Ch. viii. of the Poor- Laws p^oposed. 349 



the lower classes of the people, in some parts of 

 Germany, are in a better situation than those of 

 the same class in England. In Switzerland, for 

 the same reason, their condition, before the late 

 troubles, was perhaps universally superior : and 

 in a journey through the duchies of Holstein and 

 Sleswick belonging to Denmark, the houses of the 

 lower classes of people appeared to me to be 

 neater and better, and in general there were fewer 

 indications of poverty and wretchedness among 

 them than among the same ranks in this country. 

 Even in Norway, notwithstanding the disad- 

 vantage of a severe and uncertain climate, from 

 the little that I saw in a few weeks' residence in 

 the country, and the information that I could col- 

 lect from others, I am inclined to think that the 

 poor are, on the average, better off than in Eng- 

 land. Their houses and clothing are often supe- 

 rior ; and though they have no white bread, they 

 have much more meat, fish and milk than our 

 labourers ; and I particularly remarked, that the 

 farmers' boys were much stouter and healthier 

 looking lads than those of the same description in 

 England. This degree of happiness, superior to 

 what could be expected from the soil and climate, 

 arises almost exclusively from the degree in which 

 the preventive check to population operates. The 

 establishment of a system of poor-laws, which 

 would destroy this check, would at once sink the 

 lower classes of the people into a state of the most 

 miserable poverty and wretchedness ; w^ould di- 

 minish their industry, and consequently the pro- 



