time of Cafimir the Great, and as they enjoy privileges which
j they fcarcely ppffefs in any other country excepting England
and Holland, their numbers have furprizingly increafed.
Lcngnich, whom I have often quoted, fays of them, that they
“ monopolize f the commerce and trade of the country,
“ keep the inns and taverns, are ftewards to the nobility, in
“ fhort, they feem to have fo much influence, that nothing
“ can be bought or fold without the intervention of a Jew.”
Under John Sohieiki they were fo highly favoured, that his
adminiftration was invidiouily called a Jewifh junto : he
farmed to the Jews the royal demefnes, and put fuch confidence
in them as raifed great difcontent among the nobility.
After his death, an antient law of Sigifmond I. was revived
and inferted in the FaSía Convenía of Auguftus II., that no
Jew or perfon of low birth ihould be capable of farming the
royal revenues.
In fome towns, as at Cafimir, Pofen, 8cc. the Jews are permitted
to fettle, but in other places they are only allowed to
refide during the time of fairs, or when the dietines are af-
fembled ; but the laws are feldom put in force againft them.
I endeavoured to obtain a probable account af . their number,
but I found this to be noeafy matter, although all Jews, as
well male as female, pay an annual poll-tax, and therefore
muff be regiftered. According to the 1 aft capitation there
were 16 6,8 71 Jews in Poland, exclufive of Lithuania, who
paid that tax ; but this cannot be their full complement, as
it.is their intereft to diminifh their number ; and it is a well-
known fad, that they conceal their children as much as
poffible.
* Pac. Con. Aug.; III. p. 128.
Perhaps
Pe'rhaps the following calculations will affili us in this CHAP-
refearch. Of 2,580,796 inhabitants in Auftrian Poland, *
144,200, or about an eighteenth, were Jews ?5. The eighteenth
of the prefent population of Poland will give near
500,000: allowing, therefore, for omiffions in the capitation,
as well as forthofe who migrated intq Poland from thè
Ruffian difmembered province f, we may fairly eftimate the
number of Jews gt 600,000.
Before the late partition Poland contained about
14,000,000 of inhabitants J. As far as I could colled: from
various converfations with feveral intelligent Poles, its prè-
fent population amounts to 9,000,000.
While I am giving my principal attention to the hiftory
and conftitution of Poland, I cannot but remark, that the
feudal laws, formerly fo univerfal, and of which fome traces
are ftill to be difcovered in moll countries, have been gradually
abolifhed in other nations, and given place to a more
regular and juft adminiftration ; yet in Poland a variety of
circumftances has concurred to prevent the abolition of thofe
laws, and to preferve that mixture of liberty and oppreffion,
order and anarchy, which fo ftrongiy characterized the feudal
government. We may eafily trace in this conftitutiori
all the ftriking features of that fyftem. The principal are,
an eledive monarchy with a circumfcribed power ; the great
officers of ftate pofleffing their charges for life, ànd inde-
* See Cómpend, G eog. èclavonia;, Gal- f Secular 18,369 *
■ » P* 66. tecclefia'ftics j Regular 10,189 I 31,137
f Jews are not tolerated in Ruflìà. *-Nuns 2,579 j
+ Bufching gives tfeé following eftimate , r J Males 300,612 1
x)f the population o f Poland fince the par- J ews | Females 300,867} ®OI>479
tition :
p ales 4» 3 96} 969 Total number o f inhabitants 9,327,668
emales 4,298,083 See Bufching, His. Magaziri. v .'X V I. p. 28.
V o l. 1* T pendent