to the amount of land to be ceded, it was decided that the existing
arrangements, founded on experience, should, as a general rule, be
preserved--in other words, the land actually enjoyed by the peasants
should be retained by them; and in order to prevent extreme cases of
injustice, a maximum and a minimum were fixed for each district. In like
manner, as to the dues, it was decided that the existing arrangements
should be taken as the basis of the calculation, but that the sum should
be modified according to the amount of land ceded. At the same time
facilities were to be given for the transforming of the labour dues into
yearly money payments, and for enabling the peasants to redeem them,
with the assistance of the Government, in the form of credit.

This idea of redemption created, at first, a feeling of alarm among the
proprietors. It was bad enough to be obliged to cede a large part of the
estates in usufruct, but it seemed to be much worse to have to sell it.
Redemption appeared to be a species of wholesale confiscation. But very
soon it became evident that the redeeming of the land was profitable for
both parties. Cession in perpetual usufruct was felt to be in reality
tantamount to alienation of the land, whilst the immediate redemption
would enable the proprietors, who had generally little or no ready money
to pay their debts, to clear their estates from mortgages, and to make
the outlays necessary for the transition to free labour. The majority of
the proprietors, therefore, said openly: "Let the Government give us a
suitable compensation in money for the land that is taken from us, so
that we may be at once freed from all further trouble and annoyance."

When it became known that the Commission was not merely arranging and
codifying the materials, but elaborating a law of its own and regularly
submitting its decisions for Imperial confirmation, a feeling of
dissatisfaction appeared all over the country. The nobles perceived that
the question was being taken out of their hands, and was being solved
by a small body composed of bureaucrats and nominees of the Government.
After having made a voluntary sacrifice of their rights, they were being
unceremoniously pushed aside. They had still, however, the means of
correcting this. The Emperor had publicly promised that before the
project should become law deputies from the Provincial Committees should
be summoned to St. Petersburg to make objections and propose amend