第26章 THE INDUSTRIAL SPIRIT(6)

'Because，'was the reply，'there are seigneurs everywhere.'(12)Misery in Brittany was due 'to the execrable maxims of despotism or the equally detestable prejudices of a feudal nobility.'(13)There was nothing，he said，in the province but 'privileges and poverty，'(14)privileges of the nobles and poverty of the peasants.

Young was profoundly convinced，moreover，that，as he says more than once(15)'everything in this world depends on government.'He is astonished at the stupidity and ignorance of the provincial population，and ascribes it to the lethargy produced by despotism.(16)He contrasts it with 'the energetic and rapid circulation of wealth，animation，and intelligence of England，'where 'blacksmiths and carpenters'would discuss every political event.And yet he heartily admires some of the results of a centralised monarchy.He compares the miserable roads in Catalonia on the Spanish side of the frontier with the magnificent causeways and bridges on the French side.The difference is due to the 'one all-powerful cause that instigates mankind.government.'(17)He admires the noble public works，the canal of Languedoc，the harbours at Cherbourg and Havre，and the école vétérinaire where agriculture is taught upon scientific principles.He is struck by the curious contrast between France and England.In France the splendid roads are used by few travellers，and the inns are filthy pothouses；in England there are detestable roads，but a comparatively enormous traffic.When he wished to make the great nobles 'skip'he does not generally mean confiscation.He sees indeed One place where in 1790the poor had seized a piece of waste land，declaring that the poor were the nation，and that the waste belonged to the nation.He declares(18)that he considers their action 'wise，rational，and philosophical，'and wishes that there were a law to make such conduct legal in England.But his more general desire is that the landowners should be compelled to do their duty.He complains that the nobles live in 'wretched holes'in the country in order to save the means of expenditure upon theatres，entertainments，and gambling in the towns.(19)'Banishment alone will force the French nobility to do what the English do for pleasure --to reside upon and adorn their estates.'(20)He explains to a French friend that English agriculture has flourished 'in spite of the teeth of our ministers'；we have had many Colberts，but not one Sully；(21)and we should have done much better，he thinks，had agriculture received the same attention as commerce.This is the reverse of Adam Smith's remark upon the superior liberality of the English country-gentleman，who did not，like the manufacturers，invoke protection and interference.In truth，Young desired both advantages，the vigour of a centralised government and the energy of an independent aristocracy.His absence of any general theory enables him to do justice in detail at the cost of consistency in general theory.In France，as he saw，the nobility had become in the main an encumbrance，a mere dead weight upon the energies of the agriculturist.But he did not infer that large properties in land were bad in themselves；for in England he saw that the landowners were the really energetic and improving class.He naturally looked at the problem from the point of view of an intelligent land-agent.He is full of benevolent wishes for the labourer，and sympathises with the attempt to stimulate their industry and improve their dwellings，and denounces oppression whether in France or Ireland with the heartiest goodwill.But it is characteristic of the position that such a man --an enthusiastic advocate of industrial progress --was a hearty admirer of the English landowner.He sets out upon his first tour，announcing that he does not write for farmers，of whom not one in five thousand reads anything，but for the country-gentlemen，who are the great improvers.Tull，who introduced turnips；Weston，who introduced clover；Lord Townshend and Allen，who introduced 'marling'in Norfolk，were all country-gentlemen，and it is from them that he expects improvement.He travels everywhere，delighting in their new houses and parks，their picture galleries，and their gardens laid out by Kent or 'Capability Brown'；he admires scenery，climbs Skiddaw，and is rapturous over views of the Alps and Pyrenees；but he is thrown into a rage by the sight of wastes，wherever improvement is possible.What delights him is an estate with a fine country-house of Palladian architecture ('Gothic'is with him still a term of abuse)，(22)with grounds well laid out and a good home-farm，where experiments are being tried，and surrounded by an estate in which the farm-buildings show the effects of the landlord's good example and judicious treatment of his tenantry.There was no want of such examples.

He admires the marquis of Rockingham，at once the most honourable of statesmen and most judicious of improvers.He sings the praises of the duke of Portland，the earl of Darlington，and the duke of Northumberland.An incautious announcement of the death of the duke of Grafton，remembered chiefly as one of the victims of Junius，but known to Young for his careful experiments in sheep-breeding，produced a burst of tears，which，as he believed，cost him his eyesight.