Experiment for bettering the Labouring Classes. 163 



bettering the condition of the labouring classes (Gard. Mag., 

 vol. ii. p. 19.), it will not, I am confident, be unacceptable to 

 you, or to those of your readers who may think the object con- 

 templated of no ordinary importance, to know the result of 

 the past year's experience, in addition to that of six preceding. 

 But I must first be allowed to express my regret that, notwith- 

 standing the commendation bestowed by you, with (I conceive) 

 so much judgment and justice, on pursuits of this nature, and 

 your invitation of similar communications, so few have been 

 made in the course of a whole year. Grateful as I should 

 personally feel for any hint that would enable me to improve 

 in any one particular of my plan, and much as numerous in- 

 dividuals, and, I will venture to add, society at large, might be 

 benefited thereby, I cannot but hope for and earnestly request, 

 through the medium of your most interesting work, the kind 

 assistance of such of your readers as have it in their power to 

 contribute useful information. That this has not been already 

 more plentifully bestowed, I am gratified, and, as an English- 

 man, proud, to say, is not owing to want of materials, out of 

 which highly interesting facts might be supplied, though I 

 will only now mention the kindred experiments of the Bishop 

 of Bath and Wells, Mr. Estcourt of Wiltshire, and Mr. J. 

 Cropper of Liverpool, correct accounts of which (and from 

 no persons so appropriately as from those benevolent indivi- 

 duals themselves) I trust will, ere long, grace the pages of 

 your work. 



But, to return from what I wish to know, "duly and fully 

 authenticated, to that which has already become the object of 

 actual and personal knowledge, and, whilst I cannot but 

 lament that, owing to an unfortunate misunderstanding be- 

 tween the masters of collieries and their workmen in this 

 immediate neighbourhood, the fair prospect of increase both 

 of houses and inhabitants has been grievously blasted, I 

 rejoice in being able to state that no one circumstance has 

 occurred to undo what has been done; to excite a doubt as to 

 the value of the experiment, or as to its present or future 

 and progressive usefulness. On the whole, there has been an 

 increase in each of the forementioned particulars ; but, that it 

 has not in either respect equalled my expectations, your 

 readers will not be surprised when I state that there is 

 reason to believe that, had all the labourers employed in and 

 about the works in this immediate neighbourhood consented 

 to the reasonable reduction in wages imperiously required by 

 the circumstances of the trade (as many of them would 

 cheerfully have done), in the course of seven weeks' stoppage 



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