The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-18

re latter has naturally seecbS5 as tie most aavap-
IL " Gus aIIspg INT Ut, ii yrset cable one; aud 90
tie principle ma, tirer. ~ I'D harm IN trying, and
'hstIo,hii is lost BY sskiDg, @rs"ay co upahy has
irtD formally started, a Contract has been signed
it, vapus bsuses, and ,bs English pisast u io-
vito To invest bis ~ Dey Ia the sobenle.
W. lave bal. bGsi,st IN speaking thus plainly
OF ie,s attempt 10 inveisle EBghsh oaptal, because
II is obvious almost at hrst sigat tina, such railway
u dtIiabirg as il now contemplated IN Russia is a
soTb Hhi,h IL strictly aD0 properly belongs u 60
ent TO execute and not IN private com ,a0y.
he Gift cult ca too grea' for private rOmpaI
To Au,mouDt, especially Ola foreign SOL IL be-
nps 10 n at class OF great and t0llsODe achieve.
II enIs and tiiuGphs of mere lab which have
plorii' dCspot SINS in 80 many ages OF the world,
AZ been apyestd TO III bitory as proofs Of what an
absolute rooI arcby WIN Oh had command OF all the
energy, mental aud bodily, Of sbofe people could
do. The Russian rattO ays must rank sctth the
:tGt tcoH Of CHINO and The pyramids as sfupeadOss
,fsuhs of nctional toll Let us take a. a speams IA
he railway rom Moscow To rbeodoSa, described IN
ur Sc. Petersburg correspondents letter. Toe
vhoe |, myth OF tns line is estimated IN tho pro.
Plsmne at 500 VESTS, or more than tho issDd
Enplith miles, or sbis length OF line, twOfitths
Noud pass along the haIest sterpe Of New Russi 4,
iugally CeV old OF trees shrubs. Where, in
his waste ana aeseIt, would b. the timber necessary
fl The works, the fuel necessary for the 10 Ono
ives? Ba. hmoDt, xbere Goals ave % be had, is sv0
hundred af0 len ye,sis distant frOan the neRcst
pipt ,he rsv will pass and NJ 10 be got at only
suiatc himself at first the fast soas any
tate there was no tunne,lDg required ~ these vide
paiIs hut, If nature bias not intersec'ed shess
tssers wish nouDtsiD ridges, she has indeoted tbe
with deep ard broad assures. whch will impose
nucb engineering eXpense. The very necessary
element OF water, moreover, IS scarce and she
fearful snow storms o, Russian winter, which at
mer bury whole caravans travelling over these
desolate regions, will, b sides ln'efpOsng insur-
noun,abe Obstacles iron time to time so the traffic
On The railway when made, greatly impede the son
sirctjoI OF the rail gay itseg This is obVi0asy
den, an undertaking Tar mme suiiabe n 0
government than to a private company. The
collection, in a comparatively uninhabised country,
f a supply Of labor large enough 10
suImOuDt all these obstacles, and the con-
iii ual renOrcements which VIII be necessary IN
keep 10 this supply, Will be an enormous dill
,rl,y 10 a foreign company; and when 10 the hong
list o, Baru,sl obstacles We ada the artificial ones
which will alliby be me, with from VIGOROUSLY
corrupt bureaucracy, We may ial'iy say That the
railway scheme is one cfwbich the execute IN should
naturally fall 70 the Russian government, the Only
power possessed of the respuSces necessary for its
complexion. We speak on the slppOstion that the
work to he executed within reasonable spe cited
time. OF course labor and perseverance may oser
cone any obstacles, If You have Indefinite amount
undertaking. as a mercantile speculation, as well AZ
specific clause OF the contract, does not allow this
in the present instance.
What will be the very first effect Of private com
psny undertaking a task thus above 1t! The RAIL
WY Will certainly not be finished by toe specified
time This failure in the execution OF the contract
will authorize the iDterposltion OF the Russian go
vernmeLt which will then step In to comp1e'e work
which it ought to have begun, and Will, o. course,
repay itself by an embargo upon the guaranteed in
terest OF the shareholders. And thus brings us 10
another very material point in the Russian railway
project. The widest dreamer cannot OF course ex-
pect that his interest sbarehOd Ia Russian rail-
ways win ever exceed the per cent guaranteed 70
him. If he does let him cast his eye the map and
make calculation OF the proportion OF the popula-
ton to the square mile. ln the case OF the raul
way we have taken-thc one from Moscow 10 Nbe1
dotia-"b half Of the length of the whole line would
traverse governments the average population OF
which according TO the latest data does not amount
10 more than 500 souls per German league Ia
miles Epgsh;"- g., below the proportion OF popu-
lation TO space in the most uninhaoted couptes of
Wales and Scotland The whole traffic and travel
ling between St. Petersburg and Moscow, IN the
very thick OF the late coronation festivities, which
only gave per cent the original capital laid
out, and therefore We may conjecture what the
paluIal interest upon The capital invested 10
these new lines OF railway VIII be. The
Shareholders guaranteed inseerst, therefore, VIII
remain an psrpeitum- at least for that practical
eternity which speculation contemplates-3 simple
tax uIon Russia, only differing from the interest
upon ordinary leans in this,-that the bargain
between the two parties, the lender and the
borrower, will be much more complicated than
in the ordinary case Of u loan, involving oppor-
tupities for complaint and charges OF breach
# contract on the barrowers part. and with
these opportunities Of complaint excuses or evad-
ing payment. A loan once made il ovd and
done with : the borrowing goyernm mt cannot
oeDy that il has received the money, and tas &C
kDowle gnent is all that v necessary for making
out the tight OF payment. Tut railway 10
running affair involving the permanent execution
If engagements, and where engagements have
10 be fulfilled there is generally rom for complaint
zeal or fictitious. Now, imagine IN this state OF the
case Of war draining Russian finances very low.
would not the shareholders Of Russian railways be
the first sufferers from Russian insolvency. We oh
serve that the entire capital invested in Russian
railways by Russians themselves amounts only TO
40,C0O,010 silver rvubles, whereas tue estimated
cost Of the undertaking Is 275,000,000. This does
not speak much for the security of the speculation.
If Russia wants railways then, let her pay for
,hcm herself; she can make enormous sacrifices
when her military interests require u, "a the defence
OF Sehastopol proves; let her make an equal sacrifice
now aro draw upon her own means snd resources.
But ridiculous 70 expect that English capitalists
viii take this "pig in poke that Ia now Offered
them, will take leap in the dark, and, With tn {,
marked and most significant silence On the pf IT Of
The contractors as 10 ali The difficulties OF the eve Al
proposed lines, in the absence of all reports fsom
engineers, and all information on the sub, Ct, will
commit themselves biindfold into the hants the
I'm, sian government. II they are greedy TO- new
investment they will have one when the crpendi-
ture Of 27O,OV0,0OO roubles has lowered the
vantsts nf Russian financial difculties they NAV
fairl, decline the offer Of paying Tor Russian rail
ws,s,
Condition and Prospects Of the Island Of la
rrnIes-sugar Cultivation aod Save Labor.
Prem the LONDON Post, lee. ~
In a memorial recently presented by the West
Indian merchants and others 10 Mr.. LabOuchere
Secretary Of state for the Colonies, picture is
Drawn OF the existing condition Of Jamaica which
demands the most an xious consideration. The pic
,ure Is fearful one and yet We grese 20 say that
no ono can deny i,s truth ulness. The memorabilia
however do not rest contented with gloomy recital
a ortunes they state that the inhabitants Of the
island are themselves doing something for ts saliva
ton aud they also ODER several excellent sugges
tons for efecting by the help of the mother country
- vel az by local exertons, ameliorstion Of pre-
sent evils. The mcmorialis's inform Mr.. Tabouchere
that the material condition Of the colony Is at the
lowest possible point short of universal bankruptcy
and ruin. Real estate has no market value dwelling
houses are gradually decaying, end money can with
difficulty he raised even return for personal pro