FARMERS' REGISTER— LEGISLATION FOR AGRICULTURE. 



711 



the same kind, and will henceforth adopt that jilan in 

 the receipt lists, in ho{)es that it may possibly lead to 

 the detection of the thieves. One has recently been 

 discovered (an assistant) in the post office at Cumber- 

 land Court House. But he is not the only one who 

 has lately been engaged in such business, as letters 

 containing money have been lost through other routes. 



We are content to incur the risk of these and other 

 losses by mail — but hereafter subscribers remitting 

 money must comply with the published conditions up- 

 on which that risk was assumed, viz: that evidence be 

 furnished by a posiinasfer's certificate, or otherwise, of 

 the committing the letter and money to the mail. As rea- 

 sonable and necessary as tliis requisition manifestly 

 is, it has seldcm been complied with — and we have, 

 (notwithstanding the omission) given credit for every al- 

 leged transmission that failed to arrive, upon the simple 

 and general statement of the subscriber. But though 

 not doubling any of these statements, it is evident 

 that such procedure subjects us to the danger of im- 

 position and also jircvents the possibility of establish- 

 ing the fact of the theft, and tracing it to the olfendor. 

 We therefore shall hereafter admit no payment of mo- 

 ney lost or stolen, without the proper evidence and 

 date of the mailing— and it will also be more safe, and 

 serve better the ends of justice, if each remitter of 

 subscriptions by mail wiU keep a memorandum not on- 

 ly of the date of his letter, but also of the description of 

 the notes enclosed. For want of this means for iden- 

 tifying some of our money which has probably been 

 found in the possession of this public officer in Cum- 

 berland, it will go as part of the fee to his lawyers for 

 defending him, instead of to its owner. 



It is also requested of subscribers who transmit mo- 

 ney by mail to enclose it more carefully, as it is fre- 

 quently done in such a manner as to expose the notes 

 contained to both the eyes and fingers of any who ma)'- 

 handle the letters, and thus unnecessarily to tempt to 

 thefts. 



There is one means, which if used, would prevent 

 nearly all these thefts which are now so often commit- 

 ted in post offices. ■ In every case of the kind, the 

 postmaster who employed the thief, (however respec- 

 table or honorable the employer may be,) should be 

 displaced — and also be made liable for the money pro- 

 ved to be stolen by his assistant. This would render 

 postmasters as careful of the characters of their assis- 

 tants, as merchants are of their's. As it is, assistants 

 are trusted with the mails who would not be trusted 

 by their employers with their own "untold money" — 

 and even the postmasters themselves, of very many 

 small offices, are men of small pretensions to charac- 

 ter or responsibility. This state of things is a great 

 evil, which surely needs correction, both from the go- 

 vernment, and from from every individual citizen who 

 knows any of the existing abuses. 



THE RECENT ENACTMENTS OF THE LEGIS- 

 LATURE OF VIRGINIA, AFFECTING THE IN- 

 TERESTS OF AGRICULTURE. 



The General Assembly which adjourned tlie last 

 month has done soniething for the promotion of agri- 

 cultural interests — not much it is true — but let us be 

 thankful for even small favors, as they exhibit a mark- 



ed departure from the previous regardless and deny- 

 ing course of our state government (the only govern- 

 ment to which we look for aid, or acknowledge as 

 having the right to act — ) in every thing relating to 

 this great interest of Virginia. These acts, therefore, 

 deserve especial notice, not only for their actual 

 worth, but as indications of greater benefits and more 

 enlightened and equitable treatment, to be expected 

 hereafter. 



Three several acts have been passed in conformity 

 witli petitions presented, declaring certain navigable ri- 

 v^ers and creeks to be lawful enclosures. One is for 

 Willis' River, anotiier for the Upper James River, and 

 the third conforms fully to the petition published 

 in this work at page 450, Vol. II. which asked that the 

 navigable tide-waters of James River and its tributa- 

 ries should be deemed lawful enclosures. This act 

 will be published hereafter. Another most important 

 boon to the landed interests, and to science, has been 

 granted in the act authorizing the commencement of a 

 geological survey of Virginia, which, with the report 

 on which it is founded, have been inserted in this No. 

 The full and interesting statements of that report leave 

 nothing to be said of the advantages to agriculture and 

 to the commonwealth, that may be expected from the 

 fulfilment of its object. We will dismiss the sub- 

 ject, with merely congratulating our readers on the 

 adoption of a measure which has been strongly urged 

 in this journal from its commencement — and with the 

 expression of the hope that the execution of the work 

 may be committed to one who is worthy of the 

 charge. 



The three acts making certain rivers kiwful enclo- 

 sures, are highly important in themselves, as affording 

 extensive relief from the operation of our abominable 

 general law of enclosures — and still more so, as steps, 

 advancing slowly but surely, to the general adoption of 

 the same system of justice and good policy. Zeal- 

 ous as we are, and long have been, for the overthrow 

 of the present law of enclosures, we are free to admit 

 that this mode of reaching that end, in connexion with 

 enlightening the public mind on the subject, is better 

 than a sudden and entire change of policy, before the 

 proper change of opinion, and removal of prejudice, are 

 produced. With these views, we cannot object (at 

 this time) to the conclusion to which the Committee of 

 Agriculture and Manufactures arrived, (and which 

 was sustained by the legislature,) in recommending the 

 rejection of the petition for a change of the general 

 law of enclosures. But at the same time, we must 

 protest against the miserable and false reasoning by 

 which they reached that conclusion, and which is wor- 

 thy only of court-yard and grog-pen demagogues, ad- 

 dressing themselves to the ignorance of those whom 

 they flatter, despise, and betray. This report will be 

 presented below entire. A "committee of agriculture" 

 that deserved to be so named, would be of the most im- 

 portant use — and the members who composed it would 

 have an opportunity of rendering the mostdistinguislied 

 services to agriculture, and their country. But if this 

 committee, in the six or eight years of its existence, 

 has ever done its country or agriculture the least good, 

 or has drawn to its members the least honor, we have 

 yet to learn the facts. 



