126 The Game Latvs. [FEB. 



proprietors of land to take measures that no one enticed to himself, an 

 over-portion of the air or sunshine, to the deprivation of the rest ! How 

 it is that no bills have been brought into Parliament to guard against 

 the encroachments of rival dove-cots, we profess ourselves, seriously, at 

 a loss to understand. In the first place if we must teach grown gentle- 

 men how to carry their walking-sticks without poking them into each 

 other's eyes we apprehend that the same quantity of " temptation corn" 

 which the holder of fifty acres could afford to strew on one side of a 

 hedge, the owner of five thousand acres might afford to strew upon the 

 other ; or the rich man, if he really dreaded the attractive powers of 

 his poor neighbour's barley, on one side of his estate, might go so far, 

 for the sake of a law which would advantage all the kingdom, as to 

 remove his pheasants preserve to the other side. Or, if this latter course 

 were inconvenient, he might where such an extreme case did occur 

 maintain a gamekeeper on the look-out as he now is compelled to do 

 twenty ; and it would something ill repay any farmer, who had only 

 fifty acres of land, to stand upon it all day long with a gun in his hand, 

 ready to knock down the chance pheasant that should fly over out of his 

 neighbour's property ! 



But the most ridiculous part of this complaint is to come ! for if 

 any thing could happen of that which is anticipated why does it not 

 happen already ? The thing may happen just as well now, as under 

 any improved system. The market is open. Game is bought and sold, 

 without difficulty, both by proprietors and poachers. The man who has 

 100/. of yearly land, may shoot now why does not he put in practice 

 this device against his richer neighbour ? It is not his additional I/, a 

 year of property (the difference between the 100/. that qualifies him, and 

 the 99/. which would not) nor an additional 500Z. a year that would 

 prevent him from doing it ! there are rogues that have as much as 1,000/. 

 a year, or we are mistaken : some say with higher incomes still. Why 

 do not these small " qualified people" commit the depredation now, if it 

 is worth doing, or likely to be done ? But we go yet farther. The 

 present "unqualified" proprietor he whose land does not amount to 

 100/. a year nay whose land is not equal to 30/. a year he may commit 

 this fraud now with perfect security. He may " strew the corn" upon 

 his ground, under the present system, in the way proposed. He may 

 entice his neighbour's pheasants out of their preserves, under the present 

 system, in the way proposed. And, although he may not shoot upon 

 his land himself, under the present system, in the way proposed, yet he 

 may allow a qualified man to do so ; and no man can molest that person, 

 or question his right. He has only to hire a " qualified man" which 

 he might do, if necessary, for five shillings a day to kill the birds for 

 him : and the whole of this ruinous plot against the property of the great 

 landowner is executed under the existing law ! Why does not some- 

 body attempt it ? 



We are tired of combating scruples like these: scruples, of which 

 those who urge them must be sure of the futility ; and which are thrown 

 out only to divert public attention from the real grounds of resistance to 

 the proposed improvement. And what are these? The petty pride, 

 and weak and miserable aspiration to peculiar privilege, which we have 

 already adverted to, and exposed. At least, it might be imagined that 

 these statutes (which annoy all other persons) were highly satisfactory, 



