Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-03-03
From the chicago Tribune
RNPLISH LAND MONOPOLY.

Sne results OF which are recorded IN
the famous Domesday Book, which
so sacredly guarded in the Eng
lish State Paper Office. Since that
time, however, no land census has
been taken till the present time.
In that census, taken in 1855, the
whole number of land owners was
found to be 54,8I3. The population
Of the entire island at the time was
probably about 100000 of souls.
After the lapse of nearly eight centu-
ries, Parliament, IN 1872, ordered a
second enumeration of landowners
to be made, which has Just been
completed, and has been printed in
two quarto volumes with 1880
pages of closely printed tabulated
matter. Fhis second Domesday
Book was compiled owing to the per-
sistent agitation of such Liberal re-
formers as John Bright, Mr. Cob
den, Mr.. Mill, and others. These
land reformers, basing their esttim-
ates upon the returns of the census
of 1861, charged that the soil of
England and Wales, really belonged
to only $4,000 persons; and upon
this basis made such furious on
slaught upon the evils of land mo-
nopoly that the Government, in its
own defense, was compelled to iBsti-
tute q land census. The returns
of this census have now been given
in the London Times, and they bring
out some facts of extraordinary in
terest as touching upon this tenure
of land, which show that, while Mr..
Bright may technically err in assum-
ing that 1000 persons own the soil
of England, he is right in the general
assumption tnat the great bulk of
the land is owned by landed aristdc-
racy, gentry, and squirearchy. BY
way of preface we may state the to-
tai area Of land in occupation (the
metropolis of London being except
ed) IS $4,000, 600 acres, and there
are ], 500, ,O00 acres of commons and
waste. The population Of England
and Wales) in 1871 was 22,7I2, ,2e6.
In a general way, the new Domesday
Book shows that about 10000 of
the largest proprietors own nearly
3O,O00,O00 acres Of this amount; 100
own 8, $4,000 acres, or over one
ninth of the entire Kingdom; 1000
own an average of 5000 acres
each; 5000 own an average Of 1000
acres each; 4, 1000 own an average of
900 acres each; and there are
about ], ,00O,8 600 persons who own
somewhat more than the six feet of
ground necessary fora last resting
place. The classification thus far
shows that II, 100 persons own 90
$4,000 out of 100000 acres,
leaving 4,l84,000 acres, which are
owned as follows: 703, ,289 persons
own less than one. acre each, as, for
instance, bankruptcies, house
lots, etc, aggregating, say, 50O,OO0
acres, and 257,471 persons own the
remaining $780,, 600 acres, of which
humber of persons. perhaps 25o,OD0
will average between one and fye
acres, and 7,47l a good many more
acres than the 25O, 900 owners of lit
tie p atches.
Some of the details of this owner
ship are quite as interesting as the
general facts. Out of the zoe larg-
est private owners (who hold, it val
be remembered, 3,e5O,OOO acres)
there are AZ holding 10000 and up
wards, but less than 80, 900 acres; 27
holding $4,000 and upwards, but
less than 10000 acres IS holding
10000 and upwards, but less thsn
$4,000 acres !; 8 holding $4,000 aud
upwards, but less than 60, 900 acres;
8 holding 10000 ana upwards, but
less than 10000 acres 2 holding
10000 and upwards, but less than
100000 acres 2 holding $4,000 and
upwards, but less than loo, 600 acres;
3 holding 100, 900 acres and upwards.
The 2 largest owners, as regards
area, are the Duke of Northumber-
land, Duke Of Devonshire, Duke Of
Cleveland, Sir ". w. Wynn, Duke
of Bedford, Earl of Carlisle, Duke
of Rutland, Duke Of Lonsdale, Lord
Leconfeld, Earl of Powis, Earl
Brownlow, ard Earl or Derby. The
lands held by the Colleges Of the
Universities of Ozford and Cam
bridge amount to 9s5, 55s acres, dis
tribnted through ifty-One out of the
ffty-four counties il England and
Wales. The Ecclesiastical Com
missioners hold. property in forty
nine counties. amounting to i49,8ss
acres. The Duchy of Cornwall holds
69,503 acres, and the Duehy of-Lans
caster l., ,42s acres $50 q gteM
The rentals are extraordinary, as
will beiseen by a few instances. Fhe
average rental of land in England
and Wales is SIS per acre. The in
come of the loo landed aristocrats,
who hold $500 acres, therefOre,
is So, $50, 600 per annum. The Duke
of Devonshire has an income of 81, :
90, ,4S5 /; the Duke of Bedford, s5lS,-
$50 the Earl of Derby, $70e,Os5 ;
the Earl Of Carlisle, rs7l5, $50; the
Duke Of Cleveland, s7s7, $50 the Col
leges of the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge, the immense sum Of
81, ,05 $40 the Ecclesiastical Com
missioners, $I,558,o40 the Prince
of Wales, or tie Duchy of Cornwall,
Sl56, 400; and the Duchy of Lam
caster, S104, no. Mr.. Disraeli, the
Premier, is a small frog in the pud-
/ die, owning but 1,O0I acres, which
/ yield him only i$7,47O, or S7.47 per
acre.
The discoveries of the new Domes-
/ day Book sustain the charges of AIf.
1 Bright and the other land reformefs
as 20 the monopoly ofiand ownership
| and its oppressive character. They
show that while there are o7o,sSa
| persons who own land in England
and Wales, exclusive Of london,
holding $4,000, 900 acres, l2,100 oi
them hold 20, $50, 600 acres, and that
the remaining 100000 acres are
held by 96o, ,7s6 persons, leaving
more than 5000, 900 heads Of families
| who hold not a foot Of ground. The
i actt,,ofa1 ,.ontal 80 fbo londa aA.