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Northern Star (1837-1852), 26th July 1845, Edition 2 of 4, Page 4, THE LAND.

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    • CHEAP, IULEGAKT, AMD EXtBDITIOUS PRINTING. jjxiii™ i
    • THE LAND.
    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, JULY 2fl, 1S45.
  • Adverts (11)
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      A The Northern Star. -^==«^^

      a THE NORTHERN STAR . - ^ == «^^

      Cheap, Iulegakt, Amd Extbditious Printing. Jjxiii™ I

      CHEAP , IULEGAKT , AMD EXtBDITIOUS PRINTING . jjxiii ™ i

      Ad00405

      COMMlTTi . i ; S , a . t ! . agers ot jjxiii ™««»» i """•<• " nwiii-. H- tn- * . ' BciiciiiSocieties , andi > ubltcbodies generally , « :: f ., id it uiucli to their advantage to give their « rd * r * : ¦ ¦ T . STUTTER , o and 4 , Cliurcll-row , BethnaU'r . ; : 3 . < md « n . Cards , Is . per hundred ; Hand-KIls , by JaMii . ; f » wity thousand , fe per thousand ; P «« - ingJalls , - > .-. j-- '' hundred . Orders from the country , containing a n- pittance , iiromptly attended to . Goods deli vered niiiiin lire miles of London . Give jour i-iders to T . Stutter , 3 and 4 , Church-row , Bethmd-srt-a . aad save at least fifty per cent .

      Ad00406

      EDWAltii WALTER'S Fourth Letter to the Bishop of W < , m * vr . —Just published , price 3 d ., by post six postage stanijis , What is blasphemy V " Has man a free will V " Js there an intelligent first cause I" and , "Who takes t air of the souls of the clergy ! " Questions asked in a ! r » :-T to tlie Right Rev . Father in God the Bishop of AW . m-Her , by Edward Walter , of Worcester . — "He alone cm -Jiscover truth who dares to investigate all things . " " Ik- alone can be free who has truth for a guide . " ' \\> m-ster : Baker , bookseller , Mealcbeapen-Street;—Lo ; i . > i > : Iletheringten , Holrwell-street , Strand ; -Watson , Pau- "? -.-. JU-y , Faternoster-row ; andall booksellers . Tfee f « HoH 7 i < L' « l » o b y Edward lFalter : — s . 4 . Thoughts ou Education , Customs , Opinions ,

      Ad00407

      NOVEL EXCURSION TO BRIGHTON AS 1 > BACK IN ONE DAT , FOR FOUR SHILLINGS ! THE MEMBERS and FRIENDS of the CHARTIST ASSO-Vl A TIOX and CHARTIST CO-OPERATIVE IiAXD . SOCI £ T V , respectfully announce to the Public that they have eic ^ aae . 1 Special Trains for a PLEASURE TRIP to the beaus . ' Si ? and salubrious town of BRIGHTON , on ScittiAT , A » - : < sost 3 rd , 1845 . The Committee hate made every arrangement with-, the Brighton friends to lender the . acmsion a truly pleasant one . Children under fifteen years half price . The Trains wiU start from the terminus at London Bridge at a quarter past 8 o ' clock prectsi-ly , reim ning from Brighton at Seven in the evening , thu ; all-jiving upwards of eight hours to visit the Pavilion , Ch .. in Pier , Devil's Dyke , Kemp Town , and the num rous other attractions of this pleasant town .

      Ad00408

      KKMINGTON'S LINE . LOJfDOX AX » MANCHESTER DIRECT TXDEPESDENT RAILWAY , With a Int . itl , trough the Staffordshire Potteries to Crewe . Provisionallv roistered . —Offices of the Company , 29 , JIooKpite- < trf-t , London ; High-street , Bedford ; and Si . Anns-square , Manchester . Cbpilal , £ 5 , 00 » . ' > 0 ii . fa 100 , 000 shares of £ 50 each . —Deposit , £ 2 15 s . per share .

      Ad00409

      JIEMKGTOX'S LINE . LOXUOX AXU -M . ^ 'CHESTER DIRECT IXDF . PEN-1 DENT RAILWAY , with a Branch through the Staffordshire- Poiu-rics to Crewe . —Notice is hereby given , tha » no further a « plivatk-ns for shares will be received afw : ! h- 2 ( 5 tl : « ay July instant , except from parties locally inMre .-tt < I , whose .-iiqiiications must be made on or before tbe £ f . * : h iustaut . By oidt-r . s : EXRY VT . MATTHEVi'S , Sec .

      Ad00410

      THE HISTORY OF THE CONSULATE AND EMPIRE OF FRANCE . SOW PUBLISHING , In Weekly Xuinbers , price Id ., and in Parts , price 6 d ., THE HISTORY OF THE . CONSULATE AND EMPIRE OF FRANCE , under Napoleon , by M . Thiees , Author of the " History of the French Revolution , " late President of the Council , and Member of the Chamber of Deputies . Conditions . —The work wUI be neatly printed in two columns , royal octavo , from a new and beautiful type , aud on fine payer . Also uniform with the above , in Weekly Numbers , price 2 d ., and in Monthly Farts , priceSd ., "THE PEOPLE'S EDITION OF THIERS' HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION , " forming together four handsome volumes .

      Ad00411

      A BOOK FOR THE MILLION ! Slow publishing , to fte completed in sixty numbers , at One Penny ,

      Ad00412

      AMERICAN EMIGRATION OFFICE , flfl , Waterloo-road , Liverpool , THE Subscribers continue to despatch first-class Packets to NEW YORK , BOSTON . QUEBEC , MOXTRSAL , PHILADELPHIA , NEW ORLEANS , and ST JOHN ' S , N . B . They are also Agents for the New Line of New York Packets , comprising the following magnificent ships : — Tons . To SoiL Qoees of tlie West 1250 6 th July . Rociissteb 1000 6 th August . HoTTisouEB ..... 1150 6 th September . Liverpool 1150 6 Ui October . Who have also , For New York St . Patrick 1150 tons . „ „ Republic 1100 „ „ , Empire 1209 „ „ Sheffield 1000 „ „ Boston Lama 10 U 0 „ | „ Philadelphia Octavius 000 „ j „ New Orleans Geo . Stevens 8011 „ j ,. i . Thos . H , P « rl « ins „ . 1000 „ | Passengers going to the Western States and Canada can ¦ know the actual outlay to reach any important point on J tlie Lakes and Rivers by obtaining one of Tapscott ' s Emigrant ' s Travelling Guides , which can bo had by sending postage stamps for the same to George Rippard and Son , and WilUant Tapscott , as above .

      Ad00413

      NOTICE TO EMIGRANTS . THE Undersigned continue to engage Passengers for First-Class Fast-Sailing AMERICAN PACKET SHIPS , which average from 1000 to 1500 Tons , for the following Ports , viz . : — NEW YORK , 1 BOSTON , PHILADELPHIA , | XEW ORLEANS . BALTIMORE , | BRITISH AMERICA , 4 c Emigrants in the country car engage passage by letter addressed .-is underneath in wlush case they need not be hi Liverpool until tlie day before the Ship is to saU ; and tfcey will thereby avoid detention and other expenses , tosides secHrirni o cheaper passage , and having the best bwths allotted * to them previous to their antral . For farther particulars apply , post-paid , to JAMES ll & CKETT it SOW . North 8 nd Prince ' s Duck , Liverpool .

      Ad00415

      CHEAPEST PERIODICAL IN THE "WORLD . THE WELCOME GUEST OF . EVERY HOME . THE FAMILY HERALD is not only the cheapest but the most amusing literary miscellany ever published . It consists of interesting Tales ; extraordinary Advenventures ; wonderful Narratives ; remarkable Events ; moral , familiar , and historical Essays ; select Poetry ; instructive Biographies ; comic Sketches ; amusing Allegories ; the wisest Sayings of the wisest Men ; important Facts ; useful Advice for Self-improvement ; salutary Cautions ; scientific Discoveries ; -NewInventions ; Hints to Housekeepers ; practical Recipes ; diverting Sports and Pastimes ; ingenious Puzzles and Riddles ; facetious Sayings ; humorous Joktis , ic ., affording' agreeable . and harmless recreation for all the members of a family .

      Ad00416

      RICHARDSON , MANUFACTURING CUTLER , . established 1805 , Near the Church , Kensington . GARDENERS * Pruning , Grafting , and Budding Knives in Sheath , Is . Cd . each ; shut ditto , 3 s . each . "These knives are inadc of tlie best materials ; I always use them . "—Yide the late Wm . Cobbett in his English Gardener . Best made Razors , Black Handles , 6 s . the case , or 3 s . each ; mounted in Ivory and Silver ditto , 10 < . the caso , or

      The Land.

      THE LAND .

      I Hereby Direct That All Monies Payable ...

      I hereby direct that all monies payable tome , as treasurer to the Chartist Co-operative Land Fund , must be transmitted as follows : —Either by Bank order or Post-office order , to the " care of Feargus O'Connor , Estj ., 340 Strand , London ; " and payable to me , " W . P . Roberts . " That is , that my signature shall be required to each order . This direction is plain . For instance , say ' that Edward Hobson , of Ashton , has £ 10 to transmit ; he is to transmit the same to Mr . O'Connor , by Bank letter or Post-office order , made payable to W . P . Roberts . That order I can sign when I go to London , or when a parcel of them are sent to me . The two only tilings required to secure the triumph of Labour ' s battle arc , union among the working classes , and underiating

      honesty and punctuality on the part of those who have the management of their affairs . I therefore adopt this plan , that we may have upon each other as many salutary checks as possible . This is advisable , as much for our own mutual satisfaction , as for the satisfaction of the subscribers . I therefore request that these plain and simple instructions may be punctually attended to in all cases . To save additional jiosluoe , each letter containing a money order , may also contain a list of the respective sums , and all other information necessary for the general secretary , Mr . Wheeler , to have ; which letter Mr . O'Connor will duly forward to him . This done , there caw ba no puxxle . about the acco \ mts .

      W . P . Roberts , Treasurer . All orders should be made payable at 180 , Strand , London . —W . P . It . ( The above mode has becn adopted at my suggestion , in consequence of the endless trouble I have had , owing to some parties sending m « Post-office orders payable to » u / order ; and some to Mr . Roberts' order . Obseivancc of the above very simple rule will insure uniformity , satisfaction , and protection . There is a difficulty at the branch Post-offices about getting monies , when the orders are not signed by the persons to whom they arc madu payable . FEARGOS O'CONNOR . ]

      The Northern Star. Saturday, July 2fl, 1s45.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , JULY 2 fl , 1 S 45 .

      Earl Grey: Manners Sutton : And General ...

      EARL GREY : MANNERS SUTTON : AND GENERAL JACKSON . Wb beg to direct attention to the Memoir that appears in another portion of this sheet , of the " Refonning Minister , " who insolently avowed his determination to " stick by his order , " when he wished to curb the democratic spirit , of' which he had professed himself to be a " leader . " That Memoir will , wel ' repay perusal ; particularly the lucid and racy review of his acts as Minister , made by one well able to judge , and as well able to speak . The young

      Reformers of the present day will learn something from that sketch , of the nature of the times through which their cider brethren have had to pass , and o * the difficulties and dangers that besot their path-They will also learn something of the character of the man in whom the nation enco reposed confidence for a thorough Reform of the Commons House ; and learn also not to trust the next Jleform into tho hands of any one man , or any one set of men , that can be got together . The next Reform must be tlie people's own .

      Since Earl Grey was " gathered to his fathers , another important actor iu the stirring : events of British history , — "Green ba « 3 , " " Six Acts , " " Queen Caroline , " "Currency Laws , " " Emancipation , " and " Reform , "—has slipped off the stage of existence . We mean Manners Suttos , late Speaker of the llouse of Commons , but lately . shelved in the House of Lords , under the title of Viscouxi Caxterblt . t . He was seized with a fit of apoplexy when travelling on the Great Western Railway on Sunday morning , and died on Monday afternoon , having never spoken from the time lie was found in the railway carriage to the time he ceased to breathe . We had intended to give a notice of this man's career , as a sort of memory-jogger of the acts against public liberty to which , as Speaker , he was party ; but we find ourselves compelled to reserve it till another

      occasion . -. In an article , on Earl Grey ' character as a Peer and as a Minister , tho Clole of Monday has the Allowing : — "Almost contemporaneous with Lord Grey ' s has becn the decease of the famous General Jackson—the representative of a later tvnd tcorscr school of statesmanship than that of the Minister of Reform . Wc do not for a moment disguise our hope that the aristocratical clement in English institutions —however modified—however purified , or recruited —will survive to check the exaltation of mere momentary popular will as the sole power of government—that exaltation which Andrew Jackson did his part to accelerate and consummate precisely by

      the same means and stages as we find it was done in the commonwealths of antiquity . The strongest sign of the progress of " ochlocracy " in the Greek commonwealths , was the multiplication , and , as it were , public scramble for petty offices , and the adoption of a system of rotation instead of election , and of rapid succession in these offices , intended to gratify the universal thirst for an actual share in power . This idea of rotation has been put forth in the late General Jackson ' s Messages , precisely from the same motive as prompted it ( though " he " probably knew nothing about that ) in the States of Greece . And General Jackson carried out into actual practice the same principle , so far as it consisted in making all places change hands , for the eratification of tlie humblest ambitions , by carry-in /' .

      Earl Grey: Manners Sutton : And General ...

      firther than ever had been done before him , on attaining power , a clean sweep of every holder of oven the lowest public office . In like manner the downward movement of democracy in the several States has tended to abridge the duration , and change the holders , even of judicial offices . Wc shall be quite content to contrast the character and acts of Andrew Jacksox , the sturdy democrat of Republican America , with the character and acts of tlie proud , aristocratic , " unbending" Earl Grey ; and to this end we shall , next week , give the reader some idea of xvlto' and what Aicdrkw Jacksox was ,

      ami ivhat he did to save his country from the English aristocrats and the jobbing Jews : and also some few other facts , in addition to those we publish this day , to let the young reader know tlie true character of tho E-uiL "NEPOTIST" whom tho GhU so ardently admires . For once we will have real patriotism , manly independence , and true genius , —both military and statesman-like , —in contrast with truculencc , perfidy , and a hungry grasping at public money , combined with a total disregard of the interests of the nation . If the Globe had been wise , he would not have provoked the exhibition .

      Beneficial Effects Of "Secure Tenure." T...

      BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF "SECURE TENURE . " There is no question that has , of late , made such rapid progress in the public mind , as that of the application of labour to the soil , as a means of relieving the " labour-market" of the " surplus" almost constantly struggling there for a " SHARE " of the " fund" wherewith Capitalists set Labour to work . It is true that tho question , in one shape or other , has been before the public for a long period of time : but it is only of late years , when the operation of our currency crotchets and the effects of machinery

      made it necessary for us to look out for other modes of employing the labour of our people , that the only mode which can never be susperseded or rendered valueless has been entertained by those who arrogate to themselves the title of "the World ' s governors . " More than fifty years ago Thomas Spencb promulgated his Agrarian theory that "the land is the people ' s farm ; " and proposed that the nation should resume national possession , that the pcoplo might become 2 > ossessors of such amounts as they could respectively cultivate , under a commonwealth Government . Thomas Paixb too , about the same time ,

      wrote his " Agrarian Justice . " Robert Owen , from the first day of his appearance in public with plans for tlio amelioration of social evils to the present hour , has always made the possession of the soil the groundwork on which to build his " new structure of society ; " and William ComiKTr , the great teacher of political truths for a half csntury , was enthusiastically attached to the land , always preaching up the system oi Small Farms as alone conducive to a nation ' s greatness and security , and directing the whole force of his bitter scorn and scathing satire against the Iarge-farm-bull-frog system , which

      Papermoney had erected on the ruins of that mode of occupation of which England had reason to be proud , because it promoted real substantial freedom and happiness . All these authors and teachers , laid down and maintained the general principle that the application of a large amount of the labour of a people to the soil of tiicir country , would secure the greatest amount of riches to each individual member of the community , ami render the aggregate independent and free of all other people ; and the two latter , Owes and Cobbett , exhibited in detail the modes of using the soil when in possession , so as to yield the

      best return for the labour and capital expended on it . Coivdett , it is well known , did much to improve both Agricultural and Horticultural sciences . To him wc mainly owe the successful cultivation of the Swede Turnip . He was also , the introducer of many plants , shrubs , roots , and trees , now in constant growth ; and he has left behind him instructions , — plain , simple , and understandable , —for the management of gardens , of woodlands , and of small allotments , which will hold a place as long as the language lasts . When he first published his Cottage Economy , wherein he gave instructions how a

      labourer might maintain a cow out of a very small garden , he was laughed at , sneered at , abused : still the work was there—is there still ; and now wc find that scores have proved the full practicabilty of all he proposed . Mr . Owen has also always advocated Spade Husbandry , as the most profitable mode of cultivation . He has not only advocated this mode , but shown its superiority in practice , in the experiments of Falla and others . For now just upon thirty years has this Reformer been dinging into the ears of the public that the mode of culture at present pursued is most wasteful and unprofitable , compared

      with that which , while it returned an immensel y greater aggregate of wealth , would also employ that portion of tlie population which our "high state of civilisation" has doomed to unwilling idleness . Wc certainly arc not entitled to say that these teachings were in vain : for we behold the effect of them at the present day in the improved mind of tub country , particularly on this very subject of the allocation of the soil . Solomon has said : " Cast thy bread on the waters , and it shall be seen after many days . " Ill teaching a nation , this is always so . A people cannot bo moved like a few

      individuals . A stone thrown into a pond may cause a violent commotion of the placid surface where it drops ; and it will even agitate tho whole body of water to its utmost verge ; but the undulations , as they recedo from , tho centre of turmoil , become " small by degrees and beautifully less , " until they arc scarcely perceptible at all . So with society . The words of wisdom have to be iterated , and reiterated again , and again , and ; again to that , times without number : but as " constant dropping wears away stone , " so a constant enforcement of a truth forces it on the attention of one , and then of another , until in the end society as a whole receives and adopts that which , when first enunciated , was met with general denunciation and scorn . Thus has it

      been with the general teachings of the parties we have named . Those teachings have been "bread cast on the waters ; " and we of the present day "see " them . The general ideas so long inculcated have seized hold of the public mind ; have become reflected therein . The Reformers of the present dav , therefore , who make the genoral occupancy of the soil the basis of their remedial measures for social evils , have comparatively an easy task . The general principle is grounded to their hands : they have but to apply proper and harmonious details , and the result of the labours of those Reformers who , have gone from off the stage of oxistenco , and those who now occupy their place , will be exhibited in successful practice .

      Wc mean not to contend that the conviction , —that such a direction of capital and the energies of the producers as that contemplated by the Land-Reformers would be nationally beneficial , —has become universal . On tho contrary , we hare bitter reason to know that such is not the fact . The virulent opposition which the proposal , even now , in the advanced state of the public mind in regard to the question , receives at the hands of the envious , the ignorant , and the intereited , is proof that unanimity does not exist . Thore are a class of oppositionists who will denounce anything and everything with which parties to whom they have personal dislikes arc connected . Another set are so envious of everybody ' s success before the public , that they cannot

      afford to examine the merits of any plan of operations that may be proposed—but ; condemn all wholesale , plan , projectors , adopters , and advocates . To these have to bo added those who fanc y that their own jKsithn , cither socially or pecuniarily , would be deteriorated by placing the mass of tho people in a situation of comfort and enjoyment . These three classes of objectors have to be contended with . To attempt to reason with them , would be throwing your cap against the wind . What argnment would avail with the first ? Could you hope to make those who allow ( heir own personal piques to influence their public conduct , to the rejection of entiro measures because certain individuals arc connected therewith ; could you hope to make these listen to reason ? Preposterous : Could yon , h . opQ to

      'i ?

      Beneficial Effects Of "Secure Tenure." T...

      succeed better with the envious class ? with . ike poor creatures who are utterly unable to make their way in the world-b * who , stung to madness at the consciousness of their own inferiority , are yet filled with " envy , malice , and all uncharitablencsa" even to burstin ? Would the most logical propositions that ever were framed have effect on the understanding or conduct of these men ? Nothing of the sort . Same-like with the interested . With these too , it is a matter oi feeling- * matter of fear that their bullfroggedness will be . reduced in size , by the enlargement oi the store of the labourer . To all these , argument would be thrown away . But then there is also another class-those who are well-disposed as

      things go , but who have not had opportunities of informing themselves of the real object of the Land-Reformers , nor the mode of operations they propose This class is open to reason . Argument , when addressed to these , is not out of place . Nay indeed it is necessary . The cunning and the crafty of the interested oppositionists , know this very well : and well do they ply the weapons of their craft to poison their minds . Talk of the benefits that must accrue from a large number of small holdings , under circumstances that must cause labour to be well applied , and that cannot fail of securing a more than adequate return ; show how this can be easily , cheaply , and immediately accomplished , and the craftv will bid vou "look to Ireland , and see tjie

      EFFECTS OF SMALL HOLDINGS AND SUBDIVIDINGS THERE ! " ¦ And with the uninformed and the unreflecting this is an answer . They know that holdings there arc small ; and they know also that with such small holdings there exists a state of things more unendurable than the condition of nine-tenths of the barbarous savages of the forest and the desert Without looking further ; without diving beneath the surface thus presented ; without waiting to inquire whether this horrible state of things be a

      consequence of the great subdivision of laud that there obtains , or whether it be not the effect of other causes which could easily be got rid of , without" adding house to house and field to field" for one man ; without waiting to do this , the superScial and the unreflecting conclude their minds against the proposed Small Farm System here , persuading themselves that the plan , if acted on , could only make bad worse . And thus is the cause of the interesteil served !

      This instance of Ireland has become one of tho stock-arguments of the League- opposcrs of the Land project . It was first used by these very kind " friends and lathers of the poor ; " and its use is almost exclusively confined to them . Still with them it is ready at every turn . It will therefore be well to blunt the edge of it , by not only exposing its fallaciousness , as applicable to the proposed mode of allocation on the soil—but also by adducing a full example of tho working of the proposed principle where an entire population are placed through its operation in circumstances far siqjerior to those of any other population in the whole world ! This we shall just now do .

      Ireland is no " example at all . The requisites we ask for are not there . The first , the main one wo seek , as the inducement to labour and improve , ment , " fixity of tenure , " is wholly absent in the case of the small landholders of that country . They are there mere " tenants-at-will ; " holding on from year to year only from the fear that " wild retributive justice" will avenge with death tho attempt to " clear" them off . In addition to this , there is the accursed system of " middlemen" and " subletting . ' The absentee landlord , caring nothing for the management of '' his" estates , provided that he gets the means

      of spending from them , "lets" to a heartless brutalised " middleman , " who treats the tenantry under him to every exaction that the wit of sordid cupidity can devise . And this case ; this scandalous and unmatchablc case ; this crying disgrace of both government and people ; this instance of the most gross abuse of tho " rights of property" thnt tho world ever saw : this cast , is adduced by the League opposcrs of the Land plan , as a sample ol tho condition to which the promoters of that plan seek to reduce the people of England . ' Was there over such an instance of glaring imposition ? Wc ask for such an allocation of the soil , that each thnt chooses can apply his whole labour to as much of it ,

      and no more , as he can well cultivate ; we ask that full and entire possession of that amount of land shall be ceded to him ; wc ask for a tenure that shall make IT HIS for his lifetime , and his child ' s or children's after him ; wc ask that he may be secure of possesion , and thus have every inducement to work and improve , knowing that what he is doing is for himself , and not for others ; we ask for such arrangements as shall enable him to enjoy t / ta fruits of h ' s own industry—and we are put off by a z-cfcrcncc lo the condition of the Irish mud-hovel iii-dwellerjs , where none of the conditions we seek arc to be found , beyond the bare possession for the time being of a portion of the soil whereon to grow wealth for others !

      Thus we show that the case of Ireland is not applicable to our case . Indeed wc advocate our own plan no less as a remedy for the infernal evils of subletting and want of tenure in Ireland , than for the improvement in the condition of our own population . And now we proceed to show what effect a general application of the principles we enforce has had on the condition of a whole people . We know the advantage of a good " CRY : " so do the League opposers of the Land plan . " Ireland" has become their l ' ery , " against Small Farms : ire Will now furnish one that will make every uttcrer of that " cry" blush crimson when he is told of it . It will bo for tho advocates of the Land plan to take care that they remain no longer in ignorance of tho facts now adduced .

      The' * case" that wc are about to quote , is not that of a people of a very distant country . We shall not send the inquirer to China , or Timbuctoo , to find out whether what we say be true or not . Nor shall we send him on to the continent of Europe ; no , nor even so far as Ireland . It is to a British Isle ; to a portion of our own dominions , within a short distance of every portion of our own shores , that we shall direct attention . The ground work of the article WC uVC about to quote , was contained in two papers published in Tail ' s Magazine for February and April , 1830 , by an inhabitant of the Isle in question . From those

      papers an article was prepared for Chamkn ' s Journal of the 6 th of April , 1839 r-and it is to the facts contained in that article that we arc about to appeal . The Writer in Chambers ' s opens thus : — . SINGULAR MODE OF TENANTING LAND IN OUERNSFY The island of Guernsey , situated on the coast ' of !• ranee , but belonging to Great Britain , has a surface of twenty-four square miles , or 1 . 5 , 309 acres two-thirds of which only are callable of cultivation ami yet it contains 24 , 31 'J ot population , BEING AT

      rilKUiNUAAiYl l'LED HATE OF A THOUSAND TO THE SQUARE MILE , or morctlJ ^ H tlie ratio ofLelgium , whchis usually represented as the most densely peopled countiy in the world . Makin " ' S every allowance for a busy town , which draws support trom commerce and from fishing , and contain * UTfi inhabited honui . th . o » ulatfo „ of ' oSSS , « S small piece of agricultural territory , must still bo considered as a singular phenomenon- one of which it is well worth while to inquire into the causes A writer , resident in the island , has an inXu-i

      paper on this subject in a late number of Tail ' s Edin ° burgh Magazine , from which it w ould appear thafZ chief if not sole cause of the extraordimn pomlom nessoftheruralpart of G « er , u , e , j , ua * mh IficciZit lanel peculwrtv-this part of tho British iomSJS ? mid to some of tne neighbouring islands . It s we behove , the ancient Norman mode of land-tenure or sometlnngjittle different from it , and itaS £ t Guernsey is of many centuries' standi "" PraCt * ° Well , here is something startling tobegin with « 2 > opulation of a tlmisand to the square mile ! We hear a great cry here about •« surplus population f about

      having "too many mouths for the food we have '' Wc hear this on ovory hand , '„ thu comparatireiv unpopulated country : and if those cries Je trUC prav in what plight must the Islanders of Guernsey be- > ?™ ? y " *»' StUCk aU 0 t" a hea P' bci « THREE 1 IMES more on tho same extent of surface than is given for the " most densely populated cotmtrViu the world " . Having noted tho fact , that 1 * as ound , r . g number « ,-,

      Beneficial Effects Of "Secure Tenure." T...

      The letting of land by a landlord to a twT ^ i known in this island . When a proprietorT ^ u , 1 depute the cultivation of his ground , <> , ,, ^' H 1 goes in Guernsey , to give it to rent , he s ' n ' lm ?? » - § species p ) sale or what , at least , would beJr- ' ^ i $ as a sale in ^ this country . All land is 2 ^ 1 divided into lots called quarters , a quarterlm' tJ ' i - ' valent to twenty pounds of Guernsey currenTSt * ' - nose that A possesses land to the value 0 ft J i \ - drcd pounds , or sixty quarters , and wishes t , J : W ^ of it to B , he conveys it to that individual eh l "** ' out receiving any cash , or receiving ( which is if ^ ^ common ease ) one-fourth ef the value in haul , "' " « ' ^ cash has becn paid , A receives interest if r ^ * cent , for the whole £ 200 ; namely Z ^ hS annum , which may ie considered as the rent .. {< ft ^ a fourth of the purchase-money had been adv . ' ° ^ - Im rpeeives onlv £ 4 ! i . lioimr tho infm-m ,. J ., '"W 1 nose uiai a possesses lami to tlie value of tw' " P- drcd pounds , or sixty quarters , and wishes t „ J : W of it to B , he conveys it to that individual eh **« out receiving any cash , or receiving ( whjeH , -J , 'f % common ease ) one-fourth ef tho value in wJ [ ' "" re '< cash has becn paid , A receives interest itr ^ > cent , for the whole £ 200 ; namely M * to annum , which may be considered as the rent .. {< ft * a fourth of the purchase-money had been iftl ' ' 'i he receives only £ 15 beinthe interest oftli ! _

      # Is 1 % § M W H li , g " ^ S tion allowed to rest with tho purchaser . " tj " *• Jl son , " says our authority , " why it is usu ., 1 ? * ' H one-fourth part of the purchase lwonty in ' J * , ^! ' : M that such payment may bo some guarantee to \ V > if B will faithfully work the estate , and pari ,, * "' « regularly ; for , should the rent fall in armor tL !" ' * i by a process called saisie , may totally eject' p , *! H vl tlie property , and the three hundred pounds nJif -f B when the contract was passed would he last to I ¦ - ' " ' * for ever . In this manner , then , is the seller or t . ' , ? $ lord secured in the receipt of the equivalent f ^ which he has parted with the estate . * '" - ] " As soon as the contract between the parhV ' executed , B becomes , to all intents and purposes J % solute proprietor of the soil ; and so long as l \ Ci ia M

      , K ! n ft 11 a » ifnno Tin nnvni < onn lin ni * i / ifjvl * * mi . .. * : ** £ ? his quarters , he never can be evicted nay , luorL : r m can fell timber , convert meadow into arable , and ih M ble into meadow , and perforin any and every act tW 1 a tenant in fee-simple can do in England . T ] 10 ^ J tate , thus acquired , descends to the heirs of tlie m > m chaser , and , on failure ol'direct issue , to his wif p of kin . Semetinies these annual quarters are m ,, ;! M permanent , but most frequently they are reilecnijii ! M by certain instalments , as the buyer and seller nial % have agreed . " || The descent of these tenant-properties , as we ma ; |§ call them , is not regulated by the Jaw of primognl M tare ; neither is it quite free of this law , but appear ip to be conducted upon a sort of mediumbetween tlj M

      , evils on both sides . " The eldest son takes tlic prig . S cipal house , and from sixteen to twenty perches inland , on which the outbuildings may be supposed \ $ i stand ; this the law gives him exclusively , aml ) . ; also has the right to keep all the land attached to fl . ? house in a ring fence , and not separated from it hyi public road ; but whatever he takes over and above tho sixteen to twenty perches , he must account 1 ' uriv to liis brothers and sisters , by paying them the vain ; of this excess in money . By this plan the estates i-Guernsey arc never so subdivided as to produce inconvenience , nor are they ever so consolidated as ;; produce injustice . "

      lliis mode , it is clear , cannot bo wholly introduce here , at least for some time ; but the mode that nest approaches it , in spirit , intent , and effect , is the von one proposed by the Land Society—that of leas ' m in perjMtuity . Under such a lease , the land woulj be , to all intents and purposes , tlie holder ' s om . ii , minus the rent , or " quarters , " he would have to pj to the purchaser of the fee-simple . Ills tenure ivoull be just as secure—which is tho very thing needed fa induce him to work for himself , and to improve tl « quality and capabilities of his land . The Guernsey , man is secure : he is not like the small Irish holderat the will and mercy of the veriest rascal that hclj could turn out . Let us sec what this " security i . ] tenure" docs for him : —

      A great subdivision and a very thorough cttltivntioj of the land have been tlie consequence of this system . "The estates , " says our author , " arc small , non » exceeding seventy acres ; and the average amount < . land attached to each house in the country , ' may k computed at five English acres . Tins minutk sub . DIVISION CAUSKS THE W 110 J . E ISLAND TO BK CULTIVATED as a garden ; not an inch of available soil is lost , an ! even the hedges are planted with furze for wiuta fuel . The crops arc abundant , and far cxcccj those of England . The average produce of wheat jier acre is thirty-three Winchester bushels , and as inuci as fifty-five to sixty have been raised . Five

      hundred bushels of potatoes per acre are the oitlinary produce , and the hay crops average tlirej tons aud a half , English weight . . Twenty-two torn of parsnips per acre are considered a fair crop : SOW milch cows are kept , yielding an annual revenue , in milk and butter , of £ 32 , 520 ; 550 cows are annually exported to England , and the same number of cattle slaughtered for homo consumption . \\* e tables , fruit , poultry , eggs , and cyder , are mo .-t abundant , and of excellent quality . Now , the

      onestion , the cominerei . il question , arising out of these fuels , is simply this : Where , in Great Britain or Ireland , can be found 10 , 000 acres equally productive ? Iiet it not be said that the islands have rick ? land , a more favourable climate , or better impleineim of husbandry : this is not the fact : they have , moreover , many disadvantages , as tremendous gales of wind in winter , and scorching droughts in summer ; hut they have one paramount superiority , and tk \ is their system of landed tenure—the true source of Unit agricultural wealth .

      Hero are facts ! n hat will the nddueors of tin case of " Ireland " say to them ? The land is " subdivided . " " The average amount is five acres fa each house ; " and this causes the whole Island to k cultivated like a garden ! Look at the estimate cf produce ! Remember tco , that "it is not fad' that the Guernsey people have richer land , a more favourable climate , or better implements than vc have . What will the addticcrs of the case of " Ireland" say to all this ? How can they get over the facts hew narrated ?

      But the best of all is to come . We have stilt to sm what the effect of all this is , on the condition of tlie entire population . We have to see whether any of tho characteristics of the Irish mud-hovel-systea are to be found , in connection with this entire subdivision of the country into five-acre farms with « secure tenure . Wc have to see whether the Guernsey people arc compelled to live on luiuver" potatocsa sort that even the rooks will not feed on t Ve have to sec whether they arc compelled to W «•/!« the in ' g , and to share the meal with it—it bciiii : b

      far the most important member of the family ! n ' t-2 have to see whether tho females have to £ 0 jus 3 naked , with only an old apron tied on In front , airf || forced to hide themselves when a stranger approached the "dwelling ! " Wc have to sec whether this te $ the case with the Guernsey "holders , " as it is witli ;• Irish ones ; or whether they are like the Hampshire : labourers , starving on 7 s . a week out of the Union , *' or starving on Poor Law diet in the Union . M '; ha \ c to sec this ; and here arc the means Adjudging : —

      J he rent of land in Guernsev , expressed in r >'' glish terms , is never less than live pounds per Kn-i glish acre ; and it is a very rare case indeed , ifit ^ ever falls in arrear . The landlord is seldom disap-v pointed in the regular receipt of his income . * * ' ¦ ¦ We shall now proceed to the moral inilucnce pro- -j duccd on the people by this system of tenure . On * ' - of its lirst consequences is to raise the standard oi ; virtue—to inspire the whole population with a « m > , ! i' and independent spirit—and to destroy that crin « ini i adulation and fawning servility , which leases " for > years have necessarily engendered among the ten- antry of England . All men have admitted that tin i

      institution ot property is the basis of civilisation . « This principle being acknowledged sound bv uiii- i yersal consent , it follows that whatever counlcnwtM its expansion must be vicious , and that whatever i promotes its extension must be nationally benelicinl- J 1 he bare possession of property on a doubtful tenure r is scarcely a good : it is essential that the jxwhw * ' should be secure ; and if security for a term n ot rears be desirable , much more so must it Iwli * i > permanent enjoyment . Now , the plan of leases fr * t > seven , fourteen , or twenty-one ycai-s , together with tl tenancies from year to year or at will , is bad in urio- n ciple , as they merely convey a temporary interest ik- In terminable at a date spccilied ; the working tiirnu'f if thus becomes a bird of passage , without a iixed lio-in ' ; it tie may be prudent , industrious .-mil snlwr—» « •* ' . *

      , father , a good husband , a good master , a -ood nokU * illboiir , and a good citizen ; but these virtww avail liW S » notlung ; ho lives in a state of agricultural servituto to and , at the expiration of his lease , the caprice * ' T ™ . ?' » anolwd may expel him from ' his to ** * ar different is the condition of tho Gucrnseym ;" ' . * . ' Once possessed of land , he can never lose it , exrf jc f ' ; by his own tault ; he has only to pay the stipule ! it *! quarters of rent , and he continues absolute ivrifif the property ; ho feels proud of his position , and * j # spit-it ot independence is within him ; he has a so' »' stake in the country , though it aavbosmall ; *!' . *!' ?? 3 T , V lth ll 0 nest P -le , "This liouseis mi ? 'i ?' ' that held is mine ; and when I die , the Jaw ffilH ' * ^ them to

      my children . " this system of tenure prompts to industry , «»* * . * * . rage * economy , wu . 1 represses intemperanoo . A nw having paid down in cash one-fourth of tho wl «* 5 * S the land he holds , is stimulated bv the most po * a * " a *" impulse to redeem tho annual quarters , and d « k ^ his estate from tho payment of rent . In tho *»? . J f * . J a person so otrcumstancwl , labour loses its «?* » » character , / or ho feels that he is working for h > % W « e has an object constantly before his miwl «<'! * » he steadily pursues . Tho p ' ropensitr todnwk »»' i !* ft so tatal to the working-classes of Great lirit ?^' ' counteracted witli the Guernscvmau by the desire j e A Um opportunity of acnuiring a disencmnhcre . !»« , property * * ' £ We may with . " tra , * TUere iippcai-s to hi . a vesemlihn ' ice b-e !\ viNt l ! , i 5 i ' '' '>' I ' dm ut / e * iy ground in Scotland .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), July 26, 1845, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_26071845/page/4/