t and meditated on what he had read. At length he
persuaded himself that he could emancipate his fellow-serfs from
tharldom, and enable them to avenge themselves on their tyrants. He
opened his plans at first to a few, and by degrees to others. They used
to assemble at this house, where there was no fear of their being
disturbed. Often they met, and much they planned, till they believed,
their plans were ripe for execution. At first they drew up a
remonstrance, which in the humblest manner they presented to their
masters. It was treated with the bitterest scorn. They resolved on
wreaking a dreadful vengeance on their oppressors; they supplied
themselves with fire-arms--how procured the authorities could not
discover--others armed themselves with scythes, reaping-hooks, hatchets,
pikes, and weapons of every description. With these in their hands they
rushed through the district, calling their fellow-serfs to arms. The
call was answered by many; others hung back, dreading the consequences
should the outbreak prove unsuccessful, as the more sagacious knew it
must be. Still many hundreds, I might say thousands, rose to wreak a
fearful vengeance on the heads of their lords; but they had no one
capable of commanding them. They murdered all the inmates of the first
house they attacked, and burned it to the ground. They rushed from
house to house, burning, murdering, and destroying all that came in
their way. For many days they set all authority at defiance, and there
appeared no power capable of stemming the torrent of their fury.

"In the meantime, Government, having notice of what was taking place,
was sending down troops at once to crush the insurrection. The largest
body of the insurgents were met by the troops, and quickly breaking,
were driven before them like a flock of sheep, the greater number being
slaughtered without mercy; the remainder threw themselves into this
house, resolving to defend themselves to the last. It is said they made
a brave resistance, but the building was stormed, and not one of its
defenders was left alive to tell the tale. The house has ever since
remained in ruins, and shunned by all the peasants in the neighbourhood.
Several similar outbreaks have occurred at different times among the
serfs, with similar consequences. The people of Russia are not fit to
govern themselves. They may at some time become so, but at present,
were they to attempt it, they would bring certain destru