PACKENHAM. 67 



leafes for life ? None ; but much good in ani- 

 mating their induftry. It is impoffible thai 

 the profperity of a nation fbould have its na- 

 tural progrefs, where four fifths of the people 

 are cut off from thofe advantages which are 

 heaped upon the domineering ariftocracy of 

 the fmall remainder. 



In converfation with Lord Longford Tmade 

 many enquiries concerning the ftate of the 

 lower claffes, and found that in fome refpe&s 

 they were in good circumftances, in others in- 

 different ; they have, generally fpeaking, fuch 

 plenty of potatoes, as always to command a 

 bellyful; they have flax enough for ail their 

 linen, moft of them have a cow and fome 

 two, and fpin wool enough for their cloaths ; 

 all a pig, and numbers of poultry, and in ge- 

 neral the complete family of cows, calves, 

 hogs, poultry, and children, pig together in 

 the cabbin ; fuel they have in the utmoft plen- 

 ty; great numbers of families are alfo fup- 

 ported by the neighbouring lakes which abound 

 prodigioufly with fifh ; a child with a pack- 

 thread and a crooked pin, will catch perch 

 enough in an hour for the family to live on 

 the whole day, and his Lordfhip has feen 500 

 children fifhing at the fame time, there being 

 no tenacioufnefs in the proprietors of the lands 

 about a right to the fifh ; befides perch, there 

 is pike upwards of five feet long, bream, 

 tench, trout of iolb. and as red as a falmon, 

 and fine eels ; all thefe are favourable circum- 

 ftances, and are very confpicuous in the nu- 

 merous and healthy families among them. 



F 2 Reverfe 



