The Empire County argus., 1855-09-22
NO.. 43.

preparing his army for battle, when one of his en-
gneers asked for force to the reconnaissance
OF the enemy. Tie reply &. historical! "Recon-
noissance, sir Not for me, sir That is for the
tlmd' and to tell the enemy to prepare. Form col
umn, SIR charge bayonet! plunge into the centre
of the enemy! This is my reconnaissance sir"
Here in fact, is the whole Scythian genius Of 1t
is still the pcrvading spirit that inspires all Russia.
Improved by all the modern art and strategy of
war, directed by skfu and experienced generals
1t now threatens with more than Scythian energy,
to sweep from the Crimea the allied armies of Eu-
rope When yeur generals and soldiers return
from Sebastopol-if, happily, that should be the
good fortune OF many-they will tell you how great
ly they have underrated the Muscovite and how
much you have oyerrated England and France
Your blunder was fatal, and it is now too late to
retrieve the mistake.
The advance of the Cossack Empire in greatness,
has been slowly progressive. AS her power and
dominion have been extended, the acquisition has
been consolidated and secured In this particular
she bears but faint resemblance to any of the great
powers of the earth who have swept it suddenly
with conquest, and sprung into ephemeral great
ness Her slow maturity, her protracted adoes-
cence in nationality her profound diplomacy har-
monzing to her interests and securing by her JUS
tice and exactness in treaties the faith guaranteed
to empires and nations she has conquered are sure
augeries OF her future power and dominion. Ma
tions rise and decay as man attains his meridian
and dies. He who springs from the swaddngs in
to the estate Of manhood regardless of the regi-
men of nature, nerer reaches old age--Seldom the
strength of maturity. So with nations. The em-
pre of Alexander is an illustration of ancient that
of Napoleon |, of MODERN time. The resources of
Russia in every sinew of military strength are in
calculablc Her dominions engirde in their vast
ness every soil and climate, and are the native
homes Of the highest types of the human race.
The earth yields to industry every necessary and
every luxury OF life. "Ihe cattle on her thou
lie 4l,oh
her mountains to her lakes and seas, yield pastur-
age to herds Of beeves horses and sheep, that can
not be numbered. These give occupation to the
million of nomads whose skill in horsemanship,
whose restless and hardy habits, whose bold and
wild life, create scorn of danger, and make of these
Tartar races the finest cavalry in the world The
habit OF the MuscOvte is essentially that of the SOL
der. he is taught to reverence law, and to Weld
implicit submission to his rulers and to authority.
This habit Of obedience becomes a second nature
1t is the doctrine of his region--and all Russians
are religious. He regards his Emperor as divinely
appointed. Obedience to him and to civil law is
as much a scruple as submission to Divine The
Car is also held in religious veneration as the vca-
rous head OF empire whose religion is indiyisi-
ble and Incorporates itself into all its civil nstitu-
tons. Next to the Russians idea of the perfect
attributes of Deity, the Emperor is the idea of JUS
tlce and the imbodment of every virtue. In Rus
sa the proverb 'the King can do no evil" is not fic-
tional The Cossack, in his secure and happy
estate IN the sure protection of law administered
in equity, and the pariarcha and paternaI care of
his rulers, and in the benevoence of humane insti-
tutions that fill the land enjoys and sees the reaz-
alton OF that idea If the great end of government
is to secure the happiness of its Subjects to assure
them in the enjoyment of life liberty and properly
to foster civilization and Christianity the Cossack
has done more toward that accomplishment than
any other of the European systems. The happy
estate and contentment of 10000 900 of subjects is
n InnP If hat fopt I,a e.
of governments must be adjudged by their results,
not by names or theories That is the genuine test.
The best is that adopted to the taste and condition
OF its masses that most promotes their pursuits and
happiness, eevatng at the same time, the standard
OF human character by progress in civilization and
Christianity. These are among the tests that have
formed our Judgment of the comparative fitness of
the old monarchies of Europe to promote the happ-
ness of their people and to keep the track of pro-
gression Of the age. Should we apply these tests
to the institutions of France and England, we
should not look upon the walls of her palaces for
the mene, meae, tetel upharSin of Babylon for the
voices of their millions in starvation and poverty
have declared with unmistakable emphasis 'thou
art weighed in the balance and found wanting
The woes of your people daily pierce heaven with
the voices Of lamentation. Misery is in all your
streets, and abomnations have entered into all YOUR
palaces. Your affairs are profaned, and their holy
Offices are administered by hands imbued in i'm
purity We're your cities adjudgcd as the an
cient cities of the plains, how many would be
warned for righteousness to escape to the noun
tains
These are fair contrasts to our mind, of the peo-
pie of Russia, England and France. We will not
speak of Turkey, where the Christian is "a dog"
where are denied souls and Heaven, and
where the theories and faith of the worshippers of
lslamsm invite the polygamus Turk to his harem
life of libidinous safety, to end in the paradise of
the Ilouris pleasure.
And yet you ask sympathies in a war alleged
to be of civilization against barbarism, Uf Christi
anity against infdelity and superstition Resolve
to the mysteries of these facts and realities, too
profound for us to fathom and reconcile, and YOU
may yet strike chords this side of the Atlantic
that will vibrate every American heart with SYM
pathy for your cause, and invocations will
unitedly go up to God Of battles to sustain your
standards, and to lead your armies to victory.
Should the praise here made of Russia, to the
present sense and feeling of England, seem panegy-
rical of her power and greatness, will ask your
dispassionae review of her history, drawn by YOUR
illusrious historian Of Europe, when you were her
ally and friend. But little is added not deducible
from his fair pages of facts and events of the last
two centuries. That little is drawn from personal
observation and information, through short resi-
dence among the people you are pleased to present
now to the world as 'barbarous and uncvilized."
Facts and truth have not changed since Allison
wrote many chapters that illuminated the glory of
the Muscoyite; your feelings, your passions and
your opinions have--but truth is eternal You
were then the ally of Russia against France; you