第56章
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  Therearelandlordswhodeemanystyegoodenoughfortheirlabourerandhisfamily,andwhoyetdonotdisdaintodrivewithhimthehardestpossiblebargainforrent。[104]Itmaybebutaruinousone—bedroomedhut,havingnofire—grate,noprivy,noopeningwindow,nowatersupplybuttheditch,nogarden?butthelabourerishelplessagainstthewrong……AndtheNuisancesRemovalActs……are……ameredeadletter……ingreatpartdependentfortheirworkingonsuchcottage—ownersastheonefromwhomhis(thelabourer’s)hovelisrented……Frombrighter,butexceptionalscenes,itisrequisiteintheinterestsofjustice,thatattentionshouldagainbedrawntotheoverwhelmingpreponderanceoffactswhichareareproachtothecivilisationofEngland。Lamentableindeed,mustbethecase,when,notwithstandingallthatisevidentwithregardtothequalityofthepresentaccommodation,itisthecommonconclusionofcompetentobserversthateventhegeneralbadnessofdwellingsisanevilinfinitelylessurgentthantheirmerenumericalinsufficiency。Foryearstheover—crowdingofrurallabourers’dwellingshasbeenamatterofdeepconcern,notonlytopersonswhocareforsanitarygood,buttopersonswhocarefordecentandmorallife。For,againandagaininphrasessouniformthattheyseemstereotyped,reportersonthespreadofepidemicdiseaseinruraldistricts,haveinsistedentheextremeimportanceofthatover—crowding,asaninfluencewhichrendersitaquitehopelesstask,toattemptthelimitingofanyinfectionwhichisintroduced。Andagainandagainithasbeenpointedoutthat,notwithstandingthemanysalubriousinfluenceswhichthereareincountrylife,thecrowdingwhichsofavourstheextensionofcontagiousdisease,alsofavourstheoriginationofdiseasewhichisnotcontagious。

  Andthosewhohavedenouncedtheover—crowdedstateofourruralpopulationhavenotbeensilentastoafurthermischief。Evenwheretheirprimaryconcernhasbeenonlywiththeinjurytohealth,oftenalmostperforcetheyhavereferredtootherrelationsonthesubject。Inshowinghowfrequentlyithappensthatadultpersonsofbothsexes,marriedandunmarried,arehuddledtogetherinsinglesmallsleepingrooms,theirreportshavecarriedtheconvictionthat;underthecircumstancestheydescribe,decencymustalwaysbeoutraged,andmoralityalmostofnecessitymustsuffer。[105]Thus,forinstance,intheappendixofmylastannualreport,Dr。Ord,reportingonanoutbreakoffeveratWing,inBuckinghamshire,mentionshowayoungmanwhohadcomethitherfromWingravewithfever,\"inthefirstdaysofhisillnesssleptinaroomwithnineotherpersons。

  Withinafortnightseveralofthesepersonswereattacked,andinthecourseofafewweeksfiveoutoftheninehadfever,andonedied……\"FromDr。

  Harvey,ofSt。George’sHospital,who,onprivateprofessionalbusiness,visitedWingduringthetimeoftheepidemic,Ireceivedinformationexactlyinthesenseoftheabovereport……\"Ayoungwomanhavingfever,layatnightinaroomoccupiedbyherfatherandmother,herbastardchild,twoyoungmen(herbrothers),andhertwosisters,eachwithabastardchild?10personsinall。Afewweeksago13personssleptinit。;[106]

  Dr。Hunterinvestigated5,375cottagesofagriculturallabourers,notonlyinthepurelyagriculturaldistricts,butinallcountiesofEngland。

  Ofthese,2,195hadonlyonebedroom(oftenatthesametimeusedasliving—room),2,930onlytwo,and250,morethantwo。Iwillgiveafewspecimensculledfromadozencounties。

  (1。)BedfordshireWrestlingworth。Bedroomsabout12feetlongand10broad,althoughmanyaresmallerthanthis。Thesmall,one—storiedcotsareoftendividedbypartitionsintotwobedrooms,onebedfrequentlyinakitchen,5feet6inchesinheight。Rent,£3ayear。Thetenantshavetomaketheirownprivies,thelandlordonlysuppliesahole。Assoonasonehasmadeaprivy,itismadeuseofbythewholeneighbourhood。Onehouse,belongingtoafamilycalledRichardson,wasofquiteunapproachablebeauty。\"Itsplasterwallsbulgedverylikealady’sdressinacurtsey。Onegableendwasconvex,theotherconcave,andonthislast,unfortunately,stoodthechimney,acurvedtubeofclayandwoodlikeanelephant’strunk。Alongstickservedasproptopreventthechimneyfromfalling。Thedoorwayandwindowwererhomboidal。\"Of17housesvisited,only4hadmorethanonebedroom,andthosefourover—crowded。Thecotswithonebedroomsheltered3adultsand3children,amarriedcouplewith6children,&c。

  Dunton。Highrents,from£4to£5;weeklywagesoftheman,10s。Theyhopetopaytherentbythestraw—plaitingofthefamily。

  Thehighertherent,thegreaterthenumberthatmustworktogethertopayit。Sixadults,livingwith4childreninonesleepingapartment,pay£310s。forit。ThecheapesthouseinDunton,15feetlongexternally,10broad,letfor£3。Onlyoneofthehousesinvestigatedhad2bedrooms。Alittleoutsidethevillage,ahousewhose\"tenantsdungedagainstthehouse—side,\"thelower9inchesofthedooreatenawaythroughsheerrottenness;thedoorway,asingleopeningclosedatnightbyafewbricks,ingeniouslypushedupaftershuttingandcoveredwithsomematting。Halfawindow,withglassandframe,hadgonethewayofallflesh。Here,withoutfurniture,huddledtogetherwere3adultsand5children。DuntonisnotworsethantherestofBiggleswadeUnion。

  (2。)BerkshireBeenham。InJune,1864,aman,hiswifeand4childrenlivedinacot(one—storiedcottage)。Adaughtercamehomefromservicewithscarletfever。Shedied。Onechildsickenedanddied。ThemotherandonechildweredownwithtyphuswhenDr。Hunterwascalledin。Thefatherandonechildsleptoutside,butthedifficultyofsecuringisolationwasseenhere,forinthecrowdedmarketofthemiserablevillagelaythelinenofthefever—strickenhousehold,waitingforthewash。TherentofH。’shouse,1s。a—week;onebedroomforman,wife,and6children。Onehouseletfor8d。a—week,14feet6incheslong,7feetbroad,kitchen,6feethigh;thebedroomwithoutwindow,fire—place,door,oropening,exceptintothelobby;nogarden。Amanlivedhereforalittlewhile,withtwogrown—updaughtersandonegrown—upson;fatherandsonsleptonthebed,thegirlsinthepassage。Eachofthelatterhadachildwhilethefamilywaslivinghere,butonewenttotheworkhouseforherconfinementandthencamehome。

  (3。)Buckinghamshire30cottages?on1,000acresofland?containedhereabout130—140

  persons。TheparishofBradenhamcomprises1,000acres;itnumbered,in1851,36housesandapopulationof84malesand54females。Thisinequalityofthesexeswaspartlyremediedin1861,whentheynumbered98malesand87females;increasein10yearsof14menand33women。Meanwhile,thenumberofhouseswasoneless。

  Winslow。Greatpartofthisnewlybuiltingoodstyle;demandforhousesappearsverymarked,sinceverymiserablecotsletat1s。to1s。3d。perweek。

  WaterEaton。Herethelandlords,inviewoftheincreasingpopulation,havedestroyedabout20percent。oftheexistinghouses。Apoorlabourer,whohadtogoabout4milestohiswork,answeredthequestion,whetherhecouldnotfindacotnearer:\"No;theyknowbetterthantotakeamaninwithmylargefamily。\"

  Tinker’sEnd,nearWinslow。Abedroominwhichwere4adultsand4children;11feetlong,9feetbroad,6feet5incheshighatitshighestpart;another11feet3inchesby9feet,5feet10incheshigh,sheltered6persons。Eachofthesefamilieshadlessspacethanisconsiderednecessaryforaconvict。Nohousehadmorethanonebedroom,notoneofthemaback—door;waterveryscarce;weeklyrentfrom1s。4d。to2s。In16ofthehousesvisited,only1manthatearned10s。a—week。Thequantityofairforeachpersonunderthecircumstancesjustdescribedcorrespondstothatwhichhewouldhaveifhewereshutupinaboxof4feetmeasuringeachway,thewholenight。Butthen,theancientdensaffordedacertainamountofunintentionalventilation。

  (4。)CambridgeshireGamblingaybelongstoseverallandlords。Itcontainsthewretchedestcotstobefoundanywhere。Muchstraw—plaiting。\"Adeadlylassitude,ahopelesssurrenderinguptofilth,\"reignsinGamblingay。Theneglectinitscentre,becomesmortificationatitsextremities,northandsouth,wherethehousesarerottingtopieces。Theabsenteelandlordsbleedthispoorrookerytoofreely。Therentsareveryhigh;8or9personspackedinonesleepingapartment,in2cases6adults,eachwith1or2childreninonesmallbedroom。

  (5。)EssexInthiscounty,diminutionsinthenumberofpersonsandofcottagesgo,inmanyparishes,handinhand。Innotlessthan22parishes,however,thedestructionofhouseshasnotpreventedincreaseofpopulation,orhasnotbroughtaboutthatexpulsionwhich,underthename\"migrationtotowns,\"generallyoccurs。InFingringhoe,aparishof3,443acres,werein1851,145houses;in1861,only110。Butthepeopledidnotwishtogoaway,andmanagedeventoincreaseunderthesecircumstances。In1851,252personsinhabited61houses,butin1861,262personsweresqueezedinto49houses。InBasilden,in1851,157personslivedon1,827acres,in35houses;attheendoftenyears,180personsin27houses。IntheparishesofFingringhoe,SouthFambridge,Widford,Basilden,andRamsdenCrags,in1851,1,392personswerelivingon8,449acresin316houses;

  in1861,onthesamearea,1,473personsin249houses。

  (6。)HerefordshireThislittlecountyhassufferedmorefromthe\"eviction—spirit\"thananyotherinEngland。AtNadby,over—crowdedcottagesgenerally,withonly2bedrooms,belongingforthemostparttothefarmers。Theyeasilyletthemfor£3or£4a—year,andpaidaweeklywageof9s。

  (7)HuntingdonHartfordhad,in1851,87houses;shortlyafterthis,19cottagesweredestroyedinthissmallparishof1,720acres;populationin1831,452;in1852,832;andin1861,341。14cottages,eachwith1bedroom,werevisited。Inone,amarriedcouple,3grown—upsons,1grown—updaughter,4children?inall10inanother,3adults,6children。Oneoftheserooms,inwhich8peopleslept,was12feet10incheslong,12feet2inchesbroad,6feet9incheshigh:theaverage,withoutmakinganydeductionforprojectionsintotheapartment,gaveabout130cubicfeetperhead。Inthe14sleepingrooms,34adultsand33children。Thesecottagesareseldomprovidedwithgardens,butmanyoftheinmatesareabletofarmsmallallotmentsat10s。

  or12s。perrood。Theseallotmentsareatadistancefromthehouses,whicharewithoutprivies。Thefamily\"musteithergototheallotmenttodeposittheirordures,\"or,ashappensinthisplace,savingyourpresence,\"useaclosetwithatroughsetlikeadrawerinachestofdrawers,anddrawnoutweeklyandconveyedtotheallotmenttobeemptiedwhereitscontentswerewanted。\"InJapan,thecircleoflife—conditionsmovesmoredecentlythanthis。

  (8)LincolnshireLangtoft。Amanliveshere,inWright’shouse,withhiswife,hermother,and5children;thehousehasafrontkitchen,scullery,bedroomoverthefrontkitchen;frontkitchenandbedroom,12feet2inchesby9feet5inches;thewholegroundfloor,21feet2inchesby9feet5inches。

  Thebedroomisagarret:thewallsruntogetherintotherooflikeasugar—loaf,adormer—windowopeninginfront。\"Whydidhelivehere?Onaccountofthegarden?No;itisverysmall。Rent?High,1s。3d。perweek。Nearhiswork?No;6milesaway,sothathewalksdaily,toandfro,12miles。Helivedthere,becauseitwasatenantablecot,\"andbecausehewantedtohaveacotforhimselfalone,anywhere,atanyprice,andinanyconditions。

  Thefollowingarethestatisticsof12housesinLangtoft,with12bedrooms,38adults,and36children。

  TWELVEHOUSESINLANGTOFT

  HouseNo。1。No。2。No。3。No。4。No。5。No。6。No。7。No。8。No。9。No。10。No。11。No。12。

  Bedrooms。111111111111

  Adults。344525332232

  Children。534423320334

  NumberofPersons。878948652。566(9。)KentKennington,veryseriouslyover—populatedin1859,whendiphtheriaappeared,andtheparishdoctorinstitutedamedicalinquiryintotheconditionofthepoorerclasses。Hefoundthatinthislocality,wheremuchlabourisemployed,variouscotshadbeendestroyedandnonewonesbuilt。Inonedistrictstoodfourhouses,namedbirdcages;eachhad4roomsofthefollowingdimensionsinfeetandinches:

  Kitchen:9ft。5by8ft。11by6ft。6

  Scullery:8ft。6by4ft。6by6ft。6

  Bedroom:8ft。5by5ft。10by6ft。3

  Bedroom:8ft。3by8ft。4by6ft。3(10。)NorthamptonshireBrinworth,PickfordandFloore:inthesevillagesinthewinter2030menwereloungingaboutthestreetsfromwantofwork。Thefarmersdonotalwaystillsufficientlythecornandturniplands,andthelandlordhasfounditbesttothrowallhisfarmstogetherinto2or3。Hencewantofemployment。Whilstononesideofthewall,thelandcallsforlabour,ontheothersidethedefraudedlabourersarecastingatitlongingglances。

  Feverishlyover—workedinsummer,andhalf—starvedinwinter,itisnowonderiftheysayintheirpeculiardialect,\"theparsonandgentlefolkseemfrittodeathatthem。\"

  AtFloore,instances,inonebedroomofthesmallestsize,ofcoupleswith4,5,6children;3adultswith5children;acouplewithgrandfatherand6childrendownwithscarletfever,&c。;intwohouseswithtwobedrooms,twofamiliesof8and9adultsrespectively。

  (11。)WiltshireStratton。31housesvisited,8withonlyonebedroom。Pentill,inthesameparish:acotletatIs。3d。weeklywith4adultsand4children,hadnothinggoodaboutit,exceptthewalls,fromthefloorofrough—hewnpiecesofstonestotheroofofworn—outthatch。

  (12。)WorcestershireHouse—destructionherenotquitesoexcessive;yetfrom1851to1861,thenumberofinhabitantstoeachhouseontheaverage,hasrisenfrom4。2to4。6。

  Badsey。Manycotsandlittlegardenshere。Someofthefarmersdeclarethatthecotsare\"agreatnuisancehere,becausetheybringthepoor。\"Onthestatementofonegentleman:\"Thepoorarenonethebetterforthem;ifyoubuild500theywillletfastenough,infact,themoreyoubuild,themoretheywant\"(accordingtohimthehousesgivebirthtotheinhabitants,whothenbyalawofNaturepresson\"themeansofhousing\")。Dr。Hunterremarks:\"Nowthesepoormustcomefromsomewhere,andasthereisnoparticularattraction,suchasdoles,atBadsey,itmustberepulsionfromsomeotherunfitplace,whichwillsendthemhere。

  Ifeachcouldfindanallotmentnearhiswork,hewouldnotpreferBadsey,wherehepaysforhisscrapofgroundtwiceasmuchasthefarmerpaysforhis。\"

  Thecontinualemigrationtothetowns,thecontinualformationofsurplus—populationinthecountrythroughtheconcentrationoffarms,conversionofarablelandintopasture,machinery,&c。,andthecontinualevictionoftheagriculturalpopulationbythedestructionoftheircottages,gohandinhand。Themoreemptythedistrictisofmen,thegreaterisits\"relativesurplus—population,\"thegreateristheirpressureonthemeansofemployment,thegreateristheabsoluteexcessoftheagriculturalpopulationoverthemeansforhousingit,thegreater,therefore,inthevillagesisthelocalsurplus—populationandthemostpestilentialpackingtogetherofhumanbeings。Thepackingtogetherofknotsofmeninscatteredlittlevillagesandsmallcountrytownscorrespondstotheforcibledrainingofmenfromthesurfaceoftheland。Thecontinuoussupersedingoftheagriculturallabourers,inspiteoftheirdiminishingnumberandtheincreasingmassoftheirproducts,givesbirthtotheirpauperism。Theirpauperismisultimatelyamotivetotheirevictionandthechiefsourceoftheirmiserablehousingwhichbreaksdowntheirlastpowerofresistance。andmakesthemmoreslavesofthelandedproprietorsandthefarmers。[107]ThustheminimumofwagesbecomesalawofNaturetothem。Ontheotherhand,theland,inspiteofitsconstant\"relativesurplus—population,\"

  isatthesametimeunder—populated。Thisisseen,notonlylocallyatthepointswheretheeffluxofmentotowns,mines,railroad—making,&c。,ismostmarked。Itistobeseeneverywhere,inharvest—timeaswellasinspringandsummer,atthosefrequentlyrecurringtimeswhenEnglishagriculture,socarefulandintensive,wantsextrahands。Therearealwaystoomanyagriculturallabourersfortheordinary,andalwaystoofewfortheexceptionalortemporaryneedsofthecultivationofthesoil。[108]\"Hencewefindintheofficialdocumentscontradictorycomplaintsfromthesameplacesofdeficiencyandexcessoflaboursimultaneously。

  Thetemporaryorlocalwantoflabourbringsaboutnoriseinwages,butaforcingofthewomenandchildrenintothefields,andexploitationatanageconstantlylowered。Assoonastheexploitationofthewomenandchildrentakesplaceonalargerscale,itbecomesinturnanewmeansofmakingasurplus—populationofthemaleagriculturallabourerandofkeepingdownhiswage。IntheeastofEnglandthrivesabeautifulfruitofthisviciouscircle?theso—calledgang—system,towhichImustbrieflyreturnhere;[109]

  Thegang—systemobtainsalmostexclusivelyinthecountiesofLincoln,Huntingdon,Cambridge,Norfolk,Suffolk,andNottingham,hereandthereintheneighbouringcountiesofNorthampton,Bedford,andRutland。Lincolnshirewillserveusasanexample。Alargepartofthiscountyisnewland,marshformerly,oreven,asinothersoftheeasterncountiesjustnamed,wonlatelyfromthesea。Thesteam—enginehasworkedwondersinthewayofdrainage。Whatwereoncefensandsandbanks,bearnowaluxuriantseaofcornandthehighestofrents。Thesamethingholdsofthealluviallandswonbyhumanendeavour,asintheislandofAxholmeandotherparishesonthebanksoftheTrent。Inproportionasthenewfarmsarose,notonlywerenonewcottagesbuilt:oldonesweredemolished,andthesupplyoflabourhadtocomefromopenvillages,milesaway,bylongroadsthatwoundalongthesidesofthehills。Therealonehadthepopulationformerlyfoundshelterfromtheincessantfloodsofthewinter—time。Thelabourersthatdwellonthefarmsof400—1,000acres(theyarecalled\"confinedlabourers\")aresolelyemployedonsuchkindsofagriculturalworkasispermanent,difficult,andcarriedonbyaidofhorses。Forevery100acresthereis,onanaverage,scarcelyonecottage。Afenfarmer,e。g。,gaveevidencebeforetheCommissionofInquiry:\"Ifarm320acres,allarableland。Ihavenotonecottageonmyfarm。Ihaveonlyonelaboureronmyfarmnow。Ihavefourhorsemenlodgingabout。Wegetlightworkdonebygangs。\"[110]Thesoilrequiresmuchlightfieldlabour,suchasweeding,hoeing,certainprocessesofmanuring,removingofstones,&c。Thisisdonebythegangs,ororganisedbandsthatdwellintheopenvillages。

  Thegangconsistsof10to40or50persons,women,youngpersonsofbothsexes(13—18yearsofage,althoughtheboysareforthemostparteliminatedattheageof13),andchildrenofbothsexes(6—13yearsofage)。Attheheadisthegang—master,alwaysanordinaryagriculturallabourer,generallywhatiscalledabadlot,ascapegrace,unsteady,drunken,butwithadashofenterpriseandsavoir—faire。Heistherecruiting—sergeantforthegang,whichworksunderhim,notunderthefarmer。Hegenerallyarrangeswiththelatterforpiece—work,andhisincome,whichontheaverageisnotverymuchabovethatofanordinaryagriculturallabourer,[111]dependsalmostentirelyuponthedexteritywithwhichhemanagestoextractwithintheshortesttimethegreatestpossibleamountoflabourfromhisgang。Thefarmershavediscoveredthatwomenworksteadilyonlyunderthedirectionofmen,butthatwomenandchildren,oncesetgoing,impetuouslyspendtheirlife—force?asFourierknew?

  whiletheadultmalelabourerisshrewdenoughtoeconomisehisasmuchashecan。Thegang—mastergoesfromonefarmtoanother,andthusemployshisgangfrom6to8monthsintheyear。Employmentbyhimis,therefore,muchmorelucrativeandmorecertainforthelabouringfamilies,thanemploymentbytheindividualfarmer,whoonlyemployschildrenoccasionally。Thiscircumstancesocompletelyrivetshisinfluenceintheopenvillagesthatchildrenaregenerallyonlytobehiredthroughhisinstrumentality。Thelendingoutoftheseindividually,independentlyofthegang,ishissecondtradp;

  The\"drawbacks\"ofthesystemaretheover—workofthechildrenandyoungpersons,theenormousmarchesthattheymakedailytoandfromthefarms,5,6,andsometimes7milesdistant,finally,thedemoralisationof—thegang。Althoughthegang—master,who,insomedistrictsiscalled\"thedriver,\"isarmedwithalongstick,heusesitbutseldom,andcomplaintsofbrutaltreatmentareexceptional。Heisademocratic。emperor,orakindofPiedPiperofHamelin。Hemustthereforebepopularwithhissubjects,andhebindsthemtohimselfbythecharmsofthegipsylifeunderhisdirection。Coarsefreedom,anoisyjollity,andobscenestimpudencegiveattractionstothegang。Generallythegangmasterpaysupinapublichouse;

  thenheretumshomeattheheadoftheprocessionreelingdrunk,proppeduprightandleftbyastalwartvirago,whilechildrenandyoungpersonsbringuptherear,boisterous,andsingingchaffingandbawdysongs。OnthereturnjourneywhatFouriercalls\"phanerogamie,\"istheorderoftheday。Thegettingwithchildofgirlsof13and14bytheirmalecompanionsofthesameage,iscommon。Theopenvillageswhichsupplythecontingentofthegang,becomeSodomsandGomorrahs,[112]andhavetwiceashigharateofillegitimatebirthsastherestofthekingdom。Themoralcharacterofgirlsbredintheseschools,whenmarriedwomen,wasshownabove。Theirchildren,whenopiumdoesnotgivethemthefinishingstroke,arebornrecruitsofthegang。

  Theganginitsclassicalformjustdescribed,iscalledthepublic,common,ortrampinggang。Fortherearealsoprivategangs。Thesearemadeupinthesamewayasthecommongang,butcountfewermembers,andwork,notunderagang—master,butundersomeoldfarmservant,whomthefarmerdoesnotknowhowtoemployinanybetterway。Thegipsyfunhasvanishedhere,butaccordingtoallwitnesses,thepaymentandtreatmentofthechildrenisworse。

  Thegang—system,whichduringthelastyearshassteadilyincreased,[113]clearlydoesnotexistforthesakeofthegang—master。itexistsfortheenrichmentofthelargefarmers,[114]andindirectlyofthelandlords。[115]Forthefarmerthereisnomoreingeniousmethodofkeepinghislabourerswellbelowthenormallevel,andyetofalwayshavinganextrahandreadyforextrawork,ofextractingthegreatestpossibleamountoflabourwiththeleastpossibleamountofmoney[116]andofmakingadultmalelabour\"redundant。\"Fromtheexpositionalreadymade,itwillbeunderstoodwhy,ontheonehand,agreaterorlesslackofemploymentfortheagriculturallabourerisadmitted,whileontheother,thegang—systemisatthesametimedeclared\"necessary\"onaccountofthewantofadultmalelabouranditsmigrationtothetowns。[117]Thecleanlyweededland,andtheuncleanlyhumanweeds,ofLincolnshire,arepoleandcounterpoleofcapitalisticproduction。[118]

  F。IrelandInconcludingthissection,wemusttravelforamomenttoIreland。First,themainfactsofthecase。

  ThepopulationofIrelandhad,in1841,reached8,222,664;in1851,ithaddwindledto6,623,985;in1861,to5,850,309;in1866,to51/2

  millions,nearlytoitslevelin1801。Thediminutionbeganwiththefamineyear,1846,sothatIreland,inlessthantwentyyears,lostmorethan5/16thsofitspeople。[119]ItstotalemigrationfromMay,1851,toJuly,1865,numbered1,591,487:

  theemigrationduringtheyears1861—1865wasmorethanhalf—a—million。

  Thenumberofinhabitedhousesfell,from1851—1861,by52,990。From1851—1861,thenumberofholdingsof15to30acresincreased61,000,thatofholdingsover30acres,109,000,whilstthetotalnumberofallfarmsfell120,000,afall,therefore,solelyduetothesuppressionoffarmsunder15acres?i。e。,totheircentralisation。

  TableA

  LIVE—STOCK

  YearHorsesCattleSheepPigsTotalNumberDecreaseTotalNumberDecreaseIncreaseTotalNumberDecreaseIncreaseTotalNumberDecreaseIncrease1860619,811?nbsp;3,606,374?nbsp;?nbsp;3,542,080?nbsp;?nbsp;1,271,072?nbsp;?nbsp;

  1861614,2325,5793,471,688134,686?nbsp;3,556,050?nbsp;13,9701,102,042169,030?nbsp;

  1862602,89411,3383,254,890216,798?nbsp;3,456,13299,918?nbsp;1,154,324?nbsp;52,282

  1863579,97822,9163,144,231110,659?nbsp;3,308,204147,982?nbsp;1,067,45886,866?nbsp;

  1864562,15817,8203,262,294?nbsp;118,0633,366,941?nbsp;58,7371,058,4808,978?nbsp;

  1865547,86714,2913,493,414?nbsp;231,1203,688,742?nbsp;321,8011,299,893?nbsp;241,413Thedecreaseofthepopulationwasnaturallyaccompaniedbyadecreaseinthemassofproducts。Forourpurpose,itsufficestoconsiderthe5

  yearsfrom1861—1865duringwhichoverhalf—a—millionemigrated,andtheabsolutenumberofpeoplesankbymorethan1ofamillion。Fromtheabovetableitresults:?

  HorsesCattleSheepPigsAbsoluteDecreaseAbsoluteDecreaseAbsoluteIncreaseAbsoluteIncrease71,944112,960146,66228,8211[120]

  Letusnowturntoagriculture,whichyieldsthemeansofsubsistenceforcattleandformen。Inthefollowingtableiscalculatedthedecreaseorincreaseforeachseparateyear,ascomparedwithitsimmediatepredecessor。

  TheCerealCropsincludewheat,oats,barley,rye,beans,andpeas;theGreenCrops,potatoes,turnips,marigolds,beet—root,cabbages,carrots,parsnips,vetches。&c。

  TableB

  INCREASEORDECREASEINTHEAREAUNDERCROPSANDGRASS

  INACREAGE

  YearCerealCropGreenCropGrassandCloverFlaxTotalCultivatedLandDecrease(Acres)Decrease(Acres)Increase(Acres)Decrease(Acres)Increase(Acres)Decrease(Acres)Increase(Acres)Decrease(Acres)Increase(Acres)

  186115,70136,974?nbsp;47,969?nbsp;?nbsp;19,27181,373?nbsp;

  186272,73474,785?nbsp;?nbsp;6,623?nbsp;2,055138,841?nbsp;

  1863144,71919,358?nbsp;?nbsp;7,724?nbsp;63,92292,431?nbsp;

  1864122,4372,317?nbsp;?nbsp;47,486?nbsp;87,761?nbsp;10,493

  186572,450?nbsp;25,241?nbsp;68,97050,159?nbsp;28,398?nbsp;

  1861—65428,041108,193?nbsp;?nbsp;82,834?nbsp;122,8501330,350?nbsp;Intheyear1865,127,470additionalacrescameundertheheading\"grassland,\"chieflybecausetheareaundertheheadingof\"bogandwasteunoccupied,\"

  decreasedby101,543acres。Ifwecompare1865with1864,thereisadecreaseincerealsof246,667qrs。,ofwhich48,999werewheat,160,605oats,29,892barley,&c。:thedecreaseinpotatoeswas446,398tons,althoughtheareaoftheircultivationincreasedin1865。

  FromthemovementofpopulationandtheagriculturalproduceofIreland,wepasstothemovementinthepurseofitslandlords,largerfarmers,andindustrialcapitalists。ItisreflectedintheriseandfalloftheIncome—tax。ItmayberememberedthatScheduleD。(profitswiththeexceptionofthoseoffarmers),includesalsotheso—called,\"professional\"profits?i。e。,theincomesoflawyers,doctors,&c。;andtheSchedulesC。andE。,inwhichnospecialdetailsaregiven,includetheincomesofemployees,officers,Statesinecurists,Statefundholders,&c。

  TableC[121]

  INCREASEORDECREASEINTHEAREAUNDERCULTIVATION,PRODUCTPERACRE,ANDTOTALPRODUCTOF1865COMPAREDWITH1864

  ProductAcresofCultivatedLandProductperAcreTotalProduct18641865IncreaseorDecrease,186518641865IncreaseorDecrease,186518641865IncreaseorDecrease,1865

  Wheat276,483266,989?nbsp;9,494cwt。,13。313。0?nbsp;0。3875,782Qrs。826,783Qrs。?nbsp;48,999Qrs。

  Oats1,814,8861,745,228?nbsp;69,658cwt。,12。112。30。2?nbsp;7,826,332Qrs。7,659,727Qrs。?nbsp;166,605Qrs。

  Barley172,700177,1024,402?nbsp;cwt。,15。914。9?nbsp;1。0761,909Qrs。732,017Qrs。?nbsp;29,892Qrs。

  Bere8,89410,0911,197?nbsp;cwt。,16。414。8?nbsp;1。615,160Qrs。13,989Qrs。?nbsp;1,171Qrs。

  Ryecwt。,8。510。41。9?nbsp;12,680Qrs。18,314Qrs。5,684Qrs。?nbsp;

  Potatoes1,039,7241,066,26026,536?nbsp;tons,4。13。6?nbsp;0。54,312,388ts。3,865,990ts。?nbsp;446,398ts。

  Turnips337,355334,212?nbsp;3,143tons,10。39。9?nbsp;0。43,467,659ts。3,301,683ts。?nbsp;165,976ts。

  Mangold—

  wurzel14,07314,389316?nbsp;tons,10。513。32。8?nbsp;147,284ts。191,937ts。44,653ts。?nbsp;

  Cabbages31,82133,6221,801?nbsp;tons,9。310。41。1?nbsp;297,375ts。350,252ts。52,877ts。?nbsp;

  Flax301,693251,433?nbsp;50,260st。(14lb。)34。225。2?nbsp;9。064,506st。39,561st。?nbsp;24,945st。

  Hay1,609,5691,678,49368,9241?nbsp;tons,1。61。80。2?nbsp;2,607,153ts。3,068,707ts。461,554ts。?nbsp;TableD

  THEINCOME—TAXONTHESUBJOINEDINCOMESINPOUNDSSTERLING

  (TenthReportoftheCommissionersofInlandRevenue,Lond。1866。)

  186018611862186318641865

  ScheduleA。

  RentofLand13,893,82913,003,55413,398,93813,494,09113,470,70013,801,616

  ScheduleB。

  Farmers’Profits。2,765,3872,773,6442,937,8992,938,9232,930,8742,946,072

  ScheduleD。

  Industrial,&c。,Profits4,891,6524,836,2034,858,8004,846,4974,546,1474,850,199

  TotalSchedulesAtoE22,962,88522,998,39423,597,57423,658,63123,236,29823,930,340UnderScheduleD。,theaverageannualincreaseofincomefrom1853—1864

  wasonly0。93;whilst,inthesameperiod,inGreatBritain,itwas4。58。

  Thefollowingtableshowsthedistributionoftheprofits(withtheexceptionofthoseoffarmers)fortheyears1864and1865:?

  TableE[122]

  SCHEDULED。

  INCOMEFROMPROFITS(OVER£6O)INIRELAND

  1864

  £1865

  £

  Totalyearlyincomeof4,368,610dividedamong17,467persons。4,669,979dividedamong18,081persons。

  Yearlyincomeover£60

  andunder£100238,726dividedamong5,015persons。222,575dividedamong4,703persons。

  Oftheyearlytotalincome1,979,066dividedamong11,321persons。2,028,571dividedamong12,184persons。

  Remainderofthetotalyearlyincome2,150,818dividedamong1,131persons。2,418,833dividedamong1,194persons。

  Ofthese1,073,906dividedamong1,010persons。1,097,927dividedamong1,044persons。

  1,076,912dividedamong121persons。1,320,906dividedamong150persons。

  430,535dividedamong95persons。584,458dividedamong2persons。

  646,377dividedamong26736,448dividedamong28

  262,819dividedamong3274,528dividedamong3England,acountrywithfullydevelopedcapitalistproduction,andpre—eminentlyindustrial,wouldhavebledtodeathwithsuchadrainofpopulationasIrelandhassuffered。ButIrelandisatpresentonlyanagriculturaldistrictofEngland,markedoffbyawidechannelfromthecountrytowhichityieldscorn,wool,cattle,industrialandmilitaryrecruits。

  ThedepopulationofIrelandhasthrownmuchofthelandoutofcultivation,hasgreatlydiminishedtheproduceofthesoil,[123]and,inspiteofthegreaterareadevotedtocattlebreeding,hasbroughtabout,insomeofitsbranches,anabsolutediminution,inothers,anadvancescarcelyworthyofmention,andconstantlyinterruptedbyretrogressions。

  Nevertheless,withthefallinnumbersofthepopulation,rentsandfarmers’

  profitsrose,althoughthelatternotassteadilyastheformer。Thereasonofthisiseasilycomprehensible。Ontheonehand,withthethrowingofsmallholdingsintolargeones,andthechangeofarableintopastureland,alargerpartofthewholeproducewastransformedintosurplus—produce。

  Thesurplus—produceincreased,althoughthetotalproduce,ofwhichitformedafraction,decreased。Ontheotherhand,themoney—valueofthissurplus—produceincreasedyetmorerapidlythanitsmass,inconsequenceoftheriseintheEnglishmarket—priceofmeat,wool,&c。,duringthelast20,andespeciallyduringthelast10,years。

  Thescatteredmeansofproductionthatservetheproducersthemselvesasmeansofemploymentandofsubsistence,withoutexpandingtheirownvaluebytheincorporationofthelabourofothers,arenomorecapitalthanaproductconsumedbyitsownproducerisacommodity。If,withthemassofthepopulation,thatofthemeansofproductionemployedinagriculturealsodiminished,themassofthecapitalemployedinagricultureincreased,becauseapartofthemeansofproductionthatwereformerlyscattered,wasconcentratedandturnedintocapital。

  ThetotalcapitalofIrelandoutsideagriculture,employedinindustryandtrade,accumulatedduringthelasttwodecadesslowly,andwithgreatandconstantlyrecurringfluctuations;somuchthemorerapidlydidtheconcentrationofitsindividualconstituentsdevelop。And,howeversmallitsabsoluteincrease,inproportiontothedwindlingpopulationithadincreasedlargely。

  Here,then,underourowneyesandonalargescale,aprocessisrevealed,thanwhichnothingmoreexcellentcouldbewishedforbyorthodoxeconomyforthesupportofitsdogma:thatmiseryspringsfromabsolutesurplus—population,andthatequilibriumisre—establishedbydepopulation。Thisisafarmoreimportantexperimentthanwastheplagueinthemiddleofthe14thcenturysobelaudedofMalthusians。Notefurther:Ifonlythenaïveté

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