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

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-
. .