SERVANT. 



The labourers, both men and women, are fometimes hired 

 by the day, particularly in the time of planting, fowing, and 

 hoeing turnips and potatoes, hay-making, and harvell, when 

 a fixed number is not provided. Thefe work only ten 

 hours in the day, beginning at fix in the morning and flop- 

 ping at fix at night, and taking an hour to rell at breakfaft, 

 and another at dinner. Hired labourers, in winter, take 

 breakfaft before they go out in the morning, make a ftiort 

 paufe to eat a little at mid-day, and quit when light fails in 

 the evening. The following are the prices of wages. 



Former. 



Prefent. 



■ from 13/. to 16/. from 20/. to 25/. 



5/. to 7/. or 8/. to 9/. los. 



Wagesof men fervants, ' 



befides bed, board, 



andwafhing,/(Tann. _ 

 Wages of a maid fer-" 



vant, befides bed, 



board, and wafhing, 



per ann. 



But in Perthfhire, a man fervant, who is matter of all the 

 operations in farming, only receives, in the corn country, 

 between eight and twelve pounds, for twelve months. In 

 the grazing dillrifts, more remote from the feat of manu- 

 faftures, their wages, and the price of all kinds of labour, 

 are about one-fourth lower. But in many cafes the fervants 

 are maintained in the farmer's family ; but the praftice of 

 giving them fix and a half bolls of meal, together with a 

 houfe, garden, and a cow's grafs, free of rent, and fome 

 fuel, is daily becoming more general. Thefe farmers, who 

 keep any married fervants, have them all on this eftablifli- 

 ment of livery meal. The maid fervants live all i;i their 

 matter's family, and are engaged for betwixt three and four 

 pounds, and in fome cafes five pounds of yearly wages, ac- 

 cording to their expertnefs, and the nature of their work. 

 But common labourers earn between one ftiilling and one 

 (hilling and three-pence a day ; and if able-bodied and 

 handy, they demand one fliilling and fixpence, without 

 viftuals. The various denominations of artificers charge 

 according to the nicety of their art. The hours of labour 

 from the vernal to the autumnal equinox, are from fix to fix, 

 allowing an hour for breakfaft and another for dinner ; and 

 during the other half year, from the dawn of day till the light 

 fails at night, with an allowance of one hour for breakfaft. 

 Houlhold fervants are not fo exaft with refpeft to hours ; 

 in the long days, they continue to work aftw fix at night ; 

 and in fliort days they get out of bed before day light, 

 where there is much grain to thratti. But in many of the 

 large farms, thraftiing machines have been erefted ; and they 

 are fuch a great faving, by the abridgment of labour, that 

 more of them are fet up every year, in different parts of the 

 county. 



And in Argylefliire, within thefe 30 years, the price of 

 labour is fomevvhat more tlian doubled. It ftill varies in 

 diff^erent parts of the county, but may be cftimatcd in general 

 at the following rates. A man fervant's wages, />£■/• ««««»;, 

 with viftuals, from 6/. to 8/. A maid fervant's, from 50J. 

 to 4/. And that fince 1795 the wages and the price of 

 labour have been advanced more than one fourth, or from 

 25 to 30 per cent., and are ftill rifing. 



Further, in regard to the regulating the rate of wagvs, it 

 has been fuggefted in the Agricultural Survey of the Weft 

 Riding of Yorkftiire, that the only mode of making them 

 proportional to the rife or fall on the value of money and 

 provifions, is to pay the labourer in kind, that is, with a 

 certain quantity of corn, as parties ftiall agree, which infures 

 him, at all hazards, a comfortable fubfiftence, and prevents 

 him from a daily or weekly vification of the markets. When 



the labourer is paid in money, it expofcs the thoughtlefj 

 and inattentive to many temptations ; whereas, when paid 

 in kind, he cannot raife money to gratify the whim of the 

 moment. In thofe counties where this mode of payment 

 has been long eftabhftied, we believe the ploughmen and 

 labourers are, on the whole, better fed, live more comfort- 

 ably, and rear healthier children tiian in thofe parts where, 

 from being paid in money, the currency of the article facilN 

 tates the expenditure, and prevents him from laying by a 

 ftock of provifions for his fupport, when laid off work by 

 cafualties or diftrefs. In the part of the kingdom where 

 the WTittr refides, nearly all farm-tervants are paid in this 

 manner. They have a certain quantity of grain, mainte- 

 nance for a cow fummer and winter, a piece of ground for 

 planting potatoes andraifing flax, and whatever fuel they re- 

 quire, given gratis. Thefe, with the privilege of keeping a 

 hog and a few hens, enables them to live, and bring up their 

 families in a comfortable manner ; and, while their income ia 

 confiderably lefs than people of their ftation in other parts, 

 they are, on the whole, better fed, better drefled, and enabled 

 to give a better education to their children. Placed under 

 thefe circumftances, they are a refpeftable fet of men ; and, 

 for frugahty, faithfulnefs, and induftry, they will bear a 

 companfon with their brethren in any quarter. The intro- 

 duftion of a fimilar mode of paying farm-fervants into the 

 Weft Riding, is therefore recommended, which, although it 

 might at firit be attended with fome difficulties, would con- 

 tribute to the public good, and to the advantage of the la- 

 bouring peafantry in many refpefts. And it is remarked in 

 the Herefordftiire Agricultural Survey, that if a certain pro- 

 portion between the price of labour and the average price of 

 wheat could be fixed by law, fo as to render the applications 

 for parochial aid necefl'ary only in cafes of very large families, 

 of uuufual illnefs, of fcanty fcafons, or any other real emer- 

 gency ; the meafure, it is prefumcd, would ftiiliulate in- 

 duftry and fidelity, would check diftionefty, and endear to a 

 numerous clafs their native foil. 



The advance in the rate of farm-fervants' wages who live 

 in the houfes of the farmers, has, within the laft twenty-fire 

 years, been probably not lefs than from a third to a fourth 

 of the whole, according to the nature and fituation of the 

 diltricl, over the whole country ; but how far the agricul- 

 tural and manufntturing ftate of the nation may thereby be 

 aft"eftcd, is difficult to determine. 



It is a matter of very great coiifequence to farmers, to 

 have good, traclable, intelligent, able, and honett fervants, as 

 no fort of good farm-work, or improvements, can be pro- 

 perly carried on without them. 



Servants' Rooms, in Rural Economy, the lodging places 

 for farm-fervants, which (hould always, if polfible, be dif- 

 tinil from the houfe upon farms of confiderable fize. And 

 m cafes of very exteniive farms, and of courfe where many 

 fervants are required, efpecially if they be unmarried, pro- 

 per and convenient accommodations for fleeping, and where 

 they find their own provifions, for preparing and dreffing 

 them in, are not only requifite, but highly advantageous, 

 both to the farmer and the men, as f^aving much time, 

 which would otherwife be loft in going to their meals, and 

 keeping them together fober, fteady, and ready for their 

 different employments. And in this way the fervants are 

 much more comfortable, and live confiderably cheaper than 

 where it is the cuftom to go to pubhc houfes, or other fuch 

 places for their meals, which is too much the cafe in many 

 of the more fouthern diftrifts of the kingdom, by which 

 their manners often become depraved, and their conltitu- 

 tions enfeebled by the great ufe of fpirits, and other intoxi- 

 cating liquors, which they are alraofl neceffitated to take 



under 



