The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1848-05-19

serf. The condition Of the latter varies &C
c5rding to circumstances and the disposition
of his master. AS a general rule, he has {
khouso and piece OF ground, and the privilege
Of feeding q COW upon the common near the
village. For these he pays with his labor
The steward Of the lord assigns him Il daily
task, which is easily accomplished before noon
The remaining hours are at his W disposal
except in harvest, and certain other times
when he and his wife must turn out into the
field. He cannot leave the estate, or learn a
trade, without permission. Toe master must
maintain him, furnish HIM with food and me-
dicine when it is necessary, and is liable to
a fine if he is found destitute or begging,
upon the highway. Stray s)erfs, runaways, or
peasants, whether free or bond, roaming about
without a passport, are detained and adver-
tised; and if not reclaimed or relieved by the
owner or some other responsible person, are
sold at public sale. The proprietor cannot
oblige the serf to marry contrary to his lncll-
nation; and on the other hand the clergy can
not marry him without the permission of the
master. The setf cannot be be sold off the
estate, or separated from his family, and many
other humane provisions have been made for
his happiness and safety.
But it is futile 10 speak oflhe rules and reg
~ula,ions in a country where wealth and birth
give despotic power. The proprietor is gov
erned in his actions entirely by his interest,
and he treat his peasants precisely as he pleas
es. lie sells them whenever a good price is
offered, and he sends them wherever it suits
his convenience. He makes them weave or
plough; he hires them out by the month
or year, just as it ploascs him to do. In the
same way. he may treat them with kindness or
with blows; but as they are generally regarded
as insensible and ungratefuk, they get more
kicks than favors. The serfcannot accuse the
master. If the blows Of the latter cause death
within three days, he is fined; but if the serf
lives more than three days after severe pun
ishment, the master is not liable. If the serf
is killed without premeditation, by any other
than the master, the killer pays the master
three hundred and eight dollars. If he is killed
with Premeditotion, there is no indemnifcetion
for the master, and the murdered is responsible
to the police.
The posadki, or freedmen, cannot hold lands
orserls; but they have other privileges, and n
the distant provinces display, as we have mem
toned, all the natural vigor of the race, and
are distinguished for their industry and the
most indefatigable perseverance in the pur-
suit of gain. But the serf has not the same in
ducements, and exhibits none of the activity
and industry SO remarkable in the posadki.-
He is the creature of apathy, and all the stir
ring qualities of his nature are latent and un-
developed. He works as he is d directed, and
the same rude ability in any employ
ment he may follow.
He is ordered to be a musician, a mechanic
or a manufacturer, and becomes either of these
with astonishing facility, though he exceIs in
none. Neither the fear of the lash, nor the
promise Of reward, can force him to work with
the plane or the saw but with the Ratchet,
which he always carries at his glrdle, he will
hew the forest tree. prepare his logs and plank
build his house and make his furniture. He
never exerts his full strength if the burden
is a heavy one, be calls for assistance. 1t is o
common thing to see a hundred men hauling a
stone or piece Of timber that would have been
handled with ease by twelve or twenty English
men. On such occasions before the united
effort is made, the Russian workmen sing for
two or three minutes in chorus, and at the
end of the song is a signal for the pull alto
gether. After two or three pulls they stop,
and the singing begins again, and on to the
completion of the work-more than half the
time, at least, being passed in these musical
interludes. The task is, therefore, often a
light one, and easily performed. When it is
finished, the laborer is at liberty TO employ
himself as he p%leases. Should he do double
duty, however, he would not be rewarded and
instances are known, within the observation
of the writer, when the offer of the peasant
to perform an extra task had been rejected,
and for the reason that any such proceedings
was unusual and calculated to produce con-
fusion. So the serf, leaving his wife to cult
waite his garden and tend the loom, @loiters a.
way the balance of the day in incidence
MaTweN.