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Show 394 ON THE 11\-11\IEDIATE CAUSES [ CH. VII. 'vould furnish the san1e conclusions. We need not indeed go farther than Ireland to see a confirnlation of thetn to a very considerable extent. The cultivation of the potatoe, and its adoption as the general food of the lo,ver classes of the people in Ireland, has rendered the land and labour necessary to n1aintain a fan1ily, unusually srna11, con1pared with 1nost of the countries of Europe. The consequence of this facility of production, unaccon1panied by such a train of fortunate circnn1stances as \Vould give it full effect in the increase of \Vcalth, is a state of things resetnbling, in n1any respects, countries less ad van ceo in civilization and in1prove1nent. '"fhe pron1inent feature of Ireland is, the power 'vhich it possesses and actually exercises, of supporting a n1uch greater population, than it can employ, and the natural and necessary effect of this state of things, is the very general prevalence of ha hits of indolence. 1"'he landed proprietors and principal tenants being possessed of food and necessaries, or at least of the ready n1eans of procuring then1, have found \Vorkn1en in abundance at their con1n1and; but these \Vorkmen not finding sufficient en1ployn1ent in the farms on \vhich they had settled, have rarely been able to ·put their landlords in possession of the objects "1nost useful and most desirable" to then1. Sotnetirr1es, indeed, fron1 the con1petition for land occasioned by an overflowing population, very high rents have been given for small portions of ground fit for the growth of potatoes; but as the power of paying such rents 1nust depend, ·in a considerable degree, upon the SEC. IV.] OF THE PROGRESS OF WEALTH. 395 po\ver of getting '\vork, the num her of fan1ilies upon an estate, \\rho can pay high money rents, must have an obvious lin1it. This lin1it, there is reason to believe, has been often found in the inability of the Irish cottar to pay the rent 'vhich he had contracted for; and it is generally understood that the f!lOSt intelligent Irish landloids, influenced both by n1otive~ of btnnanity and interest, arc nO\\T endeavouring to check the progress of that redundant population upon their estates, "\V hich, while it generates an excessive degree of poverty and n1isery as \veil as indolence, seldon1 tnakes up to the en1ployer, in the lo\vness of \vagcs, for the additionalnnn1ber of hanus \vhich he is obliged to hire, or call upon for their appointed service in labour. He is 110\V generally a\vare that a sn1aller nun1ber of more industrious labourers would enable him to raise a larger pro·duce for the consun1ption_ of to\vns andtnanufacturers, and at the same tin1e that they would thus contribute n1ore largely to the general \vealth of the country, "vould be in a 1nore happy con eli tion then1selves, and enable hin1 to derive a larger and n1ore certain rent fron1 his estates. It n1ay fairly be said therefore, that the possessors of food and necessaries in Ireland have not been able to obtain the objects n1ost useful and desirable to then1 in return. The indolence of the country-labourers in Ireland has been universally ren1arked. And whether this arises fron1 th~re being really little for then1 to do in the actual state of things, or fron1 a natural tendency to idleness, not to be overcon'le by ordi- |