184 Notice of some Recent [March 



grandson. In 1822 there were twelve assassinations in 

 families, while in 1 821 there were only four. 



The majority of perpetrators of murders, who amounted to 

 423 for two years, are unknown; 217 are in this state, but 

 206 have been discovered. Of this number, 127 were com- 

 mitted by peasants, in the governments of Riazan, Orel, 

 Koursk, and Voronega ; twenty by soldiers or deserters ; 

 seven by free people ; six by employed persons ; and four 

 by the nobility. Eighty murders have been perpetrated by 

 women, viz. : seventy-two children killed by their mothers 

 in two years, five husbands by their wives, and three un- 

 certain cases. The remaining 343 murders were committed 

 by men. 



The causes of these have generally been desire of gain, 

 the vagabond life of deserters, melancholy, but above all, 

 the gross manners of the lower classes. A peasant slew a 

 guard of the forest in 1821, in Moscow, because he pre- 

 vented him from escaping from the wood. A peasant of 

 Vladimir, in 1822, killed another for having trampled on 

 his rye. Murders on the high roads have generally been 

 committed by soldiers who have deserted. In 1821, in 

 Vladimir, three merchants slew three persons sent by their 

 masters to transact some business. 



In 1822, in Toula, two proprietors were killed by their 

 domestic slaves from discontent. In 1821, at Riazan, a 

 proprietor was murdered from an unkown cause. Similar 

 cases occurred at Kostroma, Koursk, and Orel. At Koursk, 

 in 1821, a peasant wishing to save another from recruiting, 

 put poison in his ears, of which he died. Among the clergy 

 there are five murders among the inferior grade. A person 

 of noble extraction, employed at the manufacture of Toula, 

 killed the person with whom he lodged, from hatred, in 

 1822. In three other cases, anger or drunkenness were 

 the causes of murders. 



Article III. 



Notice of some Recent Improvements in Science, 

 (continued from p. 131. ) 



Compounds of Azote. — In organic chemistry we can separate 

 from one substance, by means of different re-agents, a number 



