184 . . I Assembly 



quarter of what it is here, and they can do it much cheaper than 

 we can. In addition they have at this time and they begin to 

 feel it most sorely the consequences of tlie/ree trade system bear- 

 ing upon them, this gives double weiglit to their burthens. The 

 products of their soil have been reduced by it nearly one half in 

 value by free admission of all similar articles from every country 

 in the world, free of duty. 



Every agricultural periodical that reaches us at this time con- 

 tains bitter complaints against the free trade system ; it presses, 

 these say very hard upon the farming interest of Great Britain, it 

 has only commenced ; as it progresses and increases in years, it 

 must in weiglit, and will, if continued, finally weigh them down, 

 and they must be crushed under it. In eloquent and forcible 

 language, these say, the farmers cannot go on improving their 

 farms as they have done, no increased production arising from 

 such improvements, will remunerate them for their outlays at 

 the present price of their products. In these, in a great degree, 

 they must stop. In underdraining, which is the most expensive, 

 and so essential for the amelioration of the British soil they must 

 necessarily cease. It is the continual progress of Great Britain 

 in all these, for more than fifty years that has made her soil a 

 garden ; the abundance of its products, and their richness and 

 beauty the admiration of the world, all must be suddenly 

 checked, if not entirely stopped, to give the visionary system of 

 free trade a trial. Let it be so, they say, as long as the law exists 

 it must be obf;yed, that existence they predict though, will be 

 short, yet it may be too long for the speedy reparation of the 

 serious injury it is sure to cause. There is a new plan lately 

 announced in England for underdraining by means of the plow 

 plain drain, which it is said will diminish the cost nearly one 

 half. This, if true, is important for Great Britain at this time, 

 when the free trade laws are in full operation, she may go on 

 perhaps with her underdrained portion of improvements, and not 

 stop there. Although the plan is spoken favorably of as practi- 

 cal, time and experiments with it are necessary to establish its 

 character, and bring it into general use. This, if true, would 

 help our American advocates of underdraining, they could then 



