262 
Farming of Oxfordshire. 
" rounds-men." The farmers employed them at a certain sum 
per day, receiving afterwards from the poor-rate half of the 
wages so paid. 
The County Rates, which increased from 2,020/., in 1809, to 
11,478/., in 1844, were in the last year reduced to 9,489/. The 
expenditure is managed with the strictest regard to economy 
consistent with the decent and efficient administration of justice. 
Indeed the important duties of the magistracy are performed in 
a most exemplary manner ; and, if Justices of the Peace Avere 
elected by the people, there is no doubt tliat tlie choice in 
Oxfordshire would fall on the most active of those gentlemen 
who now compose the bench. 
Oxfordshire is burdened with a very heavy land-tax. The 
assessment of real property is 999,138/. 2>s. 6f/., and the land-tax 
paid is 37,404/. 2s. t>\d., Avhich is about 8|f/. in the pound ; 
besides there is the large annual sum of 14,922/. 16s. 2ft/. 
redeemed. While this county pays 8fr/. on its assessment, the 
county of Cumberland pays id., and Lancashire only ^d. in the 
pound. The parish of Sliirburn, with an assessment of 
2,878/. 7s. 6i/., pays 168/. 19s. 8f/. for land-tax, whicli is Is. 2d. 
in the pound. Liverpool, Avith a rental of 1,619,155/., is charged 
only 188/. 13s. lOf/. — not trventy pounds more than SJdrburn. 
Consequently, Shirburn pays, in proportion to its rental, fve 
hundred and sixty-two times more land-tax than Liverpool. 
Many gentlemen in this county hf^ve as good a knowledge of 
practical farming as their tenants. The landlords are, Avith few 
exceptions, just and considerate men. The ravages caused by 
game upon farmers' crops, Avhich 10 or 20 years ago Avere most 
appalling, are now happily confined to the immediate vicinity of 
a few parks and coverts. 
Tlie large farmers are, for the most part, enterprising, intelli- 
gent, and industrious ; they have a sound theoretical knoAvledge 
of agriculture, and give a constant and careful attention to the 
business of their farms. Though not so spirited or progressive 
as the tenantry of some other counties, they calculate more 
closely, practise more perfectly, and farm more judiciously than 
their "go-a-head"' brethren. Though not given to much change, 
they can appreciate new inventions and adopt useful improve- 
ments : they certainly display a degree of irritability Avhen 
lectured by theoretical Quixotes, but are not slow in appropriat- 
ing any practical and paying part even of visionary schemes. 
They very properly value a new system by the proft Avhich it 
yields, and Avhen convinced tliat it pays they carry out the ira~ 
proA'cnient Avith perseverance and success. But on the sinaller 
farms is often found a race of yeomen less Avealtliy and less 
intelligent ; these fail to discriminate between fanciful specula- 
