The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-04-08
THE NEW YORK SUN:
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 3. 1861.


The political necessity which dictates ths
sbdhioa Of ssrfdom In RuSia 10 tho greats,
and moN significant event Of the day, net sur
passod In intereet even by the great American
revelation In which We are isvvlved. II invests
thst vast Empire with = dignity and Il tercst
Rrca'er than would 10 accorded to Il by ths
ccnqsest Of province, or tbs spolistion OF A
KINGDOM. While good mon every whore can
not fail to rejoice at az act that will elevate
'oIty millions Of their fellow boings in tho
scale Of hsusui'7, it will at tao saus time h,
regarded by foreign uatious with certain de-
gree Of load, fot II viii ccns,''ists aud dc.
1oicp, n 1tsly snd politically, q pecpis whose
empire is more th.n tNieo tho siEs Of gutona.
and comprising ono seventh part Of all the land
on the habi,able globe.
With eonsummate Aagacity and statesman.
ship the Russian empercrs have long percoiveI
the necessity Of emsncipsting the serss, and
prepared the way for II by gradually enlsrgins
tho privileges Of the crown -rfs, and increas-
ing their number and influence. Tho m ~,
powerful obstacle 10 be overcone yss tho On.
position Of the MOBILES who opposed to the bitter
destructive to their pccuniary interests. Tho
newly emsneipsted scrfs will not DO in iifferen,
To tho fact that thsv owe all their privileges
10 tho favor Of the Gar, and thus in Russis %
in other European cosn'ries, will grow up tbs,
sentiment Of personal love and Traditional 10y
atty TO the reigning family SO diaicalt to 10
understood b, Americans.
The condition Of ssrfs in Russia, has var.
led In each Succeeding reign. Tho system vas
originally designed to check tho no nadic ten.
denotes Of those wandering races, and theyvere
protected by laws which deprived their owners
of tho power to condemn them to death, ard
pevcoted the ir being transfrrei from tho es-
tat,s to which they belonged. But as late a.
the year 1912, they could DO ssld and bartered
away with the land, and PErER the Great said
that great misery arose in Russia, because the
peassnts could DO bought and sold like cat
de-"
The Emperor PAUL grsat,y amsliorstsi the
coalition Of the serfs by limiting the task wsrk
to 10 performed on the owners estate to three
days In the wesk; and II was often TO tho
interest, both Of the scrf and the master,
to commute this labor. for money, pay.
usnts. Under this system tho tweilth and
inp1tance. of the ss-.s rapidly increased, and
IL VAS no unusual occurrence for them I
,l, A. CO the whole price Of an estate to the
imp vident masters to avoid passing unds
tie auct tionscrs hammer TO severcr task m sstera
The Empei ors favored this condition Of things
ami . tu,sly gsvs tho Crown pasan q sue
unust al privileges that ihs vsssals on private
ssta,es w,ro always dosrous to pas, under ths
d, mibiJu Of the Car. ALExASDEa l. to faci.
ltuIe the transfer, established institutions 70:
he purpose Of lending money at high = ,tes Of
nt@r-s; to the pobles, secured by their Ger .,
nd lanc,, AMI at the proper moment he woul
or-,l,se and merge the estates in the Crow
lands. This succ.sd Cd - we'll that at thu com.
mAncsmsnt Of the present ear, out Of AZ, OO0,.
600 Of ssrfs, one half belonged to the Crown.
Ia cons quence Of the hostility Of the psr.
sons to whom ALEXANDER II. was obliged to
sntrust tho details Of emancipation, the meas-
urs did not take effect until tho 18th Of March.
In exchange for the right Of property in the
ssrfs, their owners will receive an indemnity
payable partly in bonds, secured for a mum Ger
Of ears on tho estates OF the crown, and part.
ly by money, while at tho same time their title
70 their landed property will be preserved. A
certain portion Of land, however, being &C.
corded to each scrf, together with the house in
which ho lives. fhs purchase Of part OF
this land 10 obligatory on the serf at a fixed
price, and II he wishes . larger portion II must
he btained by private treaty with the proprie-
tor. A considerable portion are engaged in
trades, and thsss regulations do not, Of course
Rply " the