The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-11-13
sERFs-THEl CON
DITION AND NUMBER.

millions of souls. The emperor himself is
the proprietor of t,centy-one mitlions-or, in
other words, he WINS more slaves than we
have people in the twenty-eight States ofour
Union. One can thus imagine the colossal
personal power of such a monarch. He is
undoubtedly the most extensive possessor of
serfs, ofany despot that has ever existed
Genghis Khan, or Tamerlane, would not
compare with Nicholas. 1t is also said that
he is continually augmenting his vast nuIn-
Der by coniscations, and by inreclosing mort
cages on money loaned, or u fine exacted, on
the estales of his nobility. In this way, II
his successors steadily pursue the same poll
icy, they may successors steadily pursue the
same policy, they may m~onopoliZe nearly all
the seTis In that vast empire. Since the days
of Peter the Great. the accumulation ofserlS
on the imperial domain has gone on in an
extraordinary ratio. The number has adVan-
ced from two or three millions to twenty-one
millions. In this connexion it is proper to
state, that dough the Emperor is nominally
: despot over every soul in Russia, both serl
end master, embracing an aggregate OF sixty
millions, yet he is restrained by certain laws
and usages from treating oil as serfs. HIS
twenty millions are peculiarly the chattels Of
his will, with all of whom he can do as his
pleasure or caprice may dictate.
1t has been frequently state that the ser
fage of Russia was different from the slavery
of the South, in that the serf could only be
transferred with the soil; and that therefore
you could not buy one, without being encum-
beTed wife the other, which to a certain ex-
tent, was a clog on the selling of human be-
ings. But this is not so. Though the law
is, shat no serf couId be sold without the
estate TO which he belonged" this is evaded
by selling land in the desert wastes OF Rus
STA, which is not really worth a penny an acre
and attaching, as they call it, The sert orseris
TO this nerly-carred estate, and thus sale
would be legal.
1t is also said that the emperor Furnishes
with great severity all infraclions Of the reg
u~lalions which he has established for the ben
eht OF the serf; but, most strangely, these
punishmenis do not lead 10 the entranchise-
ment of The serf. Not in the least. The
emperor puts a round fine on the offender,
aud, fine cannot ply, he either confscates
the estate, or brings it within the imperial
domain, and thus adds to the nnmeer of his
own serls. This circumstance shows tha the
very laws which he is alleged 10 have made
for their eventual Acknowledgement, but trans
iers the slaves from the hands Of The nubili-
ty TO the hands of the emperor. This, in
our opinion, has no tendency to weaken the
serf of Russia, though it may modify the
severity which he sune-s Oh tFG rsIute9 u .
nobility
The rvrfsveR--g are supposed (though
this Tradition is disnuiefAta-h he the -deseen-
uinlSo OF Sur, VINO founded the Syrian empire
Of Nnevet. After lis Overthrow, his descen-
ddnts spread to the west, into, modem Rus
STA and Poland, wher they increased and null
tiplied. But then incursion upon incursion
came upon them like an avalanche. The
Ssythian, the Goth, tie Teuton, the Hun, the
hlogul, and finally the Tartar, sweet over
that vast region of Eastern Europe-yetsiill
keeping the original Inhabitants, who are cal
led Slavi OF Slovenian, (fom which the word
slaUe.seems clearly derived,) is bondage,
where they continue to this day, even after
the lapse Of two thousand years.
This is certainly a more remarkable con-
tinuation of setldom in one race than has ex
listed even among the Africans. Yet not
withstanding their long ages of mental, NOR
al, and physical degradation and despair, the
Russian serf has a capacity which shows that
he is still of the trkite race. ThougI stupid
he can learn. Travellers say that he is re-
markably ingenious in manufactures, though
too versatile IN character TO compete Wilhihe
more steady industry ofihe English and Ger
mans. He makes a superior soldier, for his
courage and nerve are as undaunted as the
iron which he wields. His endurance OF
heat and cold, his blind obedience, his alb
Fauzfou-Da- ri fviDr urbo III.
a character encrnsted with the darkness OF
defpotism, but still as worthy and ftto be a
zfTeemen, as the master who ride it over him
50 cruelty.
1t has been supposed that in our day we
should live 10 see the enfranchisement ofthe
serls in the Russian Empire. We fear this
will not be. The d~awning even is not visi
bic. The Russian autocrat is loo deeply in.
teTested in It's continuance, TO induce him &c
adopt any but palliative measures. lie viii
not strike at The root, by enfianchisiBg the
serEs on The imperial domain. Not only the
large but Increasing number on his estate is
calculated to harden and strengthen the mai
ural passions of avaric and personal power
This very increased also binds sIiutighter the
sinews of his monarchy, and thus fosters boil
tie strong passions of his monarchy, and thu:
fosters both The strong passi ons of persona
OF personal and political ambition. As able
slatesmanlike, and benevolent as Nicholas i
said TO be, il would require %uirtue, almos
more than moral, 10 induce him voIuntaIiI,
10 divest himself of a power which render
him su terrible great, moi only in his own EN-
pire, but throughout the world.-Albany Ar
gus.