Mr. Houfinan’s Tour... Northamptonfhire. «° 
Were molt inclined to fatten, for future 
breeders, till he was acknowledged, by 
able judges, and hy common experience, 
to poffets ‘the beft and moft profitable 
fheep and cattle in the kingdom. The 
prices he fold them for were moft afto- 
nifhing. It i is faid that one ram brought 
hitn 1200 guineas in one feafon ; a cow 
of his breed has been fold for 260 gui- 
fieas; anda buil was let for 152 guineas, 
forfour months only. Thefe improved 
breeds are now very defervedly beginning 
to’ fpread into moit parts or the kingdom. 
The theep are ufually fold to the butchers 
at two years old, for 2]. 15s. each. In 
Leicefterihire they experience {ome incon- 
venience for want of turnips; a few 
farmers fend their fheep into the nei gh- 
bouring counties to winter on that root, 
which generally cofts about 5s. 6d. or 6s. 
each for twenty weeks. ‘The expence of 
falving is aJfo’ generally found unvecel- 
fary, which is a peculiar. advantage. 
This fine county was, not many years 
ago, moftly in common or open fields, and 
produced a great-deal of corn ; fince its 
inclofure it has been found moft profitable 
in grafs: that circumftance, as obferved 
betore, occafions much mur muring among 
the inconfiderate .people ; who ought ‘0 
recollect, that every parifh or diftrici can- 
not tupply itfelf with all neceflaries, and 
that the general intereft of the nation. at 
large is advanced, by applying the foil <f 
every diftri& to the production of fuch 
kind of human food as it is beft adapted 
to; becaule a greater plenty may be ex- 
pected. It Leicefterfhire produces more 
eet and mutten than it would do grain, 
perhaps: Oxfordthire or Berkthire raifes 
more corn than it would do beef or mut- 
‘ton, on the fame quantity of land: why, 
therefore, fhould not the grazier farm the 
former, and the plowman the latter? I 
need not remind the advocates for the old 
fyftem, that the more animal food is pro- 
‘duced in onediftriét, the lefs is neceflary 
to be raifed in pth oes 3 which, of cour fe, 
‘gives more {cope tothe plow, where it is 
ufed to the greateft advantage.—The po- 
-pulation of “Leicefterfhire feems to be re- 
duced under the prefent farming fyftem ; 
a farm of roo acres can now be occupied 
both at much lefs expence, and with much 
lefs labour. This alfo furnifhes the poor 
man with matter of complaint ; but his 
“arguments, in that refpeét, are equaily 
ea oat 3 for if labour be decreafed 
ere, it mult be proportionably increafed 
in corn diftricts. It mutt, however, be 
allowed, that a temporary inconvenience 
to the labouring poor will take place, 
Montu. Mac, Ne. XXIX 
a 
when fuch a fudden change’in the agri* 
cultural fyitem happens, as that wh nich, 
has recently occurred in this county ; but 
that inconvenience will decreafe by dé 
grees, till it wholly difappears. nl yer 
cefterfhire feems, in general, to have a 
ftrong foil; the furface uneven, and in 
fome | parts rather hilly ; the air pure, but 
not fo much water as might bas wifhed ; 
nor are the roads. fo pleatant as in he 
lefs fertile counties. But notwithfland- 
ing thefe inconveniences, I have not hi- 
treet. feen any county which, upon the 
whole, appears to afford fo many defi tira 
ble objeéts in a country refidence. 
Auguf 29, Brixworth to Northamp- 
ton, fix miles.—-A pieafant level country, 
and rather woody. The peopie reaping 
wheat ; a great deal of that Bigs Ae 
duced | nere and very good: turnips are 
alfo much cultivated. I pated an 
elegant featof Lord Srarrorp, cn the 
left. Mott par of this diftrict appears 
to have been inclofed not many years ago. 
Buildings moftly of ftone. New banrecon 
is a pretty large town; its ftreets are 
wide and clean; houfes weil built; 
Hagged walks on each fide the ftreet; the 
market- place a large’ {quare, and fur- 
rounded with very genteel Peat this 
town, in fhort, is the mof pleafant coun- 
try market town I have feen, Oxford 
perhaps erepiete Nori hapton fLands 
ona fine fertile plain, and the country 
around it is beautiful. This. town was 
remarkable for the Eyed tie ed of fhces; 
but although fhoe-makine is at prefent 
one of the principal employs of the inha- 
bitants, it 1s carried on now much le{s 
than formerly. Something is aifo done 
in wool-combing and jerfey-foinning, as 
alfo in working of lace. ‘This town 
contains four parilh churches, and a good 
infir mary. Farms in the neighbour hood 
tool. to 2o0ol, a year. 
September 2d, J left Northampton, and 
went to Rode, in Nort hamptonfhire, eight 
miles. ‘The ea; is a ftronp loam; iur- 
face uneven; pretty hedgerows ; plenty 
of trees, and the. road tolerably good. In 
this day’s journey I again mee et with flint 
mixed with the foil, and fome curious pe- 
trefaftions among the gravel with which 
the roads are made: thefe petrefied tub- 
{tances are callea ee the inhabitants crow 
ftones and thunderbolts.. The former 
have been fheils fomewhat refembling 
cockles, and the latter heel 
found two, three, or four inches. long, 
about the thicknefs ofone’s little Bauer, 
and pointed at oneend; they are rieerly 
round, and have fomething like a hollow 
Gr¢ place 
Ss 
are 
0 
