The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-07
LAND IN IRELAND.

nv HlNbOly VI idIu i'nhlt Ill litluIu 10
singularly complicated. owing to the political
troubles OF the country. Before the Select Com
mittoe Of the House Of Commons last month Mr..
Vernon. landed proprietor and land agent. In
nnsw0- TO the Chairman. stated that he was n
Governor Of the Bank Of Ireland. and agent Of
Lord Pembroke and the Marquis of Bath He
knew that the number OF landed proprictors In
ireland was very small. but could give no roa-
ron for the difference between the numbers Of
England and Ireland. But he had no doubt that
IN increase in the numbers Of small propric,ors
would add materially to the prosperity and con-
continent Of the people Of Ireland. although it
would not be well to have the land owned solely
by small proprictors.
The reason OF this absence Of n small proprie-
iary is probably to be found in the grant OF inn
mcnso conflscatcd estates to individuals who
took great pride in the extent Of their terri
tories. and strictly cntailcd them. A more dis
nstrous courso could scarcely have been adopt
cd in an agricultural country like ireland. In
England the case was different There men
were continually making money in trade. ana
towns grow up on the estates OF the great land
holders. who for the most part. did all in their
power to contribute to the commercial interests
of those with whom their property brought
thcm into connection; as. indeed. 1t was their
interest to do. But in Ireland. except in Ulster
the land and the land alone was what the pco-
pic had to depend on. Yet the bulk OF the
gentry up to forty ycnrs aS displayed absolute
apathy as to agricultural Improvement Writing
in l7IG to Mr. Prior. n gentleman eager and
earnest in the path Of Improvement, Lord Ches-
terrified. whose career rs Lord Lieutenant Of
ireland was noble example. unfortunately not
always followed by his successors. says:
How different would the state OF your lanj, your
sdc your manufacture, have been now had hey been
hAr attention. still les rccant what said about
rrrS, ca more nron he sut,c Five hou.and tons Of
Mi, Imported c'g~,-'e rnae INTO Ireland "a SURE bat
ithcre These 5po tons have been employed
toiais care Of a The rncrs believe Won vii SInw
better attended ~ than the Inca board.
30 matters continued for the rest Of that CEN
fury. and after. 1t would be- interesting 10 learn
what made the Anelo-Irsh gentlemen the reck-
less. selfish. unprincipled landlords they were.
THE majority Of them came Of precisely the
same stock as those vino made kindly landlords
in every English shire. How was il that cross
,ing the channel seemed TO change their very
mature We have never seen this accounted
tfor. 1t is but fair to considerable proportion
,of Irish landlords who succeeded to property in
The present century to say that they could not
Improve II they would. Their hands were par
alyzed by entails and encumbrances of the past.
This had long been apparent to every one who
knew Ireland. but was not brought fully to light
until the famine 10 ls47. A letter In the Liner
l5ck Examiner in October. 1919. thus describes
the condition OF Tipperary. which was that OF
the southwest and vest at that time:
rsrmsts who Were once aiepenient and able to lend
g. encounter the sal and unmerIted attending
exirac, from the victims their territorial msmanage
.nient much would he snnicicnt retain the nrii
Il.
hs VIM, 20" N, sns ,o~ss lSSes under ic poor law
~ no longer The residence Of Man~rsh It, splendid
tor whom the poor law makes provision The baroniai
M,s Of iAsnesn h9usc mouldcrns To decay. scarcely
lxeraty; Clune no longer recognizes the claims
at lat 10 r S sf he Sa to fss az d s
,erins union as an auxiliary workhodse Castle LLOYD.
from ume immemoria the Residence ol the Loyds has
ANITA h nn sh,s'u ,sqr, any has been turned 70
Moore. will' too it Is thought soon be workhouse
S1den.lie NE residence o Henry White, no longer
SION OF The nppeTary viee.Gnsriians and the refuge Of
run OF the gentry.
7 At this time some land Of Lord Oranmore's
was put up for sale in Galway. and bidders
could not be got for most Of II. while the rest
went at ludicrously low rates. The possessor
of a rent roll in Limerick OF 81 500 year.
which four years before had netted 81 200 a
year. found himself and his family reduced to
diving on vegetables and cup OF weak tea or
U
Scarcely could get this
The only remedy for so deplorable condition
OF things was an act TO enable the holders OF
embarrassed property TO sell ii and liquidate
the claims. or TO compel them to do so. where
they were disinclined. on the petition of those
holding the encumbrances. That such a course
would at first fall very heavily on many was be-
yond doubt. but the desperate circumstances
Of the case were a justification for radical
measures. So the Encumbered Estates act
passed. and on oct. a. ls49 the Commission
ers met for the first time.
The first sale took place on Feb. IA. 1850
when property part Of the fee-simple estate of
MIR. Darcy. in the county Westmeath. was sold
IN two lots There was nothing peculiarly at
iractive about It, yet. to the general surprise il
sold at twenty-five and twenty seven years
rental TO two tenants OF the estate. This was at
private sale The first public sale took place the
following Thursday The time occupied from
the first bidding to the conclusion was scarcely
more than ten minutes. md the property sold for
Rbout twenty-one years lantal. One ~ the Com
missioncrs said. early ia the proceedings: We
nre not going to adopt .he phraseoogy OF tho
auction room in this court and say. Going.
going. gone at Ievery bidding and If any gen
'Eeman desires TO make a bid let him do So"
The first great check came in May. 1850 when
W. '9Atilt III OOlh WIS put w NllHOul u eluRlt
bid being made for the first and second lots.
while the fourth fetched but ten years rental.
Other such cases '0lowed. II was indeed fine
limo for Spectators. Loughcooter. Lord Gort's
magnificent domain went. with the castle for
much smaller sum than had been expended on
the edilce itself and its unhappy owner became
GuHe frantic. entreatng the Commissioner to
stay the sale, but in vain. This estate was sub
Heluently bought by the famous Indian General.
Lord Cough. II had been most recklessy en-
numbered. A career Of extravaganza. probably
without a parallel save in Ireland, brought into
The market the estates Of Lord Blessngton. with
q rent roll OF some $50, 900 a year. Any one who
has read the memoirs OF the Countess will not
be surprised to learn that nothing was left Of
This property. The Portarlington estates told
similar tale Encumhrances TO tho amount Of
nearly f1OoOo0, chiefly incurred by the late
Earl who died in 1915. in an obscure lodging in
a third rate suburb Of London not without sus-
picion OF suicide. The present peer redeemed
u small portion OF the property. including the
Mansion House. by the sale Of his English