oroverseerstohireorlease，andundercertainconditionstoenclose，land
uptoalimitoffiftyacres，fortheemploymentofthepoor。Itisdifficult
toresistthebeliefthatiftheriotshadlastedlongertheymighthave
forcedtheGovernmenttoacceptthescheme，intheefficacyofwhichithad
nofaith，asthepriceofpeace，andthatthechangeintemperaturerecorded
inSuffield’sDiaryafterthemiddleofDecembermarktherestoration
ofconfidenceatWhitehall。
Soperishedthelasthopeofreformandreparationforthepoor。Thelabourers’
revoltwasended；andfourhundredandfiftymenhadspenttheirfreedom
invain。Oftheseexileswehaveonefinalglimpse；itisinaletterfrom
theGovernorofVanDiemen’sLandtoLordGoderich：’If，myLord，theevidence，
orconduct，ofparticularindividuals，canbereliedonasproofoftheefficiency
ornon-efficiencyoftransportation，Iamsurethatastrongcaseindeed
could，bemadeoutinitsfavour。Imightinstancetherioterswhoarrived
bytheEliza，severalofwhomdiedalmostimmediatelyfromdisease，
inducedapparentlybydespair。Agreatmanyofthemwentaboutdejectedand
stupefiedwithcareandgrief，andtheirsituationafterassignmentwasnot
foralongtimemuchlessunhappy。’(36*)
11。Times，January6，1831。Cf。letterofMrR。Pollen，J。P。，afterwards
onofWinchesterCommissioners，toHomeOffice，November26：’Itmaybeworth
consideringthelaw，whichexemptsallThreshingMachinesfromcapitalpunishment，
shouldmuchscenesastheseoccuragainamongsttheagriculturalclasses。
IconfessIviewwithgreatregretthattheyhavefoundthemodeofcombining，
whichIhadhopedwasconfinedtothemanufacturingclasses。’
17。TherearenostatisticsforWilts，Hants，Bucks，andDorshetshire
prisoners。AtReadingoutof138prisoners37couldread，and25ofthe37
couldalsowrite。AtAbingdon，outof47，17couldread，and6ofthemcould
alsowrite。InWiltsandHantstheproportionwasprobablysmaller，asthe
peopleweremoreneglected。
HenryBuncewastransportedforlifeto
NewSouthWales。Ibid。，January14。
Cobbett，PoliticalRegister，vol。lxxiii，p。535，andlocal
papers。
Fusell’ssentencewascommutedtoimprisonment。BoyswassenttoVan
Diemen’sLand。
Papers，MunicipalandProvincial。Hants。1831，March24。
AsearlyasNovember26，MrRichardPollen，ChairmanofQuarterSessions
andafterwardsacommissioneratWinchester，hadwrittentotheHomeOffice。
’IhavedirectedtheMagistrates’attentionverymuchtotheclassofPeople
foundintheMobsmanymilesfromtheirownhomes，Taylors，Shoemakersetc。，
whohavebeenfoundalwaysveryeloquent，theyareuniversallypoliticians：
theyshouldbe，Ithink，selected。’——H。O。Papers。
27。Forafullaccountoftheincident，includingthetextofthepetition
andlistofsignatures，seeCobbett’sTwo-pennyTrash，July1，1832。
28。February8，1831。
29。Times，January8，1831。TheTimesofthesamedaycontains
aninterestingpetitionfromtheBirminghamPoliticalUniononbehalfof
alltheprisonerstriedbeforetheSpecialCommissions。
30。Thesceneisstillvividlyrememberedbyanoldwomanoverninety
yearsofagewithwhomMrHudsonspoke。
31。H。O。Papers，DisturbanceEntry-Book，LetterofJanuary3，1831。
32。Threeboatscarriedtheconvicts，theElizaandtheProteustoVan
Diemen’sLand，theEleanortoNewSouthWales。Thelistoftheprisoners
onboardshowsthattheycamefromthefollowingcountries：——
Ifthisrepresentsthetotal，somesentencesoftransportationmusthave
bencommutedforimprisonment；possiblysomeriotersweresentlater，for
MrPotterMacQueen，ingivingevidencebeforetheCommitteeonSecondary
Punishments，spokeofthesixhundredable-bodiedmenwhohadbeentransported
toconsequenceofbeingconcernedintheSwingoffences——Reportof
Committee，p。95。FouryearslaterLordJohnRussell，asHomeSecretary，
pardoned264oftheconvicts，in1836hepardoned86more，andin1837the
survivors，mostlymensentencedforlifeorforfourteenyears，weregiven
pardonsconditionalontheir’continuingtoresideinAustraliafortheremainder
oftheirsentences。’Nofreepassagesbackweregranted，andMrHudsonstates
thatveryfew，notmorethanoneinfiveorsix，everreturned——AShepherd’s
Life，p。247。
33。SeeHudson，Ibid。
34。SeeAnnualRegisterandlocalPapers。
35。HewassenttoVanDiemen’sLand。ItisonlyfairtoLordSheffield
tosaythatheappliedinvaintoLordMelbourneforamitigationofthe
lifesentence。SeeCriminalEntry-Book，H。O。Papers。
36。CorrespondenceonSecondaryPunishment，March，1834，p。25。
ConclusionArowofeighteenth-centuryhouses，oraroomofnormaleighteenth-century
furniture，oracharacteristicpieceofeighteenth-centuryliterature，conveys
atonceasenseofsatisfactionandcompleteness。Thesecretofthischarm
isnottobefoundinanyspecialbeautyornobilityofdesignorexpression，
butsimplyinanexquisitefitness。Theeighteenth-centurymindwasaunity，
anorder；itwasfinished，anditwassimple。Allliteratureandartthat
reallybelongtotheeighteenthcenturyarethelanguageofalittlesociety
ofmenandwomenwhomovedwithinonesetofideas；whounderstoodeachother；
whowerenottormentedbyanyanxiousorbewilderingproblems；wholived
incomfort，and，aboveallthings，incomposure。Theclassicsweretheir
freemasonry。Therewasastandardforthemind，fortheemotions，forthe
taste：therewerenoincongruities。Whenyouhaveasocietylikethis，you
havewhatweroughlycallacivilisation，anditleavesitscharacterand
canonsinallitssurroundingsanditsliterature。Itsdefiniteideaslend
themselvesreadilytoexpression。Alargersocietyseemsananarchyincontrast；
justbecauseofitsescapeintoagreaterworlditseemspowerlesstostamp
itselfonwoodorstone；itiscondemnedasanageofchaosandmutiny，with
nothingtodeclare。Incomparisonwiththedishevelledcenturythatfollows，
theeighteenthcenturywasneat，welldressedandnicelyappointed。Ithad
areligion，thereligionofquietcommonsenseandcontentmentwithaworld
thatitfoundagreeableandencouraging；ithadastyle，thestyleofthe
elegantandpolishedEnglishofAddisonorGibbon。Menwhowerenotconscious
ofanystrainorgreatemotionaskedoftheirwritersandtheirpainters
thattheyshouldobserveintheirarttheequanimityandmoderationthat
weredesirableinlife。Theydidnottorturetheirmindswitheagerquestions；
therewasnopiercingcuriosityorpassionateloveorhatredintheirsouls；
theyallbreathedthesameairofdistinguishedsatisfactionanddignified
self-control。Englishinstitutionssuitedthemadmirably；amonarchysoreasonable
nobodycouldmind；Parliamentwasaconvenientinstrumentfortheirwishes，
andtheEnglishChurchwastheverythingtokeepreligioninitsplace。
WhatthisatmospherecouldproduceatitsbestwasseeninGibbonorinReynolds；
andneitherGibbonnorReynoldscouldlosethemselvesinatransportofthe
imagination。TopassfromtheeighteenthcenturytotheRevolt，fromPope
toBlake，orfromSheridantoShelley，istoburstfromthislittlehothouse
ofshelteredandnurturedeleganceintoaninfinitewildgardenofromance
andmystery。Fortheeighteenthcenturysuchescapewasimpossible，andif
anyonefellintothefatalcrimeofenthusiasm，hisfrenzytooktheform
ofMethodism，whichwasamorelimitedworldthantheworldhehadquitted。
Thesmallclassthatenjoyedthemonopolyofpoliticalpowerandsocial
luxuries，roundwhoseinterestsandpleasurestheStaterevolved，consisted，
downtotheFrenchwar，ofpersonsaccustomedtotravel，tofindamusement
andinstructioninforeigngalleriesandFrenchsalons，andtostudythe
fashionsandchangesofthought，andlettersandreligion，outsideEngland；
ofpersonswholikedtosurroundthemselveswiththerefinementsandthe
decorationsoflife，andtodisplaytheirgoodtasteincollectingoldmasters，
orfinefragmentsofsculpture，orthescatteredtreasuresofanancient
library。PerhapsatnotimesincethedayswhenIsabellad’Esteconsoled
herselfforthecalamitiesofherfriendsandrelativeswiththethought
ofthelittleGreekstatuesthatwerebroughtbythesecalamitiesintothe
market，hastherebeenaclasssokeenlyinterestedintheacquisitionof
beautifulworkmanship，forthesakeoftheacquisitionratherthanforthe
sakeoftherenownofacquiringit。Theeighteenth-centurycollectorsbought
withdiscernmentaswellaswithliberality：theywerenottheslavesof
asinglerageorpassion，andconsequentlytheyenrichedthemansionsof
Englandwiththeachievementsofvariousschools。Ofcoursetheeighteenth
centuryhaditsownfashioninart，andnoadmirationismoreunintelligible
tomoderntastethantheadmirationforGuercinoandGuidoReniandtheother
seventeenth-centurypaintersofBologna。Butthepicturesthatcameacross
theChannelinsuchgreatnumberswerenottheproductsofoneschool，or
indeedtheproductsofonecountry。Dutch，Flemish，French，Italian，they
allstreamedintoEngland，andthenationsuddenlyfounditself，orrather
itsrulers，veryrichinmasterpieces。Theimportanceofsuchaschoolof
mannerasthis，withitsknowledgeofotherworldsandothersocieties，its
interestinliteratureandart，itscosmopolitanatmosphere，canonlybe
trulyestimatedbythosewhoremembertheboorishhabitsofthecountrygentlemen
oftheearliereighteenthcenturydescribedbyFielding。WiththeFrench
warthiscosmopolitanatmospheredisappeared。Thenceforththearistocracy
wereasinsularintheirprejudicesasanyoftheircountrymen，andLord
Holland，whopreservedthelargertraditionsofhisclass，provokedsuspicion
andresentmentbytravellinginSpainduringthePeninsularWar。(1*)
Butiftheartandliteratureoftheeighteenthcenturyshowthepredominance
ofaclassthatcultivateditstasteoutsideEngland，andthatregardedart
andliteratureasmereministerstothepleasureofafew，(2*)theyshow
alsothatthatclasshadpoliticalpoweraswellassocialprivileges。There
isnoartofthetimethatcanbecallednationaleitherinEnglandorin
France，buttheartofeighteenth-centuryEnglandbearsalessdistantrelation
totheEnglishpeoplethantheartofeighteenth-centuryFrancetothepeople
ofFrance，justinproportionasthegreatEnglishhousestouchedtheEnglish
peoplemorecloselythanVersaillestouchedtheFrench。Englishartisless
ofmeredecorationandlessofmereimitation，for，thoughitistruethat
Chippendale，Sheraton，andtheAdambrotherswereallinonesensecopying
thefurnitureofothercountries——Holland，China，France——theyallpreserved
acertainEnglishstrain，anditwastheflavourofthevernacular，soto
speak，thatsavedtheirdesignsfromtheworstforeignextravagance。They
weredesigning，indeed，foraclassandnotforanation，butitwasfor
aclassthathadneverbrokenquiteawayfromthelifeofthesocietythat
itcontrolled。TheEnglisharistocracyremainedaraceofcountrygentlemen。
Theyneverbecamemereloungersortriflers，kickingtheirheelsabouta
Courtandamusingthemselveswithtediousgallantriesandintrigues。They
threwthemselvesintocountrylifeandgovernment，andtheywerehappiest
awayfromLondon。Thegreatswarmsofgueststhatsettledonsuchcountry
seatsasHolkhamwerelikegayandboisterousschoolboyscomparedwiththe
Frenchnobleswhohadforgottenhowtoliveinthecountry，andweretired
