The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-17 00:00:00

IRELAND.

The Daily News' correspondent, who is investigating
the agrarian outrages in Ireland, gives a story which
shews how thoroughly "Irish" the dwellers in the Green
Isle are. "It appears from the returns of the Irish banks
that the tenant farmers, spoken of as so poor and miserable,
have investments of money which, in the aggregate,
amount to a very large sum. But I understand the
money in the banks is a mirage. It will hardly be
believed that the Irish farmers pay interest on their own
money ; but it is a fact. A mau lodges, say £6oo'
in the National or Provincial Bank, for which he 13
allowed 14 or 2 per cent. But it is no unfrequent case,
when the same man wants money, that he goes to the
bank and asks for a loan. lie does not draw out a portion
of the £6OO which he has invested, and the receipt of
whick he keeps possession of, but for a loan of money at
the rate of interest for the time being. The bank, of
course, has the most substantial security in the deposit of
actual cash ; it can, therefore, lend money to the fail
amount of the deposit, and the stupid farmer loses the
difference between the 2 per cent. which he receives from
the bank and the 6,7, or 8 per cent. which
he pays in the shape of interest. I asked (says this
correspondent) the excellent bank manager from wham
I received this information to give me some explanation
of this almost incredible peculiarity. The explanatico
given was, the farmer, in his social intercourse with his
neighbours, was able, by the retention of his 1600 receipt,
though mortgaged to nearly the full amount, to impress
them with the opinion that he was a ' strong' man ; an
d
this opinion was useful to him in many ways. He was
sometimes able to dispose of a daughter in marriage, ,te"
In fact, the Irish farmer only does on a small scale what
magnificent companies and ' clever fellows' have done i°
London on a scale so grand that the enormity of the crime
has been buried in the enormity of the cheat. In estimat'
ing the amount of floating capital in the country a certain
deduction must therefore be made on account of the
custom to which I have referred."
Referring to the poor appearance of the dress of the
farmer and his belongings, the correspondent is informed
that he dare not dress as he might. " A farmer told me
at one time that he made a present, at some sacrifice, of is
silk dress to his daughter, an exceedingly pretty girl, to
whom he was most devotedly attached. After donning
her gay attire, she, woman-like, made a display, and 05
Sunday was the admiration of her companions. tier
appearance attracted the notice of the lady of the great
house,' who inquired her name, and on learning it 311°
observed that when Jack could dress his daughter in
silks he ought to be able to pay higher for his land'
Well, the silk dress cost him ss. per acre (about £7 or 0
per annum) to his rent. I know myself farmers, rich,
comfortable men, who actually prepare their stock for th. 6
market in secret. I have been present at fairs where thelf
cattle would realise high prices, but they would beg Or
God's sake that the fact would not be mentioned in the
newspapers, fearing that they would be punished 11
increased rents for being enterprising. On the contrary, the
farmer secured in his holding glories in seeing his successes
recorded, and the fact is an incentive to him to renewed 50
still more vigorous exertion." But it is not always
the landlord so much as the agent who is near at hand',
" The distant landlord does not know—probably does a°
care to know, for it might interfere with his pleasure of
peace of mind—the great oppressions and the petty
annoyances that are inflicted in his name. Of course, _ii
agents are not the same. There are many good oietiii
amongst them, and many who try to mitigate the hall
commands of a dictatorial absentee landlord, but agenel
as a system is bad, and, productive of evil. 11°
duties of property are onerous enough will
performed directly, but the duties of property delegate
too frequently means power without responsibility ; 511
irresponsible power, whether in the hands of an ErnPerc:4
or an agent, leads to nothing better than a well-arranged
disorder—desordre Lien ordonne."
" The Irish Government," the Daily News writer Pes
on to say, " are now preparing a return of the agrariall,
crimes which have been committed in Ireland for the las
two or three years. They will contrast not unfavourably
with the amount of outrages of the same
in former times. But really what does it signui
what the ratio of comparison is ? It is not a
question of more or less, of a comparison of the
last three years with three, ten, twenty, or Oil
years ago ; it is a question of cause and effect, °
a system and its results, of a one-sided law and its copse;
quences. Purify the system and the blotches disaPPei!
from the surface. It is not the untutored and undlecici
plined passions of the Irish Celt that have produced a 13.,
133
do produce these agrarian outrages. As far as race ,11
be supposed to have anything to do with the matter, it,
tendency would he in the other direction. It is insectid
rity of land tenure which is causing these most 10

occurrences."
The Irishman has an article on the subject of "ape!'
sant proprietary in Ireland." Its tone will be understov"
from the concluding passage. After referring to

examples of France and Prussia, the writer observes:-
~ So when the Irish people are put in possession of Os
land they will not be the first nation in Europe that
achieved the same position. Those who tell them to 100'
and work for this issue are not acting in a manner hostile
to the welfare of the nation. The prosperity and haPliv
ness of 6,000,000 is of greater moment than the core.
nience of a few thousands. The settling of the land 011 e 1.,
tion here has been too long delayed. But a better dayl.
at hand. Hitherto Ireland had none to stand by hers
The oppression of our rulers had well-nigh crushed tw
spirit of the people. But now Mr. Bright appears to
catch a glimpse of the future. Next year his message
the British Parliament may be that Ireland and it 151/
lords cannot both be preserved. It will, no doubt, be;
hard struggle with landlordism to surrender the spoils
has so long enjoyed ; it will be unpleasant for landlorj4S
to give up their power over their vassals ; it will befl
to forego the pleasure of spending wealth which has belt
won, not by their exertions, but by the toil of others. is
is not the fault of the people of Ireland if there are raelied
such a position. The bulk of Irish landlordshavebeenPlac
here byour English rulers. They fatten on confiscated 11
perty. They are still aliens in sentiment. It fs °tea
interest as much as it is the interest of their tenants tll-6
there should be a peaceful and speedy solution of °lto
difficulty. They must make up their minds to submit.
great changes. They have everything to gain by she by
a readiness to do justice; they have everything to lose b;
opposing the wishes of the nation. Legislation might-,
able to have regard in some degree to their interesvea
But if legislation should fail to bring about the nee •00
reforms, there is still another power to which a Hatt e~
can resort—a power that when appealed to o°Lt
"
questions of vested interests in a way summary' i-to
decisive, and when thoroughly roused has seldom faile „j
strike terror into the hearts of tyrants and privilee"
aristocrats."

THE REPRESENTATION OF CAITHNESS.---111:
requisition to Mr. James C. Trail], nephew of the sittll,,i
member for Caithness, has received the signatures "s
nearly half the constituency. No definite announce:l3°w
has been made in regard to the degree of support given -ot
the requisition to Sir Tollemache Sinclair ; but it ba5.,,11-
yet received such a number of signatures as' to justify 71f
active proceedings with a view his offering )141°,1';
The constituency generally continue to deprecate
steps being taken by Mr. Traill, the sitting member'

the mean time.
THE MARCH OF IMPROVEMENT.—The
tion of electricity to church organs promises one acivi/l;
tage. In many country parishes the clergyman iS
"A,
only inhabitant capable of playing the instrument',...4's
correspondent of a contemporary intimates that in Al' n
specified the clergyman is having the key-board fitted
in the reading-desk, so that he can himself preside die,
musical part of the service without any unseen3ll`)lo,
turbance of his own more strictly-prescribed avocsti°l:34
In this instance the organ itself is placed at the other e

of the building.
THE HEALTH OF PRINCESS CHRISTIAN. -
it
*".jl
health of Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holsteia,
understood, continues to improve. Her Royal liigh‘ iiie'i;
in the course of last week, was attacked with ;oi
fever," and her condition at one period excited oeol
apprehensions in the minds of the Queen and
Family. Fainting and hysteria were, it is behe.r
among the symptoms of the attack. Sir William 1°1386 te
who remains in town during the Queen's absence
land, was at once called in ; and, in cooperation bee j 4
Fairbank, one of her Majesty's surgeons, has
constant attendance at Frogmore House. HeriwA'gor
Highness and Prince Christian were to have left Wti '0
sudden
the arrangement being Friday night, with her Majesty, for Scotland, 1311rr'
illness prevented • ea
Td
out. As soon as her Royal Highness convaleeceev
and Prince Christian will leave Frogmore and join
-
Royal Family circle at Balmoral.
SENTENCE ON LADY THIEVES. —A Paris corrile;
spondent writes :—" The increase of kleptomania erat:-se
the ladies of Paris was recently noticed. Tw° Of -fick°e.r
maniacs, who appear to have had more method vie
madness than even the cruel Prince of Den-mark, y¢
ea
been tried by the Correctional Tribunal. The Prd
soners were Madame d'Alpnget, aged ptae
her daughter, aged 22, and one styled
t.
law papers as belonging to the monde algae'
ei 0
Both mother and daughter appear to have, br.lo
carrying on their kleptomaniasm for some time PBs' for
less than three establishments fell victims to the `ill_3;11,0,
tunate fouling ' of those ladies in the shape of lace,
to
and even mantles. Madame d'Alpuget was sentence:3;e
twelve months' imprisonment, and her daughter to
nsis
si
This is only one instance of the lux; entda feni
modem.,apd, Iltp 4. to add,