22> of FRANKFIELD : SDN TIT pee Pr + oie t.Ae ag Pr “NW ve.org/details/agricultureprima00younu wy “i } Mee E iy Soa | an A: CRE ce Tea AGR ICULTUR E: THE PRIMARY INTEREST. OF SRE AT BOR Le A Oe a | BY gee Mey DAVID YrowuUNaG, AUTHOR OF NATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. — we | Oh! is there not fome Patriot, in whofe pow’r a ‘That beft, that godlike luxury is plac’d, Of blefling thoufands, thoufands yet unborn, . ae Through late pofterity ? Some, large of foul ! ‘ee To chear dejected Induftry ! To give A double harveft to the pining fwain ? | / And teach the lab’ring hind the wee of toil ? Tadmson, EDINBURGH; Printep sy D. Parensoy, For tar AuTaor; ANp soty By C, Exciot, EpIngurca3 ann C., Exuror ann T. Kay, Lompon, mae AND OTHER BooxksELiers, singe M DCC LXXXVIII. 7 f aa t<7 Commiffions may be addrefled to D. Younes, Perth, j z TO THE | See. RIGHT HONOURABLE. Pwittram PLT T, FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER OF THE genes ae > TREASURY, &c. &c. 72. eee = a “STR, HE truly patriotic character which you have uniformly fupported, renders. 1t unneceflary for me to apologize, ‘for prefum- ing, without permiflion, to offer to your con- fideration, a fubjeét of the utmoft national 4 importance. That the ftrength of a nation confifte in the number of the people, is an axiom in po- litics; and that the populoufnefs of any coun- try can only be in proportion to the means of fubfiftence, is a felf-evident truth. And hence it follows, as an undeniable confe- quence, that. Agriculture is the principal fource of national affluence and power. If then a plan can be devifed by which the produce of Britain may be increafed inaten- ~ | fold ae C fold ratio, it is fufficiently obvious, that the © riches and ftrength of the kingdom will be equally increafed. Such a plan J havethe ho- nour to propofe to you in the following trea- tife. And permit me to affure you, that it is not the fruit of clofet fpeculation, but the offspring of real practice, and long experi- ence. ' | The prefent period is peculiarly favourable to the moft enlarged fchemes of national im- provements. Providence has favoured us with univerfal peace. By the wifdom of his Ma- jefty’s councils we are bleffed with an unani- mity to which we have long been ftrangers ; and a liberal and enlightened fpirit i is diffafed through the nation. At fuch a period, may it not be expected, that you will turn’your thoughts to the too much neglected { fcienceé of agriculture. If a well-digefted plan were authorifed by the le giflature, compelling the cultivation of wafte | lands, and encouraging a rational fyftem of hufbandry throughout the ifland, its fuecefS would probably anfwer the moft fanguine expeCtationsthat could be formed. The name of Pirr was once rendered il- luftrious, by diredting the thunders of Bri- tain Chaney: fain in every quarter of the globe, and hum- bling her proudeft enemies. But if to give _ bread to millions, and fow the feeds of plen- _ ty for future generations, is moreMatdable than the deftruction of our enemies, that name may ftill rife higher in glory, if you - become the patron of agriculture. Allow me to add, thatif the enormous load of national debt with which we are burden- ed, is to receive any confiderable reduction, the principal fource from which the funds muit be drawn, is not:the riches of Hindof- tan, nor even manufactures and commerce at large, but the arable fields of Britain, _ Should any thing fuggefted in this publi- cation afford the fmalleft affiftance towards the effecting thefe important purpofes, it will fully fatisfy the ambition of, ‘Heating SIR, Your moft obedient, and very humble fervant, >DINBURGH, 2? " May 22. 1788. $ | Davip Youna. 4c Pel A” CG See HE favourable reception with which a _ ‘former publication was: honoured by the moft eminent practitioners of agriculture, has encouraged the author to ufher this fe- cond treatife into the world. It did not appear’to:him fufficient, merely to point out the methods moft proper to be followed by thofe who were atually engaged ain the practice of agriculture... Something ieemed: neceflary to be: done in order to a- _ waken the attention of thofe who have it in their power to promote the improvement of this moft ufeful art, by giving advantages to the farmers which they do not at prefent poflefs ; and without which it can fcarce be expected, that great progrefs can be made. It is neceffary alfo, to call off the attention of | individuals of all ranks from {peculations ofa different kind, in which too many are now en- gaged, frequently to their own detriment, as well as to the manifeft hurt of a community. For . ( wi) ot this purpofe, he has prefumed to offer his pinion to thofe who are entrufted with the F "management of public affairs;“and has en- 7 deavanee! to demonftrate, that no Method of ' raifing the wealth and power of any hation can be compared with that of encouraging y agriculture. He has {hewed, in the moft clear and demonftrative manner, that this - mouft far exceed every fcheme merely com- mercial, whether foreign or domeftic; nay, that the only true way of encouraging ma- nufactures and commerce, is by giving en- couragement.to agriculture as their founda- tion. He has taken the liberty to point out feveral methods by which agriculture might, with very little expence, receive fuch encou- ragement from government, as would not only amply repay the fum laid out at firft, but bring in an immenfe revenue, impoflible to be raifed'in any other way. Many of his ‘plans are Original, and the fubjects handled _ ina manner entirely new 5 though the Au- _ thor can certainly declare, that they are not the refults of mere theory, but moft of them confirmed by his own obfervations, and the experience of many years. To landholders in general he has pointed out / iS fis ia Pa er. ‘py UB hd tl: ae P il © si 3) out the methods of managing their eftates itt : fuch a manner as to\enfure wealth to them- felves, and happinefs to their tenants 5. ; and to the latter he has alfo fhewn how they may always keep their farms in good condit on ; and thus live comfortably without emba raf ment or difficulty in paying their rent. And — laftly, from many convincing arguments, it is hewn, that the produce of Britain might in lefs than half a century be augmented to ten times its prefent value. The work is interfperfed with many cur- fory remarks relating to the conftruction of villages, for the encouragement of fifheries as well as of agriculture; the whole defigned to fhew how the population, and confequently the ftrength of the kingdom may be aug- mented to an amazing degree; how the great may increafe their wealth, and the poor may be made happy: Every thing being illuftrat- ed from obfervations made in different parts of the country, and thus adapted to every poffible variety of local fituation. : The fubjoined atteftation of a number of eminent farmers, feveral of whom have ac- quired confiderable fortunes, by purfuing a mode of cultivation fimilar to that recom- : mended ( ix ) mended in thefe Effays, fully evidences, that it would be highly advantageous to Britain, if i iverfally adopted. whether the plan propofed by the Author is ~ tothe end or not, the fubject merits i | Pfideretion of the legiflature, | If what he has propofed fhall appear to he founded on facts, it certainly ought to obtain "every public encouragement: Or, if it fhould meet with difapprobation, fome other me- thod, to effect the fame great purpofe, fhould furely be adopted. For, it is certain, that no fcheme equally permanent can be devifed to increafe the riches and population of the Nation, as giving proper encouragement to improvements in agriculture. om a i> an Twenty-feven Essays on NATIONAL ‘Tu. PROVEMENTS UPON AGRICULTURE, BY Davip YounGc, 1N PERTH. We cannot help thinking we only do Mr Younc juftice by teftifying our approbation of thefe Effays. They are, in general, plain, practical, and fuited to the capacities of the Farmers, who ought to read and practife them, and extremely ufeful for the improve- ment of the nation in general, and of many “>. farms in particular. The author’s chief defign is to fhew, were the methods he recommends adopted, that two thirds of the average feed fown 1 in Scot-_ “Te 2. in Britain, 4 particu arly in be made prodt 2c of US ti > of corn and ¢ grafs, fi they produce at pre efen nt. We are convinced of the practicability and tier of the methods pointed out by Mr YOUNG red died aiinaeae in ML om be Yo 8 Sy ry pie | ( x) Younc, to accomplith thefe two important defigns; and that, were they carried into erarneede we may fafely venture to affert, the | “advantages arifing from them would exceed his: calculation, a Tt is with the greateft pleafure, therefore, * join in teftifying, in the warmeft man- her, our inclination to adopt the methods, and promote the important purpofes held forth by the Author in thefe practical Eflays. Signed by, George Ord, Brownfield. William Watfon, Abbots Inch. John Cuming, Inchinnan, — James Richardfon, of Catochz/l, James Matthew, Cla/bbenny,.. George Matthew, Daleally, Andrew Morton, Junernytie. Pe Patrick Matthew, Sherifiown. . 5. oh ‘Patrick Matthew, Newbigging. 3 - John Whyte, Karktown, one Dewer Lauder, Pitfour. David Buchan, MuirbeadGafk. James Hunter, of Sea-Side. David M‘Cale, Gorthy. William Blair, Jun. Scone. Patrick Hill, Inchmichael. | : The ( oe The three firft fubfcribers live in the” neighbourhood of Glafgow, the others in the Carfe of Gowrie, and the neighbourhood of Perth. . : The above atteftation } proves, that the pro- duce of Britain might be increafed to ten times what it is at prefent; which, if done, the produce would amount to at leaft a thous fand millions fterling annually; as it is genex | rally admitted to be above one hundred millions at prefent. «x st as PLAN P L A N- OF THE 7 FOLLOWING TREATISE SECTION IL - INTRODUCTION. - - Page 3 SE. .C°r:D-ON © TL The comparative advantages of agriculture ' to trade and commerce, exemplified from a the, hift wy of various nations in different 4 ages: of Resrocia - - 15 ‘ “SECTION Ii. ; The prefent ftate of Britain with refpect to agriculture, - - 56 _. SECTION t Sty *) SECTION Iy. Why farmers are not enriched in proportion - to the increafed price of provifions. P.73 BE CTA ON ivy , What is the reafon that provifions are fo ven and feem to be every year increafing 1 price ;; notwithftanding fo many greatim- — provements faid to be made in agriculture in Britain. - ~ 87 SECTION VIE What:-are the moft probable means of redu- cing the price of provifions, fo as to ferve all traders and manufacturers’ at a much_ cheaper rate than at prefent, and likewife to be able to export great quantities annu- ally. ss x - . I Bit Ayr, with vl to agriculture, With fome hints for the improvement of thofe © places. In a journey from Glafgow to Ayr, in January 1787. - 173 yates Likewife; ( xv ) Likewile, Obfervations on the ftate and fitu- / ation of fome parts in the North of Scot- and, with refpe& to agriculture. With - fome hints for the improvement 6f thofe } places. In a journey, October 1787, from _ Edinburgh to Fort-William, and from thence to Fort-Auguftus, and Ruthven of » Badenoch, &c. Wherein the great ad- vantages arifing from banking-in rivers, } firft draining, and then flooding, are par- ticularly mentioned. - - P.219 pm — Alfo, A plan of new villages, propofed to be built, for the improvement of the Fifhe- ries in the North and Weft coaft of Scot- land, with illuftrations. = 331 - (4 Mey rahe a” : d m PA w rs eSB 6 CaO) N i, 4 i Parr ROO DAC Er OPN. rN a country fo much famed for ‘its ‘im- provements in the various branches’ of {cience, and where agriculture in ~particular has'‘by no*means been neglected, it may feem furprifing, ‘that no regular or uniform fyftem has yet been adopted.” For my own part, af- ter more than thirty years experience and ftu- dy, not only by reading, but by the moft diligent praétical obfervations I have been a- ble to make in many places of Britain, I mutt own, that'I am every day more and more _ confirmed in what I have already laid before the public on that fubjec&t; not only from ; the obfervations which I ‘full make, when oc- ally paffing through the country, but — by ‘converfation ‘with the moft intelligent _» practical farmers, who, in the general, from their own experience, agree with what has been faid ; as well as from a confideration of: “the great improvements which might ftill be met A made nr see } ( 2 ) made. The more I confider the fubject, the more my ideas are enlarged, and the more I am furprifed at perceiving the extreme diffe- rence in the management of farms jult now prevalent in the country. Were the prefent modes of acriculetie to undergo a rigorous fcrutiny, I believe it would be found, that not one hundredth part of the farmers manage their grounds properly, and that nine-tenths are actually undoing the im- provements that have been already made. Nay, what is ftill more furprifing, it is too probable, that the very perfons who have for~ merly made great improvements, will often be found undoing them, to the great detriment not only of themfelves, but of she nation in . general. It is eafy to fete that fach abiard aia con- tradictory conduct proceeds from the want of fome proper and approved fyftem of agri~ » known and eftabli i eC culture generall thrguphouty the a | sition, more chal the eo mentioned; nor can any thing be more fim- ple, or more eafily comprehended, than the outlines of the fyftem I would propoie, as the whole ¥ ? ‘ F} (39 iole confifts only in keeping a certain por- fion of every farm in grafs, another in corns, and another in fallow. By purfuing this fcheme, when once the p) Proportions are univerfally laid down and _ determined, we could always enfure plenty of cdrn and grafs, in ordinary ‘feafons ; as in- - ’ deed there are few but what would be fit ei- ther for the one or the other; and thofe very | dry feafons, which are bad for both would be beft for fallow. The wet feafons are beft for grafs. ~ ~ The many different f{chemes from time to time introduced into the agriculture of Bri- tain, under the name of improvements, afford another, and a very ftriking proof, that this att is not properly underftood among us at prefent. Whenever a {fcience is brought to any degree of perfection, the methods of | working are pretty generally the fame. The Jews were, by divine wifdom all tied down to one general rule with regard to their lands, and that without the finalleft excep- tion; namely, to allow the foil to reft every : he fuch plenty during the other fix years, feventh year without being fown. Their o- bedience to the divine command was reward- that ( 4) that an incredible number of inhabitants were fupported. within the narrow. boundaries of their kingdom, befides the exportation of great quantities of wheat, &c. Now,, as. the divine wifdom thought proper to impofe a certain and uniform method. of agriculture on that nation, and the good effeéts of their adherence to it were manifefted by the im-_ menfe crops produced, it certainly cannot be thought an injudicious propofal, that an uni- form fyftem of agriculture fhould likewife be inftituted throughout Britain. Nay, L.will venture to afhrm, that it is owing to; the want of this uniformity that the produce is fo fmall; and that, inftead of hurting the. landlord, the farmer, or the nation, in gene- ral; an uniformity in the plan. of agriculture would be highly advantageous to them all. Let us fuppote, that one half of every farm. were laid out in grafs. ‘All foils would be, the better for having a par tin pafture, Sits clay not excepted ¢ iy long experience has’ now difcovered, that even in the moft im- proved counties in Britain, the foil is ex- haufted when continued long with corns, e- ven with clover and turnip; and, of courfe, the corn crops mutt areny year be upon. the decline, 5 cline, wherever this pernicious practice is ollowed. :. For even where the farmer has.a reat command of dung, the foil is liable to - be’tired or exhaufted; when not allowed ‘to - reft by fallow and.pafture..We fhall allow, as fome pretend to fay, that there are parts of the country lefs fit for pafture, or, in, other words, lefs profitable when applied. to this ‘purpofe, (although that very foil would be the better improved by pafture) ; but itis very cer- tain, that nine-tenths of the foil in Britain is ofa different. at ture 5, and would be enriched . By this aban: talon fome individuals might think 'themfélves injured, but private intereft ought, at any rate, to give way to the public good; and it might be. demon- ftrated ‘that, wpon-a fair trial, the farmers would find. themfelves, as well as. the nation at large; ultimately benefited by a practice of this kind: » In fome cafes it might not bring fo great immediate profits, | but it would al- ways certainly prevent them from ruining. the foil, as well as themfelves, which -they often. do by over-crepping. Binding down the farmer, therefore, not to hurt himéeif,. and notito exhauft the foil; would be‘of very; lion | coniiderable oS ad ( 6 ) confiderable advantage to the nation; but, if this method fhould ftill be thought detriment- al, he might be indulged with following — his own plans, for the trifling expence of fix- pence to government for every acre laid out in a manner different from that of the efta- blifhed fyftem. Perhaps fome might think it would be a better ‘plan to affefs all the farms in the country at two-pence halfpenny an acre, for the purpofe juft now mentioned. This is.no more than a voluntary contribution, on- ly the fantion of parliament would be necef- fary to make every one equal. It might indeed be worth the confideration of government, how far it would be proper to impofe a tax upon thofe farmers who found it for their intereft to differ from the national plan. Each perfon might be affeffed in fo much for every acre kept in corns and grafs above the eftablifhed proportion, and fo much - : _ for each acre of waite ground that was nei- . ther improved nor planted. The taxes raifed from thefe would be very properly employed in premiums to fuch farmers as raifed the greateft quantities of corn and grafs, in fol- lowing the rotation of crops fixed upon by government for a national improvement; nor would Aig would the farmers have any occafion togrudge is tax, as they would have it in their power _to be free when they pleafed; andthe fums raifed in:this way might be given toyfuch of their brother farmers, as, in every county. or - fhire, received,.we thall fuppofe, Ls 50; "for ten acres of the beft crop, of wheat;the firft year, and fo on évery year, forthe different crops mentioned in the plan fixed upon by government; fo that the farméts who, were not concerned in the national plan would reap great benefit, much more than the a- mount of the taxes they paid.. Thus alfo, the general improyement of land.would fpread very rapidly throughout the kingdom ; for, by a comparative view of the produce of each -acre in the different fhires, when. cultivated according to the government plan, farmers “ _ would foon fee it their intereft to adopt the fame method, thus gaining experience from the experiments of others. | - Another great advantage would ‘arife from this annual regifter, namely, that the time of fowing would be fpecified, and it would foon be feen, that it was greatly for the emolument of the farmers to fow their grain earlier than they do at prefent ; as the early fowing Roh: 0 | does ( 8 ) does not run fuch rifks as the late does'of bes ing fhaken and -broken by the equinoctial | ftorms, and deftroyed by ‘the early. frofts, which. prevent the late fown from coming to maturity; witnefs the harveft 1787.0 © Were government to adopt fucha plan, a very large fum would foon be °raifed, by which a great number of farmers of the firft rank might be induced to follow the fame method. The confequerice of this would foon be the raifing fuch quantities of) corn -and grafs, that the price of provifions would -be greatly reduced, at the fame ‘time ‘that trade and manufactures would be encreafed proportionably, befides the annual exporta- tion of great quantities Of corns “hte It is owing to ignorance or inattention to thefe things, that fo few people underftand what is the primary intereft of Great Britain. The greateft part of mankind, indeed, are led by what they fuppofe to be their intereft, or what has an apparent tendency to promote it; — and upon this principle they determine what ought to be-the great object of the: ‘nation. Thus, the merchant declares in favour of trade, the manufaéturerin ‘favour of bufinefs, the farmer for agriculture, and fo on in every | other ("2 branch. Unhappily, however, the genera fity of mankind are fo felfifh, that if they can get their own ends ferved, they care not; though; by fo doing, they injure their neigh- : bours, as well as the nation at large; nay, though they fhould even, to ferve a prefent turn, moft materially injure their own in- tere{t in time to come. How often do we fee children, even thofe endowed with the great- eft natural parts, fo much addicted to play, as for its fake, not only to negle&t their educa- tion, but even fometimes fcarce allow them- felves the time neceflary for food or reft: And how often do we fee great numbers of people, more inexcufable than thofe children, whofe fituation in life might otherwife entitle them to fome degree of f{plendor, yet fuffering their minds to be fo engrofled by childifh, if pot worfe diverfions and entertainments, that they will not even take time to look into their own affairs, much lefs to confider the general intereft of the country where they live, or of the nation at large. When fuch cuftoms become univerfally prevalent, it.is certain _ that the nation is running headlong to its de- Aftruction, and not far from it,. as is evidently | kas | feen ( to ) feen from hiftory, in the rum of the ar as well as of other empires. In order to prove whether ileal or trade and commerce be moft for the ad- yantage of Britain, firft, Let us enquire what may be the value of all the trade in England, in its moft extended ftate, and how much it may be increafed above what it is at prefent. y _ From the moft authentic account adi publifhed by the ingenious Mr William Play- fair, in his Political Atlas, the whole value of the trade of England, for all the goods export= ed to every part of the globe, and all the goods imported from thofe places, does not amount, in the beft year, to above thirty millions fter= _ ling for both. Now, it may be faid, trade is as much extended as it can well be; indeed, many articles are extended. beyond what they can continue at: But fuppofing, for argu- ment’s fake, that it was poflible to extend the trade to double of what it is at prefent, fay to fixty millions fterling, in the firft place, i it is very doubtful if this could be done, as the average of twelve years export and import is only £. 25,500,000. This calculation, being from 1771 to 1782, is the higheft average of feventy erty feventy years back. Again, if it be confidere what is the prefent, produce of all the lands Britain; fome fay one hundred millions, — affert two hundred; but, to {peak with - certainty, fay only one hundred millions fter- _ ling, itis proved from the Practical Farmers recommendation annexed, and likewife from what is faid in the work itfelf, that, if the methods pointed out were reduced to practice, the produce would be ten times what it is at prefent, in the courfe of forty years, which would be a thoufand millions of additional produce at leaft; and, if the plan propofed were perfevered in, it would be every year in- creafing, fo long as any land remained. copay ble of improvement. The peculiar excellency of this plan 1 is, that it would neither hurt trade, nor manufac- tures, but would tend to increafe both very much ; whereas, pufhing trade and: manufac- tures above what they can continue at, hurts agriculture, by taking away both men and money. The only fure method is, let agri- culture and trade keep at an equal pace, the one not going before the other, as they. are mutual helps to one another. ie, Many perfons, upon the firft hearing of the ( ic ) the amazing increafe that might be made ups on the produce of Britain, in the courfe of forty years, that is ten times the prefent pro- duce, which would be a thoufand millions, provided the methods recommended were _ adopted, are filled with furprifeé, and cannot be brought to conceive how it is poflible to accomplifh it in fuch a fhort time. The greateft, if not the only Objection, is to get the whole nation to adopt the plans mentioned. If once the prejudice were re- moved, and the farmers in general only con fidered their own intereft, and agreed to make a trial of it, the end would be gained; but, let a plan be ever fo good, if the gentlemen and farmers are determined not to alter their old fchemes, although bad for themfelves and the country, the end propofed cannot be gained. If the plan propofed were reduced to pracs — tice, the whole land of Britain in tillage at prefent, in the courfe of ten years, would be improved, and the half of the whole would be in fown grafs; the farmer, having fuch a great quantity of grafs, could every year fummer-fallow fo much out-field, or wafte ground now in pafture, as would be equal to a t;-86-@ outs part of his improved farm. Now, Tet every farmer in Britain begin to follow a regular courfe of cropping his farm, by di- _ viding it into ten inclofures, having the one _ half of grafs, as is mentioned in National Im-_ _ provements, beginning to fummer-fallow a - tenth part of the beft of his farm every year. In ten years he improves the whole he has in tillage at prefent, and the halfin grafs: When- ever that is done, he begins to fummer-fal- low as much every year as he can eafily over- take, which may be at leaft a tenth part, new brought in from wafte ground, or paf- ture to his farm ; which would be every year improving not only as to quantity, but in quality.” So that, agreeable to this plan, e- very farmer in Britain, from the leaft to the _ greateft, might begin and improve the beft foil of his farm, the firft ten years, which will do more than pay him the whole expence in that time, and afterwards he might go on in a fimilar manner, improving every year, as long as he has pafture and waite ground to bring in. So that, if this plan were univer- fally adopted; the average produce would be ‘More than ten times the prefent, in the courfe of cpp... of forty years. It is not meant by this, that every farm that is improved at prefent would produce ten times its quantity ; but, one farm, taken with another, good and bad together. This will not be at all furprifing, if it be confidered, how much the produce would be increafed by improving the land that is jut now in tillage, in paftures, and wafte ground, ue Lhe comparative advantages of agriculture to trade and commerce, exemplified from the bif- tory of warious nations, in different ages of the world. rPuovcn from fome accidental caufes, _ it has been, for a long time paft, the ufual practice of the inhabitants of this coun- try, to view, in their utmoft magnitude, the advantages arifing from trade and commerce, © as well as the difadvantages and inconveni- encies arifing from attempts towards the im- provement of agriculture ; yet, lam. perfuad- ed, that every perfon, who gives himfelf the trouble of ferioufly confidering what has been delivered in the foregoing pages, will find himfelf already convinced, that to improve : agriculture muft be the primary intereft, not only of this, but of almoft every other nation ' 4n the world, That f ws - ¥en ry 4s pu > £4) i (. 26 9) ‘That commerce and manufactures are the moft effectual, if not the only means, by which any nation can be enriched, or ren- dered potent and flourifhing, has been fup- pofed an undoubted truth; and, in fupport of this, the examples of antient Tyre, Car- thage, the Venetians, Dutch, and Britifh are adduced. | Indeed, if by riches and power, we mean the pofleflion of money, or having among us a vaft quantity of it in circulation, the maxim, in fome refpects, may be allowed to hold good; but, if to thefe words we annex the ideas of happinefs, and plentiful means of fubfiftence univerfally diffufed among a vaft number of inhabitants, we fhall fcarce find any thing more inadequate to fuch de- firable purpofes, or rather, more inconfiftent, if not totally oppofite to them., ‘The richeft and moft powerful people we read of in hiftory were the Jews. The whole of their territories, even in their moft xs tended ftate, did not:exceed the kingdom of Scotland in magnitude, but the population was prodigioufly greater. From the account we have of David’s numbering the people, it appears (07) gppears, that thofe capable of bearing arms ‘were upwards of a million and a half, exclu- five of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin. Sup- e pofing, therefore, the fighting men in a na- _ tion to be only one fourth of the whole, we ean fcarce imagine the number of the Jewifh nation, ‘at that time, to have been lefs than - eight millions: Nearly as many as, by a rea- fonable calculation, can be fuppofed to exift in the whole ifland of Britain at prefent. If we compare thefe numbers with what ‘we read of the moft celebrated nations of an- tiquity, we fhall find the population of Judea incredibly fuperior to that of any of them. When Sidon was deftroyed by Ochus King Of Perfia, the heads of families and warlike inhabitants are faid not to have exceeded 40,000. Nor does the population of Tyre feem to have been much, if at all fuperior ; for that city was totally depopulated by A- lexander the Great, when he crucified 2000 of the inhabitants, and fold 30,000 for flaves. Carthage feems to have been the moft popu- ‘lous, as well as the moft powerful commercial ‘city we read of. Though, with regard to the _ number of its inhabitants we are much‘in the . C dark. ( 8 ) dark. The great quantity of money, indeed, imported into that city, enabled them to hire vaft numbers of mercenaries for their wars : But this inftead of evidencing the: /frength of their empire, was ian undoubted: proof of ' its weaknefs; as was particularly manifefted after the firft Punic: war, when: the whole force of Carthage was fcarce fufficient :to'ré- pel that of their revolted mercenaries. ©). t With antient Rome, which was nota com- mercial city, the cafe was quite, different. _ 'Fhe number of people there was fo immenfe; that King Pyrrhus compared them.to the fa- bulous hydra, of which one head:was no foon- er cut off, than a new one fprung up in its ftead.. The population of antient;Rome, in- deed, according to the accounts tranfmitted to us, feems to have been almoft incredible. Though, engaged in. endlefs wars, ...which might naturally have been thought fufficient to counteract any advantages with .refpect to population their circumftances could afford; yet, before the fecond Punic war, when threatened with an imyafion by the Gauls, they were able, not only to repel thofe barba- rians, by dint of fuperior military fkill and difcipline, a {(Sf9i?) difcipline, but even to outnumber them ; the oman army at this time confifting of little “efs than 900,000 men. It is true, that at the _ timewe fpeakof, they had the whole of Italyin ~ fabjection: But we are not from thence to in- fer, that they derived this ftrength from their “Ttalian allies ;- on the contrary, when invaded “by Hannibal,’ deferted by many of their al- lies, and weakened by many dreadful de- feats, they found themfelves {till able to fup- ply men, even when they were almoft deftitute of arms: So that they could mufter- armies fufficient’ to chaftife their ungrateful allies, and render fruitlefs the aftonifhing military efforts of Hannibal ; nay even to tranfport ‘forces into Macedon, in order to prevent an invafion from thence. - In more modern times, we find the moft commercial {tates far from being the moft populous. The Venetians, though once powerful, and famed: for military exploits, are dwindled into infignificance proportioned to the fmallnefs of their number ; and though they {till continue formidable to their bar- barous rivals the Turks, are yet of very fall -confequence in comparifon’ of any of the powerful nations of Chriftendom. The 2g { 20 ) The moft populous, and richeft commercial nations on earth at prefent, China excepted,are the Britifh and Dutch, efpecially the former; though it cannot by any means appear, that they derive thofe advantages from their com- merce. Indeed, froma very flight view of the prefent ftate of our own nation, it mutt be evi- dent, that its commercial advantages for fome time paft have been bought too dear. We fhall not doubt, that whatever wars have been entered into for fifty years paft, have been for the fake of protecting and increafing the commerce of the nation; neither fhall we doubt that they have fully anfwered the pur- pofe. But what is the confequence? More than 200 millions of national debt, befides many millions expended annually to fupport the war; and fuch a number of taxes to pay the intereft, that the whole produce of the commerce feems not fufficient to balance the expence:. At the fame time that our popula- tion feems fo far from being on the inereafe, that perpetual emigrations take place to-diffe- rent countries; asif our own was ftill infuf ficient to maintain thofe who are born in it. _ Itis to little purpofe to enter into any de- tail ( 21) tail of the particulars by which this enormous expence has been incurred, with a view to viate it, Vaft fums have been expended in the German wars, but thefe were fuppofed | + necelfary to the well-being of our commerce, and ought now to be ftated as commercial ex- pences, as muchas the ordinary requifites for trade. . The American colonies were alfo very ex- penfive for more than a century; Britain has expended, if we take into the account accu- mulated intereft, above a thoufand millions in fupport of them, (ungrateful America !} if that fum had been laid out for the improve- ment of Britain, what a figure would fhe have made this day, but this expence was in- cident to commerce, for it was only in the commercial line that they were fuppofed to be beneficial to this ifland. If they have now ungratefully withdrawn their allegiance, as _ we fay, or unable to bear the Britifh yoke, | as they themfelves fay, we muft only reckon this to be an adventure in the commercial way, and fuch as may be expected by every nation which endeavours to monopolize the trade of the whole world. 3 : To (( t#2 D) To the fame account we muft alfo place the hundred millions. expended in an ‘unfuccefé- co ful attempt to reduce the rebellious colonies; - nor is it any thing to the purpofe whether the coloniescould,or couldnothavebeen reduced; whether our generals behaved well or ill; or whether we had the right or wrong: nae of be queftion. Let our opinion with regard to thefe phiae: Sas be what it will, the event is’ mani- feft, that adventuring deeply in commercial -{chemes is dangerous for anation, as well as an individual ; and, with refpect to our own particular cafe, the fact is undoubted, that all our attempts to aggrandize ourfelves have ended in the lofs of money, embarraflment of our affairs, and confiderable diminution of our national character. Perhaps, it may be faid, that the errors committed in the management of any {cheme are not to be attributed to the fcheme itfelf; and, of confequence, that the folly of the Britifh miniftry, in not fending a fufficient force, under the command of generals (that could be trufted) in due time, to fubdue America, is, by no means an evidence of the anfuficiency of a commercial plan for the ag- grandizement : ( 23 ) dizement of the nation. There was, ir , a poflibility, that, by conftantly keep- -a very great ftanding army in America, coloniés might have been retained itt fub- j ion ; but then,.it would have been necef- ~ fary to lave kept this force there from the be- _ ginning of the fettlement with ftrict difcipline ; to have perfevered in it, and to have increafed itas! the colonies grew in ftrength: Nor can we, from what is paft, calculate the force re- quifite to have fubdued them: at the time of their revolt, at lefs than 100,000 men, fo that, in all probability, the ‘expence would have been greater than all the benefits which could have been derived from our Fconnectiion with them. ° | It muft be owned, that, if she Americans | had been checked when they were but'a mob, alefs number would have ferved the purpofe; the error was, allowing them to get.to fucha head at firft,and in many in Britain efpoufing © their caufe. So that it might be faid, that Ame- rica was loft in Britain; and this is the more __ to be believed, as it is certain that their friends ‘told plainly in parliament, what fteps the “Americans ought to take, in order to render themfelves independent. , We foc With (24 ) With regard to our poffeffions in the Eaft and Weft Indies, as well as in Africa, it can= not be made to appear, that they are of any real benefit tothe nation. Its population is cer tainly not increafed by them; but, on the con trary, very much diminifhed. The unhealthi- - nefs of the ifland of Jamaica and the continent of Africa, has procured them the name of the graves of Englifhmen, nor is the continent of Afia much better in this refpect ; not to men- tion the immenfe fums expended for the pro- tection of the colonies, and the total annihi- lation.of morality among thofe who go tothe Eaft Indies in order to make their fortunes; as well as the immenfe fums of gold and fil-. ver fent to the Eaft Indies to purchafe goods which we might eafily be without. Schemes of foreign commerce and coloni- zation, however, feem to be fo great favou- rites of the Britifh government, that no expe- rience of paft ill fuccefs, nor profpect of fu- ture expence, feem to be fufficient to deter them from purfuing the fame deftructive plans. The frozen regions of Nova Scotia have coft immenfe fums, never to be repaid by any thing that country can produce; and which, perhaps, ( 25 ) rhaps, at a future period, may be. taken 9m. us with all the improvements we have And, as if this fine coldny had given | fuch great encouragement in the northern 7 ~hemifphere, we are now about to have ano- P » ther of the fame kind in the fouth; the fuccefs of which is even more uncertain than that of Nova Scotia, asthe burning regions of the torrid zone; for more than 40 degrees latitude, mutt be crofled before we can get at it. The ifland of New Holland is fituated in 4 climate by no means the moft agreeable ; its _ produ¢tions are, as yet, unexplored; different; ? ye; p ae indeed, they certainly muft be from thofe of this country, but how far they can be of fer- Vice to. us, in preference to our own, mut certainly be very doubtful. One thing is cer> tain, that before any of thefe can be conveyed to Britain, they muft coft ten times more than they can poflibly be worth: The colonifts, it feerns, are.to be moftly compofed of thofe, who, for their.crimes, aré reckoned unfit to ftay ia this country: This may, at firft, feem to be a piece of good po- licy, but it will require no great judgement in _ ealculation.to foretel with certainty, that they ~. muft thus be much more expenfive to the na- Px D tion, tas ( 26 ) ‘ tion, than théy could poffibly have been by ‘Keeping a guard: over them,. while they were employed in carrying on fome public works, © Their being conftantly confined to labour in public works would ftrike a greater terror in- to their accomplices, than death itfelf; as a -perfon accuftomed to idlenefs would almoft rather be hanged than work. ‘The ifland,to which they are to be tranfplanted is inhabi- ted by favages, who will not fail to refent the fettlement of thefe new comers in their terri- tories... Nor is it at all probable,. that fuch | eolenifts will long refrain from giving pro- wocations ‘Fhe confequences, undoubtedly, . munt be, frequent {cenes of flaughter, accom- panied with circumitances of the moft dread- ful barbarity. ‘To. prevent thefe,as much as poflible, a very confiderable military force muft conftantly be kept there; as well as to © prevent diforders among thofe wretches who _ compofé the colony: Nor ‘is it all improbable that this wretched fettlement may excite the jealoufy or avarice of fome other power, by which we may be involved in'a new war, not to be got rid of for lefs than fifty or fixty millions. ‘Fo all which we may add, that the expences of this colony will undoubtedly ' ” hb Boe me % , ( 27 ) greater than thofe of keeping a guard over them. while employed in making of high : ads, canals, or working in mines, | So great, indeed, is: the rage of coloniza- tion, with which this country for a century g paft has been infeéted, ,that one would be. tempted to think, there was nota foot of our own land that was not improved; the contrary of which is notorioufly known, as fhall afterwards be scildbiad taken notice of. “inal to this, ii we fhall : a little ecte fully. confider the fate of the different nations. who have applied themfelves to com- merce; and whofe grandeur we {hall always find to have been more {pecious than folid. _ Among all the nations of antiquity, we fhall {carce find one whofe rage for coloniza- tion equalled our own, Athens only except- ed. The territory of Attica was barren, the people reftlefs, idle, and ‘fickle; and prone to qwar, Yapiite, or any thing rather ,than the improvement of their country. So great was their averfion to this, _ that Pififtratus was reproached. as a tyrant, wi PRisccante he obliged them to apply to agricul- - “ture, and retrained the mob, by whom eve- ry . % : ( 28 ) ry thing, before that period, had been ma- naged, from committing their ufual outrages. It may indeed be obferved, that when peo* ple once have got an inclination for a martial life, they cannot by any means be induced to apply, either to commerce, —, or manufactures. ’ ‘The Athenians by their’ commerce sith different nations, but more efpecially by theit depredations on the effeminate Perfians, had acquired very confiderable wealth; but fo little was population encouraged by the pof= {effion of this wealth, that in the moft flourifh- ing era of: this city, it never could producé 20,000 men capable of bearing arms. Hence, notwithftanding all this apparent grandeur, this celebrated ftate had no folid foundation ; * and it was rather owing to the want of a pro- | per enemy, ‘than to any’ intrinfic ftrength, that it made fuch a figure among others. . This was, indeed, the cafe with all the {tates of Greece ; ‘atid therefore, by reafon of their want of inhabitants, every one of them was in danger of being overthrown by a fin- gle defeat. The vi€tory of Leuétra, where 4000 Spartans weré killed or taken, had al- “moft ruined. the ftate; and it was only ow- ing ( 29 ) » to a fimilar want of inhabitants in bes, by which they were difabled from pporting their general, that the Spartan fe- - public was not then totally overthrown, ©‘ @ Z A-fingle defeat by Lyfander ruimed the Ar # thenian fate, and occafioned the lofs of the i city. - The -fingle battle of Cheronea cided all Greece, merely becaufe they had no mento replace thofe who were loft at that time; ak though their numbers were by no means ve- ry confiderable. — It is almoft incredible, that a city incapat ble of furnifhing an army of 20,o00 men, fhould aim at univerfal empire; yet, itis cer= tain, that the inhabitants of Athens reckoned their power irrefiftible, and fancied ‘them- felves able to fubdue the whole world. ~ We laugh at abfurdities of this kind, with- out confidering that we ourfelves are charge- able with a fimilar folly. “We have grafped at the dominion of both ends of the earth, and we fucceeded in acquiring it, when we had _ only fuch enemies to contend with; as thé Greeks found in the ancient Perfians. But; __ when we engaged with thofe who where fome- e what 1 more upon an equality with us, in point of ( go ) of military fkill, the cafe was-altered. Ges neral Howe, finding himfelf unable to accom- plifh the conqueft of America with the force originally fent, wrote to the miniftry for a reinforcement, firft of 20,000, and then of 15,000men. They were not fent; and why? becaufe the population of the country was . not fufficient to fpare fuch a number. This had, indeed, been originally put to the trial, when the firft army was fent to America, and where, in order to complete a force of 56,000 men, we were obliged to hire 17,000 merce- ‘Maries from the {mall ftates of Hefle and Brunfwick. But, how came thefe pitiful {tates ~ to be able to {pare fo many men? The anfwer is plain, they are not commercial. countries, and, therefore, they are ftrong and full of people ; while Great Britain, notwith{tanding her f{plendid fhew of power and riches, is, in reality, weak, and unable to ftand any conteft which requires a confiderable number of men to fupport it. | This was further manifeft throughout the whole conteft with the Americans. The ar- my under General Burgoyne did not amount to 10,000 men; neverthelefs, the lofs of it - threw us into the utmoft defpondency, while | the ( 31 ) he capture of Lord Cornwallis, with about 4,000 more, obliged us fairly to own our- lves overcome, and to conclude peace upon 7 y terms we could get. Thefe, it muft be owned, were terrible difafters ; but what be- 4 ‘came of all our fuccefs ? Were not the victo- dl ries at Long-ifland, at Brandy-wine, at Ger- man-town, Savannah, Charleftown,Cambden, Guildford, &c. &c. able to balance two de- feats; efpecially when it is confidered, that, in every action, the enemy loft two or three men for every one that perifhed on the Britifh fide ; at leaft, if we may believe the accounts publifhed at the time. The conftant cry was, that the Britifh were overpowered by num-< bers: But whence did thefe numbers come? At the beginning of the conteft, the Ameri~ cans themfelves only ftated their numbers at ‘three millions; but this was not one third of the computed number in Britain and: freland, with whom they had. to contend. The nums bers of the Americans, at firft, were but fmall, - if they had met with'a proper check; but, they were rather encouraged by commanding _ officers not doing their duty, and the gene- - fals not co-operating with one another. Add to this,. that, in every action, the Americans Biss ; loft ( g2 ) loft two.to one, They contended. with Bris tain, therefore, under the immentfe difadvan- tage of two to one, which, undoubtedly, muft bave made up for the. diftance to which the Britifh forces were to. be exported. The French, it is true, affifted the Americans, but the force they fent amounted to no morethan 10,000 land forces, which was more than ba- lanced. by the. 17,000. Germans, by whom Britain was aflifted. As for the fleets on both fides; they muft be confidered as entirely out of the queftion, and only calculated to let both parties try their ftrength by land; for no engagement of any confequence happened by fea; till after the affair of Cornwallis was — decided; nor were the French fleets ever able to hinder the Britifh from fending as many troops as they pleafed to America, during the whole courfe of the war. | _ What I have juft now faid is with no view to.depreciate the Britifh, or to exalt the Ame- ricans, but to lead. to the eftablifhment of the | following pofition, (though this, in a great meafure, was owing to the diftraction of our councils at ‘home, as, had we beén united, America could not have obtained fuch a foot- : ing at this time) that the Americans, for fix years, - , ( 89) sare, contended with the moft powerful and _moft*commercial nation in the world, under the prodigious difadvantage ‘in numbers of at © 'to ‘one’ at firft;* and yet at laft over- ¥ "powered by numbers. all’ the armies which Pag that nation could oes ering to ee B thar: desis rd time of es American war, our commerce and manufactures flourifhed more than ever, while that of our enemies “was utterly deftroyed, and ¢reat numbers of _ their towns ‘burnt. “Some caufe therefore ‘mut be found, by which the population of America’continued undiminifhed, nay, feem- ed rather to increafe under all the calamities of war, ‘while that of Great Britain, though _ -ata-diftance from all thefe calamities, was oF ‘mo means increafed. To find out this caufe, we muft again take a Teview of the hiftory of mankind from the ‘earlieft ages, - The Jews, as has already been ahfeireed ,were _ the moft populous, and ftrongeft nation upon earth, in proportion to the extent of their country. They were under the peculiar tui- “tion of the Deity indeed; but ftill we-know, “that natural means were employed for the R E fubfiftenge i pee “x ed ( 34) fubfiftence of the people; and whatever thefe means were, we are fure, that they mutt, of all others, be the moft fit for increafing the number of inhabitants j in any country what- ever. Thefe means, in one word,. were agriculture, and that, no doubt, on the -beft plan that could poflibly bedevifed; of which, _ wever, we fhall perhaps: have o¢cafion af | “terwards to {peak more particularly. Here, © it may be ebferved, that their.courfe. of. la- bouring feems to have been penietely uni form; haying a feventh-year’s reft... Great part of the ground was. probably laboured with the fpade; and as it was called, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey, wemay hence © conclude, that part of it-was in grafs, and ‘part in corn. From this alfo we may learn, that one fyftem of hufbandry fhould be uni- _-verfally ufed threughout the kingdom. ~ Commerce was not introduced till the days 5 of Solomon; and then, though it enriched the nation, they complained that they were oppreffed by it, and withed for a relief from their burdens. Afterwards, when commerce was totally annihilated, they continued very -pumerous, as was evident at their final de- ftruction by the. Romans, when upwards of a : ( 35) gmillion of them were deftroyed at once at Jernfalem, after the moft prodigious devafta~ tions’ in other parts of Judea, and all this ‘without’ exterminating the nation; who, 4 though difperfed into different nations, fall F _ Continue ‘very numerous. , “The Romans, as we have alfo remarked, were exceflively mumerous; and to the very go caufe are we to afcribe their vaft popt- Jation. In the infancy of the republic, we are told, that the principal inhabitants of the city followed the plough ; and ‘every one has. heard of the celebrated warrior Cincinnatus, who was called from the Beet to command an army. ‘The policy of he’ Greeks Was entirely dif- . ferent from that of the Romans. The effe- ‘minate Perfians prefented an eafy prey, and _ heldout, as it were, wealth and every kind of luxury to the warlike Greeks, with little or no trouble in the taking ; for the Perfians were by no means able to contend with them almoft in'any number. Hence it was as fa | _ fliionable among the Greeks to plunder the Perfians, as it is now to trade to the Faft and Weft Indies. “The confequences were the | . fame ( 36 } fame to both. ‘The Greeks. continued a dis vided handful, invincible in equal numbers by any nation on earth, but utterly unable — _to export any number. of forces fufficient for great foreign conquefts. Alexander the Great, indeed, with the whole force of Greece and Macedon united, conquered Afia;. but in- doing this, he expended the whole firength | both of Greece and Macedon; the confe> © quence of which was, that none were left at home to controul the power of that army, who therefore did what they pleafed; and having, under the conduct of Alexander, con= quered Afia, returned, under other leaders, to _ conquer both Greece and Macedon, and. Ute | terly to exterminate the. ane of their king. But, however aes Posh the hiftory of the conqueft of Afia by Alexander, we ma i reckon the Greeks fitted for war and victor ae : they were found utterly unable to eftablith any empire over thofe nations, who had any tolerable {kill in the profeffion of arms, ‘Alex- | ander the Great had fearce accomplithed the conqueft of Afia, when his nephew, Alexander king of Epirus, underaok, the conqueft of all Europe. ( ore Burope. He began with Italy, but the na- gions there were more warlike than thofe of £ e Eaft. Still, however, they were by no e me: s able to ftand an engagement waa the ] { hela than:i it was, he could never have ie eftablifhed any permanentconqueft over them. ’ He, therefore, failed in his attempt, and loft his life, after having performed fuch exploits as well entitled him to.arelationfhip with the great Alexander. | On the other hand, the Romans paacniicd | ina quite different manner. They were, ori- ginally, a poor colony, and fituated in the midft of nations more powerful than them- felves. Being of a martial difpofition, how- ever, and having a very fkilful commander, fome v victories were gained, and one or two cities taken, the inhabitants of which were } tranf planted to Rome; and thus the city re- ceived an increafe of power, and became more able to contend with any fucceeding enemy. ~ Inall their wars, alfo, the Romans hada par- ticular eye to the /ands of the conquered. _ They never thought of firft procuring wealth i by i pie or even by plunder, and then : purchafing eT tal “Fe * . et as Se — a. > 44 ‘ AGS ( 38 purchafing land with the fruits of their corte merce or rapacity ; their primary object, ak ways, was thie pofleffion of land; and fo ex- act were they in the improvement of it, that, in the early ages of the republick, a fingle a- crewas fufficient to maintain aRoman family; which, it may be fuppofed, was laboured i the fpade. Hence, it is eafy to account for the numbers of people with which ancient ; Rome abounded, as well as the eafe with which her armies were recruited, mi cafe of any misfortune. In procefs of time, it became cviitieey to fend forth colonies from the city, and thefe — were fent out, not for the purpofes of com= — merce, or trafiick, but for thofe of agricul- ture. The colonifts were complimented with — the citizenfhip of Rome, by which means — they were attached to the parent ftate. There g is good reafon to believe, that the firft im- * provements in agriculture, Britain received from the Romans, who did much with the {pade, at the fame time that vaft armies were every where kept on foot, fufficient to pre- vent difturbances in the countries where co- lonies were fituated, as well as to defend them from the incurfions of barbarians. By ftea- dily : { 39 ) lily purfuing this method, the Romans. be- me, at laft, in appearance, inyincible by | any power on earth, as they not only poflef- Heda great degree of military fkill, but were ‘hes apable of overpowering, by numbers, the few nations who could contend with them, for a eo i ort time, inthe field ; and, had it not been _ for their diffipation and divifions, the certain _ forerunners of deftruction to all empires, they might have continued much longer. _ . dn the time of the firft Punic war, Hamil- ' car, the father of the great Hannibal, clearly perceived the fources from. whence the im- | - menfe power of the Romans was derived. He, therefore, projected the conqueft of Spain, a | country equal, in extent to Italy, and which, | of confequence, would be'capable of furnifh- 4 jing fafficient refources for recruiting his ar- | in time of war, without having recour‘e to the dangerous expedient of hiring merce- ig a ay | would be foreign to our purpofe, to.enter i minutely i into the caufes of Hannibal's fai- x _hure, in his attempt to fubdte the Romans. Iki is fufficient'to obferve, that his country- ‘en aenied cobealy in heir ideas, and fancied themfelves ( 4o ) themfelves great, only in confequence of the quantity of filver they could extraé&t from the Spanifh mines, the eftates they could boaft of in that country, or the money they could pro- cure by means of trade. In thefe early ages, — the kingdom of Spain abounded with filver mines, perhaps equal to any of thofe in the — new world, but, which were quickly exhaufts _ ‘ed, by the infatiable avarice of the Cartha- ginians and Romans.’ To thefe things, there- ” fore, they applied themfelves, leaving the _ brave general to (hift for himfelf, and, at laft, to fail in the conqueft of a country where he had remained for 17 years, in defiance of the moft warlike nation in the world, and, in © oppofition to the beft commanders they: ty produce againft him. ‘So fenfible, indeed, was Hannibal of the neceflity of agriculture, — that, even while in Italy, he fometimes em- — ployed his men in planting olive trees, and, — when he returned. to Carthage, did — evi . thing in his power to encourage and oes that moft ufeful art. During the long tract of timesit in hich agriculture was. the principal occupation of ‘mankind in time of peace, and commerce but . | little ( 9 ® 7 ttle kriown, we find thofe nations who ap- | fied themtlves to it, very ftrong, and capa- ble of refifting the moft powerful enemies. ‘The northern barbarians, indeed, who invad- _ @d the empire, were as ignorant of agricul- Fa ture as of commerce. They deftroyed and de- _ populated, therefore, every where, to fuch a degree, that the Romans, numerous as they _ had been, but now much enervated by dévi- fions among themfelves, and diffipation, were almoft entirely exterminated; while their fa- | wage conquerors found themfelves in danger of ftarving from the effects of their own de- vaftations. Agriculture, therefore, once more, became the general objeét, and, while it con- tinued to be fo, the European nations, fhot- withftanding their continual wars among themfelves, were numerous and ftrong; fo _ that, when the rage of crufading commenced, ih they : were able to {pare a million of warriors C,. ‘not only without difadvantage, but to the very great emolument of thofe who were left ; as thofe warriors were the perfons, _ who, under pretences of glory and honour, | a Mepevery nation in Europe in a ferment. ' Hiftory, however, is not at prefent our ob- “ject. Every one knows, that, ‘with the cru- Sty F fades sxe . 0 eee : ( 42 } fades ceafed all that violence of war which had for fo long depopulated the weftern parts of the world. Since that time, the arts of peace have gradually prevailed, the horrors of war have been mitigated, battles have been reduced, comparatively, to fkirmifhes, and learning and the arts have increafed to a de+ gree unknown fince the foundation of the world. : - By what means, therefore, fhall we folve this paradox, that, while different nations waged perpetual war with each other, man= kind were not thinned, and now, when they, comparatively, live at peace, their numbers are not increafed. Nay, to add to our fur- j ¥ prife, in this refpe@t, we muft take into our — account themuch greater frequency of plagues. and famines in former times thannow. To what fecret caufe, then, are we to afcribe this — hidden and invifible deftruction of our fpecie pe is which, amidft the appearances of peace ian plenty, proves an equivalent to all the rava- ges. of war, Roe and a lay of men by ibe is {carcely felt more =: time of peace? oa nit) a ( 43 ) The caufe, indeed, befides the diffipation already mentioned, may be traced as far back as the time of the crufades themfelves, when the view of eaftern magnificence firft infpired the Europeans with a defire of running hither and thither in queft of luxuries and finery, No fooner was this idea entertained than the - _ invention of the mariner’s compafs put it in the power of mankind to gratify their wan- dering inclinations, and Africa firft, and af- terwards the Eaft and Weft Indies quickly be- came receptacles for crouds of adventurers from all nations in Europe. Thus, the atten- tion of mankind was drawn from the improve- ment of their own country, towards the im- portation of commodities of which the diftance _ from whence they were brought very often conftituted the greateft value; and thus, to | the prefent day, every European nation has conti ed, Tike the daw in the fable, to drefs fin borrowed plumes; without confider- ing, that, thefe being very liable to a removal, may foon leave them naked and deftitute, even of what they might otherwife poflefs. | It is evident, therefore, that before any Nation attempts either foreign trade, or fo- reign conqueft, the territory properly be- longing > Se ( 4%) longing to it fhould be improved, and made to yield all thatit is capable of yielding; for thus only it can be pofleffed of any fuperflu- ous ftrength, that can be exerted with pro-- priety im adventures either of trade or con- queft. | Of all nations in the world, I ave heard only of one, which, according to our prefent method of reckoning, is in a condition to un- dertake projects of this kind ; and that is, the empire of China. All the accounts we have of that vaft country, reprefent it as improved in the higheft degree, and fo full of inhabi- tants, that they have exhaufted every refource _ for fubfiftence, whether derived from agri- culture, internal fifheries, or even commerce: Though in this laft they never chufe to ven- ture far; as a foolith attachment to their own country would prompt them to ftarve in 5 aaa Ee Neo s. uv is be: x Be “y » China, rather than go out of i it, in or find fubfiftence. : ee eee? * want of room, as = fay, are obliged to ftay in wooden houfes, conftrugted upon floats 3 in the water ; and fome cities are ioe popeed \ R ( ias sd tO contain two millions of inhabitants The ftrength of this country would evi- dently be increafed: by fending forth»colo- | _ nies ; ; as fuch immenfe population could well _ fpare the emigrants, afford fufficient force ta | Y defend'them’; and ‘thofe who remained, by Sie laving more room, would be able to fubfitt more comfortably. | ag . It is néedlefs to adduce more examples, in om to prove, how much the encourage. ment of agriculture promotes the real inte. reft of anation. By application to this moft _ ufefulart, not only the population is increafed to an incredible degree, but the wealth is “4 * eapagee in equal proportion. - — » Few nations; in this or any other age, have . 4 paid that attention to agriculture which it ! = ES. ‘The Chinefe, in the prefent age are | noft the.only exception. In that Hide, aL tion easier the nature of the foil will permit : And as their hills are cultivated to the very top, it is moft reafonable to think, that this is dene by means of the fpade, and ee bare rocks covered with earth. The con- fequence +o NER - ( 46 ) fequence is, that the nation is by far the moft - numerous, as well as the richeft of any inthe ~ world. The revenues of the Emperor of China exceeded thofe of the Great Mogul, e> ven when hewas in the height of his {plen- dor; yet this mighty monarch, by an ane nual proceffion, in which he himfelf holds, the plough, never fails to acknowledge the obligation he owes to agriculture. | _ The amazing increafe of population is no where more evident than in this great em= pire. When invaded by the cruel Moguls, whofe principle of conqueft was to deftroy every human creature in the countries they” invaded, it is incredible what multitudes were’ cut off; yet the Chinefe not only foon reco- vered themfelves, but even civilized their — conquerors. The finalleft trace of this inva~’ fion does not now remain in that country ci though in the weftern parts of Tartary, where’ fimilar devaftations were committed, and where the inhabitants. chufe pafturage ra- ther than agriculture, the country has never regained its former populoufneds. aie } Agriculture, therefore, being the only proper means for males a rapid increafe of | | population, 7 ; ( 47 ) ation, is likewife the only proper foun- ation of arts, manufactures, and commerce. ‘This is likewife manifeft from the example of the Chinefe, among whom commer¢e is : ried to an incredible height; and the arts are come to as great perfection as can poflibly ‘ e fuppofed in a country where the felf-con- eit of the inhabitants makes them think themfelves fuperior to all the reft of oe orld. In all countries thefe muft be fomewhat unfavourable to population. Commerce is particularly fo, by carrying people out of their own country into foreign climates, which is more deftructive than even the fword of an enemy. This is evident even _ from the accounts which, from time to time, ‘are publithed by authority, of thofe aboard his D ee: $s navy who die natural deaths, and hot silled i in battle. Tan account of this kind, published - in January 178 I, it appears, that from the year 1774 to 1780, there were raifed for the fervice of the Navy 175,990 feamen: Of thefe, from the beginning of 1776, to.the be- viii of 1781, there had fallen in battle on~ _ ly ) ( 48) ly 1243; though, in the fame fpace of time; no fewer then 18,545 had died naturally.’ » _ The fame account prefents us with a moft | fufpicious article, under the title of defertion, and: which includes 42,069. - In what man- ner it was poflible for fuch a number 4s 42,000 failors to find an opportunity of de+ ferting from the royal navy, will undoubtedly — furpafs the comprehenfion of vulgar intellects ; , unlefs by deferters we mean prifoners of war, : thofe who perifh in the ocean, as well as de- _ ferters properly fo called ; for the account al- luded to'gives no lift of either of thefe. Upon this, however, or fomething fimilar to it, We muft make our calculation. It cannot befup- — pofed that lefs care is taken to preferve the lives of feamen in the royal navy, than in the trading fhips fitted out by private adventur- ers, and they are evidently more free - from: the hazard of ftorms and fhipwrecks, bec caufe the men of war are much ftronger and bet 1 er failers than the merchant fhips. Every cir cumftance confidered, therefore, we mutt fup- pofe the deftruétion of mankind to be no lefs by the veffels employed in commerce, than on. board the fhips of war; nor can we eftimate | 5 the A) rs ys ( 49 ) ke number of thofe employed in maritime affairs, including the -failors on board the _ navy, kept up in time of peace, atilefs than _ between one and 200,000 men: But of thefe, according to the data with which we are al- Ae ready furnifhed, we cannot fuppofe that few- er than 30,000 are annually loft to their coun- try; including fuch as die a natural death at | fea, thofe who go into foreign countries and : mever return, who perifh by fhipwreck, by the uncommon diffipation natural to feafar- ing people, &c. It is needlefs to expatiate on this fubject, in order to fhew how much population would be increafed were that number to ftay at home, marry, and have children ; the thing is felf-evident. Arts and manufactures are unfavourable ‘ees population, rather in an indirect manner. _ “Agriculture, we know, was the employment ‘for which man was originally defigned by his Maker; and therefore it is more natural ‘and friendly to the conftitution than any o- ther. Many of the trades which man has in- uvented for himfelf, evidently tend to fhorten “his days, either by the confinement neceflary ‘for: carrying oa on, or the pernicious na- i G ture C 50 ) ture of the materials from which ona come modities are produced. . hod 8 - But the worft confequerice of shinlesd is, Aas they affemble the human {fpecies together in too great numbers, fo that vice of :all kinds obtains’'a much more firm footing among them than it can do when they are difperfed. Hence all great cities are .exceedingly unfa-. vourable to population. The unwholfome- nefs of the air produces difeafes ; the inhabi- tants enervate themfelves by intemperance and debauchery ; and the multitudes of pro- ftutes with which they abound, not only deprive the public of the fervice which might be expected from them, but likewife of their pofterity ; and their example communicates itfelf to the country. On this difagreeable fabject, WBkecue: we ; a enter into particulars at prefent. E- -very reader muft affent to the truth of what ~-weshave advanced, and may make the caleu- lation in what manner he thinks proper. To evince the truth of the general point . for which we have contended in this fection, by further arguments, is unneceflary. To -confirm our reafoning, we fhall, however, here add a few extracts from an ingenious writer, ON. etl a “an ‘( e) “writer - who has alfo endeavoured to awaken ‘the attention of mankind to the faperior ‘ad- a antages of agriculture above mamifactires ye commerce. ie) “P..31. “ The produce‘ of the ‘earth is the natural revenue of every nation: It is a benevolence, or free gift from God, ‘as the proper and immediate maintenance of his “creatures ; and athrifty management of it fettles the tempers of the people to an affec~. tion for their rulers: It opens a credit with foreign countries, and multiplies refources to fupply every artificial want. ‘It is the “foul of commerce, and the finew$ of au- ‘thority. It preferved Rome, and fecured Hiero in the poffeffion of Sicily.” P. 37. “Four years after Dioclefian had ae retired from the toils of government, to ia enjoy the tranquility and eafe ir a private ‘ Pons «'w tein! the throne; but Dioclefian, with a philofophical indifference, ftopt his 1 impor- tunities, by this fimple but fignificant in- -terrogation: “ Did you fee, Gallerius, the plants raifed with my own hands at Salo- na?” Could language convey a ‘ftronger proof, that Dioclefian was better cpa: with *: Agviensture considered, in a feries of letters inferibrd to his Majelty, by W. Donaldfon, Ef. late fecsetary to the governor of Jamaica. ( 2% with his vegetable dominion, where all his fubjeéts were governed by one principle of ation, and directed to the end for which they were defigned, than with the empire he had quitted; where, from the depra- vity of human nature, nothing but difap- pointments could be expected.” Bs P. 38. “ Thus, upon a curfory review of <¢ ce 6 the flate of agriculture, through different ages, from the earlieft time, we find ita favourite fcience with men of the moft fublime and accomplifhed virtue imal na- tions. It was a-relaxation from the toils of war,eand the feverer ftudy of epic magni- ficence. . An attention to hufbandry is a compliance with the inclination of God: For the produce of the earth is interpreta- tively an intimation from the Almighty to cultivate it; and by making the moft of his bounty, we not only eftimate its value, but manifeft our gratitude for his Pe indulgence.” ¥ P. 74+ “ Commerce aiched the nation, but wafted its inhabitants: the country was drained of its moft ufeful people, to. furnith cities and towns: Londen, in par- “ ticular, tumified to an alarming fize, by 6¢ the ( 53) the charms of voluptuoufneds, and the at- * traction of manufadtories, Peafants being 4 familiar with health, were ignorant of the : “sc a f 6 ‘ «“ ee rT * mighty blefling! Thofe deluded’ people, with an unreluctant carelefinefs, left the active bufinefs of the field,.to encounter difeafes at the loom, and other fluggith employments! Innocence loft their affec- tion, when the country, loft their .affift- ance; ahd their minds and their blood were corrupted in the fame moment. “ This defertion from the caufe of induftry, -encreafes the bills of mortality ; multiplies hofpitals ; furnifhes the temple of juftice ; -and, what is moft melancholy, fupplies’ her altar with victims! Againft thefe alarming _“ truths commerce maintained her ground: ' She found powerful friends in every go- “ vernment; and no wonder, as fhe poured ‘immenfe fums into their refpedtive trea- it furies : Fifcal laws are the political eftates of every prince; and the paps which nourifh the minifterial polygarchy. Commerce, in- creafed by encouragement; grew unwieldy “ by an injudicious indulgence; and declined | by humours of her own generating: Com- “merce, like other prodigals, never advert- “ ed ( 54°) ed to her conftitution, but relied upon faith- rp auxiliaries, for fpirit and vigour.”*° © P. 78. “ Commerce is an avowed enemy to mankind: Kingdoms have been plundered, laid wafte, and the inhabitants butchered, to pufh her intereft! How much blood has been fhed to humour her jealoufies ! How many millions have perifhed in her fervice, by endemial difeafes, or fwallowed in the ocean! and how many thoufands have been flattered out of the world, by her deceit- — ful luxuries! Commerce gives countenarice to every extravagancy, by tranfmuting the vices of mankind into relative virtues. **- Agriculture received her appointment from the hand of nature, and, like a faith- ful fervant, has conformed to the inftruc- tions of her great patronefs; fhe is a friend to mankind, fhe fécures him health, and appetite, and provides him food to main- tain one, and gratify the other; fhe gives “ftrength to his body, and furnifhes him with materials to cloath and preferve it: As an attentive handmaid, fhe drefles up ~— “the face of nature in Jovelinefs, and feafts the eye of man with her incomparable beau, ties ; ; add to all thefe real excellencies, fhe, ce by G 53° 9 * by reftraining his paflions, entails upon * him long life, with the enjoyment of peace, “ and abundance.” P. 81. “ Hufbandry is the vital ftream of * commerce; it circulates through every part; it is the medium that tempers the whole ; _the artizan muft be fed, and labour is va- lued by the liberal, or parfimonious pro- ductions of the earth; when cultivation is neglected, trade biti: and is only kept ‘ in motion by ourownvanities; theconfump- *-tion of other countries muft be fupplied from a more reafonable market. Plenty helps the ftaple trade of this country, in another view ; when provifions are cheap, the poor are enabled to lay by fome part of their wages for the comfortable purpofe of cloathing themfelves and families. Often- “ * tation rifes with abundance. Wretched- * ‘nefs is the companion of {carcity. SECTION ou tt oO.N i ee ‘THE PRESENT ‘STATE OF BRITAIN, WITH ’ RESPECT TO AGRICULTURE. — a ‘may bethought a ftrange thing to affert, — ) that, with refpect to agriculture, Britain, — even at this day, isin a very poor ftate of improvement. Yet, from undoubted facts, ‘it is not only certain that this is the cafe, but that it is in a worfe fituation in this refped, : than it formerly was. ~The firft proof which I fhall adduce of this is, that the farmers, in every part of the country, are daily failing. Superficial ob- — fervers may perhaps fuppofe, that fuch fai- lures are owing merely to the extravagancy, folly, or misfortunes of the unhappy indivi- duals. That luxury and diffipation are too prevalent in the country, as well asin cities, we readily own; and that the mifmanage- ment of farmers is one caufe, we fhall quick- ly { or 9. Labia. But when bankruptcies univerfal- ly prevail among farmers, the caufes mutt alfo be univerfal. Thefe caufes are indeed but too obvious. Toevery perfon acquaint- ed with the prefent ftate of the country, I appeal, for the truth of the following affer- tions. _ By the impolitic souiait of ym land- lords, the rents of unimproved ground are raifed much above their value. . By a policy equally abfurd, others. depopulate the coun- "try, by letting farms greatly too large; and by granting no leafes but what are far too fhort, their tenants are abfolutely prevented. from making any real improvements. The farmers alfo, by following an improper mode of cultivation, greatly heighten thar own diftrefs. In many farms, we find the beft foil laid down in grafs, and feldom broke up for corns; while the part that is fown with grain is much exhaufted with conftant crop- ing. Tothe above caufes we mutt afcribe the infolvency of farmers, and the confequent decreafe of the produce of Britain. _ What we have here advanced will be con- fiderably illuftrated by the following {pirited | a : remarks ( 58 ) ‘remarks of Mr Donaldfon; © fvid. “Letters, p. 93.) which afford a juft, however melan+ _ choly picture of the prefent ftate of peg in England. *. 2s . 2 F's4 Shs oe: Gé <4 * Tomaintain luxury, and gratify avarice, : ene were advanced to a moft-enormous degree; farmers, to keep pace with their andlords, advaticed the price of the land’s ‘produce in an unreafonable proportion. In this unpropitious change of affairs, in- duftry became the dupe of opulence; for ‘the few who ruled the markets were the oily gainers by the impofition. The nee+ dy farmer, who has no greater initereft than in doing juftice to his farm, is obliged to fend his goods to market, as his family miuft be maintained from day to day ; his penury cannot refift any prices that may be offered him; his corn muft be threfhed out, when he has money to hire labourers for that neceflary fervice ; and his land re- mains untilled, until temporary affiftance can be purchafed, for which extravagant wages are exacted. Thus raifing his crops at the greateft expence, and felling them:-at _ * the loweft prices, he is ~ to refift on { 59°) “an additional tax on jhis labour; he finks under the oppreflive weight of an advanced * rent; he is in. arrears with his landlord, _ who being impatient under the difficulty ef. of getting his money, removes the unhap- “ py pauper from his farm; and, without _ allowing -himfelf ‘to feel, for his diftrefs, _ “drives the victim from. his home,-and.con- _ ~ figns this wife and children to languifh in a workhoufe! From»this. difhonett treat- * ment, difhonefty 1s not fufferently un- “ derftood in the idea: of a houfe-breaker; “ for ‘he ‘is infinitely more ignominious, who, by deftroying the induftrious huf- “*bandman, robs the public of his fervice ; “© and can, with deliberate barbarity, de- “ prive humanity’ of thofe features which Sah a character to the nation! I repeat it “ again, from this difhoneft treatment, the “ family, who but lately was of fervice to * the public, is now become a burden to it; | © his few acres are given to a wretch, who had too many before, becaufe he will be “ more regular i in his annual payments. _ ~ © Thus rents are raifed, provifions advan- ; “ ced, and the wages of labour augmented, ‘to * 4 $6 46 Gy to the injury of the commonwealth, with- out any real or fubftantial benefit to the landlord, the tenant, or the labourer! If the landlord receives more money, he is not the richer, as he has involuntarily laid the above tax upon himfelf; for, if he has a genius for calculation, he will find his prodigality is rated higher’ than he has provided for in his additionalrevenue. Be- fides, as we are generally difpofed to value our importance upon the fum we annually receive, an augmentation of income will be apt to make us play a bolder game at the hazard table! multiply the number of our miftreffes! increafe our plagues, im the increafe of fervants! and furfeit. ourfelves upon the addition of twenty more covers every day upon our table. Or, in the o- ther extreme, avarice takes from the value of his hoarded treafure, and difpatches fa- licitude and fufpicion, to invite anxiety to be the chief gueft in their miferable party. © The tenant is under the fame infatuation; his mind expands with his fortune, and he is vifited by pafiions that competency was a ftranger to; or he buries the ufelefs favings, wrung from every enjoyment of life. ( 61 ) ife. “And the labourer works lefs, and # lives more intemperately.”. A further proof, that agriculture’ is deeti> jing i is, that fome years ago Britain exported ‘corns to the amount of fix or 700,000/, an- nually ; while now we are obliged to import grain to the amount of three or 400,000/. and fome years a million anda half, which makes a difference of more than a million a year to the nation; fome years two. Let any perfon in the leaft degree ac- quainted with the prefent ftate of Britain with refpect to agriculture, only confider what he himfelf knows to be the cafe; viz. the great difference betwixt the improvements in fome parts of the country, and others of a fimilar foil; both having the fame means of improve ‘ment by lime, marle, dung, &c. and, in ma- ‘ny places, fields lying contiguous to one ano-~ | ther; the one producing large crops of corn and grafs, the other fuch fcanty crops of corns, that they will not pay for feed and la- bour; the one farmer growing rich, the other very poor ; the very {mall proportion that the improved part of the country bears to that which is not improved; the very large tracts of wafte land in every part of the country ca- pable ( @) pable of being made.to: produce.good crops of corn and grafs, yet.fuffered to lie barrem,. even hear the metropolis of London itfelf, where dung is to,.be purchafed: cheaper than, an any other part of Britain, and i in very, large’ quantities. Though thefe are facts obvious to the infpection of every one, yet many peo- ple differ in their .opinions concerning their caufes; aswell as in the BORE: methods of applying a remedy. ...,.. _ If we may believe fome eftimates ae lors been publithed, of the number of people em- * ployed.in, manufadtures of different -kinds, the proportion. is..by far too, great for oe number.of inhabitants... ni By an account,of this kind lately publ ith: ed in the newfpapers, it would appear, that above five millions of people are employed in manufactures, &c. .And: though we cannot pretend to vouch for the exaéinefs of this ef- timate, yet it may be looked upon as a fad pretty well.authenticated, that more than three-fourths of the inhabitants of Great Bri tain live in cities, or towns, or are now em- ployed in the various Britith manufaG@ures, commerce, fifheries, &c. But if this be the true Bate of the cafe, the number left to till the ——— eftimated produce: of -all the trade, ures, fifheries, &c. amounts {carce “qo one’ half of that from agriculture. | | _ * In the account alluded to, this produce is f ~ ealculated at fifty-one millions fterling; al- though there is ground to believe, that this ~ galeulation is too little; But the produce of ~ the foil muft certainly be much greater, as may eafily be demonitrated im the following manner: >~Let us fuppofe, that the ieesidied of inha-~ bitants in Great Britain amount, according to the common calculation, to eight or ten millions; dll thefe muft ultimately. be fub- fifted and clothed by the produce of the foil, excepting fome little affiftance from the fith- eries, i in moft cafes too trifling to deferve any “Motice. Let us next fuppofe, that the ex- pence of maintaining each inhabitant of Great Britain amounts to /. 15 per annum; ; and we fhall find the whole amount to the prodigious fum of 120 or 150 millions. An obje@tiion may no doubt arife, that this calculation is rated by far too high; as it is well known, that whole families make a fhift to fubfift npon lefs than the fun here allotted to ( 64 ) toafingle perfon; but if we confider at the fame time, the great number of horfes, oxen, cows, affes, fheep, fwine, &c. that muft like- wife be fupported by the produce of the foil, which is all included in the L.15, we fhall certainly find the eftimate fufficiently mode- rate. For all carriage and race horfes coft £. 20, or upwards, per annum. Farm horfes, _ L. 10, milk cows, L.5. ‘The expence of © hounds and other dogs is very confiderable. The maintenance of fheep, {wine, and all the {maller kind of cattle muft alfo be included in the calculation. Taking the whole of this into confiderds ‘tion, we may fairly conclude, That two thirds of the produce of the foil is expended on the brute creation; and confequently, there remains only Z. 5 per annum for the. fupport of each human creature. And, if we add, as before obferved, that hires fa of the inhabitants of Britain live in cities and towns, which is more expenfive than a coun- try life: Confidering, I fay, the whole of this, the average of L.15, for every human creature muft be fufficiently moderate; and confequently, the produce of Britain, efti- mating . a ( 65 ) ating the inhabitants at eight or ten mil- fio: 8, cannot be lefs than 120 or: 1 5 mil- + a j Befides all this, the manufactured produce 5 et " the ae} foil, exported to other coun- the whole wise of our ifland to be no lefs ‘than 200 millions. At any rate, we fee, that the natural pro- ‘duce of our foil; according even to a very ; Snoderate computation, far exceeds the moft eXaggerated eftimation of the produce and ‘profit of our commerce, fitheries, and manu~ ‘faGtures, “Hence, again, ‘it is obvious, how great an : object i it ought to be with government to en- irage the i improvement of our own coun- try as much as poflible, in preference to thefe fecondary objects, which never can give real wealth or ftability to a nation. Indeed, the proper way of encouraging manufactures is by giving encouragement to agriculture ; for thus, colonies are raiféd a- “mong ourfelves for the confumpt of them; ‘an internal commerce is inftituted, which, ’ J with inp SE TL ( 66 ) | with all the advantages of that to Soreigalee . countries, is entirely free from fea-rifk, or iy dangers arifing from unhealthful climates; ae and therefore ought, as far as it can be pufh- x ed, to be preferred to the other. Mr Knox informs us, in his Tour through : Scotland, 1787, “ That the goods manufactur | | ed i in England, and fent to this country, a- a- mount to no lefs than two millions fterling — | annually ; ; and if it was improved according — to the plans propofed, the quantity would be 3 more than doubled.” He alfo fays, in p. 169, + “That, in 1 697, the general amount of exports cs was found to be 3,525,906, of which was fent to Scotland annually, upon an average of years between 1696 and the union of the two kingdoms, to the yalue of L. 635345- Between the year 1707 and the commence- ment of the laft war, the exports to Scotland had gradually rifen to L. 2,000,000. From. thefe calculations it appears, that the exports _to Scotland, in the equRte of 80 years, have increafed thirty fold. _ That the produce of Britain fhould now be onthe decline, conveys rather a melancholy idea ; ; confidering how fevere a fhock our commerce Ie f ebjers nations. : r at we have not yet arrived at that per- ~ feétion to which the art of agriculture can eat afily be brought, is however evident, be- & tnite there are not two counties, nay fcarce two farms in England of Scotland, let them _ be ever fo fimilar in foil and other external _ Gircumftances, which are cultivated in the _ fame manner: And where any art whatever ‘ aie not conducted by an uniform plan, it is evidently far from being yet arrived at any degree of perfection. ‘But the worft i is, what hath been already hinted at, that the produce of Britain, with- in thefe few years, has certainly diminifhed, notwithftanding the many {fchemes and fan- cied improvements that. have been under- taken with a view to increafe it. That the produce has diminifhed, even in one of the moft highly improved counties in England ; and that this diminution is owing to purfuing a very improper mode of culti- Vation, is fully evidenced by Mr Marthall, in | his his “ Rural Economy. of. rere, ” who obferves, p. 84. and again p. 86.” a ct ¢ <4 c ce ‘6 “ << “¢ c¢ €& &¢ 66 af és ee ( 68 ) “ Minute 49. January 10. How ftronie and ae lafting is the current of cuftom! The Nor- eee folk farmers, while corn fold high, were. affiduous to cultivate every inch the plough — a 7s could reach: Old marl-pits were levelled, nooks and corners grubbed and broken up, and even bogs were converted into arable land. _ Grafs land, of courfe, became -wholly out of fafhion, and totally negleét- ed. Andnow, when corn is low, the fame a practice fill prevails. Scraps of arable land are ftill purchafed at more labour than they are fometimes worth; while the meadows are fuffered to remain a dif rac to the country, notwithftanding they would pay trebly for improvement.” E80. -% Minute 51. January 13. What 3 a difgrace,and what a field for improvement are the meadows of this county! ‘The farmers here hire. marfhes and grazing ‘rounds at the diftance of twenty or thir- ‘ty miles, and give high | prices; when, at the fame time, many farmers might, with a common fhare of attention and manage- | ** ment e ( 69 ) “ment, have them at a much cheaper Tate tow vithin the limits of their own sail as) # — to deal. with. Whilft ; a Nor* i folk farmer is beftowing more coft upon 2 * his arable land than, at the prefent prices * of corn, he ean ever regain from it, he’ is “ doing rarely well by his land;” but the moment the foot of improvement fteps on to his grafs lands, be it even to opena few gripes to let off the furface-water, the ‘eyes of the country‘are upon him ; for he “is buying his meadows.” — Were he to : carry a load of muck from his par-yard on “to hig meadow land, 2 ftatute of lunacy “ “would be the probablé confequence. ° »'“ Prejudice, however, is not the only thing: "ee the improvement: of the Norfolk meadows. A want of Knowledge in the ‘art of draining, is a fifter-caufe; for, of the few who attempt to drain tei mea- dows, fearcely any are acquainted with the ‘method of performing it properly. They -make their drains. much too fall, too nu- ‘merous, and cut them in improper direc~ tons ; 3 nor do they ever go to.a proper ** depth: Cg eee a a ~~ oc en ae ar. Tour TS 4 ( 7 ) * depth to do the work effectually : For, “ fhould they chance to dip to a bed of gta~ “ vel they have done wonders, atid there “ they ftop ; ; for. their Apades and “ mud- “ crooms” cari go no farther.” The ftate of Norfolk is miferable tidied If the farmers continue this practice of hav- ing fo much land in corn; and neglecting to’. fow grafs; the country muft, ina few ai be unavoidably ruined. © , . And if Norfolk, one of thé moft sinpraved counties in England, is failing in its produce, what muft be the fituation of lefs improved counties? | ! ity Another more conclufive argument; that the produce of Britain is detreafed, is, the diminution, or rather total abolition of ex~ portation of corn, and the fubftitution of ‘Importation. in its place. But that which carries along with it the éreateft conviction is, the increafed price of proyifions, at the fame time that the far- mers, fo far from being enriched, are appa- rently much poorer than before. In fome parts.of the country, indeed, where they are carrying on improvements in a proper man~- ner, the farmers {till continue to make rich; yet —- « ee ee d ¢ alto. _ To all this may be added, that the coun= ary i in general is depopulating very rapidly, { v9 yee it is evident, that the generality of thefe in the country are rather on the decline ; and herever the farmers are on the decline, the roduce of the foil muft neceflarily decline by reafon of the noblemen and gentlemen flocking into cities, and neglecting to im- prove their eftates, to which many of them, within thefe few years, have paid great at- tention. This was, indeed, a very rational and agreeable amufement: But now, truft- ing the moft of their bufinefs to factors, ma- ny of whom are very ignorant of country af- fairs, they amufe themfelves with the fafhion- _able diverfions of the times, efpecially gam- bling; which engrofs the greateft part of. their attention, fo that they have no time to fpare for the good of their country, or even their own intereft, which muft ultimately be ‘conneéted with it. . Inftead of this, it is too common for them to depopulate the country, by fetting too large farms, and fheep-walks; ‘fo that many families, whofe progenitors have lived fome hundreds of years in one plac, (ay place, are obliged, either to go to great cited, " or to leave the kingdom altogether. — Every man has his hobby-horfe, to hicks every other thing muft yield: But it is a great happinefs when mens minds take a turn to ftudy their own intereft, and the good of their country at the fame time. It isa good - “motto, and always to be kept in mind: Non nobis folum nati fumus. Which is tranflated: “ Man is not born for t himfelf. 99 4 j - “te + SECTION : He fearching for the caufes why farmers | J SECTION W. , ‘ Why Farmers are not enriched in proportion to the increafed Price of Provifions. are not enriched, in proportion to the in- _ creafed price of provifions, we fhall be at ° little lofs to fix on fome of thofe methods which modern farmers have looked upon to be improvements, _ It is too much the cuftom, particularly in _ agriculture, for people to look only to what will produce immediate profit and advantage; without attending to the certain and obvious confequences in future crops. Hence, in fome places, too much is laid out in corns crops, and too little in grafs, becaufe from thence the farmer thinks he derives immedi- ate advantage. In other places, the ground is almoft all laid out in grafs, becaufe there they imagine that grafs farms turn to the K greateft A wy greateft profit. In others, again, the foilis wafted by the continual ufe of lime and marl - in great quantities, becaufe thefe fubftances are found toproducegreatcrops fora few years; and it is vainly hoped that the ground can continue to do fo perpetually, without being fown with grafs.. Lime and marl are excel- lent for improvement, when followed with dung, and thrown into grafs; but, by con- al ftant cropping, exhauft the foil fo much, that it will bear but fcanty crops of either corn or graf. “This fhews. the neceflity.of bi half corn and half grafs. i hen cuftoms of this kind are arrived at ce any confiderable height, the natural confe- | quence muft be, that the. ground being un- able to produce a fufficient crop, the ‘farmer cannot pay his rent; and’ this added to the avidity of fome landholders in raifing their rents to the utmoft, produces numerows fai- lures in different parts of the country. Thefé failures, again, ‘prevent the ground from bes ing properly improved; and thus the mala« dy, once. begun, ‘neceflarily increafes, ans every year the farm muft. declines 99" It is evident, indeed, that no farm can Ind improved without expending a confiderable fum ( 7) ua: Niclas ntcdedceaiin asdest ‘And unlefs a farmer has a command, of moneys Mhbiniaiocnt saache wads |: s>.4 he t mutt alfe be) remarked, that-no Fie an be keptin order without a part of grafs; vs without money to, buy: cattle, the’ far- __ mer cannot reap any benefit. . Along with this, however, we muft take notice, that pof- fibly-many farmers, may truft too, much: to, fervants|; the cqneanenene of whidha are. fale figiently obvious. _ “Among the caufes of the Sexes of money. - amdng farmers, we muft not forget to enu- merate the enormous load of national. debt. _ By the accumulation of this, the greater part | “o. money in the kingdom has. been depo- - fitedin the hands of government; and the hig Ranier given. by thofe. in power, fupe- rior to: what i is allowed.to be received from any: private. perfon, {till encourages the mo- nied men. to-depolit their: cafh. in the hands of government, rather than in thofe of. far- mers, or any private perfons,. Thus the far- mers being deprived of their ufual nefources, necéflary for keeping their credit in fome cafes, fqueezed in too many inftances, by. oe fome ( 76 ) fome avaricious landlords, and being like wife allowed too fhort tacks, become at re unable to pay their rents. : _ The general cry at prefent is, that flienionas is a lofing game; fo that few people of pro- | perty now chufe to embark in it, and ‘fewer chufe to rifk their money by lending it toa farmer. And perhaps, in fome dafes, by giving in- é to the general vice of the country, too expen= five a mode of living, it is impoffible:but:ma- ny failures muft happen; fo that things pro- ceeding in this manner for fome time, the produce of the country in general muft be affected in the mott arlene and re manner. . Some farmers often hurt shersfitwes:? erie ly from i ignorance and felf-conceit, by not having a proper rotation of crops of corn ‘and -grafs: Sometimes ‘trying experiments’ that turn out to their difadvantage; many hurt- ing themfelves during the laft three or four years of the leafe, by overcropping, and thus ruin the foil; fo that it will perhaps take’ ten years to bring it into the- fame condition it _ was before. ‘This is injuring the landlord, © and the nation in general ; and doing no good : ae ri c 7a to the farmer, and only tends to indulge a lit- tle refentment, in order to hurt the incoming tenants. ~~ The following quotation from Marthall’s Rural Economy, may tend to illuftrate the _ preceding obfervations. | _ P. 102. “ Minute 58. January 29. In a _ “™ converfation to-day with two of the firft _ “ farmers in the county, a comparifon be- “tween the prefent times, and thofe from “ fifteen. to twenty years ago, became the Sefubject. « * The price of barley was then, from five “ fhillings to feven fhillings a coomb; of * wheat, from ten fhillings to fourteen fhil- “¢ lings ; and beef three fhillings and fixpence “-aftone. Now, barley is eight fhillings, “ wheat twenty-two fhillings, and beef four ** fhillings, or four fhillings and fixpence: “ Yet, in thofe days, farmers had plenty of “* money, and actually increafed in riches; whereas, now, they are moneylefs, and are every year finking in poverty. | “ To explain this paradox feemed difficult ; * the price of day-labour is fomewhat de- * creafed; fervants wages the fame now as “then; houle-keeping fomewhat MOTE: €X> “ penfive és 4 4 ( 7 ) « penfive as'to the price of its particular ars “ ticles, but, wponthe whole, it is not’more “ fo; for farmers, principal farmers, now : ** keep lefs company than they did in thofe “ times. One of them obferved, that he “ pays the fame price for a coat, and the “) fame fora fhirt, he did formerly ; andias *¢ to market, and. other perfonal expences; he’ “is clear, that among capital farmers, they * are lefs now than they were then. The *¢ poors-rate, it is true, falls heavy at prefent! “ but he fays, that he pays only. fourtéen’ “* pounds now, for what he then paid ten * pounds ; this, therefore, is not of materia “ confequence: And this excellent hufband- “ man, fenfible and well-informed: as: hells, ** feemed willing: to’ aflign Altoe ‘acieieioag fome : yee Cone sey hid A Sed “ inexplicable hidden : “ At length, however, he precio en? “¢ idea, which goes a great way towards ex- ** plaining the apparent riches of former, and’ “ the apparent poverty of the prefent times. “ In every corner there are monied men.’ * Formerly they diffufed their riches through * the neighbourhood they lived im It was * no uncommon circumftance for a farmer “even to be afkked to take i is wanes “ now, ; + oe { 7 ) , through arwant of private credit, and ied faith between man and man, and more to the prefent high rate of inte- ‘ reft to be made on government-fecurity, the monies which were difperfed in the country among farmers and tradefmen aré now all calledin. of This explains very fully. de apparent os Klaicbies of former times, and the apparent | “ poverty of the prefent; but it does not ex- _ © plain why farmers er erew rich, but _ © now grow poor. _ ™ The late rife of rents at once fully deve- .: loped the whole myftery. For although “ the ufurer’s money might affift the farmer “an purchafing ftock, &c. toan advantage; “ yet this advantage was in great meafure et neelled by the intereft which he had an- “ mually to pay for it; whereas the money “ arifing from the comparative lownefs of “ remit, required neither intereft nor even _“ principal to be repaid. _ “ Thus, fuppofingfarms to be raifed thir- “ ty per cent. within the laft fifteen or twen- “ty years; and fuppofing, that among “ middling farmers, the rife in the poors- * “Fates, and the extra expence of houfe- Ua | “* keeping, é¢ L +9 be BE ¢6 &é ( 2. keeping, is adequate: to the advance of produce; the farmer, who juft now makes © ends meet on a farm of one hundred and thirty pounds a year, had formerly a fur- plus of thirty pounds left in his pocket to buy ftock, &c. at the beft market. “This, even the fecond year of his leafe, he found of great advantage ; but the third year, the thirty became fixty; the fourth, ninety, or perhaps one hundred pounds: For the intereft, or a proper management induftrious, fortunate man found himéelf, at the end of his twenty-one year’s leafe, to be worth eight hundred or one thou- fand pounds; and confequently got, very defervedly, the name of being a rich far- mer. “ But the cafe of the man who now takes a farm of a hundred and thirty pounds a year, is very different. ‘“* Let us fuppofe him to have a capital juft fufficient to ftock it, and help him through the extra expences of the firft year. ‘‘ His crops turn out tolerably, and hav- 46 ing of the money, had increafed his ftock;.fo — 3 that by intereft upon intereft, or by other advantages made of the money, a careful — 7 ( 82) ‘Sai ‘common good luck with live ftock, the . “meat produce of his farm, juft clears its _# expences, buys him a new coat, and pays ™ his landlord: But this done, he finds him- _*® felf without .a fixpence left in his pocket _ * for manure, or to’'go to a cheap. market ee stich: This however is not all.. In the courfe of the year he lofes a cow, perhaps a horfe. _ “© What is to be done? He is pennylefs, and “ cannot berrow’a fhilling in the whole ft country. Why, he muft either do with- _ out, to the great prejudice of his farm, or % fell fome other part if his cate to replace ‘© them with. * The next year, his lien or his turnip re © erop. fails. him. He has ‘not a fhilling be- “Web Gavedracsth to carry him over the difficulty 5 % “ he confequently becomes in atrear with 4 his landlord ; his fpirits’are broken ; his * Jand not only wants manure, but .even la- _ * bour and’teathe; for he is glad to fell his _ * pullocks before Chriftmas, to keep his ‘ Jandlord im temper. The confequence , need not be traced: | _ “ Thus it appears, that the poverty of prefent farmers, more particular ly of 7 “ middling ét Cay 5: middling and {mall farmers, refults, in fome meafure, frem an advance in thee ex~ pences of houfe-Keeping, and an advance in the parifh’rates’;’ but principally, from the prefent rearenly of money, and from | “the late rife of rents,” — | i: Thefe reafons may be*very juft: But ano- oy ‘ther caufe muft:alo be affigned for the pre- - fent poverty of the farmers. The produce of Norfolk is on’ the decline. We have already cited Mr Marfhall himfelf, as an evidence of — ‘this; and have proved, that the diminution _ of the produce is owing to their following oe an improper mode of cultivation. * It may alfo be added, That: lands newly taken from fheep-walks, and new marled, which was the cafe in fome parts of Norfolk | twenty yeats ago, will, for a few years at firft, prodtice more than they will do’ after- wards; efpecially if not fown with grafs feeds, arid allowed to lie for fome “years. Light feils, fach as the moft of this county is, thay be much hurt, if not entirely ruim- ed, by being kept conftantly m corn. Jam alfo clearly of opinion, that turnips, _ if not eaten where they grow, are an exhautt- ing aig Now)}-as great quantities of cur nips Sea | ( 85 ) ips are fown there, and very little grafsythe antry mutt gradually be ruined, And if improvement fhould hereafter be attempt- it will be more difficult and expenfive to P r bri ng it into good order than it was at firft, My. opinion. on this fubje& is confirmed by _ Mr Batchelor, » Vide Marfhall, “4 — P. 273. “ Minute 118. Mr Batchelor of _ © Bradftone, {a fenfible intelligent farmer, - “at whofe houfe I flept), fays, that twenty * or thirty years ago, he never could get “ftock énough for his turnips. Hehas fi- - ; eamuthed forty or fifty bullocks in a year; « now he does not know how to buy few e- “ nough,. vand. does not finifh. more than “twenty or thirty: The roots do not come . : « to any fize, and bave no “ tack” or Agee © in them.” Mr Marfhall alfo olen te vol. I. p.'7, That fome gentlemen now will he only a feven year’s leafe; which muft prevent any new improvement, and confequently, - ruin the foil, and diminifh the produce. Befides thefe. caufes already enumerated, there are, however, others by which agricul- ture is either directly or indirectly injured. It is not, at firft view, eafy to conceive how ew much ( 84 ) much the increafe of cities and great towng : affects farming ; but this evidently leaves the country in a manner totally deftitute of gen- tlemen: Hence the fervants wages, at leaft in Scotland, is increafed double of what they were thirty years paft; and the price of eve- ry article the farmer has to purchafe is alfo increafed ; the country is deprived of that fhare of the circulation of cafh which it ought to have; and the evil is particularly : ‘increafed by the intolerable rage for build- + ing, which has fo long prevailed. Thus the r cafh is made chiefly to circulate among peo= ple ufelefs i in a great meafure to agriculture; | for great quantities of money are fent into fo- reign countries for wood and iron, which’ are eftimated by builders to be near two-thirds of the expence of a houfe. Or if the land- holder fhould not give intothe common mad< __ — ntefs of the times, by building a large houfe, | he will depofit his money in the hands of a trader, manufacturer, or any where, rather than in thofe of a farmer ; ; and other perfons’ of inferior rank never fail to manifeft the fame difpofitions. Jel - Another caufe why farmers do not grow’ rich, is owing to fome taking large farms» too , 9) goo dear, if an unimproved fate, and’ for which they have not a fufficient: on to “manure and improve. E 4 By thefé means they are ever pinenedl for ee “money, and conftantly hurried with ‘the _ ploughing, not having fufficient ftrength of éattlé to labout the farm in the proper feafon. This, for the moft part, makes the time of fowing very late, and the proper feafon. is often miffed: Of courfe, the time of reaping becomes late alfo. Hence they often lofe a great part of the crop’; as, by being fo late, : = is frequently fhaken, and broken with the winds, and hurt by carly frofts,. It is in general the cafe with moft farmers in Scotland, and fome parts of England, that — they fow too late in the feafon. It would be much for their intereft to fow early, whene- ver the feafon will permit, and likewife to fow all early corns wherever the foil is rich. It would be much for the intereft of many farmers, that their farms were only the one half number of acres; or at leaft, that they would only fow the one half of their farm :’ For they would find it more for their profit to have one acre properly ploughed, and fown | , in ( 86 ) _in feafon, and fufficiently manured, than three or four acres in the way they often take. bikie k Whenever a farmer is in fuch’a fituation,. as that. his farm mafters him, being obliged to plough at all feafons. wet and dry, in or- der to fow what he intends, he muft be fure to lofe. When the ground is wet, it would — be for his intereft that his men and horfes were idle. For wet ploughing and fowing, even where the ground is rich and in good order, hurts it very much; and fome places will not yield half the crop of the ground — ploughed dry. This is not adverted to by the generality of farmers as it ought to be. Wherever wet ploughing and late fowing is practifed, it may juftly be faid to be one caufe why they do not make rich, which is - too much the cafe with moft farmers. Eve- ry year’s experience fhews this. SECTION ae S16 -C.7T 1: O-N. Me What is the reafon that provifions are fo high, and feem to be every year increafing in price, notwithftanding fo many great improvements faid to be made in agriculture in Britam? O NE very great caufe of the dearnefs of provifions is importation; nor can cheapnefs be expected while fuch a practice - is continued, | | The farm produces in proportion to the - expence laid out for improvements, manure, &e, But if the means of improvement be taken away from the farmer, by fending the money out of our own country into ochre how cari he improve? - Exportation muft always be a principal ' €aufe of cheapnefs, becaufe it brings in large _fums to the farmer, which enable him to purchatfe fufficient quantities of manure, and likewile ( 88 ) likewife to keep a large. ftock of cattle, hot - only for labour, but for fattening. The Turks at one time prohibited expor- tation; the conféquence of which was, that a famine took place a few years after, im which many thoufands perifhed. Add to this, that when corns are import- ed, the freight, the merchant’s profit, and Jand carriage, often. amount to more than the original value of the commodity. The great ‘advantages refulting from the exportation of grain have long been known: Government formerly endeavoured to encou- tage it; and while the execution of the plan was not obftructed by the folly of thofe chiefly concerned, the conmfequences were, that the nation enjoyed plenty of provifions, and at a low price. But unhappily, the ava- rice of the farmers, merchants, and landhold- ers, with fome other concurring circumftan- ¢es, fruftrated the intentions of government. I cannot explain this matter better, than is done by Mr Donaldfon. Vide Letters, p. 86¢ “ Whoever fuggefted giving a bounty om ** the exportation of corn, was a true friend “ to his country. But I am afraid moft of 7 * thofe iy i | ( 89 ) ¢hofe who concurred in the miotion, had “ not the fame patriotic fpirit. They did : behold it in that extenfive, generous _* view, which opened upofi the mind of the oie perfon who propoféd it. I mention my — 6 Marys — «et < b aaa . apprehenfion with more confidence, fince that meafure, fo obvioufly calculated for the public, good, proved in,the end injuri- ous to it, The firft agitation of this poli- tical.catholicon, gave a jog to the ruling powers’of agriculture, and. cultivation be- “ ean to move with, alacrity; vaft abund~’ “ance of all kinds of grain flowed in upon’ “ the markets; malt was exported to Hol- “ Jand in prodigious quantities; Englith wheat drove famine from every country ; and notwithftanding the drain was opened, 74 «c ec ee ftill the face of plenty was fecn filing in - * every corner of thekingdom. Our neigh- “ bours the French, having fo ample amar-_ ket to bé fupplied from, thréw every atten- * tion upon the vine-yards and manufacto- ries; and had public virtue flourifhed in - England, we fhould, to this day, have * been the corn-factors and clothiers of Eu- “ rope ; while France, not feeling the throbs " M 66 of te ( 98 J of neceflity, would-have dozed on in the fame lifelefs purfuits. We have let go the opportunity, arid I am afraid we fhall find this axiom true: It is eafier to prevent a mifehief than repair it. ‘This was too great 4 blefling for an Englifhman to be fatisfied long with. The farmer, tempted by avarice, advanced the price of grain above the ratio of the demands for the dif- ferent forts of it; the factor, unwilling that induftry fhould run away with all the © advantage the times fo favourably offered, fet a profic upon the farmer’s advance ; thefe people growing fo fuddenly into wealth, alarmed+the jealoufy of the land- holders ; and they, to be upon a par with — both, augmented their rents. This was the firft fhock. When foon after, the comuniffaries, contractors, and paymaf- ters, from the North and Weft, together with the mighty plunderers of the Eaft, gufhing into England with a confluence of wealth, np the ruin of this falu- tary fcheme.” Another caufe of the ‘nuchwafinbe price of provifions, is the vaft numbers of monopo- polies | ( or ) polies of, all kinds of provifions. A multi- mde of people make it their only bufinefs to buy up provifions; fo that many articles may ‘be faid, without much exaggeration, to be fold twenty times over before the confumers can buy them ; and, unhappily, the number _of people thus employed feems ftill to increafe, In the article of butcher meat, for in- flance, how many are employed in going from market to market, or fair to fair, buy- ing in one market or fair, and felling in-an- other; taking fometimes a profit of twenty fhillings on a cow or {mall ox: And thus the price at laft is raifed fo high to the farmer who fattens the cattle, that he frequently lofes all his grafs, or, in other words, has nothing to pay his grafs rent: Whereas, were the _ perfons who rear the cattle to fell them again immediately to the grazier, the profit would be divided betwixt the rearer of cattle, the feeder, and confumer ; but now it very often happens, that the rearer and feeder of cattle have no profit worth while, but rather lofs, and the intermediate dealers run away with all the profit, at the fame time that the price is raifed very high to the confumer. . Were ( 92 ) / Were none allowed. to deal in cattle but thofe who had either orale, or other proven- der to fatten them with, the profit would be divided betwixt the rearer, feeder, and con- fumer. When cattle are felling high, how many thoufands are employed in this couping, OF dealing i in cattle? And how often do we fee ‘a farmer’ s fervant, as foon as he has been a- ble to fave twenty pounds, fet up for him- felf, and commence dealer in cattle, going from fair to fair in queft of gain? This may very properly be called the fchool of vice. Here they learn to lie, curfe and fwear, drink, cheat, &c. Some new laws would perhaps — be requifite, in order to keep thefe people within due bounds; or, if the prefent laws - again{t foreftalling and regrating were f{tri€t- ly put in execution, perhaps they might be found fufficient. - How many arethere who make a monopo- ly of fome kinds of fifh; and rather than fell them at a finall profit at home, fend them to London? To keep up the market, throw them into the river Thames, when the price 48 low? But it is evident, that wherever fith Pisa be te ; ee are - + ( 93 ) are caught, the inhabitants ought firft to be ferved at a reafonable rate, before any exper: pet takes place. -~ Whenever there is the finalleft appearance Ne a fearcity of corn, large quantities are bought, and kept up until the price rifes. ¥ “Too many every where make it a principal part of their bufinefs, to retail corns grinded into meal: But were the farmer only to fell his corns in the market, the price would be cheaper to the confumer, and the farmer would likewife, for the moft part, bea great- er gainer, by having the price of the market without any deduction, except the expences of felling. How often is advantage taken. of the far- mer’s neceflity, when obliged to fell for rea- dy money, at the fame tinte that this does not reduce the price to the confumer? But if all articles were fold in a public market, either the farmer, or the confumer. has the advantage. _ Butter and cheefe are other articles of mo- nopoly, and often come through many hands before they reach the confumer; as well as all kinds of poultry, eggs not excepted. . : The ( of ) . The baket’s profits on loaf-bread are limit- ed by act of parliament; and why may notthe ~ - butcher’s, and that of thofe who cither buy or import corns to be made into. meal? How | often-do we fee thofe who amport.corns, in time of f{carcity, buy up in one part of the _ country what they fhip off to another; by which means. the. price is fometimes raifed very high. Nay, fometimes thofe very. corns, or others of the fame kind, are returned at — an advanced price to the place from -whence — | they were originally {hipped; and thus an artificial dearth is raifed, as was feen in the year 1756. At that time, thofe who dealt in meal in the North of Scotland, refufed 15s, | per boll, for that of the crop of 17565 -yeta great-part of that very meal was afterwards fold in 17575 for s,s. per boll; fome.of it fq — much damaged by keeping, and the oatmeal mixed with bear, that they were “obliged to” throw it.on the dunghill, wy es This fhews, that whenever the corn crop is greater than the confumpt, it 1s beyond the power of any fet of people, whether gen~ tlemen, merchants, or farmers, to combine together. in fuch. a, manner as to raife the price : “ 6 o9h9 price of grain too high, above one year. But enever the corn crop is fo fcanty, as to be able only to fupply the prefent demand, then the merchant, by fhipping it from one port “to another, may raife the price very high; and the more fo, when a very large quantity is bought up until the prices rife: And thus a number of rich merchants, by combining together, may caufe an artificial dearth for fome time. Another reafon of the increafed price ‘of % provifions is, The great increafe of ii particularly paper cufrency. Befides the money in the hands of noble- men, gentlemen, merchants, and manufac- turers, the bank and bankers of England, and thofe of Scotland, deal annually to an immenfe fum, producing an artificial circu- 3 lation, greatly above the real wealth of the inhabitants. This money is moftly given to merchants and manufacturers; a very fmalk part being laid out on. improvement of farms, _ which of itfelf is enough to raife the price of provifions. The effect of this fictitious wealth ~ is, that: luxury has arrived at a véry high pitch, and all ranks of people live in a more expentive manner than formerly. : ‘The ( 96 } The fafhionable cuftom of noblemen, gens | tlemen, merchants, and even tradefmen hav- ing fo much of the beft ground in Britain | ‘laid out for pleafure, in grafs and {hrubbery, | alfo contributes to raife the prace of provi- fions. : This neither brings profit to themfelves, nor any advantage to the nation; but inftead of that, is confiderably expenfive in keeping: it clean. The quantity of ground laid out this way in Britain is very confiderable; moft of which in former years was wont to pro-. duce good crops of corn: And this, with — the number of acres laid down in grafs, and never broke up, muft of courfe very much diminifh the produce of the nation. The Romans were very frugal of dete at firft, when a fingle acre was found fuffi- — cient to maintain a whole family. But when Rome came to its grandeur, luxury increafed, and great numbers came alfo to have their villas and pleafure grounds; and this obliged - them to fetch their provifions from different quarters of the globe, which in the end oc- cafioned their ruin. Any perfon may fee, that when provifions are brought from fo- reign countries, the expence muft be very ' great | os m “a ‘ ( oF 9 great, and the mother country will be ne- i and of courfe go to ruin. ? ~ Another caufe of the dearnefs of provifions may be, the want of a regular rotation of | ane of cornand grafs, with a fallow. . Thus many farms are conftantly on the decline, by continual cropping with corn without grafs. In other places, too much grafs, and too little corn, has the fame effec of diminifhing the due quantity of national produce. ~The attempts of many to improve new foil, and giving it over before it is half fi- nifhed, do the fame; though this laft may be owing in fome meafure to want of money, knowledge, or patience. To all which we may add, the many fai- lures of farmers in different places, owing to _ ‘the land being too high rented in its unim- > x proved ftate, as well as other caufes. And we may lay it down as an indifputable maxim, That when a farmer fails, the pro- duce of the farm is as certainly at that time on the decline, | | The very great increafe of cities and large ‘towns, as it may be confidered as one of the "principal caufes of the decline of agriculture, ae N fo fo it undoubtedly is a very great caufe of the. increafe in the price of provifions, | Let us confider only how many idle horfes, dogs, cats, rats, &c. &c. are maiftained in confequence of the augmentation of thefe cis ties; at the fame time, that horfes im cities are maintained at three times the experice of thofe employed in cultivating the ground in the country: And it may be truly faid, that within thefe few years, the confumpt of corn and hay for horfes, has increafed twenty times what it was formerly. This is certain- ly a great encouragement to farming ; but is mentioned here only as one of the caufes of the dearnefs of provifions. The general fact, that a great proportion of land is employed in raifing the food of horfes, is obvious to every one. Yet few, perhaps, would fuppofe, that the maintenance of a _horfe is four times as great as that of a man, The following account, which I received fome years ago from a nobleman’s fteward in Scotland, will throw confiderable light on this fubject. The whole of the bread and beer ufed in this nobleman’s family, was baked and brewed in thehoufe. Forty bolls ; of — ( 99 } of wheat and forty bolls of malt ferved the whole family a year. But the reader will perhaps be aftonifhed to learn, as I confefs I - was, at firft hearing it, that the family horfes, _and thofé of ‘vifitors, confumed above three ‘hundred bolls of oats per annum. Nor did the nobleman keep a large ftud. ‘The per- fons of the family who ate daily in the houfe were more numerous than the horfes ; befides which, a confiderable number of workmen | and poor people were we fupplied with bread and drink. “In refle@ting afterwards upon the above peice, I was fully convinced of its truth ; for it may eafily be proved, that all carriage horfes coft their owners as much as would maintain four ploughmen at leaft, according to the manner in which labouring people live in Scotland. Each ‘horfe will eat a peck of oats per day, befides hay. Now, I gave my ploughmen two pecks of meal per week, and a Scots pint of milk each day, or fix pence aweek. Nor was this an infufficient allow- ance: For although the men had nothing to live on but the meal and milk, arid perhaps ‘did not eat a pound of fleth or fith in a year, yet they looked well; and were fully capable of ( top 4) of performing their labour... Nay, they com- monly faved a Pa pt their meal, which) _ 3 fold. Again, Deaiins. four feeds. per dag to. a horfe;. the amount in a year is twenty-two bolls, thirteen pecks.. This is the, whole pros duce of four acres of good ground, at five and a half bolls, or four quarters for each acre; and which is much more than the a~ 'werage of any county. To this muft be added, at leaft one fed of hay per day, for each horfe; which is the product of two acres, at one Jeaadeal and eighty-two {tone, or one ton and three-fourths fer each acre, and which is about the general average of hay crops in good feafons. —s_ I have known my _ plow-horfes eat two ftone of hay, and two feeds of oats per day; fo that, in fact, the keeping of farm horfes; when fed with corn and hay, is as expen as that of carriage horfes. F From the preceding calculation it appears, that to fupport a carriage horfe, the produce of fix acres of good ground is required. This extent of land, even by the common mode of cultivation, will maintain four men; but if laboured with the fpade would fupport twelve. Now, : Re ae iT = . de ( “30g Now, as the population of any country | ean only increafe in proportion to the means of fubfiftence which it pofleffes, it evidently 7 ppears, that to multiply the breed, of horfes, is to deftroy the human race ; and, that who- _ ever keeps an unnecelflary horfe, is facrificing four of his own feces upon the altar of va~ nity. The ath quantities of grain nfed 3 in » diftl lation cannot but be thought to affect the price of provifions very confiderably. . i. The quantity of grain diftilled in Scotland b 1787, is aflerted to have been almoft equal to the whole that was produced in the coun- try ; and as it may be. juftly faid, that one third of all the barley in Britain is diftilled, we cannot avoid perceiving how much the price of every kind of provifion mutt thereby | be augmented: efpecially, when to this is added, the very advanced price of ploughing; both with regard to menand cattle; theoxen » being every. where laid afide, and horfes, _much more expenfive animals, ufed. in their - ftead. . It is likewife obvious, that the cuftom of difufing oxen for the plough muft have a -confiderable effet in ei i: the price of | “butchers meat, That ie 102 } | That the price of butcher meat is ‘ebitflie! rably advanced, both by the caufe juft now mentioned, and by the unneceflary increafe of carriage and riding horfes, is fupported by the following obfervations of Mr Donaldfon. Vid. Letters, p. 143. ct it9 * Tt has been a puzzling propofition to many, why the price of butcher’s meat ~ fhould advance with the price of bread. For, fay they, if the high price of bread proceeds from a lefs quantity of corn being fown, butchers meat would neceflarily fall, from the arable land being laid down with * feeds for the maintenance of cattle. But 66 ee 6¢ 54 Ge Ge as 6 os when they confider the unthrifty breed of horfes, fo neceffary to furnith the multi- plicity of poft chaifes, the mifchievous in- creafe of ftage coaches, the extravagant number of private ones, the vanity of - young men of fortune; who muft have their ftud, the impudence of young men of no fortune, who will have their gelding, to- gether with demands from abroad, the dif ficulty of refolving the caufe muft vanith; as they clearly fee, that the paftures which formerly fed fuch herds of beafts, and Hocks of fheep, are now appropriated for 66 the , i setae the run of brood mares, and colts; and the quantity ‘of oats fo neceflary to v1 fupply the confumption of this monftrous * increafe of horfes, interferes with : the ’* growth of other grain allotted for the cons * fumption of men. _ Subftituting horfes for fteers in plough- _ ing and waining, is a material lofs to the * public in the article of meat; for it is well “ known, oxen fpread, and increafe confide- * rably in weight, from labour; befides, _ they get into flefh with more eafe, and lefs _ expence, by feeding kinder.” Idlenefs is'a principal reafon, why the prices of provifions are every year increafing. — A flothful man is brother to the wafter. Man is. naturally ative and reftlefs; and - when he is not ufefully employed, he rarely avoids the doing of hurt to himfelf, or mif- chief to others. Idlenefs teems with vice, and brings forth | diftrefs and mifery, which are the unavoid- able and certain effects of vice; whereas wealth and numbers, the chief ftrength and _happinefs of a nation, are increafed. by in- - tduftry. “Idle fubje&ts are poor and indigent, and muft ( 104 ) | muft be maintained at the expence of others, either by a bafe and fervile dependence, or by theft, robbery, or begging. 7 It is eafy to perceive, what effects idlenefi | produces in the minds of perfons of all ranks; - but the happinefs of individuals, as well as that of a nation, depends upon a diligent ap- plication to bufineds, Perfons of all ranks employ too ries time on expenfive pleafures, or fruitlefsand un- profitable diverfions.. The management of — “private affairs is negleéted; and through heedlefs inattention, and want of oeconomy, — many perfons of eafy fortunes are brought ~ into difficulties, and reduced to low conitly tion. | fh The increafing number of slits diver- fions and amufements not only wafte much time, but the expence attending them is very great; fo that numbers neglect their own in- — tereft by throwing away that money which ought to maintain their families, to encou-— rage a profligate and diffipated fet of men, that are hurtful to fociety, and who corrupt the morals of youth. In all public diverfions which call out a confiderable number of people, fuch as horfe- Taces, | Kids 4) wg, Sic. che! Tish Gateadbniedd 16: he public y be perhaps feveral thoufand pounds each day. Now, although nature furnifhes us abundantly with materials, yet our own in- duftry arid labour is required to fit them for our ufe; and whoever labours not for his ; Reeaibread, muft eat the bread of others, and _ thereby ny invades his riper: 8 aa barcee Tn firte; idlenefs prevents great men ‘Phen sideénisn to their own intereft, trufting the management of their concerns to others; whereby. their annual expences are greatly increafed; their eftates neglected, and little improvements made; which if they per- fonally attended to, might in a- fort time, be fo improved, as ‘to produce above double the prefent crops. Whereas- many eftates, inftead of being improved, are ne- gletted, and. fuffered to go to ruin; evety year turning worfe and worfe. The lower clafs of pedple never fail to imi- _ tate the example of their fuperiors: By con- _ tracting a habit of idlenefs, they not only , pend treble the fum which they would do, ‘perhaps ‘as'much in one day as they tan earn in ten), when employed i in fome ufeful bufi- ‘ O nefs, ————- > ss ( 106 ) nefs, particularly in agriculture; but the lof » which the public fuftains muft be very great, as it tends fo much to increafe the price of provifions. 3 The inhabitants of any country, when pro- fitably employed, are its greateft ftrength and wealth; but when idle, its greateft weaknets and caufe of poverty. Whenever the ground is neglected to = properly laboured, not producing a fuffici- ency to fupply the demand of the inhabi- ~ tants, the prices of provifions, of courfe, muft rife; whereas, were the generality of farmers to double their diligence, or employ a greater number of hands, the prices would _ foon be reduced. It is owing to indolence and inaQivity, that many farms are, in place of being im- proved, left to goto ruin. The fame indo- lent {pirit in many farmers, prevents them from improving their wafte grounds. Idlenefs of all ranks of perfons in every profeflion, is a great hurt to the public in general.. The labour of mankind may be compared to a treafure daily taken out of the bewels of the earth; and, when neglected, | every { 107 ) every day’s labour is loft, and cannot be re- called. _ Moft of the particulars ftated in the fourth fection, and given as reafons why the farmers do not make rich, may, with equal propri- ety, be adduced as, reafons why the prices of provifions are conftantly on the increafe, And, that the reader may be the more fully enabled to keep this in his eye, we fhall here recapitulate, in few words, the general caufes already afligned for both; and thefe fhali now be arranged, though in a manner fome- what different from the order in which they occur in the eflays, according to the import- ance of the caufes themfelves, and as they may be thought to have more or lefs influence in producing the general eftect. 1. Importation, and confequently no ex- portation. 2. The want of a regular fy{tem of corn and grafs, with a fallow. | 3. The rents of the farms being too high in their unimproved ftate. 4. Too fhort tacks or leafes, which pre- vent any improvement being made on the farm. 5. The general run of farmers having too much ( 108 } much land for their ftock, and too rind in tillage. 6. The univerfal fcarcity of money among | farmers, and their want of credit, which prevents them from making the neceflary - mMprovements. 9. The univerfal difufe cf oxen in ploughs ing, and the introducing of horfes in their ftead. 8. The improper ufe a deeb and marl, by taking too many crops before fowing into -grafs, which exhautfts the foil, in many plea to a caput mortuunt. g. Plowing when the farm is wet, which raifes but a poor crop, although: the foil be rich. 10. The general practice of farmers i a ing too late in the feafon, which makes a late harveft, of courfe precarious, and — bad crops. 11. The great Te heibibs of monopolies of all Kinds of provifions. | 12. The great inereafe of money, particu- larly paper. currency, and the vaft fams brought home: by thofe who make pipe. : in the Eaft and Weft Indies. 13- The ( 109 *) “43. ‘The vaft quantities of grain wfed. 3 in diftillation. 14, The very great increafe of cities: and large towns. > 15. The great number of farmess failing in moft parts of the country. 16. Laftly, Idlenefs is a principal caufe that the price of provifions is every year in~- creafing, | From a confideration of all thefe particu- lars, it muft be evident how much it is the in- tereft of the inhabitants of Great Britain, not only to improve thofe grounds which are al- ready cultivated, but likewife to cultivate thofe which are now lying watfte. The crops for feveral years’ paft have been but indifferent, owing to the bad {feafons. If we were better ourfelves, the feafons would be better alfo. It is the farmer’s bufinefs to ufe every lawful mean to improve his farm; but after all he can do, it depends entirely _ upon the pleafure of the Almighty Sovereign of the univerfe in favouring us with fruitful feafons ; as, ** Except ( re 4 : * #xcept the Lord do build the houfe, — “¢ The builders lofe their pain ; “ Except the Lord the city keep, “ The watchmen watch in vain. SECTION ae ODT ON’ VE What are the moft probable means of reducing the price of provifions, fo as to ferve all traders and manufacturers at a much cheaper rate than at prefent, and likewvfe to be able to export great quantities annually? — ROM tlie foregoing view of the flate of Britifh agriculture, it is impoflible to doubt, that the produce of this ifland, what- ever we may eftimate it at prefent, might, in lefs than forty years, be encreafed to more than ten times its prefent value. Let any perfon, in the leaft converfant with the prefent ftate of the country, confider how very {mall a part is improved. in proportion to what is capable of being fo, and he muft inftantly affent to the following propofition, which, in the courfe of converfation, I have often aflerted, viz, That the produce of Bri- tain ( 1% 9) tain might eafily be increafed to the value of 1000 millions annually. _ This affertion has been thought altogether incredible, and beyond bounds extravagant. Neveutens, when I have afked, How much the proportion of the ground in Britain really improved bore to that which was capable« of improvement? it has been as conftantly ac- knowledged, that the proportion of the for- mer was not one to 1oo of the latter, This, however, is granting me ten times more than “Tafk ; but, at the fame time, it fhews, how saith people are convinced in their own minds of the truth of what is already publifh- b ed to the world in the Effays on National Improvements. Nor can it inthe leaft be dust i whoever confiders the means -pointed out in thofe eflays, will find them fully adequate to the end propofed. But it is too much the éafe with mankind, to overlook thofe things which are eafy and within their reach, for others more difficult, or Me pibi A ad to be attained. According to the calculations we ake of the Britifh produce im its prefent ftate, the value (113° ) value of the improvements will be more or more or lefs. If we fuppofe it only 100 millions annually, the value muft be 1000 millions, when thus encreafed; or, if we fuppofe it 200 millions at prefent, it is eafy'to fee, that 2000 millions : a-year mutt foon arife from the methods of i improvement propofed, The immenfity of the fum is no argument againft the poflibility of raifing it. For when we endeavour to augment the produce of the earth, it is no wonder that we fhould be aftonifhed at the bounty with which our la- bour i is. rewarded by the Author of nature. - Suppofing then, the produce of Britain at prefent to be only, one hundred millions, and the confequent improvements to be a thou- fand ; is not this an object of great national concern, now when providence, has favoured us with peace? And. ought we not then to exert ourfelves, every one in his ftation, to promote this great end? which, if once ac- complifhed, would not only exceed all the profits arifing from trade, manufactures, and fifheries, as well as all the improvements that could be reafonably fuppofed to be made in them ; but, inftead of hurting thefe favourite : P purfuits ( 114) purfuits of the nation, would tend greatly to encreafe them? ; : With a great number of Hesele ‘nnbiittes tion is a favourite object; but whoever thefe are, we do not hefitate in pronouncing them to be enemies to their country. What neceflity is there for importation at all, excepting in €x- traordinary cafes? If Britain Oe her depend- ence entirely on importation, fuppofing a fa- mine or fcarcity to arife in the neighbouring kingdoms, and it happens to be fo this very ~ year, 1787; or which is often the cafe, our fleets to be detained by contrary winds, per= haps a month or two, or a great part of them fhipwrecked; or, in time of war, when grain could with difficulty be brought home, what a deplorable fituation muft the nation be in. The very freight and the land carriage to dif ferent parts of the kingdom, and’ the mer- chants profits, would undoubtedly be equal, in many places, to othe original coft of the corns. “ Why may not our own country be im~ proved to fuch’a degree, as to fuperfede any occafion for importing the neceflaries of life? So far is this from being a difficult matter, that it might evidently be accomplifhed with __ the ( 115 ) the greateft eafe. Not only might importa- tion be rendered unneceflary, but great quan- ‘tities might be exported to other countries. Let government, or private individuals, take only the 500,000 pounds annually ex- pended on the importation of grain, and lay out that fum for manure, and for improving the foil, the point would be gained in a year or two. Howridiculous is it then in go- vernment to give fo many hundred thoufand pounds for the improvement of foreign colo- nies, nay, for the improvements in agricul- ture in foreign countries which we refufe to beftow on our own?.. Every one will agree, that cheap provi- fions is much for the intereft of manufac- turers and traders. But it is certain, that the price of provifions can never be re- duced by importation: Nay, by this means, we not only buy corn at a much dearer rate than it could be raifed in our own country, but along with it, are in danger of importing difeafes ; which was particularly the cafe in 1782, when more than a million of pounds were given for corns imported. This million and near a half, as was faid, together with the L.,600,000 formerly diate for corns export- ed, A 116 3) ed, made the difference of above two millions to Britain; much of which was: faid to be of fuch a bad quality, that thofe who. ufed it: fell into lingering difeafes, Such alfo was the wretched ftate of the country at that time, that had not peace been concluded, a famine muft have enfued, and a great num- ber in all probability would have nee with hunger. Let us confider, then, what pe oer been the confequence of employing this fum in a proper manner for the improvement of the ground. We mutt, then, in ordinary feafons have had a very confiderable quanti- ty to export, and, in all probability, the bad crop of 1782 would fearce have been felt. Nor would this have been hurting manufac~ tures in the leaft. The manufacturers are hurting’ themfelves by encouraging impor- tation; for it is taking away the very means of improvement, as we know the ground produces in proportion to the manure laid on. Butthe obvious confequences of the in- creafing price of provifions, if not remedied in time, muft be, that our manufacturers will not be able” to fell their goods on the | fame ( 117) fame terms with thofe of other nations; aiid hence the trade muft be turned out of its ria~ ‘tural channel : And when once this happens to be the cafe, it will undoubtedly, like the -courfe of ariver, be a matter of no little dif. ficulty to turn'it back again, or perhaps it may never return again to its old courfe. . The following is a very remarkable in- {tance of trade fhifting from one nation to another}. Vide Intereft of Scotland cont dered, p77. * The wool of all the i ice of BuroBe was, for many ages, bought up and ma- “ nufaGtured by the inhabitants of the Ne- therlands,: by whom Europe was ferved with woolen goods. The woolen trade “was firft fet on foot in England in ‘the * reign of Edward IL. but.it made fmall progrefs until the time of Philip IL of Spain, whofe yoke became very heavy and fevere. While his fubjects groaned under oppreflion and tyranny, England had the happinefs to be governed by the wifeft ad- miniftration ever nation was bleft with. “ Numbers of wealthy merchants and ma- * nufaCturers fled to England; and it is ) “ computed, ( (118) « computed, that 100,000 families camé o- “ ver and fettled in it at that time. Here ‘‘ they were kindly received and encourag- “ed. The trade of Europe fhifted its abode * with the dealers; and the woolen manu-~ ** facture of England was by\thefe means, “« and the aid of public encouragement, car- ** ried on, and foon brought to perfection. “ They now manufacture not only their own ** wool, but alfo that of Spain, and the beft * growths of other countries, and may, in a great meafure, be juftly called the maf- “ters of the woolen trade. The Nether- - “ landers were mafters of the linen as well as the woolen trade; and during thefe ci- vil wars, feveral of their linen manufac- turers alfo fettled in Britain: And in the ** old burghs, the weavers {till go under the *© denomination of Brabanders, rom the maf- ters who taught them the art.’ : The beft, indeed, the only method of re- ducing the price of provifions, is by eftablifh- — ing an uniform and univerfal fyftem of agri- culture, and giving encouragement to the farmer. The farmer cannot raife large crops, ute lefs &é ae 66 ae ( 119) ) lefg he has a command of money to improve his land. But if, inftead of furnifhing him . with this fo neceflary article, every method is taken to diftrefs him, bythe landlord raif= ing his rentintheunimproved ftateof hislands, aswell as by the confumer, the confequence muft very foon be, that the crop will be con- ftantly on the decline ; and every fucceeding year will be worfe than the. former; and hence, provifions, inftead of being reduced, will ftill increafe in price. | Tt is, indeed, a certain fact, that when a farmer is not making rich by his farm, nor going on with any improvements; when he becomes daily more and more ftraitened; the farm commonly turns worfe every year, even though we fhould take as the example the beft farm in the country. If it be conftantly kept in corn crops, with- out a fufficient quantity of manure, anda due proportion laid out in grafs, it will, ina few years become very poor; whereas, on the contrary, by a proper rotation of crops of corn and grafs, with a fallow, the foil would be enriching every year, and the pro- duce increafed, There (' 120° ) "There are, befides; many millions of acres lying wafte ineommons, muirs, moffés, and: miordffes, all.of which might be improved, arid; rendered capable of producing either corns.or grafs, or both, by methods proper ly, adapted to the nature of each. . Nor is the, quantity of ground. at all)inconfiderable that: might be gained fromthe fea, or by banking in large rivers, and, draining lochs, Very~ confiderable quantities of the beft foil: in the’ kingdom are alfo at.prefent. lying in’ grafs, feldom.or never broke up; and which we cannot ,but fuppofe would produce very large _ crops. by proper culture. and, management. The quantity of the beft foil daily thrown into graf in this manner confiderably exceeds what. is taken in from the wafte grounds, which muft, in the fame proportion, dimi- — nifh the corn crops. . Were a number of fimall villages ‘emnétods upon every eftate, agreeable to the plan pro-. pofed of feus, or long leafes, every. tenant building his own houfe, (Vide, Plan: of vil- lages at the end of this work), it would part- ly contribute to reduce the price of provi+ fions, and leffen the number of horfes. :For 7 one (( “rd ¥) é man, by adhering to this plan ofa regu- lar rotation of crops, having the one’ half, or two thirds in grafs, could labour with the ‘Ypade ten or fifteen acres each year,” “and ‘would only need to hire a horfe to harrow, tarry home the crop, and drive out the dung, | “The produce would vad fitich” more after the fpade than after the slough, and cheaper: For ‘when a farnter has dnly ten or ‘twenty acres. cultivated in the prefent. method, the xpence for men and horfes. will almoft equal the value of the whole produce ; fo that thofe who have only a few acres, are Kept conftant- ly poor, and the farm. alfo.. i i Many of the {mall farmers are e imi. wort ituation than. the day, labgurers:..Whereas, _ ifthe villages were properlys, planned out*at . firft, each houfe having two: and a half acres | at leaft, forie five or ten, the. feuars might Tive- comfortably, ‘anid have many aftitles, the produce ofthe farm-garden, to fell. + It is commonly obferved, that fmall: te _Mants fell-more poultry and. eggs than great farmers. » SMS ee pe lvin 3 oar welt maybe faid, in prdzioegion \quadineneey ber of villages multiply, the Price’ of provi- ©... fions ( 122 ) fions would decreafe, and population: increafe. Indeed, the number cannot be too many, if upon a proper plan. : It would be for the intereft of many gen- tlemen, that half or the whole of their eftates were fewed. out, or let upon long leafes, ac- cording to Lord Gardenftone’s plan, for on¢ © hundred years, and renewed at the expira- tion of that term, upon paying two years ‘Tent. It is amazing what effect this would have upon mens minds ; how much their induftry would be quickened when they reflected that all their improvements would continue with their families for ages. There is no fcheme that ever was yet in- vented, which will tend to. reduce the price of provifions fo rapidly, as giving a finall portion toevery perfon, nearly in equal pro-. portion to their ftock. This is demonftrated: from the practice of the Romans. When their commonwealth was firft erected, they enacted a law that no perfon fhould have above one acre. Some time afterwards, that every one fhould have two actes; a mumber of years after, four acres; *,.. —— ( 123 ) ities at length, feven acres to every citizen without diftinction. ~ Cincinnatus, although fo siningelings a character as to be chofen di@tator had only feven;.and when Rome was in its greateft grandeur, no perfon was allowed to purchafe ‘above five hundred jugera. It is very remarkable, that about Cato’ 6 _ time, and 10 years after, the wheat was fold only from three fhillings aiid fixpence to ten fhillings per quarter. In the firft ages of the empire, the lands were all cultivated by the {fpade; and many of their generals cultivated their farms with theirown hands. It is faid, afterwards, the flaves cultivated their lands, and of that kind _ too that had been ftigmatized with marks ’of infamy for their crimes. To adopt the above-mentioned {cheme of villages, would only be to imitate the antient practice of the Romans; which they found, from the experience of many ages, to tend greatly to the advantage of the common- | wealth, and would at this day be equally be- —neficial to us. _ By comparing the crop raifed upon each acre, after being laboured with the fpade, | with + es leuk aes ( 14 ) with the;crops produced after the plough cule ture, would at once prove which was moft, for the general intereft of the nation and in- — dividuals’; as it is propofed, the fame reta~ tion.of crops fhould take place after the; oe as after the plough. Many new difcoveries might 1 be sili beled making different trials in the drill-way, which would employ. a whole family,» young, and: old, boys and girls; and this would teach} ‘them the rudiments of farming., The feed ~ which would be faved by the drilling, and the profits arifing from the extraordinary pro+ | duce, would do more than: pay all the i pence of labour. Fe: The price of provifions would be imtichiai™ duced, if many: large. farms were: > divided i in= to finall ones. | There ought to. ice a great number of fimall | & seiie of two horfe or oxen ploughs, ,few of — them lefs tham forty:or fifty acres, and: thofe which were lefs tobe laboured with, the fpade, — And: perhaps few fhould be allowed ketr than three or four ploughs.) 9.) Many gentlemen that poflefs large pee of -Jand, would find it to be their intereft to give the one half of it for nothing, to any perfon, who ya ime % | ( 125 f who would eneage to improve, the other half. They would ftill be great gainers; for one spore properly improved would be eel in value to ten in its natural flate. 7 | - 'Thefe obfervations evidently prove as the nation in general is effentially injured, if any man has more land in his pofleffion than he can either labour properly himfelf, or get others to improve. As a proof of the probability that ieee. ture might receive confiderable improvement, if the above plan of villages were adopted, by the experiments of the feuars, I {hall add the following extract from Mr Marfhall. The practice of ‘dibbling, an improvement of con- fiderable importance in hufbandry, appears to have been invented by a cottager. I think, indeed, the Norfolk {cheme is fomewhat de- _ fective : But of this I fhall saa in a future page. P. 35. “ Minute 23. September 12. Mr William Barnard of Bradfield, who was - * born (and refided until about. three years Hi at GreatEllingham, near Attleborough, ‘ gives the following account of the rife and Hoa tice of the dibbling: of wheat. “ The dibbling of peafe, he fays, has heen a a: “ 44 e¢ ; is 4 his > bing crops, and finifhed his patch. ‘ 14@ 79 a cuftom in that part of Norfolk, time im- memorial ; but the pratice has not been ex- tended to wheat above eighteen or twenty years; nor has been in any degree general for more than ten years. ‘The practice of dibbling wheat proba- bly arofe in this manner. At Deepham, an adjoining parilh to Ellingham, lived one James Stone, a labouring man, who was, in that neighbourhood, anotted dib- bler of peafe, and who cultivated for him- felfa few acres, which he rented with his cottage. He had three children, who were as mies ‘at “ dropping,” as the father was “dabbing ;” and having fome acre or two of clover-lay, which came in courfe’ for wheat, he conceived the idea of dib- bling in the feed; probably thinking, that he thould thereby keep his children from idlenefs, and fave them, at the fame time, an unexpected fupply of bread. “ He accordingly fet about putting his {cheme in execution, and prefently brought his neighbours about him. Some of them fmiled, and others laughed at his experi- ment. He, neverthelefs, proceeded with “ "The ( 137) s ‘The land. being is good condition, and “ the work being done in a mafterly manner, “ the plants came up fo ftrong and beautiful © « as to draw the eyes not only of his fellow- , “ parifhioners, but of the whole neighbour * hood. - 79 ce ce ce ce Oe «c 3 6c rT 66 “sc «cc é éc & “ Mr Barnard well recollets the circum- ftance, for he pafled by the clofe (which lay by the fide of a public road) every day in his way to and from fchool; and fays, that he has frequently feen the neighbour- ing farmers, in their way to market, light at the gate, and gointothe piece, to view — the crop, which was now become popular. “ At harveft the crop proved extraordina- rily good ; and the dibbling of wheat has, from that time, been more or lefs practifed in this circle of the county: The only one in which the practiceis, even yet, become general among farmers. *. Enquiring’ of Mr B. the proportion which dibbled wheat in that county bears to the wheat fown broad-cait, he »fays, there is as much dibbled as there can be hands got to put it in; and apprehends that one half of the wheat about Wynd- * ham and sagt is dibbled.in ; add+ * ing, 6: {= 128 ) Pe ing, that when wheat 3 is dear, the ok people are engaged foine months ‘before- * hand, and frequently when they are paid off for dibbling peas in March, they a1 are “ engaged for the wheat-feed time. “ Succeffion. A clover-lay once plowed i is rae what’ is, generally made ule'of for dibbling ; ; it has: however been. tried with a’ confide- « rable thare o£ fuccefs; on fallow-ground. ee Mamire. “The common: practice is to — {pread: the dung, of other manure, pre- * fensly- before the ground be. plowed. Some © Jay iteor after thé feed is in, by way of , ‘* top-drefling. But Mr B. is of opinion, — 1 © that fetting on the manure in July, and 2 age it wath into the foil before plowing, 48 the moft eligible way of manuring for ** dibbled wheat. * Soil procefs. If the foil be light, ‘and “ the weather dry, the plowman keeps pace « with the dibblers; the holes will not othet-_ “ wife ftand, the fand running in, and filling * them up. The furrow, provincially; flags, ee fhould be cut about ten inches wide; ' and “ be turned ovér flat and even; and to tiake them ly ftill fmodther and fireaeys théyare willed pretty ‘nad beore BBN eat hic ce The { 4 ) ® The dibbles made ufe of in this opera- “tion, are of iron: The acting part is an “ éee-fhaped knob of iron or fteel, fome- a what larger than a pigeon’s egg ; the finall-. er end forms the point of the dibble, whilft from the larger rifes a ftring of iron, about half an inch fquare, arid two feet and a half long. The head of itis received into a crofs piece of wood, (refembling the crutch of a fpade or ahd which. forms the handle. “ The dibbler makes ule of two 5f thefe ‘tools, one in each hand; and, bending o- ‘ver them, walks backward upon the flags, making two rows of holes in each. ‘The rows are ufually made about four inches apart, ‘and the diftance in the rows from two and a half to three inches ; namely; four holes in each length of the foot of the * dibbler. “ ‘The great art in making the holes lies in leaving them fmooth and firm on the fides, fo that the: loofe mould do not run in to “ fill them up before the feeds are depofited. This is done by a circular motion of the hand and writt, which makes a femi-revo- R *¢ lution wb 66 ( 130 J lution every ftroke; the circular motion beginning as the bit enters, and continues until it is clearly difengaged from. the mould, The dibbles muft come out clean, _and wear bright, or the Operation is not perfect. “ Another difficulty in dibbling is to make | the holes at. equal diftances; more efpeci- ally, to keep the two rows ftraight and parallel with each other: For the dibbles being two diftiné inftruments, it requires fome practice to guide them with preci- .fion, fo as to pierce the flag im the exact — point required. ‘To remedy this, couples — have been invented to keep the dibbles at a given diftanee; but this renders the in- {trumest RSIS and prevents the learn-- er from ever being able to ufe them fingly. A man muft be awkward indeed, if he does not in a few days, without this incum- branee, make himfelf a tolerable matter of dibbling. “A middling workman will wae two motions or four holes in a fecond. - “One dibbler employs three droppers ; therefore one man and three children are ealled a fet. Each dibbler takes pare flags, which ( ‘13x )) “ which he performs upon by ftages thus : “ He firft takes an outfide flag, and having * gone fome yards upon that, he returns, not «“ “ “ upon the next flag, but upon the other outfide flag of the three, and then finifhes his ftage by taking the middle one. This is done to keep his three droppers fully employed, and at the fame time to prevent his filling up the holes with his feet before the feeds are depofited. ‘Were he to carry but one flag with him, the droppers would have to pafs each other repeatedly, and have three times the ground to walk over; whereas, by the above contrivance, they are always uniformly progreflive, and each child finrfhes its own flag. | *’ The droppers keep up with their dibbler, putting two or three grains of wheat in each hole, (but of peafe only one). The girls carry the feed in their aprons, the ‘boys in their hats, or other contrivance. Out of thofe they take about half a hand- ful, and deliver the feed into the holes through an aperture made between the firtt and fecond fingers. “ Much time and pa- tience is neceffary to teach a child to per- “* form. — B6 66 cs és 66 66 6% 6s 6é é¢ ( 132 ) form this petty bufinefs with propriety site difpatch. «be prefent price of dibbling a Sila light foil is nine fhillings anacre, and beer. It formerly was half a guinea. . If the foil be {uff or ftony, it is now worth more than ‘ that money. |The dibbler is a fort of maf- ter of his fet; for if he has not children of ” his own, he hires his droppers, giving them fixpence a-day each if expert hands, or three pence a-day if learners: two of them being employed on one flag, each taking one row of holes; fo that he pays | for dropping, three pence a-day for each row of holes. An expert dibbler will hole — half an acre a-day, which, at nine fhillings, is four and fixpence, out of which he pays one fhilling and fixpence to his. droppers. But one third of ari acre 1s reckoned a fair day’s work; which at nine fhillings an acre, is three fhillings; out of which pay- ing one fhilling and fixpence, he has one fhilling and fixpence left for his own day’s ‘* work. ‘ ** Quantity of feed, One bufhel to fix pecks an acre ; and if the flags crack much in plowing, fome throw on half a peck, or cé a ( 133 >) fea peck an acre, broad-caft, before roll- * ing. | Y se “ «cc 6 if te & *§ Covering the feed. This is ufually done by going twice in a place with a bufh-har- row, made by drawing thorns into a gate or alarge hurdle. Either of thefe, how- ' ever, Mr B. fays, and with reafon, makes — too large an implement: For in fo largea fpace as this covers at once, there will be protuberances which it will lay hold of too much, and probably pull up, and hollows which it will wholly mifs. He has ufually preferred a waggon-ladder, which does not cover more that four or five flags at once; and to finifh this bufinefs more compleatly, he always carries a fort of broom in his own hand, when overlooking the work people, in order to cover more effectually any part which may be partially miffed. “ The advantages held out. There isa faving of about a bufhel and a half of feed; which, when wheat is fix fhillings or up- wards, is alone equivalent to the extra ex- pence of dibbling. ** The rolling and treading is efteemed highly ferviceable to the light lands of this country. ‘ ae “ The ( 134) “ ‘The edges of the flags being intimately united by the rolling and trampling, and the remaining fiffures being filled up by the harrow, the grafles are thereby thought to be kept under; and fhould feed-weeds appear in the fpring, the hoe has free admiffion between double row and double row to extirpate them; an opera- tion, however, which I underftand feldom takes place. ** "The feed being wholly buried in the bo- dy of the flag, there is no “ under-corn;’ the plants are uniformly vigorous, the ftraw, collectively, is confequently ftouter, and the grain more even, than that which is ufually produced from fowing the feed broad-caft over the rough flag. For, in this cafe, part of the feed falls through be- tween the flags, and being there too deep- ly buried by the harrows, the young plants are longer in reaching the furface than, are thofe from the feed, which happens te fall. in a more favourable fituation ; and which thereby gain am afcendency they never lofe. Hence a number of-underling plants, and hence the fimall fhrivelled grains, which ; . “ render ( 135 ) “ render the fample unfightly, and unfale~ able. _ Another good effect remains to be no * ticed, the employment of the poor: And a“ whether we view this in a moral, a politi- cal, ora private point of view, it is equally defireable. For the poor’s rates of a coun try village fall principally on the farmer ; and if he does not employ the poor, he muft fupport them in idlenefs, more efpe- cially children. Mr B. fays, that in the circle above-mentioned, wheat feed-time is confidered, 4 the poor man, as a fecond s haowet esa To do juftice to dibbled wheat, it banat to be dibbled in ftraight lines, fo as the hoe may pafs between the rows. A hoe made of a triangular form, and fomewhat rifing in the middle, would not only cut the weeds or grafs, but, at the fame time, throw the earth to the roots of the wheat, which would make it {fpread off the root. eae Laying three chalders of hot powdered lime on each acre, with the dung, would _ help to rot the grafs, and make the foil free and tender; but dung alone encourages the . Ne growth ( 136). growth of the grafs.. It would be better té lay on the dung for a peafe crop, and a wheat crop to fucceed; the ground to be: plowed, harrowed, and rolled before drilling: Or; plowing the grafs ground in dry weather, fome weeks before fowing or drilling, might help to kill the grafs: _ It is to be fuppofed, that dibbled wheat would anfwer bereey Bp: on fallow than upon grafs. ree _, What. is faid, in National lopeaalaa |p» 386, concerning the manner of drilling, | would anfwer equally well with dibbling, and perhaps better, and much cheaper. What Mr Marfhall fays about dibbling, proves that the mode of drilling here alluded to, may be reduced. to practice with every Denise of grain. It is evident, that were the proper rota- tion of crops to be obferved, and the watte grounds to be brought in, the produce of this ifland muft not only be increafed in fuch a manner, as amply to fupply the prefent number of inhabitants at a very cheap rate, but likewife to afford immenfe quantities for exportation. ; When Britain was fo improved as to have large ‘| ( Agee large quantities of corn to export, we might then attempt to raife as much flax and hemp asthe nation needed. Nor would the effect- ‘img of this happy change be attended with great difficulty, were all ranks of men hear- ‘tily to concur in purfuing the proper means for its accomplifhment. The greateft obftacle, however, lies with the people themfelves. It muft be owned to be a difficult matter to caufe a whole nation cto adopt one fcheme of rotation of crops ; but the greateft difficulry would be, to convince the farmers, who are, in general, wedded to © their own old cuftoms, that they are in the wrong. And, indeed, fo great is this diffi- culty, that I apprehend it could fearcely be overcome without the interference of go- vernment. | Would the Britifh government adopt a re- gular plan, capable of being fuccefsfully re- duced to practice throughout the whole na- tion, fuch as has been already mentioned, and to give premiums to the farmers who raifed the greateft crops; would the noblemen and ‘gentlemen adopt the fame, not’ only recom- mending it to their tenants, but likewife raif-, ing fubfcriptions to encourage them’; and if oo S | a | (, 138 9 a number of the principal farmers in each county Were to enter into it alfo, it would undoubtedly influence the generality to fol- Jow their example ; efpecially as the benefits arifing from fuch a fcheme muft very foon appear. | That it is the primary intereft of Britain to give encouragement to improvements in apriculture, we hope will now appear clearly evident to every difinterefted perfon, who will only take the trouble to confider what is the prefent produce of Great Britain, and how much that produce might be increafed, ifon- _ ly a part of the beft foils, now lying wafte, were improved; and what great improve-~ ments could be made upon thofe farms faid to be improved, by having a regular rotation of crops of corn and grafs ; taking care nei- ther to have too much in the one, nor too much in the other, The mere article of faving feed sien a~ ftonifh every one, were it to be putin, prac- tice as recommended in: the National Im- provements ;. befides, that by this very fav- ing, the annual produce would be confide- rably increafed.- ~ How / C139.) How much the whole product of Britain night, on this plan, be augmented, we muft eave to be determined by every one’s judge- ment or calculation. , Ibis univerfally acknowledged, that there is not one acre in an hundred improved as it ought to be, of the ground capable of im~- provement in Britain. This is manifefted by the vaft number of different {chemes of ma- naging almoft every farm in each county or fhire. Now it is certain, that a great num- ber of thefe methods ufed at prefent are very hurtful to the farmer, the landlord, and the nation in general. But the great difficulty lies in convincing a number of ignorant and conceited farmers that they are wrong, and that it would be greatly for their interefts to alter their prefent modes of cropping: Nor, -indeed, would it be much lefs difficult to convince the landlords, that they are hurting themfelves, the farmers, and the nation in general, by the methods they take in letting their farms. But if once a regular plan was fixed upon, and begun. to be put in practice, the farmers would foon fee it for their in- tereft to continue the fcheme, and proba- | | bly, a -" ae i Neg Pa ee ( 140 ) bly, the progrefs oer be a ra- pid. A national fyftem in agriculture, fo Sie from hurting either the farmer, the landlord, or the nation in general, will tend greatly to | the intereft of the whole. If a national fyftem were once fixed upon, — it would prevent the farmer from. hurting himfelf, and turn out greatly for the intereft of the landlord and the nation. The farmer would be daily learning, by feeing the great crops that were produced over the whole na- tion, by following this plan. Wm Too great a number of acres in corns, ina courfe of years, ruins the foil. Too great a number of acres in grafs hurts population, and tends to make provifions dear. The farm, after having been a certain number of years in grafs, would not only produce great crops of corn, the corns would produce very great quantities of dung, and the dung would produce rich crops of grafs ; fo that the very fame acre that was in pafture would produce double, or three times the quantity of grafs; that is, would maintain | three times the number of cattle with the Eo jo Sagres corn, Y ( 148) corn, ftraw, and grafs together. ‘The greater number of cattle, the greater quantity of dung, and the more dung, the more corns. So that it may be averred as a certain fad, that every farm will produce three or four _ times the quantity of corns and grafs, by having a regular rotation of crops, which the fame farm will produce by having it wholly in corns, or wholly in grafs, in the courfe of twenty years; or, in other words, the pro- fits would be three or four times greater, by having a regular rotation of corns and grafs. | | _ From this we may draw two conclufions. ift, The farmer who keeps his farm whol- | ly in grafs, after a certain number of years, is hurting himfelf, and the nation at large, by withholding the great crops of corns the farm would produce. -_adly, That farmer is hurting himfelf and the public, who has his farm wholly in corn crops ; for, ina courfe of years, the foil is tired or exhautted, confequently, the crops every year declining’; befides, the expence of | labouring i is double for feed, tillage, and ma~ hure : Whereas, if he had the one half in : grafs, =. : N= ae eee ) ( 3142 } grafs, he would labour it for one third of the expence, and have more corns upon the one half, than upon the whole, when all is in tillage. | The advantages accruing to the pas following the plans propofed, viz. of having only the one half of the farm in tillage, and) the other half (in fome places two-thirds) im erafs, are manifold. . Firft, It divides the la- bour, fo that the work is never crowded, or - hurried, having: one-tenth part.in fallow for wheat done in. autumn, one-tenth for oats broke up from grafs five or more years old, plowed in autumn; one for peafe or beans, potatoes or turnips, to be dunged.in the win- ter or. fpring; and one for barley without dung. .By: following this plan the work is: never hurried; at the fame time, men: and horfes are employed every month in the year. | _adly,, There is another great advantage: All the farm would. be in. fuch. good order, and. fo rich, not dunging above. a tenth part every year, that all the corns could be fown much earlier than in the. ordinary way. _ When the foil is rich ‘and clean, it willadmit _ of ( 143) of being very early fown, when the feafon will permit. This makes an early harveit, which i is, for the moft part, the beft, and fabject to lefs rifk of being hurt by high _ winds and frofts. The thitd advantage of early fowing 1s, Whi the wheat being all from fallow, could be plowed in with a fur two or three inches deep, which would in fome meafure prevent the frofts and fmut from hurting the wheat. The grain that is early fown is, for the mott part, far fuperior in quality to the fame grain fown late. The reafon is obvious ; the early has more of the fun, when in his great- eft heat, inthe time of ripening. The Eng- lifh wheat and barley are efteemed of a much better quality than the Scots, for the above - reafon of being earlier fown and cut down. The Englifh wheat and barley fome years fell 1¥ or 20 per cent. dearer than the Scots, which proves them to be of a fuperior quali- ty. The barley, by this plan can be fown m the month.of March, which would make ‘the quality of the grain better than when fown late. . The laft advantage is, That when the {oil 1s (144) as rich and clean, both lefs feed and manuré will ferve, and produce a better crop, than when the ground is dirty and full of weeds, although it gets more feed and manure. When the foil is rich, it can be fown with the early Effex, or Dutch oats, which do not anfwer upon poor ground. The Dutch oats often produce, when fown upon good ground, double of what the common oats do upon the fame ground, and take lefs feed. It is particularly to be obferved, that moft of the farmers in Scotland, who have made the greateft fortunes upon {mall farms, the . largeft not exceeding 300 acres, have prac- tifed a fteady and regular rotation of crops of corn and grafs, with a fallow. More inftan- ces can be given of thefe making money, than either thofe whofe rotation was wholly corns © or wholly grafs, each having the fame num- ber of acres. | Suppofing the national fyftem to be oné halfin grafs, and one half in corns and fal- Jow, or (in fome places far from manure or fea ports) two thirds in grafs, and one third im corns and fallow. é} In order to make this fyftem become ge~ “eral, the government fhould give premiums in ( 145 ) in every county or fhire, Z.s each acre, for beft crop of wheat not exceeding ten ‘acres, and fo on for every other crop men- B. joned in the fyftem. And in order to raife a fund for thefe premiums, every farmer that had more than the one half of his farm in corns, to pay fixpence for each'acre to go- vernment, and fixpence for each acre he had in grafs above two-thirds ; fixpence each acre of all wafte grounds capable of improvement, that were neither improved nor planted: the fum raifed in this way to be wholly allotted for premiums to thofe who raifed the beft crops in following the national fyftem. ‘The premiums to continue for twenty years at leaft. This national fyftem would naturally in- creafe both the quantities of corn and grafs, if once it came to be generally practifed ; the produce would be ten times what it is at pre- fent, and no farmer hurt. No doubt many may object to this tax up- on land, thinking it defigned to hurt the farmers: But the contrary is what I intend by this propofal; namely, to be a great fer- ‘vice to the farmer, the landlord, and the na- ‘tien in gencral. | ti mS “ i ee ‘islet get. { 146 . If it be a fact, as has been alledged, that, the greater part of the farmers, by the way they manage their farms, are not only hurt- ing themfelves, but greatly injuring the pub- lic; many of them will not be convinced that they are wrong, being fo wedded to their old {fchemes. Now, it is only propofed that government fhould give large premiums to thofe who raifed the greateft crops by fol+ lowing the national plan; and thofe who did — not chufe to follow this plan, might be al- lowed to follow their own, upon paying fix- pence per acre, in order to raife a large fam "to be given in premiums, only to let every | farmer fee, how very large crops the foil can be made to produce in ordinary feafons, when. under proper culture. And as it is propofed, that an annual regifter fhould be kept, men- tioning the greateft crop each diftria of the whole nation produced, and publifhed every year in the newfpapers, this would thew, at one view, where the largeft crops were rai. ed; then the farmer would judge for himéfelf, if it was for his intereft to adopt the national plan. dt would be every farmer’s intereft to con- tr ibute to fuch a {cheme, whether he was bound ath PS ae ee a ee Se : ( 147 } | | Hound or not. Tt cannot, indeed, be expect- ed, that this plan can be accomplifhed with- ous the interference of the legiflature. Many “ould not join, although it fhould be for their intereft ; but an act of oe een would tafily eftablith the fcheme. Suppofe a farmer had 200 acfes, which, according to this plan, fhould be one half in egrafs and the other in corns; if he thought it was more for his intereft to have only 80 acres in grafs, in that cafe he would have on- ly to pay 10s. each year, and fo on in pro- portion to his, and every other farm. No farmer that had 200 acres could fay it would be hard for him ‘to pay tos; when this very money was given for experiments © whereby he himfelf might reap perhaps every year ten times the fum he paid, or confidera- bly more; for this fcheme would be the means of diffufing univerfal knowledge throughout the whole nation; and would prove, ina few years, what has been faid be- fore, that it would be much for the intereft of the farmer and the nation at large, to have a regular rotation of corns, grafs crops, and fallow. . After pondering much upon what might : be SS ae ( 148 } , . be the moft effe@tual and rapid means to haye as much as poflible one national fyftem, 1. could think of no fcheme that would anfwer . the end fo much as this, and make fuch ra- pid progrefs. 3 Only let any Bee ‘before he draw a conclufion, confider what the goed effects woftild be, if fuch a plan was adopted, and lay in the balance any fuppofed hardfhips the farmer would fuffer. It will give me great pleafure to fee a bet- ter plan adopted, either by government, or by noblemen, gentlemen, and. farmers unit- ing in one. ‘I do not mean to be tenacious as to this plan, but only to give hints that others may improve upon them. , Tt has been objected, that it is not confti- tutional to tax the farmer’s labour. I do not fee any force in this objection. Is not the produce of the land taxed, in the land and malt taxes, in, the duties upon leather, foap, candles, ftarch, beer, {pirits, &c. &c. ? What : injuftice then is there, in taxing a farmer ;_ and efpecially, when this tax is to promote his own intereft? If the farmer is doing evident hurt to him-_ felf and the nation, it is doing him and the * nation ad ’ ‘ ts ~ sf — at ee —— { 49 ) nation a great fervice, to convince him he is wrong. _ The author does not mean, from what is faid in all this reafoning, in the {inalleft de- gree to difcourage trade and manufactures ; on the contrary, he wifhes them all manner of fuccefs, and rejoices to fee them increafe, He only attempts to fhew, that spticdlllrc is the primary intereft of Britain, and the more that it is encouraged, the more our trade and manufactures increafe, and may be the means of bringing in a great and perma- nent revenue to Britain. What he has en- deavoured to prove is, that encouragement fhould be given to agriculture in preference to trade and manufactures; or, at leaft, the encouragement ought to be equal.’ Indeed, they are fo nearly connected, that they ought never to be viewed feparately ; for, as the one increafes fo does the other. Agriculture is the foundation on which trade and manu- factures ought to build; and to how great height it might be raifed upon fuch a folid foundation, it is hard to determine. Agri- culture may be compared to the water-whecl, which fets all the other wheels in motion. {tis a great miftake in many people to i- mapine, ( 458 9 magine, that trade and manufactures might be fuccefsfully carried on, though agriculturé fhould be neglected, and Britain remain in its prefent unimproved ftate. - Surely, commerce and manufaCtures can- nig! ht, if the country was better improved. : Fland is fuppofed to produce above ten times the quantity of corns that Scotland does ; and, of confequence, manufactures are there carried on to-a much greater extent. — Arguments, however, are unneceflary in the prefent cafe; for. it is obvious to every one, that were agriculture brought to that _ height of improvement for which we contend, _ trade muft be greatly increafed, even by the exportation of its furplus; and population would be greatly increafed by the reduction of the price of provifions. The author may here be allowed to’ exprefy' his fatisfaCtion, that the effays, intitled “ Na~ tional Improvements,” fo often referred to im the preceding pages, have met with general approbation, In thefe he endeavoured to prove, what is before faid, that by following the directions he has laid down, tke produce of Britain: would be mcreafed to ten times’ what hot be carried on fo advantageoufly, as they — ee a! ee ( 19. what it is at prefent, in the courfe of ey ll Ps _ Many eminent practical farmers have ac- Re riedzail that the perufal of this ‘book has been of more advantage to them in the aft crop, than ten times the priceofit, But the greateft recommendation of all is, that of the farmers in the carfe' of Gowrie, one of the beft improved foils in Scotland, which is fimilar to the plan of hufbandry laid down in this book ; and was adopted by them about fixteen years ago. Thefe farmers acknowledge, that by een ing their fcheme of hufbandry, they have as much profit’ in one year, as they had in five before. A ftriking proof of their fuccefs is, that they have, within thefe feven or eight years, bought eftates to the amount of be- tween fixty and 70,0001. fterling. -Aremarkable inftance of the richnefs of the lands in the carfe of Gowrie, is, that - Lord Kinnaird, the proprietor of the farm of Inchture, being about 300 acres, rented at 13s. 6d. peracre,purchafed from histenant Mr ‘Thomas Hunter, the remaining five years of his leafe for L. 3000 fterling, which his Lord- fhip has let at L. 2: 15.8. per acre for nine- teen a “ < 4 ‘f * ay : g EF: fi 1 ig ( 1g teen years. ‘This purchafe was made by th above noble Lord in 1787. | The approbation of fo many intelligent practical farmers in every part of Scotland, gives the author infinitely greater fatisfaction than any praifes which Reviewers can beftow — upon his work. And as to their cenfures, he profelles to defpife them. Their opinions, ' for the moft part, proceed either from igno- rance or prejudice: Nor, indeed, do they think it below their dignity to publith fenti- ments that are not their own; nay, without having even read the fabjeé&t on which ni: pretend to treat. Since writing the ee pages, few ronverfed with many gentlemen and farm- : Some of them are of opinion, that di- viiling the whole of Britain into diftricts of about twelve miles long, and four broad, the © jmproved. parts by themfelves, and unim- proved parts by themfelves, every farmer paying a {mall taxation every year for each acre of. his farm, in order to raife a fum to be given as premiums to thofe who raife the ereatef{t crops upon ten acres, agreeable to the plan propofed for a national fyftem. This money eh a - ee — —— ee? ag ee se eee a a ea ( 153.9) money to be diftributed in the diftti@ in which it is raifed, and to be applied to no o- ther. purpofe than the above prémiums. And whatever the fum was that the farmer paid for each acre, the proprietor 'of the lands to pay the fame for each acre upon his eftate. This would be a good fcheme for every pro- prietor to follow over all his. eftate, although not patronifed by government, This is only raifing premiums to be given to the beft far- mers in every eftate, which would encourage improvements, and foon teach the moft ig- norant, that it was better to improve one acre properly, than three or four in the ordinary Way. _ And in order to make the prizes as equal as poflible, fo that farmers of different fta- tions might each of them receive feveral pre- miums, it is pfopofed,; that there fhould be three different clailes of prizes, the firft Li 50; for ten acres, for the beft crop of wheat af- ter fummer fallow, and the next year the fame fum for a green crop, and fo on. The fecond clafs; L. 25, for the beft crop upon five acres. The third clafg, LZ; 10, for the beft crop upon two acres. | U Each C 2. | - Each of the claffes to have a Pc every year. The firft, for the beft crop of hese after « fummer fallow. The fecond, beft green crop after wheat.” The third, beft barley with grafs feeds, “The fourth, beft hay crop. The fifth, beft pafture. The fixth, beft crop of oats after being five years i grafs. Thefe premiums to continue ten or twen- ty years at leaf)... «. Some of the farmers ‘might 9 pres to the whole, or for as many of their crops as were judged beft:, But no farmer to receive more than. one prize foreach grain, that is, fix prizes in whole, during the firft ten years ; but the fecond ten years, to have a right to compete as before. This would be amore certain way of. gain- ing than the lottery ; for every farmer would. be rewarded according to his merit, ingenui= ty, andinduftry : And ag fome farmers might gain, in the {pace of ten years, the fix prizes, ' which would be L. 300 for sthe firft, LZ. 150 for the fecond,.. and L,.-60 for the third clafs, = Shea Oe ee ee a i as no farmer could reafonably complain of his annual taxation, when he is thus rewarded according to his merit; for he, and every farmer has a chance of gaining one or more, of thefe premiums who has only an hundred acres, and pays, we fhall fay, two pence halfpenny for each acre, which is a guinea annually; and this for ten years is only ten guineas for the higheft clafs, and for this. he has a chance of gaining LZ. 300, and almoft a certainty of gaining more than one prize, if he is induftrious, although he does no more than follow the example-of thofe that gained the prizes before him. _ In the courfe of ten years, there would be fixty prizes of L. 50 each, which would make L. 300 annually ; fixty of Z. 25 each, L. 150; fixty of L.10 each, LZ. 60, in_ each diftrié ; fo that the rich farmer, who has a large ex- ‘tent of ground, and the poor one who has but a {mall portion, have each a chance to gain fome of thefe premiums, if they pay at- tention to thofe that gained the prizes before them. \: - But although the farmer fhould gain no prize atall, yet he ould be a greater gainer than ( 156 ). a than the annual taxation, by learning from the example of others in the 9 bagi where an annual regifter of each year’s pro- duce fhould be kept, and to be open to the infpetion of every farmer. The proprietor of évery eftate would gain ten times more than his annual taxation; in fome parts up- wards of an hundred fold, by getting his whole eftate improved i in the higheft order, — Befides, any gentleman that inclined, might have a chance for fome of the premiums, by labouring : a part of his eftate himfelf. As it is to be underftood, that no farmer could gain more than one prize for each grain, that is, fix prizes in whole, this would make the greater part of the farmers almoft certain of one prize at leaft i in ten years. - Each diftrict of the improved part of the country, twelve miles long and four broad, would raife an annual fum of above L, 5 50, which would pay ‘the three clafles of premi- | ums. If the whole of Britain was divided into diftriats, according to their natural fituations, fome larger, fomeé lefs, this would make the eee renee very eid, and no perfon would Te le —————— a Oo Oe ( 1379 - would be a fufferer by the taxation; as both gentlemen, proprietors, and farmers in each diftriét, could eafily fee, that the whole of that money was folely applied for encourag- ing improvements in agriculture, and to no other purpofe. And as this fcheme would. increafe the whole produce of Britain, and. confequently reduce the price of provifions, therefore the inhabitants of large cities and towns ought likewife to contribute a propor- tion, as well as the nobility, gentlemen, and farmers in the country. - Suppofe a gentleman had a thoufand acres of land, in but indifferent order, his own taxation would only be ten guineas annually. By this fcheme, in the courfe of forty years, his rents would be more than doubled, and. the whole improved in great order, and would ftill ‘be improving fo ‘long as the f{cheme continued ; and to this may be added _ his chance of gaining premiums himfelf. No gentleman need hefitate to pay one guinea for every hundred acres, when he would reap fo much advantage. Six and twenty gentlemen, having a thoufand acres each, the farmers paying the fame, would raife five gs hundred mes Pry pie at ee, ange U 68 yp hundred and forty guineas, which i is the fam _ wanted for prizes. . It muft be obferved, that i it will salke! five years. before the whole {cheme of premiums can take place, as is propofed in this plan; therefore the premiums will vary for the firft five years. After that period they are always the fame. . " The order they will take is as follows; as there are three hundred pounds to be divided. every year, which admit of three premiums for each article for five years; viz. one of L. 50; one of L. 30, and one of L. 20, which in whole is L. 100, - Firft year, for the beft crop of wheat of ten’ acres, after fummer fallow, the higheft prize L. 50, the fecond L. 30, and the third L.20, in whole L. 100; and fo on, the fame fum for every article, which will be fhown by the following tables, PREMIUMS rel a ll ——_ > a f oo a eee Cog | oo$ | oor oof 00T oo! “#423 x 940 £OJ sot je [2304 -_ a OOgT | of "SIeO soy O1 = Os 1 o% of o$ Se Se _ *89ZTIg. > + ‘ane saloy Ol “SHUOV OF JF SWAIWAYa aes ) Le a of oz of of loz of of ot of oS loz of of ten > oz of of ; | Fe ; + = ae 7% ‘saz *SOZIIg SoD OF | Saloy OF ht ig oan Pr, ( 681 ot of of o7 of of ov of oS 0% of.0f$ Ne Aaa "SaZIIg dosry oat) “SIIDV OF ] OS teak TI9 oz Of of svak YS of o$ sevak yxy O@ oeommer i 0% O% 3 of of sivad pt of aeak pt of o§ seah yi t I "SIZIIg TEST, say Of ASS 006 OS1 o$z 007% oS: OOo! oy ae “122 X ou0 405 sozi3g _ JO TIL a ss _ a : x Sz Sz | or S1 $z ie. oF "SoZ ‘one sary S$ or Sx Sz or $1 Sz if ea “SoZ Ig “ACT sony $ Scat or sa 3z o1 S1 Sz i ee "SOZII J *Aopieg sony: ) SHZUOV % sR SWOIWDUd (091 Se or $1 Sc or $1 Sz or S1° Sz or S1 Sz coe "SoZ dor u2i6) saroy § ‘og or $1 Sz Or Fi": $s or Sx Sz or Sr $z of 51 $¢ C= So “SOZIIg “yeoy M. saloy £ weak YG reak wiS reak yay reok pt wok pt seok YE 29 OO} O§ 09 | ov OF +329 2U0 Jos soZtIg J° TROL Ory ‘aINyND apedg Jo ysnopg 0} Joy sorydde soz jo Ser) YR] OUT, oO! ¥ Qg OF Se a "SOZIIq ‘2InYyeg Soldy & Ses ea | "SOZTIg “ARPT, SxIIy 7% oO! Of |v 9. O1; or Oo! Oo! Ol t+ + bee 1 *SOZIIg — kapreg SoIOY @ Oo! Of OI Ot ttt XO WO 6 © ie oan "SOZ1Ig dor us2155 SIIIW @ Oo! Ol oO! OI Ct OI OI ao tt ttt WwWwWwL > "SaZLIg "yeoy MA saloy & ‘SHUOV™ 1F SWOINDUd ( rr }. ‘read YQ “read YS ‘read yah ‘reoh pt “reak ps “read YI ( 162 ) This f{cheme is no more than doubling the _ value of the prizes for the firft five years ; af- ter which period they have only L. 50 each. - But if gentlemen and farmers thought pro- per to continue the plan, three prizes for each article, it would only require the tax- ation to be doubled on the fixth and the fuc- ceeding years. By this means it would in- creafe the number of prizes three to one. Five pence each acre, in place of twopence halfpenny, would anfwer the purpofe. The gentlemen and farmers might adopt either of thefe {chemes they thought proper themfelves. But the having of three prizes for each article, during the firft five years, would be of great fervice to introduce the {cheme, © although not continued. In order {till to make the fcheme more uni- ’ verfally ufeful, fo that it might be adopted by the loweft clafs of mankind, there ought to be in every diftrict three clafles of prizes for the fpade culture, in the fame order, and for the fame articles as thofe for the plough cul- ture. They need not at firft be upon a large fcale,’as it is only propofed to fhow the diffe’ rence between the plough and {pade, and to introduce i ie ( 163) introduce the drilling and dibbling in the A beft manner. It-is propofed chat there fhould be three _ different claffles of premiums. The firft L. 10 for two acres, for ne beft. crop of wheat, laboured with the fpade, dril-. . led, or dibbled; and the next year, the fame fum. for a green crop, ae fo on, as in. 1 the be: former {cheme. ., Sd The fecond clafs L. 4, for one acre for the - beft crop of wheat. The third clafs 50 fhillings, for half an acre, and fo on; each of the clafles to have. fix premiums every year, as is par ticularly . éxpreft in the former {cheme. Another advantage the fpade culture would have, is, that it would promote the increafe of villages, and alfo augment population. This would require a fum of 106 guineas e= very year for each diftri€t. One halfpenny per acre additional tax would raife this fum. Perhaps; in fome parts of the highlands, it might be thought better to have no premi- . ums at firft, but for the fpade culture. The _ value of thé prizes would be in proportion to the value of the fum raifed in each diftria. Were a model of a bill for eftablifhing this fcheme {16g 9 | a” fcheme printed, with a full explanation of what is intended by it, and fent to every pa- rifh in the kingdom for their confideration, the fenfe of the nation would be eafily taken upon the fubject. And although they fhould — difapprove of this plan, yet fome other might be fuggefted, which might obtain univerfal approbation, and become beneficial to the Nation at large. It may be objected, that it would be ee | - difficult to determine which farmer had the beft crop of each kind of graim and grafs. In anfwer tothis, I only wifh we had the proper funds for the premiums. Every dif- trict could contrive how to fix on proper me~ thods, to determine which of all the farmers m that diftrict was inured to the prizes ini each clafs. Suppofing there were twelve perfons fixed upon to be judges, that is, one perfon for. every mile in length of the diftrict, each liv- ing a mile diftant from the other ; they could not only view the crops when growing, at’ different ftages, and. make their obfervations thereupon, but likewife, after the corn was cut down, might take the number of ftooks. - or fheaves in each field. | The De < +2 ieee ie he, _ ie RE) The judges ought to recommend to the farmers to make their fheaves of an equal bind; and before the grain in each field was carried home to the barn, or corn-yard, it might be proved by taking the five and twentieth. ftook, or fheaf, and threfhing it out; this would give the contents of the whole. Or, the contents of each field might _ be carried to the corn-yard in the ufual way; and covered up, till it was all ready for threfh-_ ing; then to be proved as above, by taking’ the five and twentieth fheaf, and threfhize it out. eS at Thus two or three men might fee one field proved in three or four hourstime. So that by following this method, they could prove a number of fields in one day. And, if it were thought proper, it could be proved both from the field, and after lying fome weeks or months in the barn-yard. And after all, the farmer to whom each field belonged, fhould keep an account of the whole produce of that field, after being threflied out. The hay crop to be ftacked up in the fame field where it grew, to be meafured after lying for fome time, and likewife an account kept of the number of ftones delivered. Or, the hay , {. 366 3 hay on each field could be weighed before ftacked, or put into a rick. It would naturally occur to the judges, to take proper methods for aftertaining which was the beft crop, both of corns and grafs. - Tt may be very difficult to afcertain which ts the moft valuable field for pafture ; but the fureft way would be to weigh all the cattle before they went into each field, and to be certain that they have neither got meat nor water for twelve hours before weighed; and to weigh them after the whole. pafture was confumed, at the latter end: of the feafon, provided they ftood twelve hours without meat and drink, before théy were taken out of the field. The laft years pafture, before the mrt was broke up for oats, would be the moft e+ gual way for afcertaining which field was of greateft value.. By fubtraCting the weight of the lean cattle when they went into the field, from the weight of the fame cattle when they went out, would fhow the increafe of weight of the cat- tle in each field. ; To know the beft- methods to improve paf- ture ey. acy 1a Pr ts (167) gure grounds are as neceffary as to know how to increafe the produce of corns. There is no method in improving pafture grounds would an{wer better than watering, where the water ‘an be made to ftand dead upon it, in autumm and {pring, after the cattle are taken off; and ‘even where that cannot be obtained, collect- ing the water in the winter time, that comes from the lands that are ploughed, and mak- ing that water run upon the field that is ei- ther in pafture, or hay, would enrich it very much; as the rain water that comes from a field that is in tillage, when full of lime and dung, is richer than the water that comes from a fpring. | | Care fhould be taken, not to let the water run too long in one part of the field; but al- tering it, till it go over the whole, and re- turning the fame way back, fhifting it from place to place: So that, in almoft every fitu- ation, grafs grounds can be enriched very much by waters laid on, either from rivers, rivulets, or {prings, or rain water, perhaps conducted a confiderable diftance from plow- ed fields. Suppofe rain water from plowed fields was | conducted —— 168 - conducted a at diftant, which cdl be done for twenty-five fhillings. A tra, a - foot deep and a foot wide, would advantage the grafs fields confiderably more than all the expence. Hot lime laid upon the ground in the month of July, immediately after the firft cutting of hay, would double the value of the pafture. _ Another obje&tion may be ftarted, viz. That it would be very difficult, when divid- ing the country into diftricts, to get all the farms of equally good foil; and, of courfe, — the good farms at prefent high rented would obtain almoft the whole of the premiums. There is not fo much force in this objec- — - tion as may appear at firft view. The very énd of dividing the whole country into dif- tri@ts is to endeavour, as much as poflible, to bring the whole diftric into one courfe of cropping, which, ‘in time, when perfevered in, would: bring the whole very near on a level as to produce. It is to be particularly obferved, :that in many parts of the country, the foil of the outfield is equally good, when improved, with thofe farms which are already highly improved, | ( 169 ) Keved: Many foils, barren at prefent, when properly fummier fallowed, drained, ind then limed and dunged, will produce erops equally good with the beft improved rms, fometimes much better. But ; it muft be owned, that poor land requires a greater quantity of both lime and dung than the rich land which has been long in tillage. But to make poor land rich is anfwering the very end of the premiums. if any farmer gains the premium, he can very well afford to lay, ont Li 4, or L. 5, ex- traordinary upon each acre, as the profit 3 is not confined. to one crop, but many fucceed- ing ones.- What is to hinder the farmer, if he chutes, firft to trench ten acres with the fpade or plough, and then to fummer-fallow, after which, to give it a large quantity of lime and dung. By the {cheme propofed, the firft crop is to be after a fummer-fallow, which will bring every foil more upon a par; only fome foils require a larger quantity of manure than o- thers: But the manure operates at firft more powerfully upon new ground than old. I had the experience of this myfelf. I x fummer- — ( 179 fummer-fallowed one year fix acres af outs field in. pafture grafs. The Whole would not | have maintained a cow for the fummer ne P dunged it’ extraordinar ily well upon the fallow,’ and fowed it with A* bolls of wheat, which is about two quarters. ‘There was not, a field in Britain that had a better appear- ance; but unfortunately it Was too luxuri- ant, and the 'great rains in July laid it quite flat, and it never rofe again untill it was ‘cut with the fickle. The ftraw ‘was almoft rotted. | But notwithftanding this difafter, it produced 60 bolls of good wheat, befides a great quan-. tity of fmall. Iam certain, that if that field’ had not been laid flat by the’ rains, thefe fix acres would‘ have produced above 100 bolls: : of wheat; which is as much as perhaps the beft field in Britain would have done, being between feven and eight quarters per acre. I have alfo known muir ground, where the | foil was really’ poor; and-which being im~ proved according to the plan repeatedly men~ tioned in’this work, the whole’ expence was. amply repaid by the firft three or four crops, although it amounted to L.20 peracre, Upon the whole, therefore, with refpeGe Ga ( 1978) to. BFiiace, the difference of ea: is not. tat fo much ‘confequenice as the mode of cultiva- tion, ‘The principal difadvantage of a} poor foi ili is, that it requires a greater expence to be laid out at firft. And if this is done, it | will continue to produce crops equally good. with thofe obtained from foils of far fuperior quality. Only, proper attention muft be paid, that it is not afterwards injured by o- ver-cropping, as it is fooner exhaufted than a good foil. | “Te i is not, therefore, here pleaded, that a. poor ‘foil is as beneficial to the tenant as a rich one, unlefs the rent of the former is pro- . portionably lower ; but only, that if a pro- per mode of cultivation is adopted, the crops on each will be nearly equal in goodnefs ; and that, confequently, in determining to whom a premium fhould be given, the difference of foil fearcely needs to be confidered. The author wifhes he had greater abilities _ to demonttrate how much it would be for. _ the intereft of the nation, and every indivi- dual to give more encouragement to improve- “ments in agriculture. He has found him- much at a lofs for fuficient powers of language ma. Bo m. gte< vince and ftir up ) perfons of all ranks to unite together, i in order to promote t the ends pro- pofed. He can ‘only fay, he. -has wrote no- thing but what he firmly | believes to be truth, and which might eafily be reduced to. prac- tice. He has no interefted fcheme in. View 5 but is perfuaded, that what he has propofed is for the general good. If thefe hints fhould be the means of mak. ing people confider what is the primary inte- r eft of Britain ; or lead them to reduce to ) prac- tice what is propofed ; or ftir up perfons of greater abilities to adopt this, or any Ape plan that may turn out for the good of th nation, it will give him great pleafure. OBSERVATIONS POBSERVATLON ¥ ON THE STATE AND. SITUATION 7 : if? SOME PARTS IN THE WEST OF SCOTLAND, WITH RESPECT. TO ‘AGRICULTURE. With fome Hints for the improvement ‘of thefe Places. Ina Journey from GLascow to Ayr: INTRODUCTION 1? has been a frequent complaint againft _ writers on agriculture, that they were too little acquainted with real bufinefs; that _ from hence their theories were often without foundation, and many of their propofed im- provements abfolutely impracticable. _ tnorder to obviate as much as poflible any ( 174 } any objections of this nature, which may be brought againft the preceding Effay, we have, in the following pages, endeavoured to apply the general principles for which we contend, to the prefent ftate, and poffible improve- ment of two extenfive diftricts, the fituation and foil of which are aca cee from each other. ¥ From this sietitectant it 18 Soati that ins tclligent reader will be convinced, that an uniform and univerfal fyftem of agriculture is a rational. plan; and that we are by no means too fanguine with refpect to the ad- vantage which, we aflert, may be Soe from it. | Nae OBSERVATIONS, a j uber * ‘4 J TOBSERVATIONS, bese é a XLASG OW,. ‘Paley, and. the adjacent country, is. perhaps >more populous. than any other part of Scotland, for the fame extent of ground; owing to the manufactur- -ers being very numerous : And, for this rea-. fon, the price of provifions i is generally high- er there than in other parts of the coun- To fupply that part of the country,. great quantities of corns, are imported yearly from England and Ireland, and.the north and eaft of Scotland. Some years large quantities are imported from Holland and the Baltic. This, ina great meafure, may be owing to fo fmall a portion of the country being properly improved, and too great a propor- ' tion in grafs, which is feldom or never broke ‘up for corns; the large quantities of wate ground capable of being improved; in ma- ay places the grafs but very poor, not being enrichiec! ( 176} enriched with lime and dung before fown with grafs, fo that, when broke up for corns, it produces but {mall crops ; the money that ought to be given to the farmer ~to' improve his farm, and purchafe manure, is fent away to other countries to buy corns. 80 long as they continve to encourage im- portation, they will ever have corns fo cheap ds other parts of thé country. In the latter end of 1786, and the begin- ning of 1787, there were above an hundred thoufand pounds fent to Ireland for corns and meal imported to the weft of Scotland. This fam would circulate amongft the manufac= turers in Ireland ; and if they continued t6’ import from thence, would enable the Irith manufacturers to underfell the’ Scots in the’ article of linen cloth, which they are doing infome meafure already. Scotland, before the Revolution, ferved Ireland with great Biers 4g linen; oi fince that period, has intreduced the bits are of finds and brought it to fo great a length, by encou- ragement from the public, that they not on- ly ferve themfelves, but export linens to England to four times the value that Scotland: does ; a ¢ 2m a Oe. lal eel does taind even great quantities of linen are fent from Ireland to Scotland. a ‘The Irifh parliament hath given great en« “couragement to the improvements in agricul- ture, and the manufacture of linen, and is fill continuing to do fo, much more than is given in all Britain. The following extract © from the Intereft of Scotland, p. 25, fully fhows this. “ The parliament of Ireland give great funds for the improvement of their linen manufacture... No defect is fooner difco-« vered, that can be fupplied by encourage- ment, thanitis done. The truftees in Ire- “* land gave at one time rojegi@iicheck reels, “ which were all made, a 3 and diftri- “ buted to the {pinners in different places of “ the country, at the public charge. They © alfo at feveral times have made great num- “bers of good looms, completely mounted, “ of the beft kind, and given them gratis to “ the beft weavers. “They are likewife care- * ful to remove, by public laws, every thing * that has the leaft appearance of a difcou- “*ragement to the linen trade.” Ifthe people in the weft of Scotland were to lay out the fame fums yearly that they do Baki | meh for I 7% 8. yy . aay . for importation, on the improvement. of the. country in general, to purchafe manure, with a regular rotation of crops of corn and. grafs, with a fallow, there would foon be great al- teration in the price of corns, &c. It is evident, that farms produce crops in © proportion to what is laid out for improve- ment, by inclofing, draining, fummer-fal+ low and manure. In many parts flooding — with water will anfwer the fame.end as dung, when in grafs, and the ground well-drained before the water is let on, to ftand for a fhort time at different feafons. If the greateft- part of the manufa@turers were in country: villages, every family hav- _ ing a large garden laboured with the fpade, and part in clover, it would be of confidera- ble fervice, and help to reduce the price of provifions, and tend much to the health of the manufa@turer. . Suppofé the ground was — but indifferent, they would {oon a 8 with the fpade. _ When manufacturers were facless Pe 18 fometimes the cafe, the mafter not having employment for the one half of his hands, they would partly find employment in the garden; and, when at any. time out of work, the : = s ee es oa ne ; eee ee 5 re - sin (Te) - oduce of the garden would help to maintain them; fo that they could never be in a great frit, if they had a large garden well ftocked with all kinds of roots, greens; &e. If thus the manufacturers were fettled all over the country, they would be lefs fub- yect to mobbing, when disjoined from one another. ; lam informed, that many of the weavers in Germany and Ireland work at the plough a part of the day, and weave their cloth at night. Many of the Pruffian foldiers are weavers, and when not employed as foldiers, return tothe loom. = _ See National Improvements for a plan of & garden upon a new conitru@tion, p. 270. Many perfons who have tried labouring torn-fields with the fpade, inform me they have found it’ cheaper than the plough, con- fidering the great crops produced after the fpade; fo that they have had two bolls per acre more than after the plough. Tf at any time manufacturers cannot get | work, it would be better for them to be em-= ployed i in labouring corn-fields with the {pade:. tHan being idle. ha am informed, there have been very con- am fiderable ( 180 ) fiderable fams laid out for the ee of eftates in Ayrthire ; but by not follow- ing out the improvements in a proper mam | ner, many gentlemen have fuffered very | much, not being allowed time to reap the benefits of their i improvement. : Whenever any perfon, whether gentleman or farmer, engages in improvements upon a large fcale, perhaps both above his ftock and H exper ience, if he does not perfevere in. thefe improvements, he mutt be {ure to lofe very confiderably. . It takes many years before great improve- ments will pay themfelves; and, if not per- fevered in, the whole money laid out 18, in fome meafure loft. But if the plan be pro- — perly laid down and perfevered in, the far- mier may be affured he will be paid both for ftock and intereft with profit. This. is the caufe that many lofe by giving over their farm at the very time that they ought moit to exert themfelves. Many aman is ruined for. want of friends tofupport him in this critical time: It is like a perfon going through a m+ ver, whenever he goes beyond his depth, if not fupported, he will be carried amr tac ftream. ie : S Whew ( 181 9) “When, riding through Ayrfhire ’ from - Paifley to Kilmarnock, to the towns of Ayr and Irvine, and back to Kilmarnock ‘and. _ Tarbolton,. returning again to Paifley by Ire. _ wine and Beith, I made a few obfervations. » » Firft, Inever faw acounty or fhire in Scots ~ land where there was fo little muir or watfte ground; the greater part being either inclo- fed; had been in tillage, or was in grafs, Secondly, The roads for the moft part very good, being chiefly turnpike, except from Paifley to Stuarton, and from Irvine to Beith, which are in fome parts very bad. Thirdly, Although the moft of the farms - are inclofed with ditch and hedge, yet very few of them are fencible, the thorns being planted in the face of the ditch, very much ftinted in the growth; many of them fogged or covered with mofs, which is a fure fign _ that the hedge is going back in the growth. Thereis no way of helping thefe hedges, but by cutting them over clofe to the ground, making upa {mall facing upon the outfide as high as the thorns, and one foot broad at the top; and as the thorns grow, to throw in “more earth about the roots. This will give & new Ears, and ‘help to: keep in the moif- oe ture ( 182 ) ture in fummer, and drain the water ‘ror the roots in winter.» Water ftanding in win- ter)in the ditches, ruins the hedges altoge~ ther. But the moft effeGual way to make thefe fences good, is by facing up the ditches with ftone three feet and a half high from the bottom of the ditch, which ought to be ” made a little deeper and wider before the ftones are built; the mould taken out of the ~ ditch, and thrown upon the top; then to plant the thorns upon the top about two feet from the edge of the ftones. ‘This, with digging for fome years after being planted, . will very foon'make a. good fence, and it will. continue fo, both to hold out and in. ~ I faw very few good fences in the whole county. Dr M‘Readie of Peifton had the beft, and a few others whofe names desc oe = know. a. It is fomewhat furprizing to fee alin whole county at fo much expence for inclof ing, and yet foffering it to go to ruin for want of taking proper care. Unlefs hedges are looked carefully after for the firft five or fix years after being planted, they, ain as well not be planted. bi The fourth obferyation is,. That a (ae we ae ee ~ ee. ( 183 ) calor the ridges, particularly near | Kil- marnock, are by far too high) raifed, which makes the furrows very poor, and hurts the field, very much. when in grafs. | _ A field of ridges eighteen feet broad, while a moderate rife, when. the water furrows are all kept.clean, will anfwer better both for. corns and grafs, and produce) greater. crops than by having the ridges, fo very high: For when high, they can never reverfe the ridges, by making the crowns the furrows; and the furrows the crowns, unlefs they bury the whole manure, and bring up a new foil en- tirely; fo that they may as well bring in a field from muir or wafte ground, as to at~ tempt to alter the ridges fuddenly.. Whereas, when the ridges are of a moderate rife, they can be altered without any damage to the foil. ‘The great matter is, to keep the water furrows clear both in fummer and winter ; and then, although very great rains fall, the damage will not be great. The fifth obfervation is, I obferved them in the month of Jariuary laying on lime up- _onthefe high ridges, when in grafs, all wet, and in clods. _ By this method they lofe a great part of Maes the ( 184 ) ‘ the virtue of the lime, which, when fo much wet, has not the fame virtue ag when dry. The froft in that feafon muft hurt the lime very much; befides, a great part, by having the ridges fo very high, is wafhed away by the great rains. Whereas, were the lime put on in the month of July quite hot, after the firft cutting of hay, the firft fhower would make it fink into the roots of the grafs; fo that one acre would be worth three in paf- ture, and would continue good pafture for many years. The hotter the lime is put up- on the fallow, fo much the better: For two - bolls laid on hot will have as much effect as thrée or four bolls when wet and out of fea~ fon. 2 7 a I faw no fummer-fallow in Ayrthire but one field, and even that was neglected to be © water-furrowed. It was ruined by water ftanding upon it. Ina country fuch as ‘Ayr- fhire, where fo much rain falls, the fallow, after every day’ s plowing, ought to be water- furrowed in the evening. Sixth obfervation. I was much farprized | to fee fuch {mall corn-yards in fuch a fine country, and where there is fo much grafs and 4 ( 185 end Wane.” ste was informed by Mr aut at Irvine, ‘that there are not one thoufand bolls of wheat produced in all the fhire of Ayé. Whereas, were they to take proper methods of cropping, having a regular rotation, with 7 a fallow, i in a few years Ayrfhire might per= haps produce fifty thoufand ‘bolls. or more yearly, and. other corns in proportion. To conclude, I mutt own. there are few counties i in Scotland, where fuch rapid. i im- provements could be made as in Ayrihire, as they have fo much inclofed, ‘and in’ grafs, with great plénty of Kime and coal near at hand, and good roads. Th the courfe of ten is at prefent, if the whole county were to adopt an univerfal and regular courfe of cropping. Suppofe the whole county - were to begin and break up a tenth part of all their graf grounds each year, and fow with oats or lint, the old grafs grounds would produce very great crops. The faid Mr Foulis in Irvine told me, that a few years ago fome of Lord Eglinton’s parks in old grafs were fet for plowing at nine peoes per acte for each year; ind the A a | perfons ( 186 ) perfons that took them were gainers, although they were at the expence of the. whole labour and feed. The very produce of oats annually, if ge- : nerally adopted, would be more than all the prefent produce of the different grains in the whole county; which would. render impor- tation from Ireland, or elfewhere,unneceflary. The fame field the fecond year, fummer- fallowed, limed, and fown with wheat, would. produce an equal number of bolls of wheat that the preceding year produced of oats, and perhaps a third more, if feed time and har- veit were favourable. I know fome farmers will have hee ae jections to this year’s fummer-fallow: __ Firft,, That fo much rain falls in this part of the country, that it prevents the good ef- fects of fallow. The fecond is, That the fecond * year would produce, if fown -with oats, a better crop than the firft year. The third is, That it is a great. hurt to break up. old grafs, which is richer pafture than new erafs. As to the firft. objection, Ther eis n@ doube but. ( 187 ) but wherever great rains fall, it puts a ftop to the plowing for fome time; for ground ought never to be plowed when wet. _ There are two ways that, in fome meafure, might prevent the damage done by great rains. | The firft is, By having the fallow early o- ver, and the ground fowr before the ‘rain fets in. It is commonly known in that coun- ty what month the rain fets in, and how long it commonly continues. The fecond method is, To endeavour to prevent the damage. It is certainly better to have all the fallow-plowing over early, and alwaysto have the water-furrows clear,evén in dry weather, fo that the rain may not furprife the farmer. Ifthe rain comes on when thus ~ prepared, before fown, the farmer’s bufinefs is to wait with patience until the rain is o- ver, and fow the wheat, although late or ear- ly in the {pring, when the feafon is favour- able, without plowing again. Be fure, by all means, not to allow any water to ftand in the furrow. Let the water-tracts be opened with a fpade at the end of each furrow, if it can- not be done with the plough. y If { 188 } If a field be well plowed bikini. vis as to prevent the .water from ftanding, it will receive a great quantity of rain, without be- ing fo much. hurt as one would imagine. _ The anfwer to the fecond objection is, That a fecond crop of oats impoverifhes or exhaufts the foil, more than.a crop of wheat-after fal- low; of courfe, the field is not in that order _ for the fucceeding crops as after.a fallow; be- fides, a good crop of wheat, in. general, is equal in value to two-crops, of oats. The farmers in the carfe ‘of Gowrie, .who pay from. thirty to fifty-five shillings each acre for rent, find it much for their. intereft to fummer-fallow a Gxrh. part of their farms eve: ry year, after taking only one crop, of. Q ats from cloyer., Some of them shaye told me, they. commonly haye the fixteenth return from the feed fown after this fallow. .. , There,is another great argument for fow- ing wheat in a.country fubject to much rain, that it is the.firft grain. commonly cut down, when: early fown,, and requires to ftand but a few days in the field after. being cut down, before it is carried to the bar n-yard, Nay; I have known’ wheat, when. very aD cut _down — ( 7189 } down ! the one day, and-carried to the barn- ard the next. The wheat crop will not ex- haut, the, land, if followed with a green tect rc Itis not the eheat crop: that ruins the Jand, ? fo much as the injudicious method of taking two white crops in fucceflion ; then, indeed, the foil will be very nauch exhaufted, and will take many years, and much expence, to. bring 1 it-into the fame order that it was be- fore. This is a fault, which many who | rec- kon themfelves good. farmers fall into. In anfwer to the third objection, By break- ing up old grafs, you obtain a treafure for little expence ; which | enables the farmer to improve the moft barren parts of his farm, affording him large fums of money to pur- chafe manure, and to defray the expences for men, cattle, &c. Atthe fame time, the large quantities of ftraw, when managed properly make large dunghills ; this raifes great crops of corn in other fields. It is a very bad fcheme, when old grafs is fet for three white crops, two of oats and one of barley, allowing all the ftraw to be carried of the farm. This exhautts the farm very, much; ( 190 ) much; and the grafs will not be fo good as it was ‘when broke up, perhaps for twenty years, when not dunged before being laid » down with grafs feeds. Whereas, by follow- ing the method now propofed, of not taking two white crops running, without a fallow or green crop intervening, and dunging to the green crop, the fame field that was broke _ up from old grafs is laid down_as rich, if not richer than it was at firft; fo that, in a few years the pafture will be as good as ever, if not Sipe: and the hay crops extraordinary good. Thus this very field, befides the large fums of money got for the different crops, will maintain double the number of cattle it did before. And if you take into this account the profits arifing from the dung the ftraw makes, which improves other fields, it may be averred as a fact, that it maintains more than ten times the number of cattle it did before, and the field not exhaufted. The following extract from Marfhal’s Rural Eep- nomy, p. 132, will fhew this. * Minute 73. February 10. Itfeems to be a received idea among the Norfolk far- * mers, ee ( 192 ) “ mers, that the ftraw which is, eaten. by « cattle, i is ina manner wafted as to manure, “ ‘Mr S. I remember, as an argument in fa- «“ “ a 3 <4 sc ee ce “ee * four of his plan of fattening pigs loofe in the open yard, faid, What a rare parcel of muck they make, compared with what neat beafts would have made. from. the fame ftraw? A parcel of lean hungry ftock, fays he, come into a yard, and eat up all the ftraw. Sce there lies a bundle of ftraw as big as a man can carry. ¢ Mr B. the other day, intimated the fame idea. However, on putting the queftion, he acknowledged, that a little dung and a “ Jittle trodden {traw do well together. “ ce * In the north of England, the farmers make their cattle eat almoft every blade of their ftraw, fo that they have fcarcely any Jeftto litter their ftalls with. Give a York- «< <“ &c és &“ 6s “ fhire and a Norfolk farmer equal quanti- ties of ftraw, the. Yorkfhireman would keep more cattle, and carry out his dung at a lefs expence; wliulft the Norfolkman would make more muck. But quere, Whether is the manure better or “worfe ? and quere, Which of the two, upon the whole, is the hetter management? 63 Much; i : rie ay { 192 } «© Much, pethaps, may depend: on the quality of the foil to be manuted.: A Targe - “ quantity of long dung would, perhaps, for “ ftiff cold land be better thar’ a fiddler - “quantity of fhort. But perhaps, for a “loamy foil, fhort dung is the belt.” | To avoid’ two extremes, I would récém- mend one half of the ftraw to be eaten, » and yg other ufed for litter. "From all this it may be obferved, that thofe | Diss keep old graf§ too’ long aré hurting themfelves, and hindering that great intreafe of produce, which would prevent importa- fon. =" Let any intelligent farmér make a calcula. tion of the profits upon the different crops in a moderate way, he will foon fee, that the old grafs, broke up for five years, will pro- duce more profit during the five years in tillage, and one or two in hay, than is gene- rally made upon four farms of the fame ex- tent of ground wholly in tillage ; yea, mm ma- ny places, than upon ten farms, for the fame number of years. BG to’ Pectin, ee aethad’ oF japane propofed is, the fourth year after wheat, a green crop of beans, or mixture of peas, in fome : ( 193 ) foe places a part of turnips or potatoes; the whole dung made upon the farm laid upon éither of thefe Crops ; ; the whole fummer dung plowed in in autumn; the dung made in the winter and {pring alfo plowed in, whenever thé feafon anfwers. The béans and peafe to be fown as early as the feafon will permit; only, be fure not to plow or fow wet. Plant likewife the potatoes early; put the rank dung above them, which will pre- vent the froft from hurting them. ‘The lefs the dung is‘rotted, either for the potatoes, beans, peafe, orturnip,fo much the better. The tank dung rotting in the ground with thefe green crops, meliorates-and enriches the foil very much, and renders it in fine order for barley and grafs feeds the following year, particularly if the ground is cold and wet. There is this advantage in laying on the dung to thefe crops, that the barley can be fown early in the fpring, when the feafon anfwers, which makes an early harveft; the grain 1s better in quality; having the heat of the fun in its ftrength when ripening, and runs lefs rifk from the great rains. There 1s another advantage arifing from ' laying on the dung to thefe crops, that it 1s Bb better ( 194 ) better intermixed, with the foil, which an= - fwers better for the grafs feeds, than whem the dung is laid on for the barley.. Likewife, not having to dung for the barley, you can, be more certain of embracing a good feafon of fowing whenever it offers, whether early or late. Some years the time being confum- _edin driving out dung for the’ barley, the ' proper feafon of fowing is loft, which both hurts the barley crop, and grafs feeds fown. » Thefe crops, when dunged and. properly dreft, the feafon being favourable, are often of more value than a wheat crop. I have known fixteen bolls of clean beans upon each acre, by following the above method. I had upon an average, fifty bolls of potatoes upon each acre, every boll weighing forty ftone Dutch weight, which is above fix hundred weight Englifh ; and I have raifed fome years eighty bolls. The fifth year, I would propofe barley and grafts feeds, as the foil, by the above method of cropping is both well pulverifed, and rich with lime and dung. The barley crop, if the feafon is favourable may be expected t to be very great, as neither the lime or dung is exhaufted ; being only the third year fince limed ( 195 ) timed to the fallow, and the fecond after be- ing dunged: So that it may with propriety ‘Be faid, this field is in the higheft culture for ‘raifing a very large crop of hay for one year, and good pafture for four years after; which in whole is ten years. And we fhould then proceed to repeat the fame courfe as ba _ the firft year oats, and fo on. If what is propofed was reduced to practice, the corn crops would not only be very con- fiderably increafed to what they are at pre- fent, but the crop of hay and pafture would be increafed in proportion; and by thefe means confiderable quantities of muir and wafte ground could be brought in at a fmall | expence. What is here faid, with refpect to improve- ments in Ayrfhire, will anfwer in part for ‘moft of the counties or fhires in Britain. I have not had an opportunity to fee a county or fhire in Scotland fo much adapted for making fuch a rapid improvement of in- creafe in produce as Ayrfhire, ‘as faid before, having fo much inclofed and in grafs, great plenty of lime and coals to be purchafed at a cheap rate, good roads, and the foil benefited by lime. bi. eg | Yet ( 196 ) Yet the improvements in Ayrfhire at pres fent are very far from being compleat. They may be faid to be only blocked out, in or- _der to pave the way for a more compleat fyf tem. And, unlefs they alter the prefent me- thod of cropping, they will be in danger of lofing a great part of the expence already in- curred ; and the farms will be little better than when they began to attempt improvements, if notin a worfe condition. I am certain, if the whole fhire were to adopt the plan propofed, of breaking up a tenth part of all the grafs new and old every year for ten years to come, and only take the four crops mentioned, and the fecond year in fallow, the value of the whole produce of corns and grafs, in ten years, would be fix times what it is at prefent, and the foil every year richer, as long as the fchemes propotes were continued. What proves. this, and puts it beyond all © doubt, is the practice in the Carfe of Gowrie, The farmers there, fince they altered their courfe of cropping, own, that they make as much profit in one year, as they did before in five. They now divide their farms into fix equal parts, firft fallow, then wheat, third year, | ( 197 ) year, beans and peafe mixed; fourth, barley fown with red clover; fifth, clover or hay; fixth year, oats; then fallow, and fo on as cig The beft farms have, when the fenton is Ricurable, above ten bolls each acre upon the whole farm, of all thefe four average crops. ‘This at the average price of the four grains, at fixteen fhillings per, boll, is eight pounds each acre. I knew one farmer have 70 acres in hay, of which he had about 500 ftones upon each acre, 22:lb. Englifh to the ftone, about 5 ton weight each acre. This was the greateft crop of hay I ever knew, ei- ther in England or Scotland upon fuch a large field. Having that quantity upon one acre or two laboured with the fpade, is not fo much when extraordinarily dunged. The fallow with lime and dung raifes uncommon- ly great crops of clover. ‘The fecond cutting the fame year is often greater than the firft. In whatever country there is as much grafs and lime near at hand, as in Ayrfhire, at a cheap rate, the advantages will be fimilar. Every foil does not anfwer equally well with Hime ; ; fome light foils anfwer better with marl, . { x98 ) marl. But every foil will anfwer with a part in fallow, in corns, and in grafs. - Every farmer, in every fituation, where= ever the ground is arable, adopting thefe fchemes, will find them turn out greatly for hisadvantage; although not with equal fuc- cefs, as every fituation is not equally favour~ . able, nor every foil equally rich. * When at DE M‘Redie’ s houfe at Pearfton, I was exprefling my fentiments on the ufeful- nefs of whins as food for cattle; having a nourifhing, warming, healthful: quality a- bove moft vegetables in prefent ufe for the food of cattle, from the quantity of bitumen in their compofition. I have often thought, before converfing with the Doctor, that they might be ufeful for mankind, but durft not venture to affirm this from want of experi- ence. I was agreeably furprifed when the Doctor told me; that he often recommends — them to poor people in confumptions, &c, His method is firft bruifing and pouring boil- ing water upon them, letting them ftand for fome hours; then pouring off the water, and mixing the juice with warm {weet milk, This has had wonderful effects in curing ma- ay i ( 199 ) ny of his patients. I have been induced to mention this, becaufe it is a fact not gene- rally known; and perhaps the a. Ne it ey be beneficial to mankind. Many advantages would accrue to the weft of Scotland if thefe_plans were adopted. In Glafgow, Paifley, and the neighbouring towns, confiderable manufactories are now eftablifhed of cottons, lawns, and cambrics, which require finer yarn than can be {pun from Britifh flax. This trade might be efta- blifhed upon a folid footing, if part of the raw materials could be produced in this country as good, and cheaper than what are now pur- chafed from France or Flanders. The trade might by this means be increafed, and the manufacturers would be able to fell their goods upon equal terms with foreigners, if not lower. The women of that country now {pin very fine linen yarn. It would therefore be of ve- - ry great importance to the whole of Britain, that they could get into. the proper methods of raifing fine flax. _ The fchemes mentioned will anfwer in e- very part of Britain ; yet there are fome fitu- % ee ations ( 206 ) ations and foils more adapted to the raifing of fine flax than others. In every place where there are large quantities of old pafture grafs; we may be almoft certain of raifing a weighty crop of fine flax. | : The moft eligible method is to fummer- fallow it, and then fow with flax; or one crop of oats may be firft taken, leaving a long ftubble, which fhould be plowed down immediately after the oats is cut down, Part might be plowed before they are carried off the field. ‘This would, in part, ferve for dung. It fhould then be fummer-fallowed before fown with flax. Old grafs would not require any dung, being for the moft part very rich. If any dung was given, it fhould be only atop drefling, with either lint-feed or rape, duft, falt, foot, pigeon, fheep, or goat dung, wood, or good peat afhes, har-— rowed in with the crop when fown. All dry grafs ground would be greatly im- proved by flooding with water every year in autumn and fpring. This would not only increafe the quantity and quality of grafs, but would be an excellent preparation for a flax crop, which would both increafe the weight, ee | oe ( 201% ) weight, and make it much finer. "The fum- mer fallow ought to be plowed five or fix times in the fummer, and but very little har- towed. The feed fur given in the autumn fhould be well water-furrowed. This will _keep in the moifture better than plowing in the {pring, and be much more certain of a pood crop: For in fome years the drought fets in after the {pring plowing, which ruins the crop. The feed fhould be fown as early as the feafon will permit. ~ It may be objected, that the ground being fo rich, the flax will be in danger of lodging and rotting, efpecially in the weft country, where they have fo much rain. ~ Tn anfwer to this I would obferve, That whenever this happens to be the cafe, the proper remedy is to pull the flax, if there be no appearance of fair weather, and {pread it regularly upon the ground where it grows, but rather thick, and turn it every day. If the rain continues, it will be well watered in afew weeks, more regularly and better than if it had been put into the water, and the flax whiter. If, indeed; I was certain of the rain continuing, I would never chufe to water Gc lint F ( 202 } lint any, other way. It isyboth, fofter and f{tronger than that which is put into the wa- ter; is lefs. expence and rifk; equally good. for both. {pinning and weaving, and much eafier, bleached. But if the feed be foe early in. Pe Spring, it will be ready for pulling before the rain fets in. The ground not being plowed i in the fpring, will alfo give the lint a firmer. hold in the ground, and therefore will not be fo apt to lodge. Eight pecks of feed will be fufficient for each acre. If the feafon i is fa- vourable, an extraordinary crop may be ex- pected, more fo than if the fallow had been after any other crop. ges If the proprietor choofes to fummer-fallc Ww the firt’year, the ground will be rather rich- er than after oats. The firft fur fhould be not above two. and a half inches deep, which rots the erafs fooner than when deep pow and requires lefs harrowing ty reduce it. | | A crop of flax drefled in this manner ih be equal in value to two. or three crops of good wheat.. ‘ gts This is another inducement to: fummer- fallow; for, if the farmer lofes the wheat feafan by rain, he may be certain-of getting the. ( 203) the flax feafon, if he gives the feed fur before winter, not having to plow in the {pring, but only to embrace the time whenever the fea- | fon offers beft for fowing. - Lam of opinion, that very great quanti- ties of lint are deftroyed at the lint mills; the ftroke of the cutchin is too violent, which cuts off great part of the lint. If flax was — rich, and properly watered, 1 would approve both of rollers and beaters going by water. ~ Firft roll the lint, and then beat it with the ftamp, then clean it with the hand, cutch, and ftock. The Dutch have no:lint she a their CU flax is very clean. When lint is good, and alien aval ‘it is very eafy cleaned; but when hungry, and ill watered, it is very difficult. ‘This leads us to obferve the caufe that the moft part of the lint in Scotland is fo badin quality, and very difficult both to clean and bleach. This is Owing to the poverty ofthe lint, being for the moft part fown upon poor ground, and not properly prepared. Lint requires to be fown in the very richeft foils, and after pro- per culture. When fown upon good ground and clean, no crop pays better; but when anh upon poor ground and dirty, no crop is { 204 J is lefs profitable; ; for the expence is often more than the whole value of the crop. As there is fo much grafs all around Glafgow, Hamilton, Mairns, Dunlop, &c. if the gentlemen and farmers there, and in the different fhires, would, break up all their old grafs, they would not only have much more grafs and corns than at prefent, but very large quantities of flax of the beft _ kind, by following’ the plan propofed; and — not only in that part of the country, but over all Britain, wherever the fituation is fimilar. And this fo far from hurting any part of the country, would greatly improve the whole; as one acre fown after this manner would pro- duce as much fine flax as four or fix will do, in the ordinary way of fowing and dreffing. The flax of the growth in the weft fells, in the Glafgow market, from fourteen fhillings to ohe pound ten fhillings per ftone, each ftone 22 1b. Englith, according to the fine- nefs. Ihave had myfelf forty {tones upon each acre. But ground dreffed in the man- ner propofed may reafonably be fuppofed to . produce a weighty crop in ordinary feafons, and. with more certainty, and lefs expence for weeding, not being fo liable to be affect- Papp ee “2 aD | ( 205 ) ed. with the dry weather, nor fo much hurt by the rains as the flax fown in the ordinary way. _ Anacre of flax, when fown afer old grafs, and fummer-fallowed, dunged with a top dreffing, in ordinary feafons would be in value from L. 30, to L. 50, fome years more. forty ftones of lint would be, at thirty fhil- lings, L. 60, the expence for feed and labour to be deducted. Whereas, the average value of lint in general fown at prefent in this coun- try will not amount to L.8; although in fome places, when fown after graf, the va- Ine will be L. 30. Yet the great quantity which is fown upon poor ground, and full of weeds, reduces the average value. Indeed, the only way to render flax a pro- fitable article, both to the farmer and the ma- nufacturer, is to follow the Dutch manner of eftablifhing flax boors, who purchafe the flax from the farmer at fo much per acre when growing, and the buyer is at the whole ex- pence of manufacturing, from pulling till dreffed into flax. The boor would give ac- cording to the value of the flax when grow- ing; and having no other employment but to attend upon the aie when pulling, wa- tering, ( 206° } tering, grafling, and drefling, would ‘take care that all thefe operations were conduéted. in the beft manner. At the fame time, the farmer would be a gainer, having no rifk to run after the flax was fold. His great care — would be to raife the weightieft crops, when he would always be. fure of .a purchafer, which would not hinder his other operat upon his farm. tt z How oftendo we fee a fine crop of flax loft | entirely by not being pulled in proper time; lying too long in the water, till half rotted, or rotted upon the grafs ; ; and after all, the one half of what remains deftroyed at the lint mill? It would’ be highly sdvaemecne al to a ’ whole country, and manufa¢turers, that a number of {killful perfons were. fettled in every part of the country, where much lant is fown. Some ought to be brought from Flanders, and fhould be allowed falaries. ary fome years, in-oerder to inftruct others. . The following extraét, taken from the ia tereft-of Scotland confidered, printed in. the: year 1733, wrote by the late Provoft Lind- lay of Edinburgh, will tend to éhucidate what. ~ 13 PEAORE faid. wae | re 73 Our (| 207. ) “ Our. prefent way of managing home- _ grown flax is fo bad, that it were better for our) linen-manufadcture,. if we raifed * none at all: For every fault, every failure in the flax, is an error in the firft concoc- « tion, not to be cured afterwards by any {kill or labour. Yarn {pun of unripe flax will never make good cloth; and where it is mixed with other yarn, the cloth is dif- liklied.. Flax f{poiled or difcoloured in the “ watering, cannot be brought to that full white required in fine cloth, unlefs the cloth be fo much thinned and emptied, that it is good for nething ; and where it is mixed with good yarn, the cloth can ne- ver be of the fame colour. Unlefs we are ‘at pains to. reform our way of managing | our lint, we had better purchafe it entirely from the Baltic, Holland and: Flanders. But as we have been long in the practice *-of raifing of flax, we muft go on; and if we can be ata little more trouble, and fome {mall expence, we fhall reap from. the fame ground a third part at leaft more flax than we do at prefent, and that too 30 per’ cent. better in its quality. I thall therefore give'a fhort account of the method prac= tHfegh ‘( 208 )} tifed by the Flanders flax-drefler, who was fome time ago brought over by the truftees upon public encouragement, to teach us their way of preparing their ground, fow- ing of flax-feed, raifing, pulling, watering, and drefling their flax, and compare it with our own. | “ The beft foil for fine flax is the tender and yellow black mould, or any light foil mixt with loam and a little fand, that will - not bind with any fudden drought. The lower the ground lies, and the flatter it is, the better, providing it be dry enough to _be fown in the proper feafon. It fhould be fallowed, at leaft two winters and a fummer. The firft plowing fhould be as deep as the foil will admit of, and thereaf- ter plowed with an ebb furrow, fo often as the appearance of weeds makes it necefla+ ry. In O&ober or November, before the ground is to be fown, it ought to be well dunged, and as well dreffed at fowing as garden mould ; and two buthels of good feed is fufficient to fow one acre of ground thus prepared. We fow commonly four buthels, and fometimes a hogfhead on one acre, becaufe our ground is not prepared cs as ( 20g ) * asic ought to be. The effec of this is, if our feed be good; all comes up, and half of it is undergrowth; this unripe lint is ~ eet ; “ rotten in the watering, before the reft is ready, and the whole is fpoiled by it. - © In ground thus prepared, the weeds are. fo very few, that one hand will clean as much lint ground of weeds in a day, as eight can do in our prefent way; and this is a confiderable article of expence faved. * When his flax is» fully ripe, and not till then, he pulls it; and if any unripe {talks appear, he carefully feparates them from the reit, and waters them by themfelves. When his lint. is pulled, he ties it up in fmall bundles or fheaves, no bigger than one ean grafp about with his two hands, and_ties them loofely with a few ftalks of itfelf, a little below the feed, and then fets © them up on end, two and two, like ftooks of corn, in the air and fun, until it be + well” dried ; and then ftrips the {eed-boll from 3 it as we do. He then ties two and two. ‘of his fheaves together, the feed end of the one always t to the root-end of the other. ss a W. herever he can find flat lying ground, Dd oe * wnder €¢ 6s (f angi} ! under level to any running water, hecnil he digs his ponds for watering his lint, fo large as the ground will allow, and near to: * three feet in depth. When his ponds are filled from the rivulet with water, he puts in his lint until the pond is full, but does not fink it. The reafon why he ties the feed- -end of one theaf to the root-end of the o- ther is, that the roots being heavier would, fink in the water, and the feed-end would be entirely out of tle water; but when thus balanced, the lint being much of the fame fpecific gravity with the water, it is juft immerfed, and no more, and never . comes near the ground or the mud. He turns it in the water every day, and ifthe | weather is very hot, twice a day. He tries: when it is enough watered,. by breaking a few. ftalks ; and if the boon breaks freely, ‘and. parts eafily with the flax, then he takes it out, and carries it to a clear running” ftream, and wafhes it very well from all its filth and naftinefs, and then {preads- it upon grafs (verythin) as we do. If the water appear to be very much difcoloured in the pond, behorg his. lint is fufhiciently “made, - 7 " 2 { 211 ) “ made, he lets.off the water, wafhes his “ lint, and then fills his pond from the run- te “ J e ray ae é“ ae ning brook, and puts it in again until it be enough done. When his firft parcel is laid on the grafs, he puts another in the fame pond, and continues fo to water his lint fo long as the feafon is warm enough. He turns his lint on the grafs once a-day, and keeps it on the grafs as long as the dews fall, which give the lint a fine colour, without hurting’ it, and makes the yarn * fpun of it wafh and empty eafily without wafting or weakening it; and the cloth made of it comes foon to a fine colour, without being thinned in the leaft. So much of his lint as he intends for his Deft feed, he builds up in a ftack like corn, after it is thoroughly win, with the bolls On it, and ftrips it at fowing time ; and in the month of May thereafter, puts it into the water, and follows the fame method with that watered in the autumn. So much of his lint as remains on his hand undrefled after the middle of March, wien the dews begin to fall, he lays out again upon the grafs for a good colour, and al- Vays ( 212 ). ways takes up his lint from the grafs in dry weather, and about mid-day. “ N. B. Care muft be taken in rainy wea- ther, that the lint receive no damage, by rotting on the grafs; but gentle fhowers areas good as dew. “ Our prefent way is, to fow our lint on : any ground, which puts us toa great ex- 4 pence to weed it. We fow it thick, (as we muft do in ordinary ground), whereby one half of it is ripe before the other 1s ready: By this means, the unripefeed be- ing mixt with the full ripe, fpoils the whole; and the unripe lint is rotten in the water, before the other ‘is ready. : * In the Weft, where the fineft fpinning is, the people are rivetted in a moft ' perni- cious conceit, that unripe lint makes the “* fineft flax ; and therefore pull all their lint, ‘‘ when the bloffom falls. This kind of lint” heckles away almoft to nothing; and i 18, indeed, in appearance very fine. But then it has no fubftance, and the yarn {pun of it is always: weak and ouzy. It waftes much in the wafhing, and cloth made of it grows as thin as a cob-web in the eaeec es “ing, ~ + y i aes tealties >) ().28g@) “ ing, before it can be brought to a full co- “ Jour.” | _ After all that has been faid concerning the -raifing of flax, it muft be owned, that it is ’ an exhaufting crop, more efpecially if the ' feed is allowed to ripen before pulled. Even clover, if the feed is allowed to ripen, 1s an exhaufting crop. Therefore flax ought ne- ver to be fown, but upon ground that is ve- ry rich, and properly prepared by a fum- mer-fallow, and followed with dung to a green crop, as is propofed in the plan. The ground plowed immediately after the | flax is pulled, or the lint crop fown with clo- ver, any of thefe methods will prevent the bad effects of a flax crop. ‘The beft crops of clover ever I had were fown with the lint crop. It mutt likewife be obferved, that when it is pulled green, it 19% not near fo hurtful. Whenever the feed is formed is the proper time for pulling, if you want fine flax. To leave it in the ground until it is too dry, is equally pernicious with the contrary extreme of pulling it in the bloom. Virgil fays, “A crop of lint, or oats, or mG " POPPY, i, ™ (( (484.7) | “ poppy, impoverifhes the foil. However, — “ thefe crops.are lefs fevere, when the land ~ “is fallowed before and after them; and “ when the farmer is not afhamed to lay — plenty of rich dung upon the land, if natu-’ rally poor; and nafty ig aes the land, if worn out with cropping.” — * o> Whenever any farmer has an inclination : to fave lint-feed for fowing the following , year, the moft proper method for raifing good feed is, to fow the lint, after the fum- mer-fallow, in drills, the lines nine inches or. a foot diftant, which will allow the lint to be . hand-howed. This will make it crow ftrong- a er, and branch out confiderably at the head; and likewife make the lintfeed bolls larger ; confequently the lint-feed will be very good. The lint is not fo apt to lodge when fowed in drills, as when fown broad-caft. The ftalk ; is confiderably firmer and grofler, which en- 4 ables it to ftand the ftrefs of the weather bet- ‘ ter. Two pecks of lintfeed will be fufficient | cal to fow an acre in drills. | : [have fowed it with the drill barrow that — fows the beans; all the alteration I made Was » ‘anew roller put, upon the axle-tree, made on : | purpofe — {arg ) ; | parpale to allow the lint feed only to drop. It can be made to fow thicker or thinner at pleafure, by altering the brush, either ee | it up or down. One man does fow three acres each day with . this barrow. Andif fowed in the manner propofed with the drill machine, (vide Na- tional Improvements), by a man and horfe, ¢an do more than double. When fown with the drill-barrow, the _ man would need three poles or garden lines to direct him to fow the drills ftraight. The eround fhould be completely harrowed. be- fore fowing, and only rolled after being fow~ ed, as the harrow would be apt to take the feed out of the line of the drills. ‘The advantages of fowing lint in this man- ¥ ner would be, that the farmer could always depend, in ordinary feafons, on having good feed, , equal, if not fuperior to any that comes from abroad. The beft method would be to dry the lint — in the ftooks, with the feed upon it, and to ftack it up all winter, and threfli it out in the {pring; then to water the flax in the fummer, which would make ftrong coarfe- lint, ( 216: ihe lint, fuch as that which comes from Riga - The farmer often lofes his crop. of lint ‘by waiting for the ripening of. which means the lint is not only confidees ably hurt, but makes it fo ate of pulling, that it often interferes with the corn harveft, and is frequently neglected through the hur- ry of other bufinefs. And as the water be+ comes colder at the end of the feafon, it is not fo fit for the purpofe as when the weather . is warmer. By this fcheme, there wotild be more feed, and better, upon one acre, than two or three acres fown i in the broad-catt, ie The feed that grew jatar light and Be foils | fhould be fowed upon {trong and’ moift; oils. ‘ The greater the diftance between the. pla cn O growth, and that of towing, the betes Wins continue good for many years; whit \ jae in a great meafure, prevent the neceffity of ‘bringing fo much feed from abroad, The — Dutch are raifing the price of he year, which is a difcouragement to.th C fow- ( 217 ) , ing of flax. I remember when the Dutch lintfeed was from eighteen to twenty-four guilders per hogfhead, and was reckoned ve- ty high when it came to four and twenty guilders per hogfhead; and now they have got it up to forty two guilders, and we cannot fay how far they may raife it in this progreflive way. Riga lintfeed is better for propagating the lint feed than the Dutch; for it anfwers bet- ter the fecond year than the firft. The Dutch always make it arule to fow the Riga them- felves, and fend the produce of their own feed to Britain and Ireland. Eé OBSERVATIONS (only italy” adh tf a Ny a a is. Si é a ? Ro A ANAUN AEE N NN NSN moO 2B SERV ACT 10N'S | ON THE STATE AND SITUATION OF SOME PARTS IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND, WITH RESPECT TO AGRICULTURE. _ With fome Hints for the Improvement of thefe Places. Ina Journey from Edinburgh to Fort William, andfrom thence to FortAuguftus and Ruth- ven of Badenoch. EPR RRR PP RRR ER RR OBSERVATIONS, &, EING appointed by Captain Henry Rudyerd chief engineer for Scotland, by order of his Grace the Duke of Richmond, Matter-general of the honourable Board of Ordnance, to value fome lands belonging to his Grace the Duke of Gordon at Fort Wil- diam, which the Beard propofed to purchafe; in my journey, I made a few curfory obfere vations on the foil and nature of the country, with a view to the improvements that-might _ be made upon it; and which I here prefent the reader, as being of opinion, that they may tend to the advancement of that moft ufeful of all arts, agriculture. Though, I muft own them to be neither fo full nor fo ac- curate as I could have wifhed, having no bet- ter opportunity of examining moft of the grounds, than by viewing them as I paffed along the road. ogra ¥e { 222 4 Ic is my ordinary amufement, when riding through the country, to confider what im- provements could be made in this or that — part of it. And, even fuppofing I may be often wrong jn my conjectures, yet, if any one accuftom himfelf in this way, he may 4 frequently throw out hints-that may be ufe- po both to the proprietor and the public. _ Therefore it is hoped, the reader will for- a "give any ideas that are not fo proper. All that can be faid i is, that they are well intend- ed both for the good of proprietors and the public in general. In the beginning of Otober, I fet out from Edinburgh to Surling. Alt though there are many farms much improved upon this road, ‘yet. there 1s a great want of uniformity, of cropping and inclofing. Few fences are made as they ought to be, with funk fence faced with ftones, and a 4 ee i thorn hedge planted upon the top, which I | _ efteem to be beft of all. Only a few farmers having a regular rotation of corn and grafs ‘crops, with a fallow ; fome having too much grafs, others too litle - Although this has the name of an improved country, ee, country, yet much might be done to better’ purpule, by draining and inclofing, with a : reg ‘ar fcheme of cropping; having neither feo reuch nor too little in grafs and in fal- | low ; a number of {mall villages, each houfe having only a large garden of two and a half acres, lefs or more; part in clover, to be la~ boured with the fpade, and ftripes of plant- ing in many. parts; which would tend to warm the ground when im grafs, and prevent the winds from fhaking the corns fo much as they often do when expofed, _. From Stirling to Down, the country is in the ordinary way of cropping, the moft part: rather late this feafon. 7 Blair Drummond, the fon of the late Lord Kaimes, is doing great things, in order to carry off, by means of water, a large mofs, ‘confifting of many hundred acres, common-. ly called Flanders Mofs, faid to be owing to’ a Roman legion who cut down the wood that was then growing there. It is evident, that it was once all wood;- _ for there have been axes found deep in the ‘mofs, and in many places, bridges made of wood laid acrofs, to pafs from one place to another : ( 224 ) * another above the clay, as well as large trees; a which indeed are to be found in every mofs. — All below is a very fine ftrong clay: And, in 4 order to run away the mofs, Blair Drum- — » mond has ereéted a large water-wheel upon _ Teith river, ten feet broad, and betwixt thir- ty and forty feet high, with buckets in the infide of the rim of the wheel, that difchatges forty tuns of water in one mintite,'into a wooden ciftern at the top ; from which wood- en pipes eighteen inches in diameter conduct the water about fifteen hundred yards, where it runs into a canal, which condutts it to different parts of the mofs, to carry it away. The expence of the wheel and pipes was a- bove two thoufand pounds. The pipes are — all made of foreign wood three inches thick, bound with iron hoops within a few yards of one another. The mofs is of a light fpun- ey nature, a great part being no more than long grafs fallen down and rotting. I never was upon the mofs to fee it; but fhould think that part of it might be trenched in with and below the clay, which would tend to keep the clay open. Any man that can cleana part of the ots has ( 238 ) has fo many years free of rent, if I rightly re- _ member, it is eight years free, and fo much am acre every year after for rent. There is ) Pe a number of families fettled there, who go un- J der the name of the mofs lairds. _ - There is rather too much of the inclofures at Blair Drummond in grafs, which is not fo much for the intereft of the proprietor, as Lord Kaimes fays m his Gentleman Farmer, p. 148. The mofs that is caft athore by the tides | on the fides of the river Forth, would anfwer very well to be mixt with dung, as it is im- pregnated with falt water, or might be put upon pafture ground by itfelf. From Down to Callender has the appear- ance’ of a light dry foil, very much adapted for grafs ; which would produce very weigh- “tycrops of hay when under proper manage- ment, if inclofed, as formerly propofed, with a funk fence, and thorns upon the top, which would make a moft beautiful country. The thorns would anfwer very well upon this foul. I was much farbeifed to fee fuch poor ¢rop¢ upon fuch good land in appearance, as the feafon was favourable for this kind of fe ee foil. 226 )- foil. The reafon of thefe poor crops I fups es pofed. to be, that the land was exhaufted by conftant. cropping in corns, without regular ( ; rotation of corn and grafs, and improperly «] manured. If the one half of this country was in fawn grafs, the produce would be double to what - itis at prefent ; which would fave both feed and labour for the land at prefent in corns. This part of the country would anfwer furprifingly well with the f{pade culture m large gardens, as propofed. All kind of trees would thrive very well Bethe fruit trees 0 excepted. From Callender to Lochoernbuaee on bole fides of the loch of Lubnich, five miles in length, moftly all grafs. Very few houfes, The ground on both fides of the loch lies warm and dry. The foil on the north fide in appearance very good, fit to carry good crops of corns and grafs; would pay very - well for the expence of labouring with | the fpade. And, as this glen is warm and well fheltered from most winds, anumber of houfes. might be built, having only two and a half acres for a gatden, to be laboured wholly with the fpade, with a pit every “year 2 el | ( 227 } | ear Were with red clover. A few ftripes of planting would both beautify and add to the ‘natural warmnefs of the place. Fruit trees ™ would anfwer very well. It is naturally plea- * fant with the loch in the middle of the glen. A number of houfes feued out with gardens would add much to its beauty, as well as to the profit of the proprietor. | I fhall here femark ‘once for all, that the richeft for is often to be found at the bottom of hills. © You will fcarce find it otherwife in any place; and if fo, here is the place for labouring with the fpade to profit. ; Iam informed, “that there is an appearance of lead mines upon the fouth fide of the loch, am Mr M‘Nab of M‘Nab’s ground. Where. ever thefe figns are, itis not a bad method to ~ make feveral cuts acrofs the face of the hill, and let the waters run inthem, which will foon make them deep; by this means they. may be often difcovered at little expence. ‘This glen has the appearance of a good foil, that a great many parts of it will pay for the expence of labouring with the fpade. And as there is lime at a little diftance, if limed and fown with grafs feeds, after taking two or : > { 22% 4 er three crops, would make extraordinary ms good pafture. And when thus digging with @ the fpade, fome mines might accidentally be — a found out. ij The expence of the {fpade culture upon a floping bank may be done for the one half of : digging upon level ground; and fome parti- __ cular parts might be planted with fruit trees before they were fown into egrafs, As there is a great number of places at the foot of many hills, the fituation of which is — much the fame as this, lying warm anddry,the foil good and fheltered from moft winds, they may be improved in the above manner. I was informed, that one of the proprie- tors propofes to drain a part of the loch, which will do confiderably more than pay the expence. fee From Lochearnhead to Tyndrum there is a large quantity of fine meadow ground ly- ing on each fide of the water of Dochart, from Loch-Tay to Tyndrum ; a great part of which ftands in much need of being drained. The river firft {traightened as much as poflible, than deepened, beginning at Killearn, and working as far up as Tyndrum. A great — part . ia ( 229 ) part of Loch Dochart might be drained by deepening the river. After this was done, or x. in doing of which, the whole banks pon each fide of the river Dochart might be floped with a gentle declivity, and covered over with green turf or fwaird; the earth taken from the water- fide, and carried forty or fifty feet back, which would help to form a floping bank to prevent the water running upon the meadow. The beft way for conftructing this bank is, firft to mark’ out the breadth and height of the banks and ditch you propofe to make ; then pare all the turff off; this lay to one Gide, to be put upon the bank when finifhed ; then throw up a ditch in the infide, from the wa- ter, as large as you want to raife the bank, to prevent the water from overflowing, which ditch in the infide will help to drain the mea- dows at the fame time; the bank round up- on the top, and floped on both fides. Then cover the whole bank neatly over with the turf, beat it down with the back of the fpade, flope the ditch in the infide, and fow it with grafs feed. This will prevent the meadow from being covered with fand, which is often the ( 230 ) es the cafe in time of flood. This bank may be 5 4 made for two fhillings the fix yards, fappof ing it to be ten or twelve feet broad at bot- tom, and five feet high, or perhaps cheaper. The height and breadth of the bank depends upon the height that the water rifes at the | higheft flood; the level of which fhould be taken before the banks are made. ; _ Thefe meadows, when large, ought to be divided» by a bank running acrofs the breadth of the field, made in the fame manner as the other, by a ditch thrown out > in the under fide, aacitaink into ten or 7 acres. | 39 At the foot of each inclofire,, next the wae ter, place a flood-gate or fluice to draw up and down at pleafure; by which means little _ fand would come in. At every timethein- clofure was overflowed, a fine rich mould would be left upon the furface, and enrich it very much, and every year be es in richnefs. , _. Jfthis was done properly, there are pes {pots in Scotland that would. produce better crops of hay or pafture. The meadows being naturally of a good foil, and the water of a yery enriching quality,after beinganumber of _ | years . ; - i ( 230012 years in grafs, it would furprife every one to fee what great crops of corns they would pro- duce 5 and lint in particular could be flooded lien three or four inches long, which would pepetic the crop amazingly. : - The advantages arifing from this embank~ eos would be twenty times above the ex pence. Every place ee river fides i in the like fitua- tion might be greatly improved by thefe means, wherever the fituation of the ground would allow to bank out the water and let it overflow at pleafure in time of floods. Though the ground was ever fo poor, even nothing but gravel or fand, yet in a courfe of years it would become a rich foil; as every flood leaves a fediment upon the furface. What are all your rich carfe clays but mud or fedi- ment fettled in former ages in this way? There is a very great difference between this and water running every flood over a meadow, when it only leaves fand or gravel. If in tillage, it carries away the foil; if in grafs, it hurts the pafture; the fine mould going all down the river. But wherever a field is banked, fo as to keep the water from Punning, and left open at the foot, then the water ( 298 Q water ftands dead; the fine mould runs ae , but not fand, and fettles upon the furface,; _ which, in a courfe of years, makes it a very) rich foil. In fome fituations it would be worth the proprietors confideration to run a dam acrofs — the river at the foot of a large flat field, made up of loofe ftones, in order to raife the was ter to make it run back. Or, perhaps, it might be cheaper to cut a {mall canal a good way above, to conduct the water to the un- derpart of a large flat piece of ground, which could be let in and out at pleafure. This would anfwer very well in time of great drought. It is only rare fituations will adnut of this. | : There is an amazing quantity of fine ground ruined by river-fides being neglected, which, if attended to, might be made the richeft in Britain, and dunged for nothing, being water-fed, by following the above plan. It is wrong to bank out the water, and not allow it to come in at the foot at pleafure. Wherever you have a command of muddy water to overflow the whole field, there isno — need cae eS ee en a > } 3 y ms ( 233 ) : néed for any dung ; this being fufficient of itfelf to make a very poor field rich. _ There are places without number in many parts of the hills, where the water could not only be made very ufeful for the face of the hills, but likewife conducted acrofs to water the plains, to be let on and off at pleafure. The advantages arifing from making the proper ufe of water, wher properly conduct- ed in every fituation, are almoft incredible: Thefe hints may fuffice at prefent: Only, let every perfon confider what improvements can be made by water upon his own grounds. | From Tyndrum to King’ état, ind down Glencoe. This very long tract of gréat and awful mountains, lying all contiguous to oné another, yet disjoined by glens, appear like fo many mole-heaps lying allclofe to one an-' other, of different heights and largenefs ; with very few or no houfes alongft the road, which makes it look difmal and awful. - In viewing thefe very great hills, I was more and more convinced of the truth of what I faid in National Improvements, viz. That all the mountains and hills were thrown up by earthquakes, by means of fire and Gg water ¢ ee F ) water stitadding pers in * aor of the earth. It is probable it was at rea =" Phe luge, when the whole world was convulfed, and the ifternal parts of it feparated in fuch a manner, that not only earthquakes, raifed by fire and water in the bowels of the earth; | have an eafy communication from one quar- ter of it to another, but likewife vapours a- rifing both from fire and water. . ‘This may be one reafon, and I hihi? _ ftrong one, why the inhabitants fince the flood do'not live fo: long as thofe: before it, that the whole world being convulfed, left gulfs and many great cavities in the earth, being all rent, which contract and contain. many hurtful and, noxious vapours; and. thefe emitted through the crevices into the ‘air make it very unwholefome for the inhabi- _ tants; And thefe. fulphureous vapours. bei raife termmpefts in the air. This appears wery plain, for the pee and higheft of thefe hills are ali fhattered and full of rents from top to bottom, the ftones being disjoined from one another; and the higher the hills, the more fhattered and open they are.. is 3 Be sy \ a —, Ks fei san sayy —- _* J x se a Reais Se eee ee a a ee Se ( 235 ) | I never was fo fenfible of any thing of this kind as in the prefent journey, going over the Black Mount, (which is well named, the faces of the rocks there look awful and black, as if they had been covered with {moke.) Be- ing before a great rain, which was only com- ing on, I was very fenfible of a ftrong, difa- greeable, fulphureous {mell in the air, which ~ T imagined proceeded from thefe black rocks | not far diftant. Whoever contemplates with attention the prefent appearance of the globe, will be un- avoidably allured to the conclufion, that the © furface of the earth muft have undergone a very confiderable change; and he will allow it probable, that this change has taken -place in confequence of internal fires, producing partial earthquakes, at various periods, and moré efpecially at the deluge, when an uni-. verfal convulfion took place. We may be allowed to fuppofe, that the whole earth is full of confiderable chafms; and that thofe parts which were formerly the furface, are now buried below, and that which was below is now uppermott. _. When the whole world was convulfed by earthquakes, as the bottom of the fea was neareft ( 236 ) neareft the centre, this being the weakeft part of the globe, would of neceflity give way firtt ; and, of courfe, whatever fubftance was at the bottom would form the fummits of the mountains which were then raifed. And that. | this converfion of the bed of the ocean into the fummits of mountains-has a¢tually taken place, i is abundantly proved by the relicts of marine animals, which have been found on mountains of the greateft height. ee . ‘It is certain, that there is a fubterraneous fire in every portion of the globe ; and that it is owing to the goodnefs of God, it does not break forth and confume the whole; which the divine records affure us will one day hap- pen, perhaps fooner than the generality of mankind imagine. | Some objeét, that fire cannot burn with- out air, which is a fa@t. “But when it is con- fidered, that the whole globe is full of rents, more particular ly its rocky parts, avery fmall quantity of air will make 4 fire burn mode- rately, and continue many ages without go- ing irito flame. The more any fire is con- fined, fo much is the degree of heat increafed. Our ideas of the degrees of heat in fubterra- neous fires are at beft but very imperfect. All Bik >) i allt that we can do, is to judge by the effects we fee. Thefe indeed are very great. Every kind of fubftance is pelea by the fubterra- neous fire. ' It is fuppofed, that all metals are formed by the vapours arifing therefrom, which tinge the mineral waters. Thefe, wherever they run, convert the earth into the different me- tals, often mixed together in the ftate they are found in the bowels of the earth. _ What makes it probable, that all minerals are formed by the vapours arifing from the internal fire, is, that as often as you melt any metal, its weight is diminifhed; and, if the fire is continued for any length of time, the greateft part will evaporate. You may col- fect fome metallic calces at the top of the fur- nace, although very high, where much me- tal is melted. Since writing the foregoing treatife, I have read Dr Hutton’s Theory of the Earth, Se- veral of the Doctor’s arguments, prove what is here alledged, and likewife what is faid in National Improvements, pages r1ft, 2d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 17th, and 18th. His reafoning is, in general, ingenious; but I cannot admit the following conclufion which he draws; * But ( 238 j) , “ But if the fucceflion of worlds is. eftablifh- “ ed in the fyftem of nature, itis in vain to “ look for any thing higher in the originof | 4 “the earth. The refult, therefore, of our “ prefent inquiry is, That we find no neGat of a beginning, no profpect of an en From this conclufion I beg leave to diffent. For it is exprefily declared by divine Wifdom which cannot err, That the world was cre=_ ated by the almighty power of God in fix days. The feriptures alfo affert, that this earth will be wholly deftroyed by fire. | Many of the Doctor’s arguments, though employed by him for a different /purpofe, may be brought with equal propriety to prove - that there has been an univerfal deluge, and that the whole world was convulfed at that period. And indeed, this fact throws jane , light on his theory. He often’mentions the colleCion of mate- rials from fea and land animals, as in p. 80, © _ “ At a grofs computation, there may per- *« haps be a fourth part of our folid. land, * which is compofed from the matter that * had belonged to thefe animals.” - From the creation of the world to the de- _ huge, about 1650 years clapfed; during which — period, * q = ~~" ee ee ee ee ( 239) - period, it is reafonable to fuppofe, that very } great quantities of materials were collected in ' the bottom of the fea. .'This is agreeable to what the Doctor fays, p. 13. “ The generak amount of our reafoning is this, That nine . “ tenths perhaps, or ninety-nine hundredths “ of this earth, fo far as we fee, have been * formed by natural operations of the globe, * 3n collecting loofe materials, and depofit- “* ing them at the bottom of the fea; confo- “ lidating thofe colleétions in various de« grees; and either elevating thofe confoli- dated maffes above the level on which they ** were formed, or lowering the level of that fea.” Page 17. “ The ftrata, dorinad at the bot» * tom of the fea, are to be confidered as ha- ving been confolidated either by aqueous * folution and cryftallifation, or by the effect “ of heat and fufion.” P. 54. “ We now defire'to know, how far thofe internal operations of the globe, by which folidity and ftability are procured to . the beds of loofe materials, may have been alfoemployed in raifing up a continent of | land, to remain above the furface of the fea. “ "Phere * &¢ ‘14 6¢ ( 240 ) “ ‘There is nothing fo proper for thé erec= _ “ tion of land above the level of the ocean as an expanfive power of an infinite force, ap~ tom of the fea, under a mafs that is proper for the formation of land when thus erect ce ed. 99 ‘ The following circumftances may reafon- ably be fuppofed to have taken place, botli _ before and after the univerfal deluge, all of which, we apprehend, are implied in the Doétor’s theory, although not mabe in this manner. Firft, That before the deluge, the various parts of the earth were confolidated, either by aqueous folution and chryftallifation, or — by means of heat and fufion; which, in a courfe of years, would make very confidera- ble alterations upon the internal ftructure of — the earth. | Secondly, When the food overflowed the whole earth, and the fountains of the great deep were broke open, the fire and water meeting together, would occafion an univer- {al convulfion of nature. At which time, all the materials which were at the bottom of — the’ plied direétly under materials in the bot« — " a, ; q = 3 1] 3 : 4 a 7 . ee ln foraay = ed Se er Te ee f ( 247 ) the fea were thrown up, and the mountains and hills were formed. | - As we are informed by the fcripture re- cords, “ That all the high hills that were un-— “der the whole heavens were covered with ** water,” we may conclude, that the con- -vulfion was univerfal. The effeéts of which are evidently feen over the whole univerfe to this day. And although we had no authen- tic record of the deluge, there is‘not a more natural way of accounting for the prefent fi- tuation of the globe. The following extracts will, in ipart; ai port thefe obfervations. Theory of the Earth, page 58. “ We are now to conclude, that the land on which we dwell had been elevated. from a lower fituation, by the fame agent which had- been employed in confolidating the ftrata, in giving them ftability; and preparing them for the purpofe of the living world. This agent is matter extracted from ex- treme heat, and expanded with amazing force., If this has been the cafe; it will be reafonable to expect, that fome of the ex- panded matter might be found condenced Hh “ ip (44m) ; in the Bodie which have been. heated by that igneous vapour; and that matter fo- reign to. the {trata may have been thus in- troduced into the fractures and {eparations of thofe indurated. mafles.” Page 57. ° The ftrata of the globe are ac- | tually found in every poflible pofition. For frony horizontal they are frequently found — vertical; from continuous, they are bro= ken .and feparated in every poflible direc- tion ; and from a plane, they are bent and doubled. It is impoflible that they could. have originally been formed by the known laws of nature, in.their prefent ftate and pofition ; and the power that has. been ne- ceflarily required for their change, has not been inferior to that: which might have been required for their elevation from the place in which they had been formed.” Page 55. “It is a truth unqueftionable, that what had’been originally at the bottom of the féa, is at prefent the higheft of ou land.” Page 76. “Thus we have fufficient reafon to believe, that, in knowing the conftruc- wen of the land in Europe, we know the » * conflitution RT oi, Fae ( 243) « Qouftitution of the landin every part of the gesrobe? | Thefe, and other obfervations to the fame purport, which occur in the Doctor’s tréatife, prove, that the materials at the bottom of the fea were firft é¢onfolidated, and were after- - wards thrown up by the expanfive power of heat. There is no period ‘at which an uni- verfal convulfion could take place fo probably as atthe deluge. From this account we may ealily conceive, how the great revolutions have taken place upon the furface of the earth, without fuppofing that there was another world before this, or that another fhall fuc- ceed it. There is very little improvement can be made on this long tract of mountains, but to ftudy the natural fituations. See National Improvements, page 169. The moft that | _can be done is by means of very large inclo- fures; underftocking; draining all “morafé grounds in every part of the hill; turning the water acrofs the face of it, to run zig- zag, which would not only deftroy the heath, but likewife bring up a green fwaird ; liming fome of the beft Apots, 3 in order to deftroy the heath ( 244 ) heath and increafe pafture; paring and burns ing fome parts ; {fpreading the afhes, and fow= ing grafs without a crop, to increafe the paf- ture; erecting fome houfes with large gar- 4 ala in the warm dry fituations. Where the foil is good, about two and a half acres-to e- very houfe, to be laboured only with the ipade. A number of thefe houfes might be built in the glens or vallies, where there is good shelter. There is certainly a great number of mines in thefe hills, either of lead or copper. The great matter is how to find them out. View- ing the water tracks after thunder fhowers, or very heavy rains, may fometimes be the ‘means to find them out. Cutting water- tracks acrofs the face of the hills may fome- times make difcoveries:. Wherever there is {par, which is a hard yariegated fubftance, there are mines not far off. This may fome-— times lead perfons to trace where the vein of ore is, But the mines are moft frequently found out by accident. Itis faid, when there is much fnow upon the ground, wherever the mines are the fnow melts firft. Although thefe ape are very difmal and barren a nal ee — ee — (245i) barren to look at, yet the pafture, in the very pooreft parts may be much improved, by fome of thefe methods; and planting would tend much to warm the ground. | _. I was furprifed to fee fo little planting in this part of the country, where it would thrive fo well, having fo much rain. Sowing the feed of different trees upon the face of the barren bare rocks might in time turn to a wood. A good thorn hedge is better fhelter from | the wind than a ftone fence, as it divides the blaft; whereas, the wind ftriking againft a {tone wall rebounds and comes over with vi- olence on the other fide. So, great planta- tions of wood, would afford more warmth and fhelter to a whole country-fide, than the bare hills. ‘There are a great many lochs a- mong thefe hills, which might be eafily drain- ed, or, at leaft, partly drained; whereby great - quantities of good land might be gained, ei- ther for hay or pafture. If in a low fituation, would produce great crops of corn. for two years; and then it might be fown with grafs. In fhort, the moft barren hill, or muir, might be much improved by inclofing, drain- ing [aT ing firft, then watering, planting for fhelter, . giving the whole, or beft parts, a top-drefling, either with hot lime, ‘marl, mofs, peat afhes, ; or the ftuff taken from the morafs grounds. After this, to fhut up the field for twelve. months, not letting a beaft pafture upon it: _ Never after overftocked. — The improvements that can be made upon many hills, thefe in particular, by means of draining and watering in times of drought,and other feafons, are almoft incredible, and can be done at'a {mall expence, having fo many different ways to fet on and off the water. The height being fo great could lead on the water toa great diftance, and then torun a- long the hill zig-zag ; always taking care not to let the water run rapidly, nor too long in one place, but fhifting it from one place to another, and led on to where there was a - plain; and even there, only to let it in at the foot of the field, fo as.to let the water © run back over the whole at pleafure. This is only taking the advantage of the natural fituation of every place, whether for pafture, liay, or corn. For this reafon, there are more improve- | ments - oe el aa . = . + a an cheeaelll ( 247 ) ments ‘can be made, by means of water uport the hills, than in the low country, the fides of many rivers excepted. fot ‘Iwas very forry.to be informed, that in ‘ ; this part of the country, and Argylefhire, they were depopulating the farms much, by _ throwing the moft of them into large fheep - walks. The fheep are very good in: their place, but the beft improvements may be o- verdone. It is certainly very wromg in the lies tors to depopulate the country, they ought rather to make>it their fludy to devife fuch {chemes as might make each of their tenants live more comfortably, and at the fame time mcereafe their number.: This they might do _ by erecting a great number of {mall villages, in every corner of the country moft adapted for them; either the proprietors building the houfes themfelves, or feuing out two and a half acres for each houfe, to be laboured only with the fpade, which would encourage ma- _ nufacturers to fettle there. The manufactur- ers would encourage agriculture, by taking the produce from the farmer, and the farmer would encourage manufacturers to op whereve! ( 248 ) wherever they can have i of provifiong at acheaprate. — | | Lint would anfwer very well, even better than corn in this country, having fo much rain; but it would need to be pulled in ten ~ days after the bloom is off, not waiting for the feed ripening ; which would make the flax crop much finer, and run lefs rifk from the . great rains which fall here. | I do aver, that the fame farm which is wholly in pafture, in many fituations will maintain more than double the number of fheep or cattle, by having the half or third of what is prefently in pafture in corn crops, having a regular rotation of corn and fown grafs; never having of what is in tillage a- bove the third or one half at moft in corns; other parts'in fown grafs, for hay and paf= ture. By having fo little in corn, it would be manured extraordinarily, more fo wherever _ there is lime, marl, fea fhells, fea wreck, ' mofs, or peat afhes. This would produce very great crops, both of corn and grafs. When the farm is rich with manure, it makes an early harveft, as admitting of be- ing fown early; and early corns being fown, fuck: i ( 249 ) fach as wheat, winter-barley fown in au- tumn, Lincolnfhire barley in March, early Dutch or Effex oats in April, early peasy t tur- nip, and potatoes. Indeed, every ftore-fatmer ought t to have part of his farm in corns, for provender, to prevent his fheep and cattle from dying in time of great {torms. Even near the higheft hills, there areglens or vallies in which corn would grow very well, and likewife hay, as faid before. ‘The foil in thefe places is often very rich, which would. - _anfwer better to be laboured with the fpade than the plough. © A number of houfes might be built in thefe places. ‘Wherever there is a good muir lying low, and well fheltered; or could be made fo by inclofing and planting, having a good fwaird and dry bottom, thefe might be feued out for houfes when near water. Fort-William is a neat, dry, healthy place; commanded. by Captain Cochran, who is an excellent officer, and keeps the garrifon in very good order. This fort has contributed in part to the civilifation of this country; where any perfon may travel as fafe asin the fow country, or in England. hi The ( 250 ) ‘The town, formerly called) Maryfburehy now called Gordonfburgh, ‘lies to- the ‘weft- ward of the fort, along the lochfide, which . . is an arm of the fea, running above twenty. . miles up the country. Itis faid to. be warm. in winter, the fnow not lying long there, furrounded on the weil, fouth, and north, with very high: hills. . Benevifs, lying'a little to: the fouth-eaft, is faid to. be the higheft. hill in Scotland, being fourteen hundred and twenty-four yards a- bove the level of the fea. _ | Gordonfburgh is a neat. country town, having many good houfes, and feveral mer- chants in a thriving way. If the fifheries increafe,. it may be of ereae fervice, as the herrings come up as far as the _town:. There is. likewife plenty of falmon, and fome fea fifth, with great plenty of wild fowl. This may come to be a place of trade in — time, and would be very much fo, if the cur between Invernefs and this-place was made navigable, as. propofed by Mr Knox, which he particularly defcribes in one of his tours. I think it might be eafily done. f.am.informed, that there have been pieces ok. & i ( 29m) ‘of rich lead ore found at Glenevis, which 1s not above two miles diftant. The great num- ber of high hills furrounding this place, makes it very probable there may be many mines not far diftant. The eafy accefs by fea to bring coals, ought to excite the attention of ‘fome company to make trial. In the year %745, men of war came up to the fort. Lochlochy might be made navigable to this place, being five or fix miles in length, and very deep, which never freezes in win- ter. %Ifthat was done, it would be naviga- ble twelve or fifteen miles farther in the ‘country, in the way to Fort Auguftus, where there are high hills en every fide. There is almoft a certainty of a great many mines in this tract; therefore the gentlemen proprietors fhould join altogether in one, to get fome proper perfons to fearch: And, if they fucceeded, it would go a great length to pay a part of the expenice incurred by open- ang this navigation. Indeed, the whole trac, where the cut is propofed to be made, from Invernefs to Fort William, and ten miles below, has high hills en each fide, There are few places where there are fo | many A 252 7 many appearances of mines as in this couns try 5 and, if once found out, the land car- riage would be very {mall, perhaps more fo than in any other place in Britain, as fhip- ping could come with coals and wood, and in return, carry away the lead or copper, oF perhaps filver. | _ I am informed that ahere is a mine of - black lead found out at Glengarrie, which is_ in the tract of this propofed navigation, with- in a few miles of Lochlochy. A very little expence would join Lochlochy and the —_ at Glengarrie in one. Gordonfburgh might be made a very me place for manufacturers to fettle in, | if the muirs and farms in the neighbourhood were improved, and quantities | of lint fown. Though this country feems very much ad- apted for the production of flax, I was in- formed that there was very little linen yarn {pun herey only woolen, ~ Tt ought to be the bufinefs of gentlemen | proprietors to encourage both linen and wool. en yarn being {pun, which is the firft ftep towards fettling manufactures. They ought to give a number of wheels gratis to the te- nants, and likewife annual premiums to the girls # ™ ( 253 ) girls who {pun the beft yarn. This might raife an emulation, and produce very good effects. The tenants in Athol pay moft of their rents with the linen yarn that they {pin, and raife a great part of the lint they ufe themfelves. After having put a value on ‘hed snd at Fort William, along with Angus M‘Donell, Efq; of Achtrichitan, I had occafion to ride from Fort William through Lochaber to Fort Auguitus, and from thence to Ruthven of Badenoch. | was very agreeably furprifed to find fuch a vaft extent of good ground, both in Loch- aber and Badenoch, belonging to his Grace the Duke of Gordon, which is capable of a very great improvement upon a {mall ex- pence. | -. | will venture to affirm, that the muirs in Lochaber had the appearance to me when riding along the public road, to be equally _ good with the beft in Scotland, if not fupe- rior to any Il ever faw. What renders thefe muirs fo valuable is, that moft of them have avery clofe fwaird of heath and grafs, and a pretty level furface or gentle declivity ; which, when pared and burnt, might pro- duce (254 ) duce fuch a vaft quantity of afhes, as would raife eight or ten bolls of barley or oats per acre, or perhaps more when the feafon was favourable. Secondly, That the moft of the grounds having fuch a declivity, might be very eafily drained by ditches made for inclofing, or by covered drains. This is the firft thing that ought to be done, before any other improve- - Ment is attempted. “ A little to the eaftward of Bore William is the remains of the caftle of Inverlochy. “ it appears from hiftory, that it was antient- ** ly a place of confiderable note, a refort of “‘ French and Spaniards, probably to pur- “ ‘chafe fifh, for which it was a kind of em- ““ poreum, patricularly for falmon. (I hope ** it may be fo ftill.) But the place is ftil] “ more noted for its being a refidence of “ kings, and where the memorable league, ** effenfive and defenfive, is recorded to have “ been figned between Charlemain and A-- ** chaius King of Scotland in 791.” When, upon the firft fight of this muir, I conceived fuch a good opinion of the foil, I did not, at that time know what is faid a- bove, until I read it in Mr Knox’s Tour through ea ae 7 ( 255. ) | through the Highlands of Scotland in 1786, This account confirms me in the good opi- nion that I then had, and ftillhave, of what great improvements might be made. It is very reafonable to fuppofe, that this being the feat of the kings of Scotland, a great part of what we now fee muirs, were then in corns and grafs, greatly improved, anda good foil, otherwife they would not have taken up their refidence in this place. The foil and fituation being good, warm, ~ healthy, and eafy communication by water, this, in procefs of time, may come to be 2 place of fome confequence, as it lies well for dipping deep in the fifhing trade. If the muirs were once inclofed with plan- tations of wood, and improved, it would be very pleafant, healthful, warm, and plenty of provifions at a cheap rate, which would imvite ftrangers from different quarters to make it their refidence for fummer and win- ter. | In a fituation like this, the air is undoubt= edly more falubrious in the fummer-time, than any foreign country that tender people ean goto. In fummer, plenty of goat milk, fifhing and fowling, In winter warmer than im ( 236 ) in moft places in Scotland, which produces — early crops of every thing both in the gar- den and field. The potatoes at Fort William were the beft, and higheft flavoured, I have eat any where'this feafon, the mutton alfo was uncommonly good. From thefe confiderations, the feuing out a great part of the muirs might turn to a con- fiderable annual revenue. The inclofing with a ditch fix feet wide, three deep, and three feet built above the furface, with a row of thorns planted on the top, two feet back, could be done at one fhilling each fix yards. - : At this rate, an hundred acres would coft L.25; if a fquare field 400 acres, L. 50:2; 562, L.60, and fo on in proportion. See National Improvements, p. 252. Wherever there is fo clofe a fwaird of heath and grafs, as in the muirs in Loch- aber, the following method makes one of the beft of fences at the leaft expence. Raife the — fods nine inches or a foot {quare, with thefe - build a dyke on the furface of the ground; with the heath or grafs fide outmost four feet high, caft a ditch in the infide, fix feet’ wide, three deep, about five or fix feet from the | ( 257 ) the dyke; throw the mould that comes out of the ditch to the back of the dyke, plant the thorns upon the top of this, which is am. immediate fence upon both fides, whenever ‘the fods begin towmoulder down, which may perhaps be m twenty years, if properly done. When decayed, face up the dyke with ftones. By thefe means, a very large muir may be inclofed in a few months, at a {mall expence ; and whenever the hedge is a fence of itfelf, the ditch may be filled up. Suppofing the Duke of Gordon was to be- gin to inclofe a few fields next to Fort Wil- liam; after draining, to pare and burn, and to fow grafs feed with the firft crop, either with limic, or without it; then to feu it out into {mall inclofures, as is mentioned in Na- tional Improvements, pages 250, 339, and 390. Ifthis was once begun on a regular plan, it would furprife his Grace how rapid- ly the feuing would go on. The feuers would build their own houfes being efiracted to the plan laid down. All the inclofures ought to be planted with thorns, as is mentioned in Eflay IX. page 133, and more paren p- 138. The thorn Kk hedges, At 258F. yj hedges, when fully grown, would in fome meafure alter the climate, by. affording fucly bield or fhelter, as would make the graf grounds confiderably warmer than. they are at prefent.. Stripes of planting would be ve- ry neceflary for accomplifhing this end. Lhave no doubt, if once begun and plan- - med out in regular villages, (fee page 393.) a great part of the muirs might be improved ina few years. There is no partin Scotland which I ever faw, more adapted for villages than this, having both lime and peat not far diftant ;. and the peat or turf would burn the lime aiheat coal. — at. x a BE 6 of a ress a. There is another method that would cond muchtoimprove thefe muirs, firft,by inclofing : them in large inclofures, the expence of which may be feen in page 252. After this, they may be drained with open or clofe drains. And it may be obferved, that no part of im- "provement will pay fo well as draining, even upon the pooréft ground. After it was drain- ed, the ground might be limed’ upon the fwayd, which would deftroy the heath, bring up good pafture grafs, and raife the value of the lands to fix times what it is at prefent. L muft here again exprefs my furprife, that there ee ey a ar tre fe 2 —— = » ( 259 ) there is fo little planting in Lochaber, where it is fo'much wanted, and where trees would thrive fo well. The moft advantageous for planting are larch, oak, and beech. Thefe may become the moft general, if they are properly attended to, and in time may add greatly to the value of the country. Expe- rience has proved, that the larch will grow in this, as well as in a much colder country, where no other timber can be raifed. The ak will thrive in cold backward foils, and the beech anfwers in:fuch as are both dry and thin. The third method propofed for improving of muirs is perhaps the cheapeft, and not the worlt, viz. firft to inclofe and drain them thoroughly ;' after which, wherever there is a command of water, to let itrun off and on upon the muirs. ‘This will deftroy the ” heath ; in place of which good pafture grafs will be produced, and every year be growing richer, as long as the water is continued. This fhould never be given over, but prac- tifed every year, making the water run on- ly for a few days in one place, and then fhifting it to another, till the whole field is gone over, and fo to return again; that is to {ay, s ( 260 ) fay, at certain feafons, the water to be runs ning either in one part or other of the field. The fourth method propofed for improy- ing the muirs is, when they are inclofed, drained, and have got a green fwaird, to lay over a coat of black free mofs, or hot lime, or both, upon the furface, fo as to cover the whole grafs. This will have an amazing ef- fect. Wherever the foil is dry and light, it will increafe both the quantity and quality of the grafs very much. Sow a little white clover, and hay feeds, which will be of ef VICE. ; The laft method propofed is veri trees. This ought rather to be the firft; but until fuch time as the farms inclofed, the young planting would be ruined by the cattle and wild beafts. Wherever fir, or any other wood grows naturally, without being planted, from the feeds blown by the wind from other planta- tions, this wood is far fuperior in quality to that which has been tranfplanted. 1 was informed by an Englifh gentleman, who went to Fochabers on purpofe to exa- mine the quality of the woods lately pur- chafed from the Duke of Gordons that the us ‘( 26a) fir wood there is equal, if not fuperior in quality to any that grows in Europe, being moftly all of red wood; and that there are a great number of fir trees there, that are fit to be mafts to the firft rate men of war in Bri- tain; and that the company would gain a profit of fifty thoufand pounds by the cutting of thefe woods; and that they had built fe- veral large veflels wholly of fir, the greater part made from the branches of thefe planta- tions. This proves to a demonttration, that woods growing naturally, are far fuperior i im. quali- ty to thofe that have been tranfplanted. Therefore, every gentleman that propofes to raife large plantations of wood, ought firft to inclofe his ground, and then to plow it, if the ground would permit; after that to fow the different feeds of trees. And although the wood fhould grow very thick, they ought not to be thinned, but be allowed to thin themfelves, which makes the trees grow tall and ftraight, and free of knots. If the ground will not admit of being plowed, fowing the feeds will anfwer the ends propofed. Plowing the muirs, and then fowing the feeds of different kinds of trees, would. be better ae -{ coe 2 ‘better and cheaper than planting, in the res moteft parts, lefs fit for being feued out. Af- ter the planting is fomewhat grown up, plow- ing the muirs of Lochaber, and fowing them afterwards with whins, would anfwer very well. Ifaw fome growing pretty well near Fort-William, upon a ditch that thad been neglected. "They would:.anfwer very well after paring and burning, and taking two crops of corns, one of barley and another of oats, whin being fown with barley or oats. I know no: place'\in Scotland where whins would anfwer better than in Lochaber, be- ing both dry, and warmer than *many other parts of this country; more: fo if inclofed — vith ‘plantations: Likewife having a great command of water for mills to bruife them, as is. particularly mentioned in Eflay xxii. page 287. I have not the fmalleft doubt but — they would clear from L. 4, to L. §,. per. acfe, perhaps more. : The greateft part of the hills I had accel to fee in this journey, would be much im- proved by making the water run acrofs their face in a fluping direétion ; not to havea fud- den declivity, but to return again zig-zag, tilliat the bottom of the hill, \ This would Nae ted have a eRe: “Qiao - (> 265%) have one good effect, to water the whole face of the hill, which would not only deftroy — the heath, but enrich the foil in grafs. _ This is perhaps alfo the cheapeft and moft certain way to find out where there are any” mines, either of lead or copper. | . The pafture upon the very top of Cariarich would be much improved by draining in this - manner, and covering fuch parts as are green with the mofs that is lying upon the top, _ which has the appearance of being much of - the nature of rich black earth. Even fome of the rocks that are flat, if covered with this mofs, and fown with white clover, would make good pafture. Moft of the lands in Badenech that I had an opportunity of feeing, along the fide of the river Spey, feemed to be of a light foil par- ticularly adapted for grafs. After being fome . years in grafs, they would produce great crops of corn. And it would tend greatly to the improvement of all thefe lands lying a- long the river-fide, which, in time of floods, are wholly overflown by the water, Firft, That the bed of the river fhould be ‘made as ftraight as poflible. Secondly, That the whole banks on both fides ( 264 ) fides of the river thould be floped, then cos vered with green turf, Thirdly, The whole land overflowed fhould be banked in to prevent the water from run- ing, but left open at the bottom, fo as to al- low the water to run up in time of floods, which would greatly enrich the land, either in corn or pafture. It is wrong to inclofe too large a traét of. Jand, without fluices to let in the water at pleafure. For when the water has to run a _ great way up, it isclear before it reaches the upper part of the field; and the more muddy the water is, it enriches the land the bet- ter. Be When a very large field is banked in, it would be a great improvement to divide it into different inclofures of ten or twenty acres, with a bank to run acrofs the breadth of the whole, fuch as Mr Hugh Tod has done at Ruthven; and immediately above the bank to havea fluice to draw up and fhut at pleafure: By which means, it could let in the water, when flooded, into one field, and fhut it out from another. This would make the water come in at the bottom of each field, and ( 265 ) and prevent the fand from running up; at the fame time, the fine mud would run up, which enriches the foil évery time it over- flows. the land. The ,fluices could be made as {trong as any part of the bank next the ri- ver. See Eflay x. page 149. Thefe fluices could. be made to fhut of themfelves when the floods rofe very high; if it was found that they were in any danger. There is no method of improvement fo ef. fectual as watering in this way; and the ex- _ pence is not great, compared with the advan- tages arifing from overflowing. Draining firft, and then watering, are two capital improvements, which; I may‘fay, are much wanted in every part, both in the hilly parts and low country; as they are getting fo much i into fheep: Draining would improve the paivenes very much, greatly above the expence, or even the hopes of the farmer...’ The expence of open drains is very fmall, and they can be eafily made upon the tops of the higheft moun- tains, | Wherever the water is confined below ground, it raifes a coarfe four grafs, which, | Et in ( 266 } in placeof cons heNbetritee a irs: to rot themy: Pe It aftoniithed: mein bit ehieie: ‘to fee dive very bet parts of the {oil and pafture, at the foow of many hills, allbin bogs and morafs; when, having fo \greatva declivity,-it could be seafily made the richeft part, either-for pat ture, ‘hayor corns, at the fimalbexperice of a few open drains, if the proprietor didnot chufe to be at the expentce of covered drains 3 which, however; would not be great, having fo many ftones at hand. Seepage'171, Effay vii. p. 118. It gave me great pleafure to fee the Rev. Dr’ M‘Pherfon’s {mall ‘farm at! Dallahullic, whofe ifiiprovements are as good and fubftan- tial as: any in the’ low ‘country. His funk fences; faced? with ftone, are ‘uncommonly good... All that is wanted: to” ‘make them e- qual with the’ beft’in Scotland; is, to plant them with thorns upon the top of ‘five years s oldy which would ‘grow very ‘rapidly; the — foil being very much adapted for ‘them,’ and would alfo tend greatly to make ‘each id fure warmer. Ree Fhe Doftor liad Petewnannlse Timey which: " iiobinens with peates! He has tikewile fome fine: — ( 267) - fine meadows, which, if once drainedyeould be water-fed, and then would be very 7M either for hay or paiture. _ He had a, large ftore, or,pafture faxing . hich, he. informed me was greatly im- proved by wunderftocking; .fo that. now it maintains and fattens a vafinumber of cattle more than whenghe entered into pofleflion. He has now fubfet it allat.a confiderably ad- vanced rent. The Doctor was the. fir I had rate tn ay fee fince writing the National Improvements, who proved from his, own, experience and. practice, upon a large pafture farm, what is faid i in) Efflay xi. page 171, to be fact: “ That. “ moft of the pafture is overftocked, efpeci- “ ally thefe »wild grounds. I am fully con- _ “ vinced, there would be much more pafture patture yearly, and now, by underftocking, * “upon any ground, more “efpecially upon poor ground, where this method is follow- ed by not everftocking.” This was likewife confirmed. by Captain John M‘Pherfon at Ballachron, who inform- _ ed me, that. when he went firft to his farm, he did not make above five pounds of his and { 268 } and keeping a herd to keep his neighbourg cattle off, he makes a hundred a year. It is a very great fatisfaction to have what is written, proved from the practice of many eminent farmers. And, indeed, there is fcarce one article of any confequence in the whole book, but what has been proved’ by the ex- perience of fome practical fatmer. = Here (I muft own) I have not feen in any part of Scotland the methods recommended by me for banking in rivers reduced to prac- tice, but in Badenoch on the river Spey. Firft, by Mr M‘Lean at Pitmain upon Mr M‘Pherfon of Clunie’s eftate, who has banked a large tract of ground i in a more fubftantial manner than the way I recommended, it be- ing all built with {tones at the back, in the form of a funk fence, two feet below the ground, to prevent the moles from making holes in it, and more than four feet above ground, with a large bank of earth clofe to the ftones, floping towards the water, and covered with a green fwaird. This fence is a little way diftant from the water shes ly is very proper. If this manner of embanking be not toa expenfive, ( 269 ) expenfive, it is certainly better than the way I propofed. If Mr M‘Lean was to ftraighten the bed of the river a little, flope the banks, and cover them with green fwaird, it would . be more compleat, and unlefs he does this, it may in time undermine what he has done in fome parts. Mr M‘Lean has deepened the bed of the river below, which prevents it from overflowing fo much as it did. This — is of fervice when in corns, but when in grafs is hurtful; as the more it overflows when in grafs, being made to run back, the more it enriches the ground. Banks acrofs with fluices would have the fame effect to fave the corns. | Mr Hugh Tod has banked in the river Spey at Ruthven wholly with a bank of earth, round in the top, and floped on both fides, covered with a green fwaird, exactly the fame as is recommended in page 154; which will anfwer the end propofed very well, provided it be fo high as to keep the water out; which does not exceed eighteen pence or two fhillings at moft each rood. When the river is at its greateft height, it would need to be carefully infpected after e- very ( 276). very food; and. if any, breach happens, 3 it ought tobe. inftantly repaired, otherwife.a confiderable part may give way.) If this an- fwers,, which I think.it;may, being looked _ attentively after, it is much cheaper than Mr ,M‘Lean’ 6 fence: . Here the banks alfo:require to be floped; and the bed of the river flraight- ened in the manner mentioned before, with abulwark;, or head projecting into the wa-. ter, in fome places, to alter the courfe of i He where it was encroaching. (oh an L.was fhown at a diftance, a large extent of ground, banked in the fame, manner as Mr Tod’s, by Captain John M‘Pherfon, Bal- jachron ; but was not upon the ground, I hope it sain the ends. propofed. In all. thefe embankments, the water fhould be allowed, by means of a fluice, to come in at the foot, which would.enrich the field es very time, the water came over it. If fown with lint, it would be a great nike . vantage to the crop,/ toilet the water in after it was.three or four,inches high, In place of hurting, it might double the value... , Mr Hugh. ‘Tod’s: funk fences at Ruthyen are exactly upon the plan I have recommend~ ers si ed, ( 27% ) ed, herr: ‘that pare are not planted: with ~ ghorns. °*"" > sino aals Mr. M'Leean’ s, vinther at Pitmain, | ftone fences: “appear to be equally good with Dr M'Pherfon’s ; §; the Only def€@ is, the hedges are not planted upon the top as ‘before men- tioned.’ ’ He has’ his farm’ in farprifi ing: good order, and a great part in grate. Tt might pafs for a ‘good farm in any part of the Lo- thians. JY aminformed*he hasbeen ata ‘vee ry great expence for draining, which is quite proper; yet there are fome of his inclofures which would need tobe" better drained.° It would tend much tothe intereft:of the Duke — of Gordon, and) the’ country,» thatomany would follow his example. Now}after he has _got'fo muchs'of his farm: intos grafsy lime, would ftall greatly 4 improve it; for corns: and graf, particularly »whatis' im, pene even: the muirs! above the road.o" > - If: thée Dukesof Gordon ‘could, ‘big any means, ‘prevailion the greateft part of his'te~ nants to‘havethe half of their farmis in fowr - grafs; witha reeulairotation of cropéof Corn and erafs,.it would be a very great advan- ed both for ‘the proprietor and tenantyand 1; would. ( 272 ) would be the means, in a few years, to raife the rents confiderably, and not hurt the te- nant; as they would be better able to give an advanced rent, after being improved, than they are at prefent able to give the one half of the prefent rent. ., | A few premiums might, be of great fervice. See Effays vi. and vil. Encourage labouring with the fpade every where, more particularly at the foot of hills. | | | _ Encourage feuing in every corner of the e- ftate in fmall parcels, particularly miuir ground, where the foil and fituation 1s good, and near water: See the plan of villages in National Improvements. Give long tacks to every farmer that is willing to improve, three nineteen years. Suppofe the prefent rent ten fhillings per acre, to rife at the end of the firft nineteen five fhillings per acre; at the end of the fe- cond five fhillings more, which makes the rent double for the laft nineteen years; and fo-on, 1n proportion to what the prefent rent of any farmmay be, This will neither hurt proprietor nor tenant, but would tend to im- _ ‘prove ( 273 ) prove the country very rapidly, and increafe population, _ By all means encourage good farmers, who are fober and induftrious, and are willing to follow a regular rotation of crops of corn and egrafs, with a fallow. Although poor, they will foon become rich, if they perfevere in following the plan of hufbandry propofed. Give them grafs feeds gratis, upon well- prepared land, To rent farms properly requires the great- eft {kill in agriculture, and even natural fa- gacity; the means of manure; the ftate of the fubject to be let; the markets; the induf- try of the farmers; and likewife their capa- cities as to fkill in the bufinefs, and circum- {tances with refpect to their funds, Even the flate of firing and manufactures muft be attended to. The rents muft be adapted to the capacity of thofe who occupy the farms ; and the farms muft be fo modelled, as to have a proper proportion, if poflible, of light and ftrong land and grafs. The houfes to be centrical, with many other confiderations. The proprietor who can come neareft to thefe rules, by properly accommodating his Mm _ tenants, ee ” ( 274. ) tenants, will have the greateft and beft paid. rents, and his eftate firft improved. : If other circumftances are alike, whether the proprietor conduéts his bufinefs perfon- | ally, or by a fteward, he muft have what in Scotland is called a good ground-officer ; a perfon who has {kill, and knows the charac- ters of the people of the country. 7 | The following relation given by Mr Mar- -fhall, is a proof how eafily the moft unpro- mifing land may be improved, if a landlord acts with liberality, and a tenant poffefles i ey. gents and induftry. P. 367. “ Minute 37. A principal part of “ the heath land was laid to the farm of Mr “ Prieft, the young man above-mentioned; and was let to him on the following terms : | “ Landlord apreed to raife fences, hang gates, build a new barn upon a large {cale, make other alterations, and put the whole of the buildingsinto thorough repair. “ ‘The tenant agreed to marle twenty acres _ every year, until the whole fhould be ** marled, at the rate of twenty cart leads an acre. < The rent aaa upon was this : Nothing” ~ © until ee 6¢ 4 £6 ¢ { 275 ) “antl it has been marled three years. "The & fourth year after marling, the rent to com- mence at three fhillings an acre; at which *"to continue four years, and bhai! (namely, “the eight year after being marled, to rife “to feven fhillings and’ fixpence an acre ; and at this rent to remain until-the expira- * ‘tion of the term of twenty-one years. “ Tt was alfo further agreed, that the’ te- “hart fhould be paid’ for the ¢ carriage of the *Gnaterials of the new barn; but fhould do we oo for the repairs and theresa gratis ; 4s alfo for the fubfequent repairs during the “term. Alfo, ‘that the tenant fhould pay _“ half the expence- of workmen’s wages for osu ent repairs; provided that fuch ““mnoiety do not exceed five pounds in any sone year “This was a liberal agreement on the part of the landlord; and, on a curfory view, may feem to give extravagant encourage ment to the tenant. The following calcu- lation, however, will fhew, that, in the end, the plan will turn out highly advan= tageous to the landlord. . “ Suppofe, for the fake of calculation, the quantity of heath land let to’ this tenant; ce to « GS 7 éc &¢ {' 276 ) to be exactly three hundred. acres ; and that thefe three hundred acres are divided into thirty inclofures of ten acres each 5 with a public road, of a drift way, between each line of inclofures. This is fufficient- ly near, if not exactly the fact upon Fell- brig-heath.- . “In this cafe, every indlofure ecinel to be fenced on three fides. “ Ten acres contain one thoufand fix ean dred ftatute rods... The fquare root of one thoufand fix hundred is forty ; confequent- -ly, each inclofure, fuppofing them to be exactly {quare, required one hundred and | twenty ftatute rods of fencing. 22 “The price given for ditching, planting the quick, and hedging, was eighteen pence each long rod, of feven yards. An hyndred and twenty ftatute rods contain. about , * gs long rods, which, at 18d. is L.7 2 6 * 45,000 quickfets, at 3s. 6d.—— | 15s. gd. at ~ ——t— Furze-feed, 4s. 3d. 106 oe “ a 74 é ( 277 ) For fencing 30 1inclofures at L.8:2.6,. “ each, reckon L. 250.0 .© ae t 50 gates, with pofts, irons, “ond hanging - - 50 ° Oo -The barn (very fpacions) ‘ * - fappole, - - 200 ..0 10 —— Additions, alterations, and - “* repairs oh 2 100-0 Oo L. fico 2.9 — “Compound intereft.on this Ld fam, in 21 yearly payments, * at 4. per cent. 700. 0 O L. 1300 0 o ~“ The rents to be received, during the ‘39 term, fuppofing twenty acres to be marled * * yearly, would be thefe : I year, 6c 66 ‘44 6¢ GL ce Ge fe » GE 'O"-&e-0 Qa 0°0 0 6. G° Qe ( ae) 1 year 0 0 0 Forward’153 "6 24-960 0 12 year 4g to Z— OO Og ow AMA FS FO = If BONO glES 5— 6°0 Oo 15 — 42 “6 m9 6 6 1b — 49" tO Pm 12°00 O07 28a $8 — 19 10 -o 8 — Hegsto’ a ae i9— 99 Oo io — "44°10 Oo 20 — 103 10 TI — 42 0 0 21 —- 168 0° é L.vy3 2 ae oy 3 967° ‘to. re) © ‘As the compound intereft of ** the above receipts fet down, 232 Io oO ’ oL. 1200.9 @ “ Thus it appears, from this calculation, that on the fuppofition of the articles of agreement being ftrictly adhered to, the landlord will be paying, at the expiration of the term, one hundred pounds as the purchafe-money of three hundred acres of improved land, worth from ten to fifteen fhillings an acre; the principal part of this allotment being a good loam, lying on the “ defirable (; 27m) *, defirable fubfoil; an abfofbent® brick a4 + ¢arth. “ But the fact 1s, ad was probably fone. feen, that the tenant, inftead: of marhng twenty acres annually, according to the letter of the agreement, marled, I think he told me, upwards of one hundred the firft year, and has now nearly finifhed the whole. “ Therefore, fuppofing the orignal fix hundred pounds, and the firft-feven years intereft, to have been taken up, the land- lord would, at the end of the term, have cleared off the incumbrance, and have found fome hundred pounds in his pocket, befide the fee-fimple. of one hundred. and fifty to two hundred, pounds a-year, from this allotment only ; befide the advantages arifing from the remainder of the heath, and the inclofure of the common field ; and befides having done away a nuifance, and planted induftry and plenty upon an almoft ufelefs wafte: and this, too, without ren- dering himfelf odious, or his tenants mi- ferable. Improvements like this are real, and bring a permanent increafe to the rent- roll of an eftate.” Thefe ( 286 ) “‘Thtefe obfervations have been lengthened. gut longer than was at firft intended ; which . prevents me from making remarks on other parts of the country through which I travel- Jed. The hints that are already given may be reduced to practice with great fuccefs in A- thol, both on the hills, and by the _ of _ the rivers. | ‘There is one remark I would make, ase Athol is a warmer climate than the grounds farther north, the country being populous, the foil good, and more of it improved. This country would anfwer very well with the fpade culture; efpecially fuch parts in Athol, Breadalbane, and Strathbran, where the foil is good.to near the top of the hills. © The fame obfervations will apply with re- fpect to Fyfe; from Perth to the Queensfer- ty, where there are very little fubftantial im- provements going on by inclofing, draining, fummer-fallowing, and liming, and a regu- lar rotation of crops of corn and grafs. It is very much to the difgrace of the pro- prietors and farmers upon that road, that _ there is fo little done in improving their — grounds ; having lime and coals both at a ve- , Ps ( 2883) ry fhort diftance, and at a cheap rate. They would be the better of having fome fpirited farmers to fet them an example of a regular and fteady method of improving their erounds. There are few fituations in any country, but where fome of thefe obfervations may be very ufeful, and eafily reduced to practice. I fhall conclude, by relating fome inftan- ces of the good effects of flooding, and the _ extraordinary crops produced by means of water. } Firft, It is univerfally known what aftonifh- a ing crops were produced in Egypt, by the overflowing of the river vee only once a- year. | Though little or no rain falls upon this country, yet its fertility in former ages is faid to have been inconceivable; no lefs than one hundred fold every year. ‘The river left a rich {lime upon the ground, after its an- nual overflowing; which not only fertilized the foil, but was of fuch a tenacious nature, that it refifted the drought, {tll retaining moifture fufficient, with the dews that daily _ fell, to bring the crop to maturity. As the climate was very warm, and the grain, of Nn | confequence, [ ot. confequence, avery fhort time in the ground, they had often two crops in one year. But as it is now more than 3300 years fince the Nile overflowed its banks, we may reafon- ably fuppofe, that all the large extent of country called Lower Egypt, 1s now partly _ filled up, by the fediment or flime leaving a little every year ; fo that nowthe water will not have the fame effe@ upon the fame ground, that it had in thofe early periods of time. But {till the foil will be very rich, and pro- duce great crops, though not fo great as at firft. | advifed the embankment of the river Tay, at the conflux of the Earn with it, upon the e- {tate of Eafter Rhind, and likewife propofed to join the ifland in the Tay with the main- land. | Although none of thefe were done at the time mentioned, the embankment has fince been made in fome parts, and the ifland alfo . banked in; both of which have produced yery great crops. Mr Somerville the te- nant told me, he had above twenty bolls of oats upon each acre, the firft crop ee the ifland, Secondly, It is above twenty years fince I Migr, ( 283 ) Mr Hay of Leys has banked in Mugdrum inch in the fame manner, where he has had extraordinary crops. _ The advantage of thefe places is, that they ean be enriched by overflowing with water; by means of fluices, which ought to be done. every year, Lord Weymafs is joining the ifland to the ‘main land, by a ftone bulwark acrofs; by which he will acquire a confiderable quantity of very fine foil. And 1am informed by Mr Somerville already mentioned, that it is fill- ing up an inch every full tide, in twenty four hours, when the water is muddy. Thirdly, General Graham has made fome very gteat improvements upon the mofs grounds below his houfe at Gorthie, firit; By cutting ditches acrofs to drain it, and di- viding the ground into different inclofures ; fecondly, By banking out the river called the Powe. By thefe embankments, he keeps off the water that comes either from the high ene or the river. At the fame time, he _ has wooden fluices, after the Dutch form, up- on each of hisinclofures, to let the water in and out at pleafure; and thus he produces “very ‘ { 28a } very good crops both of corn and pafture. His factor, Mr M‘Cale fhewed me one inclo- fure in particular, where he fet out with paring and burning. On this field he has had thirteen crops of oats running;and the laft better than the firft; the crop 1786 being fold for L. 9 fterling an acre as it ftood. The method taken here, is to give the feed — _ furrow in the autumn; then the river Powe, being a flow running water, and very mud- dy in the winter time, is let in, and ftands en the field four or five feet deep during that | feafon, by means of opening all the fluices. A confiderable fediment is left from the wa- — a ters of the Powe, and likewife thofe coming from the higher grounds; which anfwersthe . fame purpofe asdunging every year. The General has fet fome parts of the fame mofs, fo inclofed, at two pounds per acre each year, for plowing, and his tenants are _ very well pleafed. I was much furprifed to fee fo much good pafture upon it; and Mr M‘Cale informs me, that the grafsis very nourifhing and fattening, aor: for youn ftore. This is the oreatett i improvement upon 2’ mofs I ever faw; and-the expences of drain- ing 3 | Gay) mg and cutting the ditches at firft were not fo great as any one would imagine from fee-~ ing them. Being mofs, it was not difficult to cut ; and by perfevering in the fame plan, | the foil will become richer every year; al- though I do not approve of taking fo many crops of oats running. But this fhews the fertilizing effects of the water. The fourth inftance I fhall mention is, that agentleman, whofe veracity I can depend upon, told me, that the tenant of certain Et mnds on a river-fide in. England, where fe- -yeral corn-mills had been erected, came to the proprietor, and told him, that if he would: allow the miks to be deftroyed, he would ftill pay him the fame rent he was wont to pay _ for both mills and farm. ‘The proprietor at. firft refuted his offer,alledging that he fhould _ lofe the multure for his mills; but, after taking the matter into confideration, he of fered to agree to the terms propofed, if the tenant would give him L. 100 yearly of ad- vanced rent. This the tenant engaged to do; and then threw the whole of this low ground, * which was of confiderable extent, into grafs. ‘Having the advantage of the falls for the thills, it was now in his power to overflow the 3 Om ees ° ( 286 ) the whole of it with water from the river 4 and this method he practifed with fuch fue- cefs, that he raifed three crops of hay in one yeat. The gentleman from whom I had this account told me, that he faw fome of thefe hay crops, and that they were the Weighed he ever beheld. The laft inftance which I fhall mention of the great advantages of embanking, I receiv- ed from John Erikine, Efq; of Mar. He in= formed me, that he has banked in about 45 or soacres all taken off the river upon the fide of the Forth, below Alloa. The bank is he about ten feet high, and very broad at the bafe, all raifed from the mud and turf, with- out any ftone. The flope of the bank is one foot in five. This he has covered over with ereen turf, taken from the infide of the bank. It may appear furprifing, that when they firft began to raife the bank, there was nothing but mud in the infide, and that very loofe and . deep ; yet, before the bank was finifhed, they _ got as much green turf from the infide, as to _ cover the whole of the floping bank, which ’ ftands very well, and refifts the force of both land-floods and tides, The ground in the infide is now turned. folid / ( 287 ) {olid and firm, fo as to allow the plows to go, The whole of this inclofure,' taken off the ri- ver Forth, is now let for one guinea per acre, Mr Erfkine thinks that he is well paid for his trouble and expence; and that the ground © will be {till increafing in value, as he has the means of overflowing it whenever he pleafes. It is amazing to fee the great encroach- ments which the river Forth has made, and is ftill making, carrying away yearly very great quantities of rich foil. | __-However, the attention of the proprietors is now awakened. Mr Abercrombie of Tul- libody, and feveral other gentlemen have been equally fuccefsful with Mr Erfkine. And it may be expected, that their example will influence the landholders on the Forth, and in fimilar fituations, to attempt improve- ments, which are fo interefting to themfelves and beneficial to their country. For not on- ly in this river, but in almoft every river in Britain that communicates with the fea, an immenfe quantity of ground might be reco- vered from the rivers and fea; even at the mouth of many rivers. ‘Valt tracts of land’ might be made good, that are at prefent fand and gravel, It ( 288 )j) ‘ ; It is a{tonifhing to think, Lier much oad: foil every year is carried away with the land floods into the fea; a great part of which might be retained by contraéting the rivers, particularly at the end where they run into the fea. If rivers great and fmall, were ftraighte: ed, and more confined, with banks of a seth tle flope, covered with a green {waird, the uu damage would not be fo great at every put 2 flood as it nowis. | if che mouth of every river was confir nec — and carried confiderably farther out into d he . fea, in a courfe of years, a great addition would be made to the coaft. For the foil that comes down the river, would in part fettle upon the fhore, wherever there was an eddy, and, at the fame time, the river would be deepened; and confequently, the navigation rendered fafer, as the tides would be higher when confined, than when allowed to {pread over a great tract of ground. ox... deat This plan has been actually carried into. | effect at Aberdeen; and, by this means, a fand-bank, which had nearly choaked up the - mouth of the river, has been carried off. There are many fituations by the fea-fide, which ( 289.) which are nothing but fand and gravel, and thofe of large extent, which might be much enriched, if a part of the rivers were turned. off a little above, fo as to run upon thefe fands, every time there was aland flood, and made to ftand dead; which might be done, by raifing a ridge a little diftant from the fea, and covered with green fwaird. By this means, the mud would fettle upon the fur- face, and, in a courfe of years, make it a rich pafture ; which ought never to be plow- ed, but to be kept conftantly in grafs, and flooded every year in the winter time, and fometimes in fummer. Wherever there is a city « or town fituated a little above a fandy fhore, the water from the ftreets might all be made to run into thefe flat places; which ought to be levelled as miticli as poflible, and the hollow parts filled up before the water was let on. What is faid, might be applied with great fuccefs upon every part of the fea-fhore where there is a large tract of fands.. The water coming from the city of PB might be conducted feveral miles along the fands. The fands from the mouth of Tay to Ar- ©). breath, Ss ( 290 ) ‘i’ do mifchief to the land; or, at leaft, thal | * never correct its ill qualities. “ At all times, when governments have taken thefe different objects into confider- ation, we have feen entire countries change their face. What have not the Dutch done, by damming out the fury of the fea, | _and fecuring themfelves from inundations, with which they are inceflantly threaten- ed? How many lakes and marfhes shave | ‘ been happily drained? In China, we fee two of their fineft provinces ined the fea, by the induftry of the inhabitants. — (Thefe two provinces are called Kinnganllle and Iche-kiang. Their fertilney is extraor- dinary.) In Perfia, on the contrary, a ee try, where the land requires being water- ed, what efforts ate made, and with what fuccefs, for conducting ftreams of water? Among that nation, if any one has the art of conducting water, or fountains, in any ‘ place where it never was before, he has the ~ enjoyment of the advantages of it for five generations. The charge of fuperintend- ing the water was, among the Perfians, the - moi{t important in the ftate. All thefe ex- * amples () ‘age )) amples furely prove, that with the atten- * tion of government, we may be able to re- iy “ce “ce pfs & prefs the impetuofity of the waters, and direct them according to our will to the greateft advantage of the country. If we abandonjall to hazard, and the care of fim- ple individuals, we fhall never be long in “ feeing the moft fatal effects. The evil, we know, increafes every day, until it be- comes irreparable. The conduct of waters | requires much underftanding. It fhould be under the view of enlightened eyes, who know well how to direct the neceflary works; otherwife we rifque the feeing ve- ry different effects refult from what we ex- pect. * ‘When we would with to conduct a wa- ter over a dry foil, every one is not ina ftate of pronouncing, if it-will be proper to undertake it; becaufe all the world knows not how to calculate the advantages which may be procured by canals for wa- tering, or the expence of conftructing and repairing them. Weought, therefore, in all ftates truly political, to excite happy geniufes to ftudy the whole that belongs to the architeCture of waters, and’to turn | their ee 6s &¢ « « 6G ee 6e 66 €¢ « 6 ( 292 )) fades; ci», “ What fervices might be Dndéred to thie country by men. paid by the government divers nations, and in particular theD for banking out rivers, for, placing t tt a works in a ftate of refifting the aétion of the waves, flow, or violent; for draining diduieuged them conformably to. the views propofed. Pe ie © A fovereign ought never to be the fabjaie 46 ce “¢ 6% of regret, for giving penfions to thofe who © having the neceflary talents, confeerate 4 themfelves to a fludy fo ufeful to their country.” ‘There is a very confiderable difference as tothe quality of waters, fome having a more fertihzing property than others. As faid before, the muddier that the wa- ter is, the better ; and the quality of it much depends on the richnefs of the foils that the river has to pafg through; part of the fine particles being carried down and depofited on the low grounds. eral their views and ferious reflections on that for making it their principal occupation, — ‘ to know-diftinétly all that is prathited, by 4 Oper; ‘ marthes; for. directing the waters, and ~- x; a ‘ee —) a * : ( Pagz ay * ~ Where the water comes over a large body of limeftone, it has a particular fertilizing etl ~ All waters, efpecially when muddy, ferti- lize the foil, ‘provided they are made to ftand ; though every one not in an equal de- ae From thefe obfervations it is very clear and evident, that many foils, in the different fi- niatioits defcribed, may be fo improved, by means: of inclofing, draining, banking, and _ then: watering, as to make the pooreft of them at leaft double, and fome of ‘them a- hove ten times their prefent value. And that, perhaps, at not the twentieth or even the hundredth part of the advantages arifing from ee tine the methods recommended. There- : re it ought to be the ftudy of every gentle- ‘man proprietor, and tenant, to improve up- on thefe ‘hints, according to their different. local fituatious. The very great profits that would arife from inclofing, draining, banking, and then watering bf moflés, morafs, and meadow grounds, by the fides of rivers, makes me Oiten wonder how they came to be fo uni- ver ally neglected ; when it is econfidered how fmalt ( 204 ) fmall the expence would be, and the advai . ? tages fo great, when properly conducted, ; an greeable to this plan. Thefe places would not only produce ex- traordinary crops in moft feafons; but they — have this advantage over moft of the ” sag grounds in the country, that in a very great drought, when the crops fail in almoft every other place, all thefeplaces that have been much overflowed in winter, would produce very — weighty crops, both of hay, pafture and -corns, more particularly, a great ropa as they could be flooded when growing. — ot) - bl Pp.) a. Thefe are the only places where a good at iN weighty crop of flax can be depended upon; _ and, at the fame time, the flax would be : much finer. Witnefs the flax crop in Hok land and in Egypt. What is it that has made’ Egypt fo much renowned in all ages for fine flax, but the overflowing of the river Nile? — Although it is not pretended that we could © raife fuch great crops, or fo fine as in Egypt; — yet thefe places that were water-fed for many years, would produce as much upon one acre, as the other grounds upon two or three acres, and the flax much finer. This of itfelf ought to induce the practice recommended, although it ( 295 ) it had no other advantages; for 4 great crop good fine flax is worth two or three of the - beft crops of corns. _ . Itis not propéfed to plough the ground af- _ ter one year’s flooding ; but the water fhould be continued for five or fix years, or more. | This is what has lure the character of ‘grounds being benefited by water running upon'the lands in the winter time, viz. that a great many plough the land watered only one year, which often produces great crops ; . and, v what is {till worfe, they continue crop- my, a two or three years more without any, | other manure: This tmpoveriflies the foil very much; the fame as lime and fhell marl, ~ when firft laid on; which produce very great __erops for a few years; but if continued to ie ee without dung, and being thrown into “grafs, impoverifhes the foil-fo much as to make it unfit,to produce either corns or grafs. Since writing the above, a gentleman told me, he knew a field by the fide of the tiver _ ‘¥weed, which was fo poor, that the farmer defpifed it, not thinking it capable of any improvement for either corn or grafs, which Brpcured but very little pafture! It com- Pp | monly er iy ‘monly went under the name of t water, z= great furprife, the whole field 3 fuitable improvement that can be made up= (( 29% )). ftraw field. It happened one year, P river Tweed {welled by a. la 1d-flood to an uncommon, height. This field was overflow- efi.” The hedges, with the bank kept in the , fo that it ftood dead upon it, The quence was, that the next year, to the ee ; Lt; hae 4 Lan we _ mholly covered with white clover. -Itis fomewhat ftrange to confider ‘the greatelt improvement in every artis of found out by accident. It is ftill a ftran@e, when thus found out, thefe v great improvements, at fo little expence, < not. perfevered in. The field would be ftil improving, if the water was laid on every year, and would alter the nature of the fe alnogether. |) 9.” | | Ong The reafon why thefe within are. not a more adopted, may in part be owing to one of thefe things :- _ | Firft, The want of attention to th and fituation of the foil. : | Every fituation has its own advantages ¢ ct ; | 4 difadvantages, fome more than others.» The ereat matter is; to ftudy what as the moft on: { a ) { 297 )) 2 every fituation at the leaft expence, Where- ~~“ ever you have mofs: to lay on, it alone will improve the pafture, and arable land: And if you have lime to lay above it, will produce great crops, both hay, pafture,.and corns,. Mofs and hot lime, laid on carfe clay, will _ produce great. crops of wheat. , This laft is practifed in the carfe of Stirling with wey great fuccefs, Laying mofs and lime upon the Seiice rt ground when dry, even'the bare.rocks, will make good pafture, where neither of them is eo ae the nature of the foil very much. The fecond reafon may be, fome. perfons ee : are afraid of the expence. This proceeds < banking, and watering is, comparatively to the crops arifing therefrom. ___ Suppofe one had occafion to lead the water oir along the fide of a hill or bank, in order to _-water the. plains below a mile long, the cut _ twelve inches wide and deep. This can be done for a penny at moit each rood, being fix yards in length; three hundr ed of which make to be found. Draining and watering will i 0 from want of experience. It would aftonifh _ Bs Ng one who was unacquainted with thefe things, to find how {mall the expence for draining, and advantages arifing from watering haps fome hundreds, or a thoufand acres by ( 298 ) make a little more than a mile; this is only of one pound five fhillings. If eighteen inches broad and deep, at twopence per rood, would be two pounds ten fhillings for one mile. If fixpence per rood, feven pounds ten fhillings. If five foot wide and three deep, at one fhil- ling, fifteen pounds per mile; and fo on in proportion. ye Now, let any perfon confider the expence, ) this cut. The longer the water has to run, the cut would need to be wider and deeper. This cut might anfwer in part for a drain to the grounds above, if thofe below were a ue dry foil, and mofs above the cut. The fall mofs might be turned into the water, which | would enrich the fields below. Evena rich clay, rock, or fhell marl, might be mixed 4 with the water, and by thefe means enrich _ : the plains below. ie One perfon could manure many hundred acres in one year, by mixing whatever foi - was above with the water. ‘This would fave the trouble of carting it down the/hill. In place of a fluice upon the banks by river — fides, in fome Places,a large fix tree,with a bore fourteen | (299) X fourteen or fixteen inches diameter, or a fquare . box,might anf{werthe fame purpofe, by having a piece of bend leather nailed upon the end of che tree, upon the upper fide, which would open and fhut the fame as the valve of a “pump; having a {mall piece of wood nailed to the outfide of the leather: If thought pro- per, to place one at each end, to let: water in and out at pleafure. The tree need not be longer than the bank is broad. The expence of draining may be calculated in the fame way. _ [fata penny per rood, the expence for a ~ mile would be Biv 4g so If at two pence, each mile, "2°10 0 _ If at fixpence, do. 7 710 Oo | If at one fhilling, do. 15) O° 18 _ The embankment and floping may be cal-_ * Tectsiwa: in the fame proportion. J Water in this way ‘may be led along the fide of a hill for many miles. In fome fituations, a narrow level canal could be made to tranfport goods from one place to another,; which: might be got done at two fhillings or half a crown each rood. _ The third reafon is, That perfons may be eeenctul of its anfwering the end propofed. What - fuflicient to convince every farmer of the u ‘C300 |) 7 What 1s formerly faid, itis hoped, may t 4 ey lity and advantages arifing from fie the grounds wherever fituated , by water-feed- ing, . The great crops oaakaee by the overflow- ing of the Nile, and the great expences laid out by the Egyptians for the proper conduct- ing of the water, is a convincing proc of what is faid before, as appears from the fol- Jowing extract from Mr Savary’s letters on Egypt, vol. i. p. 227. kant “ Agriculture was in great efteem ae the antient Egyptians. They had render- : ‘ edit very flourifhing in the whole rial i of their empire. Witnefs the immenfe : works they have made in the diftribution — of the canals, and for watering the lands. — At prefent we reckon eighty canals like ri- - q vers, all dug by the hand of men, feveral : of which are twenty, thirty, and forty j leagues in length. They receive the imun= dation, and circulate the waters” through " the country. Six only have water in them ~ the whole year. The others, nearly chaak- ed up, are dry upon the fall of the Nile. & The great lakes of Moeris, of Behire, and og Marcotis { a ( jor) ) * © Mareotis form vatt refervoirs calculated to “ contain the fuperfluous waters, and at * length to fpread them over the adjacent “ plains. They raifed them upon the elevat- * ed grounds, by means of vertical wheels, “ the invention of which is due to the E- syptians. One ox was fufficient to turn “ them, and to water a vaft field. Thefe _“ wheels gave to Archimedes, in his journey * into Egypt, the idea of the ingenious chain “ or chaplet, ftill made ufe of in our days.” Page 229. “ The waters are conveyed by ‘ a aqueduéts to the very fummit of the hills. ** They were received there in immenfe ba- “ fons hewn out of the rock; from whence tae. flowing into the midft of defarts, they con- ¥ 3 ‘das | verted them into fruitful fields,” a | © Page 232. “ We niay confidently affert,. ‘that upwards of one third of the lands for- * mefrly in cultivation are metamorphofed in~ to defarts.” Page 235. “This negligence gives a mor- * tal ftab to agriculture. A whole diftrid,. which owed its fertility and its riches to ® the waters of a’canal, no longer receiving a fufficient quantity, become uncultivated, * and-abandoned, The Nile, in the courte’ © ot ( 302 ) * of goo leagues traverfing defarts and bars’ “ ren mountains, brings with it a prodigis ** ous quantity of fand and mud. How cul- ** pable are they who thus fuffer the f{prings “ of plenty to dry up? For wherever the wa- * ters of the Nile are conveyed, there is the “ earth covered with treafures. It only 1 feeks to be productive.” | The Egyptians in antient ages were efteem+ ed the moft learned people in the world. There never was a nation who made fuch fo- — lid and permanent improvements in agricul- ture, only by means of water. Te Although they were at an ‘mmnenal ex pence in making canals and refervoirs, and 4 keeping them in good order; yet they were : amply paid for all their erotsble and expence, a by the wonderful crops:of all kinds that were y produced. This improvement was not for’ ~ one age, but has continued for ages, as far’? back as hiftory gives us any account. Egypt’ : was often the granary of the world. . When e | famine was in moft places, they enjoyed : plenty; having fo much grain annually to export, their trade was increafed to a very great height. This was, in reality making’ agriculture the foundation of trade. ‘This ; great a (. 303 ) ‘ gteat and. permanent improvement was des rived from ftudying their natural fituation, and ufing the proper means to take the bene- fit thereof. ~Otight not Britain, then, to follow their ‘example, and ftudy the natural fituation of every place: And, wherever water can be in- troduced, to ufé the proper means for fo do- ing; even although at a great expence, in many canals for many miles. In making canals, they might, in fome fi- tuations, attend to two particulars: Firft, That of water-feeding: Secondly; The tranf- porting of goods fiom one place to another. The water-feeding would not hurt the canal, as the water could:be let. on in the winter time, when the water was both plenty and me peek ‘It is wonderful to think, what very great improvements could be made every where by theans of water, both in hills and low coun- try. | | eee The vaft number of great lochs in the hills could be made ufe of as fo many refervoirs to open with fluices i in time of drought, to water the plains; or might be led into a dif- | Q.g ferent ; (304, ) ferent tract to water barren grounds, cichegy in plains, or by the fea-fide. ? 2 In many of thefe lochs, when drained, waft,: quantities of {hell marl might be found. ~ There might be a {mall»cut made far up upon river-fides, to lead the water a conii~ derable way to water plains. | + The very great number of placed calles links and fands, by the fea-fide; would be greatly improved by means: of freth water running and ftanding dead upon thefey and many other places. ‘his watering to be con- tinued every year. | This improvement would laft for ages, snd the ground would {till be increafing in-rich= nefs, as long as the water was ufed; which ought never to be given over, but the water ~ to be led on to one field or other, which would gréatly increafe both pafture; hay, and corns. | Take the moft ‘barren fands, or suns | : when level and dry, and make the water ; ftand déad upoti it, it will entich the land to” a very high degree, both for pafture and corns. | ape That we may have fome idea what very ‘great crops may be produced from water- flooding, 4 y { 365 °) Abelling, and to what an extraordinary length ‘this method of improvement may be carried, let’ us again take a view of the Egyptians’ im- " provements, by means of water, and the won- ~derful effects of their national induftry. What a nation can do, when united in one object! It almoft exceeds our belief. Although the waters of the river Nile had an uncommon fertilizing quality ; ‘yet the =? _adyantages arifing therefrom would have been very fmall, if the Egyptians had not adopted. fchemes for diftributing the water over a very large tract of country of 200 “Jeagues, neyer paralelled by any nation in the world. Their {chemes were admirably well calculated for -anfwering the ends pro- poled. 7 Ye We,are informed by Savary, that they firtt altered the courfe of the river Nile altogether, which formerly run by the fide’of lower E- gypt; but now, fince altered, they have made the Nile run almoft through the center of lower Fg gypt, and branched it off, as he £ ays; in eighty canals, like rivers, all dug Be the hand of man, feveral of which are twenty, . thirty, and forty leagues in length. ‘The great lakes of Moeris, Behire, and Mareo- Pa ( 306 ) tis, form vatft refervoirs calculated to cons ‘ tain the fuperfluous waters, and at length “ to {pread them over the adjacent plains.” He likewife fays, “Some great dykes, the ruins of which are.to be feen, ferved to keep in the river; others were oppofed to the torrents of farsi which have a.conti- nual tendency to cover the face of Egypt.” Thefe canals were {pread over the whole country, like the branches of a large tree, The immenfe fam thefe grand works would coft is almoft beyond our conception. _In- deed, at this diftance of time, it 1s impoffible to calculate the expence. Yet we are fure, whatever the fums were, although many “G6 c € cs 74 ce 3 millions fterling, they were amply paid for — their trouble and expence, when thefe canals — were kept in repair. But now, we are in-: formed, that a great number of them are cheaked up; and, of courfe, the produce is not one hundredth part of what it was in an- _ tient times. : | This fhews us, that the beft calculated f{chemes that ever were invented for any kind of improvement, if not perfevered i in, will {oon go to ruin. _ The dimenfions of lake Moeris were afto- Paik en ine nifhing, ( 307 ) ~ nifhing, which Savary fays, is reported by Herodotus and Strabo, to be 75 leagues in circumference, and 300 feet deep. ‘This al- moft incredible lake, faid to be dug by the hand of man, {hows what mighty works can be done by a great army of men. However ftrange this may appear upon the firft view, yet if we only confider the fitua- tion of the ground where this lake was, in a defart of fand, the attempt will not feem dif- ficult; for the run of the river Nile was confi- _ derably above it, which, we are informed was _ brought by a canal, named Jofeph’ s, forty ‘leagues in length, to lake Moeris. And thus, having the command of the ri- ver Nile by this canal, we may fuppofe that the moft probable means of effecting the work was, to dig feveral deep canals the whole length of the lake, and to let in the water into one at a time, which would both deepen, and carry off a confiderable quantity of the fand, and then by fhifting the water _ to another canal. Some thoufands of men that were employed, would be always deep- ening one of thefe canals.. Thus, by this means, letting the water only run in one ca- nal at a time, and fhifting it to another, would \ ‘($308 /) . J “Grould: carry off a- vaft- quantity of fand, ietfhabhs -the‘canals. wére ftraight, and ‘had no: ‘inter- ‘fuption. And we-are to: fappole that the! fall of the avater-was very confiderable. Ok The following extracts oe the ‘Sxseatvof this lake. . | The labyrinth, ‘oes ses ase ith, as 3] have-been défetibing it,’ is fill lefs fur- *_prifing than -the'‘Moeris: ’'F his- lake i is in - circumferende: 4600 ftadia, or 60 fchenes, which form: the ‘dimenfions of the mari- cake time bafeof Egypt, (4 5 leagues), it ftretches (from north 1 to fouth, and its greateft depth is three hundred-feet, Two pyramids con- : -@°fru@ed in an ifland: towards the middle, ‘rife’ from three’ hundred ‘feet below water, : and are as high out of it; which proves “¢ that it has been ‘dug by the hand of man, | € Bach of them has on its fummit a coloflal ™ : Me ar te on athrone. ~’Their total éle- ‘vation, taken from the bafe, is a“ftadium | “of fix hundred feet. “Lake Moeris occupies | > “a foil very dry, and deftitute of fprings. “) This ground requires no plowing, but only harrowing. Now fuppofing the produce to: be only fix bolls per.acre, either of oats or barley, and valued at only 10s. per boll, that is L. 3 per acre L. 1620 0 oO From this deduct = 992 10 oO Profit L.627 10 oO _ Wf the gtound is dry, and the feafon fa- vourable, the produce of the firft year may perhaps amount to a third more, or even double the above calculation. But although the firft year’s biddsine't fhould barely defray the expence of draining, the ad- vantages gained are furely very confiderable. There is, however, the greateft probability, that a profit of above L. 600, would be ob- tained from the firft crop. It is not propofed to fow the ground the fame year that it is drained. The draining, however, fhould be performed in one feafon, if poflible ; and fhould be twelve months in that fituation to drain, before attempting to “pare and burn. The paring and burning may be executed for (322 ) for 15s. per acre, although above ftated at 208. It would be advantageous to drain a mofs and flood it every winter, even although it were not fown with corn; as it would not hurt the peat for firing. Indeed, it would make the fame mofs laft much longer, as it could be digged for lefs expence when dry. At the fame time, it would have double the quantity of peat in fome parts, more upon the fame furface of ground by going deeper. By going deep, when drained, very great quantities of excellent fhell-marl are often” _ found in the bottom of mofles. The fmall mofs. mixed with water in the drain, and conduéted to grafs or corn fields, is of fervice to enrich both. : The following calculation of the expence : of preparing, and profit arifing from peats, — will fhew how advantageous a mofs may be made to the proprietors by Se et manage- ment. _ Marfhall’s Rural Economy, page 98. a Minute 54. January 24. The following : is an accurate account of the peat grounds > of the fens. (> 939 +) © Theturf-man pays for rent L.o 4 o sc e 6¢ “ 66 < at 6¢ 4 im +4 66 : + * For cutting, from 1s.6d.to2s0 1 9g _ © For chimneying, (that is, pil- ‘ng them lattice-wife to dry) o oO 6. ~ For boating to the ftaith, 6d. to “as. A A Li@>\\7° © Profit and hazard, (great quan- tities are fometimes fwept away * by the floods) o 1 6 “The felling price per thoufand L.o 8 6 “The peats, when cut, are about four inches fquare, but dry to about three inches and a quarter; and from two to three feet long, or of a length equal to the depth of -* the moor; every foot of which, therefore, affords nine peats; each yard 81; each rod, 2,450,; and each acre, 392,040; which, at 4s. per thoufand, amounts to the fum of L. 78: 8:2 an acre: Befides the additional advantage of having uncovered “a ftratum of earth, which, in many parts, produces reed fpontaneoufly; and on * which, it is highly propa that valu- “¢ able ( 324 ) _* able aquatic might ¢ on. every part be or ‘“* pagated.” How many meadows in fete places, if drained, and then overflowed, would raife good grafs and corns. The muddy water coming from thefe meadows, would help to improve other places at fome diftance. — Tn carrying an open cut many miles along any part of the country, it would meet with — a great number of different foils; one part would help to improve the other. Even where there is no run of water in fummer, making {mall cuts in almoft every farm, and conducting the rain-water in win- ter to ftand upon a barren fpot, would en- rich it much; more fo, if the lands above were rich, and much improved. ~ In fhort, there are very few fituations, ¢ ei- ther in the highlands or low country, but might. reap fome benefit more or lefs, after being thoroughly drained, to make the wa- ter either run, or ftand dead for a fhort time when in grafs. Even where the farm is wholly in tillage, when rich with lime, marl, or dung, if there is no dry grafs ground below to receive the water, having either a deep ditch the whole : ) length (i 3258 ) iength of each field, upon a dead level to re- ceive the water, where the mud and fand would fubfide. This carted off, to be mixt with dung, or laid on by itfelf. Perhaps this ditch would not need to be cleaned out . but once in three years. Or having a large ditch, or pond, in the lower part of every farm, to receive the water in time of rain, with a fluice to let off the water, after the fediment fettled to the bottom. This ditch or pond to be emptied when over full. All thefe are only intended as hints, which farmers may improve upon, according to their different fituations. But it is certain, that very many and great improvements can. be made by thefe means of draining and then Alooding. » Every farmer ought to ftudy hig own par- ‘ticular fituation, and lay down his plans a- greeable thereto. After trying fome expeti- ments, if they anfwer, (which without doubt they will, if properly conducted upon thefe plans propofed) then to perfevere in them e- very year, doing but little properly at the firft, and increafing as they found the ad- “vantages arifing therefrom. If once this plan of banking, draining, and | fiooding, f 32 j ‘flooding, came to be univerfally adopted, thé great profits would be better felt than can be exprefled. There are many ponds made below Edin- burgh for damming the water that comes from the city, where the fediment fubfides, which collects great quantities of rich dung, fome of which is ufed by farmers in the neighbourhood, and fold by others. I have heard of one perfon felling dung colleéted this way for L. 70 a year. Others flooding the {mall meadows in grafs, with the water from the city, which raifes both weighty and early crops, which admit of being cut three or four times each year. This is a very certain and profitable way for thefe perfons, when fituations will admit of it in the neighbourhood of any town; or when they have water coming from lime or fhell mar]. : The water that comes from the city, if © properly conducted, would enrich more than — ten times the quantity of foil it does at pre- fent. It is hard to fay how much adiae be done this way, both here, and in many other places, having the fame declivity. Improvements 5 aha r yw (say F Improvements by embanking and over- flowing with water, according to the plans here fuggefted, will, perhaps, apply, with fome expence, to every {pot in Great Bri- tain, and every country in the world. As; even in thofe places where they do not poffefs ‘a running’ water; the rain water, during winter might be collected, either upon the farm, or at a diftance from it, and conduét- ed wherever it might be required; and the tain water coming off plowed lands i is, at leaft, as rich as that derived from rivers or {prings. To conclude, I thall add, as an additional encouragement to the practice of this mode of improvement, that corn, and other vege- tables raifed by flooding, muft be more wholefome than thofe which are produced by any other {pecies of manure. And many farmers that have practifed it, have found i it more beneficial than any other mode. | F ¢ OBSER- OBSERVATION &S VILLAGES, & J HAVE read moft of Mr John Knox’s _ publications concerning the Britifh em- pire and fifheries, with his tours and obferva- tions. The public in general, and the inha- bitants of the North of Scotland in particular, _ are under fingular obligations to Mr Knox, for the | great trouble and expence he has been at, in order to inform the nation how great advantages would accrue to the whole nation, and the navy in particular, if proper encou- ragement was given to the herring and cod~ Sfhing. 7 a It is very illiberal in the Reviewers, ore. - _ thers, to take notice of any little inaccuracies 3 in Mr Knox’s works, when his intentions are _ good. And, if the directions were followed, they ( 332 ) they would be productive of great advantage to the whole country. If any perfon choofes to improve upon Mr — Knox's hints, I dare fay he will think him- felf much obliged to them; but it is mean and wicked to overlook the fpirit and end of any performance, and to carp at trifles not worth the mentioning. | : I think the general principles Mr Knox in- fitts upon are good, and might be reduced to practice; although in fome particulars I per- haps might sani a little as to his plan of yil- ~ Tagesy Bcayuend With all due fubmiflion to the boneamatl er. members of the Britifh Society for extending the fitheri Fa nee have prefumed to make : a few obfervations, or throw in my mite to- wards the improvement of the fifheries. ate The inftitution of this fociety is highly lau- dable, and merits the encouragement of eve- ry one who has a love and regard to his eGURs try. Obierriman firft. Although the inftitu- tion is good, yet the future fuccefs much de- pends upon the fociety laying. down fimple and proper plans at firft, and executing them with vigour. ea tite we ( 333) )) Mr Knox, in his obfervations on the: Northern fifheries, printed in 1786, mentions many companies being formed at different ‘periods, but from fome unforefeen accident they always failed. What has happened in _ former ages may happen in this. + One great caufe why many of thefe com- - panies failed, was fitting out veflels with the’ proper apparatus, fifhing tackle, &c. at a great expence, employing failors and fithers, at fo much per month, who had no intereft whether the fifhing fucceeded or not. Iwas informed, by a very intelligent. perfon who was employed in the fifhing within thefe fif teen years, that the fhipmafters went into one anothers veflels and caroufed; which not on- ly made the expences very high, but likewife neglected the bufinefs for which they were tent. . Another great caufe of their failure was the fhips being at a great diftance from any proper harbour; and when their nets gave way, they had not others to fupply their place. Sometimes in want of falt, and a fufficient quantity of barrels to hold their herrings. Or, if any misfortune happened to the {hip; they often, from one or other of thefe ( 334 ) | thefe caufes, returned home with a very fmall » cargo, that did not defray the expence. Whereas, if they had had proper harbours — to'go into upon the fifhing coaft, with great ftore of falt, cafks, and. fpare nets, they might, inftead of oné cargo, have had three, four, or half a dozen, if allowed to purchafe herrings from the natives. Obfervationfecond. The moft fimple, and _ the moft effeCtual way of making the fifhing trade profitable, is by following the Dutch method ; among whom {mall companies join together, fach as fhip carpenters, coopers, net, or twine, and fail duck makers, black- fmiths, feamen, and fifhers ; every one to be paid in ‘proportion to the quantity of fith taken. This would connect their intereft, and the fuccefs of the fifhing together. ‘There is no {cheme that ever yet was devifed will encourage labouring fo much as piece-work. — This is proved by the great height that ma- nufactures of all Kinds have arrived at in’ England, fince this practice was followed. It is very obfervable, that although you were to give a Mam a guinea per day, he is not able to. work fo hard as when employed in piece-work. When he knows his certain | wages (E3385 |) wages each day, by hard labour flattens his {pirits; whereas, employed in piece-work, the thought of a little more gain, or hope of reward, keeps up his {pirits, and he does not reary fo foon as in the former way. ~ Wherever the company’s fhips are near a harbour upon the fifhing coaft, with proper warehoufes, wherein is plenty of ftore, of falt, barrels, and nets, they can load fix, car- goes of fifh, for one they do any other way ; and vellels of larger burdens might come to the ftore-houfes, where their cargoes would be waiting forthem. This leads us to the Third obfervation. In order to accommo- date the fhips employed in the fifhing ftation, it would réquire a number of harbours and yillages along the fifhing coaft, fufficiently fupplied with the above-mentioned ftores. — They ought to have all the falt duty-free, which might be made at each of thefe vil-: lages, as I am informed there is a great ap- pearance of coals in that country. The beft method for making falt, would be, to have a large refervoir for holding a large quantity of fea-water, which might be pumped up, and there to ftand for a confi- derable time, before let in to the falr pans for making. (336 ) amaking falt. The fun would exhale a confi. derable quantity of the frefh water, which would make the fea-water much ftronger, and take lefs fire: Poflibly, the chryftallifation of falt might be effected confiderably cheaper than it ufual- ly is, if the fea-water was conveyed into large refervoirs in autumn; and, when frozen dur- ing the winter, the ice brokén and taken out. - As it isonly pure water which congeals, the re- mainder would be much more ftrongly im- pregnated with falt. And, perhaps, in a hot fummer, the heat of the fun would chryf tallize it; at leaft, it would require lefs ae than the common method. ze ha The fourth obfervation is, the proper plan for conftructing thefe villages. In a great meafure, the future fuccefs of the fitheries depends upon the villages being properly — planned out at firft. Every village ought to be as near the fhore as the fituation will ad- mit. ~. " | In fome places where there is a good har- bour, which will only admit of building a a few warehoufes, it would not be very. incon- venient, although the villages were placed a fhort diftance from the fhore. eZ | There’ ( 337 ) aah _ There are feveral things to be confidered in fixing upon the beft fituations for vil- tages. — _ Firft, The nearer the fhore, the lefs ex- pence for all carriages. Secondly, Some regard ought to be paid, to prevent the place from being expofed to priva- teers in the event of a war. There are many places upon the fifhing-coafts, by going a little up into a bay, river, or loch, the vil- lage would not only be warmer, Being lefs - expofed to the winds and ftorms from {féa; but the éntrance could be eafily defended by placing a few cannon upon a rock command- ing a bay, without being at the expence of building a regular fort; although the vil- _ dage was up the bay, river, or loch, two or _ three hours failing. oe. Thirdly, Some regard ought to be paid to | the moft eafy accefs for feuel, as peats, &c. _ Fourthly, Although the village may at firft be but fmall; yet, ic ought to be kept in view, ‘that perhaps the increafe may be very confiderable afterwards; therefore a large portion of. ground night to be pur- chafed at firft. sama As provifions.in that country are Uu \ often ( 338 ) often very dear, and fcarce, every houfe would require a large garden from two to five acres, that would not only maintain a family in greens and roots, but alfo maintain a cow, to be wholly laboured with the fpade. Vide National Improvements, page 270. . Having the one half or two thirds of the garden in. grafs, to be broke up by rotation. The re- mainder could very eafily be laboured with the fpade, at thofe feafons they cannot go.to fea; as the quantity of ground to be manur- ed every year would be but fmall, it could be done extraordinarily well; having the re- fufe of the fifth and falt, fea fhells, and weeds, er ware, with other dung made about the houfe or byre. -Each houfe having a large garden annexed to it, would encourage Crap gers to come and fettle there. © ry Laftly, Fhe form of the. village bape to be as near a {quareas the fituation of the ground will admit, and fo planned out, if any additions are wanted, in order toenlarge _ it; fill the form, when finthed to be a {quare. This can be very eafily done, by making whatever additions are wanted of an equal breadth in each fide of the {quare. _. After the mioft deliberate cenfideramon, L | ama { 339 ) am clearly of opinion, that it is the intereft of every proprietor in Britain, in whatever fi- tuation, whether upon the fea-coaft, or more in the centre of the country, to feu out as ‘much of his eftate in gardens as he can get perfons to engage to build honfes upon, ‘agreeable to a plan fixed upon by the propri- etor ; the feuers always being at the expence of building every one his own houfe, in- clofing his garden and improving it. Thus the proprietor will find it much for his inte- reft, whether in the neighbourhood of a city or town, whether the land be improved or not. Even a muir, if he only feus a part, it will increafe the value of what remains; and if he can get the whole of his eftate feued _ out, it would be better for himfelf, and the ‘nation at large. Although this is not to be expected till perhaps an age or two hence. If the noblemen and gentlemen were to a- dopt Lord Gardenfton’s plan, mentioned in Mr John Knox’s tour through the Highlands of Scotland, 1787, page 90, where he fays, ** IT made public advertifements, that future * fettlers, who fhould build and make out “ their garden in any village-lot, without * any farm, fhould be entitled to a sami free * of ( 340 ) * of rent for the firft feven years. This en- couragement had the intended effe@; and now my ground for village-lots i is alte ex- haufted ; fo that I am obliged to treat for my tenants for land to accommodate ney “ fettlers, who now offer more than ever.” If once this came to be univerfally reduced to practice, the increafe of feuers and vil- lagers would be very rapid, and no perfon hurt. What is it that has made the build- ings in London, Edinburgh, and. other cities, increafe in fuch an extraordinary degree, and fo very rapidly, but feus and long tacks. The fame effects will be feen in every corner where feuing was once begun, though not fo rapidly at firft, nor fo great in extent. There was a very uncommon circumftance that took place at Fort-William, the govern- ment took poffeffion of fome ground there, belonging to his Grace the Duke of Gordon, the family being then popifh, where they built the fort. Not many years ago they a- greed to pay rent for what ground the fort took up, together with the gardens and in- clofures ; which they are about making pur- chafe of from the prefent Duke of Gordon: ~ What i is ftill more furprifing, there is juft now ( 341) now a large village built to the weftward of the fort called Maryfburgh, now Gordonf- : burgh, without any liberty from that noble family: 1am informed, that there are about three hundred families, who built houfes and difpofed of them to one another without any difpofition from the proprietor. The prefent Duke of Gordon was fo gene- rous as to take no advantage of this. His Grace, within thefe few years has given all of them feus upon very eafy terms. By the feus being low, the village is increafing every year, and will continue fo to do for many years; fo that there is no faying how much it will turn to. | From the examples of the two noble patri- ots above-mentioned, who merit much praife, wwe may learn what are the moft effectual ‘means for raifing villages very rapidly; which ‘is to give every fever or tackfman a houfe and large garden feven years free of rent, and at the expiration of that time, the rents to be moderate, either a perpetual feu,-or a long tack for a hundred years; and at the expira- tion of every hundredth year, the tack to be renewed for another hundred, upon the te- nant’s paying two rents advance; and fo to continue ( 342 ) continue in this way for ever. ‘This is Lord Gardenfton’s method of granting his tacks. If once this practice of feuing came to be - generally followed, it would increafé popu- jation very much, and would be a Buricry both for the navy and army. The fuperior advantage of every perfon ‘building his own houfe, and inclofing his garden, to any other fcheme as yet propofed, for the improvement of the fifheries, is fo great and fo permanent, that it needs little argument to prove it. It may be afked, - Where are the people to be got that are able to build their own houfes, and to carry on the fifhery? The anfwer is fhort, Give pro- per encouragement by feus, or long tacks, rent free for the firft feven years. This, with the view of the profits that can be made by the fifheries, will induce many perfons, from different quarters unexpected, to come and fettle there. It only needs to be once be-~ gun. | : What made fo many perfons emigrate to America? From the report that they would get ground to improve for little or no rent. There are many perfons with fmall capi- tals would fettle in thefe villages, in order to buy ( 343 ) buy fith from the natives, and to ferve them in provifions, nets, or twine, barrels, &e. The natives would, in a few years, fave as! much money as would build a houfe and: garden ; and when once fettled, having a fmall property they could call their own, would never think of removing; and whem once begun to make a little money of the fifhing, would encourage others to come and: fettle there alfo. . If the Britith fociety inclined, in order to encourage the building, to give all the wood wanted for each houfe; for intereft for fever years, they could never be lofers, when the feuers are at all the expence for mafon and wright work, &c. i ' But fuppofe the company were inclined to build all the houfes themfelves, and let them out for rent; this would not-be fo certain a plan, as fome part of the rents would be fill unpaid. As foonas they were much in arrears, many perfons would be tempted to leave the place altogether. Whereas, were every one to build his own houfe, and to have families, it would be like a teather- ftake to keep them in one place. _ Whenever a perfon gets, or contracts a dif con pofition ( 344 ) | pofition of roving about from place to placé; he is not fo much to be depended upon, fieis ther has he fuch a regard for his own characs ter,~as.one that is fettled in one place. By having a cow, with a large garden, with difs ferent roots, greens, and potatoes, would be the means of living comfortably at little ex- pence, and would find employment for both men and women, when not engaged in the fifhing; and when fully improved wonld raife part corns. The larger the garden the better at firft.. Although the ground was but poor, it would be yearly turning richer, having fuch a command of manure, and wholly laboured with the fpade. Whenever the village was built, having: a number of houfes and gardens, an order to _ excite induftry, and raife a fpirit of emula- tion, to improve their gardens moft rapidly, and raife the greateft crops of every thing the © garden produced; itis propofed, that there — fhould be two premiums given annually, one of ten pounds, andthe other of five; but no perfon to receive the ten pounds but once, till fuch time as it went over the whole village. The perfon who gained the five pounds might contend for the ten pounds next year. This . would: ( 345°) would have wonderful effects to quicken in- duftry and ingenuity. And if once the vil- lage got into gvod reputation of the feuers living comfortably, and faving a little mo- hey, would foon increafe, perhaps to ten or twenty times its fize, or more. | And: ftill further for encouragement, let all garden-feeds be given them for the firft two or three years gratis; fuch as cabbage- feed, different kinds of greens or kail, tur- nip, onions, carrots, lecks, potatoes, red and white. clover-feeds'y and only to thofé who _ -agreed to follow the regular rotation of crops, as mentioned in National Improvements, page 270. Likewife a few flips of goofberry and currant. bufhes, and fruit trees. All that the Britith fociety, or any propri- -etor that chufes to feu out ground for villages, have to do, is to build a pier, large ware- houfes to hold falt, barrels, nets; and wood, &c. The whole of the herrings, or cod-fih, to be repacked at thefe warehoufes, and care- fully examined by an infpector appointed for the purpofe. The name of the village mark- ed with a burning iron upon each cafk. This is very neceflary in order to prevent frauds, xX x and ( 346 ) and to raife a good charaéter to the fith when fent abroad. Every village would Cis to obtain the beft charaCter. 6. | This infpector to have the hss in of ‘ths whole warehoufes.. Every veffel to pay a {mall duty for fhore-dues and warehoufe rent ; part of which to go to the infpector’s. falaryy and ~ _ the other part to the proprietors, in order to indemnify. them in part for the — of Buildings, &c. | me = If any of the fifth was fom at a sidebeste market not properly eured, both the infpec- tor and the seaceaniaiate of the fith t to be fub- jected to a fine. Tt would certainly be ideale to Fghe nation in general, and to the landholders in particular, #f every proprietor in Britain was — to plan out villages upon every part of their eftates, where the fituation is iui and the foil and water good. | When the ground for one village was at Jet, another, at fome diftance from it, fhould — be immediately planned out; fo that aie / year there would b lots to ae feued.. This would not only increafe the rent of every. eftate, but alfo increafe the national — produce and population. And the propric- tor ( 347 ) tor would be certain of his rents being well paid, and collected at little expence. If the plan was’ good, and the’ terms rea- fonable, perfons would probably be found, who would contract for all the lots of a vil- Jage; and by thus proceeding ona large f{cale, they would be able to fell them. cheaper than individuals could erect a fingle houfe for themfelves. . This ‘would encourage many okie to _ purchafe, as they would know the Wapence before they entered... | Or perhaps, fome monied acti would choofe to lay out their money on “oe vil- lages, and let the houfes. txt When eftates are to be fold off, it would be an eligible method to feu out the whole in fmall lots. It would be for the intereft of _ creditors to adept this method, at the fame time, a faving might be made in favour of the proprietor. -How much watte eroundis is there in Pri- tain, in muirs, and upon the face of hills, that would anfwer very well for gardens, when laboured with the fpade; having al- ways the one half, or two-thirds’ in fown grafs, which would maintain one or two COWS, ( 348 ) cows, Whatremained to be laboured would be but fmall, at the fame time, the crops | would be extraordinarily great, Extract from the Heo of the An- tients, page 176, «sc “ “ “ Cato fays, If you afk me what kind of farm is beft, I will anfwer in this manner. _* Suppofe one fhould buy an hundred j juge- "Ta properly fituated ; of all fields the vine- yard is the beft, if it produces plenty of good vines. In the fecond place, is a gar- den that can be watered. In the third place, a willow-grove. In the fourth, an olive-field. In the fifth, a meadow. In the fixth, a corn-field. In the feyenth, a wood that grows up again after it is cut. In the eight, a field planted with trees for vines. And in the ‘nines a wood for matts.” A Although this is not a country for vines, yet a great variety of fruit trees, and berries of different kinds anfwer well. The gardens This one hamiver, fhews, that the Ro- mans were in the practice of watering their gardens, which would benefit them much. sig Multiplying e104 ( 349 ) . Multiplying the number of villages in e- wery part of the country would tend to in- creafe manufactures, and would anfwer a better purpofe than erecting new colonies a- broad. - How many proprietors have ten times more land than they can improve; which not only is a hurt to themfelves, but the na- tion in general. A {mall eftate or farm well improyed, is far better, and more profitable, than a large extent of ground, when the cul- tivation is neglected. The following quotation from the Huf bandry of the Antients, page 193, tends to illuftrate this, “ Pliny fays, The antients were of opinion, “ that above all things, the large extent of farms ought to be kept within proper “ bounds. Wherefore, it was a maxim a- «“ mong them, to fow lefs, and plow bet- ter.” “ Columella fays, in {peaking of farms, To the other precepts we add this, which onc of the feven wife men has pronounced as a maxim that holds true in all ages, ‘That there ought to be limits, and meafures of “ things; and this ought to be underftood as ‘9 “ ee «6 vd ( Gab» as applied 1 not only to thofe that do any « O- ther bufinefs, but alfo thofe that buy land, that they may not buy more than they are fully able for. To this is applicable the famous fentence of our poet, You may admire a large farm, but cultivate’a fmall one ; which antient precept the moft learn- ed man, in my opinion, expreffes in num- bers. This too is agreeable to an acknow- ledged maxim of the Carthaginians, a very acute nation, That the land ought to be weaker than the hufbandman; for when they ftruggle, fhould the farm prevail, the mafter muft be ruined. And indeed, there is no doubt, but a {mall field well culti- vated pyres more than. a large bb ill cultivated.” ead The great extent of wafte ground § in every | county of Britain, is a proof, that it is ne-_ ceflary the legiflature fhould encourage and — enforce improvements in agriculture. A part of the amazing {ums raifed in Eng- land every year for the poors-rates, might be appropriated for ere€ting villages and gar- dens, for lodging and maintaining the poor ; by which they might be maintained at half the expence they are at prefent, and probably with ( 35t ) ~ wath much wholefomer provifions. This is more fully handled in National Improve- ments, Vide p. 261. » Ifthe crown lands were divided into lots for villages, or {mall farms, and fold for a fmall quit-rent, payable yearly to govern- ment, the produce, population, and annual revenue of the nation, would be confiderably increafed. : If government were to erect villages, with | gardens, for the difabled foldiers and failors, confiderable tracts of wafte ground might be a cultivated by them, as almoft all of them are able in fome fmall meafure to labour. This is more fully treated off in National Improve- ments, p. 266. In fuch villages the men could live com- fortably, and perhaps fave the penfions which they receive from government. And were _ fach a reward held out to the veteran whe was difabled in his country’s fervice, it is probable the army and navy might obtain re- eruits, with much greater eafe than they do at prefent. The following extract from National im- “provements, p. 39°. exhibits a view of fuch * villages a villages as the author apprehends would ful. 6¢ ly anfwer the above purpofes. “ Having faid fo much about the con- * ftra@iing of new villages, m pages 250 and * 339, it is needlefs to be repeating what is there faid: But as itis of fo much confe- quence that a village fhould be properly planned out at the beginning, the fuccefs depending greatly upon it, I fhall here fub- join a method how, in my view, it might be planned, and to advantage; it being as eafy a matter to follow a good plan as a bad one. “ The regularity and neatnefs of a village, (each feuer having his houfe and inclofure whether great or {mall, diftinét by itfelf,) would be the means of drawing a confider- able number of fevers, of different kinds of manufacturers, to fettle there, and more efpecially if the ground was impro- ved, and all thrown into grafs by the pro- prietor before entry, as is. in page 349% “ Ifoncea 1 proper ‘plan was fixed upon, the moft effectual method of carrying it into execution, would be for the proprietor to trench it all himfelf, and lime and throw | a ia th ees oy | “ “ > ¥ « * Pel am J : r - ey s. = ‘e,, ; em: t . 4 ij bs ¥ . © . Peas 7 ” - one Village or four connect. f/ ‘ Te > La? « : ‘ | (- ae 4 t wr. Pn at A Ah ee y ony i * . =. a : : , * i d oi] s . : a Rae OF ioe + - +s ~~» * ; a a 7 Y g ate Lp Leg” PP pce ttey + ( 353 ) % it into grafs; and by taking the three or _ four crops propofed, it would do more “ than indemnify the proprietor for his whole ® expence. It would be a great encourage- ™ ment to the feuers, when they faw the “ sround’ brought in to their hand, and ~“ knew what good crops it produced before * their entry, and that the ground was not ** exhaufted, having only taken two crops ‘“ after liming, before thrown into grafs. ** As the whole village was thrown into grafs before it was feued out, it would be an eafy matter for the proprictor to form * his plan, how it fhould be cropt for the ** firft ten years. “ The feuer ought 'to labour his ground ** only with the fpade, unlefs he had as ma- ny parks as would keep two horfes con- - ™ ftantly employed. The proprietor, as he “ had no connection with building the houfes, could carry on the trenching, in- clofing, and liming, to a great extent, if once begun. and perfevered in ;. and there would be no difficulty to get as many feu- ers as would take it, and build their houfes at their own expence, the feu-duty being Yy : “* only cc ae | ( 354 ) only propofed to bé ten la an ce for muir ground. * Although the proprietor was to takethe feuers bound to improve their Jandy, it would, be difficult to make a number of them to follow one plan; and if any failed in their {chemes, it would be difcouraging others to fettle there. But when the ground was improved to their hand,. there would be little difficulty to get them to follow one — plan for the firft ten years; and when they faw that that plan turned out to their in- tereft; they would perfevere in it; and af- ter that they might be left to.do as they thought proper. “To fhow fully how I rssespdts to étea new villages or farms, I have reprefented in page 393, the plan of a village, or four connected together. You may fuppofe the f{quare to be what you pleafe: If you fup- pofe that each houfe is to have two acres ‘ and a half, then the firft village will be on- ly forty acres, which is divided into fix- teen parts, as is marked’ upon the plan; the other three villages of the fame fize, which in whole make one’ hundred and fixty acres. oe If ; 358 ) _ If you fuppofe five acres to each houfe, the firft;village would be eighty acres, and the other three of the fame fize, which in whole would be three pure and: twen- - ty. If you fuppofe sad houfe to have 6% acres, then the firft village would. be one hundred acres divided into fixteen parts, and the other three of the fame fize ; which would be in whole four hundred acres, and fo on in proportion whether for great or fmall villages or farms. The, ftreets in each village crofs each other at right angles, as may be feen in the Plan. “ The plan propofed for reftriGting the feu- ers for the firft ten years, the whole being in grafs at their entry at the commence- ment of their feus—To have the one half in grafs, and the other in tillage, and to keep by the fame rotation before mention- ed, viz. 1ft, oats after grafs; 2d, drilled beans or peafe; 3d, wheat; 4th, peafe, beans, turnip, potatoes, cabbage, or greens, to be well dunged, which would anfwer wholly for a garden ; sth, harley and grafs feeds. “As all this is propofed. to be moftly done ¢ with ( 356 ) : with the fpade, the whole of the corn might be fown in drills, and covered with the machine mentioned. | “Tf there were a confiderable number of feuers, the proprietor might give a yearly premium of L.5 to him who had the greateft number of bolls; none to be en- titled to this premium more than once. This would have the good effect of cauf- ing each to exert himfelf towards the im- provement of his ground, fuperior to that of his neighbours. * It is a very difficult matter to make per- fons alter their courfe of hufbandry all at once, though it fhould be far better than the prefent; therefore, fome means fhould be ufed to induce them to adopt the pro- pofed plan, fuch as appointing premiums; and when once they fee it turn out to their intereft, they will need no inducements to perfevere in it. So foon as the country fees their fuccefs, a great number will adopt that plan. But their fuccefs much depends upon their fetting out upon a pro- per plan, and getting encouragement at the beginning. ss 4 : This Plan alfo fhews, what is the moft * regular ¢ 33% } © regular way of dividing a farm, and the © cheapeft method of inclofing; and that the * houfes ought to be placed in the centre of * the farm, in order to fave the expences of * carrying the corn and dung, which is a 6¢. 6 “ éc “c ““ rt; great hindrance to the’work about the farm, when improperly placed. * Tn planning out a new farm, it is of great confequence to have the inclofures fo! con- trived, that, by opening and fhutting the gates, one of them may be divided into eight fubdivifions, and thefe fubdivifions made into one. *¢ By looking into the Plan, it will plainly appear, that if the farm-houfes. are placed. in the centre of any of the quarters, there will be fixteen inclofures of ten acres each, at equal diftances, around them; and if the houfes are placed in the centre of the four quarters, there will be fixty-four in- clofures of ten acres each around them, which make fix hundred and forty acres in ‘ whole. It alfo fhews, how thefe inclo- fures may be enlarged, by having one in place of two; fo that there would be eight inclofures around the houfes, containing each twenty acres; and if only into four | | * inclofures, ( 358 ) -inclofures, it. would. be forty. acres, each, * and fo on in PROPORTION, aevanting to ighe fize. of the farm... , “ Although x age is sale one hotshe bails upon ‘each divifion, that does not hinder ‘the feuer, if he. pr ofpers, to. fill up the ' front with houfes; only he, fhould be ' reftricted to have them all of one fize, ex- cepting the length, which may.vary as the '/feuer finds it for his intereft. ..The ftreets ought to be thirty or forty feet wide. Al- though the beginning be {mall, there is no faying how large it may be through time.” The. dominicales,. lands Pap belong- ing to the kings of France, were, by order of Charlemain, rented in {mall parcels to lit- tle farmers, at a ninth part of their value. This philanthropy, as it raifed. many induf-. trious families from want, contributed to the welfare of mankind. If Britain was to follow the fame example, it would be attended with the fame haPPY confequences, CONCLUSION. Say Gaerne TO me T HERE now remains very little doube with the Author, that every candid and intelligent perfon, who has carefully perufed _ the foregoing treatife, will be convinced of the truth of what is there fet forth. It re- quires but little attention to the prefent ftate of agriculture in Britain to perceive that its “produce might be increafed to ten times the value, or perhaps to a ftill greater amount. A demontftrative proof of this may eafily be thad, only by taking a view of the many wafte, uncultivated, and ill-improved lands, with which the country abounds. ‘Two ob- ftacles, however, occur to the execution of the plan propofed in this work; the one ari- fing from the incredulity and diffidence na- tural to mankind when any new fcheme is propofed; the other from their negligence and inattention to their real intereft. With | regard ? , ( 360 ) regard to the former, it feems entirely to arife from prejudice, or being unaccuftomed to think of thefe matters. Very {few have ta- ken the pains to inquire what the real produce of Britain is, whether it be poffible to increafe it at all; or, if it be pofible, what means ought to be taken for the purpofe. To fuch as are willing to inveftigate the fubjet, this treatife will moft probably give fatisfaction, and convince them, not only that the produce of the Ifland in general might be increafed in ’ the above mentioned proportion; but, that no foil is fo bad but it may receive confide- _ rable improvement, and, in. a fhort time, — repay the expence laid out upon it, The fecond obftacle arifing from the gene- ral negligence and inattention almoft univer- fally prevalent, muft be much more difficult to combat, and fuch as. no art nor pains of an individual canovercome. ‘The'great {cheme propofed in this treatife requires for its exe- ’-cution the united efforts of the whole nation; and, without the general concurrence of all ranks of men, each in their proper fphere, there is not the leaft hope of accomplifhing’ it, As improvements in agr iculture, muft un- ciate ( 368 ) doubtedly depend, in agreat meafure, onthe condudt of the landholders, it is neceflary to confidet, in the firft place, what line of con- duct they ought to follow, in order to make the moft of their eftates. Here, indeed, I am forry that any advice fhould be neceflary to the proprietor ofan eftate to refide upon it. | Siich an advice, however, feems at prefent to be too much wanted, as the contrary practic of many gentlemen not only tends manifé ef ly to the ruin of their own fortunes, but the ge- neral deftruction of all with whom they 4 er sets connééted. Should it be afked, What.is the the beft courfe of life for a nobleman or gen- _ tlethan? What would tend moft to his own interéeft, peace of mind, and to eftablifh a charatter of real patriotifm, &c. The anfwer miuft be, To refide upon his own eftate ; take proper meafures to improve every part oni it ; and to live within his income, fo that he might have, every year, a confiderable fam, to beftow on his tenants, for the purpofes of improvement ; to feu out villages, and to take care that there fhould be few or no poor un- provided for. It is indeed the beft, if not the only patriotifin to be exercifed in private life, to be diligent and regular in our appli- Lz . cation a ; eet Le ote NGC — ( 362 ) cation to. bufinefs, and careful in the manage> ment of our affairs. What pleafure muft it not, give toa humane and civilized mind to view his dependants happy, to fee the bleflings of induftry {préad: as far as his own influence extends, at the fame time that he reaps the fruits. of his laudable endeavours, not only byt the increafe of his fortune, but in being loved and efteemed by all thofe with whom he i is. conriected |, What an amazing fund of 4 entertainment may a view of; the works: of iture afford to a {peculative mind, and what P Sila ee in excellent field for meditation and amufe- ment of the moft innocent kind, while, along with the moft fublime mental enjoyment, the health of the body is promoted,. and: thofe baneful difeafes, the effects of the confined, and polluted air of a city, not to: mention. the ftill more pernicious effects of diflipation, are kept at. a diftance! Let this againybe con. - trafted with the tormenting reflections attend~ , ing the courfe of life, which too-many of our. gentlemen follow in London. or Edinburgh, the real danger to which they are always ex= pofed, and the certain ruin which fometimes: overtakes them; and there is no perfon in the’, . 30 j #he world, that can hefitate at giving the pre- ference to the former. It is not, however, to be fuppofed, that thofe who have habitually given themfelves up to the negle@ of every principle of reli- gion or reafon, will be influenced by what I | or any other perfon can fay. With fuch it is neceflary that the legiflature fhould interfere; and, as a parent correéts undutiful children, compel them to act for their own good, and that of the community in general, Wan A plan for this purpofe was lately iat ih to me by a gentleman of very confiderable landed property, viz. That‘all proprietors of land fhould, by the legiflative power, be oblig- ed either to refide upon their eftates, or to dif- count ten per cent of their real rents to their tenants, in order to enable them to go on with improvements in their-abfence,' This would in a great meafure countera¢ the evil, if it did not entirely remove it. And it is humbly hoped, that our prefent patriotic mi- nifter, who, on all occafions, has fhewn him- felf fo diligent in promoting the true intereft of the country, will foon turn his attention towards the neey) important {cience of agri- culture, | f : | Pe, ( 364 ) culture, and refcue it from that oppreflion under which it has fo long groaned, Another evil, fcarcely, if at all inferior to what has been juft mentioned, is the mono- poly of lands both by the, Pena asoni and the farmer. - What vaft tradts of land do we not every day fee in the pofleffion of thofe who neither attempt to improye them, nor feenr to have any inclination to do fo; while the farmers, ‘imitating the conduct of their fuperiors, feem ‘ Gi: to be ambitious each of poffeffing half a ~~ county, without confidering how it fhould be improved ; or, indeed, having it in their power.to doo, by reafon of the great extent of theirfarms, Thus. the country is depepu- lated, and even the means of real improve- ment, fhould any perfon attempt it, rendered much more difficult to be procured than pei ought to be. | This, likethe former, can only has remov- ed by the interference of the legiflature, It has already been remarked, how careful the Romans were in the diftribution of their lands in the infancy of the republic; how - powerful they were while this .continued ; and what was the confequence of deviating from. N ( 365 ) from the rules they had once laid down. It furely cannot be thought unworthy the at- tention of the Britifh legiflature to follow the example of a nation fo wife, fo Sebi and fo powerful, Suppofe a law were enacted, that no per- fon fhould purchafe an additional quantity of land before he had improved the one half of what he already poffeffed; or that he fhould be obliged to feu out his wafte grounds, at a moderate rate, to fuch as were capable of i im- proving them, if he did not chufe to improve — oe them himfelf. By this he could not pofliblybe - hurt; but, on the contrary, would receive very great benefit, as the value of his lands _ would foon increafe to more than double what | it was before. e The mode of improvement, by keeping one half conftantly in grafs, and the other in corn, might alfo be enforced by law; and thus a regular fyftem of agriculture, and na- tional uniformity in its practice would take place, which could not but be attended with the moft happy effects, both to gentlemen and farmers. | Gentlemen, by purchafing large eftates, not only hurt and depopulate the country, but a ( 366 ) but injure their own intereft alfo ; for very few receive more than two and a half per cent. for their money; and it is thought ex- traordinary if they receive five. But by fol-. lowing the method of improvement here re- commended, they might foon- receive ten per cent. And the farmers would likewife find it for their intereft to have no more land than their ftock would allow them to im- prove. | Along with what is here’ recommended, de mode of giving’ premiums, as mentioned inthe Treatife, or fome other, to promote a wh r, _ more geers attention to agriculture, would _ feem to be an obje& highly worthy of the notice of the Britifh legiflature. It is certain indeed, that without a hearty concurrence of every clafs of people, all encouragement that could be given by government, or by the proprietors of land, would be entirgly vain. The plan laid down in this treatife is uni- verfal. It is defigned not only to promote the intereft of thofe who are already in eafy circumftances, but to increafe the happineds and comfort of every individual, whatever their fituation may be. The natural defire which every perfon has to ( 367 ) t® enjoy a certain: proportion of the comforts of life, muft certainly awaken their attention to any propofal which offers to make their fi- - tuation more eafy and agreeable. -And, I[be- lieve, therenever was any time when fuch a propofal feemed to be more;neceffary than at prefent. This is evident from the general fpirit of adventure in the commercial way, which now fo univerfally takes place among us. I need not fay how precarious the fuc- cefs of thefe adventures frequently is, and how often, even thofe who feemed to proceed on the fureft foundation, involve not only themfelves, but others alfo in the moft inex~ tricable difficulties. 94.1 Adventures. in trade, indeed, offer the pers fon who engages in them a fudden and great — increafe of money, and thus allure by that ~ natural indolence which makes us dread lon and continual employment of any kind. Any — {cheme, however, merely commercial, while it holds out golden views at a diftance, often leaves the adventurer, inthe mean time, def- tituté of the neceflary means of fubfiftence. Thus his mind muft be continually uneafy and embarrafied, as well by the thoughts of the prefent, as of keeping his credit for the future, future. Agriculture, on the other hand, ( 368 ) though it.offers no great wealth, or holds it out only as a diftant profpect, always affures us of the means of fubfiftence while we fol- low it, as well as of health and pleafures en- tirely unknown to the manufacturer confined’ in an unhealthy workfhop, or the fhopkeep- er confined in his fhop, who have fearce ever liberty to breathe the common air, or to fee the light of the fun. 7 We are not, however, to imagine, that a- *riculture is inchagaedt with any kind of commerce or manufacture, ufeful or necef- fary to mankind. It has already been fhewn ‘that it is the foundation of thefe; and that by encouraging agriculture, we encourage -alfo commerce and: manufaGtures. ‘It is evi- dent, indeed, that all the people of a nation cannot be merchants or manufaéturers ; for, in that cafe, who fhould buy the goods? But’ great numbers might cultivate the ground; and while they did fo, the vaft increafe of population would undoubtedly raife a much greater demand for manufactures of all kinds, than even can be procured by the me- thods followed at prefent. Should the plan of {mall farms and Serio come ———— ee ( 369 ) come to be generally adopted, no perfon could bedfaid to want fubfiftence, while he had a cow.and large garden; on the contra- ry, he would find himfelf. able to live more comfortably, in a manner without money, than he could do when confined in a large city, even though he had confi eI able week- ly wages. How many families are miain- tained in Ireland with potatoes and milk a- one, and in the north of Scotland in the fame way? And it ought to be particularly taken notice of, that where there is yer ; eft quantity of milk, we always obferve rea! i people to be the moft robuft and healthy, as well as of the greateft ftature. i Rated to. add, that in large towns, this article fo- neceflary and agreeable to the human body, is almoft entirely denied, and the inhabi- tants in its ftead accuftom themfelves to the _ moft pernicious liquors. When I afked the Trifh giant in Edinburgh what food he was brought up with when young? he anfwered bluntly, “ Milk, Sir ;” meaning cow’s milk. As the fubject of this treatife, therefore, feems to be fo interefting to every individu- al, it would be of great confequence to the nation, that the generality of its inhabitants Aaa could ( 370 ) could only be brought to confider what aré the moft proper plans for anfwering the ends propofed. Could the public attention once be turned towards this moft important point, there is no doubt but that fome plan for the general good of the) Sd would foon be aided . fo The author 2 pretend to fay; that the plans he has laid down are the beft that i ¥ could. poflibly be devifed; but he is certam, — bo _ that, were they followed, the wealth and po- . a pulatic m of the kingdom muft very foon be Se * confide ably augmented. If any other, how- ever, could be thought of, miore eligible, or ~~ conducive to the public mtereft of the king~ dom, he fhould reckon himfelf happy in fee- ing them adopted, though every thing’ that oe he has recommended fhould be entirely re- ss jected. a? oi bs Si — & Lan. Big | ae A k. “ee Berdeen, a fand bank Mere.” removed y the aid recommended in this work, Page 288 ate Acre of land, ‘a fingle one fufficient for the malta of 2 Roman family, 38, 96, fix times as much now re- quired to fupport a {ingle carriage horfe, 100. nt es Agriculture improperly managed by farmers at’ prefent, 2 ae: J Owing to the want of a regular fyftem, ib. 4. Aftonifh- = ing increafe of produce to be expected from adopting fuch by a fyftem, ri, t2, 1438. Firft improved in Britain by the — Romans, 38. In what manner it became the general obje&t of European nations, 41. Proper attention paid to it only by the Chinefe, 45. The only proper method of rendering a country populous, ib. 46. Its other good effects, 51, 52. Is at prefent in a declining ftate in Bri- ve tain, 56, 61, 67, Manufaétures encouraged by en- f, couraging agriculture, 65, 149. Ought to be encoura- | ged equally with manufactures, 149. OF the agricul-. ture of the Egyptians, 302. Alexander the Great conquers Afia, 36. Why his ne- phew King of Epirus could not conquer Italy, 27. America, how it might have been kept in fubjection, 23. Loft in Britain, ibid. American colonies very expeniive, and of little ufe to Bri- tain, 21. Arts and manufactures unfavourable to population, 49- Athens ( 372 ) Athens, its inhabitants few in number, owing to their con- tempt of agriculture, 27, 28. Athole warmer than the country to the northward, 280. Would anfwer well for the fpade culture, ibid. Ayrfhire has very little muir or wafte ground, 181. Few good fences in it, ibid. 182. Very little wheat produ ced there, 185. Is capable of great and rapid improve- ments, ibid. Method of cropping ba ere. |: for that iseeaih 192. ef Banks propofed for comfining ithe river na 229. How to conftrud it properly, ib. An excellent method _ of conftruating banks for rivers, -put in ee by Mr ~ MsLean at Pitmain, 268, ) za : ee 7 Benevifs, ‘the higheft mountain in Scotland,’ 250. aie ‘1 i _ Berne Society’ s opinion on the erainiae of marfhes, Be. 4 go 290. ge Blair: ‘Drummond’s method of carrying of the Flanders, mofs, 223. Bounty on exportation of corn ferviceable to Sasrinuietied if properly managed, 88. Brabanders, why weavers are fometithes fo called, 118, . Britain incapable of furnifhing great armies for foreign con- quefts, 29, 30. Manifefted by its conteft with Ameri- ca, ibid. Calculations, &c. concerning its produce, ib. - Britifh navy, account of the lofs of men aboard it for fix years, 4:7- _ Brunfwick full of inhabitants, and why, 30s. Butcher-meat, how its price is raifed beyond what it ought to be, 91. Why its price advances with that of bread, 102. | Ae - Cond « of ufe in Bie hs marthy grounds, 290.- And in watering Fe. ( 373 ) watering thofe which are too dry, 29r. Directions for making them, 305, 316. Cariarich top, how capable of improvement, 263. 4 Carfe of Gowrie farmers find their advantage in having al- tered their courfe of cropping, 196. _ Carthage, the moft powerful and populous comercial ray mentioned inhiftory, 17. China, the moft proper country in _ wo ‘ld for fending out colonies, 44 Two of its finett prov eS gai the fea, 292. es Cities unfavourable to ‘population, 50. of its inhabitants, 52. Increafe of them one of he prin- cipal caufes of the decline of agriculture, 97. aan 7 Clover, beft crops of it fown with lint, 213. © tee Colonies fent out from Rome for the purpofes of agricul : ture, 38. Mae Commerce not capable of rendering a nation populous ak 43 happy, 16. Confumptions, Whins recommended as proper for people afflicted with them, 198. Se ee Corn and hay raifedsin price, 93.. A farm is hurt by ‘i ? ing it out entirelyin corn crops, 141, Corn-mills adeangpcoully deftroyed in a certain inftaie | 285. Couping, or dealing in cattle, its pernicious confequences, 92. Dearth, how produced artificially, 94 Deluge, circumftances refpecting the form of the earth, * which probably took place at that time, 240. An uni- verfal convulfion probably took place then, 243. Depopulation of the country owing to various caufes, 71. Dibbling of wheat an important improvement, invented | ’ by =n 2S eee ‘See Of ete ( 374 ) by acottager, 125. Myr Marthal’s aceount of the-rife and practice of it, ibid. Dioclefian refufes to leave his garden to accept of the emr pire, 51. Diftillation affects the price of provifions by the quantity of grain it confumes, tox. Ai third of all the barley pros duced in Britain ufed for this purpofe, ibid. Donaldfon’s melancholy account of the prefent | fate of farm- _ ing. in England, 58, On the bounty on exporting corn, 88. On the increafing price of butcher meat, 102. Draining may produce incredible i improvements, if properly _ managed, 246, Its expence very fmall, in comparifon of the advantages arifing from it, 299, | ‘Dak > a proper inftrument, for fowing -lint-feed, SAREE E EY Barly fowing attended with many advantages, 7, 855 142, 143- ‘Earth probably convulfed at the univerfal dalam 234: ‘Why its inhabitants are fhorter lived than before that e- vent, ibid. Has probably undergone confiderable chan- ges by means of internal fires, 235. Remarks on id Hutton’s theory of it, 237. | Edinburgh, account of the country betes it Bid Stirling, 222. .The water running from its ftreet capable of fer- tilizing much more ground than it does at prefent, 328. Egypt formerly produced vaft crops by the overflowing of the Nile, 281. Was celebrated for its excellent flax for the fame reafon, 296, Savary’s account of the agri- culture of the Egyptians, 202. Of their fchemes for diftributing the waters ofthe Nile properly, 307. Emigrations to America whence they proceeded, 342. Exportation of corn almoft entirely ceafed in Britain, and importation. ( 3% ) importation come in its ftead, 7o. Is a prineipal cauie of thie cheapnefs of provifions, 87. A famine in Turs key by reafon of its being prohibited, 88. Mr Donald- fon’s opinions on this fubject, ibid. F Famine occafioned by ftopping the exputtudad of corn in Turkey, 88. — Farmers in general manage their grounds improperly, 2, Would be enriched by keeping a certain part of their farms in corn and another in grafs, 5H A tax ought to be impofed on thofe who refufe to comply with this re- gulation, 6. Why fo many farmers fai lin their ciré cumftances, 56, 97. Why they are not enriched by the high prices of provifions, 73. Mr Marfhal’s. com~ parifon betwixt the fituation of farmers how; and 15 or . 20 years ago, 77. Such as have become fich ia Seotland, ¥ have followed a regular rotation of crops, 14g. e Farms, a certain portion of them ought to be kef in aay” another in corn, and a third in fallow, 3. _ not be improved. unlefs the farmer has a commatd of m | 45. Commonly turn worfe every year when the far mer is in ftraitened circumftances, 119. Renting of farms properly, a difficult matter, 273. Ought not to be too large; 349. Opinion of the antients concerning the fize of farms, ibid. 4 Fences, method of making them at the leaft expence, where there is a Clofe fwaird of heath ahd grafs, 256." Account of Mr Tod and Mr M‘Lean’s fences in the north of Scotland, 270, 27r. Fir-weod at Fochabers, equal, if not, fuperior in quality to any of the fame kind in Europe, 26% _ Fire, fubterraneous, exifts every where throughout the globe, 236 Fith, - Be he tg (y 378) Fith, {hameful monopolies and abufe of thit article of - provifions, 92... Fitheries, fome hints relative to the i improvement of them, 332. Why many companies formed for their improve- ment have conftantly failed, 233. Dutch method of making them turn to account, 334 Flanders, method of raifing flax in that country, 208. Flander’s mofs, how removed by Blair Drummond, 223. This mofs has evidently once been wood, ibid. » Flax ought to be cultivated in the weft of Scotland, 199. _ Fine flax may be raifed where there are large quantities . of old. il grafs, 200.. _ Diredtions for raifing. flax, - 200. ee Reahighers) ‘excellent fir-wood near that lites! “ihe Foreign colonization, obftinately purfued by this country to ie great prejudice, 24. Prevents the increafe of po- m, 42. At what time any ‘nation was marly ven" R , ture enpen it, 432- f Fort William contributes to the civilian of that part of the country where it ftands, 249. F orth river makes great incroachments on 1 the foi adja- ~ cent toit, 287. _ France cr yies fapplied with whet from England 89. Hee. TP: G Gardens laboured with the fpade would be eer to manufaéturers, and reduce the price of provifions, 178. Of thofe proper for fifhing villages, 338. Lord Garden- ftone’s plan with ‘regard to them, 339. Premiums — ought to be given to thofe who improve them moft, 344. Gardenftone’s method of letting very long leafes, 122. His plan for the erection of villages, &c. 229. / Glafgow, and the adjacent country, fupplied with corn in a great meafure by importation, 175. t- ‘ Glenevis, ( 377.) Glenevis, near Fort-William, pieces of rich lead ore found ‘there, 251. | Glengarie, a mine of black lead found there, 252. Grafs occupies a great part of the beft foil in the kingdom, 120, A farm ought not to be kept wholly in grafs, 141 Greece never capable of making permanent conquefts, 28. Greeks derived their wealth almoft entirely from the plun- der of the Perfians, 35. ) H a Hannibal, the celebrated Carthaginian genera endesroured to promote agriculture, 4o. Sg Hedges in Ayrfhire generally very bad, 18r. “How they may be mended, ibid. ary Hefle, why its inhabitants aré fo numerous, 30; iF Hills might be improved by making water run along their fides in a floping direction, 262. Horfe, maintenance of one is four times as great as that of aman, 98. Illuftrated by an example, ibid. Six acres of ground requifite for the fupport of a fingle carriages horfe, roo. Increafed number of thefe animals greatly augments the price of provifions, 103. Hufbandry of the ancients on the nature ahd extent of farms, 348, 349: Hutton, (Dr) remarks on his theory of the earth, 237. | I Idlenefs increafes the price of provifions, 103. - Jews had very plentiful crops, and were very numerous, by reafon of their adhering to an uniform plan of agricul- _ ture, impofed on them by divine command, 4, 16, 33. Importation a great caufe of the dearnefs of provifions, 87. Fatal confequences might enfue from a dependetice on it. x14. Why the country about Glafgow and Paifley is chiefly fupplied by importation, 175. Bbb Improved CSB’ ) Improved part of the lands in Britain bears but a fmall pro. portion to the unimproved and wafte grounds, £12. __ Inchture, a remarkable inftance of the richnefs of the foil in the Carfe of Gowrie, fhewn in thatfarm, rr. Indies, (Eaft and Weft) our pofleffions there of no real be- ’ nefit to the mation, 24. Tnhabitants of Britain live at the annual experice of 1 51. on eS a SS rT including the domettic animals fupported along with 7 them, 63, 64 a Inverlochy eaftle, remarkable ons anecdote concern- ‘ing it, 254 Invernefs, a. communication by water from it to Gordon burgh propofed, 250. be feph the patriarch probably conftructed the great Pork in Egypt for diftributing the waters of the Nile, 31 3: felt enabled to underfell the Scots in the article of linen ele by the exportation of corn into Scotland, 176. ‘he ; K Knox’ s account of the goods exported from England to Scotland, 66. His account of a vaft moras in the high- - Jands, 217. L : Land eafily improved, even when in a very unpromifing ftate; exemplified in Mr Marthal’s account of Mr Preft’s farm, 274 Landlord’s att improperly, when they dena the coun- try by too large farms, and opprefs their tenants, 57- Accufed by Donaldfon of difhonefty when they do fo, 58. Lead-mines, appearance of them on Mr MNens eatein Perthfhire, 227. Lime, advantages and difadvantages of ufing it, we Im-' properly ufed in Ayrfhire, 183. ' Lindfay’s opinion on the Proper management of flax, 206, wy ie ¥ i ery PF eke ie. ase a Linen, ( 379 ») ‘Linen, why the Irifh underfell the Scots in that article, 176. Line, great quantities of it deftroyed by lint-mills, 203, Why moft of the Scots lint is of fuch a bad quality, ibid, Lochaber contains a great extent of good ground, 253. Lochs among the hills might be turned to confiderable ad- vantage in agriculture, 305. : M . Manufactures unfavourable to nial 4 je Too many of the inhabitants of Britain employed.in ther my 62. Can only be properly encouraged by encouraging za p «3 65. Manure operates more powerfully. we i ground than on old, 169. © Gye Marthall’s cenfure of the Norfolk farmers, 68, On tl - prefent fituation of farmers compared with w hat it was fame years ago, 77. His account of the origin and method of dibbling wheat, 125. On ftraw as a manure, 190. Example of the improvement of land, 274. ~Maon, a vaft morafs, lies between Caithnefs and Durnefs, deferibed by Mr Knox, 217. Great advantages to be expected from draining it, 319. Proper method of ex- ecuting this work, 320. Maryburgh, a iyilege near Fort-William, how formed, RAI... Metals fuppofed to originate from vapours raifed by fub- terraneous fire, 237. Mines, how found out, 24,4. A black-lead one at Glen garri€, 252. Moeris lake, in Egypt,’ its furprifing extent and depth, 309. Probably made by Jofeph, 3r2. Monopolies of provifions increafe their price, 91. Mofs caft afhore by the river Forth, proper for dung, 225. Great Improvements on a mofs by Gen. Graham, 284: Great advantages to be derived from draining them 295. Mofs and lime an excellent manure, 299. Some in a. ¢ ( 380 ) in the Highlands of confiderable extent, might be drain- ed with very little expence, 318. Muirs in Lochaber, equal, if not fuperior in quality to a~ ny in Scotland, 253- piemoes of improving them, 257,—260. Baie. N Nation, figns of the fpeedy deftruétion of one, 9. National debt, a caufe of the fcarcity of money among far- mers, 750 eo . National fyftem of agriculture much wanted in Britain, 2 See Agriculture. New Holland, the fettlement there of no ufe to Britain, eer tee Norfolk, bad ceconomy of the farms there, with regard te their meadows, 68. Its produce on the decline, 82. Nova Scotia, the fettlement there attended with vaft eX- pence and little advantage to Britain, 25. O Old grafs when broken up, produces excellent mi of flax, 192. P Paper currency, the quantity of it increafes the price of provifions, 95. Peats, calculation of their expence and profit, 324. Perfia, how watered artificially, 292. Planting ought to be encouraged in Lochaber, 245. Treeg moft advantageous tobe planted in this country, 259. Pleafure grounds, extent of them increafes the price oF provifions, 96. | Poors-rates: © part of the fums raifed for this purpofe in England might be employed for erecting villages, &c. gare Population, ho w it is toed 33. Wait nugaber of in- habitants. ( 38 ) habitants in China, 46. Arts and manufactures unfa- vourable to it, 49. Leffened by great cities, 50. Premiums propofed for the encouragement of agriculture, 144. A fum for the purpofe might be raifed by a fmall taxation on farmers, 152. Different clafles of prizes propofed, 153. Premiums propofed for the improve- ment of gardens, 344. : Produce of Britain, how it might be increafed to ten times its prefent amount in 40 years, 12. Provifions, their increafed price an evidence of a diminu- tion in the produce of the Britifh foil, 7o. Why far- mers are not enriched in proportion to their increafed price, 73. . Caufes of the increafing price eh ipeeyisions explained, 87. rh Public diverfions are attended with bad confequeace by reafon of the expence of time, &e. 104, Pay ey R Reft of one year in feyen kept by the Jews, and rewarded by prodigious plenty in the other fix, 3. hi, Reviewers, their mean illiberal behaviour, 152, 33t Ridges in Ayrfhire, too high raifed, 183. Riga lintfeed preferable to the Dutch, and ufed by the Dutch themfelves, 217. Rivers, of enclofing them properly with banks, 229, és” Seq | Romans, to what their great power was owing, 3%. Their laws refpecting the extent of ground to. be poflefled by citizens, 122. Rome, incredible number of its inhabitants, 18. Owing to their addicting themfelves to agriculture, 35. Rot in fheep, produced by four grafs, 266. Rotation of crops, want of a regular one a caufe of the dearnefs of provifions, 97. Immenfe quantities of corn might be exported by attending to this, 126 Salt, ( 382 ) Salt, how made to the greateft advantage, 235, Savary’s account of the former and prefent ftate of agricul- ture in Egypt, 302. Of the methods made ufe of by the inhabitants to diftribute the waters of the Nile equal- ly, 397- Schemes of fancied improvement in agriculture, a fign se the {cience is not properly underftood in Britain, 3. Sea-fhore capable of being greatly abide by asia of water, 289, 306. Sheep-walks, when newly broken up and reatled, produce greater crops than they will do afterwards, 82. Mof of the farms in Argylefhire converted into them, 247: _ Bad confequences of this proceeding, 247. . Sidos, its inhabitants not yery numerous, 17. Soils, all kinds af them better for having a part in corn and another i in| 4, Calculation of the produce of the foil of Brita i 62. Two thirds of this fpent on the Wi) brute creation, 64. Its produce diminifhed, 67. At- _ tempts to improve new foil, and then giving them over, a caufe of the dearnefs of provifions, 97. Difference of _ foil is of lefs confequence with refpect to the ig 4 than the mode of cultivation, 17r. Soldiers and failors when unfit for military duty dena be employed in cultivation of lands, 351. Spade-culture originally empleyed by the Romans, 123, May be executed on. a ome bank for very little ex- pence, 228. Spey, how the lands on rich fide of that river night b be improved, 263. ‘Stone, (James) a labourer at Deepham, shitbauees the practice of dibbling wheat, 126. Straw, whether moft proper for manure when rotted by itfelf, or when eaten by cattle and their dung preferved, FQ. : : me Summer- ee Ne ee ee ee ( 383) Summet-fallow fearcely ufed in Ayrfhire, 184: How it dught to be ufed there, with objections and anfwers, 186. Syria, how the inhabitants water their lands in that coun- try, 315: | H ig : Tay embanked in fome places, with the gor confequen- _ ces refulting from hence, 283. Trade and commerce, whether equally advantageous to Britain with agriculture, 10, Inftance of its shifting from one place to another, 117. rit be carried on to advantage, if agriculture be neglected, 1 50. > i. Turnips exhautft the foil, if not eaten where they grow, 82. Tweed river improves a field by accidentally 0 erflow it; 297. | We aw 3) e A its inhabitant not ag numerous, 27, - U Venetians inconfiderable with regard to their sca 1g. Villages propofed to be ereéted on every eftate by fi 120. Advantages of manufacturers living in them and having gardens, 178. A plan of this kind propofed to the Duke of Gordon, 257. On the conftruction of vil- lages to be inhabited by fithers, 336. Underftocking a farm with cattle, a method of improving it, 267. Volney’s account of the method ufed by the Syrians in wa- tering their lands, 315. ae ' Wafte grounds, reas tracts of them which might be im- proved, 120. Water ruins hedges wher allowed to ftand in the ditches in winter, 182. Watering of pafture grounds the beft method of improving them, | ( 384 ) them, 167, 200. Method of doing this by méans of rivers, 231. Hills might be greatly improved in this manner, 246. Lands on Spey-fide well adapted to this purpofe, 263. Inftances of the extraordinary good ef- fects of this practice, 281. Its expence not comparable to the advantage to be derived from it, 299. This me- thod very generally applicable, 229. — Weavers, why fometimes called Brabanders, 118. Weht of Scotland ought to be improved by the inhabitarits, inftead of their laying out great fums for importation of corn, 177. Their abfurd notion concerning flax, 212. Wet ploughing hurtful to the foil, 86. Wheat little cultivated in Ayrfhire, 185, Ought to be fown in countries where there is much rain, 188. ~ Whins ufeful for people troubled with confumptions, 198. Woods growing | aturally, fuperior to thofe which have Woollen trade, account of its fhifting from the Nether- lands to England, 117. Y - Yarn, {pinning of it, both linen and woollen, ought to be encouraged by the proprietors of land, 252. LIST of SUBSCRIBERS FOR NATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND AGRICULTURE THE PRIMARY INTEREST OF GREAT BRITAIN. | a m Wh» : & IS Grace the Duke: of Argyle, _ bey! ae ae ‘ai H His Grace the Duke of Athol, 6 copies Og eae Right honourable Lord Ankerville, one of thi Sen of the College of Juftice John Adams, Efq. of Blair, 4 copies we as Mr John Anderfon, Profeflor of natural philofophy i inthe College of Glafgow > ‘at James Anderfon, Efq. L. L. D. " ¢ | John Allan, Efg. of Inchmartin Mr James Alexander, writer in Dunfermline | r Mr Aitchifon, diftiller near Edinburgh FE Mr Alexander Anderfon, at Newburgh Alexander Alifon, Efq. Excife-office, Edinburgh Mr Robert Airth, farmer at Dun Mr Armour, merchant Edinburgh Dean of Guild Alexander Alifon, merchant Perth Mr Annan, farmer near Cupar-Fife Provoft Alexander in Stirling i Cece : ‘ Charles 1 (st 3544) Mr Adams, vintner Aberdeen Mr John Aimefly, at Old Meldrum George Abercrombie, Efg. of Tullibody, 2 copies Rev. Mr John Anderfon, Pitmain, Badenoch Mr Alexander Aitchifon, Med. Stud. Edin, aa B. The right honourable the Earl of Breadalbane Right honourable the Lord Chief Baron, 6 copies Sir John Belfhes-Withart of Tofts, Baronet, 4 copies Robert Barclay, Efq. of Urie, 10 copies Henry Balneaves, Eiq. of Edradower Mr James Bennet of Carrie-Bridge Balfour, Efq . of Pilrig,, Edinburgh Henry Buchanan, Efq. of Arnprior, at Balquhidder Arthur Bru ice, Eig. rown, Efq. of Coalfton Robert Beatfon, Efq. of Piteddie, 2copies _ Mr Buchan, farmer at Gafk Thomas Buchannan, Efq. of Dalmarnock John Boyes, Ef. of Wellhall } The Laird of Brodie, 2 copies Provoft James Butchard, Arbroath Mr James Buchan junior, farmer Mr Thomas Biflet, Commiflary of Dunkeld, 2 copies Mr Burt, factor to Balgowan Mr Andrew Bonnar, banker Mr James Bruce, accountant, Excife-office, Edinburgh Mg James Bonnar, depute folicitor of Excife ————- Boyle Efq. of Baldowie Mr James Beveridge, writer, Edinburgh — Mr John Brown, baker in Perth (ik 1a) ) arey Butter, Efg. of Fafklie Bailie Bryfon, writer in Hamilton, 2 copies Mr Brown and Dickfon, nurferymen Perth, 2 copies Mr, J. Brodie, writer in Dyfart Mr John Ballingall, farmer Mr Thomas Ballenie, farmer at Leflie-parks, Fife Mr John Buchannan, baker in Canongate Mr William Balvaird, farmer at Huntingtower Mr Walter Biggar, manufacturer Mr James Buchan, farmer in Kildenny Mr Thomas Bain, writer in Edinburgh Mr William Biffet, feuer at Muirhead Mr John Blackie, plumber in Aberdeen, 4 copies | Mr John Ballingal, nese a ye Mr William Blyth, Perth — : LN Mr Alexander Bonnar, baniker, pes ho Mr William Blair, factor to Lord mont atScoone Mr —— Ballingal, farmer at Bind ‘ ‘ge Set eee Mr George Burn, factor, eftate of Kinvaid Mr Blackader, factor to Blair Drummond) ~ Hepes Mr John Balmanno, diftiller near Duplin © Mr David Buchanan at Gafk | Mr John Burt, vintner in Perth Mr John Boyes, junior, Hamilton Mr Thomas Bell, merchant Glafgow Mr Lawrence Buchan, farmer near Perth Mr John Bain, Weiter Caplendy, near Perth Mr Samuel Burnet - John Craigie, Efq. of Glendoig._ — pauisinhas < q —( 388 ) ¢. Alexander Cunningham, Efq. of Craigans John Clerk, Efq. of Elden James Chalmers, Efg. of Innerdinnan George Carnegie, Efg. of Charlton Captain Cameron, Kirrara, Badenoch Thomas Carnegie, Efq, of Craigie Captain Clark, Badenoch David Carnegie, Efg. of Dumbarnie Dr. Cleland, Hamilton | Sir David Carnegie of Southetk, M. P. me Pitcarl Ds Sa Provolt ig Bowan, ms in Kircaldie Baillie Colin Campbell, factor to the Duke of Argyle Captain Cochran, commander at Fort-William ‘ =——— Cameron, of Facifern Captain Cameron of Glenevis Collector Campbell, Gordonfburgh, Fort- William Mr Craigie, Paifley | Mr —— Caldwell, Ayrihire Mr —— Colvill, corn-factor, Glafgow Mr James Cargill, writer in Edinburgh Mr Alexander Crichton, coachmaker, Edinburgh Mr John Cumming, Inchinnan Mr George Cully, farmer at Fenton in Northumbeg land : Mr-John Campbell, vintner in Perth Mr Charles Cowan, paper-maker, Edinburgh, ( 389 ) Mr. Stephen Clark, mufician in Edinburgh Mr —— Cleghorn, farmer, Dalkeith Mr John Campbell, merchant in Perth D. | The honourable Archibald Bi of Douglas, 4 c6- pies Right honourable Lord Dunfinnan, one Fr: the Senator of . the College of Juftice _ George Demptfter Efq. of D pies ey Lady Catharine Drummond Douglas, Efq, of | James Die Efq. advocate” - Dewar, Ef. of Vogrie Captain Duncan of St. Ford Captain Dundas of Blair i mes James Denniftoun, jun. Bty. of cofeage Ria Dr. Drummond of Gardrum, Phyfician Captain Drummond of Pitkellony Rev. Mr Dun, Kilfjth Captain Duff of Ballachone Mr James Donaldfon, merchant in Glafgow, 2 copies Mr Robert Dunfmure, merchant in Glafgow Mr Archibald Drummond, at Drumiheugh, 4 co- pies Mr Dickfon, fa&or to Lord Blantyre — Mr William Dryfdale, town-clerk in Kirkcaldie Mr David Dowie, Paifley, 8 copies Mr Andrew Dewar of Springfield, Glafgow Mr —— Douglas, writer in Dumfermline ie 7 ( (399 )) Mr Jofeph Daw, Mountwhannie in Balmedyfide Mr Charles Dempfter, merchant in St Andrews Mr William Dow, factor at Meginch, 8 copies Mr George Douglas, plumber in Glafgow Mr Davidfon, writer in Auchterarder Mr—— Dickfon, uurfery-man near Hawick, 2 co- . pies .% Mr —— ~ Davidfon, farmer at Skene q Mr John Donaldfon, farmer in Weit Drone Mr James Duff, farmer at Loak Mr James Duff, farmer at Soutrahill | a Mr James Dickfon, ee in Montrofe, 4 copies ‘ The right botuayble the Earl of Kinnoul The honourable Henry Erfkine, Dean of the Essien of ad- vocates, 2 copies Thomas Elder, Efq. Edinburgh, 4 copies Erfkine, Efg. of Camno Mr Thomas Edington, Cramond Mr Charles Elliot, bookfeller in Edinburgh, 4 co- pies D : ee . le ( 398 ) F. The right honourable the Countefs of Findlater Sir William Forbes of Pitfligo, Baronet, 4 copies William Forbes, Efg. of Callender, 8 copies James Farquharfon, Efq. of Invercauld, 4 copies Thomas Farquharfon, Efq. of Perlie ~ David Fife, Efq. of Drumgerthel —— Fergufon, Efq. of Raith, 3 copies Dr Farquharfon, Edinburgh The Farmer Society at Dalkeith The Farmer Society at Haddington, ‘12 copies Mr John Fergufon, manufacturer: in Link- ar Kirk- caldie 7 | Mr Andrew French, merchant i in Dou bi Mr —— Foulis, in Irvine — WS Riga Site Mr —— Forbes, copperfmith, Aberdcat oe William Fullarton, Efq. of Powrie ee, ‘fs “an, G. His Grace the Duke of Gordon, 6 copies The right honourable Lord Gardenfton, one of the Sena- tors of the College of Juftice General Graham of Gorthy , i James Graham, Efg. of Craigie, 2 copies \ Bailie Geddie, merchant in Cupar of Fife , John Grieve, Efg. Lord Provoft of Edinburgh Robert Graham-Burden, E{q. of Fedall Thomas Graham, Efq. of Balgowan See : ee Graham, Efy. of Garrick : Gabriel Gray, Efq. Rutherglen Oliver Gourly, Efg. 6 copies Sherriff Graham, Glafgow Baillie James Greig, Perth Dean of Guild Gilchrift, Stirling Profeflor Gordon, of Oldtown, Aberdeen Sir John Goodricke, M. P. 2 copies Charles Gordon, Efg. of Braid, Clerk of Seffion Mr Graham, writer in Glafgow eis bib maaan Gardner, Bradford, Yorkthire, 2 co- a a siete 2 a Mr tha Graham, writer to the fignet sae i Mr John Gray, writer to the fignet mes Mr John Gillies, bookfeller in Perth, 10 copies é y ; Mr James en bookfeller i in Cerrow, 6 copies olin Gillies, merchant in Brechin, 4 copies diner, Da i: iia merchant in Montrofe Mr James Grant, Grantoun, faétor to Sir James : Grant Mr William Gardner, farmer at Hiltoun Mr _ Glen, merchant in Glafgow Mr Min Gordon, overfeer of water, and public ’ works, Edinburgh Mr John Gillefpie, tobacconift Mr Robert Glafs, merchant in Perth Mr John Guthrie, bookfeller, Edinburgh ( 393 ) H. The right honourable the Earl of Hopeton The right honourable the Earl of Hadinton, 2 copies The right honourable Lord Henderland, one of the Sena- tors of the College of Juftice Dr James Hay of Hayfton, Phyfician Peter Hay, Ef. of Leys, 6 copies Roger Hogg, Efq. of Newlifton George Houfton, Efq. of Johnfton Buchan Hepburn, Efq. advocate Andrew Houfton, Efg. of Jordan-hall § Horn, Efq.of Tamenon ——t™S . James Haley, Efq. of Kinnader Ghee: eh dn ; Rev. Mr James Hall, ‘Edinburgh TIRE tage ny Ppa Maer James Heggie, Efq. of Pitleffie ee John Hamilton, Efg. of Weftburn Dr Hutton, St John’s Hill, Edinburgh Thomas Hunter, Efg. of Glencarfe Mr Thomas Hewat, writer James Hunter, Efq. of Seafide Highland Society for Scotland, 10 copies Mr Hay, farmer in Craigielaw Mr A. Hamilton, in Hamilton Mr John Henderfon, do. Mr Hall, fchoolmafter, Glafgow Mr James Hay, merchant in Zetland Mr Henry Hope, in Falkland Mr George Henderfon, farmer in Craigtoun Mr Henderfon, farmer in Woodedge Mr Henderfon, Pilmuir Mr Michael Henderfon, feuer of Trufs-hills. ; i aed ae ( 394 ) . Mr Henderfon, architeét in Edinburgh — Mr William Henderfon, vintner in Cupar-Angus Mr James Hamilton in Hamilton * , Mr —— Horn, writer to the fignet Mr William Hamilton, Pilmuir Mr Thomas Hewat, writer j. Johnfton, Efq. of Lathrifk, 2 copies ‘ Bailie Andrew Inglis, merchant in Kirkcaldie Provoft Jeffrey, Stirling -Baike Jeffrey, do; fe): iy Bailie James Innes, writer: in Irvine .. Be Be igh at Forteviot stil pe OM: James Inversrity, near Aberdeen. K. The right honourable Lord Kinnaird » Admiral Knight of Jourdifton, 2 copies ‘Peter Kier, Efq. of Kilmonth The Rev. Mr John Kemp, one of the minions of Edin- burgh Thomas Kinnear, Efq. of Kinloch Mr William Kerr, poft-office, Edinburgh Mr ‘Thomas Kinnear, banker in Edinburgh Mr George Keir, faétor to the right honourable the Earl of Kinnoul is { Mr ( 395.) Mr Thomas Kier, factor to the Perth eftate Mr Laurence Kicr, farmer at Aberdalgy Mr Charles Kinnear, farmer, Carfe of Gowrie, 8 copias Mr Archibald: Kidd, farmer in Queenfburgh, 6 copies Mr John Keltie, in Auchtermuchty Mr George Kay, Leith L, — ¥ Major General Leflie . Robert Low, E{q. of Clatto _ aN Alexander Low of Leadenurquhart _ 3 Rev. Mr James Lapflie, Camptic —— Lumfdale, Eiq. of Invergallie, 3 copies Baillie Lamb, writer in Hamilton i, William Lockhart, Efg. of Baronald | Mr James Loch, writer to the fignet Mr James Laidlaw, writer to the fignet i Mr Logan, vintner in Edinburgh Mr S,umlie, near London Mr Alexander Leflic, merchant in Aberdeen. Mr William Leflie, in Kings-barns Mr Dewar Lawder, farmer at Pitfour Mr Peter Lumfdale, farmer near Tippermuir Mr Robert Laing, wright in Hamilton Mr William Laing, bookfeller in Edinburgh Mr Adam Lifter, vintner in Cupar-Angus Mr John Love, merchant, in Paifley vy 7. ( 396 ) M. The right honourable James Montgomery, Lord Chief: Baron of his Majefty’ s Court of Exchequer in Scot- land, 6 copies - The right honourable Lord Monboddo, one of the Sena~ tors of the College of Juftice Sir Thomas Moncrief of Moncrief, Baronet, 2 copies Sir William Murray of Ochtertyre, Baronet, 2 copies Bailie James Marfhall, Perth . { _, Edward Main of Powis, Efq. 12 copies Alexander Moncrief, Efq. 9 copies Colonel Mercer of Aldie, 6 copies Thomas Miln, Efg. of Milnfield, 6 copies ses E a pny -hills ¢ % 3 Charles ce Elo. of Cultquhoy Murray, Efq. of Abercairnie James Murray, Efq. of Dollary Peter Miller, Efq. of New-mill Anthony Murray, Efg. of Crief Henry Mutter, Efg. of Calder William M‘Dougal, Efq. of Garthland _ James M'Dougal, Ef. at Glafgow William Muir, Efg. of Caldwell i James Miln, Efg. younger of Milnfield Ebenezer,Marfhall, Efg. of Killcairnie —— M*‘Donnel, Efg. of Glencoe John Maxwell, Efq. of Darngavel John Muir, Efq. of Greenhall William M‘Donald, Efq. of St Martin, writer to the figs net, 6 copies | ( 397 ) John M‘Donald, Efq. of Clanronald Alexander M‘Duf, Efg. of Bonhard Captain John M‘Pherfon, Ballachron James Moubray, Efg. Cockairnie Angus M‘Donell, Efq. of Achtrichitan Captain Charles M‘Pherfon, Badenoch Rev. Mr Murdoch M‘Iver at Lochaefh, 10 copies Captain M‘Pherfon, Beucha | Rev. Mr Moncrief at Regortan, 4 copies Rev. Mr M‘Pherfon, Dallahullie — Captain M‘Pherfon, Overefkie George Moir, Efq. of Scotftown Dr M‘Aulay, Edinburgh ! Moncrief, Efg. of Miers Robert MTIntofh, Efq. advocate — NR Henry Moyes, M. D. Kirealdie, 6 copies * Dean of Guild M‘Gregor, NGlafgow bay: Seg Sa Baillie M‘Aflane and Co. do. 6 copies Dr M‘Reddie of Pearfton, 2copies — Captain Maitland of Rankielor Mr James Mafon, merchant in Aberdeen Mr — Muckle, plafterer in Glafgow Mr Daniel M‘Intyre farmer near Galk . Mr Thomas Mitchell, writer Mr Robert Scot Moncrief, banker in Glafgow, 2 copies Mr —— M‘Intyre, writer at Fort-William Mr Alexander Moncrief, Woodend, 6 copies Mr Ebenezer Mafon, merchant, North Bridge Mr Alexander Moubray, merchant in Edinburgh Mr David: M‘Vicar, merchant in Perth Mr Chriftopher Moubray, infurance-oflice Mr —— M‘Lean, vintner, Pitmain we vim, \_ @8e*s \ Go Bas a ( 398 ) Mr Archibald Maxwell, writer in Edinburgh Mr Peter Murray, writer in Edinburgh Mr James Miller, writer in do. Mr Andrew M‘Whinnie, writer in do. Mr Niel M‘Vicar, manufacturer in do. Mr —— M‘Donald, at Inglifmadie, factor to. Lord “ie Kintore Mr John Mofley Mr Alexander Morifon, merchant in Montrofe Mr William Mitchel, merchant in Leith Mr Jofiah Maxton, fadler in Edinburgh Mr Thomas Marthall, vintner in Perth Mr - eon Mitchel, fador to the Ear] of Weymis- oN gee ate ae Ridin ini ee Mr — Muir, Kilmarnock Mr Alexander M‘Dougal, farmer in Fingafk Mr M‘Intyre, farmer near Gaik Mr James Mathew, farmer, Clafhbenny _ Mr John Mathew, farmer in Rome Mr —— Muckarfie, farmer, Cuplindie Mr Jobn Morton, farmer in Galliemuir Mr —— M‘Indoe, merchant in Glafgow Mr John Mawer, at Duddingfton Mr David Melvill, in Ceres ee ne Ae) Mr Stephen Maxwell, copper-fmith in Glafgow, 6 copies Mr Anthony M‘Hard, writer in Ayr, 7 copies Mr —— Murray of Murrayfhaugh Mir Andrew Morton and Son, Innernytie, 2 copies “MrPeter Mathew, farmer, Newbigging Mr John MIntoth, farmer near Perth “ & ae 2 ae ( 399. ) ‘Mr ——=- M‘Call, fa&tor to General Graham of Gorthie Mr James M‘Gregor, merchant in Glafgow Mr John Mill, founder in Edinburgh _ Mr —— Miller, banker, 2 copies Mr Peter Maxton, cafhierto Sir William Forbes Mr George Miller, merchant in Perth Mr James M‘Cleifh, bookfeller, Edinburgh, 2 copies Mr George Mudie, bookfeller, ditto Mr George Matthew, farmer in Inchture N.. William Nairn, Efq. of Drumkelbo Mr James Norris, writer in Edinburgh Wm. Nicol, este No, 5%. St seas coma tae London hi eee . O. pn Bia ) CAP, Robert Oliphant of Roffie, Efq, Pottmale- Genera for Scotland, 2 copies Alexander Orme, Efg. clerk of Seffion | Major Ogilvie, in Montrofe James Ogilvie, Efq. of Ruthven John Orr, Efg. of Barrowfield Dr Ofwald and Sons, Glafgow, 3 copies —— Oliphant, Efq. of Gafk Mr Oliver in Ceres Mr George Ord, farmer in Brownsfield Mr David Oliphant, bank of Scotland P 3 James Paterfon, Efq. of Carpue i James Paterfon, Eig. of Caftlehuntly Boyd bagitY veo * yn - oe ig ge - _() 400") ee Ps | Boyd Porter, Efq. of Porterfield Provoft Pitcairn, Dundee John Pattifon, Efg: advocate Mr Mungo Punton, farmer at Balgreen, 6 copies, Mr — Purves, farmer in Dunfermline Mr Peter Plenderleirh, farmer at Comifton . Mr John Pattifon, merchant in Paifley, 4 copies Mr —— Paterfon, farmer, Cotton-mill, Pennicuik] R. Sir Alexander Ramfay of Balmain, Baronet, 10 copies Robert eae ce of fae ele: 4 copies. ‘ James a Ee younger of Pitfour, 4 copies James Robertfon, Efg. of Earnoch Colin Rae, Efg. of Little-Govan Rev. Mr William Ritchie Rev. Mr Thomas Ritchie Captain Henry Ruyderd, royal engineer James Rorrifon, Efq. from Jamaica Ramfay, Efq. of Auchtertyre Rev. Mr Ramfay, Maderty _ Profeffor Rofs, Aberdeen, 5 copies Mr Peter Ramfay, Edinburgh Mr Robert Richardfon, Ayrbank Mr James Rutherfoord, writer to the fignet _ Mr Thomas Ruthven, writer in Edinburgh _ Mr Johr Kenny, factor at Logie- Almond — Me James Renny, merchant in “dhe ( 4or ) Mr John Richmond, feedfman in Edinburgh Mr Roy, nurferyrnan at Streenets, near Cupar-Angus Mr Rofs, farmer at Innerbuft Mr James Richardfon, farmer at Redceleys, 6 copies Mr J. and ‘I’. Ruddiman, bookfellers, Edinburgh Mr James Roy, farmer at Bankhead Mr James Robertfon, farmer at Burnfoot Mr John Reid, farmer at Durfie in Fife Mr Thomas Ritchie, farmet at Feu Mr Charles Robertfon, painter in Edinburgh Mr Ritchie, mafter of the grammar {chool, Canongatéy Edinburgh Mr James Robeitfon, Blackbull, ket of Leith-wak P Mr John Reid, Hamilton 2 Mr Peter Robertfon,. writer tA Ghagow ve tani' | 1 Mr James Roy, farmer at the mill of Duplin © Mr Reid, writer in Perth My Alexander Robertfon, vintner in Kinghorn | % Mr John Reid, architect in Edinburgh Bes ce S. Sir John Stewart of.Grandtully, Baronet, 4 copies Adam Smith, Efq. commiflioner of cuftoms, 6 copies Lieutenant General Robert Skene, of Pitlour Sir John Sewart of Caftlemilk, Baronet Mr Stobie, factor to his Bkice the Duke of Athole The honourable Captain Sandilands of Contentibus The right honourable Lord Swinton, one of the fenators of the college of juftice Dr Stewart, Perth Colonel James St Clair of St Clair — Stewart, younger of Balnakelly kee ( 402 } ' Captain Charles Small, Perth Francis Stuart-Crawford, Efg. of Milton Alexander Stewart, Efg. of Torrence Sir John St Clair James Somerville, Efg..of Hamilton, — James Scot, Efq. of Dunninald, g copies Bailie Skene, Aberdeen George Sandilands, Efq. of Nutheil, 2 copies David Smith, Efg. of Methven - John Steuart, Efq. of Balnakelly | James Steuart, Ef. of Tar Peter Scot, Efg. of Roflie Robert Steuart, Efq. of Caftleftewart, 2 copies George Skene, Efq. of Skene, 2 copies, M. P. Adam Stuart, Efgq. of Black ; a Pa -0) - _ James Steuart, Efq. | of Darklock : Captain ‘Thomas Stewar , Perth Willian Sagor, Efg. of Coheed near Manchefter, «: c0- ies Dr Agen Stevenfon, phyfician in Glafgow Scot, Efq. of Logie Capt Alexander Shand, royalartillery, Perth Captain Leflie David Scot, Efg. of Netherbenham. Dr Steuart, Dundee Bailie Smith, merchant in Edinburgh Bailie James Sime, baker in Hamilton Mr Thomas Scot, writer to the fignet Mr James Sime, Errol Mr James Stirling, Efg. banker, 2 copies Mr Stevenfon, farmer, Bambreck Mr James Scot merchant, Weft-Bow, Edinburgh Mr Scot, land-furveyor, Aberdecy ’ ne ot ihe —————— ee! ee f 493)-), Mr Stirling, merchant, Dundee Mr James Stormont, writer in Edinburgh Mr Shortbread, merchant in Auchtermuchty Mr Thomas Sutor, writer, ditto Mr Adam Stewart, writer, ditto Mr John Shirjas, Aberdeen Provoft Stark, Cupar-Fife Mr John Steuart, Auchterarder Conveener Steuart in Perth Mr William Smith, coach-mafter, Regifter-Street, Edin- burgh Mr Niel Stewart, Parliament-{quare Mr Smollet, jun. Young’s Street Mr Steuart, paper-flainer Mr Hugh Smith at Carnwath, 4 es eine Mr John Still, merchant, Abérdee: Mr William Steuart in Perth — ea med Mr Henry Sawer at Craigeroft — Ba, Mr John Sawer at Bell’s mills : 7 : Mr John Sime in Leith Mr Andrew Scot, Leven Mr John Smith, farmer at Claypots Mr Somerville, writer, Weilt-Bow Mr J. Stokes, fewer at Bridgetown i in Kirkcaldie Mr James Sime, baker in Errol Mr John Sharp, farmer Mr Colin Smith, vintner in Brechin Mr Simfon vintner in Ayr . i Mr Steuart of Milton Mr Simon Simfon, diftiller in Ayr Mr Scot, farmer in Collington Mr Scot folicitor at law, Edinburgh Mr Robert Scot, merchant in Dunfermline Mr James Stein diftiller in Kilbegie, 3 copies — Mr Lite » sy tel * Ss Pen. ke i ae 13 = ‘i at ae ; 4 |The honour: able Mga) Mr Sutherland, copper-fmith in Stirling _ Mr John Swanfton merchant in Glafgow Mr Gilbert Shearer, Glafgow Mr Robert Scot, merchant, ditto Mefiis Struthers and Co. brewers, ditto, 2 copies Mr John Smith, farmer at Fairfield, near Aye ms Mr Somerville, farmer, Eafter-Rhind Mr John Stewart, farmer near Stirling (oe P< ae wr re rpne.. » T he right honourable nF | Torphichen nfon oe ion, {chai able Board of Truftees for manufactures and fitheries, 40 copies ‘William Tod, Efq. fagtor to his Grace the Duke of Gor- don, 2 copies Mr Thomas Tod, Caftle-hill Mr Henry Torrence, Segie Mr John Thomfon, carver in Edinburgh / Mr Trotter, merchant 4 in Glafgow | Mr John Thomfon of Orkey-mill, 4 copice Mr Jofeph Taylor, watch-maker in Perth Mr Hugh Tod, Ruthven of Badenoch Mx Jobn Thoinfon, Grocer Mr Thomfon, Dalhoufie a ts, (405) WwW. Dr Walker, Edinburgh ——— Watfon, Efq. Southftreet, Perth | James Watfon, Efq, . George Wright, Efq. of Laton George White, Efq. of Bankhead The Rev. Mr Robert Walker, Canongate, Edinburgh Captain Waugh, Edinburgh, 2 copies | Bailie John Whitit, Perth \ \ Mr George Wilfon, writer ii Edinburgh i Mr John Wardlaw, merchant i in Dalkeith © Robert Watt, merchan n&E di inburgh Mr Robert Webfter, farm ner at : Eafter J Mr William Whyte, farmer n near P erth wi Mr John Whyte, farmer in Mailor mye ae ty Mr Wilkie, vinter, Aberdeen | Mr Walker, farmer near Balgowan Mr James Wilfon, farmer at Cupar-Angus Mr William Wilfon, bookfeller Brechin, 5 copies Mr David Wallace, at Bufie Mr David Wight, Newbigging Mr John Wallace, Bufie Mr Thomas Valentine, farmer in Leflie-parks, Fife Mr William Wardlaw, merchant in Glafgow Mr John White, cotton-mill, Pennicuik Mr Wilfon, factor to Lady Glafgow Mr John id writer in Glafgow Mr Watfon, farmer near Paifley bi James Yeaman, Efq, of Murie, 8 cones! Mx Robert Young, merchant in Edinburgh, : Mr John Young, merchant in Perth, 6 copies 4 Mr Thomas Young, Perth, 6 copies ’ Mr Ben. Yule, baker in Edinburgh Mr David Young, merchant in Glafgow ‘Mr John Young, wright, ditto _ Mr William Young, diftiller, near + er | mg ae Re ot i : a . oa thy muna wy ag er eS, ee Tee 3 : ‘\ tala _ Young, David, of Perth, 192 Scot Yé Agriculture _ PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ~ CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY eex oe 4 uw a; “> Lyk ¥ & 2 _~