New-York tribune., 1879-11-11
british LAND REFORM.
1nrn cApNGrnN BOUNDS TIE ALARM.

JlEIOI~ll AND lNiAlhli - "f.''N'
owN cAsr-TnE GREAT LANDOWNERS ALARMED
-.,,;Ns THAT RADICAL CHANGES ARE lMMi-
NrVT.
frpo, THE RrsuIAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNEl
InNroN. oct. 3l.--Lorl Caungton Is yonns
Tnc'ish nohlcman belonging to what Is called the
Prince of Walels set; q Knot of mon, mostly oi
hirh birth aud some wealth. who have tnuS i'l
found 80 more important mission m the wo'id lhan
tc contribute 10 the prince's wcll-hnown love "l
amusement. NOBODY has heretofore Sccnsed Lor"
Cafingion OF taking life too seriously. Now' an az
once. he comes forward as an authority on 'he
,ord onestion and il s curious 10 see how sternly
Ms presumption Is rcbuked by those who nap
pen not to agree with his views. Yet Lord
Carington ought 30 know something about
land. lie is down in Domesday Book as the owner
Of soue - 900 acres of a gross annual value eN-
ceeding 500 900 1wO-thrds of his property lies
In Bnckingnamshire. lie is neighhor ot Loru
Bescansfeld but he has had the boldneSs 10 amer
from that great potentate on the question VI
the hour and the potentates organs among 'ie
pevsuaper prcss snub Lord Carington without
mercy lie IS reminded none too gently Oh the
foics of his youth, and told. indirectly perhapS'
but not less plainly, that he had better STICK I" 'he
tnrf tn his four-in-hand and To the Princes
smoking-room. lie Is even tainted with not being
n conveyancer. The fact, that he was talking
10 his own l'nduiiNs "' hA' N'''
and about his own land. does not save mm. That
mar in Lord Carngtou's position should be echoinc
some q. the doctrines hitherto promulgated chiefly
bv theorists and supported by mere peOeians, Is
enough 10 create a sort of panic among landowners.
The panic Is greater among the newest OF 'hen'
who aS happens commonly euough IN such c">es'
nre more royaiist than the King. such one Is 'ne
ch,ef r-nnriefor of the leading" journal of Eng
land. It's not long since Mr.. Walter made speech
abou. Land winch the largest acred peer ol ON
cst descent might have tathered. But let us see
what il Is that this rash young has been say
Ing omittmg everything but what relates 10 MS
personal experience as a landlord.
III. estate Is an entaed estate. At twenty-five.
while he was still in tie position of heir. he joined IN
rc-entalmg the property following as he says,the
ndvicc of his best friends. Ii Is what heirs com
monty do Tradition and interest both urge them
to that stcp interest because the rather 50 long as
be lives can make his son what allowance he hAeS'
and NAV put him on very short commons II the ooN
proves refractory in matter like thls. NOT oo's
Lord C,rinaton az the time appear to have had any
olicction 10 the c-entl. II was only later that he
found out what burden lie had been Imposing on
himself When hc came inio his property. eleven
years ago. be found that his father had
been buying land in Bucks. winch was
not pad for aud that in order TO pay FOR H. he bad
FL
the Gilln buildings were i'm such bad order that u
w.s cal i.ulatrd the purchaser would have 10 spend
ono Wlal,ycaIs rental 20 put them in decent Ie-
min Lord Carinetan is careful % say t.at Doc does
NOS blame hls father for this. What he n.am's Is
thc >y,l.u; .ud this system Is nothing Tess Than
the whole scheme oi entail, hv winch the lana is 20
zap taat tDc nominal owner. hoing IN fact only
Tenant lof fe canuOl dO what ou-ht 90 De- done 40
make the property productive. ~ the phrase is
D.. I'm .f.. i'm. fl.. fI N.r liz
all The River Humber washed gradually away
five acre. If good land at Wiuterneham, and
tD.s land presently became an island in tue river.
revenue cutter sailed round IT, and the Government
thrrrup0u claimed 10 and seized It, and 10 the Gov
erumeut it vent more picturesque illustration
of tne helpcs-ness of the posses-or o an cntalled
estate could scarcely bee found. Agaiu-for nature
isueycr weary of playing tricks ON those who quar-
rel with hcT-thc sea laid mp several acres of land
at Humbersfonc A. tenant for life. Lord Caring
ton could no more afford 20 accept the gifts Of the
ocean than lie conld rcpel the attacks or the river;
f.. he could uo charge the estate iorpormancnt im-
movements. nor could he sell single acre OF The
thirty l,ur square mile, lie inherited. IL WIS not
only ,h. entail that stood IN tie way. hut Tie set
tlemeu;s; ior though Lord Carngton does not
refer o them there can bc np doubt that his acres.
like nj on nearly al the aud u England, rs charged
with the pa,mcnt Of aunuitie-, dowries. portions.
and other provisions for various members OF the
family.
Wnaf. m these embarrassing circumstances, Is an
open-iaiud~d Young nobieman OF liberal disposition
to do toward "a solution of the puzzles with which
The whole land question Is al this moment cnvironed
in ENGLAND Lord Caungton, remember. IS adj
dre.sit.., ap audience of teuaut-farmers-his own
tenant. They presumably. are suffering like most
other tenants, and may very likely have been wait
- f.r lrovp announcement that their lanI
lord was about 10 hand them back percentage on
ther half-yearly rents. But Lord Carngton has
not taken his tenants into his confidence Tor
that purpose lie thinks reduction OF
10 or 20 per cent an iliusory advantage to
the faimer-though ] suspect the farmer,
il be were asked, might be found Of different
opinion Instead of putting his hand into his
pocket Lord CaringtOn has preferred TO explain 10
his people and to the public As well, why II Il that
his pocket IS empty. and what he thinks ought TO
be done in order that II may be filed again; and
that other pockets belonging TO men IN similar
stuation NAV also DE filed To speak of returns of
rent rs the lbeIaty Of landlord favorite phrase
An the papeIs-seens 10 him grim joke. lie gives us
TO understand that one main cause of the present
troubles is to be found IN that one
word entail, and that the remedy is to
he sought If not in the abolition Of entail. yet in
materially modifying the present use OF the power
Ii ought not to be possible that estates heavily
mortgaged should be left tied up in such mauher
that escape from debt is rendered impossible. Evi-
doutly, the few acres that We're washed away by
the Humber are not at the bottom of Lord Caring
tons difficulties Ii is the mortgages and other
charges which his thirtyfonr square miles of
territory that crush him and the land and the ten
ants of his land all together If lac could sell part Of
the land he could deal fairly with the rest. Bnt
he cannot sells he not the owner; he is
only tenant for life with remainder TO he heirs in
tall aud the entail and settlements and mortgages