148 On the Poor Rates.[March

It is admitted I believe as a maxim,“that the cure of a dis- ease must be preceded by a knowledge of the cCause," and therefore it may not be useless to enqure wherefore it is that 50 much money as 5,000,000/, annually, should be foand ne- ces3ary for.the relief of tbe poor.

That war may be operative in 85ome measzure to produce an Increase of paupers 1 must admit, but it appears to me to be 80 in 1n0 very considerable degree, because whether we are 2t peace or warfare, the aggregate amount of rates would Scarcely decide which state we were 1n.--1 allude to rural Parzashes.

We have no information that a century or even four-Score years ago, any rural parieh book, contained a rate of five Shillings in the pound, rarely gid it amount to half the money; but it was always paid chearfully, because little was wanted, and many contributed to produce it. Parishes were füll of little farms; the occupier tilled his Jand and reaped his har- vest by the Sweat of bis own brow, his wiſe was his partner, his children were his Servants."Plenty was congequent. His cow, his pigs, his poultry coustantly Supplied the neigh- bouring market, and moderate prices were consequent.

Since the period I have mentioned,(from what cause I will not take upon me to 8ay) the little Farmer has been gra- qually disappearing, and that most valuable race vf men is nearly extirpated from the 5oil to make room for the over- grown monopolizer, commonly called a Gentleman Farmer.

I have been credibly informed, Sir, and I have reason to believe the fact, that within ten miles of the Spot 1 write from, no less than zineteen small farmers with their families, were expelled to make room for an zudividual!!! and pray observe, those nineteen farmers kept 42 cows upon the same Jands that have Sipce Supported only four!!! In the ame neighbourhood, there is auother consolidation of Seventy-0re farms, precisely under the Same circumstances.

Do not this monopoly and decrease of produce naturally enhance the price of provisions? And does it not readily oc- cur, that the disposSessed farmers with their families, must descend Into the class of Jabourers, and 59 become Suitors to that fund to which they were wont to contribute.

Gentlemen farmers in a great many neighbourheods will rarely permit a Single feather to be Sold from their poultry yard, nor an ounce of butter fiom their dairy, and(if at all) then at Such extravagant prices as our ancestors could have bad no conception of.+2;

From hence I think it appears that the grievance com- plained of is produced by the cowplainants themselves; and