News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-08-17
The Irish Agent.

The perils of an Irish agents life do
not make it difficult to obtain the SER
vices OF persons in such capacities in
fact, to many the peril appears to have
something of fascination about it, and
Lord Clanrieade has been beset with
applicants for the place of the murdered
Mr.. Blake. On such an estate the agent
is, In fact, more important person
than the landlord, who seldom comes
into personal communication with the
tenant. For instance, Sir William de
Batho, an officer in the Guards, has an
estate of some G2, 900 a year in Meath,
and when with his regiment in Dublin,
having never seen his property, resolved
to pay it visit. But the agent dis
suaded him, possibly for reasons SINH
lar to those on which the famous DR..
Busby omitted to dof his cap to
Charles H., when he visited Westmin-
ster school-that the scholars would
think there was'a greater man than even
the Doctor. On the great estates the
profits of the agent, taking house and
grounds and salary, with rates of labor
into account, would enable him to live
IN as good style as a man with $4,000
to $15, 900 a year here. But there are
not more than dozen agencies of this
kind. Probably the best are those OF
the Dukes of Leinster, Abercorn, and
Devonshire, Lords Lansdowne, Water.
ford, Pembroke, (best of all, } and Fitz.
william, Sir Roger Palmer, and Mr..
Smith-Barry. MIR. Vernon, Lord Penn
broke's agent, is one of the three chief
Commissioners under the Land act. He
was allowed to retain the agency with
the judicial appointment because Lord
Pembroke's estate is almost exclusively
urban, being in or around Dublin. The
late MIR. Trench, who wrote ''Realities
of Irish Life" was agent for Lord Lans-
downe, Lord Bath (who is an entire
absentee and has no residence) and
Mr.. e. P. Shirley and his sons, one of
whom is now Lord Lansdowne's agent,
acted as his deputies. Altogether they
realized quite handsome income. Mr..
Trench undoubtedly accomplished some
very difficult and dangerous work, but
he was not what he might have been to
the poor people under him-was pomp-
GUS and consequential in high degree
in demeanor.and excessively arbitrary,
and at times harsh, in his administra-
ton of power. Many country gentle
men of small estate exc out their in.
comes by taking agencies. The greater
agents have social standing among
the chest people" in the county. Some
properties have no resident agent, but
an attorney comes from town to collect
the rents. In England only grandees
have agents. The fact of their being sc
usual in Ireland arises partly from alb.
senteeism and partly from the trouble
of collecting payments on very small
farms, for there are twenty tenants OF
an Irish estate where there would be bu
one on an English. The agents are
almost all Protestant, except where the
owner is Roman Catholic Most O
them are connected by local ties witt
Ireland. Many are the sons of formel
agents, ere barristers or attorneys, ane
a sprinkling are ret red Army and Nav,
officers. These latter are especially
eager in the pursuit of such places. No
few cases could be cited where tn,
agent has got not only the experience
but, in the end, all the money too, b.
taking cunning advantage of reckless
principal, lending him money. and ulti
mately having him completely in hi
power.