common people might have felt | ber, 1822. This is one of those differently, in a struggle between countries of chalk and flint and the Land and the Funds. As dry-top soil and hard roads and things now stand, it would be high and bare hills and deep dells, monstrous, indeed, if the labour-with clumps of lofty trees, here ing classes were to back those and there, which are so many who made the new Game Laws, rookeries: this is one of those and the new Trespass Laws. Un-countries, or, rather, approaching natural, indeed, and base, beyond towards those countries, of downs all description, would it be, if the and flocks of sheep, which I like common people, the Working so much, which I always get to Classes, were to join the Land- when I can, and which many owners, in ruining three hundred people seem to flee from as nathousand families, in the middle turally as men flee from pestilence. ranks of life; a thing which They call such countries naked could not fail to add greatly, to and barren, though they are, in the power, the haughtiness, the the summer months, actually insolence, and the cruelty, of those covered with meat and with corn. Land-owners; and, for which I saw, the other day, in the reason, amongst many others that MORNING HERALD London" best I shall notice, before I have done, public instructor," that all those I trust, that the people, in all had deceived themselves, who had parts of the country, will be upon expected to see the price of agrithe watch, with regard to this sub-cultural produce brought down by ject. WM. COBBETT. the lessening of the quantity of RURAL RIDE. paper-money. Now, in the first place, corn is, on an average, a seventh lower in price than it was last year at this time; and, what would it have been, if the crop UPHUSBAND (Hampshire), and the stock had now been equal THURSDAY, 24TH AUG.-We left to what they were last year? Burghclere last evening, in the All in good time, therefore, good rain; but, as our distance was Mr. THWAITES. Let us have a only about seven miles, the con- little time. The "best public insequence was little.-The crops structors" have, as yet, only fallen, of corn, except oats, have been in number sold, about a third, very fine hereabouts; and, there since this time last year. Give are never any pease, nor any beans, them a little time, good Mr. grown here. The sainfoin fields, THWAITES, and you will see them though on these high lands, and come down to your heart's content. though the dry weather has been Only let us fairly see an end to of such long continuance, look as small notes, and there will soon green as watered meadows, and a be not two daily "best public ingreat deal more brilliant and beau-structors" left in all the "entire" tiful. I described this beautiful great "British Empire.” village (which lies in a deep dell)| But, as man is not to live on and its very variously shaped en-bread alone, so corn is not the virons, in my Register of Novem-only thing that the owners and occupiers of the land have to] except fat cattle; and, observe, when the prospect is good, it shows a rise in the price of lean cattle; not in that of the meat, which is just ready to go into the mouth. Prices will go on gradually falling, as they did from 1819 to 1822 inclusive, unless upheld by untoward seasons, or by an issue of assignats; for, mind, it would be no joke, no shain, this time; it would be an issue of as real, as bona fide, assignats as ever came from the mint of any set of rascals that ever robbed and enslaved a people, in the names of " liberty and law." look to. There are timber, bark, underwood, wool, hides, pigs, sheep, and cattle. All these together make, in amount, four times the corn, at the very least. I know that all these have greatly fallen in price since last year; but, I am in a sheep and wool country, and can speak positively as to them, which are two articles of very great importance. As to sheep; I am speaking of South Downs, which are the great stock of these counties; as to sheep, they have fallen one-third in price since last August, lambs as well as ewes. And, as to the wool, it EAST EVERLEY (Wiltshire,) sold, in 1824, at 40s. a tod; it SUNDAY, 27TH AUG. EVENING.— sold last year, at 35s. a tod; and We set off from UPHUSBAND ON it now sells at 19s. a tod! A tod Friday, about ten o'clock, the is 28 lbs. avoirdupois weight; so morning having been wet. My that the price of South Down sons came round, in the chaise, wool now is, 8d. a pound and a by ANDOVER and WEYHILL, while fraction over; and this is, I be- I came right across the country lieve, cheaper than it has ever towards LUDGARSHALL, which lies been known within the memory in the road from Andover to this of the oldest man living! The place. I never knew the flies best public instructor" may, so troublesome, in England, as I perhaps, think, that sheep and found them in this ride. I was wool are a trifling affair. There are many thousands of farmers who keep each a flock of at least a thousand sheep. An ewe yields about 3 lbs. of wool, a wether, 4 lbs., a ram 7 lbs. Calculate, good Mr. Thwaites, what a difference it is when this wool becomes 8d. a pound instead of 17d. and instead of 30d. as it was not many years ago! In short, every middling sheep-farmer receives, this year, about 2501. less, as the produce of sheep and wool, than he received last year; and, on an average, 2507. is more than half his rent. There is a great falling off in the price of horses, and of all cattle obliged to carry a great bough, -- not be more than about four miles to accept of my best thanks. off. She did not know! A very WILDING (that is the man's name) neat, smart, and pretty woman; was full of expressions of gratibut, she did not know the way to tude towards these gentlemen. this rotten-borough, which was, He spoke of others who were I was sure, only about four miles good to him on his way; and even off! "Well, my dear good at CALAIS he found friands on my woman," said I, "but you have account; but, he was particularly been at LUDGARSHALL?""No." loud in his praises of the gentle"Nor at ANDOVER?" (six miles men in KENT, who had been so another way) "No." "Nor at good and so kind to him, that he MARLBOROUGH?" (nine miles seemed quite in an extacy when another way) "No.". "Pray, he talked of their conduct. were you born in this house?"- Before I got to the rotten-bo"Yes."-" And, how far have rough, I came out upon a Down, you ever been from this house?" just on the border of the two coun"Oh! I have been up in the ties, Hampshire and Wiltshire. parish, and over to Chute." That Here I came up with my sons, is to say, the utmost extent of her and we entered the rotten-borough voyages had been about two and together. It contained some a half miles! Let no one laugh rashers of bacon and a very civil at her, and, above all others, let landlady; but, it is one of the not me, who am convinced, that most mean and beggarly places the facilities, which now exist of that man ever set his eyes on. The moving human bodies from place curse, attending corruption, seems to place, are amongst the curses to be upon it. The look of the of the country, the destroyers of place would make one swear, that industry, of morals, and, of course, there never was a clean shirt in it, of happiness. It is a great error since the first stone of it was laid. to suppose, that people are ren- It must have been a large place dered stupid by remaining always once, though it now contains only in the same place. This was a 479 persons, men, women, and very acute woman, and as well children. The borough is, as to behaved as need to be. There all practical purposes, as much was, in July last (last month) a private property as this pen is my PRESTON-MAN, who had never private property. Aye, aye! Let been further from home than the petitioners of Manchester CHORLEY (about eight or ten bawl, as long as they like, against miles), and who started off, on all other evils; but, until they foot, and went, alone, to ROUEN, touch this master-evil, they do noin France, and back again to Lon-thing at all. don, in the space of about ten EVERLEY is but about three miles days; and that, too, without being from LUDGARSHALL, So that we able to speak, or to understand, a got here in the afternoon of Friword of French!-N. B. Those day; and, in the evening a very gentlemen, who, at GREEN-heavy storm came and drove away STREET, in Kent, were so kind all flies, and made the air delightto this man, upon finding that he ful. This is a real Down-counhad voted for me, will be pleased try. Here you see miles and miles square without a tree, or | of shrubs and flowers, and of shorthedge, or bush. It is a country grass very neatly kept. In the of green-sward. This is the most lower part of the garden there are famous place in all England for high trees, and, amongst these, coursing. I was here, at this very the tulip-tree and the live-oak. inn, with a party eighteen years Beyond the garden is a large ago; and, landlord, who is clump of lofty sycamores, and, in still the same, recognized me as these a most populous rookery, in soon as he saw me. There were which, of all things in the world, I forty brace of greyhounds taken delight. The village, which conout into the field on one of the tains 301 souls, lies to the north days, and every brace had one of the inn, but adjoining its precourse, and some of them two. mises. All the rest, in every diThe ground is the finest in the rection, is bare down or openworld: from two to three miles arable. I am now sitting at one · for the hare to run to cover, and of the southern windows of this not a stone nor a bush nor a bil- inn, looking across the garden tolock. It was here proved to me, wards the rookery. It is nearly that the hare is, by far, the swift- sun-setting; the rooks are skimest of all English animals; for I ming and curving over the tops saw three hares, in one day, run of the trees; while, under the away from the dogs. To give dog branches, I see a flock of several and hare a fair trial, there should hundred sheep, coming nibbling be but one dog. Then, if that dog their way in from the Down, and got so close as to compel the hare going to their fold. to turn, that would be a proof that the dog ran fastest. When the dog, or dogs, never get near enough to the hare to induce her to turn, she is said, and very justly, to run away" from them; and, as I saw three hares do this in one day, I conclude, that the hare is the swiftest animal of the two. Now, what ill-natured devil could bring OLD NIC GRIMSHAW into my head in company with these innocent sheep? Why, the truth is this: nothing is so swift as thought: it runs over a life-time in a moment; and, while I was writing the last sentence of the foregoing paragraph, thought took. This inn is one of the nicest, me up at the time when i used to and, in summer, one of the plea-wear a smock-frock and to carry santest, in England; for, I think, a wooden bottle like that shepthat my experience in this way herd's boy; and, in an instant, it will justify me in speaking thus hurried me along through my no positively. The house is large, very short life of adventure, of the yard and the stables good, the toil, of peril, of pleasure, of ardent landlord a farmer also, and, there- friendship and not less ardent enfore, no cribbing your horses in mity; and after filling me with hay or straw and yourself in eggs wonder, that a heart and mind so and cream. The garden, which wrapped up in every thing belongadjoins the south side of the house, ing to the gardens, the fields and is large, of good shape, has a ter- the woods, should have been conrace on one side, lies on the slope, demned to waste themselves away consists of well-disposed clumps amidst the stench, the noise and.... the strife of cities, it brought me hands, without money, and withto the present moment, and sent out a congregation; and, thus, my mind back to what I have yet to find matter, if I can, to justify to perform about NICHOLAS GRIM-the mad wretches, who, from ComSHAW and his ditches! mittee Rooms and elsewhere, are My song set off about three bothering this half-distracted nao'clock to-day, on their way to tion to death about a “surplus HEREFORDSHIRE, where I intend popalashon, 'mon."My horse to join them, when I have had a is ready; and the rooks are just pretty good ride in this county. gone off to the stubble-fields.There is no pleasure in travelling, These rooks rob the pigs; but, except on horse-back, or on foot. they have a right to do it. I Carriages take your body from wonder (upon my soul I do) that. place to place; and, if you merely there is no lawyer, Scotchman, or want to be conveyed, they are Parson-Justice, to propose a law very good; but they enable you to punish the rooks for trespass! to see and to know nothing at all WM. COBBETT. of the country. EAST EVERLEY, MONDAY MORNING, 5 O'CLOCK, 28тH Aug. 1826. -A very fine morning; a man, MEETING AT CORK, eighty-two years of age, just be- On the subject of the prevalent ginning to mow the short-grass, in the garden: I thought it, even when I was young, the hardest འ Distress in Ireland. Ar this Meeting, which was work that man had to do. To held on Tuesday, the 15th of look on, this work seems nothing; August; matter of the most imbut, it tries every sinew in your portant nature came under disframe, if you go upright and do cussion. The object of the meetyour work well. This old man ing was, to relieve the prevailing never knew how to do it well, and distress, and to provide against its he stoops, and he hangs his scythe terrible threatened consequences. wrong; bat, with all this, it must A subscription was talked of and be a surprising man to mow short- entered into; but, the speakers at grass, as well as he does, at eighty. this Meeting seemed to have been I wish I may be able to mow thoroughly satisfied that the evil is short-grass at eighty! That's all now become so great, that there I have to say of the matter.-1 is no remedy but that of estabam just setting off for the source lishing POOR-LAWS for Ireof the Avon, which runs from near land. I am about to insert the MARLBOROUGH SALISBURY, speeches made at this Meeting. and thence to the sea; and, I in- They merit the greatest possible tend to pursue it as far as SALIS-attention. Another Meeting is to BURY. In the distance of thirty be held, to consider of the promiles, here are, I see by the priety of a petition to Parliament, books, more than thirty churches. for the establishing of Poor Laws I wish to see, with my own eyes, for Ireland. If these gentlemen, what evidence there is, that those Messrs. FITZGIBBON, HACKETT, 30 churches were built without DALY, RONAYNE, and others, will U |