New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-20

| INCORPORATION into the whole system of Southern
soc;ety. TIE csse Of Russia may srse to sho"
| that even ob,tacles ne tlese are not insncioe,
ord that issttltiors the deepest rooted, cannot
.,srd ss.irst prevailing and settled conviction at
ocee Of their iijustioe aud Of their Inconsistency
with TIE progress of mora aud msterial derelop-
uent The friends and advocates Of the p9rPetus-
ton Of Slavery in our Southern States haze sao"n
| ttem.el5es ;rdeed well aware of THE fact. They no
| lorger iulti'y the couthusrce Of Slsvery 81 she
ground Of the magnitude Of the Interests IuTolyed
| in il and Of tho obstacles in TIE way 81 get
| tirg rid Of It. Ttey h.ve found It necessary
! to set up that Slavery is jus. and right IN
it,tn positive coed both 10 masters AID slaves,
sd The ue,us bes. adapted tor the material a1d
uorsl deyelop,neut of tie South. With des-
perste hsrdibood they stake their whole case upon
| the rsinteuance Of these poin1, and in orlrging
the public mind TO contemplate tee quastlon ifom
tti. point of view they perhaps, after al under
the puse Of ultra advocates Of Slavery, the real
pior eers Of emancipation.
Whatever may be thought or said Of tie aboli-
ton Of S,ageiy in this country, It must Dc admitted
70 be meie basateIe compared with the enter
prise TOW in rapid snd successful progress OF the
abolition cf .elfiom in Russia. IL that country
The collection Of the reyeDue, the recruitment OF tue
arry-spd il is the Russian army that principally
gives the Empire its leading position in Europe
ard not only the cultivation Of the soii but every
braI ch of manufacturing and commercial industry
ia Intimately connected with and based upon the
systsm Of ,ervitude the abolition of which
involves charges in lsws, administrator,
ard the whole spirit aud system Of socie-
ty quite beyond anything that would be
required by the emancipation of the slaves in any
State ofthis Upen. Koppn, the Russian satistican,
estimated, in l6l7, that out of total male popu-
laton in the empire Of twenty-six millions, there
were ony three millions aud half who could claim
to be fee. 1t is curious and rather Obscure ques
| ton in what way this great mass of the Russian
population became reduced ~ this condition. The
| ccde Of Jsro,lay, which dates from tho eleventh
| century, and which is the Oldest monument Of
| Russian jurisprudence, and one Of the Oldest Of
| Russian history, DIVIDES the Russian population
| into three classe,: ords, or lsEdh )lders free
| men, who wouE SEEN at that time
| 10 have teen the cuSyatOrs Of the SOIL
| ard domestc slaves, not seIis merely, bound
to The soil but slaves, wto might be freely bought
and sold as those in cur Southern States. 1t is
evident that under the lay IS laid down by Jaro-
say this class likely 10 be constantly augment
| irg HIS cod, includes in it not oRly persons pur
chased before Ntnesses but also iusovent debtors
who, it seems we're liable TO be sold Or made slaves
| Of By their creditors, those who married slaves,
those who voluntarily entered the service Of another
|
having stipulated to for lire for given Pc
Rod, rsn away. Running away seems indeed to
have teen preyailipg practice, in those times as
well amors ,Avts as hi:ed servants. AT least the
regulations in the coda Jsroisv fer tho prevention
md punishment ef this ofenie Are almost as strin
| gent as those Of oar own Fugitive Slave law.
A later code-t.st Of Ivan BasiIovtch, in | i97- -
give. tie ist hint Of the reduction Of the mass OF
the cu.ivators TO the condition Of serfs-s change
irst brought abolt, it Is supposed, during the
No gol corquest, from which toe Russians lad
then lately delivered them selves. by this code which
doubtless does but ,Inbody in words what h,d be.
come AL established practice the peasants were
prohibited from psaDg from one village 70 another
that lie, from chan eing their aLdord or employer
except oT eight dsy before and after the feast OF
ST. George, sud the payment Of prescribed sum
for the cottage which they left hundred year.
after another edict tsok away even this right of
migration, snd defnit7ey fixed the cultivators to
TIE soil. Nor did this process Of Subsection stop
te1e. However il Nigh. he IN law, in practice the
distinction between serfs and slaves was little re.
garded. 1t true nat tie lard was almost always
sod with the crlti'ators en- it, but then it could
only be sold 10 that way II was of no value with.
ont than, 50 thst il night rather be ,aid
that the pil wa attached 10 the serfs
thar that the serfs were attached TO the
sol. Ii, however, the proprietor had sn op-
por.uaity and temptation 70 dispose Of his serfs
separately from the lsnds very title distinction was
m.je in practice between seris and slaves The prsc.
tee which prevails N Rufsia Of allowing the serfs
piece OF lsUd, srd certain portion Ct their time TO
cultvste il, e,iss OILY AZ the ucs. convenient and
east trousiesou.e method Of feeding AMI clothing
them, While the other practice OF receiving from
them, in ,eu OF al seiyioe, 8 certain yearly pay
| ment called oSTock, eduivaknt TO practice which
| prevails 10 ee.,an extent in some d our Southern
states, of allowing slaves 10 hire their own time,
gees great way 70 extinguish all tie distinction
! tetweea serfs and slaves Thus nauy small pro.
prietois fbd i e.s for their advantage To under.
take to cultivate their lands than TO oblige ther
sers, uscer pain Of beiug made exceedingly urcou.
fortsb.e at kome, TO GEEK employment elsewhere 8
! vorkmen or servants, on condition Of paying ~
tter ow pers an obroc. equivalent. 10 sl or nearly