The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-28 00:00:00

PRICE SEvENrEwcr,..

of the interval of flpring, and from the great drought and excessive
heat df the short suminer 1 was informed, that similar
higher on the Oder, near the cities of Schwet, Custrin anti Frant
fort, was let at nearly the sante rate. Lands in the vicinity of the
large towns, amid in other siniations, from local convenience may
be sometimes let for money rent, but these are exceptions to the
general plan, and the Whole of such land bears hut a very small
proportion to that whichis cultivated by its owners.
The doniains of. the („mown are differently circunistaticed from
other land, and are let to farmers. The greatest part is in the
occupation of persons whose inlet:eters had long held them at low
rents, without their being charged to the lubd tax on Orana
Steller. When by new la*m the taxation on land was extended
to the estates of noble, those of the croWti *ere included, and
charged with the tax. At first the high prices which corn bore
enabled the occupiers to pay the trifling rent, as well as the tax,
but as corn declined in price, they became unable to pity both.
'the taxes were in most instatices paid, but the rent was suffered
to rim in arrear, from the impossibility of extracting it from the
tenants. I was informed by a very intelligent gentleman, who
had sufficient means of information, that most of the occupies of
the royal domains, whoie rent Was ten years in arrears, had beet*
forgiveo the whole, on promiSing to Make the payments regular.
ly in future—a promiSe they ant in' 'general nimble ,to fulfil, from
the great additional fall in the price of corn which has Since taken
place.
The national domains are of such Varioue qUalitiet, and in suck
different localities, that it is difficult to find what is the average
rent of them per acre. Sonic of them are let as high as 3s. Bd.
per acre, u much larger proportion at ls. 2d., and a larger still
from 6d. to 9d. As far as My means of information can enable
me to form a judgment, I should not estimate the average refit to
exceed, if it reachtsi, les 3d. per acre. 'the farm at Subbowitz,
whose produce is noticed in the Appendic, No. 11, which is con-
sidered fair average land, consists Of about 1,720 acres, and is let
for 1581: 12s. 7d. sterling per year. That of Subkati (also no-,
tited in the same statement) consisting of 3,054;. acres, is some of
the best laud, the rent of which is about 5521. 1 ls. Bd. sterling
per annum. _ _

these two farmA, with the others noticed in the same paper;
are occupied by some of the most skilful cultivators of the
district ; and yet the accounts show, that snail as the rent is,
and judicious as the management may be, the produce falls shni
of the cost of production, even though the rent • should be
giVen up.
Although die Loyal domains are here noticed, they bear si
small proportion to the whole land in the province of West
Prussia, where they are situated, not exceeding- one sixtieth part
of the whole.

The value of land generally is low, as tnay be inferred from
the low price d produce, and of rents for what little ie rented.--'
An estate of medium soil was put up to auction, and not prog
ducing an offer equal to the sum for which it was mortgaged,
was taken, by the mortgagee. The extent is about 0000 mot,:
gens, or about 4,200 acres. It is chiefly a thin sandy soil, in
some few parts approaching to loam. The principal and in-
terest due to the mortgagee Was 30001., for which silni he took
the estate. The barns and other teneittents were in need of
some repairs, and the land far from being id 'a clean state. On
taking possession, as he could not let it, he had, and calculated
to expend, as he told me, betwixt 2,200/. AllO 2,300/. to repair
the tenements, and to stock it with 1,500 Merino sheep, 4ei
cows, and with bullocks, horses, and the requisite impletukts.
This gentleman, who had acquired his money by trade, and
knew how to cultivate, hoped, by the fleeces of his fine-wooled
sheep, to draw some interest for the investment he had been
aompalled to make in land.
In the same part of Prussia, another estate, one of the best in
the district, with a good house, with all the buildings in good re-
pair, and the land in a high' state of cultivation, was offered for
sale, and though when I was there, the sale was not completed, I
had reason to, believe an agreement for it Ye ould speedily be con.i
eluded.

The soil is good sandy loam, chiefly arable, with some pasture
the extent 2,600 acres. The price, at which I believe the con-
tract to have been since made, was between 5,200/ and 5,4001.
If these two instances may be taken, as nearly the highest and
the lowest price of the average arable land of the maritime pro-
vinces of Preasia, the highest limit will be bomewitat.res‘ tract
40s. the acre, and the lowest not quite 15e. per acre. This esti=•
motion of the value of land, if correct, in the maritime provinces,
cannot be extended to the ether parts of the Prussian dominions,
where both the soil and climate are far more . favourable to pro-.
duction. It is well known in England, that under a great de-•
pression in the price of corn, the podrer lands cutler a mtichEreater
proportionate depreciation in their vale price than the more fertile
soils. It is not then extraordinary, that the landed property of
these maritime provinces should be reduced to the low value
which is here represented.
This tract of land, forming the maritime provinces of Prussiai
is a portion of that vast sandy plain which extends from the idiom
of Holland to the extremity of Asiatic Russia. It has scarcely
any elevation that merit the title of hills, and where not covered
with woods, spread out in open fields of groat extent. The soil
in some places is barren sand, occasionally with no appearance of
vegetation; in many parts with no attempt at cultivation,
and what is cultivated appearing to yield but scanty
turns. Theland is too poor to yield even middling crops, with=
out manure, and the portion of cattle of all kinds, is too small
to create such a quantity of that necessary ingredient in hus-
bandry, as to keep the land up to its present low standard of
fertility.

According to the official documents, which I collected, it ap..
pears that the three maritime provinces of East Prussia, West
Prussia,.and Pomerania, including in the latter the late Swedish:
territory, contain about 25,500,000 acres, or more than half the
extent of England. By an official account, made uP in 1821,
the stock of cattle appeared to be as follows, ut the latter end
of the year 1819; viz.,---556,889 horses and colts; 1,1/1,484'
oxen, cows and calves; 2,049,801 sheep end lambs; and 60,819
swine.

The lowest estimate of the stock of cattle in England, which
have ever met with, gives three times this cumber of horses, and
more than four times the number of cows and sheep to the same
extent of And ; and most of those who have calculated on the
subject, have carried the proportion of cattle to surface in Eng-
land much higher. I hail reason to believe, though not from
official sources, that the number of sheep, between 1810 and
1824, has increased at the rate of from 20 to 25 per cent., and
that th.'":,'oportion of fine-woolled sheep, to those of marse wool,
had been augmented beyond that proportion.
From this deficient stock of the animals, front which inw-.
cure is derived, it will naturally be inferred, that the increase of
grain must be very small. I was satisfied, from my own obser-
vations, and it was confirmed by the opinion of the intelligent na-
tive►, that much of the bind in cultivation► could not yield on the
average snore than threetimes as much corn as the seed that hod
been sown.

The calculations Made by the Most infelligent statistical in-
quirers, and the most observing cultivators, have not estimated:
the average increase of the four kinds of grain, viz. wheat, rye;
barley, and outs, taken togethei, to be More than four times the
seed.

The general course tifctiltivation is to fallow every third year,..
by plat ping three times, when dettigned 14 rye, or live times if
intended for wheat, and allowing the land to test without any crop'
during the whole of the year, froutine autumn to the next. Most
of the land is deemed to be unfiefbr the growth of wheat,, under
any circumstances. Where it is deentedada t Ito that pgrain, as
intuit us can he immured, from their scanty supply of that article,
is sownwith wheat, and the remainder, of the tallow ground with
rye. The ptrtion which is destined fen' wheat, even itt the beet
,
faint, is Elms very, small ; antifita, on many rains is sown, the whole
of the land devoted to *heat tines not aitimint to one-tenth of that
on which iYe its grown.
I have Melon to Islit:Ve, that of late years the prOportion of
rye to wheat has been browsing. The first is a.ll algid° °I
domottic couslnnptlon and of
univer 1 deinund ; the tar great-
er number of the inhabitants eat only 1.11.60 outdo fivin it
front necessity, and those who can athtill. wheaten bread, tut
counnonfy that of rye front choiee. At the tables of the first
families, both in Germany and though wheaten bread'
44
wu always to be seen, I remarked that the natives scarcely ever
tasted it; and I have met man)*
have given. the preference to bread'
(to Ii
residence in those. eountrlas
tit: C ONTINUED.)
of rye. • Englialuno afte long