The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-15
NO. COZ.
RUssIAN n z W 8.
o,espondence OF the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung

t,orresDOudence OF tne HOiuiAe
ST. PETERSBURG, June 4, 1853.
An Imperial ukase was published to-day,
ub;ch confirms q report that has lately excited
mich discussion-the formation of rev COM
mercial association, called the Trans. Caspian,
which shall extend its operations to Persia and
Central Asia. / originators are the Council
lor of Commerce, Kckoref; Councillors of
State, Tomau and Novoselski. The latter is
interested in nearly all the new commercial
enterprises, namely, the Black Sea Navigation
Company and the '' Mercury" Association on
the Volga. He was formerly in the public
service, and a marriage placed him in pos
session of fortune with which he was able at
once to employ tina. brilliant and comprehensive
spirit of enterprise to which Russia is indebted
fox many splendid undertaking. M. Kokoref
ia one of the weathiest and best-educated
merchants of Moscow, who probably under
stands the Asian trade better than any other
nersou, and in whose hands is placed the con-
duct of the enterprise, with dictatorial power,
since he is 10 appoint the persons who shall
epioy the right OF voting. The capital amounts
10 two million rubles, IN shares Of 10000, 30
that only few rich persons can become IN
terested. The company has for its object the
TRANSFORMATION of Russian fabrics to Central
Asia, and the importation of different articles
from lhere 1t will be chartered for twenty.
five years, at the expiration of which time
whatever alterations are necessary will be
made, and the privilege will be extended TWEEN.
ty.fys years longer. They can establish fac
tories and depots wherever they see tit, and
we shall probably ere long see them at work in
China aud Bokha.a. For the rest, the project
has received the approval OF the Caucasian
Committee. If we glauce upon the latest
Russian undertakings, which have all been
conceived by private individuals, we instinct
lively recognise the great thought OF quickening
into life and motion the EXTREMIST borders of
Tie Empire, which hitherto have seemed like
dead members on body. Minsk and fischer.
nigsv have received permi, sion to form COM
mttees for the emancipation of the serfs.
June We have already mentioned how
Alexander H. by his repeated concessions to
the Polish nation, has won to himself in high
degree it's affection and confidence. By a
recent act of genuine humanity, he has bound
all worthy Poles 10 himself still more closely,
and won their sincere gratitude. He has, at
the request of the mobiles of Podolia and
Volhynia, given them permission to support the
remaining children of the celebrated poet
Michiewllch, whose works, prescribed by Nicho-
las, have Just been republished in Warsaw; and
they have begun to establish fund, which
from present appearances promises to become
very large. Such actions silence the most
violent of the emigrants. The aiority of
them have given up the old plans of restoring
Poland as for the present impracticable, and
are now inspired with Pansavistic ideas.
The we'll known Rostavieski has offered q
prize of 1000 Polish forms for the best die.
tonary of Polish synonyms.
With regard = the matter of the serf eman-
cipation in Poland, an unfortunate delay has
arisen, On account of its chief promoter, Gen.
Uexkill, who was sent to Warsaw for that
purpose from st. Petersburg, having started on
a Journey of several months to the baths. In
Russia proper it is mostly the wealthiest pro.
prietors possessing 5000 and more serfs, who
sre opposed to their Liberation. They are
possessed with the strange delusion that they
themselves will be ruined by it, whereas if they
conduct their affairs properly their incomes
will rise TO double their present amounts.
June s.-The foreign Polish press expresses
itself dissatisfied that the Government has not
already carried the emancipation OF the serfs in
Poland to the endowment of property, instead
of leaving the serfs in the condition that they
now are of mere fee holders. This complaint,
however, is entirely unjust, for the Govern.
ment has not acted 10 the matter according to
imous decision of Polish Committee of
Conference, who saw the greatest danger in An
immediate endowment of property on the peas.
ants And the Committee was right for so
degraded are the Polish peasants, that before
long their property would have fallen into the
clutches of the Jew Insurers, who supply them
with articles of necessity, especially brandy.
AS fee-holders they must work independently,
and must be willing to learn to earn their sHb-
sistence and property 80 as to keep themselves
out of the hands OF the petty Jews, who hither
TO have been the middlemen in all their trans
actions. In less than ten years the Polish
peasant, who is naturally very clever, will have
become sober, industrious, and thrift, y, and then
the preparatory and initatory transition step
will be accomplished d, so that the Government
can without hesitation proceed to give him the
right of possession. The result is all the more
certain to be satisfactory, since the Govern.
ment is Low interesting itself in the education
Of the youth of the nation.
jane 9-With the salutary reforms in our
neighbor State must be reckoned also the
reorganization of the Post Office, for which
purpose special commission has been ap.
pointed, under the Minister Muchancf 1t is
certain that important reduction will be
made in the postage of letters, packages and
W
The yearly sum CT ten silver rublcs ($5.7O,)
which has hitherto been paid for the postage Of
daily paper, will be reduced to four silver
rubles ($2.28) The Importance of a reduc.
ton in the postage is seen in the fact that in
1857, in all RUSSIA and Poland, only little
more than sixteen million letters were sent
through the Post Office, while the number in
England amounted to over $50 millions, and
IN France to half the same number In Eng
lsnd, the number averaged for each inhabii ant
IL letters, in France 7, but in Russia only one
letter for every four persons.
In the Imperial Ministry of Public Instruc.
ton, an important law has just been prepared,
which shows how earnestly the Government is
intere sted in the moral elevation of the lower
classes. Throughout the entire Empire, in
the small towns and in the plains, elementary
schools, hitherto entirely unknown in Russia,
are 10 be established, and at the same time the
high price of tuition in the so called Circuit
and Government schools is to be reduced one
half.
The daily press of Russia and Poland ia
warning with the hsppiest results against the
generalization of public officers which both
through means of the dramatic poems of the
poet Lwof, and through hosts of exceedingly
humorous caricstures, has been mercilessly
exposed.
A deputation which went to st. Petersburg
from Wilma, to petition for the restoration OF
the University at that place, has received q
favorable response, with which the Poles are in
the highest degree delighted.
FOREIGN ITEMS.
Three young noblemen from Senegal, of the