The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-10-08

many dollars an acre, hnds 1t dlthcult to
understand the position of his English
brother, who may never see a chance to
sit under his own vine and fg-tree.
Thousands of fertile acres await a buyer
on our great Western Plains. Farms are
always in the market in the East, and
their titles can be transferred without diff
fculty, and almost without expense
But very seldom does a piece OF land
come into the market in the British Isles,
and when it does, it is so entangled in a
net of deeds, wills, mortgages, and leases,
that poor man cannot afford to pay for
the inquiry which must be made before
the title can be called good For exam
pie, in December, 1877, a farmer of small
means bought in England three acres of
glebe land with Inherent charge Of
$75 year, and had to pay over $3.50 for
the examination, establishment, and trans
fer of the title. Such an experience as
this does not encourage a farmer to buy
land. But the land laws of Great Britain,
which Mr.. John Bright recently de-
nounced in Parliament as stupid and mis-
chievous, render it almost impossible for
him to buy land even in this way. Their
general effect may be seen in the distri-
button of the land In England and
Wales there are, in round numbers, 81
100000 acres, and 17,500,000 acres, or
nearly one-half are owned by 1900 per-
sons. Three of these persons own 42O,
900 acres. In Scotland there are 19, 000,-
900 acres, of which 100000 are owned
by 70 persons. The Duke of Sutherland
owns 100000 acres in Scotland and
nine-tenths of Scotland's area are in the
hands of less than ZOO persons. One
half of Ireland is owned by less than $50
persons and two-thirds by less than 1000.
These numbers are very small in COM
parison with the dense population of
which they are part. These land laws
now demand special attention because the
influence of America has made farming
in England improbable, even, it is said,
upon farms for which landlords charge no
rent. By the law of entail, which many
Americans know only by the part it plays
in the novels they read, the landowner
can, by deed or will, keep his estate in
tact, and from being sold for many years
after his death, and as his heirs usually
renew the deed or agreement, many es-
tates have been tied up in this way for
hundreds of years. This law withholds
much property from good management
and favors the imposition of membranes
for which tenants have to pay in increased
rent. The law of primogeniture and the
law which allows landowner to make a
lease for 999 years also tend to tie up es-
tates and keep land out Of the market
Another law gives to the landlord any
thing which tenant adds to his farm
such as barn, greenhouse, or a mill
AS soon as it is added, and works di
rectly against agricultural improvement
By the law of distress, the landlord re-
covers from tenant who cannot pay his
rent, without ordinary process of law
He simply seizes enough of the tenants
cattle or furniture to satisfy the debt at
public auction, and those whom the farm
er may owe for the cattle or furniture
can do nothing. While the English farm
err could make a living at home these
laws could be endured; now, when he
cannot, he must come to America, where
farming pays, and he will be seen ere
long on the broad lands of our Western
States or those which lie Just above our
northern bundary.-N Y Times.