struction of its fertility, by destroying the growth of useless vegetables, that would exhaust it; but from itself adds nothing to it.' P. 105.

The particular management of crops, usually cultivated, is a subject too miscellaneous to admit of any abstract: but the account is full and distinct. Among crops not usually cultivated, the ruta baga is mentioned: but it is not frequent; and this turnip appears not to be a favourite with those who have sown it. Woad is cultivated but by one farmer: the cultivation of flax has declined: that of tobacco has been checked by financial authority. Vetches and lentils are rarely sown as a crop. Mustard is sown in considerable quantities, and sold as Durham mustard, since it is prepared in the same manner.

Though the north riding is a dairy district, the grass lands are greatly neglected, except in the dales of the Western Morelands. Artificial grasses, sown so as to continue a pasture for some time, are not sufficiently attended to. Hay-harvest and feeding are particularly described. Corn, as in all the northern district, is ripened after it is cut, by the action of the frost. Gardens and orchards are not extensive. Woodlands are rare; and wood is estimated to cover little more than twenty-five thousand acres: but the hedge-rows are, in general, well planted. The supply, however, is scanty, in comparison of the former state of the riding, when the Morelands were, as is supposed, a forest. The management of woodlands, and the remarks on planting, appear very judicious.

Wastes and their improvement, and the improvement of waste land, are particularly described; but are of local importance only. One great source of improvement, by draining, is either little practised in the north riding, or practised injudiciously. Under-draining has been lately attempted, and is becoming more frequent. On the subject of paring and burning, we shall select our author's observations. We own that we do not so greatly approve of this practice as Mr. Tuke.

The opinions, both of landlord and tenant, respecting paring and burning, are very various and contradictory, in this country, as well as in most other parts of the kingdom; some asserting, that it is a most profitable improvement on old coarse grass-land, and injurious in no instance; while others, with equal confidence, maintain the opinion, that the practice is most destructive in every instance. In all probability, both parties may be partially right, the merit or demerit depending on the management and application; and the ultimate injury or benefit to the land, on the course of crops, and the mode of cultivation pursued. Where paring and burning induces the farmer to crop without mercy, as is too frequently witnessed, there it is most destructive, ages being required to renovate the fertility of exhausted ground; but the same would be required, were a system, equally destructive, pursued on any other land; consequently the blame is not in the practice, but in the avarice of the cultivator. Where the husbandry that suc

ceeds paring and burning is judicious, no mode of improvement can be compared with it; for it is certain to produce great crops of turnips and grain, and these are certain means of future fertility in the hands of a judicious farmer. Frequent, however, as this husbandry is, and widely as it is diffused through the kingdom, the principles of it are little understood any where; and attentive experiments have every where been wanting, sufficiently varied, to ascertain the amount of its merit.

This mode of breaking up coarse rough turf, is practised in every part of the north riding, but more frequently on the east side than on the west: it is performed with a "paring spade," which a man thrusts forward with his thighs, by the exertion of his loins, and which cuts the sods about one foot in breadth, and three feet in length: it is generally thought best to pare as thin as the nature of the turf will allow, so as that it may be clean cut up; but a rough spungy surface, admits and requires a thicker sod than where the herbage is finer. If the wea ther is so unsettled after the paring, that the sods do not get dry when lying upon the ground, women and children are employed to set them on edge, to expedite their drying; after which they are put into heaps, about the size of a small hay-cock, care being taken to lay them light and open within, but to cover close on the outside, to retain the heat, and prevent too rapid combustion.

Paring and burning is generally thought not to answer so well upon strong clay soils, as upon such as are less tenacious.' P. 225.

Our author's annotators, in general, seem to approve of this practice; and one of them adds a remark worthy attention, that turf should be burnt to a state of charcoal only, not of ashes. Lime is the principal manure: but turf or peat ashes, and composts consisting of the shoveling of the roads, with lime, are employed. Sea wrack, and sea sand, are said to be useful, particularly in the clayey district. Marl, and the manure procured by folding sheep, is not employed. Weeding corn is common but cutting the thistles in the hedges, to check the propagation of this injurious weed, is neglected. Watering is also unaccountably uncommon. A practice peculiar to this district, of watering upland grounds by artificial rills; and another, common in the cast riding, where water is very difficultly procured, of obtaining the same advantage by artificial ponds; are particularly described.

The cattle of the north riding are the short-horned; and the Tees water-bull is a strong handsome animal, very advantageously constructed. Several plates, representing cattle of different kinds, illustrate this subject. In the eastern part of the district, oxen are much employed in drawing. The Tees water-cows are now in repute, as milch cows in this metropolis. The Tees water-sheep are large, coarse-boned, and slow feeders, with dry harsh fleeces: but the breed is improved, by crossing with the Dishley and Northumberland rams. The particular management of sheep is well described. The horses are

chiefly adapted for draught: but, by mixing the racing blood, the horses, in the southern parts of the riding, are become too light of bone. The strongest and best horses are bred on the clayey district, that is, the north-east part of the north riding. The following remarks, on the Exportation of Horses,' were

to us new:

The horses which are sold for the London market, if for the carriage, are chiefly bay geldings, with but little white on their legs and faces: those which have much white, with chesnut, roan, and other unusually coloured horses and mares, generally do not bear an equal price in the London market, but with other slight and undersized horses, are more sought after by foreigners, and eagerly purchased by them for exportation; or are exported by people of this country, who carry them to the foreign markets, and ultimately obtain a price equal to that obtained for those sold at home: by these means, the exportation, contrary to an usually received, but ill-founded opinion, has a strong tendency to reduce the price of those horses which are calculated for the home market; and since as many fillies as colts are naturally bred, and one-third of the colts at least, will either have too much white for the home market, or be of some other colour than that which is fashionable at the time, if the breeder had not a market for those, which appear to be two-thirds at least of all he unavoidably breeds, he would be compelled to put such a price upon the one-third which happened to suit the home market, or variable taste of the moment, as would pay for the other two-thirds; which last would either be unsaleable, or fetch very inadequate prices. The consequence naturally flowing from this would be, that the price of horses used at home, would be far greater than at present, when a foreign demand procures to the breeder, nearly as good a price for the horses that would otherwise be useless and unsaleable, as for those which are valued at home.' P. 277.

The remarks on pigs, rabbits, bees, &c. are not sufficiently interesting to detain us.

The rural economy of the county we cannot detail; nor is it of general importance. The political economy, as it affects agriculture, is more extensively interesting. The turnpike roads are improving: but the tolls are not adequate to the repair, partly owing to the greater expense of labour, and the dif ficulty of procuring materials; but, in a great degree, to the mail running duty free, and lessening the number of other coaches, and the practice of posting. The complaint is, we believe, general: but the latter cause has not been adverted to; and, as a general one, we doubt its operation. The bridges are excellent: but one canal only exists, and that is from York to Stillington; and in 1798 it was not half finished.

Whitby, Scarborough, Cleaveland port, and Malton, are the chief emporia of commerce, which, however, is trifling. The exports are chiefly agricultural produce. Some ships go from the two first to the Baltic, to bring home the productions of its

shores; and Whitby employs about ten vessels in the whale fisheries.

At Whitby and Scarborough are manufactories of sail-cloth and cordage. Alum is manufactured in large quantities; and four thousand tons are annually shipped from the former port only. The other manufactures are trifling; so that this may be truly styled an agricultural district.

The obstacles to improvement do not materially differ from those which impede the prosperity of other countries. The author is an enemy to the tithe-laws: but his non est locus.' The miscellaneous observations, and the means of improvement, offer nothing very generally interesting.-On the whole, we cannot conclude without expressing our opinion that this is one of the most able and intelligent county surveys that we have yet seen.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

POLITICS.

ART. 16.-Buonaparte; or, the Free-Booter. A Drama, in three Acts. By John Scott Ripon, Esq. 8vo. 1s. Highley.

1803.

Buonaparte starts from the French coasts with his armament of three hundred thousand men: 'tis night; and he endeavours to go to sleep in his cabin; but the ghosts of those he has murdered rise before him, and prevent him. With an equal mixture of passion and consternation, he rises, stabs his first lieutenant, and fights with his captain, who also falls in the combat. The scene changes to an English man-ofwar clearing away for action-the captain harangues his men :

He has now put to sea with perhaps 300,000 troops, destined for the conquest of England!! A few hours hence your clemency will be called forth, to snatch from the waves those poor wretches, who, deJuded by his promises, have attempted to invade us.-They fight for rapine and for plunder-we fight for our country, our wives and children!-Choose, then, whether you will wear the chains of Gallic slavery, or preserve those honours which our ancestors have bequeathed to us, which they purchased with their blood, and devised in tail to their heirs. Whether shall we choose to have it recorded in the annals of time, that in 1803, England was attempted to be invaded with an immense force, by the combined armies and fleets of France, Holland, and Italy, that the brave English achieving miracles, defcated, burat, sunk, and took the whole fleet, and did not leave a single vessel to bear the tidings back to France.-Or would you rather have it

said by posterity: Till the year 1803, the English arms were dreaded by the whole world, but in that very year they shamefully deserted their flag, and suffered a base Corsican, whom they had formerly driven before them, to take their country for spoil, and in one day ruin the monuments of glory which their bravery had been raising for two thousand years.'- P. 10.

Not having any documents of what occurred in England two thou~ sand years ago, we are not exactly certain of the bravery and battles here referred to; and should have liked to have seen some explanation in a subjoined note, if the writer would not have found it too much trouble. It is of more consequence, however, for us to know (as this drama is, it seems, prophetic), that, in the engagement, Massena is killed by the side of Buonaparte, his fleet almost entirely destroyed by the English; and that, of his boasted armament of 300,000 men, not more than 50,000 make good their landing, among whom is the first consul himself. Their reconnoitring parties are attacked by the old women and boys of the villages they pass through-one of these old women killing not less than fifty Frenchmen with her own hands. Meanwhile, Buonaparte musters the remnant of his army, engages the English, whose number we are not informed of, and falls beneath the attack of a young officer.

D- of And was it you, my young officer, who perform. ed this gallant action?

Officer. It was, my lord Duke; but I did not think that the high blood of the emperor of the Gauls would sleep on a sudden so quietly; the fire of Buonaparte so soon be extinguished; but there he lies, as low, abject, and poor, as any slave that he has murdered.

D-of- I hoped for this honour, but I am not less rejoiced that a young officer has been so fortunate. Our loss does not exceed a few hundreds, while of the enemy, there are forty thousand slain. This it is to invade England, and this to encounter Englishmen. The terror of Europe has fallen by a stripling's hand, and England is yet free. (Takes the officer by the hand.) Come, my brave hero, I will present you to your king: you shall receive the thanks of the nation for your conduct :—while each of you, my brave soldiers, and the widows and children of those who fell, shall be presented with a rich gold medal to perpetuate the victory; you will bequeath them to your descendants, and posterity shall glory in saying, My grandsire fought in that glorious day. Let us now depart, and offer thanks to heaven that the day is ours, and England still is free. [curtain falls.

P. 32.

ART. 17.-An Address to the People of Great Britain; Observations on the late Negotiation between this Country and France; and an Account of Bonaparte's Project for the Invasion of England in Concert with a certain great Potentate. By John Corry. 12mo. 18. Crosby and Co.

The certain great potentate here referred to is neither the czar, the emperor, nor the king of Prussia: it is, it seems, the devil, or, as he is here termed, the prince of the power of the air; concerning a conference between whom and the first consul of France our author has