never has been any necessity since to purchase butcher meat! for the soupkitchen; and thus there has been an important saving made in the expence of the Society. Donations of old clothes, &c. were also requested by a circular letter, for the purpose of providing the children who were to be sent to school with decent clothing. This appeal to the public was likewise attended with success; and, from the materials procured, a great variety of articles of clothing were made up by the poor people, which served the double purpose of providing clothes for the children, and of giving employment to a considerable number of poor persons, who, not having been taught in their youth, were unable either to spin or to knit stockings, and for whom the Society had not been able to find work. The ladies, who attend at the Repository, themselves cut out the various articles of clothing which have been made up. The attention of the Society was early attracted by the numbers of poor children who were constantly seen in the streets, and upon whom the trade of begging was now devolved by their parents. A plan having been set on foot for opening a school under the superintendance of the various kirksessions of Edinburgh, where education, according to the new system, might be procured on very moderate terms, the Society conceived, that instead of an establishment of their own, their object would be obtained at a comparatively smaller expence, by obtaining permission to send poor children to that school. This was readily granted; and, accordingly, when the school in Leith-Wynd was opened, which it was on the 28th of April, such children as required education were sent to it, and thus removed from the temptation of begging in the streets. At first the Society began with giving clothes to all the children pre vious to sending them to school; but it was soon found that many parents were rather anxious to get clothes for their children, than that they should attend school regularly; and a rule was afterwards laid down, that no clothes should be given except as rewards for good attendance, and diligence in school; holding out in this manner the most powerful and animating inducement to exertion. The Society early felt the necessity of adhering rigidly to the plan they had proposed to themselves, by confining their attention solely to that description of poor who had formerly subsisted either solely or in part by street-begging. They were quite sensible they were thus obliged to reject many as needy, and much more deserving objects of charity, whose commendable and praise-worthy feeling withheld them from asking charity in the streets, though they had struggled hard with poverty. But it was quite clear that the Society, in extending the sphere of their charity beyond the objects originally proposed, would have soon found themselves encumbered with the charge of the whole poor of Edinburgh, who would have left their present employments to flock to the Society for work, allured by the temptation of receiving aid from the soup-kitchen, besides the full value of the price of their labour. By thus, however, confining their relief to beggars, there is no fear of wanting objects to be relieved. Entirely to eradicate the practice of street-begging perhaps is impossible; the evil can be reduced to be very insignificant in quantity, and very little importuning in practice, but we cannot expect its total cessation. Beggars will still brave the vigilance of the police, and qualify themselves for the notice of the Society; so that, without admitting the poor who can find employment from the ordinary sources of industry, we shall always have abundance of those 75 101 October, 4 45 861 68 ous. The third Committee is called the Charity Work-house, Temporary till Medical Report, - 36 Childrens' Committee. The children Temporary from other causes, - 86 Referred to Work Committee, - 153 of beggars are not in general numerThe 555 paupers who applied Received relief to leave town, for aid had only 558 children depenNo relief, as not object of Society, 104 dant upon them. To bestow a proSum paid to those leaving per education on these children is the £.15 6 10 object of this committee. The number under their charge was originally 85; but these, in consequence of incorrigibly vagrant habits, have dwin Sams paid for temporary town, relief, Total paid, 18 16 9 £. 34 ap From the view of the cases, it pears that the number of beggars who left town in consequence of the first examination of the cases, was To these add, not recorded or vi- If any estimate could be formed of the number who left town in consequence of the proclamation by the Magistrates and Sheriff, we should be able to arrive at a more certain conclu 101 18 68 187 dled to 36. This number attend the school in Leith Wynd, and cost only £. 5. 1. 6. The Fourth, or Soup Committee, undertakes to furnish the most necessitous with a supply of that important article of food. The expence is considerable, though considerably reduced by the produce of the cart which is daily sent round. The kitchen is situated in Portsburgh. The following exhibits the very favourable state of the Society's ac counts. DR, This agrees with the estimate made at the Police Office.-Letter from Mr Murray, November 1. 1813. £. 50 10 6 To advertising in newspa pers To incidents To book and paper press tee 0 7 19 4 14 6 008 45 0 10 2d Committee 333 11 11 4th Committee 440 0 1253 14 To balance carried to next 6 0 8 £.2164 3 11 CR. culture, has just been published.The following short view of this celebrated system, extracted from Sir John Sinclair's work, we trust will not be unacceptable to our readers : "The foundation of improved agriculture is certainly laid, in the best cultivated districts of Scotland, in as great perfection as it possibly can be in any country. The farms are usually of a proper size; the farmers, in general, have capitals adequate to their cultivation; they are bound to pay the landlord such a proportion of the value of the produce as renders it necessary for them to be industrious and economical, and to acquire all the skill, in the art of husbandry, to which they can have access; their leases are commonly of such a duration as to encourage judicious expenditure in the improvement of their lands, with the prospect of an adequate return; the covenants 78 6 0 contained in their leases are sufficiently fair, being almost in every case well calculated to promote, and not to retard improvement; a liberal system of connexion is established be00tween the landlord and the tenant; and the characters of those, by whom the labours of agriculture are carried farm-servants, or common labourers, on, whether farmers, apprentices, cannot be surpassed by those of the same description of life in any other nation. The experience of Scotland has likewise proved the superior advantages of having married servants on large farms, by means of which the population of a country is increased, and the kingdom filled with sober, healthy, and industrious subjects. £.1099 15 6 6 22 19 11 21 £.2164 3 11 The preceding account examined, compared with the vouchers, and found correct, (Signed) HAY DONALDSON, JAMES BRIDGES, Two of the auditors of accounts. The particulars of the accounts are too detailed to give in a state of this kind, but the public are requested to inspect them. The various points which require to be attended to, previous to the actual cultivation of an arable farm, General View of the Husbandry of are, in general, ascertained by the SCOTLAND. THE second edition of An Account of the Husbandry of Scotland, by the President of the Board of Agri practice in Scotland, with a degree of precision hitherto unexampled. The farmers of that country have established it as a principle, that the position of a farm-house and offices ought ought to make a material difference in the rent of a farm; they have ascertained the best construction of farm-houses and offices, uniting economy with convenience; they have pointed out the best size and shape of fields, by means of which much land is rendered productive, that would otherwise be wasted in useless fences, and much labour in their cultivation saved, insomuch that, where the fields are large, five ploughs will do as much work as six can in small fields, and every other part of the cultivation of a farm will be executed with less power, in nearly the same proportion; they have likewise pointed out the inconveniences attending expensive fences, which are more ornamental than useful to a country; they are fully aware of the importance of draining, and have practised it with success; they have ascertained, that by the introduction of good roads, the value of a country will be greatly increased; their instruments of husbandry are cheap, and well constructed; their ploughs excellent, worked by two horses, and peculiarly well calculated for general use; and their carts superior to any other for agricultural purposes; their live stock are valuable, well calculated for their soil and climate; and their horses not only well adapted for the labours of husbandry, but maintained in such a manner, as to render them capable of performing a great deal of labour. In some cases they have tried a partial use of oxen with success, more especially in thrashing mills; nor do they neglect to pay a proper degree of attention to the articles that ought to be raised upon a farm, according to its soil, its climate, its elevation and exposure, and situation in respect of markets. In regard to the actual cultivation of an arable farm, many points of infinite importance have been ascertained by the experience of Scots farmers, in a manner the most satisfactory, 15 They have ascertained the proper length, breadth, and shape of ridges; in the use of putrescent, and still more made great improvements; they have of calcareous manures, they have proved, beyond the possibility of doubt, the advantages of deep ploughing; they have completely ascertained the advantages of summer-fallowing, where soils are either of a clayey-nature, or are incumbent on wet subsoils; they have carried on, with success, some essential improvements in particular, in regard to those importhe cultivation of various crops, in they have also brought to a high detant articles turnips and potatoes; gree of perfection the course of crops have ascertained the rotations for calculated for different soils; and which each description of soil is respectively best adapted; they cultivate in drills, beans, turnips, and potatoes, in a manner not to be surpas sed for its excellence, and they have laid it down as a maxim, that grain should be drilled, where the crops of land is sown in spring, particularly where it is subjected to annual weeds; they have also made some improvements in harvesting grain; in particubosses, are admirable inventions for a lar the plans of cast-iron pillars and harvesting of grain, and of pulse in wet climate, by means of which the particular, may be completed in halfthe usual time; they have brought the cleaning and thrashing of grain to the highest degree of perfection; claim to the character of a farmer, almost every individual, who has any having fanners in his possession, and thrashing-mills having become almost equally general; they have carried, to a great extent, the practice of soiling horses, and even cattle; and have superiority of that plan; they have proved, by decisive experiments, the restricted the practice of preserving permanent pastures within reasonable bounds, and have proved, that the convertible system of husbandry may be be generally adopted, to the great benefit of the landed proprietor, and of the public. These are circumstances connected with the improved system of husbandry established in Scotland, the existence of which, I trust, is abundantly proved in the course of the preceding observations. The result of this system is in the highest degree satisfactory. In all the corn districts, where the convertible husbandry is thoroughly established, greater crops are raised, and higher rents are paid, than in any other part of the British dominions, and, what is equally remarkable, the condition or circumstances of those engaged in agriculture, evidently bear the like marks of abundance. Without enlarging upon these matters in this place, I may only add, that the produce of crops, in good seasons, and in fertile districts, is calculated to be from 32 to 45 bushels of wheat, from 48 to 55 bushels of barley, from 60 to 75 bushels of oats, and from 30 to 35 bushels of beans, Winchester measure, per statute acre. As to green crops, 30 tons of turnips, three tons of clover, and eight tons of potatoes, per statute acre, are no uncommon crops. Any system that can produce crops of so superior a description, even on fertile soils, is well entitled to imitation, more especially when it is accompanied with great economy in the expence of cultivation." Mr Curwen, in his report to the Workington Society for the year 1810, p. 86, states the rent of fertile land in East Lothian to be £.6 per Scots acre, and the produce, 40 bushels of wheat, 60 of barley, 90 of oats, excellent beans, weighty crops of turnips, and most luxuriant crops of clover. It is proper, however, to observe, that this is only applicable to the more fertile soils. A farm of 330 acres of arable land, near Dunbar, has lately been let at £.8, 2s. per Scots, or £.6 10s. per English acre. Observations on the FIRE-ENGINES of EDINBURGH. WE have been favoured with a copy of a letter addressed, in February last, soon after the alarming fire in the High Street, to the different Insurance Offices, and also to the Lord Provost, on the mismanagement of the fire engines. We understand that a Committee was appointed to take the subject into consideration; but have not heard that any effectual reform has been attempted. As the subject is highly interesting, we now lay the letter before our readers, and shall readily give a place to any official report that may be communicated. To the Directors, Managers, &c. of the Edinburgh Insurance Companies against fire, and the Agents in Edinburgh of those belonging to other places. SIR, I happened to be one of those who took an active part in endeavouring to arrest the progress of the late des, tructive fire at Bishop's Land, High Street; a circumstance I mention merely, as it enabled me to remark the misfortune attending a total absence of combined and connected aid, which must often render abortive all exertions, or at least expend unnecessarily, the labour of many individuals, whose anxious and philanthropic zeal leads them, on such occasions, to exert themselves freely, not without danger. Under this impression, allow me to state a general view of the chief defects to which I have been a witness, in the means of assistance used in cases of fire, with a few hints at their improvement, for the consideration of those better qualified to judge than I can pretend to be. The first and chief one originates in having Company Engines, which creates a degree of jealousy among the men who work them, that, I lament to say, seems, for most part, to increase |