10 



far at least, to lift from off the groaning soil the 

 burthen of its starving population. 



One thing is never to be forgotten, in reference 

 to aiij plan that may be proposed for the employ- 

 ment of the people. It is not, in fact, employment 

 that is wanted for its own sake, but employment as 

 a means of creating subsistence merely. This is 

 the test by which we ought to try the pretensions 

 of every project that may be suggested in refer- 

 ence to this matter. We have already applied the 

 principle in question to Lord Elgin's trenching 

 scheme. If the return arising from that operation 

 will not pay the cost occasioned by it, it were merely 

 to throw away so much of the national funds, or the 

 public charity, to contribute any sum of money for 

 its encouragement. If the effect of expending in 

 that way an additional pound sterling upon every 

 acre, shall merely be to raise an additional ten 

 shillings worth of produce, we should certainly act 

 far more wisely in at once devoting our money to 

 the purchase of double that quantity of produce 

 abroad. We should not in that manner certainly 

 give employment to so many of our countrymen, 

 but what is much better, we should give subsistence 

 to twice as many of them. Just in a similar way 

 do we estimate the value of these schemes of Mr. 

 Monteath and Mr. Lindsay. It is not because it 

 would set a working so many thousands or tens of 

 thousands of our idle population, that we would 

 have our waste lands planted ; but simply because 

 the real value of the work would more than pay 

 the cost of it ; and would thus enable us to give to 

 our operatives bread for their mouths, as well as 



