the system could do: but, as long [tled, "Happy Poverty," or the as they complain of want of price, so long will they be laughed at by some and detested by others; and this is precisely what they

merit.

Lancashire Cottager. What does all this show? Why, a consciousness on the part of the rich, that the poor have not fair play; and that the former wish to obtain security against the latter by

That the labourers have gained, and greatly gained," by Agri-coaxing. "cultural Distress is certain. And, what has brought things Not because they say so,or because to this pass? Why, the high any body else says so, but because prices of corn. This is the fact. the thing must be so. Labourers, No matter, as to my argument, Smiths, Wrights, Shoemakers, what produced the high prices of Taylors, Masons, all the work-corn. It was those, high prices. ing people, in short, are, and that brought down the labourers, must be, bettered by a falling that made them marry without market of corn, and especially forethought, that swelled the list the farm-labourer: he must be of paupers, and that made them bettered in a great any ways; comparatively regardless of chain a great many little things, and racter. One of the first conseon the score of prices of labour quences of high price, was, the besides. But, is not the nation driving of the single labourers, bettered too from the same c use? the boys, the young women and When did we, until these days, the girls from the farm-house. hear of millions of "TRACrs, Each considerable farmer used to moral and religious " for the have one head carter, and one purpose of keeping the poor from under carter at the least, a coucutting the throats of the rich? ple of threshers, a shepherd, a The parson's sermon, once a week, cow-boy, a couple of young woor fortnight, used to be quite suf-men, and a girl or two, all in the ficient for the religion and morals house; and all sitting at the same of a village. Now we have a table with the master and the busy creature or two in every dame. These took the head of village, however small, dancing the table, had the first cut, perabout with "Tracts" for the be-haps; but all sat at the same nefit of the souls of the labourers board. Here was a group of and their families. It is surpriz- young people bred up under the ing to see how eager these med-eye and in the company of those dling things are in this way. who were so well able to teach The git of the whole of the Tracts them their various duties, and is, to inculcate content in a state whose interest it was to see them of misery! To teach people to perform those duties with regustarve without making a noise!larity, and in the very best manTo teach them to die quietly!ner, and whose example must neI picked up in a stage-c ach, the ces arily be powerful. Here was other day, a Tract," ," which a education. Here were early rissanctified piece of female anti-ing, industry, good - hours, soquity had left behind her, eati- briety, decency of language, clean

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This was good-breeding. From this arose the finest race of peo ple that the world ever saw. To this the nation owed its excellent habits. All was in order here. Every one was in his place. These were the breeding places of sober and able workmen. This supplied the cities, sionally with their most active and successful tradesmen and merchants; and it supplied the fleet and army with hardy men,

liness of person, due obedience, all taught, and that, too, by competent teachers, who had a deep interest in the success of their teaching. This was England: this was an English farm-house. Aud how shall language afford words wherein to express our detestation of the man, who, by means of his Paper-System and consequent high prices, broke up these schools of the youth of the country! It well becomes fools and villains to celebrate the birth-fashioned to due subordination day of such a man. from their infancy.

These were the schools that an English community recognized. Instead of these schools, we have Lancaster's-system and Bell'ssystem and the Tract-system, and, at last, we are to have the Brougham-system, which is to cram education" "into the heads, of poor ragged things with empty bellies.

occa

Curse on the Paper; curse on the system; curse on the high prices that broke up those schools, and drove the scholars into hovels, and, indeed, deprived them of house and home.

Poor-rates! Paupers! How should it be otherwise? When a boy was under the eye of, and almost constantly in company In the farm-houses there used with, a master, he necessarily to be a long oak table, three became industrious, regular, skil inches through, at which the ful in his calling, and obedient; whole family sat. The breakfast and, when grown up, he was not was by candle-light in winter; only an useful man, but had a and it consisted of beer, bread spirit of pride that restrained him and bacon or other food, prepared from mean and vicious courses. by the dame and the maids, Compare this with the poor thing, while the men and boys and mas-left to the command of a misera ters went out to feed and clean ble mother, while the father is their horses and cattle by lantorn-out at work. See the ragged light. It was not a mess consist-disorderly, idle, disobedient young ing of tea-water and potatoes. dog, roaming about here and When the men went out, they there, at play half his time, and had their bottles of beer and their not unfrequently thieving, unluncheon bags. It was not water censured, too, by his wretched and cold potatoes to eat in the parents, whose hunger is their field. The return from plough justification. Such a boy is little was the signal for dinner, the better than a gypsy in dress, look horses having been fed first. At and manners; and, is it any night all assembled again, and wonder if he make his exit on all were in bed four hours before the gallows? At least he is but midnight. This was education. a poor half-grown man at last.

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He has not had the food requisite parents' hovel is too small to conto his proper growth. He is but tain the whole brood; they want half a labourer. His habits are a hovel; and to get a hovel from those of idleness, irregularity, the parish they must marry. and disobedience. Bred up a MALTHUS, unfeeling Malthus, pauper he has no desire to keep would punish their offspring for from the list. From his very this! The p parson never looked earliest days, he e has been in the at the causes. The parson thought habit of hearing the schemes and that he could check the breeding. devices of his miserable parents He talked of moral restraint !" for obtaining relief from the parish. There were moral restraints a He has, too, been listening to plenty when young people had their curses on the rich. And comfortable homes in farm houses, thus he is formed and fashioned and could, while they lived well, to craft and meanness, and to save a little money; and when to envy and hatred of those, whom, be a pauper was a disgrace. in a good state of things, he These were the true " moral re-i would respect and honour. It straints," the hope of getting is useless to preach to such a on in the world, and the fear of man: it is useless to tell him, that pauperism. Besides, in the good he must not covet other men's state of things, very frequent "goods;" and that he must order were the intermarriages between' "himself, lowly and reverendly to the farming and the labouring •* all his betters. I put it to any classes. The carter very often parson, who has lived forty years married his young mistress, and in his parish (if there be such an as often, the farmer's son one of one in the whole kingdom), whe- the maids. But the Paper-Systher his parishioners have not tem; that infernal system brought wholly changed character whe- into full play by Pitt, has created ther they have not, with the in- a farming aristocracy, who now crease of their poverty and de-mix with attorneys, bankers, gradation, become careless of cha-jews, jobbers, and all sorts of racter, and disrespectful towards devils. The link of connection, those whom their well-fed and the community of feeling, between well-clad forefathers treated with the farmer and the labourer is respect. This is in human natúre. Slaves are proverbially insolent. They yield to the lash; but, they curse the hand that holds it; than which nothing can be more morally just.

broken. The pride of the latter, that great protection against pauperism, is gone; and it was fast getting into a state of masters and slaves, if low prices had not come to give us a chance of seeing bet

Early marriages in the labour-ter days. ing classes, are a great evil; buť The way to provide a “morat this arises from the same cause:restraint" from early or improthe misery, the hopelessness of vident marriages, is to let the state the parties, and especially from of things be such as to afford hope the driving of them from the farm of bettering his lot to the prudent, houses. They are grown up; the and to inspire fear of disgrace in

Now then, GAFFER GOOCH, as high prices drove the man and maids, the boys and girls from the farm-house, and as this is such a mother of mischief, ought we not to rejoice at the present low prices? If, as I am sure is the case, fifty gain where one loses, by the low prices, ought the

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the imprudent. If there exist tice, Wisdom, Abundance, and neither this hope nor this fear, happy Industry! where is any moral restraint to be found? If it be no disgrace to be fed by the parish, how are we to expect this restraint being imposed? If the party knows, that his lot cannot be made worse by indulgence; if he knows, that his children must be fed by others, what should restrain him? The blacks in the Northern States of liament to pass any act to raise America have greatly decreased the prices, or to keep them up? by being made free. In Long This ought to be matter of strict Island they have diminished in inquiry with your Committee; numbers prodigiously. The only and, indeed, you ought to have paupers in the island are found labourer before you. You ought amongst them; but, even they are to ask them, whether they desire. ashamed to be paupers. This is a high prices. You ought to ask very striking fact; but, it is what some old labourers, when it was common sense would naturally that they were driven out of the expect. Having to provide for farm-house. You ought to ask their offspring, they take time to them when it was that the bɩer-. calculate, even those thoughtless bottle was banished; and when it beings take time to reflect, before was that they themselves (being they take the preliminary steps to married) ceased to brew their own the having of families. beer. You ought to ask them, It is nonsense, then, to rail when it was that they took to the against the poor for being pau- eating of potatoes instead of bread pers. The fault is not theirs. and bacon. And, if you find that It is the system that has degraded all these took place at the time them. It is the system that has when high prices came, and when made them wholly careless about the farmers began to wear shinmaintenance of family. It is ing boots, white cravats, and the system that has made them broad cloth coats, instead of spat“rounds-men,” and that billetied terdashes, red handkerchiefs, and them upon farmers as soldiers are upon the ale-house keepers. It is the system; the Pitt and Paper system, with its high prices, that has produced all these evils; and yet, there are audacious mis creants found to hold-festivals in honour of the memory of Pitt, whose statue is stuck up in the very Guildhall of London, surrounded with the emblems of Jus

smock-frocks, ought you not to recommend that which will bring prices still lower? You ought, when a big farmer comes before you, to ask how many farms his present farm formerly consisted of; how many little farmers have ceased to be farmers to make up his farm. Here you would get at information truly valuable. How many little industrious hives this hornet has driven off; how

many decent families his wide-above all things, the rents must stretching grasp has enveloped in be lowered!

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But, the trick will not take in the case before us. We all know, that it is rents that are wanted; and we know that they cannot be had with the present prices, and

ruin and pauperism. What a This is the git! This is the system! And shall not the nation toucher! This it is that makes rejoice to see this system going all the stir; all the ferment; all to pieces? Its evils were not the bubbling and boiling. seen during the noise and bustle have not yet forgotten the printed of the storm of war; but, now address, sent by the Landlords of that the storm is over and the Huntingdonshire to their Tenants, swell is come; now the crazy calling upon the Tenants to pething rolls about ; now we see the tition for " remunerating" prices! shattered masts and yards, we I inserted this address in my New hear the ominous creaking, and Year's Gift to the Farmers, pubsee the planks open and shut; lished on the sixth of January and to pieces she goes, mind, in last. You have read of the. spite of all the pumping and all cunning Monkey, that used the the patching of all the projectors paw of the Cat to rake the Chesthat this projecting time has nuts out of the fire. Poor pussy! hatched into life and activity. And the monkey eat the chesnuts But, you will say, is the pre-after all; never having intend d sent race of farmers to be ruined. any part of them for the cat! Yes, if necessary to the general Poor silly pussy! good. Besides, what is ruin? Is it ruin for men, who always ought to have laboured, to be brought to labour? Is it ruin to leave off wearing shining boots? Is it ruin to put on a smock frock?w.th the present taxes; and we The big big ones are fund-holders also know, that prices must come or money-lenders (and sometimes still lower unless Peel's Bill be reto their "lords of the soil"), and, pealed, and that if the present therefore, they are safe. They taxes be not paid, there must be will get rid of their farms, and a breach of national faith!" live on their means, and, per- Distracting difficulty? For, if a haps, come to inhabit some of the above ten thousand new houses actually building this very year round about London. They will What, then, is the probable quit Agricultural Distress," result of the proceedings of your and come here, and enjoy its Committee? A Report to be blessings. Those who remain sure. Aye, aye; but what will farmers must have their rents the Report say ? What will it relowered, until they can make commend? Not a new Corn-Bill: both ends meet. They must not a repeal of Peel's Bill: not themselves put their hand to the a taking off of taxes. If it do plough now-and-then, and not either of these I shall be very think of a ride round the farm. much surprized; and, if it do the The farms must be divided; and, first, petitions will come down

breach of national faith" take place, in will come the Reformers. Horrible consequence !

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