The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-05-12
Ghiugs Sbroad.
Notes from Northern Lands.
BY REV. JOHN LEYBuRN, D. u.
TO MOSCOW.
From the Meo York OJsereer.

TO MOSCOW.
We shall 20 to Moscow. Two Young
Church Of England clorgymen with whom
We had met at Copenhagen, are bound
also thither, aud We had hoped for their
company; but for the sake of economy,
and also of tract waySide distribution, they
prefer the slow train which takes night
aud day to make the trip of four hun
dred miles, whilst by the fast train we can
make it between eight o'clock in the even
ing and eight o'clock in the morning.
But you say "You will see nothing y
In reply, | answer first, that there is not
much to see; and second, that what there
is we may see, if so disposed, ,-inasmuch
as at this season "there is no night
Before the appointed time for departure
of the train, We are at the station. To
avoid difficulty, We have secured from the
hotel rdtet, TO arrange tickets and bag
gage, aud help us 10 good seats. But alas
this forethought is of no avail. The rdLet
may go with us to the waiting-room, but
no sooner is the door opened leading to
the train than he is shut out, for want of a
ucKet 90 VIC must get along as best we
can; the officials speaking nothing but
Russian, and we not q word of that
However, the frst-class car is not crowded,
aud there is no difficulty as to seats.
Whatever Russian nilway night travel
may nave been formerly, none will com
pam oi II on TINS road at present. They
L
nave not, Indeed, our sleeping ears, but
they nave what many would preter-most
luxurious reclining chairs--superor, in-
deed, to any we have ever seen. They
are very large, and thlekly and sumptu-
onsly upholstered. The car is so very
VIDE that there are three rows OF chairs
'he TWO outer ones facing towards the
engine, ana the middle one the reverse.
ihe only person we found among the pas
sengers with whom we could converse, was
aa ltaliah gentleman VINO spoke French.
lie was bound to Persia, and how much
further he seemed hardly to know; and
mad some expectation OF coming to Amer
lca III the centennial year. That vile
naisance , ol ralIroaus, ana OF every other
pace IN h9Ssia except ehurches--smoking
was iorpluueh IN TINS car, but we had
uo' .I Oeen long unuef way, when detected
'llc uum's'aAaoie Caor oi tobacco smoke,
InI anu ou searching 'or tue source, iound our
irai,an IN the rear seat wlth the window
slsnt!y nO'S'eu' enjoying himself eIandes'
Ineiy 10 orea'he tooacco smoke IN
e'uss@ seems us more natural than to lnhale
llesn ar; nousn !" Is summer, we are
ion'nueu 'na' 'nete Is rigorous weather at
o'ner seasons Dy 'he double sasnes IN the
eai gar mindow. ... nm un's I road, as swell known,
was oull' py WI; "inans OF Baltimore,
Inu 4 very sinoo,h, sood road, II Is The
nussians 'nihA 'he american was little
too s'nai. ior .nenl having secured IN his
oou'iao' 'ne risn' oi 80 nuch ior every
passenger going over the road This
nish. not nave oeeh excessive, Dut Tor the
oreakins out OF the orlmean War, when
Hin'es iiac 70 Oe transported Inc amount
uccruios from TINS source so frightened the
government, 'hat as they told us, Mr..
"ihanS was pala hve millions OF dollars
70 release them from the contract; his pay
LOT the road prior to this having proved a
very good thing
Inc country between st. Petersburg and
MOSCOW Is very nat and poor The villa
ges are chiefly OF unpainted boards. In
the country most OF the houses are Of logs,
resembling somewhat the former negro
eaolns 10 our southern States, except that
'nese, because oil the cold climate, have
~ s,aSs WINDOWS, ana the roofs are thatched,
ihese caDins are often 10 groups, and were
the proprietor quarters for his serfs, pre-
Vlous to emancipation. In most cases the
same parties still occapy them. Accord
lng 10 the imperial decree OF emancipa-
.ion, each seri was to have ten acres of
land, not forty acres and mule. And
'nis was not gratulty but the proprietor
was PAID by the government, and the lat
Ter was to DC reimbursed by the serf-the
iana being the security. As there is but
,lttle money IN the country, the serfs go in
large numbers to the towns and cities,
ieaVing their families sometimes for years
at nome, and transmitting their earnings
i" i'quiaate the government claims. In
many instances, as learn, the emancipa-
,ed seris are idie and drunken, giving the
large proprletors much trouble because Of
want oil adequate ana reliable labor for
tnelr estates. Some OF these, indeed, have
gwen up IN despair aud leased the estates
70 the seris'
Russian railway eating houses may be
aeid up as a model Tor England and
America. Unless IN Sweden and Den
marx, we have seen none so good. Time
In n PA a aAn tlaFf-
Ably, there are chairs 80 that Won can sit