SinclairgainedacertainreputationbyaHistoryoftheRevenue1785-90，and，likeMalthus，travelledontheContinenttoimprovehisknowledge。Hisfirstbookfinished，hebeganthegreatstatisticalworkbywhichheisbestremembered。HeissaidtohaveintroducedintoEnglishthenameof’statistics，’
　　fortheresearchesofwhichalleconomicalwriterswerebeginningtofeelthenecessity。Hecertainlydidmuchtointroducethereality。Sinclaircirculatedanumberofqueriesupon’naturalhistory，’’population，’’productions，’
　　and’miscellaneous’informationstoeveryparishministerinScotland。Hesurmountedvariousjealousiesnaturallyexcited，andtheultimateresultwastheStatisticalAccountofScotlandwhichappearedintwenty-onevolumesbetween1791and1799。35*ItgivesanaccountofeveryparishinScotland，andwasofgreatvalueassupplying36*basisforallsocialinvestigations。
　　Sinclairboretheexpense，andgavetheprofitstothe’SonsoftheClergy。’
　　In1793Sinclair，whohadbeeninparliamentsince1780，madehimselfusefultoPittinconnectionwiththeissueofexchequerbillstomeetthecommercialcrisis。HebeggedinreturnforthefoundationofaBoardofAgriculture。
　　HebecamethepresidentandArthurYoungthesecretary；37*andtheboardrepresentedtheircommonaspirations。Itwasaratheranomalousbody，somethingbetweenagovernmentofficeandsuchaninstitutionastheRoyalSociety；
　　andwassupportedbyanannualgrantof£；3000。ThefirstaimoftheboardwastoproduceastatisticalaccountofEnglandontheplanoftheScottishaccount。TheEnglishclergy，however，weresuspicious；theythought，itseems，thatthecollectionofstatisticsmeantanattackupontithes；
　　andYoung’sfrequentdenunciationoftithesasdiscouragingagriculturalimprovementsuggestssomeexcuseforthebelief。Theplanhadtobedropped；
　　alessthorough-goingdescriptionofthecountieswassubstituted；andagoodmany’Views’oftheagricultureofdifferentcountieswerepublishedin1794andsucceedingyears。Theboarddiditsbesttobeactivewithnarrowmeans。Itcirculatedinformation，distributedmedals，andbroughtagriculturalimproverstogether。ItencouragedthepublicationofErasmusDarwin’sPhytologia1799，andprocuredaseriesoflecturesfromHumphryDavy，afterwardspublishedasElementsofAgriculturalChemistry1813。SinclairalsoclaimstohaveencouragedMacadam1756-1836，theroadmaker，andMeikle，theinventorofthethrashing-machine。Onegreataimoftheboardwastopromoteenclosures。
　　YoungobservesintheintroductorypapertotheAnnalsthatwithinfortyyearsninehundredbillshadbeenpassedaffectingaboutamillionacres。
　　Thisincludedwastes，butthegreaterpartwasalreadycultivatedunderthe’constraintandimperfectionoftheopenfieldsystem，’arelicofthe’barbarityofourancestors。’Enclosuresinvolvedprocuringactsofparliament——aconsequentexpenditure，asYoungestimates，ofsome£；2000ineachcase；38*
　　andastheyweregenerallyobtainedbythegreatlandowners，therewasafrequentneglectoftherightsofthepoorandofthesmallerholders。Theremedyproposedwasageneralenclosureact；andsuchanactpassedtheHouseofCommonsin1798，butwasthrownoutbytheLords。AnactwasnotobtainedtillaftertheReformBill。Sinclair，however，obtainedsomemodificationoftheprocedure；which，itissaid，facilitatedthepassageofprivatebills。
　　Theybecamemorenumerousinlateryears，thoughothercausesobviouslyco-operated。
　　Meanwhile，itischaracteristicthatSinclairandYoungregardedwastesasabackwoodsmanregardedaforest。Theincidentalinjurytopoorcommonerswasnotunnoticed，andbecameoneofthetopicsofCobbett’seloquence。Buttotheardentagriculturisttheexistenceofabitofwastelandwasasimpleproofofbarbarism。Sinclair’sfavouritetoast，wearetold，was’Maycommonsbecomeuncommon’——hisoneattemptatajoke。HeprayedthatEppingForestandFinchleyCommonmightpassundertheyokeaswellasourforeignenemies。
　　Youngisdrivenoutofallpatiencebythesightof’fern，lingandothertrumpery’inspirituponSalisburyPlain，whichproduceallthecornweimport。39*
　　Enfielddeclares，isa’realnuisancetothepublic。’40*Wegladthatthezealforenclosurewasnotsuccessfulitsaims；improversischaracteristic。
　　Itissaid41*thatYoungandSinclairruinedoftheBoardofAgriculturebymakingitakindofpoliticalclub。Itdiedin1822。SinclairobtainedanappointmentinScotland，andcontinuedtolabourunremittingly。Hecarriedonacorrespondencewithallmannerofpeople，includingWashington，Eldon，CatholicbishopinIreland，financiersandagriculturistsontheContinent，andthemostactiveeconomistsinEngland。HesuggestedasubjectforapoemtoScott。42*Hewrotepamphletsaboutcash-payments，CatholicEmancipation，andtheReformBill，alwaysdisagreeingwithallparties，Heprojectedfourcodeswhichweretosummariseallhumanknowledgeuponhealth，agriculture，politicaleconomy，andreligion。TheCodeofHealth4vols。，1807wentthroughsixeditions；TheCodeofAgricultureappearedin1829；buttheworldhasnotbeenenrichedbytheothers。HediedatEdinburghonthe21stSeptember1835。
　　IhavedweltsofaruponYoungbecauseheisthebestrepresentativeofthat’gloriousspiritofimprovement’whichwastransformingthewholesocialstructure。Young’sviewoftheFrenchrevolutionindicatesonemarkedcharacteristicofthatspirit。HedenouncestheFrenchseigneurbecauseheislethargic。
　　HeadmirestheEnglishnoblemanbecauseheisenergetic。TheFrenchnoblemayevendeserveconfiscation；buthehasnottheslightestintentionofapplyingthesameremedyinEngland，wheresquiresandnoblemenaretheverysourceofallimprovement。Heholdsthatgovernmentiseverything，andadmiresthegreatworksoftheFrenchdespotism：andyetheisathoroughadmirerofthelibertiesenjoyedundertheBritishConstitution，theessentialnatureofwhichmakessimilarworksimpossible。IneednotaskwhetherYoung’slogiccouldbejustified；thoughitwouldobviouslyrequireforjustificationathoroughly’empirical’view，or，inotherwords，theadmissionthatdifferentcircumstancesmayrequiretotallydifferentinstitutions。Theview，however，whichwascongenialtotheprevalentspiritofimprovementmustbenoted。
　　Itmightbestatedasaparadoxthat，whereasinFrancethemostpalpableevilsarosefromtheexcessivepowerofthecentralgovernment，andinEnglandthemostpalpableevilsarosefromthefeeblenessofthecentralgovernment，theFrenchreformersdemandedmoregovernmentandtheEnglishreformersdemandedlessgovernment。Everythingforthepeople，nothingbythepeople，’was，asMrMorleyremarks，43*themaximoftheFrencheconomists。Thesolutionseemstobeeasy。InFrance，reformerssuchasTurgotandtheeconomistswereinfavourofanenlighteneddespotism，becausethestatemeantacentralisedpowerwhichmightbeturnedagainstthearistocracy。Once’enlightened’itwouldsuppresstheexclusiveprivilegesofaclasswhich，doingnothinginreturn，hadbecomeamereburthenordeadweightencumberingallsocialdevelopment。
　　ButinEnglandtheprivilegedclasswasidenticalwiththegoverningclass。
　　ThepoliticallibertyofwhichEnglishmenwererightfullyproud，the’ruleoflaw’whichmadeeveryofficialresponsibletotheordinarycourseofjustice，andtheactualdischargeoftheirdutiesbythegoverningorder，saveditfrombeingtheobjectsofajealousclasshatred。WhileinFrancegovernmentwasstaggeringunderanever-accumulatingresentmentagainstthearistocracy，thecontemporarypositioninEnglandwas，onthewhole，oneofpoliticalapathy。Thecountry，thoughithadlostitscolonies，wasmakingunprecedentedprogressinwealth；commerce，manufactures，andagriculturewerebeingdevelopedbytheenergyofindividuals；andPittwasbeginningtoapplyAdamSmith’sprinciplestofinance。Thecryforparliamentaryreformdiedout：neitherWhigsnorToriesreallycaredforit；andthe’gloriousspiritofimprovement’
　　showeditselfinanenergywhichhadlittlepoliticalapplication。Thenobilitywasnotanincubussuppressingindividualenergyandconfrontedbythestate，butwasitselfthestate；anditsindividualmemberswereoftenleadersinindustrialimprovement。Discontent，therefore，tookinthemainadifferentform。Somegovernmentwas，ofcourse，necessary，andtheexistingsystemwastoomuchinharmony，eveninitsdefects，withthesocialordertoprovokeanydistinctrevolutionarysentiment。Englishmenwerenotonlysatisfiedwiththeirmaininstitutions，butregardedthemwithexaggeratedcomplacency。
　　But，thoughtherewasnoorganicdisorder，therewereplentyofabusestoberemedied。Therulingclass，itseemed，diditsdutiesinthemain，buttookunconscionableperquisitesinreturn。Ifit’farmed’them，itwasrightthatitshouldhaveabeneficialinterestintheconcern；butthatinterestmightbeexcessive。Inmanydirectionsabusesweregrowingupwhichrequiredremedy，thoughnotasubversionofthesystemunderwhichtheyhadbeengenerated。
　　Itwasnotdesired——unlessbyaveryfewtheorists——tomakeanysweepingredistributionofpower；butitwaseminentlydesirabletofindsomemeansofbetterregulatingmanyevilpractices。Theattackuponsuchpracticesmightultimatelysuggest——as，infact，itdidsuggest——thenecessityoffarmorethorough-goingreforms。Forthepresent，however，thecharacteristicmarkofEnglishreformerswasthislimitationoftheirschemes，andamarkwhichisespeciallyevidentinBenthamandhisfollowers。Iwillspeak，therefore，ofthemanyquestionswhichwerearising，partlyforthesereasonsandpartlybecausetheUtilitariantheorywasingreatpartmouldedbytheparticularproblemswhichtheyhadtoargue。
　　NOTES：
　　1。WealthofNations，bk。ii。ch。iii。
　　2。WealthofNations，bk。i，ch。xi，section1。
　　3。Ibid。，bk。i，ch。xi，conclusion。
　　4。Smiles’sWattandBoulton，p。292。
　　5。Young’sTravelsinFrancewasrepublishedin1892，withaprefaceandshortlifebyMissBethamEdwards。Shehassince1898publishedhisautobiography。
　　SeealsotheautobiographicalsketchintheAnnalsofAgriculture，XV，152-97。
　　Young’sFarmer’sLettersfirstappearedin1767；hisToursintheSouthern，Northern，andEasterncountiesin1768，1770，and1771；hisTourinIrelandin1780；andhisTravelsinFrancein1792。Ausefulebibliogrpahy，containingalistofhismanypublicationsisappendedtotheeditionoftheTourinIrelandeditedbyMrA。W。Huttonin1892。
　　6。Annals，XV，166。
　　7。TravelsinFrance1892，p。184n。
　　8。TravelsinFrance，p。54。
　　9。Ibid。，p。109。
　　10。Ibid。，p。61。
　　11。Ibid。，p。70。
　　12。Ibid。，p。279。
　　13。TravelsinFrance，p。125。
　　14。Ibid。，p。131。
　　15。Ibid。，pp。198，298。
　　16。Ibid。，pp。55，193，199，237。
　　17。Ibid。，p。43。
　　18。TravelsinFrance，pp。291-92。
　　19。Ibid。，p。132。
　　20。Ibid。，p。66。
　　21。Ibid。，p。131。
　　22。e。g。SouthernTours，p。103；NorthernTour，p。180YorkCathedral。
　　23。NorthernTour，iv。，344，377。
　　24。IrishTour，ii，114。
　　25。SouthernTour，p。326。
　　26。SouthernTour，p。22。
　　27。Annals，i，380。
　　28。Ibid。，vol。x。
　　29。Ibid。，iv，17。
　　30。SouthernTour，p。262：NorthernTour，ii，412。
　　31。NorthernTour，iv，410，etc。
　　32。IrishTour，ii，118-19。
　　33。MemoirsofSirJohnSinclair，byhisson。2vols。，1837。
　　34。Memoirs，i，338。
　　35。ANewStatisticalAccount，replacingthis，appearedintwenty-fourvolumesfrom1834to1844。