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detached parts of counties; others comprehend part of two counties; still more are composed of parts of different hundreds. They contain from one to sixteen townships. There are instances of a township being a detached part of an hundred. Townships, again, are not always bounded within their parishes, several being in part in one parish, and in part in another parish. They are composed of one or more hamlets, and do not always coincide with the townships, so called, by which the land-tax is gathered."

What a complication of absurdities! Surely there must have been intervals of peace, in which so much inconvenience, to magistrates, as well as to the owners and occupiers of land, might have been done away, or much ameliorated, without alarm to the constitution!

Even (p. 4) the civil division of manors, though fre quently confined to the whole or part of a parish, comprehends, in some instances, part of two parishes, and has within it parts of different townships; and the jurisdiction of court leets are not always confined to the hundred they are situated in. Thus difficult is it to speak of the divisions of a county, from the want of coincidence in boundaries and jurisdictions; many of them appearing independent of each other, rather than separate, but component parts, of one and the same scheme."

Many or most of those anomalies, no doubt, have grown out of reasonable circumstances, which existed at the times of their taking place; but which are, now, no more. How irrational, then, under a change of circumstances to suffer their memory to be the cause of grievance to the most useful part of the community. As well might the crutches of a cripple be handed down from father to son, aye and worn too, in compliment to the memory of a distant ancestor, to whom they happened to be useful.

The following conjectures on the Origin of Parishes, are ingenious, and probable. In the central Highlands of Scotland, where the building of churches is of comparatively late date, similar ideas, respecting the boundaries of parishes, prevail.

P. 4. "The history of that experience from whence our constitution has so happily arisen, points out circumstances from which these varied limitations of district have grown. With respect to parishes, for instance, they seem to have originated, however disputable the exact date of their origin may be, from lords of manors, and persons of extensive landed property, building churches, as Christianity advanced in these kingdoms, for the use of themselves and

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tenants, and to which churches they procured the tithes arising from their estates to be paid, which, if not specially appropriated, would have been paid to the bishop of the diocese, for the use of the clergy in general, and of such pious purposes as he deemed necessary. Now the founders of any church would wish that all their lands should pay tithe thereto, rather than to any other, and in preference to their tithes being applied at the discretion of the bishop; so that where the estate of any founder of a church was scattered, the district appropriated to pay tithe to it, would be scattered also; and it was from the junction of these circumstances, a church being built, and a district appointed to pay tithe to its minister, that parishes had their beginning. It is not, however, easy How to say what are parishes."

The archdeacon, after having attempted the definition of a parish, furnishes a long, and loosely printed list of churches and chappels-within the county. It were needless to observe that such a list would have been a more appropriate offering to the diocesans (three in number) whose diocesses reach within the county of Salop, from the archdeacon thereof, than to the Board of Agriculture.

STATE OF APPROPRIATION.-In the chapter" Enclosing,' the Reporter says, p. 144.-"A great deal of land has been inclosed, and is still enclosing, in this county, generally by Act of Parliament, but sometimes by private agreement. Very large wastes and commons still remain. Among these, Clun Forest deserves to be particularly noted. It contains above 12,000 acres.'

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In the chapter "Waste Lands," Mr. Harries tells us, p. 221. A large quantity of wastes have been enclosed and improved, but too many still remain. The Morf, near Bridgenorth, is five miles in length, and may be two or three miles in width, and there are smaller commons, amounting to some hundred acres, not far from it; all of which are highly capable of improvement from enclosure: these would soon be made of the value from 12s. to 1. per acre. There are several large commons in the road from Shrewsbury to Drayton; these are of much inferior value, but still capable of being made profitable: on the very worst parts of them the Scotch fir would thrive. A general inclosure bill for commons not exceeding 500 or 600 acres, would very soon cause a many thousand acres, that

* Vide BLACKSTONE'S Com. vol. i. p. 111.

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that are now in a very neglected and unprofitable state, to be brought into cultivation: the expense of a private act precludes the proprietors of such from applying to Parliament; and we know that one obstinate man will prevent its being done by private agreement. Such commons, therefore, are likely to remain as they are. The extensive commons between Church-Stretton and Bishop's Castle, and beyond Clun, to the borders of Radnorshire, are so elevated and so well calculated for sheep-pastures, that perhaps they cannot be better applied."

The Reporter adds, p. 222.-" Having made some observations under the heads of Enclosing, and of Cottages, that may with equal propriety have appeared in this chapter, I have little to add in this place, except that the extensive forest of Clun, the Longmynd, and other wastes alluded to by Mr. HARRIES, may certainly be enclosed to advantage."

The idea thrown out, above, by Mr. Harries, is entitled to the highest consideration. If a combination of ignorance, prejudice, and folly, bordering on idiocy, will not permit a general inclosure bill to pass, let a partial one, as suggested by Mr. Harries, be carried into effect. The smaller commons are frequently the best lands that are now unappropriated (those of some of the forests excepted); and it is against the enclosing of these, more particularly, that separate bills are insuperable bars.

POPULATION.-The following statement of the Reporter will tend to show the lax manner in which the internal regulations of Government, are planned and executed;" and to put those on their guard who may have occasionto make use of the lately formed register of the population of the kingdom;--useful as it might have been!

P. 346. "Since writing the above, the return has been made under the Act of the 41st GEO. III. That return states this county to contain 31,182 inhabited and 929. void houses, 34,501 families, 82,563 males, 85,076 females, 45,046 persons employed in agriculture, 35,535 mechanics, and 70,504 persons not comprised in either of those two classes. The total number of persons 167,639. It is possible that a ve y few districts may be omitted in this return, and that some may have been counted twice over, from the circumstance of townships and parishes not being always co-extensive. The inaccuracy of the return, with respect to the number of persons employed in agriculture, very obvious. The Act does not say whether it was the

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intention of the Legislature to confine this list to males, and there are three ways in which it has been made. some returns, the males only employed in agriculture are given; in others, the list contains also women keeping farms, and dairy-maids and again in others, all the men, women, and children of a farmer's family, or of a labourer's in farming business, are added to that class. The same is the case in the return of the mechanics, and this return is further doubtful, as miners are in some instances added to it, and in others stated as belonging to those not comprised in either of the specified employments; whilst the persons making the return in some parishes, have seemed to consider it necessary to class all the inhabitants under the head of agriculture or of trade; as I observe them so stated where I know there are resident clergymen, at least, of respectability, and who have families."

PROVISIONS.-P. 271. (by Mr. Tench)-" The present price of provisions (such as are used in the farmer's family) is as follows:-Flour 6s. per bushel, weighing 56 lb.; cheese 3d.; beef 3 d.; mutton 3; d.; veal 34d.; bacon 6 d. per lb.; and potatoes 1s. 6d. per bushel: this I consider the average price of the last five years."

The Reporter adds " This account, though given in 1794, appears like a Report from ancient times; under a feeling of prices, double in the lowest instances, and quadruple in the highest."

From the above and other passages, it appears that Jaborers, in Shropshire, purchase flour;-do not send corn to the mill-a practice which will be found to be censured, under the head, Workpeople, ensuing.

FUEL-In the original Report, it is said "the whole county is plentifully supplied with coals, from four to six shillings per ton, at the pits."

On this Mr. Plymley observes, p. 272.-" The price of coal, as above mentioned, has risen considerably, and even then, that price was applicable only to the collieries of the East district. At the Clee-hill collieries, and all the smaller ones, the prices were 8s. and to 10s. 6d. the ton or stack. In the S. W. district are houses (I speak not of cottages) where no coal, perhaps, was ever burnt. Peat is a common fuel there, and wood. Coppice-wood of twenty years growth can be bought for 61. and 71. the acre, and cord-wood at 8s. and 9s. the cord. The only coals that can be brought to the S. W. district (except they should be imported by the Montgomeryshire canal)

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are those that are dearest at the pits, and the distance for land-carriage is very great: in some instances above 20 miles."

MANUFACTURES.-Shropshire, as will be seen, by the following extracts, is a manufacturing county of no small consideration.

P. 340. (by Mr. Reynolds)-"In the coal district are the following iron-works. In the south is Willey, Broseley, Calcot, Benthal, and Barnets Leasow: these are on the south side of the Severn. On the north side of this river is Madeley Wood, Coalbrook-dale, Lightmoor, Horsehay, Old Park, Snedshill, Ketley, Donnington, Queen'sWood, and Wrockwardine Wood

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P. 340. (from Dr. Townson's tract)-"These works employ about 6000 hands; and annually about 260,000 tons of coal are raised in this district. It is worth remarking, that Coalbrook-dale can justly claim the merit of having, in the beginning of this century, introduced upon a large scale the use of coaked coal, as a substitute for charcoal in making of iron.”

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P. 341. (by the Reporter)—" Garden pots, and other vessels of a coarse fabric, are made at Broseley. At Caughley, in that neighbourhood, is a china manufacture of great excellence. The blue and white, and the blue, white and gold china there, is, in many instances, more like that from the East than other I have seen. works have been purchased by the proprietors of a later establishment, the Coal-port China-works, and are confined to the ware specified above. At Coal-port coloured china of all sorts, and of exquisite taste and beauty, is made. More immediately at Coal-port, for the china-works are near it, is a manufacture of earthen-ware, in imitation of that made at Etruria, and called the Queen's, or Wedgewood's waret. In the lordship of Cardington, in this county, a quartz and clay may be gotten for compounding this ware, the former superior, as I am well informed, to that imported out of Carnarvonshire to the Staffordshire putteries.

"There are now (1802) on the south side of the river Severn, at the different iron and coal works, 25 fire-engines, and on the north side of the river 155, making together 180 fire-engines. Thirty years ago, I believe there were not 20 in the same district. The second lever-engine that was erected was upon a colliery in Madeley parish." "At Coalport is also a manufacture of ropes and one of chains, now much used for the same purposes."-Mr. W. REYNOLDS.

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