Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/107

Rh from all European society. His house is a pyrgo, with one large room on the first floor; the ground- floor being devoted to cattle and farming stock. The other day this gentleman had a visit from twenty- five pirates, who landed on a little island off the coast, where M. L—— has a quantity of sheep. He told his shepherd not to grudge them anything they might want, and they had the modesty to be content with thirty-five sheep! M. L—— looked on the whole affair with great complacency, regarding the loss as a species of black mail, such as the Scotch Highlanders used to levy on the rich Lowlanders.

M. L—— gave me some information as to the different systems of holding land in his part of Asia Minor. Much of the land there is held as a species of métairie; that is to say, the proprietor, at the end of the year, when the land requires ploughing, takes into his employ one or more peasants according to the amount of land requiring cultivation. The peasant proceeds to plough the land under the following conditions:—

He finds the plough and oxen, the landlord finds seed, and pays him in advance a sum of money sufficient for his maintenance during the period between seed-time and harvest. When the crop is gathered in, a division of the produce takes place. First is set apart the tithe claimed by the State; then the seed for nest year, always considered sacred, like the treasury of an Oriental monarch; then the landlord takes as much corn as will repay him for the advance he has made to the labourer during the year. Whatever remains after these