t 130 j 



This is not the only improvement, for by the addition of such a 

 quantity of rich, and productive grass land, the upland inclosures, 

 and common fields maybe greatly advanced in value. In short, h 

 is difficult to point cut all the benefits likely to accrue from this 

 grand, but arduous undertaking;' beside, though the original value 

 of the moor per acre is stated to be ten shillings, this is done merely 

 with a view to give the arguments against the inclosure the greatest 

 weight ; and perhaps it would have been more just, to have stated 

 its value at five shillings per acre, or even less than that, for a right 

 of stocking could be rented for half a guinea per year. 



Nor is the improved value at all exaggerated. On the contrary, 

 I am confident it will exceed thirty shillings per acre ; for even in 

 this dry summer, three tons of hay per acre have been cut on xn^ 

 closed lands adjoining, or near the moor, the soil of which lands 

 is in no respect better than that of the moor. 



Beside King's Sedgmoor, there are other similar tracts of land 

 on the adjacent rivers Tone, and Yeo, on which no improvement 

 has yet been attempted ; namely Normoor, near North Petherton, 

 Stanmoor, Currymoor, West Sedgmoor, &c. near North Curry, 

 West Moor, near Kingsbury, Wet Moor, near Muchelny, amount- 

 ing in the whole to about ten thousand acres, independent of many 

 thousand acres of low flooded inclosed lands, which might be 

 greatly improved by judicious* draining. 



These lands are for the most part far superior in their quality to 

 King Sedgmoor ; and the example now set before them, will, I 

 trust, remove the mist from the proprietors eyes, and make them 

 see in a true light their own, and the public interest. 



Since writing the above, I hear to my astonishment, that at a 

 meeting held a few days since at Borough Bridge, for the purpose 

 of taking into consideration the inclosing, and draining of Stan- 

 moor and Currymoor, the same was objected to by the agents of 

 Lady Chatham and Mr. Portman, and by Mr, Brickdale and other 

 proprietors in person. 



These lands would fairly be worth forty shillings per acre the 

 moment they- were drained and divided ; and if taken from the te- 

 nants, the original estates would not be reduced in their annual 

 value one farthing. But on this subject, I have before enlarged 



very 



