land, in fuch a state, that it will no longer bear exhaufting crops of grain, laid down for patture, probably but of little more value to the individuals immediately interefted, and to the community, than it was in its ftate of common.

An embankment of many thousand acres of falt marsh, fronting the parish of Gedney, and its vicinity, is carrying into effect, which will be of infinite advantage to the proprietors, and the community. Mr Drake, member for Amersham, is a principal promoter of this undertaking, by his judicious agent, Mr Kent of Ful

ham.

It is a matter of great public concern, that in every scheme of drainage, the interior parts of the country fhould be brought into the measure on the outfet; for, by conftructing works for drainage, nearest to the outfall, in the first instance, they are often found afterward to be incompetent to effect the general good: by reafon of which an after expence is incurred, of which more than a moiety might have been faved in the first inftance, as well as the general im. provement of the country effected, inftead of a partial one.

The drainage of the manors of Eaft and Weft Deeping, with their extenfive commons, might, probably, be found, upon a proper furvey, to be affected in the direction of the new cut, by proper tunnels laid for that purpose, under the river Welland, &c. But thofe manors are held by his Grace the Duke of Ancaster, under a leafe from the crown, which is nearly expired; and unless his Grace had a venewal of it, for a competent length of time, in which he might be at least repaid the expences of fuch an undertaking, it is improbable that he should promote it.

As we proceed northward, the marshes stand very much in need of a better drainage, and for want of

which the most profitable use of the land in fummer is very much delayed, and in winter, almost denied.— The fewers and drains, which ought to be competent to conduct the water immediately from the high land to the outfall, at all times, as well as the outfalls themselves, are too much cramped or confined, and a falfe principle in drainage, by long custom, is established, viz. not to open or cut ftrait the fewers and drains nearest the high land, left the water fhould come down too rapidly, and be forced over their banks, in its way to the, outfall, where it cannot get away fast enough to promote the drowning of the intermediate lands.

The fea banks, according to the law of fewers, ought to be repaired and amended from time to time, by the occupiers of lands in the frontage towns; and whenever any banks are neceffarily to be erected, the whole diftrict is chargeable therewith; and it is customary, to charge the expences by an acre-tax, and not according to the yearly value of the lands, which is certainly, in many inflances, where the value of the lands vary, extremely oppreffive. But it fometimes happens, that well-timed applications of a fmall expence, in the due repairing of parts of the banks, might be the means of fupporting them for ages; but it is not always confidered the interest of the occupiers of frontage towns to repair the banks thereof, and they would rather, in fome inftances, when they become very bad by neglect, render new ones neceffary, to the expence of which they would only contribute a proportionate fhare with an extenfive district.

It is not a custom for gentlemen of extenfive landed property, who are most interested, (Sir Jof. Banks, and a few other gentlemen, excepted) to attend the meetings of commiffioners of fewers, and to take the nec ef.

1

neceffary views in this part of the country; and, therefore, the bufinefs of importance, in which the prefervation and even falvation of a rich and fertile country is involved, is too frequently carried into execution, upon the votes of those gentlemen, who are not well verfed either in the laws or cuftoms which ought to be obferved; nor poffeffed of that practical kuowledge, which a decifion upon objects of fo much importance requires; for, however fkilful the of ficers employed may be, it ought not only to be a fatisfaction to them, that their judges understand their demerits, but a great share of the refponfibility and ill opinion of the country, even in cafes of miscarriages that might occur, which no human forefight could prevent, would thereby be taken off their fhoulders.

A work of confiderable importance, in the bank near Saltfleet, was lately blown up by a tide; which, in the firft inftance, recently coft the country from fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds fterling, and which is now to be replaced in a more skilful and fubftantial manner. More difcernment in the commiffioners, or in their agents, might probably have prevented, or rendered this expence unneceffary.

It has, in fome inflances, been a practice, in erecting new banks, to retreat fome way from the fites of the former bank, as if fuch retreat was giving a degree of eafe to the preffure of the water. This measure ought not to be attempted, but in cafes of extreme neceffity. I should rather recommend the ftanding firm to the fites of the ancient banks, until the fea fhall fo far gain upon the fhore, that the whole works must neceffarily be abandoned, for new ones, in a more remote fituation. The fea certainly gains upon fome parts of this coaft, and retreats from other parts; and in the frontage of the parish of Summercotes and Marsh

Chape, fome thousands of acres of falt marshes may now be fafely embanked from the fea.

as

On Leafes. The gentlemen of landed property, who thould make a refolution not to grant any part of his eftate upon a leafe, would commit as great an error, as he who grants the whole in that way. There are but few eftates, that are fo circumftanced, as not to admit of improvement; few on which an occupier of abilities might not lay out a confiderable part of his property, for the fake of future advantages to his landlord, well as himself. On this account it is reasonable, that he fhould be fecured in his expectations, as far as human forefight will allow; and this is most effectually done by a leafe.— Though a gentleman's word may be as binding to him as a bond, his fucceffor is not bound by it; therefore a farmer cannot be expected to lay out his money, which is often the dependence of a family of children, upon the uncertainty of an occupation from year to year. Such gen. tlemen as are determined not to grant leafes at any rate, must be content to let their eftates beneath their real value, and neglect many useful improvements, which would tend to their own, the tenant's, and the public advantage.

fions,

fions, lineally defcending from father to fon. The trouble or difficulty of agency, under fuch gentlemen, is comparatively fmail. A fuperannuated domestic may do their business as well as any other perfon. An advance of rent would give a fpur to industry, by roufing the whole body of farmers into action.

'Where an eftate is let according to its whole value, a leafe is as neseffary to fecure, a landlord's intereft in the premises as a tenant's. Where a farmer occupies land from year to year, particularly arable lands, if he is felf interested, indolent, or injudicious, a farm may almoft imperceptibly become impoverished before any alarm is taken. Indeed fuch farms generally fall into the proprietor's hands in the most wretched condition. I have frequently heard gentlemen of landed property complain, that they are confiderable lofers by farming; and it may reasonably be accounted for, fince the land ufually comes into their hands in a reduced state, and in that cafe, let who will be occupier, two or three years rent must be funk to reftore it. Rent is an annual fum paid by the tenant to the landlord, without diminishing the value of his property; and when the value of an estate is reduced, it cannot be called rent, but fo much deducted from the real worth of the poffeffion. Proprietors of land, do not all of them confider this matter in a true light, and when they can advance the annual income of their eftates, confider it as rent, while the property is fuffering in an equal proportion to the annual fum received during the demife.

In the course of my experience, I have had applications from people to take farms confifting of arable and pafture, who have fet out with a determination not to be bound by what I conceived to be the rules of good husbandry, but to do as they pleased with the premises during the intend

ed demife: I always refufed to treat upon fuch terms, well knowing the value of the land must be reduced. But when fuch matters have been reprefented to a principal, who was not a judge in these things, he confi dered fuch denial as foregoing his intereft, by refufing what appeared to him to be a great rent.

There are particular fituations where long leafes are unneceffary and improper, efpecially when farms confift wholly of rich pafture land, which will admit of no improvement, or farms lying near to gentlemen's feats or parks, where a difagreeable neighbour, for a term of years, would be a great inconvenience. Where gentlemen forego their own intereft, and that of the community, by not granting leafes, by which it may poffibly be imagined fuch tenants would become independent of their landlords, they are guilty of a grofs error, becaufe when leafes are properly drawn, it must always be highly to a tenant's prejudice to offend his landlord. Fortuitous circumftances ever produce fome indulgence to be folicited from a landlord; even exacting rent on the day it becomes payable, would be an inconveniency, which many tenants could not bear. All farms fhould be let upon agreements, whether for one or twenty-one years, in a judicious manner, as near as poffible for the mutual advantage of landlord and tenant, always preferving the value of the land at leaft. Whatever agreements or leafes are not made with fuch views, or directed to fuch ends, it would be better that no fuch leafes or agreements fubfifted. Though the value of the land would be likely to be diminished, yet abufes would not be fo fpeciously practifed, as when they are admitted by ftipulated terms, reciprocally established between the proprietor and his tenant.

I cannot take leave of this subject, without recommending to all gentle

men

men of landed property, as well as perfons defirous of hiring farms, to be cautious that farmers do not take more land, than their circumftances will admit of stocking, improving, and managing, to the greatest advantage. Though the ill confequences

attending fuch practices both to landlord and tenant are flagrant, yet they are but too frequent; by which procedure, many very induftrious farmers have been ruined, and many eftates undefervedly brought into difrepute.

THE

This, certainly, is in one fenfe literally true; and from this fource, combined with the imperfection of the criminal code, have arifen all thofe preffures, enormities, and frauds, which have been detailed in the courfe of this work.

Attached as the author is to the laws and government of his country, even to a degree of enthufiafm, he will not be too prone to feek for greater perfection in other nations, or to quote them as examples to be imitated in the metropolis of the British Empire, and ftill lefs if fuch examples fhonld tend, in the flightest degree, to abridge that freedom which is the birth-right of every Britifh fubject; but as all true liberty depends on thofe fences which are established in every country, for the protection of the perfons and property of the people, against eery attack whatfoever; and as prejudices ought to be banished from the mind in all difcuffions tending to promote the general weal, we ought not to be afhamed of borrowing good fyftems from other nations, wherever fuch fan be adopted, confiftently with the

In France, under the old government, however much many parts of the fyftem of that country was justly reprobated by all who were acquainted with the bleffings of freedom, yet in the management and regulation of what was denominated the police, there existed that kind of establishment, with regard to personal security and protection against the depredations of the most depraved part of the community, which Englishmen have certainly never enjoyed; and which inconveniences and preffures have been fuffered from an idea (certainly a very erroneous one) that we must endure thefe public wrongs, and expofe our property and lives to the attack of murderers, robbers, and highwaymen, as the price of liberty."

When preffures are felt, it is our duty to look at them with difpaffion, to face them with fortitude, and to difcufs them with intelligence-divefted of all thofe prejudices which are generated by habit and education.

By pursuing this mode of inveftigation, it will be discovered, that in other governments there may be fome establishments worthy of imitation, and which, perhaps, might in part be adopted, not only perfectly confiftent with the freedom of the fubject, but with the advantage of extending to the mafs of the people who are not in a courfe of delinquen

cy,

cy, more real liberty than they at prefent enjoy.

At the commencement of the troubles in France, it is a curious fact, that the lieutenant-general of the national police, as well as that of the metropolis, had upon his registers not less than twenty thousand names of fufpected and depraved characters, whofe pursuits were known to be of a criminal nature, and yet by making this branch of police the immediate object of the close and uniform attention of one branch of the executive government, crimes were much less frequent than in England, and the fecurity extended to the public, with regard to the protection of life and property against lawless depredation, was infinitely more. To elucidate this affertion, and to fhew to what a wonderful height the fyftem had advanced, the reader is referred to the following anecdotes, which were mentioned to the author by a foreign minifter of great intelligence and information, who refided fome years at the court of France.

A merchant of high refpectability in Bourdeaux had occafion to vifit the metropolis upon commercial bufinefs, carrying with him bills and money to a very large amount.

On his arrival at the gates of Paris, a genteel-looking man opened the door of his carriage, and addreffed him to this effect: "Sir, I have been waiting upon you for fome time; according to my notes you were to arrive at this hour; and your perfon, your carriage, and your portmanteau, exactly answering the defcription I hold in my hand, you will permit me to have the honour of conducting you to monfieur De Sartine."

The gentleman, aftonished and alarmed at this interruption, and still more fo at hearing the name of the lieutenant of police mentioned, demanded to know what manfieur De Sartine wanted with him; adding, at the fame time, that he never had

• Monfienr De Sartine received him with great politeness; and, after requesting him to be feated, to his great aftonishment he defcribed his portmanteau, and told him the exact fum in bills and fpecie which he had brought with him to Paris, and where he was to lodge, his usual time of going to bed, and a number of other circumstances, which the gentleman had conceived could only be known to himself.-Monfieur De Sartine having thus excited attention, put this extraordinary question to him. "Sir, are you a man of courage?". The gentleman ftill more astonished at the fingularity of such an interrogatory, demanded the reafon why he put fuch a ftrange queftion, adding, at the fame time, that no man ever doubted his courage. Monfieur De Sartine replied," Sir, you are to be robbed and murdered this night!-If you are a man of courage, you must go to your hotel, and retire to rest at your usual hour: but be careful that you do not fall asleep: neither will it be proper for you to look under the bed or into any of the clofets which are in your bed. chamber, which he accurately defcribed-you must place your portmanteau in its ufual fituation, near your bed, and discover no fufpicion. Leave what remains to me. If, however, you do not feel your courage fufficient to bear you out, I will pro cure a perfon who fhall perfonate

you,