JEWISH COLONISATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5584, 17 January 1879, Page 7

JEWISH COLONISATION.

Two 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 Russian Jews into agricultural proprietors on a grand scale, has been setout in a correspondence from Kiev, published a short time since in the Judisehe I'resse 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 bo purchased from the Russian Government. Assuming an average price of 30 roubles per dessjatine, this would amount to 6,000,000 rouble (about £900,300), to be paid by instalments extending over 35 years. Or, if the Russian Government was willing, bonds for the amount payable annually to certain bankers would bo given by the society, and the produce of tnose bonds could be applied to defray the intsrest on Russian Government securities as it fell due. This arrangement could bo easily effected, because some of the most prominent capitalists of Europe are members of the society. Eaclv family would receive 20 dessjatines of land and a_ little capital of 400 roubles in cash with which to begin field operations. The society also contemplated striving to accustom the Jewish colonists to tho use of machinery in farm work, and also to a system of mutual cooperation. The price of the land—6oo roubles —as well as the money advanced should bo ropiid to tho society within 50 years, the first ton years, however, to be exempt from any charge. Unfortunately, the Central Committee of the Jewish Association has not been able to combine, at least for the present, all the conditions necessary for getting this project into actual working order; and so its realisations, 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 is not so much a project as a fact, which is in course of actual accomplish-

mont. It is reported from Tabreez that many Jewish families arc emigrating from the Central Asiatic Khanates and the neighbouric o Russian provinces to Kashgar, where hitherto during Yakoob’s rule, no Jews were allowed to dwell. The reports represent the 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 arc settled—scarcely a dozen Jewish families are to he found, and these live in great poverty in Iho city of Kai-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-tze-kin (cutters out of veins), alluding to the Mosaic prohibition of blood for food. The Jews residing in Kai-song-fu use the Chinese dress and language, and differ little, if at all, in their habits of life from their neighbours.