288 Memoir of Arthur Young, Esq. 



that adorned the several provinces through which he passed, so 

 that, while the internal economy of the earth formed the basis 

 of his works, its external ornaments may be said to have fur- 

 sished the materials for their embellishment. In the opinion 

 of some cotemporary critics, this was considered as an ob- 

 jectionable part of the composition — it was denounced as a light, 

 flimsy style, unworthy of the grave and important features with 

 which it ought to harmonize. I protest against the sentence of 

 so churlish a tribunal. Surely the philosopher who raises a 

 solid temple to the genius of cultivation, may entwine its pillars 

 with flowers, without interfering with the utility of the structure, 

 or the simplicity of its design. But what can afford a higher 

 testimony of the intrinsic worth of these works, than the avidity 

 with which they have been received ? Foreign nations, in 

 common with England, have felt their political importance, for 

 they have appeared in almost every language of Europe; and, 

 by the express command of the Empress Catherine of Russia, 

 they were translated into the language of that country, for the 

 purpose of diffusing a knowledge of practical agriculture, and 

 of encouraging a spirit of enlightened industry over the almost 

 boundless territories of her mighty empire. His " Rural 

 Economy," appeared in 1770, and in the same year was pub- 

 lished, in two volumes, quarto, his " Course of Experimental 

 Agriculture" dedicated to the Marquis of Rockingham, " con- 

 taining an exact register of all the business transacted during 

 Jive years, on nearly 300 acres of various soils ; tlie whole de- 

 monstrated in 2,000 original experiments." In this work there 

 is certainly much to praise, but, at the same time, much to re- 

 prehend : Mr. Young was truly sensible of its faults, and con- 

 stantly expressed his regret at having so hastily published it, 

 and, in his latter years, he made a point of destroying every 

 copy that he could get into his possession. The merits of the 

 work may be said to consist in his efforts to ascertain the real 

 and comparative utility of the broadcast and drill husbandry ; 

 in the demonstrations which he produces to prove, that a much 

 greater quantity of seed than that which modern writers usually 

 prescribe, is in most instances necessary ; — in his advice re- 



