156 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
cubits : at this rate the Pe contains seven thou¬ 
sand five hundred and sixty-nine yards, or three 
hundred and nine square yards more than an 
English acre and a half. One Pe of land plant¬ 
ed with tobacco seedlings, will yield, in good 
soil, from four hundred to six hundred viss of 
tobacco leaves; but the crop is an uncertain 
one. This tobacco, which is of middling quali¬ 
ty, is worth from thirty to fifty current ticals. 
The produce in maize is reckoned from sixty 
to one hundred for the seed ; which is very 
small, this being the most productive of all the 
cereal grasses. The return in pulses is averaged 
at fifty-fold. Of rice, it was only given at twelve¬ 
fold. Some of the cultivators whom we inter¬ 
rogated were themselves the proprietors of the 
land, and others rented it. We found the year¬ 
ly rent to be, according to the quality of the 
soil, from three to six ticals of flowered silver, 
each worth about 2s. 9 d. sterling. When rent is 
paid in kind, it amounts to from one-fourth to 
one-half of the gross produce, according to the 
quality and circumstances of the soil. The land 
is rarely sold, but often mortgaged. The usual 
period is for three years ; the mortgagee being 
put in possession of the land, and deriving all 
profits from it from the period of making the 
loan, but receiving no interest. The sum which 
