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of this business must, in some measure, be attributed the progressive increase of the rates in this county."

P. 166. "From the few manufactures in the county, the poor are not numerous, excepting in the mining parishes; nor are the rates heavy, if compared with those of many other parts of the kingdom: from 2s. 6d. to 3s. in the pound of the rental, may be about the usual rate of the county; but in the mining districts, the poor-rates are very high, sometimes up to 10s. or 128. in the pound; however, the land proprietors who have been benefited by the mines, have of late years been obliged, by contributing to the rates, to lighten the oppressive burthen."

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P. 178. The serious increase of the poor-rates, especially since the decline of the carding and spinning employment, and since so many burthens have been thrown on it for raising soldiers and seamen, and for the support of the families of militiamen, must operate as a check to improvement."

TITHE.-P. 32. "The great, or sheaf tithes, are for the most part the property of laymen, and are by them farmed out to persons called proctors. The small tithes, which comprise all tithable things, except corn, are in the hands of the Clergy, who in general compound at 1s. to 1s. 6d. in the pound of the rent, for vicarages; and for rectories, where the great tithes also belong to the clergyman, from 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. in the pound. In general it may be observed, they are compounded for on very moderate terms, when held by the Clergy; when held by a layman, they are sometimes taken in kind, but generally valued, and agreed for in the field about the time of harvest."

MARKETS.-Surplus Produce.-P. 165. "It is generally supposed, that Cornwall is deficient in its produce of wheat, in proportion to its inhabitants; but of barley, oats, and potatoes, it grows much more than it consumes. A great many neat cattle, pigs, and some sheep, are driven annually out of the county."

Weights and Measures.-P. 180. "Divers weights and measures prevail throughout Cornwall, to a mischievous and vexatious degree, and are productive of much inconvenience, perplexity, and error. They are a snare to the ignorant, a handle for the artful, and equally injurious to the individual and the community. Of all those who have regard to fairness and justness in their dealings, a uniformity of weights and measures is the universal and ardent wish.

"Corn is sold in the eastern parts of Cornwall by the double Winchester of 16 gallons, and in the western parts by the treble Winchester of 24 gallons; oats by the hogs

M m 3

head

head of nine Winchesters; but with some farmers, the double Winchester will run 17 or 171 gallons. Again, if a farmer in the eastern part of Cornwall buys a bushel of seed-wheat from the western farmers, it will run short a gallon or two by the eastern measure. Butter is generally sold at 18oz. to the pound. The customary perch for landmeasure is also 18 feet; but this is giving way to the statute perch of 16 feet."

SOCIETIES.-P. 180. "The Cornwall Agricultural Society has been frequently mentioned in these papers.

established in the year 1793, has been supported with great spirit, and been attended with very beneficial effects in the encouragement of agriculture throughout the county; and it has never been in a more flourishing state than at present."

RURAL ECONOMY.

TENANTED ESTATES.

ESTATES-F

STATES.-P. 17. "Property is very much divided, subdivided, and vexatiously intermixed; consequently the proprietors of lands are numerous. Some few accommodations of interchange have conduced to the concentrating landed property, forming those desirable estates, bounded within ring fences, always to their greater profit and improvement. The size of estates varies greatly, perhaps from 20 acres to 500 acres, very few exceeding 400l. per

annum."

TENURES.-P. 18. "The tenure of the land in Cornwall is generally freehold, excepting lands of ecclesiastical corporations, and ancient duchy land, which is equivalent to copyhold in fee, beld under the Duke of Cornwall, subject to a small annual rent."

Life Leases.-P. 19. "There is a very considerable proportion of the lands of Cornwall now held by the tenantry under these leases; but it is certain, that the number of new grants, or renewal of old ones, is on the decrease; and seldom take place, excepting under some peculiar circumstances affecting the particular estate, or from some particular motives, arising from the situation of the proprietor."

SODBURNING.-P. 118. " This process is, with much propriety, arranged under the head of Improvement. The general opinion throughout this county is, that a more prompt and efficient improvement cannot be devised; and

accordingly,

accordingly, it is the usual and prevailing preparation, for the conversion of old tough lays and furze or heathy waste grounds into tillage. The process commences with paring the surface of the land, and the operation is performed, either with the common plough, the beating-axe, or the skimming spade. The plough is used for lay grounds, the two latter implements for coarse grounds."

For the process of burning after the plow; see the head, Turneps, ensuing.

IRRIGATION.-P. 131. "The county of Cornwall, almost every where presents a surface well adapted to this greatest and cheapest of all improvements. Almost every farm is by nature thrown into slopes and declivities, and very few are deficient in wholesome fertilizing springs and rivulets. Most of the soils are calculated to receive very beneficial effects from this mode of improvement; the declivities of the grounds favour that nimbleness of the current required, and the porous shelfy substrata allow of their being quickly laid dry. These local advantages are not overlooked nor neglected; a great many intelligent spirited agriculturists adopt the practice of irrigation, which may be said to be already extensive, and is still extending."

P. 89. "I am happy to see that the watering of meadows is becoming more common in Cornwall."

From these notices, we may pretty safely judge that irrigation is not much practised, by professional men, in Cornwall.

MANAGEMENT of ESTATES.-P. 17. "The management of great estates is generally given to attornies, acting as stewards. As professional men, they are certainly among the most respectable any county can boast; but, without the assistance of a land surveyor, they must be very incompetent judges of the value and management of estates; the most eminent are aware of this, and are beginning to act accordingly. Some landlords, when their estates are to be new let, set a value on them, and let them for a term of years by private contract; but the most usual custom is to let them by public survey to the best bidder, he giving security, if required, for the payment of the rent, and the performance of the covenants."

TENANCY.-P. 34. "The rack-rented farms are mostly held for terms of fourteen years, a few for twenty-one years, and still fewer for seven.

"The time of entry, in the eastern part, Lady-day; in the western, Michaelmas."

RENT.

* Yes: in that case, it is, in reality, a valuable temporary improve

ment.

RENT.-P. 32. "The rental of the whole county may fluctuate between 5s. and 50s. per acre, of farms properly so called.

"Circumstances which affect rents, beside quality of soil, and aspect, are, their vicinity to sea-sand and to markettowns."

WOODLAND S.

Wo
WOODS.-P. 98. "Whoever confines his travels in

Cornwall to the route of the main roads, will perhaps be impressed with ideas of its barrenness; but if the traveller will made a little deviation from the beaten dreary tract, he will frequently be repaid by rich woodland scenery. In the valleys and dells, and on the steep-sided hills, which form the banks and shores of the rivers and creeks, woods and coppices abound."

COPPICES.-P. 98. "The coppices are all of the common oak, and are usually cut from twenty to thirty years' growth, selling from 20l. to 60l. per acre. The principal source of profit is the bark, which now sells for 11. per ton, and is purchased by tanners in the county. Some of the wood is converted into poles for farm purposes; but it may be said the greatest part is charred for the use of the blowing-houses, and domestic purposes; the brushwood is sold for fuel. No instance of a copse being grubbed, bas occurred to the Surveyor."

FARMS.

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ARMS.-P. 31. "The divisions and subdivisions of the lands in Cornwall, a such as may accommodate every description of men, who for business or pleasure, are disposed to employ their capital in rural concerns; from the barton of three or four hundred acres, down to the mere cottage-holding of three or four acres."

HOMESTEADS.-P. 23. "Many of the old farm-houses throughout the county are built with mud walls, and covered with thatch of wheaten straw."

P. 24. "The modern farm-houses are built upon a more liberal plan, the walls of stone, and the roofs of slate."

"The plan adopted in these buildings is, to throw every convenience possible under one roof. The building is called

a

a chall-barn; the ox and cow challs being under the chamber for thrashing the corn."-This plan is well adapted to a side-hill situation.

COTTAGES.-P. 26. "It may be truly said, these are very humble dwellings indeed; of the same materials as the old farm-houses, with only two or three apartments, the upper one immediately under the thatch. I had occasion often, in my dreary walks, during my Survey, to take shelter in some of these miserable dwellings, and found the poor inhabitants busy in placing their bowls, crocks, and pans, to catch the waters pouring in at the roof."

These form a contrast with the cottages of West Devonshire, and of Wales ;-a sister of Cornwall.-Those above described, must surely be the temporary huts of miners. Yet what follows would seem to mark them as permanent dwellings." However, the meanest cottage generally has that great source of comfort, a garden, attached to it."

FENCES.-P. 46. "The fences may be divided into three classes. First, Stone hedges, which are principally in the western part, and upon the sea coast. Secondly, Earth hedges, capped with stone, brush-wood, &c. chiefly used on the moors, and country round Camelford, to the north. And thirdly, Hedges planted with thorns, hazel, and other brush-wood, or trees, and formed generally of earth alone, faced with sods, or stone. This is the common fence of the eastern part of the county, and is also used, though not universally, in every part."

OBJECTS of HUSBANDRY.-P. 53. " Cornwall not being a dairy country, and the generality of the farmers having an idea, that there is nothing like corn in sacks, for making money, they are very fond of the plough; and consequently the tillage for white crops is large: perhaps it may be hazarded, that full one-third of the cultivated lands are under the plough."

PLAN of MANAGEMENT.-P. 55. "The general course of crops, in the county of Cornwall, is extremely reprehensible; there is no circumstance evinces the truth of this assertion more, than the wretched, exhausted, foul appearance of the grounds, laid down with grass-seeds; nor can it be otherwise, after having been cropped with corn, as long as they will bear any.

"I might mention a few, nay, perhaps many instances, in opposition to this impoverishing system."

WORKPEOPLE.-Wages.-P. 159. The agricultural labourers in Cornwall may be arranged in four classes-farmservants, parish-apprentices, day-labourers, and a class, who do not steadily engage themselves with any master, but take bargains of work of every kind, and wherever they

offer.

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