140 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



and all records of the time, prove the progressive decline 

 of French agriculture. England, on the contrary, which, 

 under the Stuarts, did not produce enough for its own 

 wants, became a hundred years later the granary of 

 Europe. Although she had to feed twice the amount of 

 population, and this population living much better than 

 before, she sold to foreigners five hundred thousand to 

 one million quarters of corn, which is enormous, consider- 

 ing the means of transport at that period. It is calcu- 

 lated that during the last half of the eighteenth century 

 England sold to her neighbours, and especially to France, 

 one milliard of francs (40,000,000) worth of cereals. 



What a prosperous state of things this for her, and 

 for us how much the reverse during that fatal period ! 

 In the first place, the terrible War of the Succession, the 

 cruel defeats of Blenheim, Kamillies, and Malplaquet, the 

 very existence of France jeopardised, and saved as if by 

 miracle at Denain ; then the Seven Years' War, more dis- 

 astrous still, the defeat of Kosbach, the loss of our fleets 

 and colonies, the ministry of Lord Chatham raising upon 

 our ruins the glory of his own country ; the credit of the 

 British nation founded upon a long series of success, ours 

 destroyed by the extortions of tyrants, and the mad Mis- 

 sissippi Scheme. The English people, happy and proud of 

 their government, becoming more and more attached to it, 

 and confidently applying themselves to labour, under pro- 

 tection of its laws and its victories ; ours, ruined, humili- 

 ated, oppressed, renouncing useful occupations, the pro- 

 fits of which were absorbed by the exchequer, and feel- 

 ing only hatred and contempt for its rulers. 



Agriculture, like manufactures, requires especially secu- 

 rity and freedom. Of all the evils which can come upon 

 it. none is more fatal than a bad government. Eevolu- 

 tions and wars afford it some respite, but bad government 



