ON THE CORN LAVWS. 256

for the labour and capital employed.—Nore. This regulation would operate as a tax on horfes, in favour of agriculture, by raifing a little the price of oats, without materially increafing the price of the food of the inhabitants. As the fame advancce in luxury, which increafes the confumption of oats in the feeding of horfes, leflens the confumption of oatmeal as the food of man, by the gradual introduction of wheat as bread corn. The expence of cultivating Wafte Land, from the prefent high price of labour and every article of confumption, muft now be very great; and on the Wafte Lands in Scotland, and a great part of thofe in England, it is by cultivating oats, that a great fhare of the expence may be indemnified,

3d!y, By a law for fettling on the clergy a fixed revenue in

corn,(as grain will always rife in price with the increafing de-

mand for labour, in countries advancing in wealth and pro- fperity under well regulated governments, and when ftationary, it becomes the exaët meafure of the real value of every com- modity,) and freeing the cultivators from every fpecies of tythe. Note. Whulft tythes are drawn, cultivation can never be carried on with fpirit, or approach towards perfection; and as the country advances in wealth, the paying of tythes will occafñon more land being withdrawn from raifing corn, and will pre- vent old paftures from being ploughed up for cropping, as it now requires greater capitals and exertions of fkill in the cul- üvators, to replace the rent, expence of cultivation, and profit on ftock, than formerly. Therefore, tythes now fall more heavy on the induftry of the hufbandman, and prove a greater check to his activity.

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