The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-06-02

pire. Except recruits, hardly young man
is to be seen in any of the villages; the post
roads are all being mended by women and
girls. Men taken from their homes and
families leave behind them among the wo-
men, broken ties and the foundation of
dreadful mass Of vice and immortality. It is
fearful enough under ordinary circumstances.
True communism" said Russian noble,
sit is to be found only in Russia"
One morning poor woman went crying
bitterly to the Englishwoman, saying that
her two nephews had been forced from her
house to go into the army. II tried"-we
leave the relator Of these things to speak in
her own impressive words-"1 tried to con-
sole her, saying that they would return when
the war was over; but this only made her
more distressed No no. exclaimed she,
in the deepest sorrow. they will never come
back any more; the Russians are beaten in
every place. Until lately, the lower classes
were always convinced that the Emperor's
troops were invincible; but. it seems by
what she said, that even they have got to
know something of the truth. A foreigner
in st. Petersburg informed me that he had
gone to see the recruits that morning, but
there did not seem to be much patriotism
among them; there was nothing but sobs and
tears to be seen among those who were pro-
nounced fit for service, while the rejected
ones were frantic with delight, and bowed
and crossed themselves with the greatest
gratitude. Reviews were being held almost
daily when the Englishwoman left and she
was told that one occasion. when reviewing
troops destined for the South the Emperor
was struck with the forlorn and detected air
of the poor sheep whom he was sending to
the slaughter.
Hold up your heads y he exclaimed, angri-
ly. "Why do you look so miserable? There
is nothing to cause you to be So" There is
something to cause him to be so, we are very
much disposed to think
But we did not mean to tell about the war.
The vast empire over which the Gar has rule
is in o half civilizcd-it would be almost
more correct to say--in an unciviled state.
Great navigable rivers roll useless through
extensive wilds. Except the excellent roads
that connect st. Petersburg with Moscow
and with Warsaw, and few fragments of
roads serving as drives in the immediate vi
cinity Of these towns, there are no roads in
Russia that are roads in any sense. The
post roads of the empire are clearngs through
wood, with boughs of trees laid here and
there. tracks over steppes and through mo-
rasses. There is everywhere the grandeur of
nature, but it is the grandeur Gifts soltudes.
A few huts surround the government post
stations, and small brick houses at intervals
of fifteen or twenty miles along the routes,
are the hating places of gangs destined for
Siberia. A few log huts, many of them no
better than the wigwams of Red Indians,
some of them adorned with elegant wood
tracery-a line of such dwellings, and COM
monty also, row of willows by the way
side, include Russian village. A number
of churches and monasteries with domes and
cupolas, green, gilt, or dark blue, studded
with golden stars, and surmountcd each by
cross standing on crescent; barracks, a
government school and post office; few
good houses and q great number of huts-
constitute q Russian provincial town, and
the surrounding waste of forests shut it in.
The rapid traveller who follows one of the
good roads, and sees Only the show places
of Russian civilization, may be very much
deceived. Yet even here. he is deceived only
by show. The great buildings that appear
SO massive, are Of succeed brick, and even
the grandeur of the quays, like that of in
finitely greater works, the Pyramids, is al
lied closely to the barbarous. were
constructed at an enormous sacrifice Of life.
The foundations of St. Petersburg were laid
by levies of men who persisted by hundreds
Of thousands in the work. One hundred
thousand died Of famine only. The civiliza-
ton Of the Russian capitol is not more than
skin deep. One may see this any day in the
streets The pavements are abominable.
Only two or three streets are lighted with
gas; in the rest, oil glimmers. The oil lamps
are the DINNER for being subject to the pecu-
lations of officials. wicks are charged
for, and only two are burnt; the difference is
pockcted by the police. All the best shops
are kept by foreigners-the native Russian
shops being mostly collected in central
bazaar, Gostinoir Dwor. The shop-keepers
appeal to the ignorance of a half barbarous
nation by putting pictures of their trades
over their door; and in his shop Russian
tries to cheat with oriental recklessness.
Every shop in St. Petersburg contains q mir
for for the use Of the customers. Mirrors"
says the Englishwoman, ''hold the same
position in Russia as clocks do in England.
With us time is valuable; with them appear
ance. They care not though it be mainly
false appearance. They even paint their
faces. The lower classes of women use
great deal of white paint; and as it contains
mercury, it Injuries alike health and skin.
A young man paying his court to girl, gen
orally presents her with box Of red and
white paint. to improve her looks; and in the
upper classes, ladies are often to b. seen by
one another, as they arrive at house, open
ly rouging their faces before entering tho
drawing room.
The elements of civilization Russia has in
copious language, soft and beautiful. with
out being effcminatc, and good-hcarted peo-
pie, that would become nobler people under
better government. Their character is sus-
tanned chiefly BY ignorance and fear. The
best class of Russians-especially those who
are not tempted by poverty to the meanness
that in Russia is almost the only road to
wealth-are boundlessly hospitable, kindly.
amiable almost beyond the borders of sin
certify, but not with the design of being in
sincere. They are humane to their serfs;
and although this class suffers in Russia
troubles that surpass those Of the negro
slaves, yet it is not from the proper ladies
and gentlemen the country that this suffer-
ing directly comes. When the noble pro-
prietor himself lives in the white house that
peep from among the trees, side by side with
tho gilt dome of its church, the slaves on the
estate are reasonably happy. 1t is not true