New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-04-25
THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

The prominence of this Empire in the present
political movements of the world, awakens an
unwonted desire for an acquaintance with its
history, its geographical features and its re-
sources. Already acompetitor for the supre-
macy among nations, at the beginning of this
century--rising up colossus of despotism in
the Eastern hemisphere, and stretching forth
its hands, with proud elf-reliance, to the young
giant Of freedom in the West; our knowleds MY
its distinguishing peeuliarities is even yett-ln-
tied, as compared with that which we possess of
other European powers. Not content with the
largest share of the most civilized grand di
| vision of the globe, it has advanced along the
| foreign plains Of Northern Asia, and the ice
bound extremities of America, until iteomprises
nearly one-half Of Europe and Asia; reaches
half way round the globe, and embraces one
seventh part Of the habitable world, Nearly as
extensive as the Ancient Roman Empire, and
ten times as large as any other European State,
its eircumhuent Seas and Oceans beat against
a territory of six millions of square miles, in
habited by seventy mill ions of souls Listening
or Watching the huge Icebergs of the Polar
waters, catching the busy hum of the Baltic,
pursuing the seals of Kamschatka, or winding
| through the solitudes and smiling plains of the
interior, its active hordes give utterance to their
| thoughts in the one third of human languages
| of twelve distinct stocks, and of sixty tribes,
the symbol Of their glories is the Grecian Cross,
and the bond of their union, the decree of one
mind. Their birthland, the hive of nations,
s4u i
mistress, until the Eagle Of Rome had closed his
wings majestically in death. and an ocean Of
| gloom had rolled its waters over the face of
civilization. Still no germs Of nationality were
planted around the sources of the Volga Not
| until the Warrior Prophetof Arabia had hurled
| the thunderbolts of q new revelation from shore
| to Shore and the frantic cross had burst upon
the sacrilegious Crescent, did the first faint
| beams Of q new star appear in the East
| In the ninth century, men lifted up their
| eyes, and 10 the beginnings of good. But the
| turmoils and rude conflicts Of tickle barbarians
| as wild and senseless as the swoops of embattled
kites, alike unchroniced and uninteresting, con-
sumed yet six hundred years, before John Basil.
| owitz collected together the heterogeneous ele.
ments Of kingdom and sat down upon the
throne, the first monarch. properly so called, of
Russia, Twenty-Five royal successors like him,
have trod the paths of glory and the grave.
lnfanticide, fratricide, regicide, adultery, have
stalked triumphant through the palaces of the
| Cars Ever ambitious, these have known no
| talisman but the sword, and cast with unHin-
| ching hand the die of destiny. Borrowing mil
itary science from their neighbors, they per-
| fected their practice upon the heads of their
instructors. Finland Poland, Circassia and
| Wallachia have re-echoed the shout of the thun-
dering Cossack. Reversing the paths of Genghis
| Khan and Tamcr1ane, those :" thunderbolts Of
/ war; the Muscosite legions have forced their
| long lances toward the heart of Asia, till Persia
| watches the nod of the Autocrat and Tartary
regards with reverence the steppes she once
1 devastated. The mandate of the German Prince
that no subject should teach arts and arms te
| the rude men Of the North, unheeded, the heirs
of Romanoff aspire to universal dominion, and
the Ukase of st. Petersburg commands the cal
of the world But this brief introduction mus
suffice for thepresent. MIXTURE we will resume
our view of the Muscovite Empire.
New ORLEANS, JACKSON AND GREAT NORTH
ERN RAILROAD CoMpANr.--At the regular an
nual election, held yesterday the following gen.
! tlemen were elected Directors for the ensuing
| year:
Louisiana james H. Caldwell, w S. Camp
bell, W. p. Converse, Thomas Hale, j. P Har.
risen, P. Irwin, A. D. Kelly, Emile Lasere
George NJ. Pinckard, Charles Pride, Il. j. Ran
ney. James Robb,