'General' Notices: 591 



much upon the alert in a storm or lambing season as can be desired. They 

 mow and make their own hay, and, where coals are difficult to get, also cut 

 and win, or dry, their peat, and carry these home ; the master herd is there- 

 fore frequently allowed a horse. They all contrive to have a patch of land, 

 planted with potatoes, which is the only vegetable, except a few cabbages, 

 they cultivate. 



When amongst some of our herds on the hills adjoining Cheviot, I made 

 enquiries respecting the use of peat as fuel ; I find they all prefer coal when 

 within reach ; they estimate nearly ten loads of peat for one of coal in use, 

 therefore, the expense of carriage and winning, or drying, becomes serious, 

 even at a small sum per load. I find the winning is a tedious process, re- 

 quiring some weeks of dry weather ; in the first stage, if much rain fall, the 

 peats are rendered entirely useless. Might not a powerful press be advan- 

 tageously employed to press the water out, save all the labour of turning, 

 heaping, &c, in drying, and improve the quality of the fuel, by rendering it 

 in substance more like coal ?. Turves are also sometimes used ; but, laying 

 bare a large space of swarth, the practice is objected to by the farmers. To 

 enable you to compare, I may state that our best coal, Shilbottle, is nearly 

 equal to the best Tyne side, and is sold at 5*. for four corves, a two-horse 

 cart-load of about 16 cwt. ; and a family will require about five or six of 

 these in the year ; inferior in proportional quantities. 



As I have said before, there are hands that live in towns and villages who 

 work by the day, or take piece-work in dyking, draining, &c, and hire 

 themselves for a month or two in harvest. When the cottage is in a vil- 

 lage, and in the hands of the farmer, he sublets it for a small sum in money, 

 but stipulates for reapers at low wages ; this enables him to get his corn 

 cut down with ease and expedition by the bondagers. Where a sufficient 

 number of hands cannot be had in this wajr, and when the farm is within 

 reach of a populous village or town, reapers are hired by the day ; but, 

 what is mostly preferred, Irish reapers are hired by the week, victualled 

 and lodged upon the farm. These last work two or three hours more each 

 day, and cut the corn better. 



It has been said that the Northumberland hind is the happiest of labourers, 

 and never feels a bad season. I believe so : his wages are certain, and, with 

 frugality and care, his wife may bring up a large family upon this income. 

 The reverse is sometimes the case; but this is attributed to a bad wife, who 

 wastes the produce of the cow. The bondager certainly rather presses 

 upon the hind when his wife has a young child, and cannot work ; he then 

 hires a girl : but in turnip districts, where they are certain of plenty of 

 working days, turnip-hoeing brings in more money than almost any thing a 

 woman can work at (the low price of manufactured goods having completely 

 broken up all our domestic manufactures). The low wages induce the master 

 to give plenty of work ; and the certainty of having workers always at 

 command induces him to extend the cultivation of crops, which require 

 hand labour, much further than he would otherwise do. The small stock 

 of the hind being always his own, and the cow generally so, makes him pru- 

 dent and careful during single service to save as much of his wages as will 

 set him up for himself. To this, and the fact that the wages of labour are 

 never paid out of the poor's rate, the enviable state of the Northumbrian 

 labourers is, in my opinion, to be attributed. It appears to operate as a pre- 

 ventive check upon population, and beautifully illustrates Mr. Malthus's 

 theory ; or, in the words of Burns, it teaches them to 



" Know, prudent cautious self-control 

 Is wisdom's root." 



They are all anxious to give their children such education as they can 

 command. When they are within the reach of a charity school they thank- 



