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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



mills, factories, :iiid liouses never amounts to anything like 

 the assessment on land. A man might make 50,000^. b}' 

 his mill, and yet not have a tithe of the land which a pro- 

 prietor has who only receives 5,000^ a-year; and all this 

 shows how cautious we ought to be before we adopt a prin- 

 ciple of this sort; for depend upon it, when you once adopt 

 it there will be no retracingyour steps (Hear, hear). When 

 you come to establish your rural police, and build gaols and 

 lunatic asylums, you will be favoured with a little more of 

 this principle. But this agitation is not a new one. An 

 agitation of a similar nature exists elsewhere with regard 

 to the assessment for the poor. It is held a convenient 

 system to assess the land, by gentlemen living in towns and 

 places of that description— it is held very much by the 

 manufacturing interest, through which pauperism naturally 

 exists to a considerable extent in these particular places, in 

 consequence of gentlemen who have mills employing a good 

 deal of labour, and whenever that labour becomes incompetent 

 to carry on its work like a machine, the labourer is set about 

 his business, and the consequence is that the poor-rate in 

 towns becomes enormously increased. An attempt was 

 made of that kind by means of the Government of the 

 country, but was resisted by parliament, to obtain what 

 you will probably have here if mj' noble friend's motion is 

 carried, namely, a rational rate for the relief of the poor. 

 Now, I think it is the duty of the landed interest to resist 

 all this. Depend upon it, you will have burdens enough 

 without fishing for them. With this mutiny in India you 

 will have plenty of income-tax cares for the next few years 

 without fishing for the most inconvenient mode of repairing 

 your roads ; and I recommend you to be very cautious 

 before you take this leap in the dark. A national poor-rate 

 would be the most unjust thing in the world, and would 

 tax the country for the relief of the towns. We have 

 another agitation in London among a set of conceited shop- 

 keepers, agitating for a system of " road reform and turn- 

 pike abolition." The English of the system is that the 

 land is to bear the burden, and that these gentlemen are to 

 be entitled to roll along the roads in their carriages-and- 

 four without paying a farthing for the roads they use. My 

 noble friend alluded to Ireland. We all know that formerly 

 there was seldom anything done with regard to roads in 

 Ireland without a job. It was done by presentments, by 

 grand juries; and the most atrocious jobs used to takeplacei 

 and the people were made to contribute to the maintenance 

 of roads to gentlemen's houses, or roads leading to nowhere, 

 and probably the change that has taken place is just the 

 consequence of that great abuse. But no such evil exists 

 here : and I agree to the principle of equity and to the 

 mode pointed out by common sense, that those who use the 

 roads should pay for them. Mr. Nisbet Hamilton then 

 referred to Mr. M'Connel's report to show that the valued 

 rental of land in the county was 290,000/., while the rental 

 of mineral property did not exceed 7,200Z. He maintained 

 that it was the mineral, and not the agricultural property, 

 that cut up the roads ; yet this was the proportion they 

 would severally pay under an assessment ! The mineral 

 interest will have nothing to pay •, whereas the good simple 

 landed interest will present their throats to be cut by these 

 butchers (laughter). With reference to the theor}' that it 

 was the consumer who paid, he asked whether the manu- 

 facturer would accept that theory if they were to propose 

 to put a tax of Id. per yard on cotton ? It was only when 

 they came to deal with burdens on land that they were told 

 about the tax falling on the consumer. He thought it was 

 he wiser policy to adhere to the present system, modifipd 



so far as was necessary in conse(|uence of railway commu- 

 nication, and placing the bars so as to intercept the traffic 

 and charge it in the most equitable manner. 



Sir George Grant S'Jttie seconded the amendment. 



The Earl of Haddington thought it would be for the 

 advantage of the county if they could establish an equi- 

 table and moderate assessment. It would be much more 

 convenient, and likely to cause a much better feeling than 

 the present system ; for that reason he would vote for Lord 

 Elcho's motion, on the understanding that he should be 

 afterwards at liberty to move the reservation of statute 

 labour from it. 



Among the other speakers were the Marquis of Tweed- 

 dale and Mr. Brown, who opposed the motion chiefly on 

 the ground that the proposed change was a local and not 

 a general measure, and would unjustly affect certain dis- 

 tricts, especially those parishes in which frontier tolls must 

 still be maintained. The Marquis also entered into figures 

 to show that in his view the saving in the collection was 

 too small to induce them to go into the change. 



The vote was then taken, when 18 voted for the motion 

 and 18 for the amendment, the Marquis of Tweeddale 

 giving his casting vote for the amendment, which was there- 

 fore carried. 



Ou the motion of Mr. Nisbet Hamilton a select com- 

 mittee was appointed to confer with Mr. M'Connel with 

 regard to the most practicable means of consolidating the 

 sever.il turnpike trusts within the county into one, and the 

 readjustment of the tolls, so as to secure the largest amount 

 of revenue with the least inconvenience to the public. 



LINCOLNSHIRE RAMS. 



Sir, — It is as plain as the sun at clear broad noon-day 

 that the Lincolnshire heavy-woolled sheep are gaining 

 much ground and favour (bj' spreading over many counties, 

 not only adjoining, but far distant), as being the most prc- 

 fitable sheep bred, upon all land where clover and turnips 

 can be produced; and Peterborough Fair backs up strongly 

 my assertion. The high-famed Mr. Kirkham of Hagnaby's 

 forty-three shcarhog rams, sold by auction at Peterborough 

 Fair, by Mr. Briggs, averaged £23 Is. each ; and Mrs. 

 Cass well of Pointon's fifty shearhog rams averaged £20 4s. 

 2d. each, which speaks volumes in lines in favour of the 

 Lincolns. Mr. Kirkham's forty-three rams, at Peter- 

 borough, made £091 3s. ; and his son, Mr. Thomas Kirk- 

 ham, of Biscathorpe, had let by auction, by the said Mr. 

 Briggs, on the 3rd of September last, one hundred and 

 twenty rams for the season, at £1,427 ; therefore the father 

 and son's rams, this year, make £2,418 3s. The truth is 

 neither puffing nor flatter}'. The fall of the auctioneer's 

 hammer, and the facts and figures, stare hard in the face all 

 deeplj'-rooted prejudiced men against the Lincolnshire 

 long-wooUed sheep, when the father and son make as much 

 of rams in one year as would stock well a farm of 250 acres 

 of good Land. Samuel Arnsbv. 



Peterborough, Oct. 7lJi, 1857. 



LINCOLNSHIRE RAMS.— Sir,— I beg to inform you that 

 at Peterborough fair the celebrated Mr.Ketkham'8(of Haguaby) 

 43 ahearhog rams averaged £23 la. each; and Mrs. Caswell's 

 50 shearhog rams averaged £20 4a. 2d. each. It appears by the 

 sales of rams at the above fair that the Liucolnshire long-wools 

 are gaining ground, aa being the most profitable sheep bred 

 upon all land where clover and turnips can be produced. — S. A. 



