Domestic Notices ; -^ England. 223 



arrangements could not be made for establishing a zoological garden, in 

 connection with the botanic garden. It seemed to be the impression of 

 the meeting that this object was highly desirable, {Liverpool Times, 

 January, 1831. 



Mr. Hitchen's Collection of succulent Plants at Norwich. — This is one 

 of the most extensive in England. It contains 25 species of Melocactus, 

 chiefly imported plants from Mexico, 100 species or varieties of Stapelfa; 

 240 of J'loe; 80 Melocacti; 70 Cerei; 50 Opiintise; 12 Epiphylla; 

 20 Ew^horhicB ; besides Rhipsalis, jSempervivum, Rulingza, Yiicca, Crassula, 

 Cacalia, Agave, &c. — W. Norwich, Dec. 1830. 



Divisional System of Occupation. — At Linfield, in Sussex, this system 

 has been tried, with the happiest results, by the celebrated philanthropist 

 William Allen. Sixteen cottages for labourers are now built there, with 

 an acre and a quarter of land to each ; and there are also six farms of from 

 live to six acres each, and a house on each for the occupier. The tenants, 

 if moneyless, but of good moral habits, can have any thing they wish for, 

 as a cow, pig, &c., on condition of their paying interest for the purchase- 

 money until they can repay it. Schools of industry are established at 

 Linfield, trades are taught, and in short, the establishment is a scene of the 

 highest possible interest. Mr. Allen prints there a little book called The 

 Pliilanthropic Magazine; and, in a late number, an extract from the author 

 of the Peasant's Voice occurs, dated Nov. 15. 1830. " The quantity of 

 land let to labourers at Waterbeach is this year increased to 40 acres, an 

 acre to each person. During eight years that the labourers have been in 

 possession of their respective half acres, not one shilling has been lost in 

 rent ; the land is very much improved, and not one of the occupiers has 

 been guilty of a breach of the public peace, nor of injuring the property 

 of his neighbour. They have collectively, at this time, probably not less 

 than 1000 bushels of potatoes covered up in their respective allotments in 

 the open field, for consumption during winter; yet these are all as safe as 

 if under lock and key. One of the occupiers, this year, grew as fine onions 

 on a portion of his half acre as I have seen this season. Onions are scarce, 

 and a tempting object to those who have not the means of purchasing ; yet 

 they were safe. I took four of them to the last show of the Cambridge 

 Horticultural Society, which obtained for the grower a cottager's prize. 

 Let a man, by his own industry, raise property he can call his own, and he 

 will respect that of his neighbour. Had the system you advocate and^rac- 

 tise been more generally acted upon, we should not have heard of the dis- 

 turbances in Kent : the farmer might have slept in quiet ; and a patrol and 

 an armed yeomanry would have been unnecessary. But a patrol and an 

 armed yeomanry will not allay discontent; they will not fill hungry bellies ; 

 they can do nothing but irritate an industrious, and therefore valuable, 

 portion of the communit}^ made desperate because they have not the 

 means of making themselves and families comfortable by their labour. The 

 cause you advocate must be attended to ; the size of farms must be reduced ; 

 the labourer must become an occupier of a portion of the soil, or farewell 

 to the peace, happiness, and prosperity of the country." — R. S. March, 

 1831. 



Linfield has lately been visited by our esteemed friend, Mr. Denson, 

 sen.*, the author of the Peasants Voice, who called on us on his return. 

 His highly impressive and affecting description of the infant schools deter- 

 mined us to take an early opportunity of examining them for ourselves. 

 Of all mode?rn schools^ those for infants are to us by far the most in- 



* See his paper on Scolytus, in the Magazine of Natural History, 

 Vol. IV. p. 152. 



