PREFACE.

THE Author begs to thank those friends who furnished him with many valuable letters of introduction, which, from want of time, he was unable to present. He wishes also to acknowledge the kind hospitality with which he was received by those whom he had the opportunity of visiting. Of this he has said little in the following work, because he had no right to bring the intercourse of private friendship into publicity. The personal narrative was carefully written in a journal from day to day; but the information derived from various Parliamentary Reports has been added since. That contained in the Appendix D. published by the Poor Inquiry Commissioners is peculiarly valuable, because it was gathered from meetings held in the different baronies, of persons of every class,