The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-17 00:00:00

472

The communes present an organic coherence and com-
pact social strength which can be found nowhere else, and
yield the incalculable advantage that no proletaire can be
formed so long as they exist with their present constitu-
tion. it man may lose or squander all he possesses, but
his children do not inherit his poverty ; they still retain
their claim upon the land by a right not derived from him,
but from their birth as members of the commune. On
the other hand, it must be confessed that this fundamental
element of the communal system, the equal division of the
and, is not favorable to agriculture, which under this
system might remain for a lung time stationary.
In our system of poor rates we have, as
regards the prevention of absolute destitution,
something resembling the communal system
of Russia, but free from all the disadvantages
of that system, as our land is cultivated in the
manner most fitted to increase its produce and
to augment the wealth of the nation. In re
viewing the several agricultural systems of
Europe, the author with justice gives the
preference to that of England, where the rule
prevails that the land (and this is plainly for
the interest of the whole commonwealth) shall
be as little divided as possible :

In England we find this principle :—The land must be
divided as little as possible, and only so many hands
devoted to agriculture as are absolutely necessary; for in
this way alone can it be energetically prosecuted, and
maintained in a flourishing condition. The whole country
is, therefore, cultivated by means of large (though not
overgrown) farms, which have the advantage of providing
work the whole year for all the hands employed upon them,
and no labour is lost. Lasting improvements can only be
effected upon large farms. The consequence of this sys•
tem is, that agriculture is nowhere carried on in such per-
fection, and maintained in so flourishing a condition, as in
England. Nowhere are there so many cattle, and conse-
quently so much manure produced. Scarcely a third of
the population in England is employed in agriculture, but
not a tenth part has any property in the soil, or even a
house.

In France, on the other hand, land is viewed
iko coin, to pass from hand to hand, and the
'oil is cut up into innumerable small proper-
-8 es. In England the number of estates is
stimated at 400,000, and not more than one-
third of the people are engaged in agricul-
ture; in France the number of estates is
estimated at 10,404,121, and more than two-
thirds of the population are engaged in agri-
culture. In Russia, by the division of the
land among all the members of the commune,
there is no inducement to that improvement
of the land and economical culture of it which
is one great element of national prosperity.
The proprietor, satisfied with the revenue he
obtains from the peasants, usually suffers the
people to proceed in their own way, and agri-
culture is, therefore, prosecuted in the rudest
and most primitive manner.
The character given of the Russian people
by the author is, on the whole, favorable, and
in many respects engaging. They are devout
and docile ; eminently affectionate in all their
social relations; naturally benevolent; highly
ingenious; and capable of rapid culture in all
imitative arts They are by disposition ex-
tremely averse to war, fond of travel, and
attached to all kinds of handicraft work. The
author thinks the population, on the whole,
the most homogenous in Europe. From their
kindly and ingenious temper, and from their
unrivalled talent for colonisation. we are justi-
fied in anticipating that they will play a great,
and, we hope, a beneficent, part in the world's
future history. The young Emperor has a
noble work set before him to increase the
material prosperity of this social race, to fit
them for freedom, and to call forth the re-
sources of their vast country.
One subject specially worth attention in
this book is the account given of the trans-
portation system to Siberia, which appears
to be working well, and, with more humane
regulations, would leave nothing to regret.
The benevolence of the Russians is shown
in the gifts they shower on the poor pri-
soners. Very seldom is a Russian condemned
to this punishment by his commune.
The book is one which every one who would
know what the social system of Russia is
should read carefully, for it is so full of matter
as to be worth more than a cursory perusal.
" The Productive Forces of Russia," by Tengo-
borski, should be taken in connection with it ;
and for the darker shades of Russian life,
" The Englishwoman in Russia," and Tonighe-
nieff's attractive sketches, " RuSsian Life in
the Interior," may be consulted. The four
hooks, taken together, supply an authentic
an 4 graphic pictu;•c of Russian lift) and itt.