a, 
1799.) 
fhall he feed and clothe himfelf, his wife 
and half a dozen children, and fave any 
money to fupport him in cafe of ficknels ? 
I declare it baffles my difcernment to find 
out. ~ Mifery muft haunt fuch a man; it 
muft follow him like his- fhadow: and 
with fuch a fiend by his fide, gnawing his 
very vitals, old age isa punifhment not 
very likely to be infli€@ted on him. 
In my former communication on the 
fubje& of labour, I ftated, that were the 
two workmen, whom I conftantly* em- 
ploy at taken-work, reduced to labour 
by the day, they would lofe about one 
fourth of their prefent earnings, which, 
on an average of the year, are, [ appre- 
hend, twelve fhillings a week—they would 
lofe, each of them, feven guineas a year, 
or thereabouts. ‘The firft and moft ob- 
vious confequence would be, that they 
could neither of them be ‘fo fully fed, fo 
well clothed, and fo warmly houfed, as 
they are at prefent: the confequence of 
this, again, might be, that they would 
not be fo able and willing to underge the 
faticue ef common day-labour then, as 
they are to undergo the fatigue of extra 
day-labour now; and whatever may be 
Sir MORDAUNT’MARTIN’Ss opinion on 
the fubje&t, I think another coniequence 
is probable, namely, that they would be 
more frequently feen at the ale-houfe then 
than they are at prefent. Indeed they are 
never feen there now, except at their purfe- 
mectings, or on fome fuch occafion of fef- 
tivity; foreach hasa comfortable clean cot- 
tage to go home to after his day’s labour. 
Deprive them of comforts at home and 
people muft go abroad. Many a poor 
wretch is driven to the ale-houle by the 
mifery which inhabits his cottage; his 
earnings are infufhcient for the main- 
tenance of his family, and that very in- 
fufliciency is the ultimate caufe why he 
reduces thofe earnings ftill lefs than they 
are: atankardof ale is, to him, the only Le- 
thean cup in which he candrown his wretch- 
ednefs. Whether the alternation of mifery 
and intoxication is not more likely to 
bring aman untimely to the grave, than 
hard labour relieved by cheerfulnefs and 
fupported by plenty, is a queftion on 
which there will fcarcely be much differ- 
ence of {entiment: in my opinion, there- 

* Every farmer knows that there arc, oc- 
cafionally, jobs to be done which it would be 
impoMible to put out ; fuch as rifing wood, 
topping trees, &c. My expreffion, however, 
though not rigidly corre&t, is fufficiently fo, 
as Iwery jeldom employ either of thefe menin 
day-labour. 
Taken-work.....lLaxatione 
275 
fore, the probability is, that if he works 
by the piece, a hufbandman will rather 
add to the number of his days than fhort- 
en it, 
In eftimating the fuperiority of taken- 
work to day-labour, in point of adyan- 
tage to the workman, I forgot to mention 
in its proper place one very important 
circumitance, namely, the employment 
of children, It. were eaty to declaim on 
this fubjeét for haif an hour, but I will 
not, Mr. Editor, thus trefpafs on your 
time and patience. Suffice it to fay, that 
if aman cam earn but eighteen pence a 
day, he will leave his boys at home, or 
they will probably be fent to pick up 
fticks and break hedges ; thus will they 
tear their clothes, the mending of which, 
in all probability, will colt more money 
and more time than twice the value of 
the fticks. On the other hand, if a man’s . 
wages depend on the quantity of work 
executed, he will bring his boys into the 
field almoft as foon as they can run alone, 
and although they can earn nothing till 
they are ten or twelve years old, it is 
fomething that they are kept out of mi 
chief, and are training up to be ufeful, 
by habits of early indvftry. It is aftonifh- 
ing that this advantage belonging to 
taken-work fhould have efcaped me, as 
it is daily and haurly before my cyes :_ 
but, in examining diftant objects, it is 
no very uncommon thing to overlook thofe 
that are near us. 
Your's, &c. A FARMER. 
To the Editor of the Monihly Megazint» 
SIR, 
LTHOUGH onr contributions for 
the expences of government have 
rifen to an cnormous fum; the appor- 
tioning of thefe burthens, according to 
the real abilities of the members of the 
ftate, has been little attendedto. The 
object of the propofers of our taxes has 
seen an immediave increafe of revenue, 
in the mede leaft cbnoxious to the people; 
and with this, view, taxes on articles of 
conlumption have generally been reforted 
to, which, if they are not impofed di- 
rectly on the neceifaries of life, meet with 
little oppofition, becaufe they appear to 
leave an option of {aving, or not paying 
the tax, by, retrenchment or difufe, while. 
they make the rich and poor contribute in 
proportion to thei conlumption of the 
article. But few comparatively of the 
millions who pay taxes, perceive the in- 
juttice of this mode of taxation, which: 
favours the rich in proportion to the 
increale of their wealth; although, if 
any 






