88 Afjriculture of Durham. 



county, because there are a great number of tenancies of a less 

 amount than 50/., and there are also a large number of indivi- 

 duals farming their own lands, whose names are placed on the 

 registry as owners and not as occupiers. I cannot pretend to 

 give more than an approximate estimate of the area of the 

 county, where the different statements on the subject have been 



so contradictorv. 



*/ 



Acres. 

 By Mr. Bailey, in his Report ou the Agriculture of the County, 



it is said to contain 582,4:00 



By Mr. Surtees, in his History of Durham 610,000 



By the last population returns . . . . , 622,476 



From calculations I have made upon the best published map 

 of the county, I am of opinion that Mr. Bailey's estimate may 

 be taken as a correct one, if meant to express the area of the 

 agricultural parts of the county, leaving out the acreage of 

 tlie large towns, which are evidently included in both the other 

 estimates. 



The rental of this county in 1815 was £791,359 



1840 905,644 



1853 1,148,096 



Showing an increase hetween 1815 and 1840 of .. 114,285 

 And between 1840 and 1853 of 242,452 



Total increase £356,737 



I am not, however, in possession of any correct data from 

 which to apportion this increased rental, between the improved 

 value of the lands and an increased amount of houses and 

 buildings applied to other than agricultural purposes. 



In the basis for the county-rate, which is the rental of the 

 several townships throughout the county, it is very difiicult to 

 estimate the portion of tlie rental derived from the land, distinct 

 from that derived from collieries, manufactories, buildings, tithes, 

 «Scc. ; but I have gone through each township with what local 

 knowledge I possessed or information I could obtain, and have 

 estimated the rental of the land at 459,000/.; hence, taking 

 582,400 acres as the contents of the county, we obtain 155. 9c?. 

 as tlie average rent per acre over the whole county. 



But as this is rather an interesting subject of investigation, I 

 have endeavoured to arrive at a similar or more detailed result 

 by another mode ; and though I must confess to having very 

 imperfect data upon which to found my calculations, yet, after 

 bestowing much pains cm the comparing of valuations, aijd the 

 forming of averages in several districts, &c., I would venture 

 to present the folloAving as a somewhat near approximation to 

 the truth : — 



