Show interesting inter intel esting russian facts j it appears from a return just published by the russian government thatah that at the beginning of the present year the debt of Russi russia ats als is this sum cannot be considered excessive ces sive ivd thee the debt of france being engrand england that of df austria and that of krusp prussia thus russia is the least indebted of all ali great states butone but one and she is the least of any compared to her population IR in england Engla rid fid for example the debt is equal to for each inhabitant in france 42 in austria 33 in irl Prussia 11 and in russia only 7 the sums jemp employed loyed by each state annually in pa payment vinent of in sinking funds is in england in france in austria in russia and in prussia russia ruska is here again the last but one orie and according to population the lowest in england each inhabitant paying 59 in france 9 38 in in paying austria in prussia 50 acts and in russia 48 acts finally whilst in jn england the public debt absorb absorbs 43 percent per cent of the whole budget 11 it only takes 30 per cent in austria and france in russia 12 per cent and in prussia 11 per cent according to the last annual rep report of the Minister of the interior there are in russia noblemen who own each 1 to 10 serfs with 10 to 20 with 20 to 18 with to 2000 with to 1000 1400 1000 lokoto to and five with and awl more serf serfs q each the agricultural population consists of df 9 I 1 serfs serf s who be belang lang iong to the crown and who belon glo individual nob noblemen leinen the condition of those serfs who do not belong to a large estate is by far the worst they have to worl work all twe their fi hf lifetime life lite time hor for m malters masters whom their own poverty renders benders crupl cruel seeking beeking see kinga a living in the larger cities as mechanics or sar sir servants they haye have fo to pay to their owners a yearly bidy rent which very often exceeds their ability and regularly leaves them nothing but the means of OT se scanty a nty subsistence skill and ability to work does not improve their condition but only increases their burdens j i the first attempt at emancipation was made in 1803 by alexander 1 I by transforming the serfs of the crown domains into personally free farmers he be reduced the numbers of serfs from fifty to thirty millions but the noblemen were not disturbed i in their ownership he soon stopped in his reforms and nicholas had to tb think 1 of 0 other things in the first years of his government than of the peasants these lost loit at last their theil patience which had been tested so long already under alexander they had perit perceived eto elo i ed who it wils was that opposed their emancipation cp ci n when N nicholas also failed in conquering q u erino ering the nobility horrible scenes were enacted a in some bome parts of the empire ever since 1842 insurrections of serfs formed a standing item of the events of even the ministerial reports did not dare to deny that every year sixty or seventy noblemen were killed by their pea peasants BaiAs balds |