TRAVELS THROUGH 

 converfations of the moft agreeable nature 

 to a perfon who was defirous of the infor- 

 mation which I fought for. They made 

 many enquiries of me concerning the agri- 

 culture and rural fyftem of England, in 

 which, I am forry to fay, I could not fatisfy 

 them fo well as I wifhed to have dorfe. In 

 feveral of our converfations, they gave me 

 the following particulars of the French 

 hufbandry, which, I think, well tfeferves 

 the attention of the reader: 



The two great divifions of the hufbandry 

 of France are into the great and the fmall 

 culture j the former is characterised by the 

 ufe of horfes in tillage, and the latter by 

 that of oxen. They are farther diftinguifhed 

 by the land on the former being let on leafe 

 to farmers in the Englifh manner; and in 

 the latter, managed by peafants, who find 

 nothing but labour, and the landlord of the 

 farm finds the cattle, flock, and all other 

 expences. Here, however, is an obfcurity 

 Which they did not, nor would they fuffi- 

 ciently explain ; for I could not divine what 

 connection there was between thefe modes 

 of management, and the circumftance of 

 cultivating with oxen and horfes ; for, fince 



the 



