261
interest of the master to communicate an interest to the slave inhis own labours, by admitting him (like the Roman Coloni par -liar'u) to a share of its products. The proprietor then advancedthe stock, and the villains, now emancipated and capable of ac-quiring property, shared the one-half of the produce, (like theMetayers of France, or ancient Steelbow tenants of Scotland ), re-storing to the proprietor, at their quitting the lands, or beingejected, the cattle, utensils and seed corns, which they had re-ceived from him at entering to them.
Under such a constitution, it might be for the interest of the 'metayer, or steelbow tenant, to cultivate to such an extent ascould be done by the stock advanced by the master; } but itwould as evidently be inconsistent with his interest to fix, inland improvements, any part of that stock which had accumulat-ed in his hands from the savings of his copartnery, unless he wasassured of the secure possession of the land, for such a lengthof time as might afford him a reasonable prospect of withdraw-ing, in its annual returns, the stock he had sunk in improvements,together with its interest, and a proper compensation for risk andtrouble. Such views, therefore, would lead to the adopting ofa certain period of holding, and of a fixed rent, over and abovewhich, the whole produce should be the tenant's own.
Thus the obvious interest of the parties concerned would cometo improve the condition of the actual cultivator, from a state ofabsolute slavery to that of the steelbow tenant or metayer, andfrom that to the present state of the farmer, properly so called—occupying for a time certain, and at a rent certain, and fanningentirely upon Ms own capital, and at his own risk.
The interest of the sovereign, in the various European mo-narchies, concurred to accelerate this natural progress, in thusraising up an independent power, with which it might unite, toc °pe more successfully with the overgrown power of the feudalaristocracy.
Such is the most plausible theoretic history of the lease, ac-cording to Dr Adam Smith and Lord Kames .
In England, it would appear, that the great security commu-nicated to the tenant, was not merely the protection of his lease,but the extension of the right of franchise;—a security which isfound sufficient, it is said, to supersede altogether the security®f the lease. $
Mo such extension of franchise having taken place in Scotland ,security of the Scottish farmer, necessary to excite him to
§ And yet, if a tithe of the gross produce is considered justly as a great dis-couragement to production, the tax of one-half must be much more so.
t The acknowledged superiority of Scots agriculture, would, however, seemto show the preferable security of the lease, unless we are to conclude, that in-dustry becomes vigorous, in proportion to the struggles it has to maintain withnatural disadvantages which it Is its province to overcome.