, 1877-05-20

MIN now nobiy or ObScure1y born were the mt
> VII" proved Intelligent and skillfu1 coadjutor
+ He vas capaolc Of descending to the level Of d
$ artisan or navy and working side BY side wit
him at any essential though mcnia1 labor, an
{ he wisely lifted up to the highest rank, fro1
9 whatever plano they CHANGED to OCCUPY, me
who were fitted By nature and culture to asst
', ctate with him in the labors OF the Govcrnmen
Servants Of the State the aristocracy have COT
ttnucd to the present time. but with create
J | degree Of freedom In their service than th
tyrannical PErER vas content to allow them
The division Of the officers Of the civil an
military service into fourteen distinct ranks Q
cIasses-a division which was instituted b
PETER the Grcat-stl1l obtains. and advance
mcnt from the lower to the higher grades i
generally secured By regular progression. An,
person possessing intellectual qualifications /
eligible to place in the public service, and hi:
rise depends upon his own ability or the ap
| proyal Of the Emperor.
l. The law Of primogeniture does not prevail IL
Russia The titles OF noble parents are borne
by all their children from Infancy, and at their
death the family possessions are equally divided
among the sons and daughters. This practice
produces continual mutations in the ranks of
the nobility, multiplying titles indefinitely, and
at the same time diminishing the means for
sustaining them. Here is found one Of the
| fruitful reasons why there Is so little dignity
attached to noble lineage.
The only genuine Russian title, according to
| WALLACE, is that Of Prince, which is borne BY
| the descendants OF certain ancient houses, and
| has been bestowed BY the Imperial power upon
fourteen faniliestn the course OF acouple Of CEN
tur1es. PETER the Great introduced the titles
OF Count and Baron, since which time the
1or1ncr has been bestowed upon sixty-seven
families, and the latter upon only ten.
The wealth OF the mobiles and landowners was
seriously reduced By the emancipation OF the
serls+ Each proprietor lost by that act not only
bis slaves, but onc-half his land, which passed
to the serfs as their just share of the estate
But tn earlier times the possessions of the rich
er families have been greatly oyerestfmated
We have the statement from the authority lust !
quoted, that in 1861 more than II 600 out Of the
loo,2{7 landowners had individually less than
t"enty-one male scrfs. Only 3,303 proprietors
owned each 500 serfs, and this number Of de-
pcndents bF 10 means represented large
amount OF wealth. Among the few noblemcn
whose possessions accorded with foreign notions |
OF the opulcnce Of the higher orders arc named J
Count ScHEREMEr1EF, who owned above 5000 |
male serfs; Count ORLoFF-DAvrDoFp, who is |
now the possessor OF more than half million |
OF acres; the DEAtDoFfs, whose mines yield an
immense income; and the STRoGoSoFs, who arc
the proprictors OF vast cstates,t 8" which, II put
together, would be sufficient to form good
sized independent State in Western Europe'
The wealth and the fashion OF Russia congre-
gate In St. Petersburg and Moscow. 4 few
weeks IN the summer may be spent by the land
ed proprietors on their country estates, but the
remainder Of the year finds them do,nfcilcd in
he mansions and palaces OF the great Capitals,
where the amusements Of the p1easure-loyinr
:lasscs flourish in unrivalcd splendor. The
opera, tho ballet, and the theatre, are muutfi-
emily supported by Government and by private
patronage, and their representations are Of the
highest order Of excellence. In none of the
metropolitan cities Of Europe is there more cul-
urc, aud refinement, and elegance to be met |
nth In polite society than in the two chief
owns OF Russia. The upper classes dwell II an
tmosphcre OF luxury, and scdulously cultivate
be manners and the accomplishments common :
, high-bred aristocracy. Particular attention =
paid to music and the languages IS attain :
tents which give especial advantages In the ..
'nmercc OF society. Children gre placed at | :.
le earliest age in the cara of French nurses and
nglish goVerncsses, In order that the speech of y
lese chosen nationalities may become as famil- =
r to them as their own. y
French is throughout Russia the language Of | =.
C educated classes, and 1t is often spoken "
th purity of accent that captivates the criti-
Partisan car. So generally has this tongue | J.,
en- adopted that the Ternacnlar of the country r.
$ at times incurred the peril Of being alto =.
thcr superseded It is said TINT the Emperor =.
cHoLAs never thoroughly acquired the na- -. -
liam ~. Ii. |
In his official dispatches and correspondence - !.
re marked by the most 1udfcrous errors. The -
cnch language, literature, aud customs first
ne into vogue in Russia In the reign of | e..
when the court circles, tired of the ot
rman influence which had been imported by ~. ~.
TER the Great, insisted upon its being ~ ~
lishcd in favor Of the more brilliant ciytlIza
4 cherished By LOUIS XIV. We
he popularity Of French modes in all that Ill
tains to external forms was greatly increased
iEE the time OF CATHERINE H., while under
Emperor NICHOLAS their domination BECAME oh
lplctc. and French cooks ruled in the c,tisae ne'
nch fashions prevailed in the drawing-room nci
nch books we're read in the boudoir, and the ~ =.
French 6on-f7ot tFipped on the tongue with W
same case and charm as in the place of its po'
b. ALEXANDER II. has striyen to check q
&c dcnationallzing tendencies, aud to restore mi
heir rlghtful ascendency the nat.7e speech ! Rer
nc people, with the habits aud customs in / den
nony with it. 49,
Aot1hS nus presented captivating picture this
fashionable interior in the City of st. Peters
:. Its chief charm consists in the nrod;eo]
lay OF flowers which adorn every nook, even tucl
id-wlntcr In Temperature stcadI1v ,,.;n Of :!
% at summer heat, the choicest exotics the
III from Scptcmber until .Inrc and o,,aa tril