236 Government, Laws, [Part II. 



exceedingly shocked ; but was glad, at any rate to know 

 the truth. 



430. When I was, last winter, in the neighbourhood 

 of Harrisburgh in Pennsylvania, I saw some hap' 

 planters. They grow prodigious quantities of hops. 

 They are obliged to put their hills so wide a part, thit 

 they can have only four hundred hills upon an acre.; 

 and yet they grow three thousand pounds of hops upon 

 an acre, with no mannre and with once ploughing in the 

 year. When I told them about the price of hops in 

 England and about the difficulty of raising them, they 

 were greatly surprised ; but, what was their astonish> 

 ment, when 1 told them about the hop-poles of Cra.l- 

 CRAFT at Curbridge ! The hop is naturally a weed in 

 England as Avell as in America. Two or three vines 

 had come up out of Chalcraft's garden hedge, a few 

 years ago. Chalcraft put poles to them ; and, there 

 might be a pound or two of hops on these poles. Just 

 before the time of gathering, one of the spies called 

 Excisemen called on Chalcraft and asked him why he 

 did not enter his hops. Chalcraft did not understand ; 

 but, answered, he meant to take them in shortly, though 

 he did not think they were yet quite ripe. " Aye," 

 said the Exciseman, " but I mean, when do you mean 

 " to enter them at the excise office?" Chalcraft did not 

 know (not living in a hop-country,) that he had already 

 incurred a penalty for not reporting to the tyrants that 

 he had hops growing in his garden hedge ! He did not 

 know, that he could not gather them and put them by 

 without giving notice, under a penalty of Jifty founds. 

 He did not know, that he could not receive this little 

 gift of God without paying money to the Boroughmongers 

 in the shape of tax ; and, to the Parson in the shape of 

 tithe, or, to give a tenth of the hops to the Parson, and 

 not dare pick a single hop till he had sent notice to the 

 Parson! What he did, upon this occasion, I have for- 

 gotteh ; but, it is Ukely that he let the hops stand and 

 tot, or cut them down and flung them away as weeds. 

 Now, poor^en in England are told to be content with 

 rags and hungry bellies, for that is their lot ; that " it 

 " has pleased Divine Providence to place them in that 

 ** state." But, here h a striking instance of the false 



