The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-12 00:00:00

FOREIGN CORN.

Mr. JACOB'S REPORT on the TRADE in CORN, and on
the AGRICULTURE of the NORTH of EUROPE.

[Continued from our paper of Yesterday.]
The consumption here appears so much less than in Volhynia,
that it can only be accounted for by the fact, that the culture of
the culinary vegetables, and the produce of the fruit-trees, is far
more abundant; and that the cattle are very much cheaper. The
difference of more than two degrees of latitude may make some
difference in the mode of living, as the warmer the climate, the
less corn in general is consumed in brewing and distilling.
The only other province in Ruamia which conveys its corn to
market by the Vistula, is 13yalystock. It was formerly a part of
Poland, and the inhabitants still generally speak the language of
that country. The chief corn raised for bread is rye, but a small
portion of that grain, as well as of some very indifferent wheat,
finds a passage by the river Bug into the Vistula. The best of
the land is appropriated to the growth of flax, hemp, and linseed,
or to breeding of cattle. The whole surplus of wheat, which
must be small, cannot he distinguished in the returns, from that
stated generally to come from Russia.

There are two other of the Russian provinces whose surplus
corn finds a vent through the territory of Prussia. The south-
west part of Wilna, formerly Lithuania, has the navigable river
Niemen for its boundary, by which the corn is conveyed to
Memel. Its produce is but small in proportion to its population,
and, by the official accounts, the increase appears to be less than
in the other provinces. In 1802, the sowing and reaping is thus
stated :

Quarters.
Sowed—Winter Corn - - - 630,245
Ditto _.Summer ditto - . - - 315,795

846,043

Harvested—Winter Corn - - 2,099,324
Ditto—Summer ditto - - - 1,220,466

3,319,790
By this statement, it appears that the increase of grain is some-
what less than four for one.
The province of Grodno, which also has access to the sea by
the Niemen, appears to be so early equal in fertility to that of
`Vilna, that a return of the sowing and harvesting of the same
year give results differing only by a small fraction.
The terms of distinction, winter corn and summer corn, in-
stead of autumn and spring corn, which we use, are descriptive
of the climate. The violent heats and severe colds succeed each
other with so much rapidity, that they scarcely leave any interval
for spring or autumn.

The only accounts I was able to procure of the quantities of
corn brought by the Niemen, comprehends merely the three
years 1816, 1817, and 1818. No others were to be found in
the office of the minister for internal affairs at Berlin, and I did
not go to Schmalleninken, where the transit duty is collected.
The year 1816 was one of moderate production and demand, till
after the state of the harvest was known, when it was too late in
the season for the navigation of these northern rivers. The trade
of that year may therefore be considered a fair average, and likely
to produce annually 10,000 quarters of wheat, and about 40,000
quarters of other corn, chiefly rye. The two following years,
when the exportation was excessive, produced 38,700 quarters of
wheat, and 276,000 quarters of other grain.

From some parts of the two provinces of \Vilna and Groan°,
the communication by the Duna to Riga is easier than by the
Niemen to Memel ; and it is hence probable, that the largest
share of their produce in corn finds a market in that direction.
It is shown by the returns from Riga, (see Appendix, No. 8.)
that in the last 12 years, the exportation of wheat from that port
. . _

has only been 256,658 quarters, or on the average of the period,
21,381 quarters annually; that of rye has been 1,618,000, or
on an average, 134,822 per year ; and that of both kinds of grain
the exportation in the two years 1817 and 1818 exceeded that of
the other ten years.
Although the route by which I returned from Poland was
through countries which have no direct influence on the corn
trade of England, yet as re►netely connected with countries
that do affect it, it may not be improper to add a few of the ob-
servations and facts which presented themselves as 1 passed through
them.

The Austrian province of Moravia is very fertile, and with the
exception of some districts of the Netherlands, scarcely any part
of the continent isso well cultivated. • It bears, too, a larger pro-
portion of wheat than other districts in the East of Europe. Of
the winter corn, wheat is estimated at one-fourth, and rye at
three-fourths; whereas in the adjoining province of Silesia, the
land sown with rye is nearly ten times that sown with wheat.
Moravia is defended by the Carpathian mountains from the east
winds ; and the harvest, the whole way from Team to Olmutz,
and indeed to Braun, is nearly six weeks earlier than in Silesia.
I certainly heard complaints of the distressed state of agricul-
ture there, but less of it, and I think with less reason, than in any
other part.

Wheat, at Ohnutz, was selling at 20a. per quarter, whilst on
one side at Cracow, it was selling fur 145., and on the other side,
at Vienna, for 14s. Id.

This better sktte of things arose from the circumstance of Mo-
ravian agricafture finding domestic consumers. It is the chief
manufacturing province of the Austrian empire. A greater pro-
portion of the population, can afford to live on meat and to use
wheaten flour; and hence the agriculturists find a nstrket near
home for their productions. The demand for animal feod, too,
being greater, a greater stock of cattle is kept, more of the land is
destined to clover and other greencrops ; and I should judge from
their flourishing appearance, that, like England, the growth of
corn does not exhaust the land so. much, as the stock of cattle,
by their manure, renews the prolific qualities. The woollen,
linen, and cotton manufactures are numerous, and I was told
flourishing; and al all manufactured goods froni foreign corm-
tries are either excluded' or charged with high duties in Austria,
the demand of that extensive empire creates a vent for the. native
goods, though at the expence of the consumers, who perhaps in
most, certainly in many cases, might get betteratul cheaper goods.
After passing through poorer districts, I was much impressed
throughout Moravia, with the striking practical exemplification of
the beneficial effects of manufactures on the prosperity of the agri-
culturists.

In Vienna I had opportunities of: hearing.miach of the lauded
proprietors in Hungary. The wantiof vent for their surpluscorn
has depressed the prices of that and other productions of the soil,
that they are said to be losing by every article they raise, except-
ing wool; though, from farming their own lands, they have no
rent to pay, yet the greatest difficulty is encountered in collecting
the trifling taxes that are levied upon them.
Although so near to Moravia, the Carpathian mountains are
too lofty awl rugged to admit of conveyance thither. The mouths
of the Danube 'are so infested with marauders, Wuhellions, Iles-
sarabians, and Turks, that no safe export can be made to the
Black Sea.. In times of great scarcity in the maritime coun-
tries, somtewheat may he conveyed to the port of Trieste; but it
will be seen by the prices in the Appendix, No. 31, that
it is too low at that market to afford a land carriage of 400
miles. Though Presburg is the chief market for the wheat of
Hungary, yet, being but little more than 20 miles from Vienna,
the price there cannot differ very much from that of the capital,
for which see Appendix, No. 27. In some of the smaller towns
in Austria, on the borders of Bavaria, where little wheat is
consumed, I found the price of wheat and rye nearly the same.
The harvest of the latter kind of grain was reported to be deficient,
and had raised the price, whilst for the former there was little or
no demand'.

It will be seen by the returns of the prices of corn at Munich
(see Appendix, Nos 28), that the bread corn in Bavaria is not so
much depressed as in Austria. This may be attributed to a law
prohibiting the introduction of corn from the surrounding coun-
tries, from whence, chiefly from Bohemia. it bad been the prac-
tice to import it. This prohibition had rested on an order from
the King to the officers of the Customs at the different frontier
stations; but at the last assembly of the States a formal law was
passed, enforcing the fernier regulation, and enacting penalties on
the breaches of it.

Notwithstanding the restriction!, I found on inquiry at the
Board of Agriculture that the value of land had greatly declined.
last eight years, the fall in.selling price meadow land
had
According to the State.uwitialei g.en tomeoftlere, within the
been about 35 per cent., end that in the price of arable laud full
60 per cent.
The complaints of the losses by farming were as heavy here as
in the neighbouring countries where the prices are lower, and in
which no laws to prohibit importation are in existence.
In the kinogrndomrit lemVuorltlegmobeeorrgir,ywwhheaiethisiesoeloitoteltelmaedn
,obajecatt ofl
wasattentnonaL from
to obtain any other returns of the price!, ' than the
Not w2h%eat, for many periods, and
wherein, though the price
auimtispiverefeiriltrleimgstualriankrelttsyh,estiasAtep:P.::lhdlyaizt'unnoticed. In the beautiful but
narrow valley of the Neckar, the land is well cultivated ; but iu
the other parts of the kingdoin, the soil seemed to be poor,,aud
the cultivation in a very backward state.
4To iONTINARD. )