ITS LESSONS AND ITS WARNINGS 57 



mittee on " Inclosure and Regulation of Com- 

 mons," Mr. E. P. Leach, of the Board of 

 Agriculture, states that of the 2 million acres of 

 unenclosed land in England and Wales 800,000 

 acres, or an area nearly equal to that of the 

 county of Kent, could be brought into profitable 

 cultivation. 1 



SCOTLAND 



Perhaps the most remarkable report oi; all is 

 that of the Royal Commission appointed in 

 1892 to examine and to report on the question 

 of the waste lands of the " Islands and Highlands 

 of Scotland." 



The report of the Commission was a splendid 

 one, both as to form and matter. No less than 

 1,782,785 acres were scheduled as suitable for 

 " new holdings," for " extension of existing 

 holdings," or for " moderate-sized farms." 2 



Putting the rateable value of the reclaimed land at the low 

 rate of 1 an acre, the annual amount receivable for the 

 relief of the county rate would be 2400. 



1 Report of the Select Committee on " Inclosure and 

 Regulation of Commons," Cd. 512 and 83. 



2 For report and evidence, see Cd. 7681, Cd. 7668, 1895. 

 This Commission was one of the strongest ever appointed 

 for any purpose. The members were all experts. The 

 powers conferred on them, and their three years' exhaustive 



