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attention of the minister, and of every other enlightened states-man. When our barren mountains shall be covered with firsand larches, and the barrenest will grow larches, we shall havedeal, pitch, tar, rosin, turpentine, within ourselves, instead ofimporting them at an enormous expense from other countries;and where food for an increased population shall be producedfrom an increased tillage and pasturage, we may be less anxiousabout expensive continental alliances, than either we or our ancestorshave been.

“ The improvement here mentioned I have always had muchati heart; it certainly might be made, and well and profitablymade; but as I have no expectation of seeing any thing attemptedon a great scale, I forbear troubling either Your Lordship ormyself with entering into any detail on the subject. — A matterof less importance than the cultivation of the waste land, yetsufficiently worthy of attention, has often been the subject of myconsideration — the taking off the tax on coals carried coast-wise,and used in burning lime.

“ I do not know the exact amount of the tax, but I do knowthat it is a great obstruction to the agriculture of the country.Lime is an useful manure for most lands, but especially for wastelands which are covered with heath, furze, ferns, &c. If laid, inproper quantities, on such lands, it changes them, without farthertrouble or expense, into valuable pastures; and, if the improve-ment is carried farther, these pastures become good arable land.On account of the dearness of coal,.many millions of tons oflimestone remain unburned, which, if converted into lime, wouldbe ^spread, with the most beneficial effect, both on productive andon unproductive lands.