A new and easy system of draining and reclaiming the bogs and marshes of Ireland with plans for improving waste lands in general ...

Front matter

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THE WOKLD IS AN OPEN BOOK

SYSTEM

Preface

The Author of this volume, actuated by the stroogest feeHngs and concern for kis country's prosperity, and emboldened by the high patronage and approbation bestowed by the principal landholders in the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the First and Second Editions of his "Forester's Guide;" begs leave to lay before a discerning public the additional increase of his knowledge and experience in his profession. He makes no pretension to fine, or even correct writing, nor any claim to a classical or literary education which would have enabled him to arrange his ideas more correctly, and present them in a dress which would ensure respect. But with these disadvantages he ventures to present this volume to the world, and fondly hopes.

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that many profitable pearls may be gathered from his rubbish. The incontrovertible facts here advanced, are not deductions from his own or any man's theory 5 but the pure result of many years practical experience. Since the publication of the Forester's Guide, &c. &;c., he has had the honour to be extensively employed on many estates, both in Great Britain and Ireland. And he flatters himself, that he has collected a very great additional stock of knowledge in his profession, and enriched his repository with such a valuable collection of facts, that their publicity, through the medium of this Miscellany, cannot fail of being highly interesting and useful to landed gentlemen. These will illustrate to a certainty, not only the very great advantages arising from a judicious system of planting and rearing Woods, Plantations, and Timber Trees; but also the surest and speediest methods of obtaining this object in all kinds of soil. In this volume, the attentive reader will find the description of Plantations corresponding to every soil, and in every stage of the plant, from the Nursery to the full grown Timber Tree. It must be observed, that in making a selection of the various Woods, Plantations, &c. to answer the purposes intended, it w^as impossible to avoid repetitions. Still, they will be found to differ from each other in some particular or other, and to apply to some Wood, Plantation, or Timber Tree, on every estate ; by care-

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ixf»lly comparing localities much knowledge and useftil instruction will be gained. It has been argued, tliat this will injure his own employment, as well as that of others in the Forestry. This he grants wdll be the case to a very considerable degree ; but in this he rejoices. He is not seeking solely his own gain, or the gain of any of his profession. He seeks the beauty, the prosperity and the utility of his native soil. He seeks the encouragement of industry, and the employment of the many sulFering poor labourers in the country. He wishes to see every inch of useless land brought to advantage, and he will rejoice in seeing a noble profit brought to the treasury, and to the families of those public spirited gentlemen, who, as cultivators of unprofitable and unsightly lands, deserve well of their country, and shall ever hold the highest place in the estimation of the Author.

My desire as an Author is to be useful, and by giving this volume to the public, my end 1 hope will more likely be gained, as it will extend far beyond the sphere which I or any individual could reach. It may be said that many of the Plantations here treated of, are of a local nature, and only concern individual property. This is in many instances the case ; but in all cases w^here names are mentioned, it is only with a view to prove beyond dispute, the truth of the thing asserted, that he may say ** go there and see." And I most sincere*

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ly hope, that such references will give no offence, as they are only used to verify the thing spoken of. Besides, I have the satisfaction of stating, that I have had the consent of the most of those noblemen and gentlemen whose names or places are here mentioned ; and I have endeavoured in all cases to avoid the names of places, &c. where I supposed the slightest offence would have been given by inserting them.

It will be seen that the leading object of this publication is, in the first place, the improving of waste lands by a judicious system of planting and rearing Plantations ; in the second place, by improving the pastures ; and in the third place, by draining the bogs, &c., and I hope it will be found in the sequel that I have clearly made out the utility and immense profits arising from such systems of im-^ provement. This is beyond fair contradiction, and well deserves the pen of the most distinguished talent. In this volume I have added several new schemes of improving waste lands, the utility of which I hope will be justly appreciated. As my Letter to Mr. Secretary Peel is so much connected with the subject, I hope its insertion will not be deemed intrusive by any of my readers ; being fully of opinion, that the existence of so much waste land is a great disgrace to any kingdom, particularly to such a wealthy, public spirited, and flourishing kingdom as Great Britain ; I most sincerely

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xi wish to see a fund raised for its improvement, and were I to sketch a plan for this end, I could not produce one of more certain and beneficial effects, than that of planting and otherwise improving its unprofitable wastes. If a subject so very obscure as the Author, might, with the profoundest respect, drop a hint to his most illustrious Sovereign, he would think the improvement of the uncultivated crown lands an object highly worthy of His Majesty's royal attention. In the crown lands at Stirling there are three acres of waste or unproductive land to one of every improved acre. These wastes do not bring ten shillings per acre in their present neglected state. Now, the whole of this land would carry oak, or any kind of timber trees to maturity, and from its vicinity to sea carriage, being within one mile of Stirling shore, it would pay in planting, at an average L.8 per acre of annual rent, in place of not paying ten shillings. But this is only a small, and indeed a very small portion of such crown lands, which I could undertake, in the course of a few years, to put into such a state as would fully realize the above estimate. The improvement of waste lands, to whomsoever belonging, is certainly an object highly worthy the attention of the British legislature. There is as much waste land in Britain and Ireland to improve, as in process of time would provide a fund sufficient to pay the national debt, or remain applicable to any xii

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Other purpose which the legislature might prefer. This, no person will deny who has attentively considered the subject. We are told a great deal about the necessity of public economy, and I suppose it is this paltry economy that prevents us from hearing and seeing amongst the supplies voted, say " For the improvement of waste lands in Britain and Ireland, L. 100,000." In my opinion this boasted economy, which refuses to lay out tens to gain hundreds with certainty, is rather to be considered as a curse than a blessing to the country. Would it, (I respectfully ask,) be a breach of economy were our ministers to direct a vote of that nature every year, for some years, beginning with L.50,000 or L.80,000 in this time of general depression in trade ? In this way they could employ the overplus population at home, at an immense profit, instead of sending them out of the coun^ try, and that too by an outlay of only the same money, keeping besides the men in readiness for the navy, army, or manufactures, when a demand for them, or a revival in trade should come.

I recollect the time when it was said, that the nation would be lost and ruined for want of population. The cry then was, " So many thousands are taken away during the war, what will become of the country ? Britain will be ruined for want of population, &c." Now, all the cry is, " Britain will be ruined by an over-population." I will ven^

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ture to hazard the remark, that the more money government lays out in employing the operatives at home, the more rich will the government become, and the country the more thriving. The unemployed operatives can be carried with much less expense to the Highlands of Scotland, or to the unimproved lands of England and Ireland, and set down there with so much land to improve, than to set them down in Canada. For a stubborn proof of this, look to the Island of Islay. See what has been done by the worthy proprietor, Walter F. Campbell, Esq. of Islay and Shawfield, M. P. and his brother Captain Campbell. They some years ago encouraged a colony of operative weavers from Glasgow, — allotted a piece of uncultivated waste land to each of them. Now they present you with a beautiful clean thriving village. The rough parts of nature are turned into fertile gardens and pasture fields. Here too you will see what judicious management can effect in planting wastes. You are delighted with extensive and thriving plantations, where wood was never known to grow before. My opinion is, that the greater the population of any country is, if industrious, the more rich, strong, and independent will it become. I should hke to know who most deserves a statue, — the man who improves waste lands, beautifies and enriches the country by employing and encouraging an industrious population j or the man who conquers ^nd l^ys waste kingdoms.

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In my introduction to the survey of plantations as in pages 43, 44, 45, and 46, it will be seen that I recommend the propriety and great advantage of having the woods, &;c., on every estate surveyed, and plans for their future improvement laid down, and if these be minutely entered into, as I trust is the case with the different plantations mentioned, it will be found to give universal satisfaction. I hope also that the hint to Land-surveyors to do likewise in their professional capacity will not be altogether thrown away.

Contents

Page

Lbtter to the Right Honourable Robert Peel, on the means

OF EMPLOYING THE OPERATIVES OF GrEAT BrITAIN AND IRELAND, 1