Another Minister bath spoken on agriculture,—Lord Stanley, at the annual
dinner of the Liverpool Agricultural Society, on Thursday; and the Times heads its report " Lord Stanley on Farming." ." What saith he about tenures 1' asks the reader, eagerly running his eye down the column. Scarcely a word. He enlarged on the importance of draining, and stated that he and his father had, for selves and tenants, put nearly 3,000,000 of tiles under-ground. Perhaps, said Lord Stanley, tenants would not go into these expensive operations " unless they have confidence in their landlords, or unless they have the security of a long lease." The people cheered here, probably thinking that a revelation was coming. Not at all : Lord Stanley only "would much rather that the tenant were not at the original expense of this outlay ;" and then he started off to the subject of fencing ; finishing with an exhortation for the farmers to diligence. He was followed by Mr. Robert Neilson, mentioned by Lord Stanley as "having done more to improve his farm than perhaps any other tenant in the country." Mr. Neilson also dilated on practical farming ; and he threw the chief blame of agricultural backwardness on the landlords—the tenant labouring under rack. rents, the want of a legalized document of possession, or leases protecting the landlord but not the tenant, and restricting cultivation ; with other disadvantages. The farmer should have time—he needed seven years at least. " On the other hand, the tenant should shake off his lethargy ; and in this way, if both parties did their duty, England would be as independent of other countries for the production of her food as she was for their manufactures in times of peace or their arms in those of war." (Loud cheers )
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