The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-04-27

Prospect Of Trouble La Russsa.
| Our latest advices from Russia are to the Of
| fect that the greatest considerations prevails
throughout the empire In consequence of the
prospect Of collision between the Emperor
and the nobility, growing out of the emsuciPa-
ton of the eerfs Several great proprieters Of
larotd estates are said to have fed tor safety to
| ST. Petersburg, doubtless fearing some out
burst on the part Of that GLASS which Alexander
| has iust quickeDed 10 political life.
| To understand this question it must bSborne
| in mind that under the late and all former En-
| pcrors Of Russia the vast bulk of the rural
population were serfs, fixtures On the soil which
they titled for the b nett of its owner ard
| theirs. Alexander, the predecessor Of Nicholas
a man of much theoretical philanthropy and
iancifu! enthusiasm, conceived tho idea Of set
ting all these scrfs free. He attempted 10 do
so but after carrying out his purpose on some
Of The domains which belonged TO the crown he
discovered that the nobility who constitutes hts
court had no notion Of making any such sacrifice
to prove their desire FOR human progress. IL
was minated to him that the fate of Paul
awaited him II he persevered. Like q prudent
man, no took the hint and desisted. The task
has now been reMned by his nephew, who HAS
the advantage over his uncle of being
Younger, cooler, and more practical r,sa.
He declared, "a sson rs ne succeeded to the
,bronc. that 40 soOn''as tho termination Of the
WIZ with The Westerna Pewersl left his heads
,ree, no would proceed TO eEasncipate the sesfs
Ue II now proc@ding 10 .fu,al his prorise.
TIE nobility, as the letters from Russia state,
are reber.ag, as they lid under the former
Alexander; but tic se1fs themselves seem to
have caught the enthusiasm from the Emperor
and are lighting their own battle.
1t l. the old fight between King and pcoDle |
OF one sids, and the sris.ooraey on the olhes-
n hight which has been fought In every Euro |
poan State. All historians tell us that tbs de- |
cline OF the feudsl system dates from tho period
when the kings Of the variouB European coun-
tries perceived the necessity of allying them.
selves with the people in order to make head
sua;ps. the barons; hcy this alliance was faith
fully carried out, and how sorely the hasocs
Steve against the joint PRESSURE from above
and beneath; how, fnslly, victory generally
rested with their opponents. aud a CITY nrs
municipality there, a State elsewhere cbsainod
er.nchises and liberties which no future baron
or noble could veE.ure 70 disturb. The his
tories of the time are fu, 81 the accounts of the
conflict; they jurtity the Is ertion tkas Il de.
yastated and laid waste Europe for period OF
one hundred yeas, and that, though il may
have blen necessary preliminary to any
Wholesome develops msnt OF civilization. IL
retarded, for that tine, every eu5eayor that
was made by searching men to grops their way
out of the darlIEvs- which then o7erspTead tho
EuTepcan continent
This is the cophict In which Rcisia il now
about TO engage. Ever since the organization
of the presen. empire Of Rasse ono thousand
years ego, the people Of that empire have been
held aloof by heir rulers, the.r laws and their
Language, from the s.rifcs AID theories whic,,
have disti acted Western Ezrope They have
enjoyed perfect peace, whea all around them
was war; they have been loyal when Loyalty
seemed 10 have ior aiken every other SPOT on
earth But, II seems, strong n we're the bar
riers which isolated Museoyy from the rest OF
the world, and little "a the Russian serf popu.
lasion re suppo=ed TO know and care about
political rights they s-e proving that .5ey arc
not insenHihle 30 the short which the Emperor
Is making for their emancipation, ani proving
also, il 'uld seem, that they arc nc, devoid of
the passions which dictated to former genera
tions the JqoE,eric and the ma.sacrcs OF .he
Reign Of Terror in Franco
Of the result. Of the conflict there On - bat
little gu ,stion though IL is net UNLIKELY bat the
Emperor II ne ilbd the strength OF the nobility
too formidable, may abandon his projected re-
| forms as his uncle did. But however the quar-
re- ends II i quite certain that il will Involve
| Russia in disturbances and probably la civil
wars for some years TO come. This Is histori-
| csl event Of some importance.
For the past sixty years Russia has been the
only really sable part Of the European CONT
nent With tie exception of the futile and in.
scnsete ait mpt Of Ryleief and his associates in
| 1925, thcie has leen no evidence that the Rus
| sian mind was ever aware OF the current Of
ideas which have rendered every Eurepcan
throne precsrious for the past sixty years No
| matter what revolutions were exploding else
| where or what dynasties crumbling, there was
ono place 10 which the lover of stable monarchy
might always look with confidence, snd that
] was Russia.
| That confidence has been at length dlspellod
Russia will now have it's revolulionarcs and Its
outbreaks like every other country Of Europe,
and the lover of quiet will find no civilized
country in the world 10 satisfy him outside Of
| the United States.
\ -
Cunt gTrrHo FiJFvr, has jed q. Fiorencc, scd sixty
rtvcn lilo broler W tho tarcinnl Gsbticus ler-
rot, beth Gre, ocgsins OF Iop~ Giovanni pieuo va