The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-04-28

liant cheer, and q salute of cannon Is fired
somewhere Three vcnerablc-o ooii ing old
men, in cloth bedgowns fastened with
sashes at the waist, approach, fall on
their knees, and kiss the boots of my
friend He is Il sober, respectable little
man but he takes their homage quite
coolly, and says few words to them in
good natured tone without motioning
them 10 rise, lie calls them his little
fathers. They are the chiefs and elders
Of the peasant community which few
years ago belonged to him, and might
have been sold for money. Now all this
slavery Is over, but many cf the old tra-
ditions are still kept up Some of the
men have got n tray covered over with
napkin Of muslin embroidered and fringed
with gold. They draw near, ard, un.
covering their burden, present their lord
with bread and salt Then he makes
them speech The spokesman OF the
communiiy replies. They al stand in IL
semicircle, bare headed, looking at noih-
ing. There is not the lainlest trace of
expression on their faces. They are not
comely nor even a healthy set Of men,
although my friends estate is one of the
most prosperous in Russia. He is n kind
lnn5lord wealthy and liberal man.
His peasants grow rich Still he has not
rcgned above twenty years and the old
characteristic type Of the Russian peasant
will take longer than this to wear out
When the talking i, done they dispersc
sently. Yet in that brief talk my friend
has given away about a thousand houses
in freehold to his tenanry; and he mem
tionS this toct 10 me very simply at break
fast about an hour afterwards tell him
| hardly think an English landlord wouI
have bccu 50 liberal, anl that if, tt. we
hear whispered, representative instiu.
iions are soon to he established in Russia.
he may find that he has lost so many
votes
we have not come to that yet re-
piled my friend. 'nni what Ru-,ian ltld-
lu'dS have mos to leai uSt now il n Gen.
cral emigration from their estates Our
country is SO thinly populated that work
in towns j. plentiful and well paid Our
peasants have found this oui, and have
lilie taste 70: agricultural labor which
is toispme and scantiy rcmuner,Ieh.- -
Thus many OF my neiehhors lands are
qnIie i serted. and Yield no income at
all One friend Of mine, whose property.
worked by serl labor, produced annually
aboat ten lhousand pounds year English
money, now does not yield him more than
live hundred pounds. The sale Of the
conIi'caicl estates in Poland at nominal
prices has also helped to depopulatc our
rnrAl districts. Most of these lands have
been bought by German colonsis. who
offer great inducements to our farm labor
crS TO join them. we cannot compete
with them successfully, because the Polish
soil Is not only more fertile than ours, but
TIA y have markets for their produce nearS
cr. There i. but one iGducenent which
can be offered our pca.antry to stay with
their old masters, it is to give them their
houses. 1 hey have supersttious rcv-
crence for them, which ii is possible to
turn TO very good account. have added
also 10 my gift little plots of ground for
gardens, and have told my agent to esiab-
lish annual prizes for the best flowers
grown in them. Ny wife tried all this
years ago, but nothing came of it When
we were first married we attempted for
some years to reside here, but it was I'M
possible. My wife and children grew
sick with wearness and privation. |
was obliged to take them abroad, where
we have lived ever since know that
lose at least two-'hirds of my income
by continuing an absentee but what An
] to do? In Russia there are no educa-
tonal establishments worthy of the name
No provincial society, no amusement, no
culture. Nothing but uniforms and their
wearers everywhere. There is not a
skilled hysician at this moment, or a
practiced surgeon within three hundred
miles of US. There is not q good library
or an accomplished gentleman any nearer.
To live here would be to rot
So said my friend, as we sat opposite
each other sippng some excellent homes
made wine like Burgundy, but with
curious flavor OF violess IN it. Meantime
the antechamber had filed with a crowd
of sutors; and his agent came to give
us short preliminary summary of their
wants and wishes The agent was a res
tired colonel in the army He still wore
his uniform. and though his mannenwas
ostentatiously cringing and humble, he
as understood to make some nifty thou
sand roubles,o or say seven thousand pounds
yearly, by indirect means out Of the es-
tate He is great rogue said my
friend in English, as he entered, 'blt if |
send him away | shall only get greater
So the colonel joined us He had fiat
head, gooseberry eyes, wide, thin mouth,
a prominent chin, and a jerky manner.
When he spoke to my friend, he saluted
by putting the back of his right hand
against the peak of his cap and bringing
his heels together with n smart rap. He
is not sympathetic gentleman at ALL
though SO marvelously polite, and th'
thin varnsh of civilization over his beha-
vior seems to render it more repulsiv'
than It would be if more natural and say
: age He has a long list Of requests anC
] petitions, and tries TO show the value o
. his services in having kept off troubles o
so pressing nature from pursuing hi
= eunlover abroad New barns are tn