The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-24 00:00:00

JUSTICE TO IRELAND.

Ireland," is
►l'i,ih thc?(UF.:I9:7.A A!--'-"C(1-1211911H" 4:4-.T..l9l.ll7tiEeNeTt.o)
in everybody's mouth, 1. t,‘1,..„ cave, with a view of
right horse, through
the columns of The San, to drow attentibn.tO a few

:rears ago, " before an emigration such
as the world has nev7
facts.
Not many"
before witnessed," such was
the scramble for land in Irela:d—" the bulk of the
Irish people are and were dependent upon agricul-
ture"—that they readily,_ greedily seized every op-
portunity of securing land regardless of the amount
of rent demanded. Among the landed proprietors
were several who were, and had been for some
years, heavily mortgaged to England, paying in-
terest, in some instances promising it, at the rate of
£5 to £6 per cent. per annum ; and it was not an
unusual thing for an Irish landlord, mortgaged to
the ball doors to raise the rent upon the unfortunate
tenant, upon capital expended by Lim in the im-
provement of the landlord's property.
Many of the landlords of that period, putting the
family pedigree aside, could boast of little but pride
and poverty, yet being blessed with "long families,"
failing both the means and the inclination to have
their sons brought up to professions, wherein they
might have learnt that "property has its duties as
well as its rights," and where, by diligence and ap-
plication, position and independence were to be
secured, one and all were carefully trained to the less
lucrative yet still gentlemanly occupations, pastimes
in England— -enjoyed mostly by heals of families—
of hunting, shooting, and so forth ; and in the ab-
sence of other means of raising money, it became
and was a part of the family duty to keep a sharp,
look-out and to ascertain upon what farms improve-
ments had been carried out. Mind there were no
leases; " the Irish tenant-at-will is virtually a serf ;"
he has "no abiding interest in the land he holds."
Five per cent. or more of the rent had to be remitted
to the
let at a certaineEnglishcredi pricetor ;
per acre, b
consequently, impoverished
land,e in g
improved
by an outlay it became of a greater annual value,
when the landlord demanded a higher rental, not
as
upon his own investment, but upon the capital and
industry of the tenants, who, having no leases,
merely " a temporary hr pof the holding which
supported them and their families," were necessi-
tated either to:submit to the increased demand, or
driven, " left the shores of the country to pursue
their fortunes in a foreign land."

Some years since, when there was a scarcity of
gold in England, and there are persons still living
who can bear evidence of the fact, that when Irish
tenants were paying rents to Irish landlords, a
period when banking alcommodation, discounts,
and paper currency were alike limited, there being
but one bank in the country, and that bank having
but one or two branches, that the landlords were
squeezing the rents from the tenants in guineas,
and which were only received by them as light gold
at 20s. and 21s. each, while the same coins in Eng-
land were at a considerable premium, in some in-
stances as high as 275.
The Incumbered Estate Court has been termed a
gain and a boon to Ireland ; be that as it may, the
working has in many instances been ruin to England.
Previous to the
passing of that act, considerable
sums had been advanced by English capitalists on
mortgage to Irish landlords. Still further to facili-
tate and encourage the flow of capital into that part
of the United Kingdom, a bill had been prepared
and brought into the House of Commons by an
Irish M.P., and who was also an Irish landlord, and
which afterwards became an Act of Parliament, and
is known as " Lynch's Act," which empowered
English trustees, subject to a reference to the Eng-
lish Court of Chancery, to buy out Irish funds upon
Irish mortgages. This was readily taken advantage
of by the legal profession, not only of Ireland, but
of that of England also. The solicitors of the bor-
rowers and lenders, in "union of heart and spirit,"
soon arrived at an understanding ; a sum to include
costs was agreed to, and under '° Lynch's Act" con-
siderable sums were advanced,'in not a few instances
upon insufficient security, to the great detriment, if
not the ruin, of many innocent parties.
Under this boon to Ireland, the Incumbered Estate
Court, land not unfrequently changed hands at ten
years' purchase or a little over, which, to save the
consciences of trustees advancing other people's
money, had been valued at twenty, in some instances
at twenty-five, years' purchase. By this act legal
means were provided by which borrowers were
enabled to repay lenders at the rate of 10s. in the
pound—an easy mode of raising capital for an im-
poverished country without an appeal to the sympa-
thies of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Is this
what is called " a marvellous power of enchantment
in the promoting of just and fair dealing ?"
I have seen somewhat of Ireland, and have been,
and still am, in the habit of meeting Irishmen, and
on many occasions I have heard it advanced by
Irishmen, that whatever misfortunes or disasters
richly deserve them.
befalllodrawinglrish
attention
t oh
rie
to
the facts that I have
stated, I have acted upon the principle that reform
should begin at home ; still there are other Irish
grievances to which the Government must not be
indifferent. England has " played the role of the
greatest revolutionist in Europe." The English
press and Englishmen, with but few exceptions,
approved, nay sanctioned, what was termed the
conversion, call it by what name you may, of the
Church property in Italy to the purposes of the
State. In the case of Poland, the same power ex-
cited, nay aroused, the sympathies of what is desig-
nated the civilised world. No less an authority than
Earl Russell had declared publicly, that nations
have a right, without any foreign interference, to
choose their own forms of, government. Witness
what is written in reference to the occupation of
Rome by the French.
Any suggestion in the case of the Irish Church
Establishment is denounced by the English press_
that same press that upheld the conversion in Italy,
at an attempt at confiscation, spoliation, robbery,
and so forth. If the Irish are dissatisfied with their
present form of government, and it is admitted on
all hands that reforms are necessary, why is it that
that which is allowed by English Statesmen as a
right to other nations, in the case of Ireland is to
be put down as rebellion, treason, felony, and so
forth ? The Irish have not forgotten " aliens in
religion, strangers in blood." Reverse the case.
Let an attempt be made to saddle, nay impose, the
Roman Catholic Church of Ireland upon Protestant
England, how long w0u1d.22,000 soldiers and 12,000
constabulary be able to keep in subjection this
" peaceful and peace-loving people?"
The aristocracy of England is generally and de-