ith regard to the accusation of the Israelites
feeling disinclined to cultivate the land. The great
facilities which His Majesty's benevolent Government
afforded me for the purpose of having the necessary
intercourse with my brethren, enabled me to learn that
they were always desirous, and are at present most anxious
to devote themselves to agriculture. I shall adduce the
following statement in support of this assertion:--In the
year 1835, when His Imperial Majesty most graciously
declared that the Israelites should cultivate the land, a
great many of them shewed their willingness to desert
their homes and move even to the remotest parts of the
country. Unfortunately after several hundreds of
Israelites had sold all their moveable and immoveable
property to repair to Tobolsk and Omsk, in Siberia (these
two places having been assigned to them), and actually
succeeded, though not without great sufferings on the
road, in reaching, with their wives and children, the
above-named colonies, it was intimated to them that the
land was not to be cultivated by the Israelites. In the
year 1840, a great many families went to Kherson for the
same purpose, but a considerable number of them on their
arrival found their plans frustrated. They were most
kindly treated, it is true, by His Excellency the Governor
of Wilna. Every adult received forty-eight copecks banco
assignations, and every child half that sum. They were
also provided with the necessary vehicles for their
conveyance, one being assigned to each family; but as they
proceeded thence into the other Guberniums the adults
received only twenty-four copecks banco and the children
twelve copecks banco each, and the number of vehicles was
reduced to one for every two families. The emigrants had
to wait several days before the vehicles were ready for
their use, during which time they were not provided with
the necessary diet money. They were further furnished with
boats for the purpose of performing part of the journey on
the river Berezina and Dnieper. The money requisite to pay
the hire of these boats was deducted from the amount
allotted for their diet. The Israelites were assured that
it would take them only a fortnight's time to make the
passage on the rivers, and for this reason only received
money to defray the expenses of their diet during that
period; but the passage occupied seven wee