The National Register.
London, England, 1819-10-11 00:00:00

THE'N'`ATIO'NNAL 'REGISTER.

might attempt to sake silvan age of his poverty, and
Mier any other than the general and approxed prices of
the day.
No one wi11,.1 think, assert, or can seriously he-
.heve that the present depressed price of labmir is either
essential to the commanding place we hold, as a great
Manufacturing and Commercial Cottinium,ty, *or at all
conducive to the general interests which are to be sus-
tained by it. After every thins which-can be done in
this way has been attempted, I sot decidedfy of the
opinion, that until a considerable portion of tile labour
is taken out of the market, and -some profitable. activity
is given to it, the superabundance will perpetually have
the effect of deranging any such plans as have been
pointed out ; and, therefore, the Waste and Crown
Lands, under the sanction of Government, must be re-
sorted to. And if the Agricultural Interest-should take
the al am, the cultivation of these lands migln, to a
great extent., be employed in the growth of- flax, the
practicability of whichlias been most satisfactorily proved
by an experiment upon the waste of Dartmoor, MI the
part of a highly respectable and philanthropic character,
wim has a large track of land there. He is decidedly
convinced, that Amon the waste land of this Island,
siiiiicient-flax might be grown to render the importation
of German and Russia linen almost entirely superfluous,
and, of course, give employment is manufacturing, to a
large body of our population.
it has been confidently stated, that within the last
twenty years, at least 120,000 small farms have been
broken up, and converted into large ones; by this inea-
sure, upon a moderate computation, (100,041) persons
have been deprived of their accusiotned means of ob-
taining a livelihood, and .have been driven into the
manufacturing, .and other districts, to seek bread

there.
If to thii mournful catalogue we add the immense
numbers ,who hate, since the emielusion of the war,
been also turned upon society for a maintenance, we
shall not wonder at the superabundance of labour, which
is on all hands pressing for employment.
It is also well known, that the mercantile, maim-
factoring, and labo * g interests have, for a series of
years, been mane to partake of the general calamities
with which the country•has been visited, to an extreme
degree, whilst the landed interests, having the special
protection of the Legislature, hate been sheltered from
a participation in the public burdens, as is clearly and
satisfactorily shewn, by the coient reasoning, anti most.
interesting calculations, addressed to the Chairman of
the Committee on the. Poor Laws, by a writer who de-
servedly assumed the name of a Briton !
Situated as the country is, our grand object is ter rally
round the Constitution, as handed 4045 II 10 its by our
forefathers. To restore its vigour and usefulness, and
preserve the stake we individually lay claim to, every
man is called tipou, in the present emergency, to sacri-
fice to the common cause, in ptoportiott to the value
and importance of that stake to himself and his family;
and if we thus contribute to the general aid, from the
highest to the lowest tank amongst us, the end will be
accomplished, and we may again coete to feel that hap-
Viten and independence are yet to be found in Old
ngland.
Only let a well organised plan he brought forward,
and the public attention seriously and weightily called
to it, and I am confident that the united wisdom and
patriotism of the country would devise means of relief.
The really distressed would he assisted ; and those
whose object is not Reform, but Revolution, would be
punished as the laws direst, and their character held up
to general execration.—
I beg to subscribe myself thy obliged friend,
DAvto BOLT.
'Caertion-Cattage, Manchester, Sep. 28.