In most parts of England, the tenures are nearly of the same kind ; and landed property descends in the same manner; but nearly in the whole of Kent, and in some small portions of other counties, gavel-kind, or the equal distribution of landed property among all the sons of a family, prevails. In some parts also, another spe cies of tenure prevails, which is that of borough English, by which the younger son succeeds to the land on the death of his father, to the exclusion of his eldest and other brothers.
Landed property varies in size and value very much in different parts of England ; perhaps the largest in come derived from land may amount to nearly L.100,000 per annum; but the general annual income arising from this kind of property is probably not more than one or two thousand a year. In some counties, particularly in the west of England, landed property is much divided : this is also the case in other parts of the kingdom ; while in some counties, nearly the whole of the landed pro perty is in the hands of a very few individuals. In Cheshire, the estates are perhaps more nearly of a size than in most other counties, running from L.3000 to L.15,000 a year. In the manufacturing districts, the small landed proprietors of L.200 or L.300 a year, have been driven away by the introduction of manufactures, and the high price of the necessaries of life, or have been induced to dispose of their property, by the great rise in the value of land in these parts.
The management of landed property in England is generally in the hands of stewards ; in sonic cases, these are men practically conversant with the management and improvement of estates, but too often they are men bred to the law, who are better acquainted with the legal language and formalities of a lease, than with the value of land, or the mode in which, for the advantage of the tenant, the landlord, and the community, it ought to be cultivated.
The size of farms varies very much, not only in dif ferent parts of the kingdom, but even in the saute coun ty. Farms of the extent of 500 to 1500 acres arc deem ed large farms. Those that are under 100 acres arc considered small ones. The largest farms in England are to be met with in the northern parts of Northumber land, in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, and Dorsetshire ; a few also occur in other counties: and in general it may be remarked, that farms are larger in the north, eastern, and south-eastern counties, than in the south-western, western, or north-western counties of England. In Wales, farms are for the most part very small.
The practice of letting land on lease is by no means common in England ; and it is certainly on the decline. Where leases arc granted, they are generally for 7 or 14 years ; seldom for 2 I years, or a longer period. Leases are most usual in those counties where farms arc the largest. It has already been remarked, that life-lease
hold is very common in the west of England, and also in Lancashire, Cheshire, &c. Where no leases are grant ed, the tenant either holds at will, the only tie between the owner and occupier being the custom of the estate or of the county in which it lies, and the common law of the land ; or he holds from year to year, under a written agreement with specified covenants : this is a modern usage, but it is becoming more and more pre valent.
Where leases are granted in England, they are in ge neral much clogged with restrictive clauses; so that the tenant is either under the necessity of carefully avoiding all attempts to improve his farm, by introducing new practices and courses of crops, or he expose!. himself by deviations from the covenants of his lease, to the pay ment of those heavy fines which are specified in it.
When the advantages that the English agriculturist possesses, in respect to climate, are considered, it will pro bably be found that the rent, which he pays for land, is comparatively low. It is impossible to fix with accura cy the average rent, either of arable or of pasture land, throughout the kingdom; but we shall net be very wide of the truth, if we estimate the average of them both, taken together, at 20s. per acre. Perhaps, indeed, in the opinion of many, this may be reckoned too high, since the average of the county of Norfolk, which, though of inferior soil, is much better farmed than most of the arable counties of England, is not above 16s per acre ; but, on the other hand, it should be considered, that most of the arable farms in the north of England, particularly in Northumberland, Durhan., and York shire, as well as in many of the arable counties in the southeast of England, as Essex, Kent, Hampshire, &c. are let much above. 20s. per acre, and a very small portion of the grass land is let at so low a rent as this. From communications made to the Board of Agriculture, it was asceriained, that the rise of rents in England between the year 1790 and I tiA, was 39 per cent. and since that period a still farther rise has taken place, probably to the amount of 30 per cent. All the other expellees of cultivation have also increas ed, some of them in as great a proportion. The high est rents for arable land (subject to the payment of tithes, poor rates, &c.) in England, do not, perhaps exceed 50s. unless where some peculiar and local advantages exist : much land, even of a moderately good quality, is let from los. to Its. per acre. Pasture land varies from 20s. to L.3 ; and where it is of smaller extent, and occu pied for local purposes, especially in some of the manu facturing counties, it is let as high as L.5, or L.6 per acre, or even higher.