386 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



trast becomes infinitely greater and 

 more forcible when it is considered, 

 that in this kingdom apprehensions 

 of a want of bread are almost pe- 

 riodical, and that government, on 

 every occasion, manifest an alarm, 

 lest those apprehensions should be 

 founded. That in the same king- 

 dom, there is a constant and im- 

 mense importation of corn ; of wheat 

 to some amount, of oats (.o a very 

 great one. That in the same king- 

 dom the price of every sort of but- 

 cher's meat marks no sup^'rfluity ; 

 that the products of the dairy have 

 risen in price remarkably ; that, 

 within a year, wool had risen, in 

 r.o long term, 50 per cent, and 

 consequently marked an active de- 

 mand. In a country thus circum- 

 stanced, abounding with the great- 

 est commerce and manufactures in 

 the world, and a population in- 

 creasing rapidly in every quarter, — 

 in such a country to adopt the forest 

 policy, — to tread back the steps 

 of national improvement, — to bid 

 forests once more breathe their 

 browner horror over scenes appli- 

 cable to the food of mankind.— and 

 take the same clothing which co- 

 vered them when Boadicea drew; 

 forth her barbarians from their bo- 

 soms, must seem a strange exertion 

 «f modern politics. 



However, if private interest calls 

 for such exertions, by their great 

 profit, it is then in vain to reason 

 against them on public principles. 

 Let us examine shortly the ideas 

 of imaginary profits that are, by 

 some, arne.xed to woods and plan- 

 tations. 



The expences of planting are all 

 thr«wn away, if fences are not 

 made most etfeotively, which is a 

 hiravy charge, unless the under- 



taking is upon an enormous scale ; 

 it has been calculated, that a thou- 

 sand acres, in one enclosure, may 

 be enclosed and planted so cheaply 

 as for 20s. an acre, provided only 

 five hundred larches are assigned to 

 each acre. This supposes, that the 

 price would not rise with the de- 

 mand, which possibly might be the 

 case 5 but it also supposes it right 

 to plant only five hundred on an 

 acre, yet many planters of great 

 experience recommend nearer ten 

 times as many. Many calculations 

 whifth demand attention, from the- 

 great ability of their authors, sup- 

 pose the land, previous to plant- 

 ing, to be worth an exceedingly 

 small rent, even down to a tevr 

 pence per acre ; but I may ob- 

 serve, that all ideas of the present 

 value of land, derived from the 

 application, unenclosed, and in a 

 state of commonage, must be liable 

 to a good deal of error. In a coun- 

 try wheie t/:e right »f turning ten 

 sheep on a common may be hired 

 for (Jd. probably an enclosed moor 

 could not be hired for ten times 

 such a rent. And as a power of 

 enclosure is suppoied, before the 

 land can be planted, so ought the 

 same power to be supposed for as- 

 certaining the value of the land 

 previous to pla!iting. 



The higiiest parts of the moor* 

 in Knaresborough forest, which are 

 chiefly peat moors covered with 

 ling, support a Scotch sheep per 

 acre through the year, and conse- 

 quently cannot be estimated worth 

 a less rent than 2s. an acre, being 

 enclosed with walls and tithe free ; 

 if the gross produce (and this is 

 always to be reckoned in a na- 

 tional view) amount only to three 

 rents, it rises to 6s. an acre, but 



call 



