Mar.] 



CHRONICLE. 



23 



iiulphurous vapours. A great mor- 

 •t;ilicy prevails among the cattle. 



In the district of Gabang, be- 

 longing to the residency of Che- 

 ribon, a liill sunk down on the 

 27th of February, and eight fa- 

 milies were buried alive with it. 

 There had long been a chasm in 

 this hill, which being enlarged by 

 the rain, probably occasioned a 

 separation to take place. 



During the night of the 4th of 

 this month, a similar sinking oc- 

 curred in the distiict of Talasa, in 

 consecfuence of which several liouses 

 with their inhabitants were buried. 

 A recently culti\ ated rice-iield and 

 the half of an upland plantation 

 were also destroyed. 



20. A sect of Christians, devi- 

 ating from the Greek church, has 

 sprung up in the south eastern 

 parts of the Russian empiie, and a 

 rescript has been issued by the 

 Emperor Ale.\ander, containing 

 directions for its treatment. The 

 converts to the new faith are said 

 to have been .already driven from 

 their homes, and i)laced in an in- 

 sulated situation in order to prevent 

 proselytism. They are .called Du- 

 choboozi : and the rescript, which 

 is addressed to the military go- 

 vernor of ChersoHj is to the fol- 

 lowing effect : — 



" Tlie sect having been removed 

 from the Ukraine to the circle of 

 ilolitsholsk, in tlie Taiuis, in con- 

 .sctiuence of the blameable way of 

 life imputed to them, and to pre- 

 vent tlicir opinions fn)m sjiread- 

 ing, and (liey havi:ig jsetitioned 

 for protection from ojipression, the 

 Governor is directed to consider 

 the motives of ti\is removal, which 

 is said to liave been ordered by the 

 Emperor, with a view at once to 

 ^irotect the sect froin improjKir 



mortifications, and to stop the 

 spreading of their o])inions : and 

 the Government, not having re- 

 ceived for many years any com- 

 plaints fro n one side or the other, 

 or other repoits of disorders, had 

 every reason to suppose tiiat the 

 measures adopted were sufficient. 



" Tlie dejjart lire of this sect from 

 the triiefaithof theGra'CO-Russian 

 Cliurch is stated to be a deviation 

 founded on some erroneous repre- 

 soniations of the true warship, and 

 of the spirit of Christianity; but 

 as they are not without religion, 

 for they seek for what is divine, 

 tliough not with a right under- 

 standing, it does not become .1 

 Christian Government to employ 

 harslr and cruel means, torture, 

 e.xile, &c. to bring back to the 

 bosom of the church those who 

 have gonje astray. The doctrine 

 of the Redeemei', avIio came into 

 the world to save the sinner, can- 

 not, it is said, be spread by con- • 

 straint and punishment; cannot 

 serve for the oppression of those 

 who are to be led back into the 

 paths of trutli. All the measures 

 of severity exhausted upon the 

 Duchoboozi, in the course of 30 

 years, up to 1801, were not abl.e 

 to e.\.tirpate this sect, and only in- 

 creased the nuniberof its adherents. 

 I'hey are, therefore, in future to 

 be protected from unmerited in- 

 sults on account of the difference 

 of their faith. By being removed 

 to another settlement they would 

 again be placed in a hard situa- 

 tion, and be punished on a mere 

 complaint, without examination. 



' ' The colony is therefore recom- 

 mended to the special superin- 

 tendence and particular care of 

 the G<)\ ernor ; who, without re- 

 garding false allegations or pre- 

 conceived 



