New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-21
RUSSIA.
TOE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. IN RUSSIA.

Corespondepce CT lie Noyd
ST. PETERSBURG, July 10, 1858.
During the last fortr isht who daily passes the
S.rate coud have seen q number Of csrrisges sta
toned before the great Senate staircase and H. curl
ous 10 know the occasion Of this great assembly, he
should enter the hall Of the second story he would see
an rdinsry commoton. There is discuss'ou-s
CIV of voices. Here is sn sosted group OF persons
tslkipg in low voice, ard apparently arranging
matter Of the gravest Importance there on the other
hard, are individuals arguing with the greatest VI
vacity ther, suddenly there is silence; you hear
sean cry of price anxious attention is painted upon
all faces ard e1clsmstions and discussions are sgan
bead This hall where have put you is the hall
where sre made the sales BY auction of the farming OF
the sale Of brandy. A great game is played in this
plsce-s game Of Millions and drunkenness and vice
are the cards whs,h are used.
The gene is coming 10 an end. Nothing remains
but the farming out of few districts. a few days
mere and sn will he over it remains to be seen on
which side is the gain, ard on which the loss.
But We car judge even nov OF the turn which mst-
ters have taken.
told you my preceding letters that great increase
in the revenue from this source was expected. Well,
oil which predicted in this matter was nothing TO
what has occurred. Prices reached fabulous rates.
Tee price Of the inland excise already surpasses by
rearly thirty millions the prices Of the last sale. 1t is
almost Incredible. Upon what then do the liquor
dealers reckon for return after having assumed such
heavy srgsgemertsl II is assumed that they wske
great calculations upon the number of railroad EN-.
poyees, ard they certainly will not be deceived.
great part of the wages of these workmen will be-
without doubt absorbed in the stIong-boxes of the
liquor men, Besides liItle more water will be added
to the brandy and some further intoxicating element
added, and all will be right
Here are some Of the sales 10 question. You can
judge Of the rise in price:
Ia Eastern Siberia the sales have risen from 746 675
to 2,276OoO roublss in Western Siberia from 1863 100
to 9Ol OOO the province of Vladimir from SIS 400 TO
li6 eco; in that of Jsrossv from $50 500 TO 3i6,-
JCO in that Of VoosdsGom 266 200 to $780, in that
Of Nijni-novgorcd from 532 900 20 40 500 and finally
in that of SmbIsk from 90 600 to 6lS 200 roublss and
otters in Ike proportion.
Ooeive that in those provuces crossed by the line
ofthe newly ected railroads, and whers great &C.
cunulaton OF woikmen s expected there the advance
is the greatest.
The sum total Of the farming of these sixteen pro-
yirces has thus rise from 1867 275 to 20 99 800 rou-
bes on ircieae Of than II 800 600 to the whole
empire.
Inc him exclee H the sum which the farmers pay
per district. have thrown together the prices by
provinces, athous n the sale made by towns and
Districts, as have already informed you. But beside
the payment Of the given sum- the farmers are obliged
to buy all their liquor from the cellars Of the Crown and
this contributes to the revenue OF the Government
The profit derived from this in the sixteen pro-
viDces will reach absut 1900 O0O 60 that the total
predict Of these tixeen provinces alone will be nearly
80, eco roubles. All the provinces together will
thus produce 100, 100000.
Some very well il formed persons rel.te, and am
hsppy to repest it, that the Emperor has expressed no
qualification at the increased price Of farming 1t is
even sfrmed that his Majesty said 1t is sad 10 feel
any satisfaction at such an increase of revenuer
Beautiful words in the mouth Of a sovereigo whom
history viii call the beDefsctor Of his people the re-
generator Of his country Having in view the final
erd foreseeing all the results the Emperor Alexander
H. finds no pleasure in seeing these twenty or thirty
millions Of Ioubles falling into the public treasury,
srce this sum is collected solely from the poorest class
Of the nation, to the injury Of their health and morality
For evidently tie farmers will not be able to make up
the deficit which these twenty or thirty millions win
create in their purses except by still more adultsrsng
their liquors, and developing still more their sytem of
fasifcstien!