Tin: LAW AND n >MM \ I-KIM< K;I \i it RK 367 



prevent its Ix-iiu d with buildings, or because it lies 



niently for his own agricultural designs, or because he 



nd his influence in the county ; for one or all of 



which reasons it h more to him than to any one else. 



known in some parts of the country that it is u: 



to bid against the g: il lord of the district, whose 



acted to buy up all properties for sale, regardless 



\pense. In other parts of the country, men who have 



rtunes in trade are equally covetous of land, which 



for them is the one sure passport to social consideration, and 



equal- us to keep it together by entails. Thus by the 



ion of supply and demand large estates are per- 



-.vallowing up small i while, by a suspension of 



that operation through the law and custom of primogeniture, 



are themselves preserved, to a great extent, from disso- 



lution. On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that a 



counter-tendency, no less natural and legitimate, partly n< 



ises this gravitation of smaller towards larger aggregates of 



land. The enormous rise in the value of all sites within easy 



of great towns sometimes offers to great landowners an 



inducement to sell which they cannot resist. In this 



the ]*wers of mentioned, distant and de- 



tached portions of great i re frequently passing in 



- into the hands of new lamlloi rally of the 



can tile class, or are bought up by land-jobbers and sold, in 

 retired ; At the sa:: . the 



:\ of minute pi 



Kite by the agency < Id land soci 



:Mished f.i- political Objects, and \\ould dou: 

 1 to a much gn nt but for the exorbitance of law- 



;-ges on small pu: 

 In default of auth. : :ics. the loosest and vaguest 



ere long cut; ion of i> 



ship caused by these divergent tendencies. It was confidently 

 : instance, that, whereas in the : the last 



2OO.OO 

 d amon^' no in.. it- than |O,OOO, No 



