The Express.
London, England, 1850-08-24 00:00:00

Meanwhile other changes tended materially to
aggravate the evils of their condition. The artificial
lever of prices for agricultural produce was suddenly
lowered, while reek-rents captioned to be exacted;
and the ordinary food of the people radii g during
thee. succruire years, a large portion of the produce
grown for rent was necessarily consumed or ex-
char ged for the means of subostence. 'Multitudes of
honest and industrious tenants fell deeply into arrear.
tipriadthri.t and grasping landlordism refused to
r.b.te its demands. Prayers and remonstrances
as-Ailed nothing. The exigency of the case was
✓and at stupidly by the rulers of the land ; and the
inhuman strugg.e was suffered to proceed. Still
worse, the cold-blooded instigation was openly
givrn by certain p sada economists to seize the
golcen opportunity for clearing the land of its
superfluous inha"itantr. The poor, in the estimation
of such railcsopherr, are always superfluous even
when they we not of the onfavoured race or creed ;
bat when these motives for aversion are combined, as
is the case of the small landholders in Ireland, with a
poverty the result of legalised wrong,—the zest for
extermination bee aces intense, and its appetite masa
*bk. The crusade Las now been carried on fur seve-
ral year,. Unnon.berid houses a humble men have
beau unroofed, and countless forms of infancy and age
have perished of hunger, cold, and disease. The
ehronic.es of Clearance new- it will be written, in the
fellness of accusing truth. But enough and more than
ezena.h has found its way to English eyes and
sera, to startle and to shock every Christian hesrt
amocimt as. Nevertheless, parliament and the extern
Cr, hare toed by unmoved while this havoc has
bees made under the desecrated forms of law upon au
ezhansted end defenceless peasantry.
The occupiers of the eastern and northern districts •
of the country, though lees pinched by absolute want,
Anted in the general danger. Tney bad for genera-
tiou waged a more indomitable struggle against
rack-rent and eviction; and they had devised a system
of their own whereby a considerable mitigation of the
mischief was prictically attainable and at-
tained. To this truce between the belligerents
the name of " tenant right " was given. Its pro-
visions varied ecoording to eircometances. Like those
of the common law, they were seldom to be found in
writing. Bat their sanction was in the wise deter-
minaaon of the many in naught to exceed or forego
them; and in the equally wise fear of the few which
forbade their ictrioging them. Bat the landlords of
Ulster proved themselves ea eager as those of Con-
naught to take advantage, if possible, of free trade
and the famine, in order to get rid of the tenant's
risht :olive secure. Abatements in the old rents were
rarely made, and then to a very inadequate amount.
Arrests accumulated, or were paid off out of capital,
or money burrowed, in the hope that times might
mend. When the coeup:ers complained, they were
told to p-titios parliament for a restoration of pso-
tecting duties ea eorn : in other words, they were
recommended to ask leave to rob the artisans of
England, in order that tl sir landlords might have
leave to soh tl ern as of old. To the credit of the
tartars of Ireland be it said, that they gave no sp.cies
of encouragement to this uopr:ccipled plan; and the
tree traders of this country are therefore in a peculiar
degree bound to see justice done to them by an un-
willing end unheeding legislature.
And now at length the patience of both north and
south is utterly exhausted ; end forgetful of past en-
mities, the prtsbnterian and the catholic take counsel
together and resolve to put wide all other work until
security foe the frui's of their industry be attained,
ea& until some cheek is pat upon the ruthless power
of capricious, indiscriminate, and irresponsible
evict 1.. n. To acwanplish these objects many
expedients have been proposed ; some which are
impracticable in their nature, and some which
it were absurd to expect a landlord legisla-
ture to concede. Pot the means unquesionably
may be found (and the sooner they are diligently
Nought for the better for all concerned), whereby the
rights of property in the soil, and the rights of ia-
dustry to its spprwthle improvements, may be ac-
commodated sad insured. A landlord who suffered
his tenant to enter upon his farm by purchasing the
goodwill of it from the previous occupant, and who
won the faith and understanding that he might sell
the goodwill is like manner when leaving, has re-
ceived from his tenant war-rent in time of peace,—
such a landlord is neither justified in equity or honesty
in rattail g such a tenant permission to sell the
tenant-right if he can find • solvent tenant to take
his place, or in ejecting him without re-imbursement,
in order to deprive him of that wherein be invested so
much of his capital. Equally palpable is the wrong
done when a tenant who has increased by his
own labour and the expenditure of his own money the
letting value of the farm- -is ejected without compen-
sation. Ka. thwe glarie;, and in Ireland prevalent
abuses, it is the imrrative duty of parliament to
provide remedies • and it is mere twaddle to pretend
er that .:re there tie will, there would be any great
difficulty in finding the way.
These are among Vie principal objects of the
newly form d Tenant Le..gue ; and it will doubt-
less form one of its chief occupations to urge their
consideration upon the legislature as soon as it re-
timetable a.

Them are other of:diets which the association has
nod. oaken to prt.mote' not less important indeed, bet
the %t i malt et which must depend not cm the will
of parliam,nt but on that of the people themselves.