The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-07-21

Translated for the Evening Post from the CORES
p5ulerec u the Independence Belge.l

frrauah,,d for the Evening Post from the Cores
p9uleEee " the Independence Beige.
ST.. PETERSBURG, May "a, '5s.
You know how far the grand scheme Of
emancipation has advanced. The committees
are hard at work but, pending their de-
cisions about putting the act in operation,
means should have been employed TO have
its principle sanctioned in the public record
without however, interfering with the COM
mittees' deliberations. This is now accomp-
lished An nkase dated the 18th (29th) Of
Nav, or, according to some, the l4th Goth, J
declares legal and pcromptory tho abolition
of serfdom in Russia. ! must tell you that
the deeds OF the sale of real estate are made
out in the provincial and district civil courts;
the formula Of these documents, when the
sale was one of land, containing villages
and peasants, invariably commenced in these
words "Such party sells to such party
80 many souls {douchi,l or hundred souls (ot
peasants,l with their wives, children, and,
generally, all they possess, etc.
Thus. both soul and body were sold, and
with the sale OF family, went the enormous
privilege which ancient customs and the law
gave land owners on their serfs. But the
ukase of the 18th (26th) of May puts an end
to this shameful traffic 10 human species. 1t
is addressed to the courts, and requires them
10 give notice, Mt every sale Of land with in
hatitants. that the soil, with the houses and
Other buildings erected upon ii, is alone TO be
sold, ana that the deed shall mention the
peasants simply as statistical datum.
1t is singular thing that the meaning Of
this ukasc. so clear and evident, was not at
frs, understood and many have ingenious
" asked what it meant. From this moment
the Russian scrf Is raised from his abase
ment in society, while his right to property
il now secured Hcnceforth We shall no
longer witness whole tribes transferred from
one estate TO another, By the caprice of their
master, and without any consideration as to
the distance or climate, which lately oe-
CARED close to the gates Of st. Petersburg,
when serfs were sent to the opposite bank Of
the river, and, if do not mistake, to the
village Of Bekleehorka. More than a quur-
ter of n century ago the'owners OF this place
brought to populate II number Of peasants
from land they possessed 800 versts distant,
in the government of Pskoh. The Russian
peasant is INDUSTRIOUS. These serfs, after
! they had submitted TO their masters will,
began to FUN their new position to account,
commenced building small country seats, to
let in he summer time to the inhabitants Of
the capital, to raise vegetables, rear cows
30. They thus became comfortable and
we'll provided, owing these advantages en-
/ tirely TO their labor and industry when, al
the end of thirty years, the actual owner OF
/ Beklechorka takes notion suddenly to send
them back to their former village, long since
forgotten, and which many Of them have
never seen. need not represent the despair
OF these unfortunate creatures. Their de-
-, porture, as related to me by an eye witness
was heart rending sight. IL is unnecessa.
i nv to add, that tho houses. which they bull;
/ have PASSED into the hands Of the land owner,
/ who will let them for his own benefit.