*y

18084 5-/ On ihe Breed of Sheep. 9

with(heir respective parishes, renders them much more useful to government, than their brethren in the Sotth."Phe great body of information communicated by them to Sir John Sin- elair, and publiehbed by him, as a Statistical account of Scot- Jand, exceeds every thing done by any church in the world. Fhis is a monument, durable as marble, of their pre-eminent worth. The clergy of Scotland accompliShed this great work without Tithes, which no national clergy can do under any System of Tithes. Every moditication ot Tithes, puts a Stop to all communication of a Statistical nature, from the parishion- eis to tbeir priest. Thus by means of Tithes, the king and his ministers are deprived of the easiest means of obtaming the most certain and full information of the State ofhis dominions,.

Agriculture is the Science which feeds the people, and in the hands of a wise legislator, may be made 1tbe means of mul- tiplying or encreasing the population ot the nation, to aimost any extent. A numerous population cannot be raised and Supported by any other means, than Such as encourage the plough. Population Is repressed by the difüeulty ol procuning

lenty of wholesomwe food. More persons die, owing to want of food, than to any other Single cause; many are lost through want every year, but in the dearth of 1800, the deaths withii2 rhe bills of mortality enereased 5000. Great Britain and Ire- Jand are about üfteen times more populous than London, and as the scarcity of grain prevailed, even more in many ot tbe provinces than in the capital, it is highly probable in that year, there died in 1his nation, through inzufüicieacy of good food, upwards of 75,000 persons. Tais'great mortality tell principally on the induüstrious poor and ou their children, who were Carried off in great numbers, 0i complaints which origt- nated in too low adiet. A spirited systein ol agriculture may be carried on more and more towards periection, till(very acre be tilled, and in plenty Supports its owner. Shall the tthe laws reprtess the energies of man, keep rheproduce ofthe earth down to a quarter ot what it is capable of, and blight the population to ten millions which is capable bt beipg forty? Porbit it, ye Jegislators, forbid It, all ye powers ot heaven.

1 am yours truly,

Lumbetkh, June, 1803. JOHN MIDDLETON.

ON SMALL FARMING-STOCK'AS PREFERABLE TO LARGE ANIMALS, AND ON THE CROSSES OF SPANISH WITH ENG= LISH SHEEP, IN ANSWER TO PRACTICUS,

»"' Lo the Kilitor of the Agricultural Magazine,

R...+ 90:0 7|;

N the desuültory remarks of mine, on the Subject of fine wooled Shecp, which you have done me the honot to pub- hsb in your very interesting Miscellany, it may posSibly have