G L O S T E R. 221 



prejudicial. RefpecYmg the labour of a farm, 

 the ftanding bufinefs is done by cottars ; a 

 cottar is one who has a cabbin, and an acre 

 and a half of garden, charged at 303. and th'e 

 grafs of one or two cows, at 255. each, and the 

 daily pay 6d. the year through, the account 

 being kept by tallies, and thofe charges deduct- 

 ed ; the year's labour amounts to about 61. af- 

 ter the cottar's time for his potatoes and turf 

 is deducted ; the remaining 403. is paid in mo- 

 ney, hay, or any thing elfe the man wants. 

 The cows are fed by a field being affigned for 

 all the cottars of the Farm. No inftance of a 

 cottar without a cow. The calves they rear 

 till half a year old, and then fell them at j 2s. 

 to 2os. which will pay for the cow's hay. They 

 keep no fheep, but every cabbin has a pig, a 

 dog, and fome poultry. No difference in their 

 circumftances for the laft fifteen years. It is 

 here thought that it would be very difficult to 

 nurfe up a race of little farmers from the cot- 

 tars, by adding land gradually to them at a 

 fair rent ; it would be alfo very difficult, if not 

 impoffible, to cut off the cottars from a farm; 

 nobody would be troubled with fuch tenants, 

 and no farmer would hire a farm with the poor 

 on it independant of him, their cattle and all 

 their property would be in conftant danger; 

 as the kingdom iircreafes in profperity, fuch 

 ideas it is to be hoped will vanifh. Their food 

 is potatoes and milk for ten months, and po- 

 tatoes and fait the remaining two; they have 

 however a little butter. They fell their pig, 

 their c,alf, and their poultry, nor do they buy 



meat 



