Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-06-30

yelling nlght and uay very latlSulng. Inc
grand secret is, to walk continually during
the changing of the horses-which is done
every 10 or 20 miles.
The manners Of the people, particularly
Of the lower classes, are quite oriental
If you give the servant at your hotel few
cents, he will take your hand and kiss it,
lay bis cheek upon it, and then with his
cheek rub your arm for some minutes
The fine rivers in Russia, though frozen up
six months in the year, are navigated in the
summer with steamboats,, which are in
creaslng every year, and the number now
plying during the summer is immense.
Wheat, buckwheat, rye, barley, and oats
are produced in great abundance and in
the south Of Russia, fine apples, peaches,
and pears. Buckwheat is extensively used
in Odessa. The people boil it as we do
rice, and when SO prepared it forms deli
cious dish, after being huled and seasoned.
The manufacturers of Russia are making
great Progress under the present Emperor,
and those Of cotton, wool, and iron, are in
a very ilourishing condition. England has
opposed this policy of the Emperor, and
has by bribes endcavored to induce him TO
relinquish it, but without success, and the
Government now owns large cotton and
iron factories, and seeks in every way TO
encourage individual enterprise. ..
Iron is very abundant in Russia, and in
some localities platlna and diamonds are
found. Gold and silver mines are also fire.
quently found. The Asiatic side of the
rral Mountains is another California, and
immense quantities OF gold are found there.
The mines are owned and worked by the
Government, and for Ave years past from
fifteen to twenty millions Of dollars worth
Of gold has been gathered. The gold re-
semblcs i'll appearance that brought from
California. Ii is found in the sand which
the rains wash down from the Ural Noun
tains. Siberia is rich in mines, and platina
is found there in great abundance.
The commerce of Russia has greatly in
creased within thirty years. Peter the
Great found Russia with no commerce of
any consequence and with but one port,
Archangel, whittier the English had sent
trading ships during the reign of Elizabeth.
Peter soon extended his possessions to the
sea, and built st. Petersburg, which he de-
termined to make great commercial city.
He drew thiiher the commerce Of Archan-
gel, and Petersburg has since been the chief
part of the Russian Empire. Russia, how
ever, can never become a great commercial
nation, for although she has the Blacl; Sea
in the south, the Caspian in the southeast,
the Gulf of Finland in the northwest, and
the Arctic in the north, she is too far from
the great oceans, which are the highways
of commerce, to permit her TO rival those
whose position is more fortunate. About
four thousand vessels now annually enter
her ports, of which six hundred 60 to Ar
changel. The most valuable cargoes are
those from the United States.
The nobility of Russia proper are about
100000 in number, exclusive o, those in
Poland or Finland.
There are great many erroneous opln-
ions abroad respecting the statistics CT Rus
sia, arising from confounding Russia proper
with the whole Russian empire. In the
whole of Russia there are 100000 MOBILES,
divided into fifteen orders, such as Princes,
Barons, &c.--some of them hereditary, and
others Fictitious, They are addressed as,
Your highness, your brightness, or, your
excellence, according to their respective
ranks, and, like the old Spanish nobility,
are as poor as they are proud. Many a
scion OF nobility receiving but FIVE hundred
dollars a year in the army or navy, looks
down with scorn upon the rich merchant,
worth his hundred thousand. They will
accept of civil employment only, and con-
slider any mercantile business as derogatory
to their rank
The Emperor's policy is evidently to
multiply the mobiles by raising deserving
men TO that rank, and thereby weaken
their influence. The ancient nobility, al
though imperous in their manners, are ex-
tremely well bred. The French language
is more spoken among them than even
their own language, and many speak
French with greater purity than they can
Russian.
Next in rank come the merchants, who
are divided into three guilds or corpora
tions by the Government. To the first
guild belong all those whose property, ac-
cording to their own statement amounts to
$4,000 Of our money. These pay tax
based upon the amount of property which
is the test OF their rank, and are entitled to
certain immunites and privileges, such as
the privilege of engaging in foreign COM
merce, of driving in coach with two hor-
ses, sc. To the second belongs whoever is
worth upward of one thousand dollars; and
to the third all the small trades in different
commodties.-These, too, have peculiar
rights and privileges.
Next come the clergy and the Greek
Church, a caste embracing about 100000
men, women and children. Of the oficia-
ting priests there are about 10000. The
higher clergy are unmarried, and are uSu-
ally taken from monasteries; the lower or
derS of clergy are obliged TO marry, but can
do so but once, and then cannot marry a
widow. If the wife dies, the priest is obli-
ged to leave his vocation, and seek other
employment. The strictness with which
these rules are enforced, is said TO produce
an extraordinary effect upon the priests in
making them take good care of their wives,
These regulations, however, are not SO
STRINGENT as those in the Armenian Church