CAUSES OF DISTRESS REMEDIAL AGENCIES. 543 



parison of every available source of information, it appears, that in 

 the year 1700 the Agriculturists were in numbers, as to the Manu- 

 facturers, two to one ; in 1740, eight to five ; in 1760, six to five ; 

 and in 1780, they were about equal. It was at this period that 

 Manufactures had assumed a decided and rapid progressive feature ; 

 and in the next twenty years, that is, in 1800, Manufacturers were, 

 as compared to Agriculturists, six to five. Coming forward to 1820, 

 they were as eight to five ; and in 1830, two to one. The rapidity 

 with which Manufactures have increased, may perhaps be best illus- 

 trated by the rate of increase in the population of agricultural and 

 manufacturing districts. Let us take Lancashire and Norfolk from 

 1700 as examples: 



Increase nine-fold. Increase one and three-quarters. 



To show this augmentation still more strikingly, we may also 

 mention that, from 1801 to 1831, the entire population of England 

 increased fifty per cent., whilst the population of districts connected 

 with Manufactures increased 140 per cent. We have selected Lan- 

 cashire and Norfolk in the above comparative table, because both 

 are favourable examples of their respective industrial conditions ; and 

 Lancashire more especially illustrates the extraordinary growth of 

 one branch of Manufacture, namely, the Cotton Trade ; the exports 

 of which in 1701 were little more than 20,000, whilst in 1833 they 

 were in real value 18,486,400. The Cotton Trade is not alone in 

 its growth ; and though no other has kept pace with it, all Manu- 

 factures have progressed more or less rapidly. 



Our population has thus become pre-eminently a manufacturing 

 one, and this change in its industrial character has been attended by 

 some remarkable alterations in property and in society, which have 

 acted powerfully upon the agricultural labourers. In the first place, 

 landed property has during the last half century undergone, in a very 

 great degree, a change in proprietorship. In the manufacturing 



