xix.] DISTRIBUTION OF LAND IN ENGLAND. 81 



occupation of the labourers who showed most intel- 

 ligence and energy in the cultivation of their allot- 

 ments. Their rise in the social scale might be slow, 

 but it would probably be more lasting than the 

 sudden elevation of a labourer converted, without 

 previous preparation, into a proprietor, who would be 

 exposed to the strong temptation of mortgaging or 

 selling his land. 



