highest farms, I think it right that none fhould be under thirty pounds; and that from thirty to fourfcore, the number ought to be much greater than of the largest fort; to enable induftrious fervants, who have faved their wages, or whofe good conduct entitles them to credit, to establish themselves, oftener than they do, in business; and likewife to afford fettlements, for the children of greater farmers to begin the world with. Farms, varied in their fize, between these lines, would have an excellent effect, as they would play into each other's hands, more than they now do; for they would have, almost every one, fomewhat of a different object in view. Many of the fmallest farms would breed cattle to more advantage, than they could fat them; and others would fat them with more convenience, than they could breed them.

66

Upon an estate of one thoufand pounds a year, I wish to fee fomething like the following proportion: one farm of 160l. one of 120l. one of 100l. two of Sol. two of 60l. two of gol. three of 401. and four of 30l. each. This would be fixteen farms, upon a thoufand pounds a year, and would be a profitable divifion to an owner, and to the public. But, instead of this, the generality of large eftates do not fupport above a third part of thefe families. And I will venture to affert, that the poor rates will be much higher in the latter than in the former mode of allotment; becaufe a great many families, which would get a decent livelihood upon the farms of 30l. 40%. and 50%. a year, come to the parish, as I have before obferved, when they are deprived of this method of fupporting themselves.

"If large eftates were divided, in a manner fomewhat fimilar to the preceding plan, it would be a means of crushing another real grievance which at prefent fubfifts, viz. the exorbitant price put upon land, by the owners of fmall eftates. A great farmer often lets a fmall bargain, which he has picked up, in the fame parifh where he rents a large eftate himself, at the proportion of one third more than what he gives his own landlord. If thefe little places were in greater plenty, and let by gentlemen of fortune at only fifteen, or twenty per cent. more than their large farms, the more inconfiderable owners of eftates would not be able to obtain their prefent exorbitant terms; but, while thofe places are fo few in number, people who are in abfolute want of them, must give whatever is afked for them; and the rent is often fo high, that induftry itself cannot get a livelihood upon them."

As applicable to this fubject, our author annexes fome judicious remarks on the benefit of church and college tenures to population and fociety: obferving, that

"Eftates held under ecclefiaftical lords, collegiate and corporate bodies, are at this time one of the greateft fupports this country has for its population. Notwithstanding little farms are engroffed, and cottages demolished upon other eftates, theirs, from the nature of the tenure, fill remain nearly the fame; and continue to yield their proportion of that advantage, which this country formerly derived from fmaller farms than now fubfift.”

The

The next section treats of the great importance of cottages; the building of which he warmly recommends, as well for reasons of public as private emolument. This part of our author's tract is elucidated by plans and elevations, with proper eftimates of the expence, of a variety of different cottages; the best contrived, in the writer's opinion, to answer the propofed end.

The laft fection contains "Reflections on the diftrefs of the poor, and the increase of the rates for their affiftance." On this fubject, after enumerating the various evils that are univerfally felt, he concludes as follows.

"It will doubtlefs be asked, how fhall we obviate all these evils, and where is the remedy for them? To thefe queftions every one has a different answer, according to the difference of his ideas. My anfwer is, let gentlemen of fortune take upon them the fuperinten dance, and regulation, of country bufinefs more than they do. Let them act as guardians to the poor, by confidering their eftates as in good or bad condition, only in proportion to the comfortable or miferable condition of the labourers who cultivate them. Let them reduce the fize of their farms, in order to increase the smaller articles of provifions, and to throw them into more channels. Let them increase the price of labour, in proportion to the rife upon land, and the price of provifions. By fuch encouragement, the induftrious poor will find a comfortable fupport. I fay the induftrious; because I do not know any fcheme, or any law that can alter the difpofition, and force people to be induftrious, whether they will or no. And from hence, I conceive, it has, in part, happened, that much wifer heads than mine have been puzzled how to make any effectual amendment to our poor-laws. The late Earl of Hardwicke, and Sir Richard Lloyd, it is well known, had this point long under confideration; and the refult was, that with all their large experience, and confeffed abilities, they were obliged to leave the matter juft as they found it. The load cries of the poor have now afresh excited the attention of the legislature. Houles of industry, as they are called, feem now to be the favourite object; and they have lately been recommended with the fpirit of ingenuity, and humanity, that will ever do honour to the able author of Obfervations on the PoorLaws, &c*.' I wifh fuccefs to every fcheme that tends to spread general happiness; and if houses of industry should be adopted by Parliament, may no untoward accident prevent the good defign of the projectors! May the diligence and zeal of future overfeers ever keep an even pace; and a good intention not fail, as it has fometimes done, with the novelty of it! In the mean while, as fuch a capital change must be a work of time, let it be endeavoured, to make the poor, as comfortable as may be, in their own parishes. From the general demolition that has happened, other houfes will be wanting for their accommodation, belides houfes of industry; and the poor are not lefs attached to domestic endearments than the rich. Let mine or any other plan be adopted for this purpofe. It matters not

Written by the Reverend R. Potrer.

who

who is the projector, provided the induftrious man receive due en couragement to continue his labour. But I am perfuaded that every gentleman will find his account, in purfuing the humane and juft meafures I have ventured to recommend. His eftate, by being fo materially eafed in the article of the poor's tax, will not pay him a farthing less than it does at prefent; and he will be honoured, and diftinguished in his neighbourhood, by the nobleft appellation, fuperior to all titles, that of being the poor man's friend.

ART. IV. The Pilgrim: or, a Picture of Life. In a Series of Letters, written mostly from London, by a Chinese Philofopher, to his Friend at Quang-Tong: Containing Remarks upon the Laws, Cuftoms, and Manners of the English and other Nations. Illuftrated by a Variety of curious and interefting Anecdotes, and Characters drawn from real Life. By the Editor of Chryfal. 2 vols. 12mo. 5s. Cadell.

Juv.

Quiquid agunt Homines, Votum, Timor, Ira, Voluptas, Gaudia, Difcurfus, noftri eft Farrago Libelli. The Editor of Chryfal, who here fubfcribes his name, to a fhort dedication, Charles Johnfton, hath given us, in the prefent work, another proof of his talents for delineating in Caricature the ftriking outlines of popular characters and public vices.. It must be owned that his pictures bear a resemblance; they exhibit life; but then it is an ugly likeness of life; that neither gives one a good opinion of the original nor of the painter. We are the lefs pleased with this artift, alfo, because he is fo little improved by practice in his pencilling. His ftrokes are ftrong and fometimes mafterly, but he has no delicacy of touch, his colours feem to be laid on like mortar, with a trowel. In the prefent performance, indeed, he has put his plaiftering brush into the hands of a Chinefe; who handles it the more aukwardly, as he paints neither in the mode of his own country nor in that of ours. To do him no injustice, however, we shall give, as by no means the worst of the groupe, his pretended Chinese pilgrim's sketch of the English nation, with the outlines of the Jews traced on the back ground.

"It was a remark of the fage Tait-fong, that nature, to prevent confufion in the infinite variety of her works, has not only diftinguished every fpecies, but also every individual of that fpecies from each other, both in the vegetable and animal worlds; infomuch, that there are not two leaves upon a tree which have not a mark of difference between them; nor any two among the numberless fons of men, who cannot

*To this artifice, if our limner was not excited by the practice of fome former literary defigners, he was probably induced by that of a certain portrait-painter; who, being little taken notice of in his profeffion, took it in his head externally to turn Turk; when the novelty of his appearance in a robe and turban foon recommended him to the public and raifed him to confequence as an artist.

be

be as certainly known from each other, as from any other animals of the creation.

"May we not venture to extend this remark ftill farther, and say, that the inhabitants of the great divifions of the world are alfo diftinguished by a peculiar fhade of colour, or turn of feature, as generical marks by which their aboriginal countries may be known.

"Without entering into an examination of the duty of keeping up thefe marks, which is made fo effential a part of the religion of fome countries, as it can be the only reafon for their never marrying out of their own tribes, I fhall only fay, that, from the first moment the thought ftruck me, I have taken particular pleasure in developing this diftinction; in which I think I have arrived at fuch a degree of accuracy, that, from a view of the face, I can not only discover the coun try, but, what is much more difficult, the feveral countries, from which a man derives his defcent, according to the various intermixtures of his progenitors.

"For this purpose I frequently go to the public-bourfe of this commercial city, where I am fure of meeting with natives of every country under heaven; and, while all around me are employed in over-reaching each other, I read their respective countries, and often their very thoughts in their looks; as every country has a way of thinking, or bent of mind, in fome particular peculiar to itfelf; fo that, from the prevailing feature of the face, I can, without much danger of mistake, difcover the difpofition of the heart.

"But if fome countries endeavour to preferve these distinctions, there are others, who feem to be at no lefs pains to efface them.

"What was the aboriginal shade of complexion, or turn of feature of the natives of this ifland, I have not, on the most attentive observation, been able to difcover; never having feen one fimply English face among them, indeed I may fay, one face, in which I could not trace the feveral colours and features of almost every country on the globe, fo manifold have the intermixtures of their progenitors been ; and this has enabled me to account for fome tracts in their national character, which have hitherto baffed the fagacity of the curious.

"From the combination of fo many peculiarities of fentiment, proceeds that undefinable turn of thought called humour, for which this people are more remarkable than thofe of any other country. For what, but oddity itself, is poffible to be expected from the phlegm of Germany, the vivacity of France, the pride of Spain, the fineffe of Italy, the cunning of Scotland, the blunders of Ireland, &c. &c. all jumbled together in one heterogeneous compound.

"From a like combination of features proceeds alfo their being the most beautiful of the human race, as we were obliged to acknowledge, when custom had worn off the difguft which trangeness naturally raised against them, on our first arrival at Quang-tong. A particular people may excel them in a particular feature; but in the affemblage of the whole, they are not to be equalled; for variety is the effence of beauty.

But there are certain limits in all things, beyond which, if the greatest advantage is pushed, it will of neceffity change its nature. Much as the English may have gained by this equivocal genera VOL. II.

ion,

tion, as without great impropriety it may be called, I think I may fafely fay, that if they purfue the addition they have lately begun to make to it, by mixing with Jews and negroes, their progeny will not much. longer have reason to value themselves on their beauty, wit, or virtue. "And now, that I have mentioned the Jews, I cannot forbear obferving to you, that they at prefent enjoy more advantages in this country, than they ever did in any other, fince they were driven out of their own to wander over the face of the earth; or perhaps, while they were in it.

"Among us, as they will not fupport the public flock, by labouring to fupply as much as they confume, their fojourning is never permitted to be long. We fuffer not the useless drone to starve the induftrious bee.

"But here, contrary to all principles of good policy, they are fuffered to fuck the marrow out of the bone, to prey upon the vitals of the ftate, without contributing either to the honour or advantage of it never bearing arms in her wars, never tilling the ground, nor entering into commerce on thofe enlarged principles, which alone make it of national advantage; their only trade being peddling; their only traffic in money, by their ufurious dealings in which, it being a fundamental tenet of their religion to defraud all other people, and particularly thofe among whom they live, they will ere long poffefs themselves of all the wealth of the nation, if there is not a ftop put to

them.

"The difference between the treatment of this people here at prefent, and that which they have met in former times, affords a ftriking proof of the advances of civilization, and the benefits arifing from it to fociety.

"I have read in a book of the best authority, that a king of this country having demanded a large fum of money from the Jews, according to a certain rate of perfonal taxation, one of them, who was taxed very high, pleaded inability; but as he was known to be very rich, inftead of liftening to his plea, the king ordered that he should be thrown into prifon, and a tooth plucked out of his head every day till he complied.

"The ftiff-necked Jew flood this torture for feven days fucceffively, rather than part with his beloved wealth; at the end of which time his refolution failed him, and he paid the tax, with the additional lofs of feven of his grinders: an outrage which would not have been offered to an individual of any other people; but fo violently was the public indignation raised against them by their nefarious practices of every kind, that the nation looked, without displeasure, at a violation of their laws against wretches, whom they held unworthy of their protection.

"But tho' the advance of civilization, as I obferved before, fecures them from fuffering fuch outrages any more, and the beneficent fpirit of the laws fupports every perfon indifcriminately, of whatever country or religion, in the enjoyment of liberty and property, the general fenfe of the nation, an irrefiftible force when once put in action, is far from being favourable to them; as they lately experienced in a fignal intance, when the whole body of the legislature

was