The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-01-28
t."" 'op'Y"",i"u ~ ioodon 1,m,s
ssRrs AND ssRrDuM IN RUSSIA,

NIir'l' ~ 'li'l'rcm' pats "f the empire IN the
Baltic provinces "f E.,hlanl mud t.rilnnd .rtr
dom has h""n entirely superseded hv q rctirs or
s''t"'csrna'';cdhy Alexander between ,sni aud
l"l? which were subsequently nmpliicd IN
I? h'r I.i"lan,l. and in lS.,i tor l:>,hl,ml i'm
t"urtlam' II" advance ha, hrcm made ON III. leg.
i-l,"n "f lSiI, and in this latter province thu
REIMBURSEMENT Is not Vet r",mrlclc
IL the kingdom Of P.,la,rl also recent uk ns.s
i,'v" male tho cmtranchis",,lrm "f the honiman
dependent solely on his having the will and the
means I" ray the Communication price rur his SER
vices "r The value of tn" fr. simple of the land
'ir occupies; "n his making due application T.,
III" l"" "i 'ial appointed (" nrranu. ,l-s. com.
mutations tn" owner Is hound accept the pri.
r-, iivri hy the Government s,,rvr," ar, nnd uc-
cord tn" sui his freedom. In Poland. therefore,
S,ri'i"n IL in process al sc;iab"ltition and IN
hn>>ii proper also scr:,lum has been alslisl,-,l
"n The domains of the Crown and some private
estates. anil has generally of late wears been
l:.'". modified and miigatrl
Srr''l":n originated in Il ulinsc issued hy Gar
."''> t'",'um"w, in l6Dl for tn" p,,,posc of re-
Staining the mo,alic. unsctl,l habits of his sub.
;'''S. who. ;,S many Arab tribes do in tn. pres.
"it. day were constantly changing their places
"i abode for NOR" promising, luralitcs or NOR.
ifiliul pastures and to this end, he enacted that
every pcas,mt should settle ,lciinilivclv on the
!"i'd li. had cultivated on the previous Juricw's
day. They tlns became hy this sn!.. ukase
''"' "i%'r'p't) assigned tn In" soil (n Russian
>ary for Watching over tn maintenance. Of this
,i.'i'' "t things "nt,cd gi>trati,n and off caI
sar:"'i:,"':" !; aud, eventually in The course of
E'arS ii,. birds of the soil. awaiting tl,-us.ly rs
q" the inability of the peasants To chang. their
l"c,l;v. rXtorcd from them :u,,rul,ory labor ON
THEN own estates. aud even mrnial services abou,
their own dwellings. Th" relation which hal
originally been tina: uf "rrivilcgrd villrnauc,"
WAS ;luS soon converted here aud there into
pure vrna.r; and ,i" two r,at;",s exist still
'hit by s''lc III Russia, aud even on III. slime es
',tc, IL .""k lon" l,"r:od. however, To break
':vn t''r vested interest that the peasant origi-
sally had i'll the land he cultivated ar,l which
;'ii"unci T." III" whole nSuirnct, after .l,.ucinr
Il small payment IN n1inf" or in labor BY CON
S,a"t rnrrac'l'I'cnts on the part Of the lords Of
''' s"i, tn" state of these vicins sank bv de-
.r'S mi" that "f villcinS rc,ar,lau," aud .svil-
'"inS in gross hut til. Russian scrf was ALWAYS
Il hNiur" on til" estate. from which lie could D..
- !Ifti" separated IA the estate from him. II
was hot till the lime OF Peter the Great that the
system "i >crid"n obtained lis present form,
Ni!'h Oilers certain Textures peculiar To Russia,
aud different from the vrrare that formerly
rHi>'ri in England, or the ilorirkci,, that held
:: -r"in'l III Prussia even 70 the coil,nen e n,cnt
"f i',jS century,
One Of these features Of ScrElom peculiar to
Russia. aud which forms the tenure of the larger
par 81 HE land IN that country is uf very com
;i'"'i*iic nature; whole villac" or other com
!! ."n''v "c"nllrs 4 certain tract Of land from
"'irh 'hr whole number Of mai. peasants pays
. hN"'l l"ll.tnN to The lord Of tl,n Ilanor-ti,c
'''''' body Offering an aggregate liability for the
shortcomings OF any individual member The
'in':'nntv ain"n: iirn,s. Ives divide the whole
;rch "l The land out i;.to hnm"Stcads according
. ih" number of adult males or married couples
e. lri'g them. Each such Homestead ocrurird
' :; man and his wife. and children If ,h"v
'r ih;m. Is cnllrd Gayio. and this ore family
'v";"S The whole OF the ting!o, or much Of
- rs they can, until the increase of married
4" '"S IN the community renders it necessary
81" ~" number Of G"gIox TO be increased also.
'"'ir'' Is done by dividing or diminishing the
Si!n2 h"incS:ca,is. AS the land is, rs n mat
T. OF course, Of various excellence in the diff.
''rc't parts of the estate the various families
i'c S'''itcd about III complinncc with commns.
t'i in'rnnss to all the different honest ends so
taat each cutivatcs the good bad and in,liif.r
cut land turn and turn about Although, this
occupation Of the land is about the most ,lisaa.
HaHagcous arrangement that can III, conceived
~ an economical point Of view, and is rcrfrcilv
destructive OF any feeling Of pr"pr"ty or homo,
IL Is strictly i'll harmony with the instincts of n
no'had uihc. and imSurcS to each Of its rn",nhcrs
III least an existence footing of perfect cu,,al-
iiy with his fellows. When in the course oT
time us mnny hands have been assigned to arrr.
cultural labor as the land rrqurca and there st i'll
remains n surplus Ct emrl"yahle population in
the serf village. certain Of its members turn their
attention to different lanlcrafts, bu, il all cases
York Tor the commonwealth, which assures them
II sc,nrR their existence in and provision for
'hen Old age Where large amounts Of work
require to be contracted !or the whole conmu
nifty, rs represented by its Golowa, or chief. ;nus
III security Tor the completion of the work or the
1uliIimcnt OF the various conditions attachcd;n il,
Although 1t frequently happens that under
this arrangement, and favored bv auspicious cir
cnnis''nccs, such rs good harvclts aud nm couit.
:''e owner, &c, these communities accumulate
..,.Ith I,H, -, tI...,
"ucc, not only are their individual members NIL
'.'pt down to the average degree of poverty Of
IN: whole number, but their accumulated wealth
remains unavailable for the purposes of further
economical improvement In the interes, Of ,be
State. therefore, this feature of s.rfiorn n. the
e:"|t injurious TO the economical development of
ti;e country calls most urgently for abolition
Another feature of Serilom in Russia which
sails the most loudly FOR abolition in the in,erests
81 humanity. aud whicl, will probably be tho
:rst to he abolished, il that called OJroE system
.''s oh''t!"S IN eases whore domains formerly
'ara'. aud with large number Of scrf. aIl,cot-d
' them have. III the course of time been so spli,
::a'l subdlvidcd by sale iul.ritnnccs that small
;'"rtl"nS "i them are To- be found on which fen
Iivc or even only three sers are ius.ril,.d rL.sa
rl's Of land being too small and the uu,nb.r or
s"r's being TO" few to admit Of agriculture being
1',',t" "' .n''e pr"itab'y, the owner either let's
u"t his sers Tor hire to other prorrctors or gives
them his permission to follow any baud;croft
shcy may have learnt, and exercise any talent
They possess. Oh payment to him of an obrok. or
POLL tax. In this case, the owner r-neraIIv
builds 'iwclling-honse on the land that IN.
Serbs ought to have titled. and lives OIL the obyok
they pay him out Of the cummings they make
elsewhere.
These two classes constitute tile whole num-
Der OF actual serfs in Russia, which amount to
about I2"oo,000; hut il is iisnal, though no,
tlIcIy correct to include among the serfs the
f'x c!nsses Of peasants a!so amounting to mn equal
number.
There nre LIST, ahou. 10, 600 peasants who en-
.:oy the usufruct Of The Innd on which ,hcy are
Inscribed on condition Of their supplying horses.
Fecles' and drivers for the posting traffic every
;wcnty-e'ght mnles supply one vehicle, three
io!scs and driver; they receive small money
payment for the distance drvon, and their land
IS Tree Ire from any other obligation than the above
There are abont 12D,0 peasa,fs EMPLOYED
IN the forests OF the State which suppIv timber
for the fleet They receive n small money al
!nwancc in addition TO the us,,fruct of the land
thcy cultivate and are FREQ from nll taxes or other
liar t1,atnf l,I,