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General View Of The Agriculture Of The County Of Middlesex : And Observations On The Means Of Its Improvement / By Thomas Baird ; Drawn Up For The Consideration Of The Board Of Agriculture And Internal Improvement
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and fifh, however, are the moſt expenſive articles. This occaſioned the remark of a Scotch traveller, that a good * fheep, in Scotland, might be purchaſed for almoſt the ſfame ſum of money, as a chicken in London.

Roads. The ſtrict attention paid to the keeping of the roads in this county, in good repair, is an object of the utmoſt conſequence, and is in general well attended to. By this means, the produce of the country is brought from greater diſtances, and at eaſier and cheaper rates, to market. To this may alfo be attributed, the ſafe, cheap, and expeditious conveyance, in ſtage-coaches, to and from every place round the metropolis; a mode of travelling, for which England ſtands perfectly unrivalled. In the conveniency, as well as in the variety of conſtruction, of theſe public vehicles of conveyance, London alſo excels in a ſuperior degree. Not many years ago, it would have appeared perfectly fabulous, if any one had aſſerted, that at this period, travelling would be ſo cheap and expeditious, that a perſon could be carried from London to South- ampton, a diſtance of ſeventy-five miles, in ten or twelve hours, at the very low rate of half a guinea, and in a car- riage drawn by four horſes. It is true, this machine, to elude the duty, runs upon eight low wheels; but in point of eaſe and expedition, it is little inferior to the mail- coaches, and the difference of expence is very conſiderable.

Drick-fields. There is one mode of making uſe of earth, which is, probably, carried to a greater extent in Middle- ſex, than in any part of the kingdom, namely, in the ma- nufacture of bricks. Some ycars ago, the ſum uſually paid for an acre of brick earth, was 100. But the price of this, like that of other commodities, has been rapidly increaſing, and indeed has gone as high as.3350 per acre. The common way now is, for the proprietor to get one ſhilling per thou-

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For remarks and additional obſervations.