The rivers were not very low during this fummer, and the fprings have always furnished abundance of water.

The wheat was lefs generally infefted with fmut than in 1785. This cruel fcourge has only manifested itself to any confiderable degree in a few cantons. The rye and barley were ripe in general towards the middle of July; the wheat and oats were in a great meafure got in towards the middle of Auguft. The ears of wheat, though large, did not yield fo much grain as last year*; but the grain-was of a better quality. The late fown wheat did not fucceed fo well as that which was fown early.

The straw of the wheat was fhort; the frofts in the beginning of April retarded its vegetation; the rains that fell in harvest damaged the wheat confiderably in feveral cantons.

The oats and barley have yielded well, but the grain is in general of a middling quality; the flraw very good.

The different kinds of pulfe yielded little, but are of a good quality; the cold and drought of the fpring retarded their vegetation. Pease in many places were obliged to be fown fucceffively; they where hurt by the ravages of the flies (pucerons). All kinds of

pulfe were late in ripening.

Turnips, especially the large fort, the feeds of which had been diftributed by government, fucceeded very well in feveral cantons, but failed in others, which ought to be attributed to the coldness of the feafon and want of care; they began to take them up about the end of September.

The fame coldness of feafon hurt the potatoes, but especially the maize, which yielded a poorer crop than was to be expected.

Fruits were not abundant; many were worm-eaten; the cold winds in the month of May hurt them much. The caterpillars, which multiplied greatly, had devoured the leaves of a vast many -trees. The leaves had also been thrivelled up in feveral cantons by fmall black infects which were found in great numbers upon the trees. The wind beat down many before their maturity in several places.

• The leaves of the vines were not infected; but in feveral cantons they were eaten by a particular kind of caterpillar, defcribed in this trimestre. The leaves in feveral cantons were withered, and even fallen at the time of the vintage. The bunches of grapes were two-thirds lefs abundant than ordinary; they were found, and ripe in general before the end of September; nevertheless, the cold rains that fell towards the end of that month retarded their maturity, especially in Burgundy.

The natural meadows yielded a poor crop of hay, but of good quality fields of artificial grafs yielded much good forage; lucerne especially profpered well. Hay of the first cutting was not fo good as that of the after crops, the rain during the hay harvest hurt its quality. The aftermath was abundant. There were com

* In 1785, 20 lb. of wheat in the ftraw (the ftraw about 3 feet in length), the whole fully dry, produced 8 lbs. 7 oz. of clean wheat;-in 1786, 20 lb. of wheat in ftraw, the straw of the fame length, produced 7 lb. 3 oz. of grain.

plaints

plaints in feveral cantons of the roots of the lucerne being attacked by a small white worm.

• In feveral cantons, a good many calves died of a loofenefs. It was also observed that a great number of cows miffed calve, though they had taken the bull feveral times. They alfo complained in fome cantons of a disease among the horned cattle; but it was not very fevere. There were alfo loft, in feveral places, a good many fheep by the rot. All these disorders, which were not very severe, may be attributed to the temperature that prevailed during this tri mestre.

The pigeons were very generally affected by the roup, or pip (chanere), and a great number have perished, efpecially on the coafts of Picardy. Several pigeon-houses have been entirely destroyed by it. It was at firft believed that this difeafe was occafioned by the want of drink; but it afterwards appeared that this was not the cafe. It is alleged that iron drofs (machefer) put into the drink of pigeons or poultry is useful. The fame disorder attacked the poultry, but lefs feverely.

• Bees yielded very little honey; the season had been too vari able for these infects.

The fparrows did a great deal of damage; they were exceffively multiplied in feveral cantons.

It was obferved that there were fewer fwallows in this than in the preceding years.'

Such in general are the objects concerning which, information may be expected from this department of the Memoirs of Agriculture; and when felected with the care that seems to be here beftowed, they cannot fail to afford a very clear idea of the climate, temperature, and rural economy of France.

As we are much in want of room, we have omitted fome articles, which we judged to be of inferior confequence in this country; though in France they might be deemed more worthy

of notice.

4

Two more volumes of this work are just come to hand, and thall be noticed in our Appendix.

MONTHLY

CATALOGUE,

For MAY, 1788.

WOOL-BILL.

Art. 15. Live and let live: A Treatise on the hoftile Rivalship between the Manufacturer and Land-worker. With a more efpecial View to the prefent Contest between the Woollen Manufacturers and Wool-growers. With a Poftfcript. 8vo. Debrett. 1788.

T

2s. 6d.

HIS is not one of thofe hafty productions, ftruck off on the fpur of the occafion, to fupport fome party work, or to mislead rather than inform the legislator, but an able investigation of a question of great importance to this country, though it has been too feldom

adverted

adverted to, or confidered in that enlarged view in which it is exhibited by this ingenious writer.

A defire to obtain peculiar advantages to ourselves, is fo natural to the mind of man, that its effects must be ftrongly felt in every fociety; and wherever numerous bodies of men are collected into particular claffes, whofe common intereft may be affected by particular laws and regulations, it has been found that fuch claffes of men have, in all ages, been active in trying to obtain peculiar privileges to their own order, at the expence of all others in the community. Hence it has happened that facts have been disguised, and ingenious arguments invented, to mislead the judgment of the legislature; and in proportion as any one body of men acquires an undue preponderancy, the laws made at that time not only become partial and unjuft, but falfe principles of legiflation are adopted, and error is cherished under the name of truth. We now look back, with fome kind of furprise, at the blindnefs of our forefathers in certain refpects, and are aftonished to find that men of the greatest talents could have been brought to defend certain principles of legiflation, which even a very fuperficial reafoner could now easily fhew to be erroneous, though perhaps we do not perceive, that in many cafes we ourselves are guilty of the very fame weakness or inattention.

The author of this treatise, with great force of reason, fets himself to oppofe one of thofe deep-rooted prejudices that has been cherished for ages by the legiflators of this country,-the monopoly of wool against the grower.

Common fenfe,' fays he, unfophifticated by pre-determined fyftems, or unbiaffed by the feductions of avarice or power, would have taught, at first, what long experience, tutored by endless viciffitudes of evils, hath at length taught all wife governments to feel: that the labour of the land-worker, the industry of the first operations of manufactures-that the forenfic circulation, and the adventures of commerce, are most productive when left to themselves; and that the statesman then, and then only, interferes wifely, when from experience he knows how to keep the balance even, how to preferve the general level of circulation, how to fecrete ftate revenue from national wealth, without checking the productive power, without impoverishing the nutritive juices, and without starving the fruit-bearing branches which produce this fupply.'

He then goes on to fhew that any regulation which gives to a particular clafs of citizens an undue advantage over others, neceffarily depreffes the latter, without benefiting the former, and of courfe is deftructive to the whole community. This he illuftrates by various ftriking examples, felected from history; and then shews that the prohibiting the exportation of wool, in all circumftances, is a measure of this kind; and that the arguments which have been alleged in fupport of this meafure are fallacious, and contradicted by facts, which could not but be known to thofe who maintained fuch arguments. He contrafts the laws relating to wool with our corn laws, the wife policy of which laft fyftem of legiflation, has now been confirmed by the experience of an whole century. He next proceeds to state what measures he thinks fhould be adopted in this respect,

*

refpect, viz. To allow the home-manufacturer to have the preemption of all our wool, by prohibiting any exportation before Lady-day next, after clipping; but after that time full liberty fhould be given to export wool, if the price in the fleece was below per pound, on paying a duty of per hundred weight.' We fhould be glad to fee this fyftem adopted, as it would be breaking the ice, though our author and our readers will eafily perceive that it does not altogether coincide with the fpirit of the corn laws, which he fo much applauds.

He then proceeds to ftate in very ftrong terms, the glaring improprieties and fhocking injuftice of a variety of claufes in the WoolBill now before parliament, and the ruinous confequences that would attend it, could it ever be carried into effe-but this he thinks impoffible; and concludes, that, on the whole, the bill is grounded on principles fo repugnant to all justice, and all common right; fo fraught with deftructive mifchief to the country intereft, and fo hoftile to the principles of commerce,-that, if duly confidered, it can never become a law: but that if, without due confideration, it fhould be forced into a law, it will be found fo abounding, at all points, with fuch impracticable abfurdities, and hath provided fo much to be done, without having any body to do it, that it can never 'be executed.'

From this fhort analyfis, our readers will be able to form fome idea of the general tendency of this very valuable pamphlet. Thofe who have been carried along by the tide of popular opinion for fome time paft, may be apt to fufpect that our author is not an impartial reafoner ; but to convince them he is fuch, we would refer them to the work itself.-They will there be enabled to perceive by what arts well-meaning men have been impofed on, and brought to adopt notions very contrary to the truth, with respect to this fubject. We particularly recommend his treatife to the attention of members of parliament, who will find in it many facts, of importance for them to know, but with which it was not easy for many of them to become acquainted. The language, though not elegant, is fufficiently intelligible; and it contains fo many juft remarks on the spirit of legiflation in general, that it cannot fail to prove highly interesting to thofe who feriously feek for information on that fubject.

Art. 16. A Letter addressed to Edward Phelips, Esq. Member for the County of Somerfet; containing general Obfervations on the Advantages of manufacturing the Combing Wool of England, which is smuggled to France, and curfory Remarks on the Evidence given by the Manufacturers to the Committee of the House of Commons: alfo a Refutation of the Argument adduced by the Author of the Annals of Agriculture, from an official Paper of Monf. Calonne, to fhew the inconfiderable Quantities of British Wool imported into France. By the Chairman of the Wool Meeting. 4to. Is. 6d. Debrett. 1788.

Mr. Anstie, the author of this pamphlet, writes with fo much candour, and fo like a man of honour, that we cannot, for a moment, believe he is not himself fully convinced of the national im

* We would, for weighty reafons, move for Michaelmas.

portance

portance of thofe measures he fo warmly fupports; we have read his pamphlet therefore with all the attention, that a well-meant effort of an honeft man to ferve his fellow citizens deferves. We regret, however, exceedingly, that while we efteem the principles of the man, we cannot applaud the fentiments of the politician. Indeed the office of legiflation requires a kind of knowledge fo very different from that which men in the ordinary walks of life have occafion to cultivate, that it ought not to appear furprising they fhould err when they attempt it, and fometimes contend for measures, which if adopted, would produce effects extremely different from thofe intended by them. To become an ufeful legiflator, it is not enough that a man fhall be poffeffed of good difpofitions, and a found understanding That understanding muft alfo have been enlightened by a long and deep attention to the fubject, the mazes of which are not fometimes to be traced even by thofe, who to ftrong natural talents, and deep ftudy, have fuperadded all the advantages that can be de-. rived from long experience.

Let not therefore the candid Chairman of the Wool-committee be either very much surprised, or in any manner hurt, at our diffenting from him in many refpects. We should not fcruple to grant him all the facts for which he contends, and if he wifhed for it, ten times more of the fame kind, without admitting the conclufions he draws from them. Indeed, thefe facts in general have fo little connection with the question, when confidered in an enlarged view, as to have fcarce any influence on it at all. It is not denied that the advantage refulting from the woollen manufactory is great, and that if ten, twenty, or thirty thousand packs more were manufactured in this country, a much greater number of people would be fupported by it than if that wool was not worked up by them. But does it follow, that fuppofing this quantity of wool is fmuggled into France, our manufacturers would work up that additional quantity, above what they now do, merely by preventing it from finding its way thither? Surely not. That the British manufacturer would not work up a fingle pound more, were the whole of this kept at home, we must conclude, unless it fhall first be proved that in confequence of this exportation they are deprived of the materials to work upon-But among the facts Mr. Anftie has ftated, we do not find a fingle hint that any British manufacturer of British wool has ever lain idle, for want of materials to work up. Till this however be done, we must confider all that has been adduced by Mr. Anftie on this head as mere declamation, which obtained his favour under the disguise of argument. Let the exportation of wool be what it may, while our manufacturers have always as much as they choose to call for, it is certain that the quantity exported is a mere furplus, that might be wafted, but not manufactured, if kept at home.

If this be the cafe, it must alfo follow, that it is equally futile to enter into the argument with Mr. Young about the quantity of wool imported into France. If the quantity be great, it only proves that our woollen manufacturers do not extend their bufinefs fufficiently to confume the quantity of wool that is produced for them. The lofs that is fuftained by the want of this labour, therefore, lies at the door of the manufacturers, and not at that of the wool-growers.

Mr.