The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-17
Count Molthc'. Letter. from Russia.

The latest number of Ilarpcr's Half-hour
Series is version Of Count Moltkc's letters
from Russia by Miss Grace Bigelow. These
le'icrs. which have excited considerable infercs,
during; the past twelve months. were written to
Danish lady in 1856. ana some of them APP
peared in IN" columns of Copenhagen ncws-
paper In February. 1877. a translation from
the Danish into German was printed in the
Deaschs Ru,dschau. Miss Bigelows version.
however. is from revised and augmented
edition Of the letters. published with thu
authors permission.
After somewhat careful survey Of this book
We are bound To say that it contains almost
nothing OF substantial value. The letters are
illed. for the most part. with court gossip. or with
the trivial observations Of the ordinary tourist.
As to matters upon which Count Moltke was
specially competent To- pronounce judgment. he
>has nothing To say. We hear nothing about the
organization OF the Russian army. about the
efficiency Of the engineer aud artillery service
about tho professional merits Of tho general
stan. At the time OF his visit the ,rimcan war
was Just concluded. yet the great German tao
tcian makes no alIusion TO its revelations and
It's lessons. He dos hot glanca NJ the system Of
mobilization. atihc rommissarlat Arrangements.
or examine the ability Of kussic To sustain Il
protracted contest Ii may b. said ;ha, tlcso
ONCE. but for lliY- drawing room; but II
they contain absolutely nothing TO distinguish
them from the sprishty mi-siyc Of the average
young diplomat the question may well BE-
asked. WHY should they be printed
Tho particular letters in which Count Noltkc
undertakes To give his lair correspondent some
idea OF the Russian nonlity and of the COM
munal system ar fun If errors The nobility.
hc says. j. quite independent Of the Govern
ncnt. whereas til" reverse j. notpgiou,iy the
cast. H. state, tina, the village communities
owned the ground which theS occupied and
TILED under the regime ot scridom That is
not true; the s"rf had only the u-uiruc; the
noble held ihc foe. Tho communal lands De-
tells u, ar divided at intervals o., ten or fifteen
years. As a m.ttervf fact. tho period wa~ DIT
oncr three years than teu. Elsewhere We arr
informed thar IN Russia Their L. no rrolrtaridt.
This j. only true Of ths village ,utnmunitlc-.
In the cities there H. and always was a arsr
class OF raupers. made W Tor the most part Il
discharged soldiers who have lost their right %
a share of communal property. In one Of the
Counts letters W. IND repeated tho cAp!odod
notion that scrid1n' began ia 1850 when ho
says Boris Godunof deprived the peasants 81
the liberty If migration. AL serious students of
! Russia are aware that thu power ui the propric-
| tors over Ia, /, aadnis came into existence not
suddcn'v. a. IN. result If uka-r, hut gradu-
ally. ar a conscVlt ne ol permanent oronumi
aud political cau,e-. ard that Bort Grlunoi
was not more blame than ulunS ot his erode
cessors AMI inay. Il doom sentences nilht
be- quoted e. show that Count Moth' ascr.be-
/ the communal system % the whole OF Russia.
| whereas nearly hall the population If the en-
pire has always lived under other forms 81
! tenure.
Count Motkc finds much hope for Russia in
! what hr pronounccs the exceptional homo
gcneity Of the nation. But ii is obvious that in
| this respect tho empire Of the Car bears no
comparison with France Great Britain. Iial,,
| or Germany. II Wa except the thirty or forty
millions who inhabt Great Russia. ana who un-
| doubtedly constitute yrr,u,bl- nationality. the
res: of the Car s dominlons have neither race,
language, laws. nor religion in common. and
are held tOet thor by nothlng but military force.
| We shall MAKE but ono moro quotation from
! ihcs" letters. which betrny as much igunranr D
! u the history as OF the social condition of Rus
| sia. II il supposed n informs Us, thid C'gr
| ictcr's original intention WAS Ia have hnlh his
! Low capital on the Black ~ou and that ho had
/ selected the got. Th,reupon the Count MutA,
proceed, 10 speculate ou tho result supposin.;
/ Peter To have reared his ci'y on the beautiful
harbur OF Scbnstopo tuun tins hoAd We have
only to rcmark that Peter would hHNe had IA
| conquer the Crnol before he huit In il. Count
! Moltko should hava remembered that the Rus
sian never succeeded in gaining Possession
OF Grim -Tartary until the reign Of Catherine H.