THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. 203 



argillaceous nature of its soil. In former times this part 

 of the country was covered with dense forests, as indicated 

 by its name, which signifies wood. It was here that the 

 once extensive forest of Andraswald grew, where Sige- 

 bert king of Wessex was slain by a swine-herd. The 

 Weald is still famed at the present day for the number 

 of fine trees which it produces. It is divided into farms 

 of from fifty to two hundred acres, rented at from 5s. to 

 15s. per acre, but even at these rates most of the far- 

 mers cannot make it pay. Generally speaking, they are 

 men without capital, and as ignorant as they are poor ; 

 before the low prices, they had scarcely anything to live 

 upon, and now they are extremely ill off. Wherever 

 rents are high in England, farmers are better off than 

 where they are low ; poverty and inferiority seem to 

 league themselves together in the one case, and success 

 with wealth in the other. 



Improved implements are little known in the Weald ; 

 thrashing with the flail is still practised there. This is 

 the only part of England, too, where they still employ 

 oxen for tillage. These animals, which are strong and 

 of a large size, are a contrast to the other national 

 breeds ; and the cows, as is the case with all working 

 races, are bad milkers. In passing through the Weald, 

 one might fancy they were in one of our second-rate 

 provinces. 



The Duke of Eichmond, who is one of the largest 

 landed proprietors in England, and who pays a good deal 

 of attention to agriculture, has his principal seat Good- 

 wood in Sussex. He was one of the leaders of the 

 crusade against Free Trade. 



It is evident that the Weald cannot remain in its pre- 

 sent state. To use the expression of Sir Kobert Peel, no- 

 where is a large infusion of capital more necessary : but 



