JEWISH COLONISATION.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3093, 16 January 1879, Page 1

JEWISH COLONISATION.

The projects of Jewish colonisation have lately come to light, which contemplate settlements elsewhere than in Palestine. One of these projects, which aimed at transforming the Busiian Jews into agricultural proprietors on a grand scale, has been set out in a correspondence from Kiev, published a short time since in the Judische Presse of Berlin, and has, it is said, been approved by the Vienna and Paris sections of the Jewish Society. As a first step, the society contemplated settling no more . than" 10,000 families. For this purpose, 200,000 dessjatines of land were to be purchased from the Bussian Government. Assuming an average price of 30 rubles per dessjatine, thiswould amount to 6,000,i000' roubles (about £900;300);! to be paid by instalments extending over 25 years. Or, if the Eussian Government was willing, bonds for the amount payable, ; annually to certain bankers wpuld be giyeni by the society, and the produce could be applied to defray the interesii on Russian Government securities as it fell due. This arrangement could be easily effected, because some of the most prominent capitalists of Europe are members of the society. AEach; family jrould receive 20 dessjatines; of land; apd a little capital of 400 roubles in cash with which to begin field operations. The society also contemplated striding to accustom the Jewish colonists to the use of- machinery in farm work, and also to a system of mutual co-operation. The price of the land -*■* 600 roubles —as well as the money advanced should bo repaid to the society within 60jye;ars, the first ten years, however, K to" be exempt from any charge. Unfortunately, the Central Committee of the Jewish Association has not been able to cßtnbine, at least for the present, all the: conditions necessary for getting this project into_ actual working order;, and to its realisation, like that of so many other schemes for the amelioration of the lot; of • the ■ Hebrew race, has to be ''postponed' to 'a future date. The second plan-innot so much a project as a fact which is in course of actual accomplishment. It is reported from Tabreez that many Jewish families are emigrating from the Central Asiatic Khnates and the neighboring Eussian provinces to Kashgar, where hitherto, during Yakoob's rule, no Jews were allowed to dwell. The reportsrepresentfthei Chinese conquerors as behaving in a very friendly way to the new-comers, and allowing them to remain in their new quarters. In all China proper, vast as is its extent—if we except the ports, where some English and American Jews are settled—scarcely a dozen Jewish families are to, be found, and these live in great poverty in the city of Eai-song-fu. Hence, nothing is known among the Chinese about the Jews ; even the learned are barely acquainted with the fact that such people exist. * They are usually designated Leh-tse-kin (cutters out of veins), alluding to the Moa'sic prohibition of blood for food; The Jews rej siding- in J&iisong-fu use the Chinese 1 dress and language, and differ little, if at I all, in their habits of life;from their neighbours. , . ..., ,