ther on a fummer evening, though it lies too near the city for their Saturday's excurfions. The road from Topfham to Exeter is one of the beft in the neighbourhood.” "The church ftands about the centre of the town, built on a high cliff, whence the fcenery is extremely picturesque—a noble river-distant fhipping-churches glimmering through groupes of trees a fertile vale, and a fine range of mountains, rifing above each other in beautiful perspective, as far as the eye can reach." Pp. 207, 208. "Prince calls Exmouth a fmall hamlet; and, in truth, it was no other than an inconfiderable fishing town, till one of the judges of the circuit, in a very infirm ftate of health, went thither to bathe, and received great benefit from the place. This happened about a century ago, which brought Exmouth into repute, first with the people of Exeter, and gradually with the whole county-I might add, indeed, the whole ifland; fince Exmouth is not only the oldeft, but in general the beft frequented watering-place in Devonshire. It is furnished with every accommodation neceffary to a watering-place. In the mean time, the beauties of Exmouth itself are fuch as require not the authority of a judge of the cir cuit to recommend them. Of Exmouth my readers must have already conceived fome idea, from what has occurred in the Na tural History and other parts of the work. For its fituation, they must remember that, ten miles fouth from the city of Exeter, it lies near the fea fhore between the cliffs, which open, as it were on purpofe to receive it. It is well fheltered from the north-eaft and fouth-eaft winds by fome high hills, which rife almost close behind it, and which fupply the place with excellent water. It fronts the north and fouth-weft, which points extend from the city to the Berry-head, being a line, including by eftimation, about twenty miles. Some of the houfes are detached from the main groupe towards the weft, and again to the north. The buildings in general are low and incommodious; but here and there are fome good houses inhabited by genteel families, which of late have made Exmouth their conftant refidence, and have now the pleasure of meeting in a good affembly-room. The walks are delightfully pleafant, commanding views worthy the pencils of the beft masters. From a hill called Chapel-hill, the eye is prefented with the line before mentioned, broken by feveral gentle hills, that gradually ascend from the coaft on the oppofite fide of the river, and are covered with lively verdure and woody enclofures-the village of Star-crofs fkirting their bottoms. Behind thefe hills fpring up fome bold towering headlands of various fhapes and unequal heights; through which the eye is ftill led to diftant objects of various kinds, woody fummits, and barren rocks, gradually diminishing, fo as to form a complete landscape. What greatly adds to the beauty of this view, is the taste shown in the plantations of Lord Lifburne and Lord Courtenay, whofe noble feats also heighten the grandeur of the scene: nor must we omit to mention the lofty Obelisk, and two magnificent Belvi. deres one of them lately erected by Sir Robert Palk; which are not only great ornaments, but ferve as land-marks to the pi lotage of the river. Turning our eyes toward the fea, we have a view of the ocean (commanding an extenfive horizon from the Berry-head far to the eastward) and of every veffel that paffes to Torbay, Brixham, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Topsham, and Exeter.” Pp. 215, 216. To the North of Devon we fhall now direct a few rapid glances. "Barnstaple lies on the river Taw, pleafantly fituated among hills, in the form of a femicircle, to which the river is a dia. meter. It has a ftone bridge of fixteen arches. The treets are clean and well paved, and the houfes of ftone. Pilton is a pretty village, in the parish of that name. Pilton-house, the seat of Incledon, lies on the fcite of Barnstaple Priory. A part of an old wall that belonged to the Priory ftill remains at the north end of the manfion. This houfe is pleafantly fituated in a paddock, commanding a view of Barnftaple at a fmall diftance. Raleigh, a very pleafant feat, lies about half a mile to the eaft of the town of Barnftaple." Vol. iii. p. 404. "At Swimbridge is one of the neatest country churches in Devonshire. The fcreen is of excellent carved wood-work, painted and gilt, and in fine prefervation. The roof of the north fide of the chancel contains fome coats of arms and emboffinents, which were revived with fresh colours a few years fince. The pulpit is an excellent piece of ftone-work, the outfide divided by compartments, in each of which, within niches, are ancient figures; on the whole in a good Gothic tafte, apparently coeval with the church, which I guefs to have been erected in the time of Edward III." P. 405. "Cafle-bill, in the parish of Filleigh, hath attracted the obfervation of various travellers or tourists. The house is a fine Atructure; its Grecian hall has a ftriking effect. The grounds, from their inequalities, and from the wood and water in profufion there, afford fufficient fcope for the difplay of a picturefque ima. gination. Much was done by the predeceffors of the prefent lord, particularly Lord Clinton, but not all judiciously. The imitation of an old caftle on the hill (whence the name was changed from Filleigh-houfe to Caftle-hill), the hermitage, and Park-bridge, were well conceived and executed; but the terrace before the houfe, and the trait lines of trees on the hills, were not capable of adding beauty to the landfcape. We are pleased with the hermitage at the end of the park, where the wood begins to grow thick, and the river Bray winds its foaming course: and Park-bridge is roughly hewn out of the rocks, correfponding with the genius of the place." P. 406. Our readers will not thank us for a fpecimen of the gene alogies. alogies. We fhall, therefore, conclude at this place; ob ferving, that an Index is fubjoined to the volumes; that the engravings, by Bonner, are many and excellent, and that the work is dedicated, by permiflion, to the King. ART. IX. An immediate and effectual Mode of raifing the Rental of the Landed Property of England; and rendering Great Britain independent of other Nations for a Supply of Bread Corn. With an Appendix containing Hints to Com mercial Capitalifts, and to the Tenantry of Scotland. By a Scotch Farmer, now farming in Middlefex. 8vo. 157 PP. 48. Longman and Co. 1808. THE fubject of this pamphlet is of fo permanent an intereft, and the plan it contains (together with many of the author's remarks) fo fenfible and judicious, that, although it has fallen late into our hands, and even then was fuffered to give way to more temporary fubjects, we think it still of importance to ftate its leading points, and to promote, to the utmost of our power, its extenfive circulation. The titlepage, indeed, in our opinion, promifes rather too much. Improvements in agriculture, and in the management of landed property, cannot be expected to be generally dif fufed, or fenfibly felt, until the advantages arifing from them fhall have been proved by experience, and the prejudices which oppofed them gradually done away. Yet much of what is alledged in this work will, we think, meet with the ready concurrence of thofe who confider the author's plans with impartiality, and examine with candour the arguments by which he fupports them. He begins by obferving, that the landed property of England is much lefs valuable than that of the northern divifion of this ifland; and that, although this circumflance has engaged the attention of individuals and public bodies in favour of agricultural improvement, no radical change has yet been effected. He inquires into the reafon of this difference; * The author ftates the rife of land in Scotland, and fome of the northern counties of England, to have been, within the last thirty or forty years, from 20 to 100 per cent, while fimila Bb 4 lands äfference; whether the natural obftacles to agriculture are rearer? Whether the political obftacles are infurmountable? or, whether the English practice of agriculture is leis fcienific than in thofe parts? On the first of thefe queftions he justly concludes, from feveral obvious circumflances (fuch as climate, foil, &c.) that the natural obftacles to agriculture are much lefs in England than in the other parts of the ifland. The political obftacles he confiders as either permanent or temporary. Thofe which are permanent, and are fuppofed to operate moft powerfully against the improvement of land, are the tithe and poor rates. "But cannot thefe," he asks, “enter into the calculation of landlords and tenants, in letting or taking leafes of lands?" He fhows, that whether tithe be take in kind, or by annual valuation, fill there are certain data on which to proceed; and the fame may be faid of poor rates. On the fubject of tithes, indeed, we have feldom met with fo much candour and good fenfe in a writer on the fubject of agriculture. The outcry againft them, he thinks, has originated with farmers, whofe capital and profeffional intelligence are alike penurious; and with them this obstacle (and that of the poor rates) may, he admits, operate as a drawback on exertion: but this, he adds, only thows that, under fuch circumftances, thefe perfons are improper tenants. He proceeds with the following juft and accurate reafoning, which we will state in his own words : "But an individual, neither obnoxious to vulgar prejudices, nor above temporizing with general obftacles, wifely regards his perfonal intereft as of more confequence than the gratification of malignant feelings, or the fruitless expofition of known errors; and will not be content to neglect enriching himself, for the fake of depriving another of what would fall to his fhare; or prematurely attempt to alter what is confecrated by time. It matters little to him who gains fomething, provided he gains enough, and proportionally to his exertions. Are tythe and poor rates uncertain? equally fo are the feafons. Does a man, by virtue of being a clergyman, acquire a right to an income, and the increase of that income, without perfonal labour? the fame may be faid of the heir of an estate, by virtue of his being lands in England, in general, do not produce above 10 or 15 more than at that period. But feveral English and Welsh estates, within our knowledge, have more than doubled their rental within that fpace of time. the the first-born. Of what concern are these things to me, pro. vided I can enrich myself? Suppofe I leafe a farm at a thousand a year having paid rent, tythe, poor rate, taxes, labour, and all expenfes, I clear 300l. a year; but I find, that by introducing other practices than thofe I have been accustomed to, I can double my produce at the fame expenfe; fhall I not, then, triple my profits, or clear 900l. because a tenth of thefe profits must be paid to the clergyman, leaving me only 8101.? Suppofing this tenth neceffarily added to the expenfes of raifing this addi tional crop, who, poffeffed of common fenfe, would decline allowing it for the fuperior profit to be obtained? And why not then confider tythe, in this cafe, in the light of expenfes ? But, fays an opponent more fplenetic than wife, or my neigh'bour, who rents a farm tythe-free, had you not the tythe to deduct, your profits would have been 9ool. True, fay 1; but in that cafe I fhould have had a higher rental from the commencement of my leafe: my firft profit, in place of 300l. would have been perhaps lefs than 200l. and by tripling my profit, I fhould not have had above 600l. which is 21ol. lefs than I have ftated as my clear gains, notwithstanding what you fo much decry as a bar to induftry and profit." P. 13. The author candidly admits that, before he came into England, he was ftrongly of the fame opinion, as Scotch farmers in general, on the fubject of tithes; who, it seems, are. highly adverfe to them; but he adds, that " a very particular attention to facts, in almost every county fouth of the Tweed, has, by enabling him to view things as they are, entirely changed his fentiments." Poor rates, he obferves, are generally charged according to the rent; but, as a mean of their extent may be found, they are (efpecially to tenants having proper leafes) fcarcely any drawback on the profits of the land. Having fhown that neither of thefe fuppofed permanent causes is capable of retarding the progreffive value of landed property, the author points out, as the real caufes," the temporary caufes created by proprietors themselves," and "the English practice of agriculture." The temporary obftacles, in his opinion, regard chiefly" leafes," "the fize of farms," and the employment of lawyers as land managers." On the fubject of leafes, this author ftrongly approves of them, as "the best mode of infuring the invention and profecution of the moft advantageous meafures, by conferring on those who are to execute thofe meafures fufficient perfonal intereft therein." He objects, however, (and we think on fufficient grounds,) to leafes of only fix or ten years duration, to fuch as are purchafeable by a fine, and to leafes for |