The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-05 00:00:00

ROYAL SPORTING.

Frederick William was passionately fond of the chase,
and had in his youth a narrow escape from a furious
stag, which, in the rutting season, would have gored him
with its horns, had not Schulenbeig, the page, gene-
rously interposed to save him, and lost one of his eyes.
As soon as lie had ascended the throne, be drew up a
precise calendar of the plat-s and seasons for the diffe-
rent kinds of sport. Regulnrly on the 28th August
the King arrived at Wusterhausen ; the Queen, with
the Roycl children, was obliged to be there on the same
day, disagreeable as the place was to her ; and here the
Court remained for two whole months, engaged almost,
every day in the most boisterous sports. The King
expended considerable sums on his hunting establish-
ments and parks. He kept twelve whippers-in, who
were required to be good huntsmen, good riders, and to
hid his own horse, which, as all these—lii;i:ses were !utile
to be hunted to death, was uever to cost more than
thirty.five or forty dollars. Between thirty and forty
other horses, and upwards of one hundred dogs, were
kept for bunting. Though the game did a great deal
of mischief to the husbandman, yet its destruction was
prohibited upon very heavy penalties. The wild hogs
did, perhaps, more damage in this way than any other
species of animals. They had increased so incredibly
in Pomerania and the Marks, that, in the boar parks in
both countries, 3,662 head were killed in a single year,
many of them of a size unusual in other parts, and some
weighing from five to six hundred pounds. At these
hunts a square inclosure of six to seven hundred paces
was encompassed with nets, and from two to three hun-
dred wild hogs of al ages and sizes were driven into it.
Here the hunters, two and two, awaited them with their
boar-spears and hunting-knives. If a thrust failed or a
spear broke, the sportsman was often seriously hurt.
As the King exposed himself in these sports to every
danger, be expected all who took part in them to do the
same. When the dogs had seized the game, the most
resolute of the hunters would hold the bog fast by the
ears till the King came up and despatched it. No boar-
hunt took place without some narrow escapes. One of
the most singular of these adventures Mel Major Ilaiik,
of the G, eaadier Guard. At one of the hunts in Po-
merania, he had attacked a large boar, when his spear
broke off short in his hand. The enraged beast ran
furiously at him, and Haak escaped the sharp tusks of
the boar only by spreading out his legs like the Colossus
of Rhodes, and letting the assailant run between them.
This manoeuvre was but partially successful ; the boar
fairly carried of the Major upon his back, and, immi-
nently dangerous its was his situation, seated with his
face towards the brute's tail, and holding fast by the
latter, still the company could not refrain from a burst,
of laughter. 'The boar, with his rider bawling for help,
made straight towards Lieutenant-Colonel Munchow.
This officer, hastening to the relief of his friend, aimed
a thrust with his spear at the animal's side, and hit the
Major in the calf of the leg. Dags and huntsmen at
last came up, and delivered the rider from his dangerous
position. The King also hastened to the spot, and, as
Husk was a great favourite with him, it was agreed not
to say a word to him about Munchow's awkwardness.—
Campbell's Frederick the Great and his Times.

SOCIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN
RUSSIA.

Among other social improvements the Russian Go-
vernment has been taking pains to promote the econo-
mical practice of insurance against the risk of fire
among the farmers and peasantry on the Crown domains
by way of example to other large proprietors. The im-
perial uppanages, situate in the Governments of
Tver, Nejny-Novgoro I, and Saratoff, in which
the attempt has been made to introduce fire
insurance, contain altogether twenty-six thousand
houses, 5,928 of which valued according to survey in
436,000 silver rubles, were assured in 1840 in the sum
of 2-28,000 silver rubles, equal to 798,000 rubles assig-
nation. The sum of 1,230 silver rubles was divided
during the year among the peasants whose houses had
been burnt ; which was equivalent to the whole premium
of per cent. paid into the capital stock of the insurance
establishment. Taking into consideration that the number
of heads of families who bad insured their buildings were
in the proportion of one-fourth of the whole peasantry
on the domains in the three Governments noted in the
enjoyment of the right, it may reasonably be anticipated
that the system can hardly fad to become general.
According to the statement published for the year
1840 by the Board of General Direction of the Fire
Insurance Association for the kingdom of Poland, it
appea-s that during that term 1,317 casualties hail been
reported to the Society, 131 of which were in towns, and
1,166 in villages. Ui the number, the association was
interested for 73 in the towns, and under this head
paid away indemnities amounting to 400,697 florins ;
and for 787 in the villages, the compensation for which
ascended to 1,444,885. The total value of fixed pro-
perty insured was computed at 601,866,350 florins, and
that of moveables, the reliquet of 1839 inclusive, at •
71,059,978. The payments on account of moveable
values destroyed by fire amounted to 92,829 florins.
The system of " vidage loan banks," established also
under the superintendence of the Government in the
I nperial appanmges of the Governments of Saratoff,
Vladimir and Viatka, is found to be favourable to agri-
cultural industry. In 1837 the primitive capital of these
banks amou ited X 3,000 silver rubles, or
the ace
80,000
rubles assignation ; and since then, that is, in sp
of four years, tisi 4 capital, bring constantly and entircly
employed, has been increase! 9,000 silver rubles by the
accumulated interest.
It may be hof el that these examples set by the Im-
perial Government for improving the condition of the
peasantry, industrially, socially and morally, on the
Crown properties, will not be lost, and cannot be even-
tually, on the great landed proprietary of the empire.
The Government is gradually operating reforms in the
most safe, and therefore the most durable, as well as
the most encouraging manner, by making them first at
its own cost, and so promoting them by the example of
its own success and profitable returns,