Great Britain -- Description and travel; Great Britain -- Rural conditions
We started from Chilworth this morning, came down the vale, left the
village of Shawford to our right, and that of Wonersh to our left, and
crossing the river Wey, got into the turnpike-road between Guildford and
Godalming, went on through Godalming, and got to Lea, which lies to the
north-east snugly under Hindhead, about 11 o'clock. This was coming only
about eight miles, a sort of rest after the 32 miles of the day before.
Coming along the road, a farmer overtook us, and as he had known me from
seeing me at the Meeting at Epsom last year, I had a part of my main
business to perform, namely, to talk politics. He was going to
_Haslemere_ fair. Upon the mention of that sink-hole of a Borough, which
sends, "_as clearly as the sun at noonday_," the celebrated Charles
Long, and the scarcely less celebrated Robert Ward, to the celebrated
House of Commons, we began to talk, as it were, spontaneously, about
Lord Lonsdale and the Lowthers. The farmer wondered why the Lowthers,
that were the owners of so many farms, should be for a system which was
so manifestly taking away the estates of the landlords and the capital
of the farmers, and giving them to Jews, loan-jobbers, stock-jobbers,
placemen, pensioners, sinecure people, and people of the "dead weight."
But his wonder ceased; his eyes were opened; and "his heart seemed to
burn within him as I talked to him on the way," when I explained to him
the nature of _Crown lands_ and "_Crown tenants_," and when I described
to him certain districts of property in Westmoreland and other parts. I
had not the book in my pocket, but my memory furnished me with quite a
sufficiency of matter to make him perceive that, in supporting the
present system, the Lowthers were by no means so foolish as he appeared
to think them. From the Lowthers I turned to Mr. Poyntz, who lives at
Midhurst in Sussex, and whose name as a "_Crown tenant_" I find in a
Report lately laid before the House of Commons, and the particulars of
which I will state another time for the information of the people of
Sussex. I used to wonder myself what made Mr. Poyntz call me a Jacobin.
I used to think that Mr. Poyntz must be a fool to support the present
system. What I have seen in that Report convinces me that Mr. Poyntz is
no fool, as far as relates to his own interest, at any rate. There is a
mine of wealth in these "_Crown lands_." Here are farms, and manors, and
mines, and woods, and forests, and houses, and streets, incalculable in
value. What can be so proper as to apply this public property towards
the discharge of a part, at least, of that public debt, which is
hanging round the neck of this nation like a mill-stone? Mr. Ricardo
proposes to seize upon a part of the private property of every man, to
be given to the stock-jobbing race. At an act of injustice like this the
mind revolts. The foolishness of it, besides, is calculated to shock
one. But in the _public property_ we see the suitable thing. And who can
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account