The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-29 00:00:00

• ,
happierunder auspices,
,oeuigniy auvantageous to the community:,
But in the mean time, the influence of the best speeimens of culti-,
vation have been very limited. Few of the proprietors have anj
capiod tci buy sheep or other stock, or to. enable them to wait :Or
those returns of their outlays, which come in with the. most di/a:
WI'S, pace white the management of land is the best., He who has 4
answer the demands of the labOurers, the to collectors, and, wherv;
it necurs, of the gatherer of rent,,or of interest op mortgagt*:
must sell his corn at any price that is offered for it, without wait-
.Mg to convert it into Wool, as the nobleman to Whom I have al-
luded is
_enabled to do.. It is more the state ofembarrassment, io
Which almost all the proprietors are placed, than the want of
knowledge,or of assiduity that. prevents. the agriculture of the'
Prussian dominions from making more considerable advancers..
Fernierly, the majority of our estates, as belonging to nobles,-
and only capable of being. held by that clat* were nearly inalieo-
able ; but the necessity-
,of relieving the most harassed of that body,
induced the Government to form a plan by which money might
he borroWed on the security of land. At first this power was con-
fined to the landi of the nobleS, but afterivards extentkd to all
others.
The hnulschaft, or States, a ideal assemfdy of the Principal,
proprietors, were authorised to make a Valuation of such estates
as were to he mortgaged, and to issue -Writings denominated
pfandfrriefe, ter mortgage liehentoras,, bore interest, and
were transferable with little trouble ,and extence,• on which on
half, and in some instances' six-tenths.of the landschaft's veins-
tioo, was easily borroived. As the valuatibos of the estates were
made upon a low scale of the prices: Of produce, and on a low
estimate of the annual quantum of such produce, - they were
deemed the best security that 'could, be offered. In a,country4
where no government Hinds were in existence. or hens in. Which
the public had much confidence, these kinds of securities became=
the natural deposits of such accumulations of money as were not
intended to be exptised to any risks. Hence the fortuneS of wi-
dows and orphans, and the capitals of churches, schools, hospitals,,
charitable institutions of Various descriptions, Were invested in
such securities. From 17b4, when the Valuations were made,
the gradual rise of the prices of the produce Made the payment.
of the interests on the debts very slightly burdensome.; aid such,
Was the regularity with which the interest was paid, and such the
confidence in the security, thtit those pfandhriefe became worth a
premium of ten per cent. and sometimes even of More.

. .
At the time of the valuation, the system of "duty, work, as.
known in France by the name of Correct, was general. The.
taxes on the land, for the families who fell in defence of their
country in the late war, and for such as were disabled, were not,
imposed, and those for the local purposes of roadS, bridges, the
poor, and other objects, were much lower than they are at pre.
sent;----whilst by gradual steps, for the last ten years, the price of
all kinds of corn, except of wheat, which is the smallest portion,
has fa3len beloW those at which the Valuations were calculated in.
the year 1'744, the increase of takes and of the prim of labour
have been advancing. Thus many of the estates, which for the
first twenty years could easily discharge the demands upon them,
are now become utterly unable to meet those demands. I had-
heard so Many tales of the distress occasioned by this. course of
events, that I wished to ascertain the extent of it as accurately as
possible. • Having found in Mr. Rothe, the president of West Prussia,
as well a disposition to communicate information of every kind,
u* the qualities of accuracy end discrimination; I was induced
to siibmit to him, in writing, some queries on this, as well sui
on some other subjects, which he very politely and speedily
answered.

The replies, in Appendix, No. 11. (A), that of 516 V
estates, within the limits of the landschaft's authority, 195 are
incumbered with mortgages, and only 67 (about a quarter), are
free from those incumbrances. Of the 195 estates so Meumbered,
71 were already in a state of sequestration—a remedy to which
none of the mortgagees would have recourse but in cases of extre-
mity. I Was more than once told (with what truth I would hesi-
tate to say), that most of the 67 large estates not appearing in the
Hypothecation books to be ineumbered, had been prevented by
testamentary, or other family settlements, from being brought
within the circle of the landschaft's 'valuation. I Was informed
by an intelligent man, who is a member of the states, that many
estates have been suffered to remain in the possession of the no-
mind proprietors, because the interest of the money lent on them
ceases as soon as a process is commenced, and because they eau-
tut be sold for so much as has been advanced on them ; be-
sides*hicb, When in a state of sequestration they are so earehody
managed by officers of the government, that they beeoine from bad
'.to worse.

The mortgagees are thus induced to leave them in the hands of
the appiirent owners, in the hope of a change of tunes, ana from
the fear of diminishing still more the value of their slight security.
Besides these mortgages, which are registered in the Hypotheca-
tion hooks of the landshuft, many of these large estates, when the
value of the produce was very high, were enabled to Uorrow, an
subsequent mortgieges, which as they are of no validity. till those
registered. are liberated, have in many instancei .been attended with
a total loss to the lenderi.

It is obvious, that when that which fora long period ham been
deemed the Most secure, if not the only secure investment for money,,
becomes of no avail, the consequence must be highly distressing,
and peculiarly so, because the principal suffering must, of limes,
city, fall on those least able to contend with the •adverse circum-
stances in which they are placed.
The new proprietors, who have been raised to that condition
by the abolition of the ancient feudal tenures,' though they can
scarcely ever want the bare necessaries of life, have very litdu be-
yond them. If they happen to be both industrious arid econtrmi-
cal, their own labour, on the small portidn of land which they
possess, will supply them with potatoes and some little bread corn,
as well as provision for their two oxen. They all grow a small
patch of flux, and some contrive VS keep five or sit► sheep. If die..
posed to labour beyond the time reqUired for their own land, there ,
is a difficulty in obtaining employment ; and in the winter-months,'
which are long and severely cold, no agricultural work can be
performed. The flax and the wool span in their cottages must
supply the clothing of the family; and the fat of the animals they
kill must be converted into soap and candles. Meat of any kind
can be rarely afforded to be eaten by such families ; and only the
few who are more prosperous than their neighbours can keep a
cow to supply them With milk. They consume nearly all they
produce, and are considered happy if they bave a sufficient sur-
plus for sale to meet the demands of a few shillings annually
for the payment of their trifling taxes and local assessments.
It was the universal opinion of all with whom I had any conver-
sation on the topic, that this description of peasants were hitherto,
in a worse condition than under the old tenures; and ai this. was
attril-;:ted to the depression of agriculture, the want of capi-
tal, and of incitement to the large occupiers to employ their spare
time, it was not considered to be an impeachment of the wisdom'
which had planned and executed their emancipation. • •
Though the rate of wages is very low, (see Appendix, Nti: 11,)
not averaging more than bd. per day, yet the day labourers who
have constant employment,- with a cottage, potato-ground, and
flax-patch, are said to be somewhat better circumstanced than
those persons who have been recently raised from the feudal ranks
to that of freehold proprietors.

Those labourers who are boarded in the houses of their em.-
ployers, have a sufficiency of food, consisting of rye-bread, pota-
toes, and buck-wheat made into soups of various kinds; and in
many instances are provided with meat, commonly bacon, twice a
week.

The aged anti infirm poor have demanded consideration only
since the abolition of the feudal tenure, Before that pet-kid, eac'
Lord considered himself bound to assist in their support, and ge-
nerally atttnded to that duty where the deficiency of means in the
power of the relations of the aged anti infirm made it requisite.
A regular system of taxation for the poor has not yet been intro-
duced, though the first steps towards it have been taken. The as-
sessment for the widows and orphans of those who fell in the late,
Conflicts, and for such as were disabled in the • service, has been
already noticed. It is kept distinct from all' other levies, and im
of course gradually diminishing' in amount, as the persons entitletl,
to receive it are r.inovad by death. The money requisite for the
Other poor is ets l etl from local funds, arising from getierskrasi
s.:ssments made :or the maintenance of bridges, for the trail
roads, drains, arid embankments, for the sal/port of h
for some other similar purposes. The practice of 2,li;),,r"ti..':lgthe..
indigent is of very recent date, and
has
not
hithltU Eel ifit7"eaLcuhc
effect of lessening the sympathy whieh thte.ent!tlYettise towardl,
other, or the charity 'which the more isal t
as a bar against application m the conunti h
their distressed neighbdure; and the
greatest extremity.
Cro c • ‘oNtniuxthy
seissenatiftaxsheiam, eexyeLpetentait_noe,