THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



291 



FROM THE LOOK-OUT. 



The influence of the emaucipation of* the serfs in 

 Russia, will be deeply and widely felt. The wisdom of 

 the Emperor, in struggling with his reluctant nobles, to 

 bring about this great act of justice in favour of 3-5ths 

 of the Russian people is beyond all praise, and v/ill give 

 him a reputation as the founder of the true greatness of 

 Russia future, higher than that obtained by Peter, as 

 the author of the empire's original design. Indeed, if 

 Peter is to be esteemed the founder, Alexander II. may 

 fairly be considered the preserver of the empire. By 

 this means alone could he stay the downward movement 

 of the nation. Free labour will do for Russia what it 

 has done for the sister-countries of Europe. The same 

 change from which we date our commercial and political 

 nesv birth, is now going on throughout the populations 

 of that vast empire. When, in the eleventh century, the 

 feudal government had degenerated to a system of op- 

 pression, and the people of the cities and villages were 

 held in subjection and dependence by some great lord, 

 being amenable to his arbitrary jurisdiction ; when 

 services menial and disgraceful were extorted without 

 moderation ; when the common people were deprived of 

 the most natural and inalienable rights of manhood ; 

 when they were not allowed to dispose of their effects 

 by will, appoint guardians to their children, or marry 

 without the consent of their superior lord, they had few 

 motives to industry, must have been poor and wretched, 

 and, indeed, are so exhibited in the page of history. There 

 are, we know, some who paint the life of the slave in 

 the most mellow and pleasing colours. His brow is 

 unfurrowed by care, and his heart pulsates with joy, 

 while he leans with childish faith oil the love of his 

 master, and depends upon his hand for the supply of 

 daily bread. Admitting the truth of such representa- 

 tion, there is yet one hard fact to overcome. True 

 progress is never found in connexion with slavery. • The 

 cities of Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries 

 exhibited this truth forcibly enough. But, no sooner 

 were they formed into bodies politic, governed by 

 magistrates chosen from among their own members ; no 

 sooner had the blood of freedom pulsated through the 

 veins of the labouring community, than the spirit of 

 industry was born, and commerce flourished. Popula- 

 tion increased with independence, and the conveniences 

 of life with the means of procuring them. The activity 

 of genius was awakened ; and a numerous class of men, 

 who had formerly no political existence, were restored 

 to society, and augmented the force and riches of the 

 state. 



It becomes important to consider in what way the 

 sudden liberaiion of this latent element of free labour 

 is likely to act upon Russia, and re-act upon Britain. 



So far as the nobles of Russia are concerned, they 

 present a rather deplorable picture. They are very 

 much out at elbows— decidedly seedy. They have a 

 great taste for continental languages, for travel, for 



recherche dinners ; but very little taste for busintss , 

 and very little real care for the improvement of thtir 

 landed estates. The incomes on which they live, aic, 

 of course, drawn from this source mainly, the land 

 being cultivated by the peasants, under the direction 

 of agents, who usually transmit the needful to the 

 absentee lords, and they were augmented by the "obrok," 

 or rent at which the personal freedom of the serf was 

 leased out to him. But this sum is generally insufiicient. 

 The position of a noble seems to have been estimated by 

 the number of serfs he possessed, and pride induced him 

 to keep far more than he had any use for. Thus, to sup- 

 port his extravagance, his agricultural serfs have been 

 oppressed, while his house has been filled with a lazy 

 tribe of domestic slaves, to support his family escutcheon. 

 Under these circumstances, the land having no induce- 

 ment " to yield her increase," it is not to be wondered 

 that the pawnbroker obtained considerable employment. 

 The pawnbroker in this instance happened to be the 

 crown, who, from such sources, has of late years, added 

 to its domains a large extent of territory, with the 

 people attaching thereto. 



One would say that any shock which should arouse 

 the nobles from this state of stupor, and give them a 

 worthy object in life, would prove a great blessing. 

 This, at least, is our British feeling. But, of course, 

 the parties so aroused must be expected to take a very 

 difierent view of the matter. The nobles not only ob- 

 jected to the reform in itself, and because it is opposed 

 to their prejudices, but they objected to it because they 

 were called upon to make sacrifices. They in fact, put 

 forth objections very much like the following : It might 

 perhaps be tolerated to be called upon to liberate the 

 serfs on a certain compensation being made, but to re- 

 ceive a mandate to cede six or seven acres of land with 

 each slave we liberate, is tantamount to ruin. Surely it 

 is enough to relinquish our feudal privileges, without 

 relinquishing our paternal acres. Many of us have a 

 greater number of serfs than acres, and it seems intoler- 

 able that we should be obliged to purchase the land of 

 which we are deficient ? 



The merchants and burghers, a class between the 

 nobles and peasants, though they number men of con- 

 siderable means, and who would in another country 

 have become merchant-princes, have scarcely arrived at 

 the middle point between the noble and the moujik^ 

 The pressure of cast is very heavy, and the guild dues 

 are still heavier : both act as a dead weight upon in- 

 dustry. 



The peasants of Russia are not naturally characterize d 

 as hard-working, pains-taking, or patient. It is saiJ 

 they have a shambling method of doing their work. Th j 

 mechanic rarely perfects what he has in hand: through- 

 out the whole class there is a want of thoroughnetb ; 

 but how far the characteristic want of the spur is in- 

 duced by long subjection to it, affords matter for con ■ 



