The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-16 00:00:00

STATE OF THE AGRICULTURAL

of East and West Maryborough, Queen's county, the large
and intelligent farmers who attended at the publia.examina-
tion, after strenuously advocating the necessity of such an
enactment, added, that the want of it " was the chief cause
of the inferiority of the Irish to the English and Scotch sys-
tems of farming ; and that the great obstacle to improve-
ment in Ireland was the uncertainty whether the land-
lord or the tenant was to enjoy the fruits of the latter'S ca-
pital, intelligence, and industry, because, if the tenant made
improvements, he was always in danger of being turned out
on the first opportunity without any compensation what-
ever for his improvements, however extensive and perma-
nent they might be, in consequence of another bidding a
higher rent than himself, unless he would consent to pay that
or any other exorbitant increase of rent demanded of him."
Irish leases in general contain scarcely any covenants or
restrictions. The few usually inserted are clauses to pre-
vent sub-letting ; to limit turbary (the right of cutting
turf or peat for fuel) ; and to reserve to the proprietor
the rights of sporting, of royalty, mines, quarries, making
roads, &c. Except on the estates of a few English pro-
prietors, who are endeavouring to introduce the practice,
no covenants are ever inserted, as is the case in Great
Britain, to prevent the sale of manure, or of that of hay
or straw, unless in exchange for manure, to adopt a cer-
tain rotation of crops, and to restrict the tenant in various
other matters which are considered essential to good
farming. Some of the witnesses thought that such cove-
nants could not now be carried into effeet, from the want
of sufficient capital and agricultural knowledge among the
Irish tenantry ; but others thought that such an improved
system of husbandry might be introduced without diffi-
culty, if brought about gradually, and the exertions of the
farmers were only encouraged and assisted by their land-
lords. Independent of the fact that wherever proprietors
encourage and assist their tenants in making improvements,
a great and rapid change is almost invariably to be found
over the whole estate. The agricultural evidence fur-
nishes another very strong and undeniable proof that the
absence of improvement must chiefly be attributed to the
incredible apathy and short-sighted policy of most Irish
landlords—it is the eagerness with which the Irish Farmers
sec's: to improve the breeds of their live stock, and the con-
sequent extraordinary rapidity with which they have been
fully doubled in value by crossing the native breeds of
cattle, sheep, and pigs, with the best descriptions they could
import from England. This shows what the Irish farmer
will do when, as with live stock, he is sure of reaping the
fruit of his exertions and outlay of money.
A singular description of the tenure of land, that of
tenancy in common, which was formerly very general in
Ireland, lies been so universally abandoned, or is given up
as the old leases of that kind expire, that the practice is
now almost entirely confined to mountainous or wild un-
cultivated districts, which are chiefly used for rough pas-
tures. The principal motive of the proprietor in adopting
this tenure seems to have been to secure his rent by ex-
tending the liability of payment to as many persons as pos-
sible, and the motive cf the tenants to save the expense of
inward fencing, and of separate buildings, &c., by keeping
the whole of the land in one large pasture. As may be
easily imagined, the system leads, especially in such a coun-
try as Ireland, to constant quarrels, fighting, and appeals to
the law, among the tenants who hold the land in common,
the quiet industrious man being made the slave or victim
of the indolent and turbulent with whom he has the misfor-
tune of being associated in their common tenancy. So ob-
vious, even to the apathetic habits of Irish proprietors, were
the injurious eircets of this practi,!e, that, as already stated,
it is Low fnst disappearing.

CLASSES IN IRELAND.

(Compiled and abridged from Appendix (F) to the repoits
of the Commissioners of Irish Poor Inquiry.)

MIDDLEMEN.
The persons called " Middlemen" are those who hire
land and let it (usually in smaller quantities) at an ad-
vanced rent to the occupiers, or to others, who again under-
let it at a still higher rent. In this way there may be, and
often are, two or three middlemen, and sometimes even
more, all deriving a profit from the land, between the head
landlord or proprietor and the actual occupier. The evi-
dence teems with details of the injurious effects of middle-
men ; the following will be sufficient to show their paralyz-
ing tendency
When there is a middleman, it is next to impossible for
the proprietor, whatever may be his desire and his means,
to improve either the condition of the occupier or the state
of his property. The proprietor cannot reduce the occu-
pier's rent, or furnish him the whole or a part of the means
for erecting new farm buildings, making new roads, draining,
or any other improvement, because the middleman might
immediately step in and take all the advantage to himself, by
raising the occupier's rent in proportion. In fact, his hands
are completely tied, and his best intentions entirely frustrated,
until the expiration of the middleman's lease.
" A very marked difference is already perceptible in the
tenantry in favour of those who hold directly from the head
landlords, who have recently begun to direct much attention
to their improvement, and have, in several instances, intro-
duced agricultural agents for their instruction in agriculture."
EXTORTIONS OF THE PROPRIETORS' AGENTS OR LAND

STEWARDS.

The agent's fee or commisssion of 5 per cent. on the
amount of the rent is almost invariably paid by the tenant,
in addition to his rent ; but as this is usually an understood
charge, it can hardly be called an extortion. But, besides
this, many, and probably most, tenants are expected to per-
form gratuitous services for the agent, such as carting his
turf, hay, and corn, assisting him in busy seasons, &c. On
some estates the tenantry have also to pay a certain part of
the driver's (the distraining bailiff's) fee, whether he dis-
train on them or not ; and on others they are subjected to
heavy charges under this head upon the slightest pretext.
Among other extortions are the payment of a fee to the
agent, and sometimes of a present to the landlord or to
some member of his family, upon obtaining a lease, and
mo,4t, exorbitant charges by the agent for drawing uts leases,
which last kind of exaction goes altogether into the agent's
pocket if he is a lawyer, and if not, is divided between him
and the landlord's attorney.
There is another practice which often occasions many
disputes and disagreeables between the agents and tenantry,
and is sometimes attended with great hardship and oppres-
son to the latter. It is the loese and irregular manner in
which acknowleignients are given for money paid on ac-
count of rent. Sometimes this is only done by an entry
in the agent's or landlord's book. In other cases a receipt
or memorandum is given for the amount paid, but only say-
ing. " on account of rent due," and withcut specifying for
what quarter or year. By thus keeping an open and run-
ning account and never coining to any definite settlement,
all arrears, even for 20 years back, arc kept hanging over
the heads of the tenants, and the Statute of Limitations is
traded, while from the length of time the account becomes
so confused and-subject to errors that the tenant is usually
ignorant of the amount of the debt, and completely at the
osercy of the agent. Many cases of great hardship under
such circumstances were mentioned by the witnesses in the
barony of Omagh, county of Tyrone. It was stated that a
fermer agent (20 years ago) of a Nobleman, who is a very
extensive landowner in that district, would never come to a set-
r!ement with the tenants, but only gave them receipts " on ac-
count." .Two other agents who succeeded hint made no
attempts to recover the arrears which lied accrued under
his agency, so that the te:iants considered those arrears
rs forgiven them. A fourth agent, however, who was ap-
pointed only a year and a halt ago, has revived these old
and obsolete claims, and lie has not only issues! hundreds
(:f law processes against the tenants for th, full amount of
all these old arrears, sonic of wli he admits date from
20 years before, hut he also cliares thr:n a guinea for
and if they cannot pay olf the whole of the demand
at once, lie repeats the charge of costs upon the subsequent
) ainients ienewing the process. Cases were mantioned
ie %%Adel) this charge of costs was extorted twice within
three months from the some persons.

LE:-.SES, C617E:1...NT5, &c.

A large proportion of the land is stated to be let on
lease ; but the disposition to renew leases seems to be
(..vi.rywhere diminishing, and ra:idlY giving way to tenancy
et will, and when they are renewed,. the term now granted
is al:nost invariably shortened from two or three lives,
or 31 to 60 years, as was fol-inerly usual, to one life, or
1 years. The chief causes of this change are said
to be-1. The desire of the landowners to increase their
own influence and control, and to diminish those of the
Catholic clergy over their tenants, not only in po-
litical and religious matters, but in preventing the
subdivision of lane', checking the increase of the po-
pulation, improving the rural economy and general ha-
bits
of their tenantry, and in other respects connected
with the management and improvement of their estates.
2,1. The decrease of the term required to constitute a free-
hold, 21 years being sufficient to confer a vote of that de-
scription under the Reform I;i11, instead of the old term of
61 years. 3d. The expectation on the part of the land-
lords, that the gradual introduction of modern agricultural
improvements will increase the value of land in Ireland, and
that, if not tied down by leases, this will enable them to
raise their rents. Many and contradictory were the opi-
nions given as to the effect of this general diminution in
the length of leases and in granting leases at all ; but as,
with few exceptions, the want of skill and capital, and the
subdivision of land, prevented improvements under the old
long leases as much as those and other causes do now
under the snorter aiodern ones at tenancy at will, no com-
parison can be made in that respect. It seems pretty
clear, however, that should this change of system continue
to •be accompanied with the usual practice on the part of
the proprietor of not only refusing either to assist the
tenant in making permanent improvements or to com-
pensate him at the expiration of his term for his
labour and outlay of capital in thus improving his
farm, but of also raising his rent up to the utmost in-
creased value which the land has acquired in conse-
quence of those very improvements, although performed at
the sole expense of the tenant, there must be an end to all
expectation of improvement, except on the estates of those
comparatively few proprietors who pursue a more liberal and
enlightened system. There appears to be a small number of
landlords, chiefly extensive English and absentee proprietors,
who have zealous and experienced resident agents, and who
encourage improvements of every description by assisting or
compensating their tenantry in draining, making roads and
fences, erecting or repairing buildings, manuring with lime,
&c., as well as by employing Scotch or English bailiffs to
teach their tenants a better system of agriculture, and by
keeping upon their estates some of the best specimens of the
English breeds of stock, to improve the native ones of the
district. But, unfortunately for Ireland, such landlords yet
form but a very small proportion of the lords of her soil, and
the natural consequence is, as the evidence clearly shows,
that, finding no encouragement to make improvements, the
tenant, even when he has ample means, either gives up the
idea, or, if he make any improvements, he takes good care
to scourge and impoverish the land by heavy cropping for
some years before the expiration of his term, for the double
purpose of drawing out of it again as much of his money as
he can, and of reducing its value to the lowest rate pos-
sible, well knowing that at, the termination of his lease
be must either quit without any compensation for his im-
provements, or consent to pay the highest rent which any
stranger will offer, without the least regard to the circum-
stance that this increased value is solely and entirely owing
to his exertions, intelligence, and expenditure of capital.
This is even done is the case of waste land, which, being
reclaimed by the tenant at a great expense of money or la-
bour, or both, is often raised from a totally worthless state,
perhaps not 6d. an acre, to that of the rest of the farm, pro-
bably 30s. or ="1. ; which latter rent the tenant has to pay
tile moment his lease expires, or that his landlord has an
opportunity of charging it. Thus, in fact, the more the
tenant labours and sinks his capital in improvements, the
more his rent is raised and his burden increases !
As a means of remedying this serious evil, the ques-
tion was started at the public examination of witnesses,
whether it was thought that an enactment would be
generally beneficial which, somewhat like the custom
prevalent' in most parts of England and Scotland, should
entitle the tenant, at the expiration of his term, to be
paid for permanent improvements, crops, tillage, manure,
ace., and should also subject him to pay damages for
wilful neglect and injury. A few landlords and agents
strongly objected to the proposition, as a tyrannical in-
vasion of the rights of property ; while the rest, and
the whole of the farmers and of the disinterested wit-
warmly approved of the scheme. At the same time
the majority even of those who advocated the plan admitted
that there would be great difficulty in carrying it into effect
at present, in consequence of the general want of means,
both in the landlord to pay the tenant for the improvements,
an't in the tenant to pay the landlord for the damages, to
whieli either might become liable under such enactment ;
and that, for this reason, as well as from the novelty of the
practice, and the great change it would produce, the system
should be gradually introduced, so as to allow sufficient time
for preparation and for thoroughly understanding its prin-
eiplr-s and appreciating its beneficial effects. The evidence
is full of remarkable instances where improvements of every
kind which large farmers had sufficient capital to undertake,
cr small ones could hare effected by mere labour, had been
prevented or stopped short by the want of such a law or
custom, and by the short-sighted and avaricious unwilling-
ness of the landlord to secure in any other way to the tenant
ha fruits of his labour and outlay of capital. In the barcnies

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1837

Duffield, T. D.
Pollen, Sir J. W.

Rickfortl, W.
Praed, W. M.

•HcOgson. F.
Towerecourt, Lonl
Bruges,

Alford, Viscouut
Polhill, F.
—Steuart, R.
Palmer, 11.
—Barrington, Viscount
—Holmes, W.
—Hodgson, R.
Hogg, J. W.
—Fox, G. Lane

•Feilden, W.
Spry, Sir s. r.
.Bolling,
Brownrtgg, J. C.

Wood, Colonel T.
Morgan, C. M. R.
Whitmore, T. C.
Breadwoo..l, H.
-Courtenay,

.Dalrymple, Sir A.
➢liiles, P. J.
Chantios, 'Marquis of
Young, Sir W. L.
Harcourt, G. V.
Fremantle, Sir T.

Jermyn, Lord

Yorke, E. T.
klaton, Richard J.

Goulburn, H.
Law, Hon. W. E.
-Bradshaw, James
Nioholl, J.