OLIPHANT'S TOUR IN RUSSIA. AND ON THE DANUBE. *

Tin extreme points of Mr. Oliphanes travels in Russia, during the fall of last year, were from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Orsova, the last fortress of Wallachia and the boundary of the Austrian frontier towards the East. His intermediate route for a great por- tion of his way was new and interesting. He travelled by diligence from Moscow to Novgorod, a place only of consequence for its fair, which was going on upon his arrival. From Novgorod he de- seended the Volga in a steamer with a jovial Dutch captain ; the function of the vessel being to tow barges, though it carried pas- sengers when there were any. Leaving this magnificent river at Dubovka, our traveller and his friend crossed the country of the Don Cossacks in a Russian vehicle; and, driving Southwards after reaching the Don, sailed through the sea of Azof to the Crimea. This country they pretty well explored; entering Sebastopol in ' disguise, and at the risk of detection, for no foreigner is allowed in I that great naval port and arsenal. They finally embarked in a steamer for Odessa and the Danube ; with the ascent of which as far as Orsova the narrative closes.

Of course this journey derives additional interest from the cir- cumstances of the times. Mr. Oliphant traversed those lands and waters -which must be the first seat of war should war actually en- sue ; and nearly the whole of his journey may be said to bear directly or indirectly on the character and power of Russia, in the descriptions of towns, villages, steppes, hovels, carriages, serfs, traders, and in fact every passage even to the past history of unscrupulous aggression, intrigue, and tyranny. The travels, however, are interesting without reference to temporary events. The ground Mr. Oliphant passed over is comparatively fresh, and he penetrated more thoroughly into remote places than any travel- ler who has of late years visited those regions. He brings a wide experience to his task of observation. Europe, Egypt, and India even to its Tartarian boundaries, furnish him with the means of comparison or correction. His manner is improved since he pub- lished his Nepaul. If not really possessing more strength and spirit, he has more ease, whioh enables him to display those quali- ties more effectively, as well as an agreeable pleasantry. The broad conclusion which Mr. Oliphant reaches is, that how- ever desirous Russia may be to increase her commerce, add to her population, and develop the natural riches of the country, which are very great in the Southern soil, they are all nipped or sacrificed without scruple to the extension of "political influence" abroad and the maintenance of the present system of autocratical go- vernment at home. This last object compels a destructive tyranny in every new conquest. Agriculture, commerce, internal improve- ment by means of improved communications, are not objected to in themselves. On the contrary, they are valued; but they must be checked in order to shut out ideas. Even if the Government were to liberalize itself, the officials are so numerous, and such is their corruption, that it would have great difficulties to contend with in effecting its intention. As regards the vaunted civilization and power of Russia, Mr. Oliphant agrees with those travellers who have looked into what

• The Russian Shores of the Black Sea in the Autumn of 1852; with a Voyage down the Volga, and a Tour through the Country of the Don Cossacks. By Lan- Oliphant, Author of "A Journey to Nepaul." Published by Blackwood and

Sons.

they saw. Both the one and the other are "shams." The civiliza- tion and improvement, as we have more than once observed, are the mere creations of Government, produced "to order" from the re- sources of power, not the effects of the prosperity and grow- ing tastes of the people. Except in the material results of timber, stones, and mortar, they are about as real as scenes in a theatre. What is done at a few ports is done by foreigners. Of the Rus- sian power for any purpose of aggression Mr. Oliphant speaks slightingly. The greater part of the crews of their fleet in the Black Sea are generally employed on shore, the ships lying idle in port. Of their nautical capacity he tells some stories, which, whe- ther true or not, indicate by-then existence the local estimate. It is said that many of the officers and men are seasick in a gale ; a story the more credible, as our own Nelson, in his earlier days, was in a Spanish frigate where the same misfortune happened. It is a tale of the Crimea, that the Black Sea fleet being driven by a tempest, the admiral, on its subsidence, did not know where he was ; but a village being in sight, the flag-lieutenant proposed in good faith to go on shore and ask the way. Mr. Oliphant is of a similar opinion with respect to the army. The military power of Russia must not be judged of by displays got up for the Emperor and under his eye, such as the review or sham-fight at Krasno Selo, where Mr. Oliphant was present. To be properly estimated, the Russian soldier must be seen in the interior of the country, half-starved and in rags, through the corruption of his officers. The author also points to the failure against the Circassians after a war of twenty years, and the incredible losses which the Russians have sustained. The late reports from the Danubian Provinces seem to confirm this opinion. At the same time, Mr. Oliphant considers Russia to be very dangerous, if her appearance of power impose upon the world, or she be permitted to push her gradual encroachments unchecked in any further direction. It is probable that he does not suffi- ciently allow for the difficulties of feeding and supplying an army in the countries between the frontiers of Persia and the Indus even should Persia be incorporated rather than subdued,—for with a nominal independence Russia would have no right to maintain an army in Persia. He does not, however, think that India is in danger from actual invasion, but from intrigues leading to revolts.

"When facts such as these are taken into consideration, the contingency of Russian influence becoming dominant in Persia does not seem very remote, or the extension of the Southern frontier of the empire to Herat altogether a chimera; and even then it is not the probability of an invasion that is to be dreaded, but rather the effect upon the Northern provinces of India of the proximity of this new and powerful neighbour, whose secret agents would overrun our provinces, foment disaffection, disturb the whole system of government, and worthily accomplish the insidious designs of rulers as un- scrupulous as themselves.",

In like manner, it is not from positive conquest that Western Europe need apprehend danger, at least within any specific time, but from influence ; from Russia having tools on the thrones of absolute states. With the eyes of the world opened to the objects and character of Russia,—one benefit of the late aggression, at all events,—this is not likely to take place now, without strenuous opposition in an early stage. Part of the speculation, however, may be quoted.

"It is not now a question of the conquest of Turkey physically: that is not yet contemplated. It is not necessary for Russian troops to garrison Con- stantinople in order to secure the passage of the Dardanelles to a Russian fleet ; and the right of way through the Bosphorus will be held by a tenure perfectly in accordance with the designs of the Czar, as soon as the Sultan officiates as his janitor. The artfully-contrived plan by which he hoped to effect this darling project has just been developed, and Europe is now called , upon to check, before it be too late, the last of a series of encroachments, which have been surely and fatally sapping the foundations of Ottoman in- dependence : for the long-cherished schemes of Russia are almost realized; her traditionary policy may again be crowned with success, and a dominant influence obtained over Turkey by means of a succession of petty robberies, none of which has been of sufficient importance to rouse Europe to a sense of its insecurity, or to call forth the indignation of a continent upon this power, so inexhaustible in its intrigues, so insatiable in its demands, so unscrupu- lous in its designs, and so indefatigable in their execution.

"Let Russia once become mistress of the Dardanelles, and the advantages of her position are incalculable. The means of internal communication through- out the empire would be improved, and its vast military and naval resources concentrated upon Constantinople, with a rapidity which cannot now be con- ceived when the same inducement does not exist for facilitating the convey- ance of the material of the army to any given point. The noble rivers flow- ing into the Black Sea, by which the empire is intersected, would now be- come available, and Russia, secure behind a barricade where the application of engineering skill has improved natural advantages such as do not exist elsewhere in the world, would maintain within this impregnable position such a force as would insure to her the command of the Mediterranean, and invest her with the supreme control of the destinies of Europe. Who, then, will pretend that England alone is vitally affected by Russian aggression? "I have already alluded to the position of Austria in the event of the an- nexation of the Danubian Principalities ; it is easy to see how she would be affected by the next step of Muscovite progress in the West. If the resources of Turkey in Europe were available to Russia, the Austrian empire, in a military point of view, would become indefensible ; and, composed of so many heterogeneous and even hostile nationalities, could exist only as a depend- ency of Russia. And if, therefore, the spirit of freedom were to kindle afresh in Austria or Italy, Russia could turn the scale in favour of despotism, as she has already done, and quench for ever any spark of liberty still smouldering in those unhappy countries. It were easy for Spain to call in to the support of oppression a similar force. "The next revolution in Franco would see Italy occupied by Russian troops, reinforcing those of dependent Austria—would see Sardinia crashed, and the Russians again driving the French eagle over the Alps. In every civil commotion that might occur, the shores of the Mediterranean would be as open to invasion as the bank; of the Rhine, and Algeria would be lout. The mere knowledge that the whole militarrand naval power of RUM* Turkey, and Austria, could be brought to bear in one united mass upon any point to which the will of one man might direct it, would change the whole relations of parties in France and in every other country, and would give an

inevitable preponderance to that party whose cause he should espouse. Prussia • and the minor states of Germany could then offer no effectual resistance either to the arms or the influence of the colossus; and if the revolutions of the wheel of fortune—the lottery of political changes—should place a crea- ture of Russia on the throne of France, England alone, of all the nations of Europe, could hope to maintain her independence. We have already seen one man exercise a dominant influence over the whole Continent of Europe, whose birth and original status in society gave no warrant for anticipating so marvellous a destiny. Should a similar power again be vested in one man, it will be under circumstances lees extraordinary, but scarcely less appalling."

The importance of Sebastopol being considered, Mr. Oliphant's information is scarcely as full and specific on that head as might be wished : bat it must be remembered that he was observing with the chance of imprisonment or even Siberia before him, and obliged to be superficial. "The population of Sevastopol, including military and marine, amounts to forty thousand. The town is, in fact, an immense garrison, and looks im- posing because so many of the buildings are barracks or Government offices. Still I was much struck with the substantial appearance of many of the pri- vate houses; and, indeed, the main street was handsomer than any I had seen since leaving Moscow, while it owed its extreme cleanliness to large gangs of military prisoners, who were employed in perpetually sweeping. New houses were springing up in every, direction, Government works were still going forward vigorously, and Sevastopol bids fair to rank high among Russian cities. The magnificent arm of the sea upon which it is situate is an object worthy the millions which have been lavished in rendering it a fitting receptacle for the Russian navy. "As I stood upon the handsome stairs that lead down to the water's edge, I counted thirteen sail of the line anchored in the principal harbour. The newest of these, a noble three-decker, was lying within pistol-shot of the quay. The average breadth of this inlet is one thousand yards; two creeks branch off from it, intersecting the town in a Southerly direction, and con- taining steamers and smaller craft, besides a long row of hulks which have been converted into magazines or prison-ships. "The hard service which has reduced so many of the handsomest ships of

the Russian navy to this condition, consists in lying for eight or ten years upon the sleeping bosom of the harbour. After the expiration of that period, their timbers composed of fir or pine-wood never properly, seasoned, become perfectly rotten. This result is chiefly owing to inherent decay, and in some degree to the ravages of a worm that abounds in the muddy waters of the Tchernoi Retcka, a stream which, traversing the valley of Inkerman, falls into the upper part of the main harbour. It is said that this pernicious in- sect—which is equally destructive in salt water as in fresh—costs the Rus- sian Government many thousands, and is one of the most serious obstacles to the formation of an efficient navy on the Black Sea.

"It is difficult to see, however, why this should be the case, if the ships are copper-bottomed; and a more intimate acquaintance with the real Mute of matters would lead one to suspect that the attacks of the naval employes are more formidable to the coffers of the Government than the attacks of this worm, which is used as a convenient scapegoat, when the present rotten state of the Black Sea fleet cannot otherwise be accounted for. * * * "If, therefore, in estimating the strength of the Russian navy, we deduct the ships which, for all practical purposes, are unseaworthy, it will appear that the Black Sea fleet, that standing bugbear of the unfortunate Porte, will dwindle into a force more in proportion to its limited sphere of action, and to the enemy which, in the absence of any other European power, it would encounter. There is no reason to suppose that the navy forms an exception to the rule, that all the great national institutions of Russia are artificial. • "Nothing can be more formidable than the appearance of Sevastopol from the seaward. Upon a future occasion we visited it in a steamer, and found that at one poirt we were commanded by twelve hundred pieces of artillery : fortunately for a hostile fleet, we afterwards heard that these could not be discharged without bringing down the rotten batteries upon which they are placed, and which are so badly constructed that they look as if they had been done by contract. Four of the forts consist of three tiers of batteries. We were, of course, unable to do more than take a very general survey of these celebrated fortifications, and therefore cannot vouch for the truth of the assertion, that the rooms in which the guns are worked are so narrow and ill-ventilated that the artillerymen would be inevitably stifled in the attempt to discharge their guns and their duty ; but of one fact there was no doubt, that however well fortified may be the approaches to Sevastopol by sea, there is nothing whatever to prevent any number of troops landing a few miles to the South of the town, in one of the six convenient bays with which the coast as far as Cape Kherson is indented, and marching down the main street, (provided they were strong enough to defeat any military force that might be opposed to them in the open field,) sack the town, and burn the fleet."

The organs of Russia in this country dwell often upon the de- cline of the provinces under the Turkish rule. Russia is by no means backward in that respect. This is a reflection in the Crimea (Krim Tartary). "It was melancholy to think that the inhabitants of these lovely vallies were gradually disappearing under the blighting influence which Russia ap- pears to exercise over her Moslem subjects. Of late years the Tartars have been rapidly diminishing, and now number about a hundred thousand, or scarcely half the entire population of the Crimea. Their energy, too, seems declining with their numbers. Whole tracts of country susceptible of a high state of cultivation, and once producing abundantly, are now lying waste; their manufactures deteriorating, their territorial wealth destroyed, their noble families becoming extinct, their poor ground down by Russian tax- gatherers, and swindled out of their substance by dishonest sub-officials. "Ere long, the flat-roofed cottages, now buried amid the luxuriant vege- tation of clustering fruit-trees, will crumble into dust, and with them the last remains of that nation who once occupied an important position among European powers."

Mr. Urquhart is not in striking repute as an authority; but it may be observed that many of his facts are supported by the ob- servation of Mr. Oliphant,—as the hatred of the Cossacks to the Russians, the resources of the Danubian Provinces, and other mat- ters. Mr. Oliphant also confirms our conjecture that a main ob- ject of Russian aggression was to ruin the Principalities. "Just now the most increasing export of the Danubian Principalities is Indian corn. An almost entirely new trade has recently sprung up in this article ; Ireland having hitherto been the principal consumer. It is evident that these provinces are annually becoming more formidable as rivals to the South of Russia. Wheat exported from the Danube ranks higher, and ob- tains better prices in the London market, than Polish Odessa ; while there can be no doubt that, if the encouragement hitherto afforded by foreign mar- kets to these provinces be continued, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Roumelia, will soon equally divide with Russia the corn-trade of the Black Sea.

6' A full conviction of the ruinous consequences of such a result to the Southern shores of the empire, has no doubt operated powerfully in con. during towards the present unjustifiable occupation of the Principalities ; and even should the designs of permanent annexation now entertained be frustrated, and an evacuation of these provinces ultimately prove to be in- evitable, Russia will be compensated for the inconvenience of the movement by the soothing consciousness that she has retarded for many years the com- mercial prosperity of her most dreaded rivals."

The following example (and it does not stand alone) of mere bad policy in injuring commercial prosperity by restraining locomotion, seems to justify Lieber in considering free movement a test of civil liberty. Mr. Oliphant is speaking of the South of Russia generally, but particularly of the Sea of Azof.

"Altogether, though the ports on this coast manifest the most detennhe d disposition to prosper in spite of everything, I doubt whether the combi- nation of natural and political disadvantages with which they are beset will not ultimately prove insurmountable ; for, besides the want of water and the want of roads, they have just experienced a new deficiency in the want of labour. This seems rather an odd complaint for a country containing fifty millions of inhabitants, a considerable portion of whom are in great poverty ; but it is absolutely the case, that those of the scanty population inhabiting the steppes near these ports'who will give themselves the trouble to meek have occasionally earned as much as one silver ruble a day each.

"The thousands half-starving in many parts of the country, who are not altogether bound down as serfs to a particular locality, are unable to migrate to this land of plenty, on account of the system which obliges them to in- vest their all in a passport to bring them here, and when they have made a little money, to spend their savings in bribes to Government officials, for more passports to take them back again to their own district, from which they may not be absent above a limited time ; while the journey there and back would most probably occupy a considerable period, if it were not alto- gether impracticable for persons in their condition. But in addition to these political hinderances, the besotted and apathetic disposition of the Russian peasant, at any rate, permits him to rest content with what is barely suffi- cient to keep body and soul together ; while in the numerous fast-days which his religion imposes, he finds abundant excuse for gratifying his indolent nature. Thus do the Government and Church of Russia combine to retard the advancement of the country; and instead of fostering those vast resources with which Nature has blessed the land, they seem intent only upon adding to the obstacles which she has opposed to its prosperity." Here is a sketch of a millionaire of the Volga, as well as a glimpse of the state of morals on its banks.

"The consignee of the flock we were then contemplating was said to be the richest merchant on the river—the countless millions of rubles which he was reputed to possess throwing Rothschild far into the shade. We were rather astonished when a heavy-looking man, clad in a shirt and loose draw- ers, who came reeling on board in a state of extreme-intoxication, proved to be the millionaire in question ; and it was highly disgusting to find that he and a friend in no better condition were to occupy the cabin adjoining ours. Everybody paid great deference to this personage ; chiefly, as it appeared, because he was a noble, though of the lowest grade, and could afford to get drunk on English bottled stout at five shillings a bottle. Porter certainly seemed a very odd thing for a man at Sarotov to select as a beverage for this purpose ; but the secret of the choice was, that it required an expenditure of about two pounds daily to enable him to effect the desired end—a circum- stance that raised him immensely in the estimation of his fellows. How the pilots envied him ! A few miserable copeks spent with a similar design subjected them to the harshest treatment. Not so, however, the more for- tunate passengers in the barge. Profiting by the example of the wealthy

rich ch with the spoils at Nijni, and responsible to no one, they one and all indulged most copiously ; and the scenes of drunkenness and im- morality which went on at every station would not bear description, if, in- deed, words could convey any adequate notion of them.

"Whatever may be the morals of the peasantry in remote districts, those living in the towns and villages on the Volga are more degraded in their habits than any other people amongst whom I have travelled .; and they can hardly be said to disregard, since they have never been acquainted with, the ordinary decencies of life. What better result can indeed be expected from a system by which the upper classes are wealthy in proportion to the num- ber of serfs possessed by each proprietor ? The rapid increase of the popu- lation is no less an object with the private serf-owner, than the extensive consumption of ardent spirits is desired by the Government. Thus each vice is privileged with especial patronage. Marriages, in the Russian sense of the term, are consummated at an early age, and are arranged by the stew- ard without consulting the parties—the lord's approval alone being neces- sary. The price of a family ranges from 251. to 401. Our captain had taken his wife on a lease of five years ; the rent for that term amounting to fifty rubles, with the privilege of renewal at the expiration of it."