Cultivation of Waste Lands, 705 



" In proportion as any country possesses extensively and finely cultivated 

 land, it holds the basis of all real wealth. The abundance of wholesome 

 food for the people is the best security of their allegiance and their content. 

 Comfort is the greatest anti-radical principle in Europe. You may trace its 

 operation on all the rats of distinguished life. Let the powers that be duly 

 consider the admirable properties of this specific, which never fails them 

 among the comparatively great ; and weigh well the advantages of adminis' 

 tering a larger proportion of it to the middle and lower classes. They would 

 soon find their account in such a policy." 



" A general enclosure act, under the advantages which we have named, 

 would give seventy thousand additional yeomen and farmers to the state ; 

 there would be a general break up of unprofitable speculations in commerce ; 

 and men of capital would take their own workmen from the unprofitable 

 loom to the remunerative plough." 



The fact noticed in the above communication, that the emigration to 

 other countries, which is at present going on, is one of " industry and ca- 

 pital " instead of " poverty and idleness," is of some importance ; but, as it 

 appears to us, nothing like so great as the writer seems to imagine. Till 

 the price of transport be so reduced as to come within the means of all, 

 or till experience has rendered emigration unattended with difficulty, in 

 even the humblest labourer, the good which will result from it will cer- 

 tainly be much less than it otherwise would be ; but we must not forget 

 to take into account the demand which the capital thus carried abroad 

 will create there for British manufactures. It might even, we think, be 

 argued, that this capital will do more good to Britain, when employed in her 

 colonies, than when employed at home, more particularly if commerce, and 

 especially that in corn, were free, so as to render our manufoctures suffi- 

 ciently cheap to meet the competition of other countries, now manufactur- 

 ing as well as we, and rapidly accumulating capital. 



It is not very likely that the landlords of the country will voluntarily 

 consent to a measure, which, if brought fully into operation, will reduce 

 their rentals one half j but they may possibly be compelled to do it. In the 

 mean time the poor now out of employment would be benefited by passing 

 a general enclosure act, and taking all tithes and taxes for 20 years from 

 portions of land not exceeding 5 acres, and dwelling-houses and offices not 

 exceeding five rooms, and a two-stalled cow-house with the usual appen- 

 dages. This would at once bring a very considerable capital into activity, 

 and the produce of the soil, being chiefly consumed by the occupiers and 

 their families, would not have much eifect in lowering the rentals of lands 

 now in cultivation. The objection to the plan by political economists will 

 be, that the cottagers so settled, by bringing up large families, will greatly 

 aggravate the existing evil at some futui-e day ; but in answer to this we 

 would say, raise the taste of the children of these cottagers by a high degree 

 of education, and if this will not prevent the evil, it is certain it will do all 

 to alleviate it which human government can do. An overflowing educated 

 population must, at all events, be less dangerous than an overflowing 

 ignorant population. 



But the principal object that we have in view, in noticing this suggestion 

 for a general enclosure act, is, to propose that if any such act should 

 be passed there should be a clause in it providing for breathing places 

 round all towns and villages, of extent in proportion to their population ; 

 another for allotting workhouse gardens to parishes, also in proportion to 

 their population ; and a third for gardens to Parochial Institutions. Were 

 the common to be enclosed not situated near the town, village, or work- 

 house, the allotments ought still to be made; because opportunities of 

 exchanging such allotments for others more conveniently situated to the 

 village, the workhouse, or the Parochial Institution, might afterwards occur. 



Vol. v. — No. 23. z z 



