RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 131, 14 April 1864, Page 4

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

A correspondent of the /'us/, from whom we have before quoted gives an interesting description of the freeing of the serfs. The nobleman with whom he was staying said : — " To-morrow T pass from it slaveowner, or a petty sovereign if you like, into u simple landlord, and give lip a large sliee of my land into the bargain. Tomorrow each of my peasants will have enough of land ofliis own to maintain him eomfortablv with moderate toil. For this land government has paid me very fairly —I hill is to say a good market priee. Many Russians landlords were in great want of money, and the large sums paid for the land given to the peasants will be a great koon to them. As the population increases there may be a good deal of difficulty about the subdivision of the small peasant farms ; but we must not look too far ahead. It must have been as early as seven when the village notables began to arrive. First came the schoolmaster: he was a tall pale young man. dressed with military precision. My friend had observed-an aptitude for study in him when a boy, and had given him a good solid education. iNcxt rami; the doctor—a stout and comfortable man, full of grave professional chat, and a little local scandal of a sort very odd and naive to townsfolk. Other woithies followed; and one thing about them struck me especially—it was the prevalence of Imirdve. 'Whether they all hud had their hnir dyed for the occasion, or whether it was the lota? custom to dye the hair. 1 know not, but it gave tin* look of perennial youth and jig to the oldest of tlieni. which is so common in Russia. About nine the elders assembled, bringing the traditional bread and salt, in sign of homage Io their lord. This is a very odd custom. The salt, however, is only bro on great occasion?. Sometimes the bread and salt are presented 011 a massh e silver salver. In estates wheiv fish abound sometimes a lisli is presented aiso. My friend received the deputation at the threshold of Ill's house, the elders remaining standing in the street. The bread and salt were placed on a little table. It was black bread and not nice to eat. The salt was in the shape of a sugar-loaf, and about two inches high. The elders were a respectable looking set ol men, all decently and comfortably dressed. Most of them wore a good warm cloak of sheep-skin, very well made, and stout knee-boots. Now and then n strapping lass passed by, proud of her low black shoes and white stockings. Generally the country people were certainly of a lower type than English peasants in Surrey or Middlesex; hut they would have borne an advantageous comparison with those of manv counties, and the poorer parts of Scotland and Trelaud. Now and then, however, my eyes fell upon the true barbaric stan p of head —the type of the men who swelled the hordes of Attila and Alaric. My friend knew each of them pei*sonally, and laboured under none of the disadvantages of absenteeism. What struck me especially -was the absence of all fear and shamefaeedness iu their conduct towards him. They called him simply " Little Father," and lie spoke to them us "my children." After all was over, and we got rid of them at last, they dispersed to get tipsy without loss of time. And, indeed, they had good reason to be gay, tor in the short, kind, manly speech in which my host had taken leave of them lie had given to every member 011 the estate a good substantial comfortable house. 'I here were 100 of them, and he Itad given away 100 houses. Perhaps the mere cost of building each house was about £50.