4G4 APPENDIX. 



potatoes, might certainly be avoided by a limitation of the 

 mimber of cottages; and I entirely agree with him in think- 

 ing, that we should not be deterred from making 500,000 

 families more comfortable, because we cannot extend the 

 same relief to all the rest. 1 have, hideed, myself ventured 

 to recommend a general improvement of cottages, and even 

 the cow system on a limited scale ; and, perhaps with pro- 

 per precautions, a certain portion of land might be given 

 to a considerable body of the labouring classes. 



If the law which entitles the poor to support were to be 

 repealed, I s'hould most highly approve of any plan which 

 would tend to render such repeal more palatable on its first 

 promulgation : and, in this view, some kind of compact 

 with the poor might be very desirable. A plan of letting 

 land to labourers, under certain conditions, has lately been 

 tried in the parish of Long Newnton, in Gloucestershire ; 

 and the result, with a general proposal founded on it, has 

 been submitted to the public by Mi-. Estcourt. The 

 present success has been very striking ; but, in this, and 

 every other case of the kind, we should always bear in mind, 

 that no experiment respecting a provision for the poor can 

 be said to be complete till succeeding generations have 

 arisen.* I doubt if ever there has been an instance of any 

 thing like a liberal institution for the poor, which did not 

 succeed on its first establishment, liowever it might have 

 failed afterwards. But this consideration should by no 

 means deter us from making such experiments, when pre- 

 sent good is to be obtained by them, and a future overba- 

 lance of evil is not justly to be apprehended. It should 

 only make us less rash in drawing our inferences. 



With regard to the general question of the advantages to 

 the lower classes of possessing land, it should be recollected 

 that such possessions are by no means a novelty. Formerly 

 this system prevailed in almost every country with which we 

 are acquainted, and prevails at present in many countries, 

 where the peasants are far from being remarkable for their 



• In ariN- plan, particularlv of n dislribiition oT land, as a compensation for 

 the relief given by the poor-laws, the succeeding generations would form the 

 grand diflicnltj-. AM others would be perfectly trivial in comparison. For a 

 time every thing might go on very smoothly, and the rates be much diminished ; 

 hut, afterwards, they would eitlier increase ag;iin as rapidly as before, or the 

 scheme would be expofrd to all the saiue objections which have been nmde to 

 mine, without llie same justice and consistency to palliate them. 



