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The Knom.-An article in the last New Monthly Magazine, entitled Russia in lS4l, thus describes the knout

 "The Governor of Moscow kindly directed one of his aid-de-camps to conduct the prison. Ha- wing inspected the establishment in all its details

 about to depart. when my cicerone pointed to two men who had entered the yestibule of the pr- son. Do you those men z said he; sthey are our executioners. It is they who nfict the punishment of the knoa, which you have doubtless often heard of looked at the two men. Both were tall and robust, and altogether their appearance resembled the common class of the Russian peassntry; the one had black and tbe other red beard. They wore loose cloth panaoons, with their boots drawn over them. The other portions of their dress consisted of oolored striped blouse and sort of cloth cas- sock, open in front, and covering their backs and shoulders That winch displeased me most in them, certain air of gaety and self saction that could not reconcile with their barbarous vocation When they had advanced close to where we were standing, the aid-decanp directed my attention to packet which each carred under his left arm. ssThat is the knout," said he ''woud you like to examine it?'' l replied in the affirmative. The ad-de-camp having addressed to the executioners some words in Russian, they salued me with respect, and advance ing [" table in the vestbule unrolled their packets The knout consists of short, strong leather handle, terminated by buckle, in which are fixed a certain number of leather thongs, of which only used for every stroke the criminal receives. requested the executioners to apply upon the wall few strokes of the knout, with the same degree of force which was employed at an execution. They took off their caps and cassocks, and having carefully adjusted the leather thong in the buckle above mectioHed and ga- thering up all their strength, they struck the wall with such force that the hard plaster with which it was covered fell down in fragments. shuddered with horror at the reflection that such strokes inflicted on the living flesh of human being " Enough" exclaimed. |" It is indeed horrible punishment" observed my obliging Cicerone; |" but it is inflicted only for capital offence; and after all it is doubtful question, whether the punishment oi death is preferable" Twenty strokes of the knout are the maximum amount of punishment; and it is probably, nearly the utmost that the human frame IS capable of enduring"