196 Mr. Playfair on Spade Cultivation . [Oct. I, 
nate George Morland, we can see Na¬ 
ture within doors while perusing it. 
What can exceed the vividness, the 
correct delineation of this stanza? 
“ From the low roof’d cottage ridge, 
See the chattering swallow spring, 
Darting through the one arch’d bridge, 
Quick she dips her dappled wing.” 
O Wouwermans, how would thy 
happy pencil have copied this ! 
But it was not in tuning his pipes 
amid the sylvan recesses of Pan and 
his wood nymphs, that Cunningham 
solely displayed his abilities as a poet. 
I fuily agree with Dr. Evans in the 
eulagium he has passed upon him, and 
cannot but regret that, like Collins, 
Cunningham was so over-ruled by 
mental indolence that he could seldom 
44 muster courage” to give birth to the 
intellectual beauties of his mind. His 
44 Elegy written on a Pile of Ruins,” 
ranks, next to Gray’s, the finest in our 
language; if the poetical reader con¬ 
sults those of Mason, Shenstone, Dun- 
combe, Ogilvie, Whitehead, and a host 
of others, he will not find one whose 
language is so impressively solemn, 
whose sentiments are so suitably grand, 
nor any so interesting to the moral 
feelings as this often selected, incom¬ 
parable elegy. I cannot help thinking 
that Burns, when he wrote his popular 
song of 44 Flow gently sweet Afton” 
had Cunningham’s 44 Her Sheep had in 
Clusters” in his mind; both nymphs 
appear asleep, and beheld by their 
swains, who both desire the birds will 
not disturb their slumbers, &c. 1 
could point out several other choice 
flowers which have been transferred 
from this English garden, by the Scotch 
bard to his boucpiet. In his person, 
Cunningham, like his brother 44 Cory- 
don,” Shenstone, was plain, and some¬ 
what coarse featured, but his mild¬ 
ness of deportment, and unreserved 
agreeableness when in conversation, 
rendered him a favourite with every 
person who knew’ him. The list of 
subscribers to the life edition of his 
poems, shew how much lie was held in 
esteem by the most respectable classes 
in society; he used often to be at 
Stockton on Tees, and occasionally 
came into the late Mr. Lumley’s shop, 
during the time my uncle* was appren¬ 
tice, who informed me he would some¬ 
times stay and chat with him at the 
counter, about the markets, fishing, 
and theatrical performances : in short, 
he was considered by every person who 
* The late Mr. George Smith, of St. Sa¬ 
viour’s Church-yard. 
had opportunities of knowing him, as 
a most agreeable man; he would ge¬ 
nerally spend his evenings in the par¬ 
lour of a quiet public house, (I forget 
the sign) where, like Dr. Langhorne, 
and Professor Porson, his favourite 
beverage was ale. Enort Smith. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine . 
sir, 
S many of your correspondents 
write in favour of spade cultiva¬ 
tion, and as most undoubtedly that is 
a most advantageous way of supplying 
the surplus or supernumerary labourer 
with employment, I beg leave to add 
an idea on the subject, which is, I be¬ 
lieve new, and may, I think, prove 
highly beneficial. 
Wherever the soil is good to the 
depth of ten or twelve inches, spade 
cultivation produces greater crops than 
the plough; at the same time it is ad¬ 
mitted that to substitute spade cultiva¬ 
tion for plough cultivation over the 
whole country would be retrograding 
in a strange and injurious manner, but 
I think there is a medium, or rather 
combination of the two, that might 
be probably attended with great ad¬ 
vantage. 
If all the arable land cultivated by 
the plough, that is deep enough in good 
soil, was to be delved with the spade 
once in ten or twelve years, I should 
think that it might be attended with 
advantage in point of affording greater 
crops. In that case, for every farmer 
to dig or delve one tenth of his land 
every year, would be the best way to 
put the plan in execution ; and if that 
was found to answer it would give em¬ 
ployment to a great number of hands. 
The superior produce, by spade cul¬ 
tivation, is, I believe, ascertained so 
far that any given number of acres, 
cultivated by the spade, will yield bet¬ 
ter crops than if they were cultivated 
by the plough ; it would then, at least, 
be well worth while to try the experi¬ 
ment of occasionally digging a ploughed 
field, for if that answered it would be 
attended with every advantage in a 
country that is fuily peopled, as it 
would increase the demand for labour, 
as well as the profits of the farmer, and 
the quantity of food. In a nation 
where the number of inhabitants is 
increasing so fast, as it seems they are 
now doing in this country, it is at least 
prudent, if not absolutely necessary, to 
begin to adopt every plan that will 
reconcile increased population with 
increased prosperity. 
Population. 
