STATE PAPERS. 



469 



The great object of the Board 

 in these inquiries, has been to 

 collect facts. If it be asked, what 

 conclusions are to he drawn fi'om 

 these facts ? Such will, of course, 

 suggest themselves wiih the great- 

 est clearness to the members of 

 the legislature. With this expec- 

 tation before us, Ave cannot but 

 be surprised at the anxiety felt, 

 and the apprehensions expressed 

 by many of the ablest persons 

 (being magistrates of extensive 

 jurisdictions) amongst the Cor- 

 respondents, whose letters are 

 the basis of this general result : 

 but the Board cannot forbear 

 making one observation, as it 

 may be extremely important to 

 the future state of the country, 

 when it is considered that the 

 tracts absolutely uncultivated are 

 of considerable extent, and that a 

 great number of farms are thrown 

 upon the landlords' hands in a 

 period when it must of necessity 

 be extremely inconvenient to at- 

 tempt their cultivation, in many 



cases heavily burthensome, and 

 in some ruinous ; it must be evi- 

 dent, that the management of 

 these farms may probably be so 

 very imperfect, as to occasion a 

 great defalcation in the produce 

 of corn. Of the same tendency 

 is another circumstance mention- 

 ed in the letters, the preparation 

 for the next crop of wheat being 

 extremely deficient. It may also 

 be observed, that among the cir- 

 cumstances mentioned in reply to 

 the Fourth Query, is that of a 

 very general neglect of all pur- 

 chased manures, together with 

 a discharge of labourers formerly 

 employed, to an amount that must 

 considerably affect the future cul- 

 tivation of the soil. These points, 

 if duly considered, may afford no 

 slight reason for aj)prehendiiig 

 a considerable declension in the 

 amount of future productions ; 

 and should such an effect an'ive, 

 it may come at a time in which 

 tlie pressuie will be more severely 

 felt. 



CHARACTERS. 



