"The Grey Wedders of Marlborough Downs.-These may be mentioned as another exception to the foregoing position. The stones which bear that name I have seen and strolled among as a Botanist; but without any other view. They are scattered over an extent of surface, or partially bedded beneath it. Their sizes (to convey a general idea) may be said to vary from the size of a Wedder to that of an ox.

"But on the theory which I recently suggested (in the Midland Department, p. 14), those stones might be considered as atmospherical, or, more appropriately, of cometic origin; and not as a native production of the Southern Department.

"The Stonage' of Salisbury Plain has been supposed to have been brought to that place from a distance (of course from a very great distance) by human exertions. But it appears to me more rational to consider the materials of that

striking work of Art, as a deposit of space; their present arrangement being the result of Druidical ingenuity; the fragments and minor masses having been removed, the more to astonish (as Stonehenge seldom fails to do) the posterity of those extraordinary times."

In reviewing Dr. Mavor's Report from Berkshire, Mr. Marshall meets with the following remark respecting the general character of the workpeople:

"The lower classes are a hardy and personable race, patient of labour, but impatient of controul, when they think it improperly exerted. In a word, they have a laudable pride, which, properly regulated, might be productive of the best consequences, and would lead to that love of independence, which I assume as the foundation of all moral excellence; because it cannot be separated from industry, frugality, and honourable conduct!"

On which we find the annexed strictures:

"Love of Independence. These might be deemed dangerous words, when speaking in a general way of the labouring classes. It is a love of Independence, among those whom circumstances have doomed to labour for a scanty living, that breeds poachers, smugglers, highwaymen, and housebreakers.

"It is, nevertheless, a cardinal virtue in a farm workman, in the first instance, to do his best endeavour to render himself and his family independent of charity. His next virtuous pride is that of inhabiting a cottage and garden which GENT. MAG. January, 1818.

he can call his own; and the highest, to occupy a small tenement, as a work ing farmer.-Such, I conceive, are the sorts of Independence which ought to be expressly held out, as belonging to servants and workmen in husbandry. These remarks are not particularly pointed at Dr. Mavor. Others of the Board's Reporters have conveyed similar sentiments, in a less guarded manner."

The following liberal compliment is paid by Mr. Marshall to Dr. Mavor, as an Agricultural Writer, at the end of the Review of his Report, by way of RETROSPECT.

"Before I put aside the Volume now before me, I think it right to say, that, in the analysis and abstraction of it, I have experienced much gratification and satisfaction; and to express an opinion that it is one of the very few Reports to the Board which are entitled to a place in a gentleman's library :-in the library of a man be it put who reads for general information on the useful arts, and who has not leisure and assiduity enough to dig into the depths of prac tice. He will understand Dr. Mavor, and will rarely be led astray by unguarded assertions, and ill-grounded propositions."

On the Law of Agriculture, as it respects pilfering, we shall give an extract from Mr. Middleton's Middlesex Report, accompanied by Mr. Marshall's remarks. The whole is an extract from the Volume before us. But, as a distinction, the quotations from Mr. Middleton we give between inverted commas; Mr. Marshall's remarks, without.

Under a head, entitled, "Agricultural Legislation and Police," Mr. Middleton complains, and on good grounds, of the insufficiency and impolicy of the present laws relating to pilfering, or petty thefts. What he advances, however, is applicable to London and its environs, rather than to the county of Middlesex and the kingdom at large.

Mr. M. appears to be well versed in the polity of the Metropolis and its neighbourhood.-P. 460. "The fields near London are never free from men strolling about in pilfering pursuits by day, and committing greater crimes by night. The depredations every Sunday are astonishingly great. There are not many gardens within five miles of London that escape being visited in a marauding way very early on a Sunday morn

ing;

ing, and the farmers' fields are plundered all day long of fruit, roots, cabbages, pulse, and corn. Even the ears of wheat are cut from the sheaves, and carried away in the most daring manner in open day, in various ways; but mostly in bags containing about half a bushel each. It has been moderately estimated, that 20,000 bushels of all the various sorts are thus carried off every Sunday morning, and 10,000 more durring the other six days of the week, or one mill on and a half of bushels in a year, which, if valued at so small a sum as sixpence each, would amount to 37,500l.

"The occupiers of many thousand acres round London lose annually, in this manner, to the amount of much more than 20s. an acre. And all this is done, as it were, under the eye of 270 magistrates, 1000 constables, and upwards of 2500 watchmen and beadles. "Men who are more attentive to their own emoluments, and more desirous of promoting their own interests, than putting a stop to these nefarious practices.'" Are not the above estimates inuch overcharged?

That pilfering is practised to a serious, if not an alarming extent, upon the oceupiers of lands, to the distance of some miles round London, is a well known fact; and that the existing laws respecting it are rather an encouragement than a prevention of the crime, is not less obvious. The subjoined remarks sufficiently convey Mr. Middleton's general sentiments on the subject.

P. 458. "One great hindrance to comfort in a life of agriculture, and which drives liberal-minded men, who are always the best friends to improvement, out of the profession, is the want of laws to put a total stop to the receivers of stolen goods. These are the wretches who encourage servants in agriculture, and others, to pilfer, by holding out the lure of buying every article which such servants can bring, without asking them any questions. Most things which are usually produced on a farm, from so small an article as an egg, to hay, straw, and grain of all sorts, are daily stolen, and sold on the sides of every principal road in this county.

Why, then, have we not National Associations, guaranteed by a permanent law of the country, for the same salutary purpose? Is it not enough for a man to lose his property, perhaps through the negligence of those who are paid to protect it, but that he must perform the office, and pay the whole, or some considerable part, of the expence of prosecution! and moreover, alienate his attention from his own concerns, and probably have to undergo an irritation of mind, in which an undertaking of that sort is ever liable to involve him.

I have long been waiting for a suitable opportunity to bring forward my sentiments on this subject, so far as relates to country concerns; and I cannot do less than thank Mr. Middleton most cordially for affording me one *.

Every individual, I conceive, who loses, by theft, property that had been placed in prudent security, ought to be amply paid for his time and expences, in attending the officers of the executive government; and, for a reason that will be offered, ought further to be remunerated for some part, at least, of his loss.

The

The hundred, or other division of a county, is liable to remunerate individuals for losses sustained by day robberies; provided negligence or other improper conduct cannot be proved against the losers. And, surely, it may be worthy of consideration, whether it will not be sound policy to make, in like manner, some compensation for the loss of property, by night robbery, provided no neglect of its loser can be shown.

Such a regulation would not be merely a measure of justice toward the unfortunate, but would radically tend to the suppression of theft; as it would make it the interest of every man of property, being an assessee within the district, to prevent it; and would consequently put every active man on the alert to recover the property, and bring the of fender to punishment, Thus would

every prudent man's property be, in a certain degree, insured by the district.

On the contrary, no remuneration whatever can be due to the loser of property, taken in a state of neglect, or wilful insecurity: rather should some salvage, some considerable per centage on its value, be claimable by whomso ever shall recover it; and a penalty be moreover levied, for the crime of negligence, in proportion to its flagrancy. In flagrant cases let the whole be for

feited to the district.

Negligence of property is the parent of Theft; and ought, I am clearly of opinion, to be punishable; not as a crime against what, in feeble phraseology, is termed "good manners," but against industry and honesty.

Perhaps, let the officers of each parish in the district be a Committee of Inspection, and, in cases of persevering neglect, let them make their report to the magistracy; the penalties they may levy to pass to the district fund, or go in aid of the poor rate in the parish where the crime shall be committed; or be applied to the education of the children of the indigent parishioners; not merely to make them more tractable and ready, as servants and work people, but to pre vent early habits of idleness and pilfering. Regulations of this nature, and making the punishment for receiving stolen goods greater than that for theft itself, would, I doubt not, reduce the crime within a narrow compass;- comparatively with the boundless range which it occupies at present.

On the cruelty of Houses of Indus try (especially those of united parishes), we quote the following; militating, of course, against Mr. Owen's wild scheme. The first part is from

the Rev. Arthur Young's Report of Surrey; the next Mr. Marshall's opinion on the subject.

P. 33.

rate-books in various parts of the coun"From an inspection of the derable increase having almost invarity, it establishes the fact, of a consiably arisen. But this is to be understood as relating to those parishes where houses of industry have not been set up; since, where these have been founded), the contrary has followed. established (although very recently In eleven parishes united at Sutton, in junction was formed as late as 1791, the lower rape of Arundel, though the the rates have diminished.”

So short a trial is no proof of the per manent utility of "Houses of Industry;" otherwise, prisons of paupers. While they are closely attended to, by men of influence and leisure, who have pleasure in patronizing something new, they may be" found to answer" the purpose of pa rishes; and may be agreeable play-places for the young and dissolute. But, to the aged and infirm, that have been torn from their connexions, and dragged, perhaps, several miles from their native their children and consoling friends, or long-inhabited homes, perhaps from their only solace under their afflictions! such an arbitrary, unsocial, unnatural plan of treatment is cruel and unwarrantable in a civilized nation, even un

der the inspection of disinterested and well-meaning persons; and still more ment" has passed away, and they are so, after the novelty of the "Improveleft to the morose usage of an unfeeling superintendant; perhaps a farmer of it must be to keep them in a state of the establishment, whose best interest starvation and filthiness; in a staté aland the unfortunate, who may have together unfit for the aged, the infirm, seen what is termed " better days."

We

Sur

Surveyor has looked forward with a sort of dread to the probable consequences of such a measure. If the illumination of the peasant mind would make him more moral, better satisfied with his state and condition of life, and on all occasions more desirous of excelling in the exercise of those duties his peculiar situation in society dooms him to perform, much private satisfaction and public benefit would naturally result from such institutions. This, however, can easily be demonstrated as not likely to be a consequence of thus opening the peasant mind to a contemplation of situations in life, that can have no other possible effect than that of rendering him dissatisfied with his own That this is an incontrovertible truth is clear from the conduct of the peasantry of Ireland, all of whom but slightly acquainted with the English language are instructed to read and write; and thence springs the cause of that general restlessness of character, and of the numbers that annually ship themselves as redemptioners to different parts of the United States of North America."

And well it is for Ireland and Ameriea that they do so. The one is overstocked with the class that furnishes workpeople; the other wants enlightened workmen. Of slaves and savages it has enow.

The unlettered Irish stay at home, to riot, plot, and murder;-to commit acts of "treason, stratagem, and spoil;"

or emigrate to England, - to revelawhile, in outrage, and be hanged.

After some other groundless arguments, the Reporter sums up, in Italics, and with the aid of foreign tongues, in. the following ultra-royal manner:

P. 468. "In short, the peasant's mind" (this is Russian) "should never be inspired with a desire to amend his circumstances by the quitting of his cast” (this is Hindoo); "but every means the most benevolent and feeling heart can devise, should be employed to make that situation as comfortable and as happy to him as possible; and to which end nothing more essential could contribute, than by exciting a general emulation to excel in all their avocations, even to those of breaking stones for a lime kiln, or for repairing the highways." Hear! Hear! this is English.

Good Heaven! And is there an Englishman (or a Dutchman-they are brothers in sentiment) with nerve enough to write the two first lines above quoted!!! He surely could not know that many

men of "the brightest genius," and, who are much more estimable members of a community,-many great and good men have, in England, been moulded and nurtured in the "peasant cast!""

Fortunately for society, in England, the Writer's exotic notions have not taken root. Seminaries for civilizing the children of the labouring classes have been rapidly increasing, under the "gracious benevolence" of Royal Pa tronage, since his barbarian doctrine was promulgated.

In a civilized nation early schooling tends to reclaim children from savage propensities, and to prepare them for civilized society;-inculcates a propriety of behaviour, one of the very first lessons a child should be induced to learn,-in a civilized nation *.

Attendance in a school inures children to a requisite degree of restraint, and a division of time; employs their minds, and prevents idleness and other vicious habits from taking root; thus tending to raise them to the rank of rational beings. While the unfortunate offspring of indigence, that are suffered to loiter away their early days, on commons, in lanes, and bye places, acquire habits of indolence and pilfering; give a loose to their own wills and unrestrained tempers; commit acts of mischief; and add to them the guilt of lying (the seedbud offraud), to screen them from correction.

The discipline of a well-governed school impresses, on youthful minds, subordination, industry, patience, and its consequent, perseverance; and thus habituates them to RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS.

17. Investigation of the Cause of Easter 1818, being appointed to be celebrated on a Wrong Day; plainly shewing, that unless the present System of Computation shall be abolished, greater Errors must ensue. Containing also, Proposals for an Infallible Table for fixing the Church Festivals, and establishing an Universal Calendar. By a Member of the University of Oxford. 8vo, pp. 20. Leigh.

THE best Review, perhaps, of this very learned Essay will be given, by a reference to a Letter in our last Supplement, p. 595; and to the Act of Parliament which was passed in 1752.

In the savage state, savage marr ners may be deemed a virtue; as being, in that state, conducive to self-preser vation.