Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-03-13
THE POLAND CT TG-pAY.
Her History nnd heT WeHiih---somc Int
csIing Facts.

If it be true that the happiest nations,
like tile happiest people. have no his
tory, Poland must be enjoying a period
of very unwonted bliss, since she has
now for most unusual time ceased to
be subject of political talk, and it may
be hoped is beginning, Under the COM
paratively mild sway of the present
Czar, to hug her chains, which are SO
much lighter than in former times, and
kick against the pricks of inevitable des;
tiny no longer.
Poland, as a kingdom, covered vast
area of about 2S2, 200 square miles,
stretching from the Baltic to the Carpa-
THAN mountains. But the present Rus
sian province of Poland consists of As,
863 square miles, and the population is
now some seven millions, by far the ma
jority Of whom are Roman Catholics.
But the money il Poland is chiefly III
the hands of Jews, who, although they,
by common and pretty accurate report
give Ireland Il wide berth, have always
evinced tender fondness for her sister
in tribulation-a circumstance significant It
of her sources of wealth.
One great source Of Polands wealth
consists in its large production of v'hoa5.
1t IS cultivated chiefly on speculation 70
supply richer countries of Europe, and
the traveller in Poland will have q diff
Guilty, except in great cities, i'll obtainin g
even a loaf Of it; for the people live a O.
most entirely on rye. The finest quality
of Polish wheat, that known in the Lon
don market as "Dantzic white wheat, "
is grown in the district which extends for
some sixty miles along the banks of the
| Nlstrlia. The point of exodus for the
great wheat crops Of Poland is Dantzic
A very careful authority has estimated
that two-thirds of the grain coming into
the Dantzic market is from Polish Rus
sia. 1t is generally bought from the
grower by Jews, and resold by them to
merchants at Dantzic but some Of the
great Polish proprietors, whose estates
are enormous, make terms with the
merchants at Dantzic through their own
| special agents. Next to st. Petersburg
and Stettin Dantzic ranks as the most
important commercial city of Northern
Europe. Its exports OF grain exceed
those of any European port except Odes.
sa. The value of the wheat exported
from Dantzic i'll 1865 was VI, 517, ,60C
thalers, and the value of the other grain
3,344, 100. Its granaries are enormous.
They are built on an island forming Z
part OF the town, which dates from the
tenth century, where no person is per
mitted to live or to light n fire. The
value of this port to Prussia may there
fore be estimated, and the prosperity oI
Russian Poland is, accordingly, Of II
slight pecuniary Importance to the for
| mer.
A great change il ,ao Iaud laws oI
Poland has taken pI'o n recent years
Land may now be hal " at classes
Peasants have in some instances become
owners of vast tracts. The greatest
landowner is the crowI, its CJnants en-
joying certain privileges which result il
its lands being better let than other dis
tricts. Poland has Of Late paid atten
ton to sheep breeding, and the WOO
has become much improved in quality
The horses, once a famous breed, arc
said to have deprecated The timber
trade is also a considerable branch o.
Polish commerce, which the fact of Po
lands forests covering larger area THAI
third of Ireland renders very intelligi
BILE. In fact nature has been lavish tC
this ill-fated land, and under improved
systems of husbandry, and a reign o
confidence and capital, she may be ex
pected to produce Il revenue most ex
} ceptionally large for an agriculture
country.
Poland derives it's name from the fla
character of most of its surface, bu
| there is district called Radon, fit,
miles south of Warsaw, where some 0
the peaks of range of hills attain
height of two thousand feet. But Po
land has small attractions for thos,
, merely i'll search of the picturesque
and, consequently, very few know, b.
visiting it, anything of a country whicI
has evoked wider and deeper symrath,
in the past hundred years than an,
| other. That its gallant and rmfortunOt
people may now have good tim
coming, and develop the practical wis
dom which may enable them to turn j
) to the best account, all who are familia
, with its sad history must hope.