on Industry and Independence. 651 



comfortable house to live in ; receives the rent of two other 

 houses ; has two industrious sons and a daughter, unmarried, 

 to cultivate his garden, which is larger than usual; with its 

 produce in fruit and vegetables of various sorts, honey from 

 his hives, and a pig in the sty to kill at Christmas, to console 

 him under the loss of sight and the infirmities of old age, with 

 the cheering consciousness, that he need be indebted to no 

 parish for relief, and is in no danger of leaving his children 

 beggars. 



To the enquiries of such as are desirous of knowing what 

 progress my experiment is making in the disastrous times 

 which former misgovernment has brought upon the country, 

 I wish I could give as satisfactory a reply, in reference to the 

 whole, as I am enabled to do in this individual case. Last 

 winter, many of the collieries stopped working, on account of 

 the failure of those who had adventured therein, and the de- 

 plorable state of the neighbouring ironworks has thrown a 

 great number of hands out of employ ; so that there are, pro- 

 bably, on an average, two competitors for one place of work, 

 notwithstanding which, the colliers' wages have not been 

 reduced, but their hours of working. Again, other attempts 

 have been made to subject the industrious poor to local tax- 

 ation, and to the payment of rates for roads they never use, 

 and for a church they never attend. The consequence of all 

 this is, that many who had saved money and acquired homes 

 of their own, have been obliged to mortgage, while others 

 have sold their property, and, in disgust, gone to America 

 with the produce. Nevertheless, a few new houses have been 

 built this summer, and though there are great drawbacks on 

 the progressing prosperity of the three villages, they by no 

 means negative the principle on which the experiment was 

 founded ; but, on the contrary, though they may unhappily 

 impede its progress, add fresh proofs of the great truth, that, 

 if relieved from the heavy burdens of taxation, and badness 

 of trade consequent thereon, and if they were fairly dealt 

 with, the industrious classes, now in danger of annihilation, 

 would, in no long time, redeem both their characters and 

 their circumstances; and, instead of being a national burden, 

 and a source of anxiety and terror, would contribute to 

 the strength, and insure the safety and tranquillity, of the 

 Country. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 



John H. Moggridge. 

 Woodfield, Monmouthshire, Oct. 10. 1832. 



