New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-20
THE STATE OF EUROPE.


LONDON, Friday, Jan. !, 1859.
Of all the events Of the past year, the most
important is the Russian ukase Of December (old
sfyel. II is true that il does not yet emancipale
the sers, but il sets the ball in motion, which, hAe
nm avalanche must in very short time SET Tree inc
twelve millions of bondsmen in Russia, ana WIPE
Of the sam of personal serdom from the territory
Of Europe The principles Of the elAnc'pd'ioa
are clearly put down. The sen 10 Ior 'nc neA'
three wears TO be annexed to the land; ne may ouy
ii. house and garden plot Of one acre as freehold
.na ests norton of land, not yet defined, but not
k.. than thirty acres, as copyhod-that IS TO say
without absolute right of property, still having lie
updisturbed use. Within three years he VIII come
10 an understanding about these points with the land
.ord and have fixed, once and for erer, the amount
of the eroundrent, either in money or labor, TO be
yearly paid. Al this is to be done without the
Intervention of the Government which takes
these matters in hand only when the seris
and proprietors have failed to come to an
understanding within the three years. How
ever, the serf has not to deal individually WIZ
his landlord. In order to establish uniformity ana
70 protect the serf in individual cases, the nOOlty
or landed proprietOrs elect Committee, "hich
again chooses few persons for arranging Tue agree
ments and preparing all the iacts LOT tie nuai SCI
Element under the Craftsmanship OF the elected mar
shals of the nobility under the supervision OF the
(;oyernment Official All this refers at present only
10 the districts of wilma aud Gr0dnO, IN Lithuahla,
close 10 the Prlssian provinces, where The peasants
belonging TO the same race, were long ago freed,
but the Car had his orders published IN all
the districts of his Empire in order to encourage
= w., hat
aDder H. has not only made the first step toward
smancipating the serfs, but at the same time he
has broken through the centrallzing routine OF
the Empire, and given an impulse 10 sell
government by leaving the machinery OF the
emancipation in the hands of elected COM
mttees, which will accustOm Russia to open
discussion, and spread political ideas all
thrown the responsibility of failure upon the
landowners, and forced them morally to do their
best toward emancipation, or else to expose them
selves to the revenge of the serts IL remains to be
seen how such sudden revolution of the domestic
and economic institutions of great empire may be
carried without recourse TO force, aud whether
both landlords and serfs can 90 through it peace
ably without tumults, blOodshed and riots The
experiment is on the largest scale, and deserves to
be carefully watched will not fail to give yOu
information about the results l get them from
one of the best-nfOrmed Russian authors, whose in
fuence in Russia is great though he lives abroad.
The East India bill and the Reform bill which are
10 be brought forward in February attract the at
fenton OF the public considerably. Lord Palmers
ton is not trusted; still he commands such sup
port in Parliament as no other English statesman
before him during the last thirty years As regards
India, public opinion demands the abolition Of the
Company, unmindful that the Government, strength
ened by such immense patronage, may become
dangerous to liberty at home. Still the discussion
- Al -
and it is scarcely possible that the bill should pass
this year, there being so many questions to be set
tied and so many details to be worked out that time
can scarcely suffice for the PalmersOnian jOb.s AS
TO Reform it will not send different set of men into
Parliament. Lord Palmerston is fully aware oft,
and therefore tries only to preserve Wing influence,
though ready to extend the suffrage. A.P.c.