For the redundant produce of the land,
A glutted Market now has no demand:
Hence universal bankruptcies ensue ;

Hence the appalling scenes that strike our view.
In vain the hapless Farmers seek relief;
Despair is their's, and unavailing grief!
They see their children beggar'd, wealth all gone;
Their prospects blighted, ruin'd, and undone.
This, too, the dark incendiary views,
But views unmoved with pity: crime imbues
His inmost soul, as, with-malicious ire,
He gives their lives and properties to fire.

Our brave Forefathers boasted hearts of steel;
They boldly fought and bled for Britain's weal;
In martial fields, by gallant WOLFE led on,
Their acts heroic deathless glory won.

Would they thro' paths of darkness thus have stray'd?
Would they such guilty projects e'er have laid?
In War 'twas their's to join with hand and heart→
Not play the midnight skulking coward's part!
Let not the hardy sons of Suffolk stain,
With foreign crimes, our GEORGE's glorious reign!
Born a TRUE BRITON-bred in Britain's school-
He only in his people's hearts would rule!
Then, ever let his subjects' hands forego
The torch revengeful, and the assassin's blow:
And, sons of Norfolk, proud in manhood's boast,
Let not the honours of your name be lost;
But cease, O cease, your sad misguided rage!
Blot not with guilt our fair historic page!
In manly fortitude sustain the blast-
The ills we suffer cannot,-will not last!
Since devastations evidently tend
To heighten woes they never can amend,
If want beset, if poverty enthral,
Consider those who had so far to fall;
Who, born to wealth, to every prospect fair,
Are sunk in gloom-in wretchedness-despair!
At death's approach, would you at last be blest,
O, keep a living conscience in your breast!—
Soon, soon, will this terrific storm blow o'er ;-—
Believe my words, though I am old and poor.

As I firmly believe that Providence rewards the good, it has been my endeavour, in the preceding lines, to appeal to the best feelings of the human heart. I have ventured to say, that the present troubles "CANNOT, WILL NOT LAST." When I reflect upon what the wealthy part of the community have

done for the comfort of the unportioned poor, and upon the mental light which has been diffused around, my heart assures me that there is happiness in store for us; and, that we shall not, by a wanton destruction of property, and violation of the laws, be subjected to the severe punishment of returning to a savage state. Let us in humble confidence repose our trust in HIM, who " tempereth the wind to the shorn Jamıb." GEORGE BLOOMFIELD. Bury St. Edmunds, May 16, 1822.

RUTLAND SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

SIR,

HAVING been requested, lately, by a Friend, to draw up, for him, a detailed account of the proceedings of the Society for the Promotion of Industry, in the county of Rutland; it occurred to me, when I had completed it, that such particulars might very probably afford an acceptable article for your very useful miscellany. Should you also deem it worthy of a place therein, I do conceive that, through the wide extended circulation of your work, this plan of ours, (part of which has been in operation almost thirty years and the whole of it more than four, with the fullest approbation, as a measure of extreme utility) may by being better known become adopted in some suitable situations, where benevolent persons may perhaps require nothing but a little information, how the business of the institution is conducted, to enable them to diffuse among their neighbours similar benefits.

Our funds are raised by a subscription of five shillings from most of the principal persons and farmers in the associated parishes, together with donations, to a larger amount, from the more opulent," and some smaller contributions by the less so; aided by a payment from the overseer to the amount of one per cent. upon the Poor Rate, as settled a few years ago, before those rates became so much

advanced. Thus the sum of about 1607. is raised annually, to which is added interest arising from some early savings, to the amount of about 201. more. Out of this, 1450. 10s. is commonly devoted to the purchase of premiums in clothing for the knitters and spinners in the associated parishes; as hereafter to be explained. The remainder of the fund supplies rewards for day labourers, bringing up families of four or more children to the age of fourteen, in good credit; and serves farther to reward such girls, as, having gained the first premium for spinning in their respective classes once or oftener, or the first prize among all the candidates for sewing, have continued afterwards in the same service for a year or upwards with good characters; of which certificates require to be produced. To a person who has brought up four children, born in wedlock, is presented the sum of three guineas; and, if afterwards he can prefer a claim for more, he is entitled to an additional guinea and half for every two. Certificates of marriage, and of never having received any parish assistance, or kept a cow*, must be produced. Girls who have obtained the first prize once, receive the sum of thirty shillings; those who have had it twice, receive three pounds; and those who have been three times so distinguished are entitled to five pounds. Having already alluded to the term classes, I must now explain, that, for convenience, our county is divided into five districts or classes, each consisting of from nine to twelve parishes; so as to make the number of the spinners and knitters in them all, as nearly equal as possible. For the effecting of which more perfectly, there ought to be a return made at the general meeting which is held on the 2d Monday in February, when the prizes for the year are settled, and the last accounts are audited, of the probable number of the respective candidates in every parish, for the ensuing competition. The number of our spinners is upon an average between thirty and forty

.

We do not quite see the reason for this restriction.—En

per class; that of our knitters varies from seventy to ninety. Each class, or division, is under the care of an Inspector, who manages all its concerns, in conformity with the other classes, but entirely independent of them: from whence it is very evident that an Institution similar to ours, might be conducted on as small a scale as one of our classes, provided only that sufficient Funds could be obtained. The Inspector's duty is, in the first place, to distribute in the parishes under his management, a printed statement of the prizes offered for the year, and to stimulate the Overseers to have the children supplied with wheels, and get the young ones properly instructed, where necessary, at the parish expense. The premiums are open to the children of all persons who subsist by their manual labour, and do not rent more than to the amount of ten pounds per annum, or possess more than six pounds per annum of their own. In order to become candidates for any of the spinning and knitting prizes, children must have spun or knitted, in the space of two months, commencing generally on the 2d or 3d Monday in March, a certain quantity in proportion to their several ages; and must have had the work of every week weighed and examined by a trusty person, and a ticket fixed upon it, with the name of the spinner and the quantity spun, in order to be produced afterwards and weighed together. The premiums offered at our last general meeting, are to each class, one of 24s.-one of 18s-and three of 14s. each, to the best spinners, under the age of fourteen on the 2d of April, who have spun in the eight weeks hemp or flax to the value of 18s-five premiums of 14s. each to the five best spinners under twelve, who have spun to the value of 14s.-twelve of 9s. to those under ten, who have spun to the value of 10s.-four of 9s. to the best spinners of any age under fourteen, who have not gained higher premiums, provided they have done the quantity of work required for their respective ages. The knitters' premiums are 8 or 9s. each, to

the best knitters under nine years of age, who have knitted, in the same time, worsted to the value of 58 thirteen of 7s. to those under seven, who have knitted to the value of 4s. 2d.-twelve of 6s. to those under six who have knitted to the value of 3s. 4d.-nine of 5s. to the best knitters under five, without any par ticular limitation as to quantity. Upon the expiration of the two months, the Trustee of each parish, who is generally the officiating minister, sends to the Inspector of his class, the names and certified ages of the several candidates, together with a statement of the work performed by each; upon which he sends a person round to see the candidates in every parish work an hour-to take an account of the quantity done by each compare it with the work done in the two Months-and ticket what she has seen done, with the name of the spinner or knitter who has done it. To secure uniformity in the work, she brings the flax and yarn for them to work upon; and in order that the knitters may start fair, their mothers or friends are allowed to attend and cast on for them. All these specimens she takes to the Inspector, who sees that they are duly sorted according to the ages of the workers, and that the premiums are impartially awarded by competent judges. If it happens that the number of the candidates of any particular age falls short, or any of them be deemed unworthy of the prizes set apart for that age, yet deserving of some reward; the money so reserved is given amongst the children of the latter description, in reduced portions, under the denomination of unclaimed prizes. Each Inspector brings the list of his successful candidates to a meeting of the committee, which is composed of the principal members and trustees, &c. and held in June, to be confirmed by the society and recorded by the chairman; he takes also with him, thither, the best hour's work of his class, to be compared with that of all the other classes by a proper judge, for the determination of the Queen, who is intitled under that distinction to an additional