The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-14 00:00:00

THE LANDED PROPRIETORS.

The persons who are the greatest sufferers by the pre-
sent war are the landed proprietors. If the war continue
they will, for the greater part, be brought to ruin. This
will be seen by the following facts, which came under
my observation upon an estate where I have resided for
some years, and which I can give as an average speci-
men of the whole country. (It must be remembered
that I only speak of the south of Russia—of the north I
know comparatively nothing.) The estate in question
consists of about 40,000 acres of land, with about 1,300
serfs. Its principal productions are linseed, corn, and
wool, which are all sold for exportation by way of the
ports of the Azoff and Black Seas. These two seas hav-
ing been closed for some time, all the raw produce re-
mains rotting on the hands of the producer, with the
single exception of wool, which finds a ready market i❑
Germany, being transported overland through Austria ;
still the price diminished sensibly last year, on account
of the increased cost of transport. I will now proceed to
state the details of the losses experienced last year upon
this one property. The average income amounts to
about 6,0001., out of which 1,5001. has to be paid as in-
terest of the mortgage—for this, like most other
estates, is mortgaged to the Government. Last year
there were about 1500 quarters of linseed, which, sold on
the spot, would fetch upon an average 16s. per quarter.
Of this not a bushel has been sold ; so, on this article
alone, there is a loss of 1,2001. The wheat grown was
about the same quantity. The average price of wheat
is 12s. per quarter, and now only a limited quantity can
be sold at 83. ; but, supposing the whole to be sold at
that price, the loss will still amount to 3001. This,
however, is not the case, and the loss is not less than
5001. upon wheat. Last year the price of wool was,
upon an average, 15 per cent, below the usual price ;
in some instances there was a loss of 20 and 25 per-
cent. ; the quantity sold usually fetched about
1,4001.—50 there was another loss of more than 2001.
Upon this same estate there are kept about 18,000
sheep, of which there are generally sold every year
2,000 for their tallow and skins, at an average price of
7s. a-head ; now, on account of the difficulties of ex-
porting tallow, the price is only 55., another 2001. out
of the pocket of the proprietor. It will be seen by the
foregoing statement, that the income of the possessor of
this one estate is diminished more than one-third, by
restrictions laid upon trade by the closing of the ports
of the Azoff and Black Seas ; and as this may be taken
as a good criterion of the whole southern part of Russia,
the loss is consequently something enormous. A few
of the proprietors, it is true, sold their produce, at
almost nominal prices, to merchants who speculated
upon the results of the Conferences at Vienna, and
bought up largely and transported the corn to the
different ports of the south, to be ready to take advan-
tage of the first opening of the trade, had the Con-
ferences led to the much-desired peace. The immenee
quantities of corn destroyed during the late expedition
to the Azoff did not, as was stated, belong to the
Russian government, but was the 'property of private
speculators, among whom I know one who bought
largely in wheat in the month of ➢arch, transporting
it to Berdiansk, and I have no doubt he is a very large
sufferer by the late events. Ido not assert, however,
that no portion of the corn belonged to the Imperial
government, but certainly not more than a fifth of the
whole quantity destroyed was intended for the use of
the troops, although it might have all been siezrd for
that purpose later in the war, under the name of rolr,n-
tary contributions.