The Americans In Russia

We give another extract from a letter fi-om our friend at St. Petersburg!)- ;he interest of vhich to American readers will, we ihink, excuse ita publication: St. Petersburoii, June 18th, 1817. Of course you have heard of the establishment of Messrs. Harrison, Wynans & Eastwick, the thiee enterprïsing Americans who have under contract with he Imperia! government the construction of engines and cars for the great raüroad now building from St. Petersburgli to Moscow, under the supcrintendenco of our countryrnan, Mojar Whistler. Their factory, covering soveral acres, is at Ahxandroslnj, near St. Petersburgli, and in the agroeable company Öf the gentlemen of the firm, I have been through tho who.'e establishment, visiting the model room - the foun(Jeries - the engino and the car mems - and finaüy, the immense warehouscs erected to receive the finished tvork, and xvhere there are now 135 locomotives and 1200 cars of different kinds stowed away ready for the rond. By their contract they are to make between iwo nnd three hundred engines and several thousand cars. Six steam engines were in operation, moving the most beautiful rrmchiuery, (the invention for the greater part, of the ingenious proprietors lhemselves:j and near 2000 serfs were emplo; ed in tiie several departments - toe establishment turning out five complete locomotives a month, as many cars a d.ny - or, as one of the compnny expressed il, " a mile of cars a month" The passenger cars, by the way, are built afier the rnanncr of thosc in general use through the United States- that is, long and uot cut up into apartments for six er eight persons only, as are those upon all the European raihvays. Tliis inovation when first proposed was not well eceived by the Russians, but itsadvariages wcreso slrongly urged by our mechamos, that the "Yankee notiot:" was finally allowed to. ■prevail. I was a!so hown the model of the Imperial car, rhieh is to be 70 feet in length, divided into a salon, chamberí, apartments for servnnts, &c., and fitled up with Imperial splendor. The most perfect discipline is maintainnd tliroughout the p remises, a strong polico being always on duty - and in the Shops every thing goes on as regular as in our prison at Wethersfield. The inen work ten hours a úay, and every norning they are obüged tú appenr at the "passport offices" toanswerto their number as called. Jf a man fail lo answer, he loses his wages for Ihe day. They are paid off ut the ei.d of every month - the wages of each man beingdoposíted ín a separate box in the "passport office,1' where the men go in squads of 200 to recen e them. Lach man'j bnx being opened as his number is called, he takes the contenta and passes along.the serf then setiles with his owner. The serfs are generally well behavedj wben not, tV.ose owned by (he Government are turned over to the pólice, while those hired from iudividuals aredismissed from the establishment. Theirgreat vice is drinking. They ar juicfc at learning, or perhaps I should say, nt imitutio.n NotWithslanding Ihe assertions of some of the eminent engineers of feurope, tha t was impossible for man to fuliil the mammoth contract enterej into by Messrs. Ilarrison di Co., (it was lo build the numbër of engines and cars I have nemioned,ic{7un sixyears anu in Russia' - those gentlemen, it is now thougli will bi able to complete their contrae vithin tico-thirds of the conlracted time Tho contract owes its origin to the exer ons of Éhat celebrated fingineer and rúe American, Muj. VVhistler, who inisted thnt it was not an irnpoisibiliiy vith such skill as he could ohíain in merica, nnc! the advnntages in iron anc abor possessed by Russian soil, where ngines and cars could be constructed as well as they could bo in England.and n time for the comiiletion of the Railroad o Moscow. The Emperor feil in with hese views, and the three practical s well as scientific mechanics, (Messrs. I. W. &. E.) were inviteJ to St. 'elersburgh, from Philadelphiaand Baltimore. They carne and immediately entered into the contraer, the government furnisliing all the necessary buildings for carrying on their work, and allowing them to import their machinery, &c, duty freo. They straightway went to work - put u; their machinery - hired 500 serfsof the government and nearly 1500 Lelonging to landcd proprietors - placed ten overseers acquainted with tlio business over them, and set th ern to work, untrained as they werp, mnking QSfl and "iroa horses" - with whut sur. cess you know. The Russians have walched the experiment closely, and are astunished at the rcsults of Yankee genius and entfirprise. It has, in Tact, openedanew era in tne history of this wonderful country, and brought to its goverriment and people a true idea of the mighty resources that lie undeveloped within its borders. By the wny.I met in this establishment a sample ofanother sort of the " universal Yankee nition"- a Baltirnore sailor.who tells thisstrange history. He was wrecked in a whaler on the coast nf California - workod his way up beyond 54 40 into he Russian possessions, where he took a Russo-American wife. W'ith lier he rossed tho Northern Pacific to Kamkatclika - pushing ilong into and through ie back door, ns it were, into the Impófia] City. IJe arrived here rather the worse for cruising, but he found a helping hand in his fellow tawnsmanof Rail car fuctory.where he is now in steady einployment.