena-
ders are to parade, he must be present; even if
fire breaks out in his capitol, there he is, putting,
sweating and shouting with the best of them.
Those who have seen his Majesty describe his APP
pearance imposing in the extreme. He is feet
inches in height, finely formed, with great breadth of
shoulder and chest, great length and symmetry Of
limb, with large, blue. piercing eye, Grecian nose
and every part of his frame is in the same colos-
sal proportion. At the roval in-cr - :: :. - IL
ed amid all the ievVeieo ana sap'eu P'n''s' " his
plain dress and commanding fgure,& he towers above
them ALL like the first King of Israel among the shep
herd warriors that surrounded him. He is the gigantic
head of the most gigantic empire on earth.
Russia is certainly most wonderful country
Stretching around three quarters of the GLOBE it al
ready numbers 70, 900, 900 Of inhabitants, and in
century more may number 10O, O00,O00! 1t en-
braces every variety Of soil, product and occupation
from the stunted pines of Archangel to the blooming
gardens Of the Crimea, from the hunters of bears on
the ice hills of Kamschatka, to the diggers of salt
in the mines of Cracow. The rich wheat fields on
the shore of the Black Sea pour their annual produce
into the granares Of the ODESSA the shepherd ofthe
interior pastures his immense herds on the central
seppes and at each returning fard drives the rstlings
Of his flock to the bazars of Moscow; while from the
frozen North, where life well nigh goes out" the
hardy forester floats down. during his short lived sum
mer the lurs which he has taken beneath the light Oh
the Aurora during his long wntry night All this
varied population are divided into two classes.
First come the hereditary nobles-huge sons OF Anak'
high spirited and for the most part lg-
noran; rolling in splendor and filth, covered with dla-
monds and vermin--a set of princey desperadoes,
ready at any time for revel muster, mas
ouerade or a campaign. From these riotous ma
bobs, two or three ofwhom could buy up the whole
of Iowa, at eGovernment prices' there is but one
stem to the serfs in comparison with whom our South
ern slaves are freemen indeed. Herds of them throng
all the plantations of the nobility, working without
nav. living on rye meal and chopped straw, until
.bev can live no longer, and then die, leaving a
wretched inheritance Of bondage TO their children
This immense empire, with its great territory and
ts great diversity Of rank, is controlled by standing
600 artillery men; and this army is controlled by''the
Autocrat of all tho Russas.'' OF this army, the IN
antry are admirably drilled, wel'-iniormed' highly
exner in the use of tine bayonet, and the hardest
soldiers in Europe The cavalry are good ana the
artillerymen are good, but the great strength In de-
fe,sive warelare lies in the Cossack Horsemen-
Who can read without admiration and terror, OF these
wild cavaliers of the desert-of their intense attach
nent to their country-of their tiger-lke cunning IN
laying in wait for their prey and their feroclty IN des
,rov;n, it-or of their astonishing powers OF emu
rance sleeping on their horses and baking their meet
,L .ad,e To see one of these troops OF ma
RAIDERS in their green jackets, red breeches' and
Jockey caps, with a match lock slnng over tne'f
shoulders, and twelve foot pike in their hands, fse
up suddenly from the horizon like coua 0. SUM- i
and come securing the plains with "whoop ana
b,,oo. mustbe frghtful appariton to an invading
arm. Bonnparte's Frenchmen saw it often 10 '"e''
sorrovy. and fell before it like the Simeon
But what will the ambitious despot Nlcholas' WIFI