The National Register. — London, England, 1816-09-30 00:00:00

~... ". •.=•...•....,-, , In. • vy - •.. - ...........6.6,16.1....y...1001w...016.44 ...v...... i. .........11..•.-- . . b t o, . j)L , ' (R ita nal( 11 411 t.: „to No. 451.—V0L. IX. Our littitg, eattatitution attb 11,ablO. AGRICULTURE. SOME time previous to the dose of the last Session of Parliament, as we lately took occasion to remark, an highly important work was compiled and print ed, by order of the Board of Agriculture, entitled " The Agricultural Stale of the Kingdom in February, March, and April, 1816."—This work consisted princi pally of the answers, returned to the Board by the most intelligent land-owners in England, Wales, and Scot land. It presented so alarming a picture of present dis tress, and so many melancholy anticipations of the future, that though originally compiled for the information of Parliament, the Government thought proper to exercise an influence. that caused it to be only partially circu lated. To suppress a work in this country, however, after it has once been published, is impossible ; and the greater the anxiety, manifeste(t to secrete, tl-e surer is the ultimate consequence of an extended circulation.— The Report, so anxiously concealed, now spreads, as a natural consequence, to every cottage in the country. It is not our intention to make many remarks upon this dreaded Report, at present. We cannot but hope, and indeed believe, that many of its statements are exagge. rated, and some altogether unfounded; but the publics- tion, as a whole, must inevitably ensure beneficial results: for the surest ground for applying a practical remedy, is fully to inform ourselves of the extent of the evil. In;presenting to our Readers the most interesting por tion of this Report, we shall adopt a mode, unpractised by any of our cotesnporaries. They present the evidence without giving themselves the trouble of arranging it under those separate heads, of which it is so peculiarly susceptible ; we, on the contrary, shall give the sub stance of every gentleman's opinion maw the three ge neral heads of— I. The ACTUAL STATE of the Agricultural Interest; 11. The Causes, which have produced its depression ; •nd 111. The propriety and practicability of applying a RIMEDY. The advantages arising from this mode of arrange ment, will be evident to the most superficial observer. General State of Husbandry in the present period. By f.'r the greater number of the Letters, enter into consi. derable details on the circumstances which denote the present deplorable state of the National Agricaltare. Bankruptcies, seizures, executions, imprisonments, and fanners become pa rish paupers, arc particularly mentioned by many of the cor respondents : with great arrears of rent, and, in many eases, tithes and poor-rateslinpaM; improvements of every kind ge nerally discontinued ; Ike stock greatly lessened ; tradesmen's bills unpaid ; and alarming gangs of poachers and other depre datory'. These circumstances are generally expressed in lan guage denoting extreme distress,and absolute ruin in a variety of instances. Arable and Grass Land, and Flock Farms, compared. 'I he replies on this subject very generally assert the distress to be much greater on arable than on grass land ; but many of them observe, that of late the prices of grass-land pro duce have so much declined, that the difference promises soen to be bat small. In general, it is asserted, that Hoek farms have suffered much less than others; but they have be gun to ft el it heavily, yet not equally with arable land. I.—Actual Stale rf Agricrilure. DEDFORDSHME. Hosi, ANT) REV. tiENRy C. r.—There is in this parish, comprising above 1000 acres, a farm of 230 acres, chiefly arable, which the tenant has rt featly abandoned at the expi ration of too years, ont of a lease granted for eight years. Ano ther ratan of 2,0 acres, with a considerable proportion of grass, sill lw abandoned by the tenant at Lady-day next, when one ear and a halt roily 4.f an right years' lease will have expired. Roth these farms will, in all probability, continue unoccupied, miless, as landlord, I shall think tit to take them into niy own hands; and 1 expect to be similarly circumstanced with me spiet to the remainder of lime pat ish at 'Michaelmas next. I have reason to believe that the contiguous parishes of Gatlev St, George and Little Grandson are very much in the like :I- . . MONDAY, SEPTEMBER SO, 1816. poor rates, heavy road duties, Ake. without any return for one year, at least ; and the produce afterwards expected, 1 fear, will prove a very Inadequate ►etarts to the various charges in curred. I leave lost besides, MOM. of arrears of rent by the late tenants selling their crops and ether property clandes tinely, and then running away, or becoming insolvent. These farhas are situated in the best part of Bedfordshire, and at the distance of less than GO miles from London. The rent of the %hole, at an average, did not exceed 255. or 265. per acre, ex. elusive of tithes. One of my old tenants, holding a farm of above 400 acres, leis given me notice of his intention to quit at next Michaelmas. Another farm of SOO acres was thrown up at last Easter, but is now let to another tenant. EZRKSIIIRe. Thorny DzieWltt..--4 know ofnoslistress that has happened to any farmers In this vicinity—most of them farm well, and have frugal habits. Rev. Dn. Du R ELL—The renttsof several tenanU of indus trious habits, of good experience, .of capitals equal to their farms, remain unpaid ' • and should, they). presses', I conceive that the farms would be unoccupied It tiny other persons than the landlords. E. L. LOVEDEN.—CoId, wet, arable land, will not pay for ploughing. Dairymen complain of cheese and batter, and pigs, selling at very low prices, and the high ditty °unit prov ing injurious. In Cardiganshire, /7 tenants have sent me no tice to quit at Michaelmas next, Mad they are much In arrear. We air endeavouring to get our aralFlpiaod into grass as fist as possible. LINCOLNSHIRF. J. A. PEARSON.—A great number of assignments, many dis. tresses for rent, a great reduction of the quantity of stock, re duced by having been sold off to enable them to meet their payments ; in several instances, farms which had visually kept , diving the summer from 300 to 600 sheep, have hail the quan tity reduced to one-third or one-foneth of that number ; and I believe I may add, that a great many farmers have found it extremely difficult, and some are absolutely unable to raise money sufficient for the last payment of property tax. (Acmes Tan N esos.—A general and rapid loss of property, and the consequent ruin of many. The crops have beengood, owing to the former price of grain baying spirited the farmers to judicious management; but they ate now swallowed up (the price of corn being so very low) by taaes,jacreased poor-rates and labour; the farms are thus become of uo values where sheep cannot be kept. DANIBL great many who had not a surplus ca pital, but only sufficient to manage their farms, have been so affected by the sudden pressure of tke times, that their land lords have got only a part of their reets,.oo4l the tenants ar now in gaol, and men who have been careful and industrious too. Rev. Mn. Tvitnen.—Many farrnerame entirely sunk their capitals, ethers in great numbers have failed; no improvements are going on; the coniaion business of farms neglected, Zee. WILLIAM Rtateansors.—l have to observe, that this place (Great Limber), as well as a great part of this neighbourhood, belongs to Lord Yarborough, who has been a kind landlord, consequently the distressesare much less here than in any other part of this country. I have also still further to state, that two estates have been recently sold in this part of the country, one of them for 11,0001. which ten years ago fetched 18,5001. and the other was sold fur 0,6001. that about four years age the owner refused 1V,0421. for. The number of stock sales adver tised in the newspapers, and the several assignments made, de note the general distress of the farMers. Da. Gee. ilarros.—This country has suffered most diced fully from the stoppage of two banks at Boston, in the summer of 1814 , and of a third the following - waster. But as the three remaining books maintain their credit, there appears .ao dimi nished circulation of paper. THOMAS I'ILLEY.—Many farms have been given up within the last six months, and a great many more mast inevitably be given up, unless some material change takes place; and how ever well disposed the present Ministers may be to give relief to the agricultural part of the kingdom by redneiag their taxa tion, it will, in my opinion, fan short of what, the conntry re. quires; for in consequence of the great failures which have taken place iu the country beaks and other large commercial concerns, in different parts of the kingdom, have so reduced the paper circulation, and given finch a shock to public credit, that the farmers have been obliged, a great many of them, to take their corn to market, let the price be whatit may; and from the immense quantity of foreign corn imported and on hand in the year 1814, has su overstocked the markets, that scarcely any sale cau be reit:limed , for it in many parts of the conutry ; this being the tees Wikb coru, stock must of course follow, and although the plough Tanners are at pre...at by 16. r the greatest sufferers, yet the Weeding stock farms must even tually he in the same state. It corn remain iit ilie present de pressed price, the taunter stranue afford to cultivate his laml, and the improvements of the COUNII'V must cease; therefore the labouring poor, which was so tr•etall,. and industrimmy euu pluved !mime, are now starving far want of enild..yi.ient. WALlCER.—Numberless aveignuienti cud imp' isoionents fur debt. - Wt m. mns.—The failure of our country hanks has not only injured, but ruined many; and destroyed public coillldenee and credit in this part. C. M. TL NPIA Th provincial pope?" are crowded with wi i th molv , • debt BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. Jos. JAS. HARPER.—The whole of the tenantry of Miss Wyk. ham, in the parish of Sydenham, have given notice to leave at Lady-day, and several of them have declared to me they would not ocopy them at a reduction of one half the rent. Several persons and families have been reduced to absolute poverty in this parish, and have been obliged to dispose of their stock at not snore than one-third of its original cost. Many good N. bowers are now going their rounds at from Bd. to ls. id. per diem. STRICKLAND FREEKAN.—Magy landlords have been obliged to distrain on their tenants fur considerable arrears of rent, and other farmers have bees under the necessity of giving up their effects fur the benefit of their creditors. This district certainly suffers from a diinini.hed circulation of paper, as from the refusal of the country bankers to make the mural dis. counts, the fanner is obliged to bring his produce of all kinds in large quantities to market, for the payment of his current ex pence', taxes, poor. rates, &e. by which the market h.!. keen greatly over-stocked, and the prices conseyiesitly !educed. SUARZY. JOSEPH PENWINGTON.—The produce of farms, sold at the present prices (especially on poor land) will little more than pay the expenses and support an economical family; hence there is scarcely any thing left for rents or tithe, or if these arc paid, the occupiers are involved in debt to all the indiri dtals by whom they arc supplied with food, articles of cloth. Mg, exc. Tnost AS PAGEL—There are several farms of Lord King's, at Oakham and Clandon, in his own occupation, in consequence of the failure of tenants. The same thing at Esher. in the hands of their owner, Mr. Charles Ellis, at Claremont. I have notice ti - osu two ofmy tenants to quit, the one at Michaelmas, 1816, tl:e other at hlichaelmas,lßl7, amounting to 7001. per -annum, ; anal though the laud is very good, and f ee of great and small tithes, I have had no offer for it as yet, and must probably take it into my own hands. The greater part of the rest of the pariah of Cobham is in the hands of the owners. Mr. Currey, at East Horscley, whose estate is very considerable, and ' , opposed to be let on very easy terms, in the course of a few month•, will, probably, have nearly the whole of his property in his own hands. I know also abatement of rent, as there are tin farmers ready to come forward to otter to take the land at any price at this moment. The distress of the farmers shows itself by pay. ing up nn arrearkof rent, and frequent seism's s of King's and parochial taxes. Fine wool in consequence of the in:portation from Germany and Spain, does not ti trit its value in prow, tints le the coarse wads; this importation s. universally ronsiderml Jett the greate.4 sacrifice niaile to tin eiguers, and our ONVII mann ihsetures, at the expense of the growers arum wool in England. The labourers of this thigh hons;buoil mph a state of pauperism I nes er knew before, many unbent living upon parish, % INT ort, and many by their nightly deprutht Magi c Our parer- a al t increased idiom unc• talk since tin', but as a large part of the parish is occupied by the owners ofthe land, many or a hunt ate men of lan ge fortunes, the discharge of the labourerslang not been SU IIIIIVITS:11 as in sonic ticighbourMg pal ishes, where t h e lands are in the occupation of renting tanners, who, Irotar the low price of produce, have been compelled to discharge a large 4 ~,•4 111.1 LI" 35, 4.4111,1.115 •11.. r. • •, 1 •••••• ••• ••••• • ••••. •••• • •.• • . • • • tint, ' ,Ma% tabove one dal,' of the hind in each them hi hi Mg assignments — the county prison tilled with illsoiv i nt debtors, ti proportion of their lalmrer., and in those plates of course , ts,e t t ahtady abandoned. and the parish workhouses afford a miserable asylum to many pour-rates is much increased. ~- ..„ • J. W. AaLi..N.---A want of money to pay tradesmen ' s bills ; pour who lately contributed to the parochial relief of DL . lilltitaaCk.—Cireinnstances denoting the di l t r e int o f the great complaining oil that account.—Many in armor of cot oll icrv • The Loot of the mail hofioldi r isellen plonglii.d lip fanner., not included in the former iiiter;es, art, imienteralde ‘., now, and almost heart-broken, fearnm they Jury be still worse to his manifest disodvantace, fur want of a eahitii to stuck his advertised:etasi 7 i hirmitig stock moil the pi,,tli glans d'eFr m i„,, . all improvement is at a stand ;no ability (however so well farm in several lost inecs the prodnee,asid ev t .o porter the of the price of that description of property. 'the e‘traoril;aar . s , 1 7 r '•"s• iuelitteti) to purchase manure ; their farms, of contse, proving, household flu nature has bees, iii, , , wed of to satisty the ilensands activity of Slim ill' s ()dicers. Irt•itiel •to . r: cep takilig [lick the 1 , -S . . together with their future prospect., worse and worse. of a tas-catlierer or o*erseer et * r•Le poor, moescages tOreehised, Sheep they have steel fur want of 1 , 5)1011:1 ; mirket , think. ;; t. • • Da. ACQUECN.—TIiree of lily own 141101. are 11 0 W YR' AM) the SUle of the estates oily?. out Prodne•tig the mone y ad. tended , and the ordinaries almost (le‘t rt,..1; universal dejeetien cant; one consisting of ant acres, another of 109, and a dills.' vaned liy the mortgage/ and ' , IAN,. ?mail pr. , Prtelr• prcsuilt distress, and worse juo spes .s s ,. wen Rh. of 25 'l'o. hese farms lam obliged to cultivate at an enormous hig to live up on their little lona*, ern now p a y Inc It •;, per et ot. M.lll . of weal in workhoo,..„ or eh alitnvc:l by the uvnit cis of tc , ;%• • ext , enco„ to pi event the lautl's running into a state of ruinous upon au assessor's valor: of their property, nixie t ii.lts ruin Me pour • in gang., at rote •liillita per fit ,ou jcbs invertA for wattle. I pay lrieperty-lax for landlord and tenant, tithes, stages them in the face. tin ~ .ueigetiey; farniers who !roe thsrliaraesl lueirlabvet ets • • • 1:S • OttV+ PRICE 94d. The evidence of Mr. Gregory preheuts a more agree Peria picture. _ _ D.GR CGORY.—My tenant quitted his farm, f.`sl acres, *". 2 perches, at 203.6 d. an acre, chiefly arable; yearly rent, s. Is. because I would make no abatement in his rent. I immediately nwinerotss applications made to me for it, and i. now let for the same rent. Tithe and corn rent and laud-t ss of Chia farm paid by the landlord. I have several farms at Len ten, and Radford, near Nottingham, andel Bulcote, Nets. No one tenant in occupation of any of them bath desired any abate ment of rent, or given notice to quit. I have several cottage. with land sufficient ta keep two cows annexed to them, in the lordship of Harlaxton • the cottagers who occupy them live comfortably, and are industrious useful labourers, and ;appear to be contented with their situations. The horizon, however, soon resumes its former cloudy ap pearance. Sir Rental. SFIFSEIBLD, Bart.—l believe farmers are in ge neral distressed from land having been let at its full value ac cording to the price* or the last ten years. ar.d a reluctance on the part of the landlords to reduce in proportion. Coarse wool sold last year at 565. per todd, the usual price heretotore,i6s.-- Total p ruin i lion to import agricult oral produce—abolition of poor rates, except to the aged, widows, and orphans. ROBERT BAKUR.—Many circumstances might he adduced to prove the suffering condition of the fanners in general, from the very low prices of almost every article of agricultural pro duce, which are not included In die above queries. Tradesmen presenting their bills, instead ofobtaining the money on the first application, as they in general had done, are under the necessity ofapplying a second, and in many cases a third time before they can obtain payment. Another mark of its not being so well with farmers as it was some time ago (and which is a circum stance much to be deplored) is, that nineteen out of twenty of them have laid aside almost every species of improvement upon their farms. " We cannot (say they) in times like these expend a shilling beyond what is absolutely necessary in the comma* mode of cultivation, as we arc not quite sure whether we shall be able or not to discharge our rents and taxes, and that with our utmost exertions, and adhering to the strictest methods of economy."