INTRODUCTION xxxix 



and agricultural products were becoming less profitable, not only 

 because of the reduction in the prices caused by the recent tariff, 

 but in consequence of the alarm of the producers, who seemed 

 unable to bestir themselves to meet the competition which they 

 dreaded from foreign grain. In 1842 the question of the remis- 

 sion of the tax on foreign corn had been agitated with the utmost 

 earnestness. The opposition was violent and continuous, but 

 the necessity of relief from the tax on corn was emphasized by 

 events and the sufferings of the poorer population and the dis- 

 orders to which want gave rise. The Corn Importation Bill, 

 as it was called, was carried through the House of Commons by 

 large majorities, and finally passed the House of Lords on June 

 25, 1846. 



After the repeal of the Corn Laws and the induction of free 

 trade, the landlords, farmers, small-holders, and labourers rode 

 fairly comfortably for a time on the ebbing tide of prosperity 

 that may be said to have reached its flow in 1845, especially as 

 regarded the vested interests of landlords. The improvements 

 they had effected on their estates in the early part of the century 

 were bringing forth good fruit higher rents, more game for sport 

 and profit. The farmer and small-holder were in relatively affluent 

 circumstances, and labourers, especially those employed on estates, 

 were well off, having gardens and allotments ; but not a few work- 

 ing on farms were hard-set to live, being often themselves and 

 families hungred, ill-clad and badly shod. 



The landlords, despite of free trade, did not lose heart, but 

 continued the improvement of their estates, not a few having 

 recourse to loans for effecting the under-draining of land, deepen- 

 ing and straightening water-courses, stubbing old and making 

 new fences, reconstructing homesteads and adding to outbuild- 

 ings for machinery and storage, and for housing and feeding 

 cattle. The small-holders, however, rarely partook of the land- 

 lord's improvements, and labourers were not given work regularly, 

 only those connected with horses and cattle finding constant 

 employment. Many of the more thrifty, healthy, energetic and 

 handy emigrated to the United States and British Colonies, and 

 not a few small-holders and small farmers ceased struggling and 

 with their families migrated to towns, already augmented by 

 influx of strong healthy labourers from the country, in order to 

 obtain work constantly and at higher wages. At this neither 

 the landlords nor farmers took fright the small holdings could 

 easily be added to adjoining farms, and the small farms merged 

 by large, while the dwellings, if taking in sites and with young 

 orchards coming into profit, with a paddock adjoining, could 

 readily be let to a tenant of independent means at a rent equal 

 to, if not higher, than that previously had for the small holding. 

 Even if a new house had to be erected in place of the tumbledown 



