The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-23 00:00:00

not even alluding to the much vexed
questions :concerning our Foreign affairs,
Mr. DISRAELI -continued not only to en-
gage the attention of the room, but to make a
speech which was full of general interest. After
referring to the charge which has taken place in
the general estimite of these exhibitions, Mr Dis-
RAELI very justly observed that all such associa-
tions were beneficial not only in their particular
but in their general character. All such mixed
gatherings tend to bring classes more together, to
unite different ranks in a common interest, and so
to enlarge and deepen the sympathies which should
exist between them. In the list of humanising
agencies the speaker included excursion trains,
which serve to improve the mind as well as refresh
the body. The midland agriculturist, who has
never seen a seaport town, is certainly
more limited in his notions than his fellow, who, by
the aid of excursion trains, has had a glimpse of
orders of society very different from his own.
There is too little doubt that all such changes tend
to rub off the rust which gathers not only on the
mind, but the manner of the isolated and mono-
tonous life. Mr. DISRAELI confesses to a hope
that they may help to bring us back to what he
calls the original character of Englishmen, who,
in the olden days, claimed for their land the title of
" Merrie England," instead of indulging in
that austere gravity on which we moderns
pride ourselves. Coming to the consideration
of the harvest he gave them grounds for
being of good cheer by declaring his conviction that
the harvest was a good one, and that even in its
worst aspect it had been underrated. His remarks
upon the general character of landed property were
just and sensible, and he took the opportunity of
reminding his hearers, who are not, as a class, pro-
verbial for content, that, although landed property
does not return the same interest as other property,
it is always increasing in value ; and that, although
agriculture may never realise the rapid fortunes of
trade, it is subject to more of its fluctuations. It is
affected, it is true, by the vicissitudes of nature, but
it is a sound and enduring business that never goes
out of fashion. Drawing from his experience as a
national financier, he told his hearers that the
average duration of many of those seemingly suc-
cessful pursuits, whose large profits often fill the
farmer with envy, did not extend beyond twelve or
thirteen years. One point which the member for
Buckinghamshire touched upon at the close of hie
address was especially deserving of attention, and
has, indeed, been attracting a considerable amount
of notice for some time past. The condition of the
cottages of our agricultural labourers is loudly
calling for reform ; and in those days of sanitary
knowledge the very existence of the novels described
in some of the reports is a national disgrace, and a
complete anachronism. The author of " Sybil" was
well qualified to speak on such a subject,but although
speaking very strongly on the necussity and duty
of inaugurating a better state of things he was
careful to convince rather than denounce. The im•
portance of healthy dwellings is, as he justly ob-
served, second to no consideration. " I believe,"
he said humorously, " that we all eat quite
enough, and many of us drink a great deal too
much, but I will venture to say that no one can be
too well housed." That is a fact which in these
days of cheap and slightly built habitations
we are all a deal too ready to overlook. The
difficulty which stands in the way in the case of
the agricultural cottages was boldly faced by Mr
DISRAELI. The obstacle was, he said, that the in-
vestment did not bring in a profitable return ; but
he went on to show that better labourers improved
the farm, and that better farming improved the
rent, so that the indirect return compensated in a
measure for the direct outlay. The question, he
said, was usually.argued as if every proprietor was
to sweep away all the cottages on his estate and
build new ones at a cost of several thousands.
Everyone could not do that, but everyone could
work by degrees by repairs, by alterations, by ad-
ditions to the tenements already standing, so as to
introduce gradually but surely a better state of
things. Every landed proprietor could not, he said,
imitate the noble liberality of the Duke of
NORTHUMBERLAND, who expended half a million in
building cottages on 200,000 acres. Her MAJESTY
conferred a riband on the Duke of NORTHUMBER-
LAND because he created a Channel fleet at the
moment we had none ; but the man who lays out
£500,000 in building cottages oa his estate as much
deserves the blue riband as the man who creates a
Channel fleet, or even at the head of a Channel
fleet leads us on to victory." This is the true
spirit to infuse into our landowners, and we trust
that they may be stimulated each to bear his part
in the good work.