42 Le. Houfman's 
provoked the people of England, and 
againft a rent-tax that Wilhelm Tell 
provoked the people of Switzerland to 
rife, by an affault on the tax-gatherers. 
Such taxes have, therefore, the further 
demerit of infécurity: the bow-ftfing of 
taxation is leaft apt to fiiap when com- 
pofed of many threads. 

TOUR OF ENGLAND. 
(Continued from page 276-) 
Journal ofa Tour through almoit every county 
in England, and partor Wales, by Mr.Joun 
Housman, of Corby, near Carlifle; who 
was engaged to make the Tour by a gentle- 
man ot diftinétion, for the purpofe of col- 
jecting authentic. information relative te 
the ftate of the poor. Fhe Journal com- 
prifes an account of the general appearance 
ef the country, of the foul, furface, build- 
ings, &c. with obfervations agricultural, 
commercial, &c. 
IN eiaeeotes 4, went from Mon- 
1 mouth to Trefiray, in Monmouth- 
fhire, 13 miles. The foil of this diftri& is 
generally a dryifh gravelly loam, the fur- 
face very hilly, but the country extremely 
pleafant, and the road good 3. pieces of 
wood-land on the fides of hills; farms and 
fields {mall ; neat cottages here and there ; 
fruit in abundance. I frequently faw 60 or 
$0 bufhels of apples lying in heaps previous 
to their being made into cyder : many of 
thefe apples are red{treaks. Betides the 
regular orchards, apple and pear trees are 
often planted on hedges, and their fruit 
drops into the road, of which the pro- 
prietor feem very carelefs. The farmers 
here plough much with oxen, and thefe 
animals are often yoked to a plough along 
with horfes, fometimes three or four hories 
and two or more oxen m one draught ; 
they are bufy fowing wheat on three or 
four beut ridces. The narrownels of 
thefe ridges is, in my opinion, a great 
difadvantage; nor is that fyftem at all 
neceflary in fuch land, where no water cana 
hurt it; and even where it is fubject to that 
inconvenience, water-furrows cut in the 
hollow parts would effectually {creen it, 
at leaft, as well as fmallridges. In this 
day’s journey I imiftock the road a little, 
and therefore was under the neceflity of 
croiling the country afew miles along by 
roads in order to reach the place I wanted 
tebe at. ‘The villages and places I was di- 
rected to enquire for;have all Welth names, 
and the cottagers and farmers moftly 
{peaking in thet language, I found fome 
dificulty in cbtaining proper direétions. 
This part of the q@unty produces a goed 
{Jan 
deal of corn and turnips, but the latter are 
fown broad-caft, very thin, feem unhoed, 
and are bad crops. Treftray is a {mall 
ftraggling village; where there ic an iron 
forge belonging to Harford, efq. of 
Briitol. Jonés, efq. has amelegant 
feat in this neighbourhood: 
November 5. Treftray to Abergavenny 
in Monmouthfhire, feven miles. The 
country as before deferibed, except in the 
quantity of fruit which is lefs here.’ The 
inethod of ploughing as “mentioned in 
yefterday’s journals I to-day oblerved # 
armer jowing wheat near Abergavenny ; 
a yoke of eight oxen were drawing one 
plough, which were attetided by two men; 
one to drive the cattle, and the other to 
manage the plough; another yoke of - 
eight oxen were drove up and down the 
ridges after ploughing, in order to fadden 
or comprefs the earth, an unneceflary ope- 
ration. The farmer valued thefe oxen at 
ril. each, one with dfother; their motion 
was extremely flow, and confequently lit- 
tle work was done inaday. In the fame 
field cne man was fowing wheat, and 
another harrowin g with three horfes, while 
the mafter fat on horfeback direGinge the 
feveral operations of this poffe. T his field 
had grown elover one year ; the foil a fine 
and rather light loam. ‘Thus here are 
five men, fixteen oxen, and three horfes, 
doing what in Cumberland or Norfolk 
would be done to equal perfeStion, and 
almoit in as little time by one manand 
two horfes. I in vain endeavoured to 
laugh or reafon this farmer out of his ab- 
furd fyftem; cuftom and prejudice had 
taken too deep root in his mind.» Aber- 
gavenny is an ordinary built market town, 
containing about 2500 inhabitants, and 
is a place of no trade nor manufafure. 
Farms in the vicinity are generally fmall, 
about gol. to sol. a year; rent ros. to - 
3l. 10s. per acre. The town ftands on a 
evel, but feveral hills furround it at a 
{mall diftance, fome of which are covered 
with the fmaller forts of wood. 
November 7. I went from Aberga- 
venny to Hereford, 24 miles, inthis part 
of my tour I came in fight of Glamor- 
ganfhire, and was nearly touching Breck- 
nockfhire, both of which feem rather 
mountainous or hilly. About fourteen 
or fifteen miles the country is very hilly, 
and the road, which in general is good, 
pafles along narrow vallies. The {foil is 
rather light and gravelly; fields fmall; 
hedges planted with thorn and hazel, but: 
moft of the latter: corn of all forts raifed 
WD great quantities, but the ground does 
a : : ~ Rack 
Tour continued: 


