The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-17 00:00:00

TI I E NATION,

IAL LAND SCHEME.

The inquiry directed by the Court of Chancery
sender the act of parliament for windirg up and disposing of
the estates of this company, terminated on Tuesday, so for
as regards the first estate located under the title of O'Con-
serval.. The proceedings were directed to the purpose of
fixing the future rents to be paid by the ollottees m pos-
session, who had estshlished their titles, and with
the view also of aoiesaing the aggregate value of
the estate for public auction. The result of the
inquiry on this point is important, involving u it does
the material question, as to whether the present class of
occupants can remain upon the soil, and so still con-
tinue to tom entre themselves upon the settlement, or
whether they r ill have to make way fur • different class
of persons. The valuations made by Mr. Woodthorpe, sur-
veyor. fur Mr. Goodehap, the official manager, assisted by
Mr. Roxburgh, assessor, and Mr. J. Tucker, his solicitor,
were upon the principle defined by the act of parliament,
which directs that the ullottees shall he entitled to their
respective sliotmt rte, subject to the payment to the cow
Tway rind their assigns of a perpetual fee farm rent-charge
for the allotment, to be fixed by the official manager, end
uteri sled according to the actual value of the allotment
for occupation at the time of fixing the rent. Proceeding
on this principle the two-acre allotments were vested at a
rent of 61. 12s. ; the three-um allotments at 91. is.; and
the four-acre alotments at from 10'. 10e to 111. 10e. The
valuations made by Mr. Roche and Mr. Caffell, on behalf
of the allotteer, were respectively U. 12s. for the two-acre
allotments; Gi. 13.. for the three-acre allotments; and
41. to 'J.. '2.. for the four-acre allotments.
Seurat of the &Holten were examined on the subject, and
in their evidence stated as the result of three or four years'
experiment, that no one could cultivates a two-acre allot-
ment and pay more than 21. per acre ; that it would be im-
possible to pay the rent intended to be imposed, and that
' when the in nt-charges of 61. 12s. came to be sold in the
market they would not realise 41. It was contended on
behalf of the allottees, that the value assessable
in respect of occupation depended not on the fertility of
the land only, but upon its partied': situation;
and, in the present case, the estate was situated at a
distance from any market town, and ia an altogether
isolated district, and there was no mime lad, pendeet
of the land, of an indifferent quality in itself, from which
the occupants would receive benefit or profit, neither
was there any demand on the neigbouriug hems for
their services. This being the case, the value, it was
argued, for isecueation should be determined 1:y wet-
tensing if the produm of the land, after maintaining the
labour necessary for producing and bringing it to market,
yielded say anu what profit to the celtivator, on the prin-
ciple propoun led by Adam Smith, " that rent, considered
as the price paid tor the use of land, is naturally the
highest the tenant can afford to pay in the actual circum-
stances of the lsnd." The experience derived from the ez.
rimental working of the O'Connorville system of lend
labour and allotments went to show that the produce
of the land, alter maintaining the labour for bringing it to
market, yielding little or no profit, and that the lend did
not produce • greater quantity of food than wee sufficient
to maintain the labour necessary for bringing it to market,
and that even if there is any surdus it is not snore than suf-
ficient to replete the stock employed in the labour.
After considerable dismission, the official manager and
assessor geed I:.e future rents payable at the valuation of
their rumour, with permi.sion to the parties to appeal.
In dealing with the question of " back rent,- as it is
termed—that is to say, rent not paid by the regent occu-
piers, considerable allowances, tantamount almost • re-
mittance of the rents in several cues, were made.to Had
the back rents been enforced, It was not thought probable
they would be paid, and the only alternative would hive
been the ejecta', nt of the defaulters.

TDB LATE I. C. NItLD.—We duly chronicle
in our last the death of that eccentric, and parsimonious
millionnaire, Mr. Nitl.l, late of Chelsea. His remains were
removed on Tt.ursday lad to Buckinghamshire, where they
were interred in the neighbourhood of Aylesbury. There
was a large concourse of persons assembled, both at Chelsea
and at the place of interment. The two executors, Dr.
Totten and J. Stevens, Esq., with the clergyman and
other gentlemen. ayended. The penurious character of
tne deceased was well known by his friends and tenants, as
was evidenced at the funeral, when one of the inhabitants
of As lesbury married, "That credit wasdue to the execu-
tors for the manner in which they bad discharged their
duty ; but had Mr. Null known while living that so much
would have been spent on his funeral, he would have come
down into Buckinglitundure to die, in order to save the ex-
pense." From what we are informed we have not the least
doubt that such would have been the course adopted by the
deceased. Many stories are current of his conduct while
liviog, but they are mostly of such a character that ere-
demi: could hardly be given to them were it not that they
are derived prii.cipally from a source that can be fully re-
lied upon. We will give one or two instances. When about
toleave his house on a visit, he would place his lu..usekeel.er
upon board wart, at a sum which he considered extrava-
gantly high—rigliteenpence per day. The same miserable
meagreness ix read. d the whole of his transactions; the very
furniture of the garret in which be died, consisting of so
old stump bedstead, etc., was considered searoely worth tn.
His principal companion in his life-tine was a favourite
black at, and pun was piessat 'lam ►er motor owed to
cant.—Aintith Gamete.