74 Additional Information. 



25. a day and their meat ; and even at that excessive rate sufficiency of hands 

 cannot be procured to do the business of the country, so completely is it drained 

 of hands, though every means are taken of diminishing the labour of the farm, and 

 works of distant advantage and of mere ornament are given up. Men this winter 

 have received wages at that rate, who, fourteen years since, and consequently when 

 they were abler than at this time, worked for icd. a day and their meat, or is, ^d, 

 a day without it. 



With respect to the poor rates, they differ greatly according to local circum- 

 stances, but they cannot be stated at less than double what they were fourteen years 

 since ; in the manufacturing countries, I have heard, that they much exceed double 

 at this time; in the agricultural parts of the country they generally amount to that 

 rate : different degrees of good management in parishes will make them higher or 

 lower, but they may be safely stated at that average. I refer not to what they 

 were three or four years since ; at that time they increased four or five-fold and 

 upwards ; in one instance that I know, ten-fold ; in some places leaving little to 

 the owners of the soil. 



As to the rate of rent what can be stated must be, in a certain degree, conjec- 

 tural, and depend upon the facts that come within a person's own knowledge ; I 

 think near one-half of the property of this county has had no general raisement 

 within fourteen years, because where the tenancy is at will, as is almost universally 

 the case here, a general raisement upon an estate does not take place nearly so 

 often as once in fourteen years. Where raisements have taken place, I have known 

 one as low as 5 per cent, and I know a large estate, which is still low let, that has 

 increased about 75 per cent, within that time ; but in general, estates are not raised 

 at one time more than 30 per cent, and seldom less than 20 per cent. If, therefore, 

 half the estates have not been raised beyond what has taken place on deaths, or 

 unavoidable changes ; and the remaining half may be said to have been raised 

 30 per cent, the average within the last fourteen years may amount to about 

 15 per cent. 



If, then, the occupier of the soil pay double for his labour, double for his poor 

 rates, 15 per cent, more rent, income tax, and assessed taxes, \\hich were not paid 

 fourteen years since ; great sums for the levy of militiamen and the army of reserve, 

 and a great tax for the support of their families ; a great increase in the county 



