48 The Landed Interest. 



among them that adhesiveness to the soil which 

 for generations has more bound the EngHsh 

 labourer than the owner of the land to the 

 parish of his birth ; the man of most ancient 

 known descent being in very many cases the 

 labourer. The process is a wholesome one so 

 long as the command to multiply and replenish 

 the earth has not been fulfilled. And the 

 general rise of wages among the labouring 

 classes both in town and country, with the 

 diminution of pauperism, in the last five years, 

 would seem to be a satisfactory proof that there 

 is still room in this country, and no need to 

 check the growth of population. 

 Checked Such a check, however, took place in Ireland 



in IrelanJ, 



by potato at the time of the potato famine in 1846. The 



famine in 



1846. Its population was then eight millions and a half. 



results. 



Within five years it had fallen to six millions 

 and a half, nearly one-fourth of the people 

 having either emigrated or died. The deaths 

 from fever and famine had ceased in 1850, 

 but the emigration continued, partly to Great 

 Britain and the colonies, but chiefly to the 

 United States. The population had fallen in 



