158 DISTEIBUTION OF LA.ND 



and occupied was in 1881 tilled by 870,798 agricultural 

 labourers.' 



These conditions may be contrasted with the analysis 

 drawn up by Gregory King,^ the Lancaster Herald, of the 

 population of the country in 1688. King calculated the 

 total nuraber of families at 1,349,586. Of this total 

 number more than three-fourths were directly connected 

 with agriculture, and three-fifths of the agriculturists 

 enjoyed proprietary interests in the soil. The figures of 

 early statisticians cannot be implicitly relied on; but 

 whatever allowance is made for errors, the contrast is 

 startling enough. Up to the commencement of the 

 eighteenth century it was rare to see ' one only master 

 grasp the whole domain.' ^ 



The most marked peculiarity of English land tenure is 

 the small number of landlords, tenants, and labourers. 

 At the present crisis this system has aj)parently collapsed, 

 and failure is not unnaturally commonly attributed to its 

 distinguishing feature. During the past fourteen years dis- 



• In England and Wales, in the reign of Elizabeth, there were three 

 million agriculturists to one million non-agriculturists. In the years 

 of Protection 1801-41 the agriculturists were (1811) 3.5 per cent., 

 (1821) 33 per cent., (1831) 28 per cent., (1841) 22 per cent, of the 

 population. Now barely one-fifth of the population [26 millions, 1881] 

 are engaged in agriculture. In France, in 18.51, the industrial classes 

 numbered 83 per cent, of the total population, and of these 56 per cent, 

 were engaged in agriculture. In 1876 the industrial population had 

 risen to 90 per cent., and 53 per cent, were agriculturists. 



- See Appendix VII. Census Returns, Table 1. 



^ In 1862 M. de Lavergne calculated that in France 37^ million 

 acres were owned by 50,000 owners, whose estates averaged 750 acres ; 

 37| millions by 500,000 owners, whose estates averaged 75 acres ; 37J 

 millions by 5,000,000, who held properties averaging 7^ acres. In other 

 words, one-third of the land was held by 50,000 owners, one-third by 

 500,000, one-third by 5,000,000. The statement is too neat to be 

 absolutely true. But it is remarkably confirmed by the most recent 

 estimates. See Edinhurgh Review (Oct. 1887), 'Rural France.' 



