1799] 
unfightly plantation, we quitted the high 
_ road to examine the ruftic parifh church 
of Squires. This is at pretent little other 
than a fmail barn-like hut. ~Nothing 
apparently remains of the old building 
but a fmall arched docr-way, inthe Saxo- 
Gothic ftile, whofe venerable antiquity is 
fill confpicuous through the ‘barbarous 
white-wafh with which it is daubed over. 
Hard by we perceived a decent and 
fubftantial farm-houfe, with barns and 
yards well ftocked, and every appearance 
of profperity and abundance. And yet 
we found upon inguiry, that this.farm 
confiits but of 160 acres; an extent, in- 
deed, abundantly large,:-when the papula- 
tion of the country, and the provifion and 
comforts of the mafs are taken into confi- 
deration; but cheerlefsly narrow, accord- 
ing to the monopolifing calculations of 
the age. This information made us gaze 
around with increafing fatisfaétion; nor 
could we help deprecating the hour when 
fome four or five fuch families as this’ 
farm appears to fupport in refpettable’ 
abundance, fhould- be exterminated to 
Pedeftrian Tour—Philanthropic Society. 
61g 
quifitive, fhrewd, and communicative. It 
appeared that he read feveral newfpapers, 
and, in all probability, is the oracle of 
every pot-houfle in the furrounding coun- 
try. Unfortunately, however, we could 
no way turn his converfation into’ the 
channel we defired. He talked of nothing 
but Parker and the delegates, of war and 
of parties. In fhort, he was teo full of 
liquor and temporary politics, to furnith any 
information on the fubje& of , political 
ceconomy, and the only information in point” 
we could procure was, that the manor -of 
Squires was the property of Brook Wat- 
fond) . 
It is painful.to refle& that, in the hum- 
ble conditions of life, men diftinguifhed, 
like the prefent, by the fuperiority of in- 
telle€t-and information are generally, like 
-the prefent, equa'ly diftineuifhed by habits 
make room for fome mongrel of a “/quire- - 
Jarmer, whofe hounds and hunters and 
Bacchanalianrevels devour, like a cloud of 
locufts, the produce of a diftriét. 
With an old threfher, who was work- 
ing in the barn, we entered into converfa- 
tion; sand were entertained with the 
quaintnefs of his ruftic humour. But we 
endeavoured in vain to procure any infor- 
mation concerning the price of labour, or 
the condition of the ijabouring poor. 
Every queftion was repelled by fome fy 
rub, or fagacious hint; and his arch gef- 
tures, and emphatic half-fyllables, dif 
played the felf-concratulating cunning of 
fufpicion. This is far from being a fin- 
gular inftance. Sufpicious flynefs, and 
jealous reluctance of communication, efpe- 
cially on fubje&ts connected with their re- 
{pestive callines, are too generally cha-— 
gS, g y 
racteriftic of Englifhmen in every rank 
and condition—charaécteriftics that form 
an almoft infurmountable barrier to the 
attainment of any accurate knowledge of 
the general ftate of mankind, and to every 
hope of effectually improving their con- 
dition. 
Returning into the high road, we ‘met 
with a charaéter of very different defcrip- 
tion. His appearance was fomething, 
though not much, above the condition of 
a common labourer: His features, tho’ 
confiderably relaxed by intoxication, bore 
the ftamp of intelligence-far above his\ 
fituation; and this impreflion was con- 
firmed by his converfation. He was in- 
a 
4 
of profligate intemperance. But this ought 
not to be an argument againft extending 
information—for the. vice is the caufe of 
the fituation, not the intelligence the caufe _ 
of the vice. Ifthe individuals whofe ex- 
amples are thus infifted upon, had not de-: 
graded themfelves by fuch conduét, either 
they would never have fuzk into the clafs 
in which they are confounded; or if 
(which is rarely the cafe) they were ori- 
ginally placed there, their talents would 
have advanced them to circles of fociety 
more congenial to their attainments and 
capacities. If this is denied, then is 
the cafe fill’ ftronger, and we fhall be 
obliged to conclude, that being hopelefsly 
furrounded by a fort of intellectual defert, 
and having no refources but their own 
animal fpirits, they are driven ipto habits 
of intemperance to fupply the deficiency 
of external ftimulli. 
[Zo be continued.) 

Zo the Editor of the 
SIR, 
E. P. has in his letter, dated April 4th, 
exprefled very philanthropic fentiments, 
for which he has my moft cordial thanks ; 
but when we confider his plan as yet only 
offered in the outline, we muft venture to 
fuggeft to him, what in another place I 
have before intimated, that the fimilarity 
of feveral charitable inftitutions, and fome 
of them precifely on the fame plan, tends 
Monthly Magazine. 
to injure them all by weakening their re- 
fources.—If two charities of the fame de- 
fign were united, they would be enabied 
to do more good—I mean thofe in the 
neighbourhood of each other.—It is hence 
that I would call to E. P.’s recollection 
that the Philanthropic Society takes in 
fe one 
