Inanotherpartoftheyardwasaricketylittlewoodenhouse，andwhenweopenedthedoorofit，wefounditfilledwithmenwhowerehuddledtogethershouldertoshoulderforthewarmthofoneanother’sbodiesandbreath。Theywerepickingoakumanddisputingthewhileastowhichcouldworkthelongestonagivenquantityoffood？forendurancewasthepointofhonour。Seventhousand……inthisoneworkhouse……wererecipientsofrelief……manyhundredsofthem……itappeared，were，sixoreightmonthsago，earningthehighestwagespaidtoartisans……Theirnumberwouldbemorethandoubledbythecountofthosewho，havingexhaustedalltheirsavings，stillrefusetoapplytotheparish，becausetheyhavealittlelefttopawn。Leavingtheworkhouse，Itookawalkthroughthestreets，mostlyoflittleone—storeyhouses，thataboundintheneighbourhoodofPoplar。MyguidewasamemberoftheCommitteeoftheUnemployed……
　　Myfirstcallwasonanironworkerwhohadbeensevenandtwentyweeksoutofemployment。Ifoundthemanwithhisfamilysittinginalittlebackroom。Theroomwasnotbareoffurniture，andtherewasafireinit。Thiswasnecessarytokeepthenakedfeetoftheyoungchildrenfromgettingfrostbitten，foritwasabitterlycoldday。Onatrayinfrontofthefirelayaquantityofoakum，whichthewifeandchildrenwerepickinginreturnfortheirallowancefromtheparish。Themanworkedinthestoneyardoftheworkhouseforacertainrationoffood，andthreepenceperday。Hehadnowcomehometodinnerquitehungry，ashetolduswithamelancholysmile，andhisdinnerconsistedofacoupleofslicesofbreadanddripping，andacupofmilklesstea……Thenextdooratwhichweknockedwasopenedbyamiddle—agedwoman，who，withoutsayingaword，ledusintoalittlebackparlour，inwhichsatallherfamily，silentandfixedlystaringatarapidlydyingfire。Suchdesolation，suchhopelessnesswasaboutthesepeopleandtheirlittleroom，asIshouldnotcaretowitnessagain。’Nothinghavetheydone，sir，’saidthewoman，pointingtoherboys，’forsixandtwentyweeks;andallourmoneygone？allthetwentypoundsthatmeandfathersavedwhentimeswerebetter，thinkingitwouldyieldalittletokeepuswhenwegotpastwork。Lookatit，’shesaid，almostfiercely，bringingoutabank—bookwithallitswellkeptentriesofmoneypaidin，andmoneytakenout，sothatwecouldseehowthelittlefortunehadbegunwiththefirstfiveshillingdeposit，andhadgrownbylittleandlittletobetwentypounds，andhowithadmelteddownagaintillthesuminhandgotfrompoundstoshillings，andthelastentrymadethebookasworthlessasablanksheet。Thisfamilyreceivedrelieffromtheworkhouse，anditfurnishedthemwithjustonescantymealperday……Ournextvisitwastoanironlabourer’swife，whosehusbandhadworkedintheyards。
　　Wefoundherillfromwantoffood，lyingonamattressinherclothes，andjustcoveredwithastripofcarpet，forallthebeddinghadbeenpawned。
　　Twowretchedchildrenweretendingher，themselveslookingasmuchinneedofnursingastheirmother。Nineteenweeksofenforcedidlenesshadbroughtthemtothispass，andwhilethemothertoldthehistoryofthatbitterpast，shemoanedasifallherfaithinafuturethatshouldatoneforitweredead……Ongettingoutsideayoungfellowcamerunningafterus，andaskedustostepinsidehishouseandseeifanythingcouldbedoneforhim。Ayoungwife，twoprettychildren，aclusterofpawn—tickets，andabareroomwereallhehadtoshow。"
　　Ontheafterpainsofthecrisisof1866，thefollowingextractfromaTorynewspaper。ItmustnotbeforgottenthattheEast—endofLondon，whichisheredealtwith，isnotonlytheseatoftheironshipbuildingmentionedabove，。butalsoofaso—called"home—industry"alwaysunderpaid。
　　"Afrightfulspectaclewastobeseenyesterdayinonepartofthemetropolis。
　　AlthoughtheunemployedthousandsoftheEast—enddidnotparadewiththeirblackflagsenmasse，thehumantorrentwasimposingenough。Letusrememberwhatthesepeoplesuffer。Theyaredyingofhunger。Thatisthesimpleandterriblefact。Thereare40，000ofthem……Inourpresence，inonequarterofthiswonderfulmetropolis，arepacked？nextdoortothemostenormousaccumulationofwealththeworldeversaw？cheekbyjowlwiththisare40，000helpless，starvingpeople。Thesethousandsarenowbreakinginupontheotherquarters;alwayshalf—starving，theycrytheirmiseryinourears，theycrytoHeaven，theytellusfromtheirmiserabledwellings，thatitisimpossibleforthemtofindwork，anduselessforthemtobeg。Thelocalratepayersthemselvesaredrivenbytheparochialchargestothevergeofpauperism。"？（Standard，5thApril，1867。）
　　AsitisthefashionamongstEnglishcapitaliststoquoteBelgiumastheParadiseofthelabourerbecause"freedomoflabour，"orwhatisthesamething，"freedomofcapital，"istherelimitedneitherbythedespotismofTrades’Unions，norbyFactoryActs，awordortwoonthe"happiness’
　　oftheBelgianlabourer。AssuredlynoonewasmorethoroughlyinitiatedinthemysteriesofthishappinessthanthelateM。Ducpétiaux，inspector—generalofBelgianprisonsandcharitableinstitutions，andmemberofthecentralcommissionofBelgianstatistics。Letustakehiswork:
　　"BudgetséconomiquesdesclassesouvrièresdelaBelgique，"
　　Bruxelles，1855。Herewefindamongothermatters，anormalBelgianlabourer’sfamily，whoseyearlyincomeandexpenditurehecalculatesonveryexactdata，andwhoseconditionsofnourishmentarethencomparedwiththoseofthesoldier，sailor，andprisoner。Thefamily"consistsoffather，mother，andfourchildren。"Ofthese6persons"fourmaybeusefullyemployedthewholeyearthrough。"Itisassumedthat"thereisnosickpersonnoroneincapableofwork，amongthem，"norarethere"expensesforreligious，moral，andintellectualpurposes，exceptaverysmallsumforchurchsittings，"
　　nor"contributionstosavingsbanksorbenefitsocieties，"nor"expensesduetoluxuryortheresultofimprovidence。"Thefatherandeldestson，however，allowthemselves"theuseoftobacco，"andonSundays"gotothecabaret，"forwhichawhole86centimesaweekarereckoned。"Fromageneralcompilationofwagesallowedtothelabourersindifferenttrades，itfollowsthatthehighestaverageofdailywageis1franc56c。，formen，89centimesforwomen，56centimesforboys，and55centimesforgirls。
　　Calculatedatthisrate，theresourcesofthefamilywouldamount，atthemaximum，to1，068francsa—year……Inthefamily……takenastypicalwehavecalculatedallpossibleresources。Butinascribingwagestothemotherofthefamilyweraisethequestionofthedirectionofthehousehold。Howwillitsinternaleconomybecaredfor？Whowilllookaftertheyoungchildren？Whowillgetreadythemeals，dothewashingandmending？
　　Thisisthedilemmaincessantlypresentedtothelabourers。"
　　Accordingtothisthebudgetofthefamilyis:
　　Thefather300working—daysatfr。1。56fr。468
　　mother300working—daysatfr。0。89fr。267
　　boy300working—daysatfr。0。56fr。168
　　girl300working—daysatfr。0。55fr。165
　　Totalfr。1，068Theannualexpenditureofthefamilywouldcauseadeficituponthehypothesisthatthelabourerhasthefoodof:
　　Theman—of—war’smanfr。1，828Deficitfr。760
　　Thesoldierfr。1，473Deficitfr。405
　　Theprisonerfr。1，112Deficitfr。44"Weseethatfewlabouringfamiliescanreach，wewillnotsaytheaverageofthesailororsoldier，buteventhatoftheprisoner。’Thegeneralaverage（ofthecostofeachprisonerinthedifferentprisonsduringtheperiod1847—1849），hasbeen63centimesforallprisons。Thisfigure，comparedwiththatofthedailymaintenanceofthelabourer，showsadifferenceof13centimes。Itmustberemarkedfurther，thatifintheprisonsitisnecessarytosetdownintheaccounttheexpensesofadministrationandsurveillance，ontheotherhand，theprisonershavenottopayfortheirlodging;thatthepurchasestheymakeatthecanteensarenotincludedintheexpensesofmaintenance，andthattheseexpensesaregreatlyloweredinconsequenceofthelargenumberofpersonsthatmakeuptheestablishments，andofcontractingfororbuyingwholesale，thefoodandotherthingsthatenterintotheirconsumption……Howcomesit，however，thatagreatnumber，wemightsay，agreatmajority，oflabourers，liveinamoreeconomicalway？Itis……byadoptingexpedients，thesecretofwhichonlythelabourerknows;，byreducinghisdailyrations;bysubstitutingrye—breadforwheat;
　　byeatinglessmeat，orevennoneatall，andthesamewithbutterandcondiments;bycontentingthemselveswithoneortworoomswherethefamilyiscrammedtogether，whereboysandgirlssleepsidebyside，oftenonthesamepallet;byeconomyofclothing，washing，decency:bygivinguptheSundaydiversions;by，inshort，resigningthemselvestothemostpainfulprivations。Oncearrivedatthisextremelimit，theleastriseinthepriceoffood，stoppageofwork，illness，increasesthelabourer’sdistressanddetermineshiscompleteruin;debtsaccumulate，creditfails，themostnecessaryclothesandfurniturearepawned，andfinally，thefamilyaskstobeenrolledonthelistofpaupers。"（Ducpétiaux，l。c。，pp。
　　151，154，155。）Infact，inthis"Paradiseofcapitalists"therefollows，onthesmallestchangeinthepriceofthemostessentialmeansofsubsistence，achangeinthenumberofdeathsandcrimes！（SeeManifestooftheMaatschappij:
　　"DeVlamingenVooruit！"Brussels，1860，pp。15，16。）InallBelgiumare930，000families，ofwhom，accordingtotheofficialstatistics，90，000
　　arewealthyandonthelistofvoters=450，000persons;390，000familiesofthelowermiddle—classintownsandvillages，thegreaterpartofthemconstantlysinkingintotheproletariat，=1，950，000persons，Finally，450，000working—classfamilies=2，250，000persons，ofwhomthemodelonesenjoythehappinessdepictedbyDucpétiaux。Ofthe450，000working—classfamilies，over200，000areonthepauperlist。
　　E。TheBritishAgriculturalProletariatNowheredoestheantagonisticcharacterofcapitalisticproductandaccumulationassertitselfmorebrutallythanintheprogressofEnglishagriculture（includingcattle—breeding）andtheretrogressiontheEnglishagriculturallabourer。BeforeIturntohispresentsituatearapidretrospect。ModernagriculturedatesinEnglandfromthemiddleofthe18thcentury，althoughtherevolutioninlandedproperty，fromwhichthechangedmodeofproductionstartsasabasis，hasamuchearlierdate。
　　IfwetakethestatementsofArthurYoung，acarefulobserver，thoughasuperficialthinker，astotheagriculturallabourerof1771，thelatterplaysaverypitiablepartcomparedwithhispredecessoroftheendofthe14thcentury，"whenthelabourer……couldliveinplenty，andaccumulatewealth，"[75]nottospeakofthe15thcentury，"thegoldenageoftheEnglishlabourerintownandcountry。"Weneednot，however，gobacksofar。Inaveryinstructiveworkoftheyear1777weread:"Thegreatfarmerisnearlymountedtoalevelwithhim[thegentleman];whilethepoorlabourerisdepressedalmosttotheearth。Hisunfortunatesituationwillfullyappear，bytakingacomparativeviewofit，onlyfortyyearsago，andatpresent……Landlordandtenant……havebothgonehandinhandinkeepingthelabourerdown。"[76]Itisthenprovedindetailthattherealagriculturalwagesbetween1737
　　and1777fellnearly1/4or25percent。"Modernpolicy，"saysDr。RichardPricealso，"is，indeed，morefavourabletothehigherclassesofpeople;
　　andtheconsequencesmayintimeprovethatthewholekingdomwillconsistofonlygentryandbeggars，orofgrandeesandslaves。"[77]
　　Nevertheless，thepositionoftheEnglishagriculturallabourerfrom1770to1780，withregardtohisfoodanddwelling，aswellastohisself—respect，amusements，&c。，isanidealneverattainedagainsincethattime。Hisaveragewageexpressedinpintsofwheatwasfrom1770to1771，90pints，inEden’stime（1797）only65，in1808but60。[78]
　　ThestateoftheagriculturallabourerattheendoftheAnti—JacobinWar，duringwhichlandedproprietors，farmers，manufacturers，merchants，bankers，stockbrokers，army—contractors，&c。，enrichedthemselvessoextraordinarily，hasbeenalreadyindicatedabove。Thenominalwagesroseinconsequencepartlyofthebank—notedepreciation，partlyofariseinthepriceoftheprimarymeansofsubsistenceindependentofthisdepreciation。—
　　Buttheactualwage—variationcanbeevidencedinaverysimpleway，withoutenteringintodetailsthatarehereunnecessary。ThePoorLawanditsadministrationwerein1795and1814thesame。Itwillberememberedhowthislawwascarriedoutinthecountrydistricts:intheformofalmstheparishmadeupthenominalwagetothenominalsumrequiredforthesimplevegetationofthelabourer。Theratiobetweenthewagespaidbythefarmer，andthewage—deficitmadegoodbytheparish，showsustwothings。First，thefallingofwagesbelowtheirminimum;second，thedegreeinwhichtheagriculturallabourerwasacompoundofwage—labourerandpauper，orthedegreeinwhichhehadbeenturnedintoaserfofhisparish。Letustakeonecountythatrepresentstheaverageconditionofthingsinallcounties。InNorthamptonshire，in1795，theaverageweeklywagewas7s。6d。;thetotalyearlyexpenditureofafamilyof6persons，£3612s。5d。;
　　theirtotalincome，£2918s。;deficitmadegoodbytheparish，£6
　　14s。5d。In1814，inthesamecounty，theweeklywagewas12s。2d。;thetotalyearlyexpenditureofafamilyof5persons，£5418s。4d。;
　　theirtotalincome，£36，2s。;deficitmadegoodbytheparish，£18
　　6s。4d。[79]In1795
　　thedeficitwaslessthan1/4thewage，in1814，morethanhalf。Itisself—evidentthat，underthesecircumstances，themeagrecomfortsthatEdenstillfoundinthecottageoftheagriculturallabourer，hadvanishedby1814。[80]Ofalltheanimalskeptbythefarmer，thelabourer，theinstrumentumvocals，was，thenceforth，themostoppressed，theworstnourished，themostbrutallytreated。
　　Thesamestateofthingswentonquietlyuntil"theSwingriots，in1830，revealedtous（i。e。，therulingclasses）bythelightofblazingcorn—stacks，thatmiseryandblackmutinousdiscontentsmoulderedquiteasfiercelyunderthesurfaceofagriculturalasofmanufacturingEngland。"[81]Atthistime，Sadler，intheHouseofCommons，christenedtheagriculturallabourers"whiteslaves，"andaBishopechoedtheepithetintheUpperHouse。Themostnotablepoliticaleconomistofthatperiod？E。G。Wakefield？says:
　　"ThepeasantoftheSouthofEngland……isnotafreeman，norisheaslave;heisapauperp;[82]
　　ThetimejustbeforetherepealoftheCornLawsthrewnewlightontheconditionoftheagriculturallabourers。Ontheonehand;itwastotheinterestofthemiddle—classagitatorstoprovehowlittletheCornLawsprotectedtheactualproducersofthecorn。Ontheotherhand，theindustrialbourgeoisiefoamedwithsullenrageatthedenunciationsofthefactorysystembythelandedaristocracy，atthepretendedsympathywiththewoesofthefactoryoperatives，ofthoseutterlycorrupt，heartless，andgenteelloafers，andattheir"diplomaticzeal"forfactorylegislation。
　　ItisanoldEnglishproverbthat"whenthievesfallout，honestmencomebytheirown，"and，infact，thenoisy，passionatequarrelbetweenthetwofractionsoftherulingclassaboutthequestion，whichofthetwoexploitedthelabourersthemoreshamefully，wasoneachhandthemidwifeofthetruth。EarlShaftesbury，thenLordAshley，wascommander—in—chiefinthearistocratic，philanthropic，anti—factorycampaign。Hewas，therefore，in1845，afavouritesubjectintherevelationsoftheMorningChronicleontheconditionoftheagriculturallabourers。Thisjournal，thenthemostimportantLiberalorgan，sentspecialcommissionersintotheagriculturaldistricts，whodidnotcontentthemselveswithmeregeneraldescriptionsandstatistics，butpublishedthenamesbothofthelabouringfamiliesexaminedandoftheirlandlords。ThefollowinglistgivesthewagespaidinthreevillagesintheneighbourhoodofBlanford，Wimbourne，andPoole。
　　ThevillagesarethepropertyofMr。G。BankesandoftheEarlofShaftesbury。
　　Itwillbenotedthat，justlikeBankes，this"lowchurchpope，"thisheadofEnglishpietists，pocketsagreatpartofthemiserablewagesofthelabourersunderthepretextofhouse—rent:？
　　FIRSTVILLAGE
　　（a）Children。232263
　　（b）NumberofMembersinFamily。454485
　　（c）WeeklyWageoftheMen。8s。0d。8s。0d。8s。0d。8s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。
　　（d）WeeklyWageoftheChildren。？nbsp;？nbsp;？nbsp;？nbsp;1/—，1/61/—，2/—
　　（e）WeeklyIncomeofthewholeFamily。8s。0d。8s。0d。8s。0d。8s。0d。10s。6d。7s。0d。
　　（f）WeeklyRent。2s。0d。1s。6d。1s。0d。1s。0d。2s。0d。1s。4d。
　　（g）TotalWeeklywageafterdeductionofRent。6s。0d。6s。6d。7s。0d。7s。0d。8s。6d。5s。8d。
　　（h）Weeklyincomeperhead。1s。6d。1s。31/2d。1s。9d。1s。9d。1s。03/4d。1s。11/2d。
　　SECONDVILLAGE
　　（a）Children。66843
　　（b）NumberofMembersinFamily。881065
　　（c）WeeklyWageoftheMen。7s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。
　　（d）WeeklyWageoftheChildren。1/—，1/61/—，1/6？nbsp;？nbsp;？nbsp;
　　（e）WeeklyIncomeofthewholeFamily。10s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。7s。0d。
　　（f）WeeklyRent。1s。6d。1s。31/2d。1s。31/2d。1s。61/2d。1s。61/2d。
　　（g）TotalWeeklywageafterdeductionofRent。8s。6d。5s。81/2d。5s。81/2d。5s。51/2d。5s。51/2d。
　　（h）Weeklyincomeperhead。1s。03/4d。0s。81/2d。0s。7d。0s。11d。1s。1d。
　　THIRDVILLAGE
　　（a）Children。430
　　（b）NumberofMembersinFamily。652
　　（c）WeeklyWageoftheMen。7s。0d。7s。0d。5s。0d。
　　（d）WeeklyWageoftheChildren。—1/—2/—1/—2/6
　　（e）WeeklyIncomeofthewholeFamily。7s。0d。11s。6d。5s。0d。
　　（f）WeeklyRent。1s。0d。0s。10d。1s。0d。
　　（g）TotalWeeklywageafterdeductionofRent。6s。0d。10s。8d。4s。0d。
　　（h）Weeklyincomeperhead。1s。0d。2s。13/5d。2s。0d。[84]
　　TherepealoftheCornLawsgaveamarvellousimpulsetoEnglishagriculture。[83]Drainageonthemostextensivescale，newmethodsofstall—feeding，andoftheartificialcultivationofgreencrops，introductionofmechanicalmanuringapparatus，newtreatmentofclaysoils，increaseduseofnumeralmanures，employmentofthesteam—engine，andofallkindsofnewmachinery，moreintensivecultivationgenerally，characterisedthisepoch。Mr。Pusey，ChairmanoftheRoyalAgriculturalSociety，declaresthatthe（relative）expensesoffarminghavebeenreducednearlyonehalfbytheintroductionofnewmachinery。Ontheotherhand，theactualreturnofthesoilroserapidly。Greateroutlayofcapitalperacre，and，asaconsequence，morerapidconcentrationoffarms，wereessentialconditionsofthenewmethod。[85]Atthesametime，theareaundercultivationincreased，from1846to1856，by464，119acres，withoutreckoningthegreatareaintheEasternCountieswhichwastransformedfromrabbitwarrensandpoorpasturesintomagnificentcorn—fields。Ithasalreadybeenseenthat，atthesametime，thetotalnumberofpersonsemployedinagriculturefell。Asfarastheactualagriculturallabourersofbothsexesandofallagesareconcerned，theirnumberfellfrom1，241，396，in1851，to1，163，217in1861。[86]IftheEnglishRegistrar—General，therefore，rightlyremarks:"Theincreaseoffarmersandfarm—labourers，since1801，bearsnokindofproportion……totheincreaseofagriculturalproduce，"[87]thisdisproportionobtainsmuchmoreforthelastperiod，whenapositivedecreaseoftheagriculturalpopulationwenthandinhandwithincreaseoftheareaundercultivation，withmoreintensivecultivation，unheard—ofaccumulationofthecapitalincorporatedwiththesoil，anddevotedtoitsworking，anaugmentationintheproductsofthesoilwithoutparallelinthehistoryofEnglishagriculture，plethoricrent—rollsoflandlords，andgrowingwealthofthecapitalistfarmers。Ifwetakethis，togetherwiththeswift，unbrokenextensionofthemarkets，viz。，thetowns，andthereignofFree—trade，thentheagriculturallabourerwasatlast，posttotdiscriminarerum，placedincircumstancesthatought，secundumariem，tohavemadehimdrunkwithhappiness。
　　ButProfessorRogerscomestotheconclusionthatthelotoftheEnglishagriculturallabourerofto—day，nottospeakofhispredecessorinthelasthalfofthe14thandinthe15thcentury，butonlycomparedwithhispredecessorfrom1770to1780，haschangedfortheworsetoanextraordinaryextent，that"thepeasanthasagainbecomeaserf，"andaserfworsefedandworseclothed。[88]Dr。JulianHunter，inhisepochmakingreportonthedwellingsoftheagriculturallabourers，says:"Thecostofthehind"（anamefortheagriculturallabourer，inheritedfromthetimeofserfdom）"isfixedatthelowestpossibleamountonwhichhecanlive……thesuppliesofwagesandshelterarenotcalculatedontheprofittobederivedfromhim。Heisazeroinfarmingcalculations……[89]Themeans[ofsubsistence]beingalwayssupposedtobeafixedquantity。[90]Astoanyfurtherreductionofhisincome，hemaysay，nihilhabeonihilcuro。Hehasnofearsforthefuture，becausehehasnowonlythesparesupplynecessarytokeephim。Hehasreachedthezerofromwhicharedatedthecalculationsofthefarmer。Comewhatwill，hehasnoshareeitherinprosperityoradversity。"[91]
　　Intheyear1863，anofficialinquirytookplaceintotheconditionsofnourishmentandlabourofthecriminalscondemnedtotransportationandpenalservitude。TheresultsarerecordedintwovoluminousBluebooks。
　　Amongotherthingsitissaid:"FromanelaboratecomparisonbetweenthedietofconvictsintheconvictprisonsinEngland，andthatofpaupersinworkhousesandoffreelabourersinthesamecountry……itcertainlyappearsthattheformeraremuchbetterfedthaneitherofthetwootherclasses，"[92]whilst"theamountoflabourrequiredfromanordinaryconvictunderpenalservitudeisaboutonehalfofwhatwouldbedonebyanordinaryday—labourer。"[93]Afewcharacteristicdepositionsofwitnesses:JohnSmith，governoroftheEdinburghprison，deposes:No。5056。
　　"ThedietoftheEnglishprisons[is]superiortothatofordinarylabourersinEngland。"No50。"Itisthefact……thattheordinaryagriculturallabourersinScotlandveryseldomgetanymeatatall。"AnswerNo。3047。
　　"Isthereanythingthatyouareawareoftoaccountforthenecessityoffeedingthemverymuchbetterthanordinarylabourers？？Certainlynot。"
　　No。3048。"Doyouthinkthatfurtherexperimentsoughttobemadeinordertoascertainwhetheradietarymightnotbehituponforprisonersemployedonpublicworksnearlyapproachingtothedietaryoffreelabourers？……;[94]"He[theagriculturallabourer]mightsay:’Iworkhard，andhavenotenoughtoeat，andwheninprisonIdidnotworkharderwhereIhadplentytoeat，andthereforeitisbetterformetobeinprisonagainthanhere。’"[95]FromthetablesappendedtothefirstvolumeoftheReportIhavecompiledtheannexedcomparativesummary。
　　WEEKLYAMOUNTOFNUTRIENTS
　　QuantityOfNitrogenousIngredientsQuantityOfNon—Nitro—
　　genousIn—
　　gredientsQuantityOfMineralMatterTOTAL
　　OuncesOuncesOuncesOuncesPortland（convict）28。95150。064。68183。69
　　SailorintheNavy29。63152。914。52187。06
　　Soldier25。55114。493。94143。98
　　WorkingCoachmaker24。53162。064。23190。82
　　Compositor21。24100。833。12125。19
　　Agriculturallabourer17。73118。063。29139。08[96]
　　Thegeneralresultoftheinquirybythemedicalcommissionof1863
　　onthefoodofthelowestfedclasses，isalreadyknowntothereader。
　　Hewillrememberthatthedietofagreatpartoftheagriculturallabourers’
　　familiesisbelowtheminimumnecessary"toarreststarvationdiseases。"
　　ThisisespeciallythecaseinallthepurelyruraldistrictsofCornwall，Devon，Somerset，Wilts，Stafford，Oxford，Berks，andHerts。"Thenourishmentobtainedbythelabourerhimself，"saysDr。E。Smith，"islargerthantheaveragequantityindicates，sinceheeatsalargershare……necessarytoenablehimtoperformhislabour……offoodthantheothermembersofthefamily，includinginthepoorerdistrictsnearlyallthemeatandbacon……Thequantityoffoodobtainedbythewifeandalsobythechildrenattheperiodofrapidgrowth，isinmanycases，inalmosteverycounty，deficient，andparticularlyinnitrogen。"[97]Themaleandfemaleservantslivingwiththefarmersthemselvesaresufficientlynourished。Theirnumberfellfrom288，277in1851，to204，962in1861。"Thelabourofwomeninthefields，"saysDr。
　　Smith，"whatevermaybeitsdisadvantages，……isunderpresentcircumstancesofgreatadvantagetothefamily，sinceitaddsthatamountofincomewhich……providesshoesandclothingandpaystherent，andthusenablesthefamilytobebetterfed。"[98]OneofthemostremarkableresultsoftheinquirywasthattheagriculturallabourerofEngland，ascomparedwithotherpartsoftheUnitedKingdom，"isconsiderablytheworstfed，"astheappendedtableshows:
　　QuantitiesofCarbonandNitrogenweeklyconsumedbyanaverageagriculturaladult:
　　Carbon，grainsNitrogen，grainsEngland46，6731，594
　　Wales48，3542，031
　　Scotland48，9802，348
　　Ireland43，3662，4341[99]
　　"Totheinsufficientquantityandmiserablequalityofthehouseaccommodationgenerallyhad，"saysDr。Simon，inhisofficialHealthReport，"byouragriculturallabourers，almosteverypageofDr。
　　Hunter’sreportbearstestimony。Andgradually，formanyyearspast，thestateofthelabourerintheserespectshasbeendeteriorating，house—roombeingnowgreatlymoredifficultforhimtofind，and，whenfound，greatlylesssuitabletohisneedsthan，perhaps，forcenturieshadbeenthecase。
　　Especiallywithinthelasttwentyorthirtyyears，theevilhasbeeninveryrapidincrease，andthehouseholdcircumstancesofthelabourerarenowinthehighestdegreedeplorable。Exceptinsofarastheywhomhislabourenriches，seefittotreathimwithakindofpitifulindulgence，heisquitepeculiarlyhelplessinthematter。Whetherheshallfindhouse—roomonthelandwhichhecontributestotill，whetherthehouse—roomwhichhegetsshallbehumanorswinish，whetherheshallhavethelittlespaceofgardenthatsovastlylessensthepressureofhispoverty？allthisdoesnotdependonhiswillingnessandabilitytopayreasonablerentforthedecentaccommodationherequires，butdependsontheusewhichothersmayseefittomakeoftheir’righttodoastheywillwiththeirown。’
　　Howeverlargemaybeafarm，there。isnolawthatacertainproportionoflabourers’dwellings（muchlessofdecentdwellings;shallbeuponit;nordoesanylawreserveforthelabourereversolittlerightinthatsoiltowhichhisindustryisasneedfulassunandrain……Anextraneouselementweighsthebalanceheavilyagainsthim……theinfluenceofthePoorLawinitsprovisionsconcerningsettlementandchargeability。[100]Underthisinfluence，eachparishhasapecuniaryinterestinreducingtoaminimumthenumberofitsresidentlabourers:？for，unhappily，agriculturallabourinsteadofimplyingasafeandpermanentindependenceforthehardworkinglabourerandhisfamily，impliesforthemostpartonlyalongerorshortercircuittoeventualpauperism？apauperismwhich，duringthewholecircuit，issonear，thatanyillnessortemporaryfailureofoccupationnecessitatesimmediaterecoursetoparochialrelief？andthusallresidenceofagriculturalpopulationinaparishisglaringlyanadditiontoitspoor—rates……
　　Largeproprietsp;[101]……havebuttoresolvethatthereshallbenolabourers’dwellingsontheirestates，andtheirestateswillthenceforthbevirtuallyfreefromhalftheirresponsibilityforthepoor。Howfarithasbeenintended，intheEnglishconstitutionandlaw，thatthiskindofunconditionalpropertyinlandshouldbeacquirable，andthatalandlord’doingashewillswithhisown，’shouldbeabletotreatthecultivatorsofthesoilasaliens，whomhemayexpelfromhisterritory，isaquestionwhichIdonotpretendtodiscuss……Forthat（power）ofeviction……
　　doesnotexistonlyintheory。Onaverylargescaleitprevailsinpractice？prevails……asamaingoverningconditioninthehouseholdcircumstancesofagriculturallabour……Asregardstheextentoftheevil，itmaysufficetorefertotheevidencewhichDr。Hunterhascompiledfromthelastcensus，thatdestructionofhouses，notwithstandingincreasedlocaldemandsforthem，had，duringthelasttenyears，beeninprogressin821separateparishesortownshipsofEngland，sothatirrespectivelyofpersonswhohadbeenforcedtobecomenon—resident（thatisintheparishesinwhichtheywork）;theseparishesandtownshipswerereceivingin1861，ascomparedwith1851，apopulation51/3percent。greater，intohouseroom41/2percent。less……Whentheprocessofdepopulationhascompleteditself，theresult，saysDr。Hunter，isashow—villagewherethecottageshavebeenreducedtoafew，andwherenonebutpersonswhoareneededasshepherds，gardeners，orgame—keepers，areallowedtolive;
　　regularservantswhoreceivethegoodtreatmentusualtotheirclass。[102]Butthelandrequirescultivation，anditwillbefoundthatthelabourersemployeduponitarenotthetenantsoftheowner，butthattheycomefromaneighbouringopenvillage，perhapsthreemilesoff，whereanumeroussmallproprietaryhadreceivedthemwhentheircottagesweredestroyedintheclosevillagesaround。Wherethingsaretendingtotheaboveresult，oftenthecottageswhichstand，testify，intheirunrepairedandwretchedcondition，totheextinctiontowhichtheyaredoomed。Theyareseenstandinginthevariousstagesofnaturaldecay。Whiletheshelterholdstogether，thelabourerispermittedtorentit，andgladenoughhewilloftenbetodoso，evenatthepriceofdecentlodging。Butnorepair，noimprovementshallitreceive，exceptsuchasitspennilessoccupantscansupply。Andwhenatlastitbecomesquiteuninhabitable？uninhabitableeventothehumbleststandardofserfdom？itwillbebutonemoredestroyedcottage，andfuturepoor—rateswillbesomewhatlightened。Whilegreatownersarethusescapip;frompoor—ratesthroughthedepopulationoflandsoverwhichtheyhavecontrol，thenearesttownoropenvillagereceivetheevictedlabourers:thenearest，Isay，butthis"nearest"maymeanthreeorfourmilesdistantfromthefarmwherethelabourerhashisdailytoil。Tothatdailytoiltherewillthenhavetobeadded，asthoughitwerenothing，thedailyneedofwalkingsixoreightmilesforpowerofearninghisbread。Andwhateverfarmworkisdonebyhiswifeandchildren，isdoneatthesamedisadvantage。Noristhisnearlyallthetoilwhichthedistanceoccasionshim。Intheopenvillage，cottage—speculatorsbuyscrapsofland，whichtheythrongasdenselyastheycanwiththecheapestofallpossiblehovels。Andintothosewretchedhabitations（which，eveniftheyadjointheopencountry，havesomeoftheworstfeaturesoftheworsttownresidences）crowdtheagriculturallabourersofEngland。[103]……Norontheotherhandmustitbesupposedthatevenwhenthelabourerishouseduponthelandswhichhecultivates，hishouseholdcircumstancesaregenerallysuchashislifeofproductiveindustrywouldseemtodeserve。
　　Evenonprincelyestates……hiscottage……maybeofthemeanestdescription。