, 1888-04-14

VerSlty ana ruined TOR life because he re-
fused to inform the authorities that a
friend of his owned IA printing press and
used it for illegal purposes. On my express
ing surprise at this foolhardy remisSness
on the part of the "Society,'I was told
that it was found to be generally harmless
and nearly always beneficial, as such out
sid rs rendered solid services to the revOlu-
tlOnlStS analogous to those which lay
brothers II to mOnaSterieS and reIi-
giOus orders. My informant quoted, as a
case in point, tEe conduct of Ustinya
Feodorova, tn heroine of the political
trial Of last October, who was at fist sen
fenced to be hanged, II is now on her
way 10 the mines of Siberia. She, it APP
pears, lived for years on very friendly
ter..S with the members Of the Odessa
branch Of the Revolutionary Society, no.
tably with Boris OrSchikh, proved a gen
uine beneflctreSS to them all, at last ioin-
Ell the movement, and will finish her Ca
reer in the mines.
Questions which l put to everyone of my
intormantS as to the truth of the umOur
that the revolutionary movement had enter
ed upon IA new phaSis of existence elected
the following information, which | nave rea-
son to believe trustworthy. Formerly the
Russian Revolutionary Society realised Ne
rO'S ideal of the Roman people, and had, so
to say, but one neck, which cOuld be easily
severed at a single stroke. NihiliSm, like the
French Republic, was one and indiviSible.
Ii one member was captured, the arrest of
his acCOmpficeS was sure to follow soon after
wards, and the conspiracy would be stamp
ed out for the time being. At present the
system is different the old society still
exists, but growing up around it are hun
dred' of smaller ones wholly independent
of it, with nothing but the ultimate aim in
common. Some are based on the principle
of nationality. others rest on a p9litiCo-
economical foundation, a few are The result
of religious persecution, while many are
organised on purely political lines. 70 the
h'St-named class belongs the Georgian
Society, of the q leSSa branch of which
Prince TSrretrlli, the ringIeadrr of the
mutIuoUS students in the late University
troubles, was an active member. Another
such society is the Little Russian, which
claims legislative independence for Little
Russia, and has It's claims allowed by all
sections of Russian Liberalism. Branches
Of this society are thiCklY scattered all
over the country, and the members clan
together rs no other nationality does,
eNcept perhaps the Poles. The prophet Of
The Little Russians is Professor Drago-
mdnotf, formerly of the University of
Kief, the author OF several scientific works
on the popular poetIy of Little Russia,
and now an exile in Geneva. Many
Russian professors secretly SympathiSe
with the aims and objects of this society,
subscribe to is funds and propagate it's
principles. Its organ is the Liberty
(SUOb0da), Il journal edited in Geneva, the
third number Of which Feb. 49,, printed
on very thin paper, | saw in the hands OF
several OF my acquaintance. Then, again,
there are the Armenian circles, which exist
in most Russian cities, and cherish the
memory Of their cOuntryman NaIbandiants,
who died some years ago from the effects
of his incarceration in the Fortress of st.
Peter II Paul.
Among societies of the other types my
attention was specially called to one which
was founded last October, and called the
South Russian Revolutionary Society,
composed chiefly of tradesmen, railway
officials, mechanics, skilled artisans, &c.
1t has numerous branches in all the prin-
cipal cities of South Russia-Odessa,
Kharkoff, Kieff, Elizabethgrad, Poltava,
&c. To judge by the Statutes. with a copy
of which | was presented, it partakes
partly of the character of an English trades
union and partly of the nature of a politi-
cal conspiracy. Thus one of its primary
objects, according to Section 8, is to
organise and promote strikes among
railway omnlOv6S. WORK man in footoriao