SECRET OF THE POWER OF RUSSIA.
WESTMINSTER REVIEW—Russia has greatly profited by widely-spread delusions as to her real influence. Her territories are extended indeed, but her resources are few ; her population miserably bare with a reference to the country over which they are spread ; her revenues trifling ; and collected at an enormous cost and to a great extent, out of duties paid by foreigners on the export of her raw commodities. By her credit abroad, while she is enabled to borrow, she can of course perform all that can be effected by money. She is a successful trader on fo- reign capital ; at home her paper currency is at a discount of seventy-five per cent.; abroad, she can find money at six percent. interest ; left to her own means, she could hardly have marched twenty thousand men to the Balkan ; but if she can dispose of the treasures of other nations, she may make a highway where she pleases. It is not the army of Moscow, but the exchange of Amsterdam that subdues the Mussulrnans. So assisted, any power might become alarming,. If the Hopes, the Barings, and the Rothschilds of Europe, choose to allow the Pacha. of Tripoli to use their names and employ their resources, his Highness may also become a thorn in the side of many monarchies. And as Russia is financially provided for by the wealth of other nations, instead of by her own, so she is in- tellectually represented by the picked men of many people, instead of by her own sons. Her ministers, her commanders, her ambassadors, are gathered from among all tribes and tongues. Germany, France, Italy, England, Greece, Holland, Spain, and Corsica, have all contributed to furnish Russia with her eminent leaders. She pees not stand on her own civilization, but on that of Europe. Into the market of the States she comes with few samples of her own productions, and carries on her operations with the funds of her neighbours. Her surface is all glare and gold, but there is no solidity. She is a huge inflation, a political nightmare. But the weakness of others, is just as availing to her as her own strength ; and the reputation of power, is, for public purposes, as good, and far less costly than its possession. When, however, the eye of inquiry is turned towards Russia, it would be well if lessons were learnt from her system of foreign conquest. Her first anti mightiest instrument is the encouragement of colonists. From every quarter she seeks the settlement of a greater civilization among her newly-acquired subjects, and not Russians alone, but every intelligent stranger is invited, is re- compensed for consenting to take up his abode among them. The colonists of Russia enjoy all the rights which are possessed by Russian natives. There is no exclusion from office, no oppressive monopoly, no claim to the proprietorship of the soil. It may be said that Russia herself owes everything to colonization ; the earliest seeds of her prosperity were sown by strangers ; by strangers whose habits were wholly unlike those of her aboriginal children. The wealth of her early commerce was altogether the wealth of foreigners ; and her most flourish- ing spots, whether in cities or in agricultural districts, are to this moment occu- pied by men of distant extraction.
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