The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-26
AFFAIRS ABROAD.


giNct Relations bettneea the Russian SegHeW md
the Peosaat- Steps Of the Degradation Of The Peo
ps-Hopes Of their Resmrection-Th English
Chwchnlen and Puseytes-Napoieons Corona
hon-M Theirs upon the Eastern Question
FEEDING to,cayd Lieutenant BsAot-Prinee Al
berts Monument Iagrahaan's Ttstimoniai-An
artist Loss-A Large Diamond and an Irish
Friend Interesting theatrical Miscellany, &c.
The of the Gar is so exceedingly popular in
this liberal country Of ours tina. think we cannot
better serve the imperial interests than by showing
Transatlantic friends, who have been so unspar.
ngly shown up by the authoress of the everlasting
Uncle Tom," what operative bliss the masses of
the Russian population enjoy under the descendants
and SUCCESSORS Of Ivan the Terrible Peter the Great
and Catherine.
1t Is rather startling fact to refec. on that while
the English sanctity mongers have set themselves,
tooth and nail to the business of abusing the States
for their enormities, (rea imaginary committed
against negro slaves there is quite at DOORS only
across the Baltic, an entire white population
legal chattels and property of batch of seignenrs-
population of at least twenty millions, who can be
bought and sold just az publicly and with as little
ceremony as those having African blood in the slave
holding States of the North American Union. The
question Of Russian ser dom Of momentous interest
because it, in fact, vtaly affects the whole Russian
question; and therefore we shall give brief sketch
Of its origin and history.
In Russia there was 10 serfdom originally, as in
those countries where the feudal system pre- ,aied;
for ON the contrary the original organization Of the
agricultural and conmunh tic population essen
TALLY democratic, without any distinction whatever
between the peasant and the citizen; neither were
there any chateaux, only few towns, and those few
only large villages. TIE sou, again, had not, at that
time, fallen TO the possession OF individuals but
allotted among the rural communes each member Of
which bad the RICH. Of cutivating some porten
thereof and drawing from it the fruits OF his own
labor; and lastly, land water aad woods were alike
unrestricted by any feudal right, the privilege Of
fishing, hunting and navigating the rivers being
equally open TO all This being the case, even where
land got into the posse of individual farming
propretors, they had absolutely no features in COM
mon with the seigneurs Of the Gothic Or Germanc
natiops in fact, they were but peasants, like the
rest, however rich they might have become by the
pursuits OF agriculture serving the crown. Russia
indeed, cSuld have Io real arstocracy, because
there was no cOnquering race; but, nevertheless,
purely artificial aristocracy formed out Of the
appaDaged princes, who we're mediatized ia the six.
teentb century and various foreign adventures from
various parts Of Europe, who superseded the rank
and here itary titles OF the Boyards. Then was it
that Russian serfdom took its rise. under Ivan the
Terrible early in the Seventeenth century; and it
may be said to have received its full developement
In the reign of Catherine H.; yet il must ever ex-
cite the surprise OF the historical student tina
half Of population OF the same race with the rest,
endowed, too with high physical and intellectual
faculties, thould, in little more than centary, be
reduced to slavery, not by war, nor conquest, nor
by revolution but by a series Of special ukaes, i'm
m nahl Qplin
Yes, TO this very day the Russian peasant shows
the anomalous character Of his recent enthraiment
in the nobility, blu. melancholy aspect of MS fea
lures snd the utter detection aud hopelessnes Of his
manner And by what steps did the poor Russian
thus be- come serfI
First, the right OF passing from one com nune t,
another Was limited to . single day IN the year; then
the privilege OF that single day was aboli she'd tn
rendering the peasants The strctest aiscrpi
ghbG; and lastly came Peter the Great, who efiec-
tuay rivetted their chains by sending State officers
to sc0Ur the villages, to make of the rural
population, and publish edict in dialect IN
known to the peasantry e. giving notice " that the
jewellers on the seigDenrisl domains would be adj
sctbed t. the land and to the segneur unless they,
proteste1 within a certain time The poor people,
alas thought a these tbiDgs strange but we're glad
to zee the strangers go without having done much
apparent harm; for Trey had 40 notion Of what was
being done and said Dy these harmless vlsitsrs
Nay what ia more, strange as IL may appear, not
envy the people had 70 notion OF what was going
On, but even the government itself knew nothing
OF their real nature or tendency, and to this day
is utterly blind TO what i. has done AID now main
tains II had been well however, the mischief had
ended here, and the peasantry hid all along been
adscrtbed to the land and the lord In course
q time, however prior even TO the reign OF Peter
the sale Of sers without that of the ani had become
customary: and from that time to the present long
custom has all but ma lie it legal-at any rate the
custom Is open and univeYsal-tO purchase, without
any land whatever, entire families Of servants Of
cooks, OF painters, OF washer women, and even Of
musicians The existence of such class Of sers, it
Is true is extra legal; and for that very reason taese
poor people are abandoned wholly to the arbitrary
viii OF the mobiles. No wonder then that caprice and
sordid interest dictates their masters every actthat
his cruelty s restrained only by fear Of the peasants
knife axe; and that he either wholly break his
contract with the peasant or else merely allows him,
as special grace, to purchase his REDEEM pton at the
highest market price, Hence, except by revolt-by
the scythe and the axis the only hope OF freedom
for the oppressed Russian peasantry. Such is the
great body OF the population aver which the Emperor
Nichoaa-s0 far as the nobles allow-exercises
despodc sway; and Of such materials is the main
booy OF the army composed which he is leading
against the Turk
"who thrice is amd because his quarrel's Just"
But how long will this state fittings continuei How
long viii twenty millions of intelligent white
Christians consent to remain the slaves OF handful
OF mobiles? In the fervid words OF the talented
Alexsndre Herzen, who has recorded his personal
knowledge OF the system, and from whom we have
taken the substance OF the above -
What is the people absut2 Does not a people which
submits to such tyranny deserve tY Yes 1t deserves
IT, as Ireland deserved the anime and Italy deserves
the yoke Of Austria. accustomed t. hear that
ferociors of s that ii longer excites my
prise. Up and to against all that suffer ptss
unredressed is not enough that the landless borer
(olaoe) is poor nd starving let his bitter
life with derison bitter still Tis Russian
peasant IL serf let rsproach him with IT, let FAY
that lie has deserved his chain, and then way
eyes from his hdeous suierings Still before abandoning
him for ever let thank those forgotten slaves for the
wisdom which have gained at the eos Of cruel hunger
10 some-the fierce -eat o. manythe brutal d-grada
ten Of all let wi the double blossom OF thi.
glorious civilization, be grateful whose smiling yarden
are uatered with the bleed and tears Of the poor.
What with the Trac'arian or extrahigh church
and tue Evangelical and the Rationa-tc nochurch
perty, our beloved Church OF England stands fair
chance NJ being split and subdividei int parties ut
Terry subversive OF that unity which constitutes its
chief superiority over the religion of sectaries Oar
church. AZ all tue world knows, awoke b)1t thirty
yeaps ago from sts'e ot lethargv, which had lasted
for nearly hundred and fifty years, and ne party
sprung up IN consequence, which endeavored, by in
tn klude life and action in an a.ta.