Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1845-1851, 1847-03-27

LANDED PRoPERTY-France and Epg'anl-France
contains 2o,OoO,oOO of capable of cultivation,
and IN 1888, had about $4,000 ,0C0 of people Of
this population. 27,00O0OO belonged to $500, 900
families. each possessing landed property. This
ment gives 23 acres to each human being about AZ
acres TO each human beng among the land owners,
ana Il jill acres, nearly - acres to each family
possessing landed property. We suppose that these
o9Oo,OOO families not exclusively agricultural,
portion OF them being the inhabitants of cities and
towns, engaged IN agriculture but owning houses
shops and other tenements But the statement shows
how greatly the landed property subdIvded amonp
the French population. This Is the most important
result OF the revolution of 1889 Before that time
nearly all the land III the kingdom was owned by the
nobility and the Church, and cultivated by a tenant
peasantry, poor, bat not cgraded. \ polished and
chIvarOuS nobility, totally different from the Irish
absentee landlords, lived their estates and main
tanned at least the character Of their tenantry and
Church having rival Church to contend with and
Pay, as IN Ireland, and filled with wei educated
clergy, aided the nobility IN maintaining the morals
and manners of the tenantry, though dividing, with
the government the fruits of their labor.
thus the old system, traught with enormous evils
had one or two redeeming features. But tie reyolu-
ton swept away all these relations and by confs-
eating the property Of the nobility and Church. to
defray the expenses of the waged against France
by the European Princes, and Instlgated by the emf
grant nobility and clergy, converted the French from
nation OF tenants to a nation of yeomanry. With
TINS cOnh>catOn, the revolution abolished all the eu-
ddl lmpedIments TO alienation of land designed to
perpetuate landed aristocracy; and under the
present French laws, the landed property of deceas
ed owner /, equally divided among his children or
other heirs. Hence France contains fewer large es-
tate>, aud less land appropriated parks ornamental
gardens and other pleasure grounds, and more acres
under useful cultivation, IN proportion to the whole
quantity of land, than any other European nation
And the French less dependent on foreign sources
Tor bread and generally better fed than any other
European people 50 extensively engaged in manufac-
turing and maIntang such large military forces on
land and water.
How does France contrast with England and Ire
land We have at hand no British statistics on this
sube but feel authorized say tina. no European
country where Ssrfstp IS abolished contains so few
land owners IN proportion 10 population much land
devoted to luxury proportion To the whole quantity
and exhibits much cultivation by tenantry,
and 81 much restitution among the cultlvators as
England and Ireland, especially the latter; and that
no coInry where agriculture has been stimulated by
protection SO frequently and extensively dependent
foreign sources for bread
English writers, interested in supporting their own
landed arlstocracy say that the subdivision
OF land in France Is Injurious agriculture by leav-
lng the owners without capital to improve their es-
tates- We admit that capital has done Is for
English agriculture, but by enrchlng few land
owners and lmpoverishIng a multitude of cutivators
We would also refer to Rhode Island the best cult
waited State IN the Unioa, with the greatest su5dvi-
son Of land These facts offer lesson 10 US
lesson against creating landed arisocracies Let
this lesson be applied Ae public lands-PhiL4olei-
PtiI Ledgr.