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

| ePlthet among tnem tn1n 10 De Called 'the
son of priest"
The next class is the great body of SerE,
amounting IN all 10 4S,OOO,0O0. The Bri-
tlsh Encyclopedia states the number to be
36,OO0.0Oc, but this is erroneous. These
seris are bought and sold with their land,
like the trees that grow upon it. They
are usually small farmers, who pay the
owner OF the land in kind. If the pro-
prietor furnishes the implements of husban-
dry, the serf pays one half in kind-if not,
but one third. Some of the seris are ex-
ccllcnt mechanics, and sometimes these pay
certain sum per head for each member of
family. Usually about four dollars per
annum is paid as tax upon each person
over four years of age. All that the serf
earns over this is his own, and many amass
considerable wealth. The seris on the
farms live very rudely, in huts about twenty
feet square, with brick stove six feet long
in one corner. A rough bench or inverted
trough, which is used as a seat during the
day, at night forms couch, in which the
ladies of the establishment retire to rest,
while the men bctake themselves to the Vi
cinity OF the huge brick stove. The room
Is kept extremely hot, and is constantly
filled with smoke. These limited accom-
modations are shared with pigs and chick
ems OF the farm, and a collection of COWS is
often kept in the cellar. To one unaccus-
toned to these peculariticS, they are some
what unpleasant.
There are but three or four really good
roads in Russia. From St. Petersburg to
Moscow, there is fine macadamzed road
twenty-five feet wide, with broad level
space on each side; making the whole
about one hundred and fifty feet in width.
The road is so straight that you can often
see ii stretch out before you twenty or
thirty miles. The usual public conveyance
is a vehicle similar to the French diligence.
Russia is a fine country for railroads, ow-
ing to its level surface. The railroad, from
St. Petersburg to Moscow, now being built
under the direction of Major Whistler, for
merly, of Massachusetts,, will be finished
next autumn. About fifty thousand men
are now employed upon it. The only rail-
road in Poland, runs from Warsaw, north,
a distance of fifty or sixty miles.
The laws Of Russia with regard to care
less driving are worthy of imitation in our
own country. Whoever runs down per-
son by rapid driving, forIeits the vehicle
and horses. The present Emperor was RI
ding in his carriage some time since, when
the driver accidentally run over drunken
man in the street. His Majesty immedi-
ately had the carriage driven to magis-
trate'S, and gave up the vehicle and horses
to be sold. and the proceeds applied TO
some charitable purpose.
The city of Moscow, rendered famous by
Napoleon's celebrated expedition, was buit
i'll the twelfth century, and now contains four
hundred thousand inhabitants 1t is situated
in a great valley, and the houses are mostly
built Of wood, with roofs OF sheet iron. In
the centre of the city stands the walled hill
of Kremln, which is surrounded by'a brick
wall fifty feet high, aud mile and half in
circumference. Within these limits are seve-
raj public buildings. The popular opinion
that the Kremlin is palace is erroneous 1t
is, simply, as lis name signifies, walled en-
closure, and was built as a defence against
domestic insurrection. 1t could no more be
blown up by powder than conld a great hill.
In the church which stands within its limits
is bell weighing one hundred and forty
thousand pounds, but this is eclipsed by the
great bell which stands at the foot of the
tower. This is nineteen feet high, siXty-tive
feet in circumference, eighteen inches thick,
and weighs four hundred thousand pounds
avoirdupois. A large piece has been broken
out of it, and it is sometimes used as chapel.
Around the city stretches public garden or
Boulevard, and outside of this, a wall of turf
thirty or forty feet in height.
Three hundred churches, each five or six
domes, are scattered throughout the city.
The domes are pear sloped, and are sur
mounted by spire and cross, with the cres-
cent beneath it.-They are painted sometimes
brown, and often bright blue color, with
large spangles of gold. AS there are from
fifteen hundred to two thousand domes in the
city, the effect, when the sun is shining upon
them, is extremely brilliant. nine
tenlhs of the city way burnt by the Russians,
when they vacated it in 1872 II has never
been ascertained who gave order to have the
city fired The Governor General of Russia,
Rostopchin, who was charged with having
caused the conhagration, has dsclaimed the
act 1t is probable, however, that the conf
mander of the Russian troops which marched
from the city when Napoleon entered it, gave
orders 10 fire the buildings. Tartar like,
they burnt everything as they retreated. Ma
poleon could easily have prevented the caias-
trophe if he had suspected il, as he could
have stationed soldiers in every house (; but he
did not anticipate such an event. The city
now shows no sign of the vast confiagration
which has rendered it so famous III European
history.
St. Petersburg is twenty-five miles in cir
cult, and has no tortification except along the
Neva. This river is about one-third OF
mile wide, and sodeep as to be navigable for
iirstclass merchant ships. The city abounds
with splendid palaces and public buildings.
Here is the beautiful column erected by the