3796.} 
Nothine, perhaps, is lefs fubjeét to 
monopoly, than corn; but that it can be 
monopolized and vaucid from market, 
the preceding year has afforded too 
many examples. But by whom? chiefly 
Mijchief of large Farms. 
by the rich and the ov ergrown farmer.” 
The man who rents but a moderate ~ 
farm, cannot do this: he fells his grain 
at the ufual times, to pay his landlord, 
pe his current expences 5 and of Hee 
very grain the cther is too often the oe 
chafer, which, in a few months, he fells 
again at a very advanced price. 
Another great mifehict, which ref ‘ults 
from large farms, i Bs that they employ fo 
{mall a number of labourers in propor- 
tion. ‘The confequence is, the increaie 
of the poor; for the attachment which 
commen people have, as I may call it, 
tothe plough, is well known. That this 
is the cafe, 1s often 1 proved by inclefures. 
Before this, a parifh is, generally {peak- 
ing, divide d among many proprictors, 
and, confequently, into fmall farms; bat 
at the inclofure, one proprietor buys of 
another, and one farm is added to another, 
till, at length, the whole parith is occu- 
pied by a few individuals, and the poor- 
rates then become almofit double. 
Formerly, an incitement was held out 
to induftry. -A poor man, if, by any for- 
tunate event, or by his own labour and 
frugality, he could {crape together 40 OF 
sol. hired a fittle farm, which comfort- 
ably maintained him in his old age. 
But now, this is not the cafe, for fuch a 
Dargain, as it may be called, is fcarcely 
to be, found : in a large diitri€t, and the 
money, which might have been faved 
for the purpofe of ftocking it, is too often 
{pent y drunkennefs an< ‘d debauch xery. 
Befides, the prefent fyftem of letting 
eftates, CLs that gradation of ranks, 
fo juftly the boaft of our happy con‘itu- 
tion. There is now a much greater dif- 
ference between a farmer and his labour- 
ers, than there is between him and his 
landlord. He now never condefcends to 
put his hand to the plough. No, he rides 
round his grounds, for thev are too\ex- 
tenfive to be walked over ; and at home, 
his wife and daughters ftudy fafhions, 
and tead novels ! 
Another confequence of large farms 
Is, that the poor are unable to procure 
milk, and the ex ‘travagant price of poultry 
is very juftly attributed to the fame caufe. 
I think, however, I have faid enough 
to prove that large farms are vise inju- 
Ti0US. 
Tam, &c. 
A. QoL, 
189 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
T has been obferved by writers of no 
lefs celebrity than Dr. Johnfon and 
Dr. Warton, that to conftruct a fabie 
which hall at once furprize by novelty, 
and delight by probability, is the moit 
difficult of literary labours. It mutt be 
confeffed, that the praétice of authors 
feems to verify the remark: for it wil, 
‘I believe, be found, that the plots of 
* 
modern dramatifts are ufually borrow- 
ed; and that of thofe which feem tobe 
of original invention, the greater part 
offend againit probability. “One writer, 
whote powers are of no mean order, has 
borrowed, without hefitaticn, the fables 
of all his pieces. I mean the author of 
Incle and Yarico, the Battle of Hexham, 
Mountaineers, &c. 
The fource, however, of the fable of 
his bet produétion, the Surrender of Cas 
ee is not generally known, and it there- 
fore may iat be improper to point it out, 
To this I am particularly induced, as at 
its firit reprelentation, it was Gees 
by the public papers of the day, that al- 
though the French ftage had more than 
one drama founded upon the fame ftory, 
Mr. Colman was not by any means in- 
debtedto them. Thisremark is not juft ; 
it is from a French novel, entitled « he 
Siege de C Calais, * publifhed at the Hague, 
17395 that the moft interefting incidents 
of Mr. C.’s play are taken. Julia and 
Ribeaumont are the Madame de Granfon 
and Compte de Canaple of the novel. 
The Compte de Canaple victuals the 
town during the fiege, and vifits Madame 
de Granfon; but difpleated with his re- 
ception, upon the furrender of the place, 
otfers himfelf as one of the fix victims 
demanded by Edward. Madame’ de 
Granfon, who, as in the drama, is the 
daughter of the governor, John de Vien- 
ne, Tee by tne love and patriotifm of 
the count, dreffes herfelf in the habit of 
aman, fecks the camp of Edward, and 
demands, as a citizen of Calais, ane pri- 
vilege cf dying for her country. The 
denouement is the fame as in the play. 
Mr. Colman,by feleéting Ribeaumont, a 
real hiftorical character, for the hero, has 
encreafed the intereft of the tale. 
Gray’ s-lnn. W.R. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
A’ the beginning of the prefent cen- 
tury, a French naturalift, diftin- 
guifhed by his botanical refearches, en- 
dan to explain, on the principle of 
organization, fome curious phenomena 
in 
