Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-27
From Our Regular Correspondent
London Letter.
LONDON, Aug. 9th, 1879.

LONDON Leller.
LONDON, Aug. 9th, 1879.
Not only in England but in other parts
of Europe are the effects of American
competition beginning to be indirectly
felt. American imports are largely
diminishing the external demand for the
cereals grown in the fertile plains Of
Southern Russia-so much so that in some
districts land is said to be going out Of
cultivation simply because the raising OF
crops has ceased to be remunerativc
Cholera, plague and diphtheria are raging
with great severity in many of the east
orn and southern provinces. while Others
are afflicted by ruinous visitation Of
loeusts, and cattle plague in a very fatal
form is widespread. The vitality and
recuperativc power of any great commu-
nifty are marvellous, but it is scarcely pos
sible that Russia can pass through such a
concurrence of calamities without expe.
rioncing some startling social or political
upheaval.
There is no more striking evidence of
the supcrficiality of the veneer of western
civilization which overlays the Oriental
barbarism that is the actual condition of the
mass of Russian society than the savagery
with which the contest between the gov
eminent and the revolutionary party is
being carried on. On the one hand the
infamous attempt made few months age
on the life of the car seems to have pro-
voked the authorities TO surpass anything
previously known in the way of repressive
vigor. The prisons are everywhere filled
with people, most of whom have been
arrested on mere suspicion at the arbitra-
ry discretion of the military governors of
provinces. In the large towns the police
regulations are so numerous and SO
minute that 10 people accustomed to the
institutions of free countries like ours,
existence under them would be simply
intolerablo. Among recent items of news
from Russia are such incidents rs the
summary expulsion from Moscow, by the
order of the governor general, of all the
pawnbrokers and usurers in the city; the
prohibition by General Todleben, govern
or of Odessa, of all collections of money
for any professedly charitable or religious
object without official sanction; demand
on the railway companies to furnish to
the authorities lists of the Christian and
surnames OF all persons in their en-
ploy, accompanied by an order not to
take anybody into their service without
formal official permission previously
obtained; and the infction of heavy
penalties on persons who, even in provin-
cial towns, have dared to let lodgings to
strangers without giving information to
the police. On their part, the revolution
alists do not appear to be discouraged by
the frantic eXertions and appalling severi-
ties of the government. They have
abandoned for the time the practice of
assassnating Objectionable officials; but
the method of warfare they have substi-
tutcd for it is even more terrible They
have resortcd to wholesale incendiarism.
Within the past two months entire towns
have been devastated by fires. An official
return states the number of conflagrations
throughout the empire in the single month
of June to have been 3,501, causing dam
ago to the extent of El,200,000. Only
about a seventh of these fires are attributed
to incendiarism, but it may be safely
assumed that this is far too low an esti-
mate. The most startling instance of the
of the incendiaries and of the
fierce hatred of tho old order of things
which animates them, has only Just been
reported. A few days ago an attempt was
made in broad daylight TO burn down the
Krcmlin at Moscow-a place that has
been hitherto regarded rs sacred TO pat
riotic Russians There is, in fact. war to
the knife between the Russian revolution
lists and the government, and it seems to
be only too apparent that all the rcpress-
i've powers the latter can bring into play
are inadequate to the task of crushing the
enemies OF the existing system.