The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-02-02

.g4ssa-~s@ Speakes Elected s---~--@@s
TIE fe4ASvN tll ~ ~ referrfae to the teie.
GuH6AN ds<ts shax' W.EIiAM lsxSNisfoH, of
Nav Jsssay. was on yesterday elected Speaker
~ 90 HOase Of Representatives BY = majority
Of one. This event, - offensive TO inc South,
Aas been accomplished by treachery. We have
nes report OF The vote. The result 10 one not
'usuaf surprising % those who have watched
The proceeding Of the Honss Of Representa-
~sivss. II has b<en plain that no Southern man
'eoSld beelecsed. The Northern majority would
hi allow that. They have coQuet,ed a little
With one Southern man merely for effect. The
oaiy consolation that 10 left il that no endorser
81 the HkLrxR book could be elect'd. But that
10 sunartly qualified by the fsct that PESNINc-
TON had sustained JOAN SRERxAx.
fe-%a .e5e
- ssHHsss4 Abolition In Russia.
y 4 st. Petersburg correspondent Of the Lon
doh Telegraph has obtained possession of
Memorial submitted 10 the "SeTf Question
Committee by its chairman, Count RosToFF-
xoIv, who 10 represented 10 be- the Adinta.t
General and intimate personal friend of the
Emperor ALEXANDER, aud the Telegraph lays
II before the public. Its importance is en-
HANGED by the fact that although it is modestly
called Memorial and as such is presented u
the committee merely for discussio n, it is, in
point Of fact, an Imperial mandate, which the
commit,ee dare not disobey. 1t embraces the
following heads: The transfer of local author
itY from its present feudal possessors to the
Grown, the rights and duties Of the serfs and
domestic servants, the relations OF these two
classes to the landed proprietors, the village
community and its relation to the landed pro-
prielors, agricultural legislation in the differ
ent parts Of the empire, the best means of pub
fishing the new statutes relative to the liberia
ton of the peasantry, and financial project
concerning the purchase by each peasant of a
certain allotment OF land. II will be under
stood, at once by the bare annuEciation of these
heads Of discussion, that the feudal system
- far Is yillenage is concerned, has received
tn death blow in Rnssia--that the emapcipa-
ted serf becomes entitled to a certain portion
sof the lind on which he has been toiIing-tf,at
ths private tribunals Of the great lords are
sbCiished--and that the qaondam serf Is, in
future, to be tried for all offences, and all
= breaches of contract. in the courts of the En-
peror alone As the serfs are white men, of
the same race with those who hold them in
bondage, and as many Of Russia's most emf
nent statesmen, warriors and authors have
sprung out of that class. there can be no doubt
that this act of enamel patton is as Just as it is
1ar-si9hted and judicious. 1t responds, in
some respects, with the abolition of villenage
in England, while it differs from IT in the sud-
denress of the change and the violence Of the
transition. In another very ma.erial respect.
also. 1t differs from the English case. The
disuse of villenage in England being gradual,
and continuing from age TO age, that when
~ was finally abolished it had already ceased
virtually, to exist. was the cause Of no distress
among the proprietors, and ruined none Of
them.
1t Is likely to be far different in Russia. The
noblemen Of that country have been addic ted,
from the earliest periods of its existence, to
pnbounded hospitality ruder times, the
psopriet2r might possibly be able to stand this,
since ne burt layished upon his guests the ma
terials of hospitality which he received in
kind from his serfs. But it is not SO in these
entightenfd days. Hospitality implies expen-
diture of money on luxuries to be procured
only from abroad at least, such is the case in
Russia. Accordingly the Russian mobiles
spsRds not to say waste, more lex travagantly
= than' 1ny other class OF people IN Europe
The cohseq ueuca il, that The es tstes Of great
proportion Of theA are tnortgaged for two
thirds OF their value. They accordingly look
forward to the contamination Of the proposed
measure with the most gloomy antcipaiions.
The serfs constitute ted the largest portion of
their property. All this property is annihi-
lated by aword of The Emperor's mou IN, and
the consideration paid for it all is only 1850
, 100000 rubles, or about S5eu,O0O0OO, equal to
about twenty dollars per head for each serf,
of whom there are -, 600 900 liberated. This
Is not all, however; for the serf is not only
allowed in fee simple the garden which he
may have planted before his house during his
sertdom, but certain portion OF land is al
lotted to him. for which he is to pay by
annual instalments. 1t is calculated that
the land thus allotted 10 the serfs constitutes
ut least one.half the value of the mobiles es-
tates, and as they are already indebted to the
value OF two thirds, it seems that the whole
is In u fair way TO be swept.
4ss The design of ALEXANDER IL. seems to US
obvious enough. The existence Of a nobility
having a its back TWEEN ty five millions OF seris
II trained to feudal obedience from their child.
hood, In the very heart of the empire, must be
ast1nding menace to any absolute government
I On numberiess occasions the dynasty Of Re.
ananof, and that of Ruric before IT,, met with
dangers from this source which they found il
b di6icult to repel. Only sixty years ago his
. grandfather was deposed and murdered by a
conspiracy organized by great chiefs, in the
very penetraiia OF the Imperial palace. and
> but forty years before that event the father o.
that grandfather fell o victim to a similar con.
= spiracy, headed by his own wife. 1t is pIair
i that he wishes to break the power of the no
bles and he does it by taking advan tage Of thu
necessities to which they have been reduced
"a by their vices, and reducing them TO beggary
;. by libarating their serfs. His interest in hay
ing no powerful body that can by possibilit,
y stand between hln and the people is SO obvi
T. sas, that lie altogether superogatory to as
!. eribe TO him any uncommon motive, arisin,
u oas Of humanity or an extraordinary regard
b. fyr tive welfare Of this class Of his SUBJECTS
g In u at1speaa way, but from an identical mo
7 s ,Ays u parspes III Russia the same object tina
Lnules .xI. and Cardinal RICHELlEU pursued
in France. He wishes to siife the bare posi-
/ bility Of disturbance to his government from
that quarter in all future time. The first
Nsmea worthless met with armed resistance
+ every sep. for they appealed not to the retain
isers Of the barons; ALEXANDER is likely 10 &C
: complish his object with less difficulty, be
aseasss by giving freedom to the serfs he de-
priyes their mas ters OF the means Of rests lance
90
rs1as x Sales of Coffee and Sugar.
The auction sales of coffee and sugar which
2 look place In this city yesterday, are incident.
OF commerce ia Richmond that nave become
I 1seGucnt Of late years. They are no Longer
IL Onlects OF special attention or remark, though
y they deservs more notice than they now re-
{ eesve' Win regard to coffee. especially, ,hs
9 attention Of shs Sos thern trade should be d.
, eeesd % the enterprise Of this city. The salt
49,