Page Causes of Increase and Variations in the Amount of the Poor's Rate 86 ib. 88 90 91 92 ib. CHAP. III. Effects of the Mal-administration of the Poor Laws on Morals and Industry 95 ib. 96 ib. 97 ib. CHAP. IV. Effect of the Mal-administration of the Poor Laws on Population Effect upon the Number of Births Effect of a contrary System Errors committed in attempts to establish a Rate of Increase 98 ib. 99 ib. CHAP. V. Practice-illegal 100 ib. 101 Page Agricultural Labourers not contemplated by the 43 Eliz. Abuses greatest in Agricultural Counties Questions put to the Judges as to the Legality of the Practice 102 103 104 CHAP. VI. 105 ib. Remedy Payer 106 107 108 110 112 113 114 CHAP. VII. 115 ib. ib. 116 117 ib. 118 ib. Best mode of raising the Public Revenue Operation of Duties of Customs How of no Importance ib. years of | We have enjoyed seventeen peace, during which our shipping, and our exports of home produce and manufacture, have increased in a greater proportion than ever they did in any previous period of our history ; yet distress has, nevertheless, prevailed generally throughout the country, and particularly in the agricultural districts. A transition from war to peace has always produced a revulsion, as a transition from peace to war has done, and to the extent of the revulsion there always has been distress; but such distress has heretofore passed away with the consequences of the revulsion which produced it. It was reserved for our times, that distress should not only continue, but should increase, throughout so long a period of peace. But distress is not confined to Great Britain. It prevails in every country in Europe. It is only felt more severely in Great Britain than in other countries, except France, in which it is felt still more severely than it is in Great Britain. B “า |