Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia

]'22WANT OF PROBITY

Antonio makes his bed in the coach, which is guarded by him and the fcldjäger. Men are pretty safe on Russian highways, but equipages and all their appurtenances are viewed as lawful prizes by the Slavonian serfs; and, without extreme vigilance, I should fiud my calèche in the morning, stript of cover, braces, curtains, and apron ; in short, transformed into a primitive tarandasse', a real telega ; and not a soul in the village who would have any idea what had become of the leather: or if, by means of rigid searches, it should be found at the bottom of some shed, the thief, by stating that he had found it and brought it there, would be acquitted. This is the standing; defence in Eussia: theft is rooted in the habits of the people, and consequently the robber preserves an easy conscience and a serene face that would deceive the very angels. " Our Saviour would have stolen,'1 they say, "if his hands had not been pierced." This is one of their most common adages.

Xor is robbery the vice alone of the peasants : there arc as many kinds of theft as there arc orders in society. The governor of a province knows that he is constantly in danger of something occurring that may send him to finish his days in Siberia. If, dnrino· the time that he continues in office, he has the cleverness to steal enough to defend himself in the legal process which would precede his exile, he may get out of the difficulty ; but if he continue poor and honest he must be ruined. This is not my remark, but that of several Russians whom I may not name", but whom I believe to be worthy of faith. The commissaries of the army rob the soldiers, and enrich themselves by starving them : in short,