822 



SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 



RUSSIA, an empire in Northeastern Europe 

 and Northern Asia. The reigning emperor is 

 Alexander II. (Nicolajevitch), who was born 

 29th April (17th, old style), 1818, succeeded 

 his father, Nicholas I. (Paulovitch), 2d March 

 (18th Feb., o. s.), 1855, was crowned 7th Sep- 

 tember (26th August, o. s.), 1856. He was mar- 

 ried on 28th April (16tl), o. s.), 1841, to Maria 

 Alexandrovna, daughter of the late Grand 

 Duke Ludwig II., of Hesse Darmstadt. His 

 oldest son and heir to the crown is the Cesar- 

 evitch, Nicholas Alexandrovitch, born "20th 

 September (8th, o. s.), 1843. 



We can find room in this volume to notice 

 only the emancipation movement in this great 

 country. 



On March 3d, 1863, the transitory epoch 

 which the law for the abolition of serfdom had 

 provided for, terminated, and serfdom definite- 

 ly expired throughout the Russian empire. 

 The event was celebrated everywhere with the 

 greatest solemnity, and all classes of society 

 showed a full consciousness of the immense 

 influence which it cannot fail to have upon the 

 destiny of Russia. On the immediate results 

 which emancipation has already had in Russia, 

 interesting statements have been published by 

 an English clergyman, the Rev. J. Long, who 

 spent five months in Russia, mainly in order 

 to gain information from the best sources, 

 on the facts connected with this movement. 

 Mr. Long states that the serfs have shown 

 by their peaceable demeanor, and by avoid- 

 ing any violent excess, that they know how 

 to appreciate their newly acquired liberty. As 

 municipal constitutions were conceded to the 

 peasants simultaneously with emancipation, Mr. 

 Long found among intelligent Russians the con- 

 viction that provincial assemblies would be 

 the results of municipal freedom, and that a 

 Constitution would be the fruit of provincial 

 assemblies. " To carry out the Emancipation 

 Act, 1,500 unpaid justices of the peace were 

 nominated by Government. The administra- 

 tion of these men, who were selected for their 

 character and public spirit, generally gave satis- 



faction, and it was intended that they should be 

 continued, to discharge similar duties to those 

 of county magistrates in England. "Within two 

 years, more than 8,000 new schools have 

 sprung into existence, through individual ef- 

 forts among the peasantry, and they are rapid- 

 ly on the increase. T^e peasant is anxious to 

 be able to read the laws by which he is gov- 

 erned ; besides, the elevation of his social po- 

 sition through emancipation gives him the 

 means, as well as the inclination, to learn to 

 read. The example of peasant elevation in 

 other parts of Europe confirms this. In Rus- 

 sia, before emancipation, there was scarcely a 

 day school among the peasantry ; but these 

 8,000 schools have arisen spontaneously from 

 the wish of the peasants, aided by the clergy 

 and gentry. The Government has spent noth- 

 ing on them. The Emperor Nicholas allowed 

 only colleges and universities, and that to a 

 very limited degree: serf emancipation inau- 

 gurates the education of the masses. 



" The social condition of the peasant is being 

 improved. The anxiety of the peasant to pur- 

 chase land, so strongly marked in France, is 

 showing itself also in Russia, thus leading to 

 habits of industry, in order to procure the 

 means of making the purchase. Indolence, 

 the natural fruit of serfdom, is giving way to 

 the encouragement of industry. One million 

 peasants have bought up the land on which 

 they were formerly located, borrowing the 

 money from Government. The price of land 

 is rising all through Russia, owing to the peas- 

 ants renting or hiring it to a far greater extent 

 than formerly, though the enemies of emanci- 

 pation said the peasants would be too indolent 

 to cultivate the land. Money is no longer hid- 

 den in earthen pots in the ground, or in the 

 wall, through fear of the steward. The peas- 

 ants' houses in some quarters are exhibiting a 

 greater appearance of comfort, and providing 

 more rooms, instead of after the old fashion 

 crowding twenty-five into a room. More 

 houses have been built within the last two 

 years than during the previous six." 



S 



SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. Schleswig and 

 Holstein are two duchies in Northern Europe, 

 which, until November 15th, 1863, were a part 

 of the dominions of the king of Denmark, but, 

 having always had a different law of succession 

 from Denmark Proper, claimed to become in- 

 dependent of Denmark upon the death of King 

 Frederick VII. In Denmark Proper, the crown 

 of the monarchy was transmissible to females ; 

 in the two duchies the Salic law prevailed, ac- 

 cording to which the crown can only descend 

 to heirs male. Prince Christian, of Schleswig- 

 Holstein-Sonderburg-Gliicksburg succeeded as 

 King Christian IX., in the kingdom of Den- 

 mark ; but in the two duchies the Prince 



Frederic of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg- 

 Augustenburg claimed to be entitled to succes- 

 sion, and assumed at once the title of Duke of 

 Schleswig-Holstein. He was recognized as such 

 by the majority of the Diets of each duchy 

 and by a considerable number of the Ger- 

 man princes. The peculiar relations of Hol- 

 stein to the German Confederacy, and its close 

 connection with Schleswig, involved the whole 

 of Germany in this Schleswig-Holstein diffi- 

 culty, while a previous treaty of 1852, concern- 

 ing the succession in the Danish monarchy, 

 made it at once a European question, in which 

 all the European powers felt a deep interest, 

 and some even claimed a right to interfere. 



