The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1880-02-28 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

LONDON LETTER.  ••••••••••••••• TE:11 fable of the sword that hung by a sin* hair over the head of Dioaysius the tyrant of Syracuse, is being repeated in the ease of the Emperor of Rusma, who would not be a tyrant if he could help it. It was said in the time of the Emperor Alexander that he was followed on the day of his coronation by the assassins of his father, and followed also by those who would be his own; and again of the government of that country that it was a pure despotism, tempered by assassination. That was the past history of Russia when a change of Ministers was brought about not by a vote, and a change of the Emperor not by an insurrection but by courtiers of the highest ranks strangling their sovereign; while at the present day it is not the courtiers that are feared—treason is festering through every class of educated society except the Court. It is not the Czar who is hated as a man, like the madman Paul or the tyrant Nicholas. These successive and apparently endless attempts at murder are the results of profound discontent of those who are not high officials, who are notoffioers of rank, but who can read and write and have at least education enough to learn that, while the rest of Europe is progressing toward personal liberty, every Russian that does not belong to the sacred class of officials is daily surrounded by spies and, without a moment's notice or a shadow of evidence, beaten, exiled to work in mines for life; or, less unfortunate, hanged. The misfortune of Russia is that no such thing as public opinion exists, and it is difficult to see how that essential part of a civilised government can be created. Practically there are only two classes—those in the employment of the Government, and those who are not. A man may be of an ancient family, possessed of great wealth, but if he does not hold rank in the army or in the civil service he is not allowed to express his opinion on anything. The government of Russia is entirely a police government, and the person of means or education is surrounded by spies—his servants, his tradesmen, and possibly his friends. Amongst the official class the way of living is very expensive, salaries very low, peculation and corruption universal. The mass of the people were serfs within this generation, and have all the vices of slaves. When brought into town life, the country people, both landowners and peasants, are simple, hospitable, and superstitious; take away their idolatrous reverence for their priest and for their Czar, and one may say chaos will come again Tam explosion in the Palace at St. Petersburg, has made known an instance of the barbarism alongside of luxury still found in Russia. The service of the palace required three times more domestics than could be lodged in it, so they attended in relays and the one-third not on duty lodged, it is stated, in the low slums of St. Petersburg, with every facility for being converted to the plots of the Nihilists. THE debates in Parliament go on from day to day with very little result, and with evidence that there is very little reality about the discussions. Every division is a foregsne conclusion. The Government feel that no serious attack can be made upon them in this "House of Commons," and the Opposition feel that the utmost they can do is to endeavour to discredit the Ministers in order to gain votes for the next general election. P. P.