Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia
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The Russians are far from having, like the English, a law to protect animals from the ill-treatment of men. On the contrary, it is among them as necessary to plead the cause of the men, as it is in
DESCRIPTION OP A LIVONIAN.231
London to plead the cause of the dogs and horses. My feldjäger would not believe in the existence of such a laAV.
This man, who is a Livonian by birth, fortunately for me, speaks German. Under the exterior of an officious civility and obsequious language, may be discovered much obstinacy and insolence. His figure is slim ; his flaxen hair gives to his features an infantile appearance which belies their really dry and harsh expression. That of his eyes, more especially, is crafty and relentless. They are grey edged Avith almost white lashes; his thick eyebrows are very light, his forehead full but low ; his skin Avould be fair were it not tanned by the constant action of the air; his mouth is finely formed, always closed, and the lips so small that they are not seen until he speaks. His clean and neatly-fitting uniform of Russian green, with a leather belt round his Avaist, buckled in front, gives him a certain ah* of elegance. He has a light step, but an extremely slow understanding.
Notwithstanding the discipline under Avhich he has been bred, it can be perceived that he is not of Russian descent. The race, half Swedish, half Teutonic, Avhich peoples the southern side of the Gulf of Finland, is very different from that either of the Finns or the Slavonians. The real Russians are, in their primitive endowments, more to be admired than the mixed populations that defend the frontiers of their land.
This feldjäger inspires me Avith but little confidence. Officially, he is my guide and protector; nevertheless I see in him only a disguised spy, and feel toAvards
232PUNISHMENT OF A POSTILLION.
him as towards one who might at any moment receive an order to become my gaoler.
I have already spoken of the mingled interchanges of politeness and brutality, of the bows and blows which the Russians practise among each other; here, among a thousand, is another example. The postillion who brought me to the post-house from whence I write, had incurred at the stage where he set out, by I know not what fault, the wrath of his comrade, the head hostler. The latter trampled him, child as he is, under his feet, and struck him with blows which must have been severe, for I heard them at some distance resounding against the breast of the sufferer. When the executioner was weary of his task, the victim rose, breathless and trembling, and without proffering a word, readjusted his hair, saluted his superior, and, encouraged by the treatment he had received, mounted lightly the box to drive me at a hard gallop four and a half or five leagues in one hour. The Emperor travels at the rate of seven. The trains on the railways would have to do their best to keep up with his carriage. What numbers of men must be beaten and horses killed, in order to render possible so amazing a velocity, and that for one hundred and eighty leagues in succession ! Some pretend that the incredible rapidity of these journeys in an open carriage is injurious to the health ; and that few lungs can stand the practice of cleaving the air so rapidly. The Emperor is so constituted that he can support every thing ; but his son, who is less robust, suffers from the demands made upon his frame, under the pretext of fortifying it. With the character which his manners, expression, and language convey the
SPIRIT OF RUSSIAN SOCIAL ORDER.233
idea of his possessing, this prince must suffer mentally as well as physically. With reference to him may be applied the words of Champfort, —" In the life of man, an age inevitably arrives at which the heart must either break or harden."
The Russian people give me the idea of being men endowed with gentle dispositions, but who believe themselves bom exclusively for violence. With the easy indifference of the Orientals they unite a taste for the arts, which is tantamount to saying that nature has given them the desire of liberty; whilst their masters have made them the machines of oppression. A man, as soon as he rises a grade above the common level, acquires the right, and, furthermore, contracts the obligation to maltreat his inferiors, to whom it is his duty to transmit the blows that he receives from those above him. Thus does the spirit of iniquity descend from stage to stage down to the foundations of this unhappy society, which subsists only by violence—a violence so great, that it forces the slave to falsify himself by thanking his tyrant; and this is what they here call public order; in other words, a gloomy tranquillity, a fearful peaee, for it resembles that of the tomb. The Russians, however, are proud of this calm. So long as a man has not made up his mind to go on all-fours, he must necessarily pride himself in something, were it only to preserve his right to the title of a human creature.
By a spirit of reaction against the doctrines of Christianity, the world has become, especially during the last century, of one accord in extolling ambition, as though it were not the most cruel, the most unmerciful of the passions, and as though society were in
234SPIRIT OF ТПЕ GOVERNMENT.
danger of lacking proud talents, greedy hearts, and domineering minds. But more particularly is ambition conceded to governments. It would seem as though the heads of the people were especially privileged to commit iniquity. For my part, I cannot perceive any moral difference between the unjust covetousness of a conquering nation and the attacks of an armed brigand. The sole distinction to be made between public and individual crimes is, that the one produces a great, the other a little evil.
The Russians excuse themselves in their own eyes under the idea that the government to which they submit is favourable to their ambitious hopes; but an object that can only be attained by such means must be bad. The people are an interesting race ; I can recognise among those of the lowest orders a kind of intelligence in their pantomime, of suppleness and quickness in theh` movements, of ingenuity, pensiveness, and grace in their countenances, which denote men of good blood ; but they are made beasts of burden. Shall they persuade me that it is necessary to manure the soil with the carcasses of this human cattle, that the earth may fatten during ages, before she can produce generations worthy of reaping the glory which Providence promises the Slavonians ? Providence forbids the commission of a small evil even in the hope of the greatest good.
I do not mean that they should, or that they could, in the present day, govern the Russians as they govern the other European lands; but I mean that numerous evils would be avoided, if the example of jjentleness and lenity were given in the highest quarters. But what ean be hoped from a nation of
THE BEST MEANS OF GOVERNING.235
flatterers, flattered by its sovereign? Instead of elevating them to his level, he lowers himself to theirs.
If the politeness of the court can influence the outward manners even of the lowest classes, is it not reasonable to suppose that an example of clemency given by an absolute prince, would inspire with the sentiments of humanity the hearts of his entire people ?
Exercise severity against those who do evil, and, at the same time, gentleness towards those who suffer, and you will change your herd into a nation — a change difficult to effect no doubt, but is it not to execute things that would be impossible to others that you are declared and recognised all-powerful here below ? The man who occupies the place of God upon earth ought to acknowledge no other possibility but that of doing evil. He is constrained to resemble Providence, in order to legitimate the power which he ascribes to himself.
You wish to govern the earth, as in the times of old, by conquest : you seek to possess by force of arms the countries which you can conveniently thus attack, and you strive to oppress the rest of the world by overawing it. The extension of power of which you dream is no more rational, than it is moral; and if God accords it to you it will be for the misfortune of the world.
I know too well, the earth is not the scene on which unmixed justice is to triumph. Nevertheless the principle remains immutable: evil is evil in itself, without regard to its results; whether it ministers to the loss or the aggrandisement of a people, to the for-
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tune or misfortune of a man, it has always the same weight in the eternal balance. Neither the perversity of an individual nor the crimes of a government can ever coincide with the will of Providence. God can no more excuse the offences of a prince and his people than He can those of a captain of banditti and his troop. But if he has not willed guilty actions, the results of occurrences ever accord with the views of his justice ; for this justice has willed the consequences, though it has not willed the crime. God is carrying on the education of the human race, and all education consists of a series of trials.
The conquests of the Roman empire have not shaken the Christian faith; the oppressive power of Russia will not prevent the same faith from subsisting in the hearts of the just. Faith will remain upon earth as long as will the inexplicable and the incomprehensible.
In a world where every thing is mystery, from the rise and fall of nations to the production and the disappearance of a leaf (in which leaf the microscope shows us as much of the intervention of God, as the telescope does in the heavens, or as great events do in history), faith strengthens herself by the experience of each day, for faith is the only light that comports with the necessities of a being surrounded with clouds, and who, in his own nature, cannot rise above doubt.
If we were destined to suffer the ignominy of a new invasion, the triumph of the conquerors would only prove to me the faults of the vanquished. In the eyes of a man who thinks, success is indicative of nothing, unless it be that the life of earth is not the
REFLECTIONS.
237
first * nor the last mode of human existence. Let us leave to the Jews their interested belief, and let us remember the words of Jesus Christ: my kÌ7igdom is not of this world.
These words, whieh so shock the feelings of the worldly man, we are obliged to repeat to ourselves at every step we take in Russia. At the sight of so many inevitable sufferings, of so many necessary cruelties, of so many unwiped tears, of so many iniquities, voluntary and involuntary, for here injustice pervades the very air; before the spectacle of these calamities spread, not over a family or a city, but over a race, a people inhabiting the third part of the globe, the mind, dismayed, is constrained to turn from earth, and to exclaim, ¢¢ My God! it is true, thy kingdom is not of this world."
Alas ! why have my words so little power ? Why can they not equal in their energy the excess of a misery of which we ean only show our sense by an excess of pity ? The spectacle of this community, all of whose springs are stretched like the lock of a fire-arm whose trigger is about to be drawn, inspires me with a feeling of oppression that almost makes me dizzy.
Since I have lived in this country, and especially since I have known the heart of the man who governs it, I have felt a fever whieh I glory in; for if the air of tyranny suffocates me, if falsehood disgusts me, I must be born for something better, and the wants of my nature, too elevated to be satisfied in such societies as I contemplate here, predict for me and my
* Ni le premier ni le dernier mode de la vie L·umaine.
238ENGLISH CARRIAGES ON
fellows a purer happiness. God has not endowed us with faculties intending them to remain unemployed; His decree has assigned to each his place from all eternity ; our part is, not to render ourselves unworthy of the glory he reserves for us. All that is best in us has its end in Him.
The reader will wonder what it can be that has condemned him to the perusal of these reflections. An accident has happened to my carriage, which gives me leisure to record my thoughts.
Some leagues from this place 1 met a Russian of my acquaintance, who had been to visit one of his estates, and was returning to Petersburg. ^We stopped to talk for a short time. The Russian, after casting his eye over my carriage, began to laugh, and, pointing to its various complicated parts, said, ¢c You see all these things, they will not keep together till you reach Moscow: foreigners who persist in using their own carriages when in our country, set out as you did, but return by the diligence."
" In going no farther than Moscow even ?"
¢¢ No farther even than Moscow."
" The Russians told me that it was the best road in all Europe; I took them at their word."
" There are bridges yet wanting: the road in many parts requires mending ; the highway has frequently to be left in order to cross temporary bridges of rude construction, and, owing to the carelessness of our drivers, the carriages of foreigners always break in these awkward places."
¢¢ My carriage is an English one, and its goodness has already been well tested by long journeys."
" They drive no where so fast as in Russia; the
RUSSIAN ROADS.
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carriages, under this rapid motion, go through all the movements of a vessel in a storm, the pitching and the rolling combined. To resist such strains on a road like this, even, but whose foundation is hard, it is necessary, I again repeat, that the carriages should be built in the country."
" You have still the old prejudice for heavy and massive equipages; they are not, however, the strongest,"
" I wish you a pleasant journey : let me hear if your carriage reaches Moscow."
Scarcely had I left this bird of ill omen when a part of the axle broke. Fortunately, we were near the end of the stage, where I am now detained. I should mention that I have yet only travelled 18 leagues out of the 180 .... I shall be obliged to deny myself the pleasure of fast driving, and am learning to say in Russian, " gently," which is just the opposite of the usual motto of Russian travellers.
A Russian coachman attired in his cafetan of coarse cloth, or if the weather is warm, as it is to-day, in his coloured shirt or tunic, appears, at first sight, like an oriental. In simply observing the attitude he assumes when placing himself upon his seat, we may recognise the grace of the Asiatic. In travelling post, the Russians drive from the box, dispensing with postillions, unless a very heavy carriage requires a set of six or eight horses, and even in that case one of the men mounts the box. The coachman holds in his hands a whole bundle of cords : these are the eight reins of the team, two for each of the four horses harnessed abreast. The grace, ease, agility, and safety with which he directs this picturesque set-out, the
240THE COUNTRY РЕОГЬЕ.
quiekness of his slightest movements, the lightness of his step when he reaches the ground, his erect stature, his manner of wearing his dress, in short, his whole person reminds me of the most naturally elegant people on the earth — the Gitanos* of Spain. The Russians are fair-complexioned Gitanos.
I have already noticed some female peasants less ugly than those seen in the streets of Petersburg. Their form invariably wants elegance, but their complexion is fresh and bright. At this season, their head-dress consists of an Indian handkerchief, tied round the head, and the ends of whieh fall behind with a grace that is natural to the people. They often wear a little pelisse reaching to the knees, drawn round the waist by a girdle, slit on eaeh side below the hips, and opening in front so as to "show the pettieoat underneath. The appearance of this dress is tasteful, but it is their boots whieh disfigure the persons of the women. The leather is greasy, the feet are large and rounded at the toe, and the folds and wrinkles entirely eoneeal the shape of the legs: so elumsy are they, that it might be supposed the wives had stolen them from their husbands.
The houses resemble those that I described in the excursion to Sehlusselburg, but they are not so elegant, The appearance of the villages is monotonous. A village consists always of two lines, more or less extended, of wooden eottages, regularly ranged at a certain distanee backwards from the road, for, in general, the street of the village is broader than the embankment of the highway. Each cabin, con-
* Gipsies. — Trans.
ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY.241
structed of pieces of roughly-hewn wood, presents its gable to the street. All these habitations are of simi-lar construction; but, notwithstanding their wearisome uniformity, an air of comfort, and
even prosperity, appears to reign in the villages. They are rural without being picturesque. I breathe in them the calm of pastoral life, which is doubly agreeable after Petersburg. The country people are not gay or smiling, but they have not the miserable appearance of the soldiers and the dependents of the o`overnment. Among all the Russians, these are they who suffer least from the want of liberty. The labours of agriculture tend to reconcile man to social life whatever it may cost; they inspire him with patience, and enable him to support every thing, provided he is allowed to give himself up undisturbed to occupations which are so congenial to his nature.
The country that I have hitherto traversed is a poor, marshy forest, covered, as far as the eye can reach over a sterile plain, with miserable, stunted, and thinly-scattered birch and pine; there are neither cultivated lands nor thick nourishing plantations of wood to be seen. The cattle are of a wretched breed. The climate oppresses the animals as much as despotism does the men. It might be said that nature and society vie with each other in their efforts to render life difficult. When we think of the physical obstacles that had here to be encountered in order to organise a society, we have no longer a right to be surprised at any thing, unless it be that material civilisation is so far advanced as we perceive it to be among a people so little favoured by nature. Can it be true that there are in the unity of ideas,
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242THE POST-HOUSE.
and the fixedness of things, compensations for even the most revolting oppression ? I think not; but were it proved to me that this system was the only one under which the Russian empire coidd have been founded or maintained, I should answer by a simple question: was it essential to the destinies of the human race that the marshes of Finland should be peopled, and that the unfortunate beings brought there should erect a city marvellous to behold, but which is in reality nothing more than a mimicry of Western Europe ? The civilised world has only gained from the aggrandisement of the Muscovites, the fear of a new invasion, and the model of a despotism without pity and without precedent, unless it be in ancient history.