of life, that became scarce. It was
difficult to find an immediate remedy. The usual one of imports was
entirely cut off. In this emergency, to feed the very people to whom we had
given refuge, we were obliged to yield to the plough and the mattock our
pleasure-grounds and parks. Live stock diminished sensibly in the country,
from the effects of the great demand in the market. Even the poor deer, our
antlered proteges, were obliged to fall for the sake of worthier
pensioners. The labour necessary to bring the lands to this sort of
culture, employed and fed the offcasts of the diminished manufactories.

Adrian did not rest only with the exertions he could make with regard to
his own possessions. He addressed himself to the wealthy of the land; he
made proposals in parliament little adapted to please the rich; but his
earnest pleadings and benevolent eloquence were irresistible. To give up
their pleasure-grounds to the agriculturist, to diminish sensibly the
number of horses kept for the purposes of luxury throughout the country,
were means obvious, but unpleasing. Yet, to the honour of the English be it
recorded, that, although natural disinclination made them delay awhile, yet
when the misery of their fellow-creatures became glaring, an enthusiastic
generosity inspired their decrees. The most luxurious were often the first
to part with their indulgencies. As is common in communities, a fashion was
set. The high-born ladies of the country would have deemed themselves
disgraced if they had now enjoyed, what they before called a necessary, the
ease of a carriage. Chairs, as in olden time, and Indian palanquins were
introduced for the infirm; but else it was nothing singular to see females
of rank going on foot to places of fashionable resort. It was more common,
for all who possessed landed property to secede to their estates, attended
by whole troops of the indigent, to cut down their woods to erect temporary
dwellings, and to portion out their parks, parterres and flower-gardens, to
necessitous families. Many of these, of high rank in their own countries,
now, with hoe in hand, turned up the soil. It was found necessary at last
to check the spirit of sacrifice, and to remind those whose generosity
proceeded to lavish waste, that, until the present state of things became
permanent, of which there was no likelihood, it was wrong to carry change
so far as to make a reaction difficult. Experience demonstrated that in a
year o