Although his Imperial Majesty has accorded more privileges, and conferred more special favours upon them, than any other of the colonists, with the exception of a few hereafter noticed, none have succeeded less. And yet the lands distributed among them, have been universally of the most fertile description ; and large sums of money, in the proportion of from one to five or six hundred rubles per family, were lent to them upon their arrival, free of interest, for ten years, (and afterwards increased to twenty years), to build their houses and buy stock, &c. &c. No recruiting amongst them for twenty years was allowed, nor any taxes for that period. Still the same system was pursued with these as in all the Russian colonies by assembling large masses of people into villages, whose houses were contiguous to each other.
The money advanced by government to these Germans, was expressly lent on the conditions that, in the payment of it, each colonist of a village should be responsible for the total number, and the total number for each individual.
It happened, however, in several of these colonies, soon after they were transplanted from their native country, that many of them died from fevers, intermittents, and the consequences of intemperance ; and in the Crimea the plague added much to the havoc. The result has been, that the money lent by government, falling with such accumulated weight on the few survivors, put it utterly beyond their power to discharge the debt; to obviate which, fresh importations were added to the original stock, amongst whom the debt was divided ; and some of their villages have been more than once renewed from Germany. But, to speak in a more limited sense, all the males of a family being answerable for a debt, which all had borrowed, if any of these died, the debt was doubled or trebled for the remainder.
Liable to such disadvantages, it was not to be expected that much progress would at first be made in the colonization of these plains, fertile as they were; and the Colonial Administration, aware of the impossibility of satisfying the demands of government, permitted many of these colonists, of either sex, to quit their villages, granting them passports for six, ortwelve months at a time, subject to renewal, so that they might in servitude, or as artisans, collect by degrees enough to pay the government, andredeem their liberty. By these means, many of them have set up for themselves, in the different towns of the three provinces (beyond the limits ofwhich they are not suffered to proceed), as carpenters, shoemakers, cabinet-makers, blacksmiths, tailors, &c. &c. Any occupation suits them better than the trade of husbandry; though the despotic principles which were once visible in thesenewly established colonies, enabled the titled colonial officer resident on the spot, or in the neighbouring town, to order the overseer to flog the colonist who refused to work, and thus the lazy or drunken boor, who would not plough, or sow his land as he ought, was compelled to do so. Immoral conduct in the female colonist was equally corrected by flogging.
These severe measures, however, fellon the original emigrants, who were chiefly from Swabia : these have for the greater part been succeeded by another generation, better than the first in moral character ; more healthy, more active, and laborious ; nor were such harsh means ever required to be applied to some of the German colonists, whose habits and character were very superior to the above-mentioned.
TheMennonists, orMoravians, whoare settled in the neighbourhood of Perekop, came over with plenty of money, knowledge of business, and superior industry, and are at present a wealthy race; having built large farm-houses and offices, planted extensive orchards, and laid out great gardens, possessing the finest breed of cows in the country, and growing a great abundance of corn. They are a most industrious and religious class of people, deservedly held in high estimation. Those in the neighbourhood ofKaffa are chiefly Swabians, and a few Swiss emigrants. The favourite occupation of those who reside in these villages is that of gardening, which they thoroughly understand; and by them the markets ofthe different towns are supplied with all kinds of vegetables. Most ofthem keep a cart, or light German waggon, in which they convey their different garden produce to town, and also poultry, eggs, and fresh butter, which is very excellent, and much superior to any other, and sells at a higher price. They also (with the exception of a few French bakers), make the best bread sold in the towns of the Crimea, and have by far the best hops, from their method of drying them.
The cottages of the Germans are much better built than those of any other peasantry of the Crimea. They have a church in each of their M villages, at which one of the parishioners, who is best enabled to take upon him the Sacerdotal office, reads prayers twice every Sunday ; and a Lutheran priest properly authorized, who resides at Sudac, visits each colony twice a year, to marry, christen, and enquire into the state of their churches. The effect of these visitations must be miraculous, were they to produce any good, beyond that which may result to the pocket of the priest for the marriages, and other church ceremonies that he performs ; and the character of these people is such, that nothing short of a miracle, or long and assiduous care, can make any impression upon it. They are slow in understanding, and it is said, owe their name in Russian, N&metz, to their being thought dumb, or unable to learn the language of the people amongstwhom they live : theyare low, and brutal in their manners, more especially the men, who appear the least civilized inhabitants of the Crimea.