The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-03-27

hlL fUe natIte EWSfNC II A'ibS PSNe'
would not be much relished By foreigners.
hmonr tho dclicacies are cabbagesoup
thicken,d with sour cream and cooadre,
which is made Of sturgcon-roc', uncookea
and packed in oil. The staple oil the army
ratiop-apd this seems to strike fata! blow
10 the theory that oleagnous food Is necessary
in cold climates, and to furnish strong argn.
ment for the ycgctarians-is black brcad
made OF equal parts Of rye aud barley,
which Is allowed TO become partly sonr
before baking. A loaf Of this, weighing
nine pounds, and costing three cents
per Mound, lasts them three days. BE-
sides this, they have cabbage for soup, per-
haps once week, and cdrdsSe, sort OF
fcrmcnted beer, which smells like "empty-
iugs." They probably don't eat meat more
than two or three times year. This explains
how Russia is able TO keep up so large
standing amy at comparatively small eN-
pcnsc. Not only are the soldiers and lower
classes generally very fond OF tins Dlacs
bread, but children, even OF the nobility ana
of Americans las Mrs. Bodsco, whom be
| frequently Saw eating it With evident re!lshb
! prefer it 10 fine whcaten bread.
Esa preliminary 10 q dinner they have
! what Ia called zdccooski, which means lite
| rally "a little something to eat before you
| begin" Ii is quite miscellaneous in charac-
ter. consisting of dried behring's, cheese,
| cayiare, whiskcy. ETC., and with the addltlon,
amorg The wealthy, OF archovy sauce ana
such delicacics. The Russians are blest WIN
good appetiteS, and he had seen persons cat
enough Of the zaccooski tor good dinner.
| The first course Of the dinner proper Is
cold fish soup, which be never fancled mucn,
for when he vas going 10 eat chowder the
hotter the better for him. The second course
was q sort of
CHlCKEN.PIE, MADE OF FISH,
being fish chopped up between two layers OF
pastry. Among the succeeding dishes, fa.
yori;e one was cabbage.soup containing
bonpy -clabber, which was not SO bad as
might be thought.
! The laborins class eat very little in the
morning, but have two hours incoming, when
! they gorge themselves with black bread.
The 7nnjeckS, or lowest class, are very igno-
rant, an0, though very poor, have to pay most
of the taxes. Thus, a d,oski driver, owning
a droski worth 200 roublcs, has TO pay tax
Of 40 roubles per year; and the poIl-tax on
the population generally is from 10 to 20
roublcs per head, which alone brings in a
large revenue. IA roublc is about two'thlrds
Of doliar.1
Society is rigidly divided into castles or
pradca. and there is very little chance for
! these Of the lower 10 rise into a higher one.
Only three persons who huve ever been en-
gagged in trade are ever invited to the palace,
| and they arc wealthy bankers. 1t is the rule
for gentlemen to bow first on meeting lady.
and ignorance of this rule caused him much
embarrassment for some time. Men take the
lead in society generally, which he considered
an evidence Of an inferior CIVILIZATION, since
he bad always observed that that society was
most enlightened and refined where women
were treated with the mos: consideration.
That vas his view Of the woman question.
| The servants are the most d0cile OF people.
| But each one will do only one kind Of work
One who washes windows will not carry up
! wood, and one who docs the latter will not
answer the dool-bcll. Hence it is impossible
10 keep house without quite large establish
mcnt But they Wolk for low wages, are
reasonably honest, and satisfied with the
Ilai;cst sleeping in their
co,hcS on the floor. Mrs. j., on going 10
housekeeping, provided comfortable beds
and bcdGilg Tor all the servants but the
housckceper in 4 short time called for more,
and on investigation it vas found that the
,iajcciS, dcspiSng such luXuries, had sold
them OF, and were sleepIEg on the floor. as
Was their won't. The only time they took
their boots of was when they CREASED their
feet, about once Il fortnight.
THE LOWER CLASS
arc very fond Of their native liquor, v0dkt.
But, unlike whskey on an IriShman, it does
not make them belligereni, but more good
natured SO that the drunker they are the
more aiiectionate, and, sally ting into the
street, they will fall to huggipg and kissing
! the first man or woman they meet-it may
be their own wives or somebody else'S. lie
never saw such a thing as row or street
fight while in Russia.
One great obstacle TO the material pros
perly Of the country is The religion, which,
as every one knows, is that Of the Greek
Church. This has siX'y-four tete days in
the year, on which no man Will work. They
will work little on Sunday, but never on a
,fctc or HOLIDAY. As they usually get drunk.
however, which it takes them at least half Il
day molc TO get over, they have really only
about four aud 4 half working days in tue
week. Hence the productive capacity of the
aboring class is about twenty-five per cent.
less than helc or III England, and Russia can
never successfully compete with either
| country in manufactures so long rs THIS state
! Of things continues.
| No lady can safely walk out unattended,
| even i'm the daytime, and 1t Is not CONSIDERED
proper for young ladies to 20 out without
either their father or mother as al escort.
But his daughters were not disposed TO de-
| Ter 10 such strais ht-laccd ideas, and 30 used
to 90 out sightseeing and shopping By them.
Selves as at home. Being Americans, in
whom any amount OF independence could
be pardoncd, the people only held up their
hands in Amusement and allowed them to so
uumoleeted AT balls, when gentleman had
dsuced with a young lady, instead Of being
allowed to lead her 10 seat and indulge in
That chat which tornlS one OF the chlef at
fractions of our bathrooms, he is obliged
to relinquish her hand al the concu-
sion Of the dance and she betakes herself i'm
mediatcy to her mothers slde-"runs 10
cover" as an English sportsman would say
while the beaux stand wislfuly gazing from
across the room. Most Of the marriages take
place immediately after Lent, the young PEG.
pie having had chance to get acquainted du.
ring the gay season preceding, and marriage
having been arranged by the parents appa.
rently during the solemnties Of the Lenten
season.
10 Russia the Government has all the
rights, and the people only what the Govern
mcnt chooses TO give them, which, it will be
observed, is the direct opposite Of what is the
case with Us. The Emperor
MAKES WHAT LAWS He LIKES,
| consulting WITH, aud submitting them 10 the
| approval Of, the Council of Empire, some
| twenty or Twenty-Five in number; but As