in Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Part of Cornwall. 245 



tliat we do not exaggerate when we say that in many cases the 

 ground lost to the proprietors by the lanes and fences, which 

 would be superfluous if the ground were properly laid out, 

 amounts to from 10 to 20 per cent. Proprietors of lands of 

 great extent may remedy this evil themselves, but in general 

 it would require the cooperation of the district. In either case 

 a survey should first be made, and not only the roads and 

 fences, but the inclination of the surface, natural drainage, and 

 course of water ditches and brooks pointed out ; and from this 

 plan, jointly with the careful examination of the ground, a re- 

 arrangement of the surface into shorter lines of road, straighter 

 hedges, ditches, and brooks, and larger fields, might be deter- 

 mined on. Even if the direction of the roads, and the general 

 drainage, were rectified on sound principles, much public good 

 would results and the arrangement of the fields and farms might 

 be left to the proprietors. 



Cottages. — These are not bad in the same proportion as are 

 the general arrangement of the country and the agriculture. 

 There is a greater sympathy between the cottage dwellings 

 and those of the smaller farmers. In Northumberland, where 

 there are scarcely any small farms, and where the farm-houses 

 are almost as large as gentlemen's seats, there appears to be 

 no sympathy between the dwelling of the farmer and that of 

 his labourer, and the cottages are hovels of the most wretched 

 description. (See our Vol. for 1842, p. 31.) In this respect 

 Devonshire and Somersetshire are as far before Northumberland 

 and Berwickshire, as they are behind these counties in agri- 

 culture. Nevertheless the cottages in Devonshire are suscep- 

 tible of much internal improvement, more especially in the 

 north ; and, neither in the north nor in the south, do they 

 appear to have been at all considered by the landed interest 

 as objects of taste. This will not be the case in any country, 

 till the subject of the improvement of cottages is taken out 

 of the hands of farmers and land stewards, and undertaken 

 by proprietors themselves. The farmers are jealous of their 

 cottagers, to such an extent that, in some places that we 

 could point out, they disapprove even of their children being 

 sent to school; and the stewards are jealous of any improve- 

 ment that does not originate with themselves, as it seems to 

 reproach them with neglect of duty, or to give them extra 

 trouble. Of course there are many exceptions. 



The Agriculture of Devonshire appeared to us worse than 

 that of any other English county, but, in consequence of the 

 warm moist climate, grass is produced in abundance through- 

 out the year, and thus the deficiencies of arable culture are 

 in some measure compensated for. The corn crop being 

 everywhere removed, we had an opportunity of seeing the 



