26
weekly pay, it would only be an aggravation of
his distress; those who know the situation of
the farmer, cannot but be sensible, that he finds
it difficult to afford labour sufficient for the cul-
tivation of his land.* The pressure of rent,
tithe and taxes, lie so heavily on him, that if a
further weight be imposed, he must sink, and
from a contributor to the poor-rate, become the
object of it. No ! relief to the poor man must
be derived from another source. Happily for
this country, Providence has bestowed upon us
the means, if we have wisdom and virtue to avail
ourselves of them.
It will be seen in the Appendix, No. 5,† that
this extensive empire includes nearly ‡ eighty
millions of acres, of which only about forty-six
millions are in a high state of cultivation. About
sixteen millions being unprofitable, and fifteen
millions absolutely waste. It is well known that
there are at least 20,000 acres of good land lying
waste within a short distance of the Metropolis ;
* Empty hay carts returning from the London market are too
strong a proof of the difficulty often encountered by the poor
agriculturist.
† See Appendix, No. 5.—Rickman's account of waste acres
in the British Empire.
‡ I dare not, at present, enter on this delicate and difficult topic;
but I shall not be able to refrain saying, in my next, something on
this very interesting subject.