The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-26


island, have been sold by tho commissioners
under this law; and instead of l ,OS1 owners,
who possessed all that property before, it has
now passed into the hands of 4,2l4 proprietors.
Thus instead Of estates averaging 1864 acres,
held each by q single ''lord of the SOIL" the
million and tw o-thirds of million of acres
are apportioned into farms averaging 400 acres.
Among the old proprietors were the follow
ing =
Marquises. .........3 Honorables. IL
Earls ............l7 ho.onets 81
Counts ............. 2 Knights ... s
Ladies of title ...... 6 Members of Parliament. Z
BaroDs. Observation-Disclosures. Ex.MeIn. Parliament. Is
Of the new proprietors, who have replaced
such useless live lumber, 2,718 are small CAPT.
talists or farmers, none Of whose purchases
exceed 9200O The total produce of the sales
was 10,43O,463 The total number of pur-
chasers, including English and Scotch, was
4,2l4, Of whom 1870 were for 91,000 and
under 929 for $1,000 to $4,000; 868 for
$4,000 to $4,000; 463 for $4,000 to 10000
ia for 900 to 100000; and 80 for 100000
and upwards. When this measure was first in
troduced into Parliament, it was apprehended
by some of the Irish papers that Englshmen
and Scotchmen would get possession of the
whole island. But what is the fact? Out of
all the purchasers only 1sl are not Irish and
of the purchase money upwards Of eight mil
lions of pounds is Irish capital that
the country has still the means of developing its
own resources without foreign assistance.
If this process goes on at the same rate that it
has done for the last few years, instead Of ten
thousand proprietors, there will soon be forty or
fifty thousand, and instead Of nominal proprie-
torship and absenteeism, there will be actual
resident owners, with real interests and sub
stantial responsibilities. Already the effect Of
this measure is felt in the general Improvement
of the condition OF the people and the advance of
wages for farming to more than double what it
formerly was. No doubt the decrease Of popu-
lation from the ravages of the famine and the
immense emigration will partly account for the
increased demand for labor and greater supply
Of food, because there are fewer mouths to con-
sumo it; but this does not entirely explain the
phenomenon, and there can be no doubt that
the operation of the Encountered Estates act has
much to do with the present gratifying evil
dences of improvement. Tt is true that it will
not produce political elevation but, with other
measures of kindred character, it may ulti-
mately lead to political independence. Edmund
Burke well said that all reform must begin
with the stomach. Physical prosperity begets
Intelligence and education and out of these
spring personal independence and political lib
erty. The social revolution must be completed
before the political begins.
If SO small measure as the Encountered
Estates act has done SO much good, what
amount of Improvement might we not ex-
pect from total abolition of the lew Of pri-
mogeniture in Ireland. and the establishment
of tenant right all over the island? Then
indeed would the solitary place rejoice, the
desert blossom as the rose, and the problem
of freedom be gradually worked out. In
adyerting to this measure, twelve months
ago, the London Times, after enumer-
ating all the nostrums that had been admi-
nistered to Ireland for long series Of
years by the quackery of British legislation,
proceeds to say that this is 1.-THE last conceiva-
BILE experiment for the social regeneration OF
Ireland" There is just one other experiment
that has not yet been tried, and that is to let
the Irish people make their own laws. This
would be an experiment on grand scale, and
commensurate with the extent of the evils and
wrongs which cry aloud for remedy and redress
If that failed, we know of nothing else that
would be efrectual unless the panacea proposed
by Sir Joseph Yorke-to put the island under
water for twenty-four hours. John Mitchell
would probably prefer baptising it in the
blood of terrible revolution, in order that
remnant might be saved, and, IS was done in
France, destroying at single blow the whole
landed aristocracy, that the peasant farmers
might forever after enjoy the fruits of their toll
in the land that gave them birth. This remedy
might prove efIectual enough; but the difficult
tiesin the way Of applying it at present are
tremendous, If not insupcrable.
ARcnBIsHoP HUGHEs' DEPARTuRE-We un-
derstand that Archbishop Hughes obtained
his passports on Saturday for Cuba, where he
intends to spend portion of the winter. His
Grace we are informed has not enjoyed ~
good health as usual Of late; symptoms of
| disease Of the lungs have alarmed his physi-
clans, and induced them to recommend war
mer climate for the winter months. We trust
the change of air will be productive Of the de-
sired results, and that the Archbishop will re-
| turn perfectly restored in the spring