The Express.
London, England, 1850-10-01 00:00:00

formed. Fiery her settling herself down to
what was henoefbr ward to be a daily task.
Oa the table before her lie a bundle 'of
anapiciews looking letters—their cramped directions
and viewed folding, ominous of disapeeable de-
mends. At the door is the steward awaiting orders
upon suitteets ehe feels her elf enable to direct:
without are a herd of poor, starting manes,
shivering with old, and sallies on her to save them
from the direful death that too noway of their fellows
bed already suffered. Aed all this occurs in the
wild, of Ooonemara, forty dreary mites away even
from &dyke! Vfnat was this poor youbg lady to do
in suds extremity P It appears that she resolved to
do that wbioh most other young ladies would hive
dose seder lime disadvantageous cirenenstanees —to
obtain the counsel and assistance of that best Maud
and protector—it husband.

Miss Martina arried, as soon as possible after her
father's death, a olusis of the name of Bell, who to
perpetuate the ancient family titiguomen, assumed the
name of Martin. But, untappdy, neither marriage
nor any other expedient could save this ancient family
fmm the ruin that awaited it. It came at last in a
distressin! form. 'lies Martin had made herself

answerable for a debt contracted with a Gal-
way merchant for seed and provisions which
were supplied during the famine to the
tenants. The tensnts were to repay their
miittees at crop time the value of the articles they
had thus obtained. The harvest was a partial failure.
Many were utterly unable to ply; some, for whom
there is less, if any exeuse,pleaded distress, and asked
for a postponement. Disappointed of obtaining the
expected return, Mrs. Bell Martin was unable to
pay the creditor. An execation was put into the
house, every chattel on Ballanabinch was sold, and
the last descendant of Sir Oliver Martin was driven
from her horse, it is to be feared never to return to it
with the authority of its ancient heathers.
The Law Life Assurance Company of London, who
are mortgagees of the Ilallanahinch estate to an enor-
mous amount, are now in virtual possession of the
property. Apprehending that the Encumbered Es-
tates Aet would bring many other Irish properties be-
fore the public, they last autumn endeavoured to effect
a sale of the Ballanabinch estate by public auction at
the Mart, in London. As might have been
expected, the attempt was unsuccessful. In the
first pleat, the character of the property was
very little known in the second, the title
appeared to be very aware and troublesome in many
of its features; in the third the company put re-
served priers on the lota which were considered by
many to be far too high. A very small proportion was
bid for ; a still smaller quantity was sold. The estate,
however, is now in the Encumbered Estates Court,
and it will be submitted to public competition under
very altered circumstances ; time has Inn given to
become acquainted with it ; the title given to the pur-
chasers will be a parliamentary title given by the
court; and there will be no reserves. Under these
circumstances is Ballanahinch a purchase likely to
suit an English speculator

In order to enable readers to dPcide upon this ques-
tion, I must explain more particularly what the estate
is, and how it is to he sold. From its great extent, I
need not ray that it presents in a modified degree
widely differing features. The property extends from
the sea to the shores of Lough Corrib. From the
eircarostaneca of Lough Corrib, and the probability of
its being speedily navigated by steam vends, the lots
which are situated on the shores of that lake are con-
sidered highly speculative. They affird good frontages
to the lake and numerous suitable situations on which to
build. The I.nd is light, and at present badly cold-
va.ed, but it may be easily drained and improvol, and
altogether at a reasonable rate any of these lets would
be goodinverements.

Bat these Lough Comb lots afford no idea of either
the general character or of the value of the property at
large. I shall better illustrate the cf•aractir of the
estate by referring to the demesne. This part of the
property comprises something of everything Oat is to
be found on the estate. It includes upwards of 60,000
acres of land, mountain, valley, la kc, river, bog, morass,
patches of arable and pasture land and a considerable
extent of sea-shore. It also comprises marble quar-
ries, salmon fisheries, oyster beds, and en fishery.
All these are features of the property ; but a hat are
its present circumstances P First, I will speak of the
land. By far the greater portion of this estate is
mountain, affording good browning for sheep, but
from its extremely ragged character quite °nada-
eatable. At the mountain summits and in the
hollows there will frequently be found pitches of
bog, easily reclaimable by drainage, but in very few
instances will three patches afford opportunity for
very extensive works, for there are few cases in
which es much as 30 acres can be found in a single
spot which by any possibility can afford opportunity
for cultivation. The surflace is in fact granitic : huge
boulders of the primary rock lie heaped about in all
directions, and all the ;oil there is upon the hills is
that which lies deposited between these great projec-
tions. By the margins of the lakes, and occasionally
on more elevated spots, patches have been reclaimed
and are in cultivation ; but the proportion of land
thus tilled is very small to the entirety, and I cannot
see any way, at whatever outlay, to turn any very
large portion of the Ballanabinch demesne to very
much better account u cultivatable land or pasture.
But is there nothing on Ballenahinch that affords
opportunity of improvement P The reader shall judge
for himself. Two miles and a half off the road and
within a s'iort mile of the sea a number of neat look-
ing buildings are congregated together on the shores
and on an islet i t tht middle of the lake, which have
acquired in the district the distinctive title of " The
F.shery." To go to this "Fishery" you must pars
the gate of Ballanshinch House, and on 111
quiry anyone will tell you there that it is
inhabited at present by "John R ,bertson,
Esq., the agent for the property." When you
get to the buildings called the " fishery," it you ask
who they belong to, you will be told that they are the
property of "John Robertson, Erg "ciao; and com-
ing upon a neat little cottage, now constituted an
hotel, you will find that that cottage need to be
"John Roberts-in, Esq.'s cottage," and that the fine
oats growing in the field opposite are John Robertson,
Esq.'s oats; and that, in fact, John Robertson, Esq.,
seems to be lord end master here, turn whichever way

you will.
Now the history of John Robertson' Egg , is this.
He is a Bootehman, of Dumbertcm, who'bas brought
to Ballinahineb by Mr. Barnewall Martin. I should
mention that Ballinahineh-house stands upon a chain
of scree lakes, and that these seven isles pour them-
selves out into the am by a narrow river about three
miles below the hones. After being some time in the
II district, Mr. Robertson got a lean from Mr. Martin of
the land and lake at the point unrest to the sea
'where the river is the narrowest Here he formed a

fishery.* By a simple oontrivance a salmon weir
was formed, sad houses were built for curing, pot-
ting, and ptese 'mg the fish. I find by the particu-
lars published last year, that " the Timheola salmon
fishery is held by John Robertson, Esq., under an
agreement for a lease of 23 yarn from the 12th
August, 1839, at • variable rent according to the
quantity of fish taken, and which has produced, on
an average of pas: years, in money paid to the pro.
prietor, 3001. • year." The less. of this limbeola
a lmon fishery will not therefore expire until 1862,
nearly twelve years from the present date.
But the salmon fishery of Timbuktu is not the extent
of Mr. Robertson's possession. I find by the same
authority, that he holds "the valuable oyster beds
and fishery in Bertraghboy Bay, under an agreement
for a term of ten years, from the tat of September,
1847, at a variable rent, according to the oysters and
fish taken." The partioulars state that this is " con-
shined to be of peat vales, though the
_sent
come of the portion of the lobar focopr in the
lot is not estimated at more than 2001." From what
I saw at the "fishery," I gaits agree in thinking
that this is of "great value" if properly applied.
Mr. John Robertson having caught the salmon in
the weir, and taken the oysters and turbot out of
Bertraghboy Bay, pots the same in tin canisters,
which he makes upon the premises, and ship them
off to serchanb in London and in Liverp He
also has a small trade in the same way for preserved
beef, milk, and carrots, probably the same with which
the ships of the Anti': expedition were supplied, and
concerning which there were recently letters in the
papers testifying to the very superior character of the
commodity. As carrots grow admirably in the bog,
and as young Scotch cattle can be bred and fed far
nothing on these mountains, Mr. John Robertson can
doubtless sell his preserved vegetables. beef, sad milk,
at very moderate rates; sad, indeed, looking at the
circumstances altopther I cannot conceive a batter
speculation than thin °limbed& Fishery," where
mhos, oysters, beef, milk, carrots, and turbot, can