8 



yield at the average prices of oak bark for some 

 years past, the sum of L.400,000 sterling, and its 

 manufacture would employ from April to Septem- 

 ber, 20,000 labourers at least, and 5,000 con- 

 stantly throughout the whole year." 



We do not perceive, for our own parts, that there 

 exists any good or formidable objection to the 

 practicability of this plan, except that which arises 

 from the large outlay that would be required, in 

 the first instance, on the part of Government. 

 This, however, is a difficulty which belongs, at 

 least in an equal degree, to every other method 

 which have been proposed for giving employment 

 to our surplus population. The most magnificent 

 of all the devices that have been suggested for this 

 purpose, that of Colonization, cannot be effected 

 without a national expenditure of alarming magni- 

 tude. Lord Elgin's Trenching system, again, 

 which we noticed a few weeks ago, proceeds in 

 the like manner upon the supposition of a public 

 contribution — the benefit of which, however, are, 

 in that case, to go to the paupers and the landed 

 proprietors of the country exclusively. Last of 

 all, Mr. Lindsay's scheme for recovering land from 

 the sea, and in that way as it were enlarging the 

 territory and augmenting the resources of the king- 

 dom, can, no more than that of any of his brother 

 projectors, be carried into execution without im- 

 mediate and considerable outlay. The final ob- 

 ject contemplated by each of the experiments pro- 

 posed may be ample and sure remuneration ; but 

 all of them begin by a demand upon us for heavy 



