A Hundred Years Ago THE " SPECTATOR," DECEMBER 25th, 1830.
Sra WALTER Scorer.
At the meeting of the creditors of Sir Walter Scott, which was hold at Edinburgh on the 17th instant, the following resolution was unanimously passed : "That Sir Walter Scott be requested to accept of his furniture, plate, linen, paintings, library, and curiosities of every description, as the beat means the creditors have of expressing their very high sense of his most honourable conduct. and in grateful acknowledgment for the unparalleled and most successful exertions he has made, and continues to make for them."
AGRICULTURE AT PRESENT.
We observe that the system of assigning small plots of land to cottager's, as recommended by Lord Salisbury, seems to gain favour In the House ; and we are somewhat surprised to see that Mr. DaN178011, in the chapter on Emigration in his excellent book on New South Wales, seems favourable to the plan. It is a pleasant thing to hoar of ; and " the cottager and his cow, and his small farm," seems to bring back the halcyon days of England, as they are sup- posed-to have been—the "good old times ; " but a partial restora- tion is sometimes only an additional misery. In practice, it is found that the cottagcrs with land are generally the poorest of the parish ; and it may be had on very good testimony, that it is almost impos- sible for a more labourer to support himself on the tract of land he can cultivate. Agriculture, in the present state of things, like every other trade, requires other capital besides labour : a cottager has none ; and his boat way of availing himself of his labour is to hire it out. to one who has other kinds of capital, that they may fructify by the junction. If an employer on a large scale cannot make it answer his purpose to hire labour, it is certain that the labourer himself under all his disadvantages can make nothing of it,
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