The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-21

to marry girl, who is a pupil, and educated
in public establishment for the children Of
burghers, is equivalent to manumission.
A manumitted serf cannot be brought again
into serfdom. A serf can obtain his liberty by
legal juridical decision: l. If he proves an an
tecedent right to liberty 2. If his master does
not belong to any Christian confession; 3. II
the master has made forcible attack on the
virtue of his wife. or daughter, or committed
any other improperly; 4. If the serf was made
prisoner by the enemy, and carried beyond
the frontiers of the State, on returning, he does
not return into serfdom 5. If, by the master
he is given up to the disposition of the Govern
ment.
The serf obtains his liberty if he proves
against his master the crime of treason, or q
conspiracy against the life of the Sovereign.
A serf condemned legally to exile to Siberia
ceases to be owned by the master; his wife
following him into exile becomes free.
A serf becomes free if sold without lands, OF
if the burgher does not possess the quantity Of
land required by law, twenty acres per head, J
or if his family is separated from him by sale
These" says Gurowski, "are the principal
features of the legal organization of serfdom, u
which we have extracted substantially or lite.
rally from the able work of that author There
is no prohibition of education to the serfs, but
no provision has been made for it.
1t will be seen and admitted by all, that
Russian Serfdom is incomparably less barba-
md
The Government favors emancipation. The
Crown peasants are comparatively free, and a
measure has been adopted which it is conf
IDENTITY believed will accomplish general eman-
cipation in the course of two or three genera
tions. The measure alluded to is thus briefly
stated by an intelligent Russian, quoted by
Harper's Magazine:
A reaction commenced at the beginning of
the present century; and since that time a
system of emancipation has been silently ope
rating in Russia, to which the world can show
no parallel. In the first year of the century,
Alexander made it fundamental law of the
Empire, that no more grants of serfs should
be made to any individual whatever. In the
mean time, the extravaganza and pro1Ggacy OF
the mobiles had passed all bounds. They be-
came popularity known as Velmoje-'t those who
say, and it is DONE Their expenditures out.
ran their income, and they were forced to mort
gage their estates. Institutions were estab.
lished by the Emperor for lending money to
these spendthrifts, at high rate of interest,
secured by mortgages on their lands and the
serfs pertaining to them. AS these mortgages
ran out, the Crown took possession of the es.
tates, and the serfs became peasants of the
Crown. In the fifteen years just past, the
numbers of the peasants of the Crown has in.
creased by million and half, notwithstand
ing the numerous emancipations that have
taken place while the number of serfs has in.
creased but half million. The two classes
are now just about equal in numbers but II
is estimated that fully half of the serfs are
mortgaged to the State beyond hope of redemp.
ton. These must all, within few years, fall
into the possession Of the Crown"
The Crown peasants, though not free, are in
far superior condition to that of those who
are the property of the mobiles. The latter are
the victims of caprice, while the former are
subject to uniform regulations and, like the
free peasantry, are united together in COM
munes, or villages, in which they elect their
magistrates, tax-collectors, and other officers
and apportion among themselves the rent, or
obrok, which is due to the Crown, and which is
in fact, the principal feature of the servitude
to which they are subjected.
"The Government exercises no control over
the movements of the peasants. ANY one of
them who wishes to leave the place of his birth,
can do so, by obtaining permission Of the com.
mune, and this cannot be refused, if he is able
to make provision far the performance of his
communal duties" "Thus within
certain narrow limits, the Russian Crown peas
ant is an absolute freeman"
ut happens not unfrequently, that when
the Government offers for an estate q price
less than the proprietors are willing to accept,
the serfs join together, and pay the difference,
in order that they may pass into the hands of
the State"
Gurowski, however, looks for emancipation
not to this slow process, but to the revolution
airy action of the people themselves. The Com
mune, universal institution in Russia, en-
bracing the bond as well as the free peasants,
he regards as the germ of liberty and selfgov-
eminent for the Russian people, and the prom
Use that even Czarism and Aristocracy will at
no distant day be found useless encumbrances
IHiS iHStiIuIlOH gives W inc peOpe III IHeir VII
lagos the control of all local matters, as stated
above. We confess that it is with surprise and
pleasure that we read of this widespread pri-
mary institution in Russia, which is so well
calculated to educate the people to habits of
selfgovernment. According to Gurowski, it is
older than Czarism and Nobility, being the an
cient and universal system of the Slavic race,
while the crushing despotism which overshad-
ows the Empire is a comparatively recent ex-
crescence, which is rapidly verging to decay.
The Commune is a school for teaching the
people selfgovernment. 1t is the glory of
England, and her offspring, the United States
and, having wrought out freedom for these, will
infallibly produce the same fruit for Russia.
How enviable, then, is the condition of the Rus
sian serf, compared with that of the chattel
slave of the United States And who will not
prefer Russian barbarism to Southern Ameri-
can civilization? G.
TWO WEEKS LATER FROM CALIFORNIA.
New ORLEANS, Feb. IL, 1856.
The steamship Prometheus, from San Juan,
on the 9Th, arrived at this port to-day. She