Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-08
THE DUKE OF DEvoNsHIRE.
A Generous Irish LandlOrd-His Vast
Estates and Contented Tenantry.

From the London Times
The Irish rental Of the Duke OF Devon
shire from lands, ground rents, ETC., is
roughly about 100000 / am told by the
way, that now they have not only parted
with their house property in YOughal, but
with the country estate as we'll Inc
Duke also owns very large property at
BandOn, as we'll as around Mallow and
Lismore, many of the Dest-tO-do OF the
Band0n tenantry being Protestants.
Many Of his farmers have as many as five
hundred acres, the average OF the hold
ings being about fifty acres. The size
was greatly reduced and the excess Of
population relieved after the famine.
Then the occupants Of the small hill
croits and the sQuatters were
only too glad TO receive the
money for emigration. As usual on
Irish estates, there are great differences
in the quality OF the land. There is deep
soil, carving heavy crops, along the
Blackwater, and there are fertile mead
ows, where fine cattle are to be seen,
while among the wastes and the bare
mOOrlands slOping up to the hills the crotts
are poor enough in all conscience. But
the tenants sit al easy rents, and very
trivial reductions were made when the
landlord was taken into the Land Courts.
The present Duke. as an enthusiastic
improve the breed of cattle, though in
that he had been anticipated by his pre-
decessOr. Good bulls and stations have
been sent into the district. Necessarily
the valuation Of farms must always be
something of an open question, though
from the Dukes liberality in other mat
ters, 1t may be inferred that he is an easy
landlord. Here, however. are some facts
and figures as to what has been done in the
with
gas. being the smallest town in Ireland
which is so illuminated 1t was the late
Duke who found half the capital, the rest
being subscribed by the inhabitants. The
present Duke has supplied il with water,
brought from considerable distance, at
his own expense. He has presented it
with a large field for holding the markets,
very much increasing the business by re-
lieYing the people who bring their cattle
there of rates and dues. He subscribed
{ 1000 towards the handsome Cethoic
church. Yet ali that expenditure, though
munhcent, is trifiing compared to what
has been done toward opening up railway
communications. There was an
awkward break in the line
between Fermoy and Water
ford. The Duke. at an outlay of G150,000,
carried the line on from FermOy to LIS
more, a distance of 10 miles. that section.
by the Great Southern and Western Com
panV. Then when there were delays and
difficulties as TO extending the line to
Waterford, the Duke contributed very
largely toward the county guarantee of
per cent, and for much of the money be
has advanced he has had neither return
nor security. In short, it is not too much
to say that but for his assistance the
schemes for continuing the lire must have
4
no easy outlet for their produce.
Nor have the laDOrers been neglected
while the farmers have benefited. This
season, as repeatedly before, the Duke
has won the prize for model cottages
given by the Royal Irish Agricultural So
ciety. A few of these cottages are orna-
mental, in two-stOTies, and relatively ex-
pensive. But the cottages of the ordinary
class strike me as being extremely cheap,
SO covering everything. The contract
includes rOOmy kitchen, with two small
sleeping rooms on the ground floor, while
in the kitchens, for the separation of
the sexes, are a couple OF "berths"
reached by ladder, where bows
can sleep very comfortably aud with
freer air than in the bedrooms.
At the back is a pig house, a poultry
house and other offices. or the cost of
these cottages little more than One-ffth is
borne by the farmers. Itneed not be said
that they are a great boom 70 the labOring
population; yet. except in the case OF rich
and philanthropic landlords, the land acts
have left little encouragement to erect
them. A haTassed and embarrassed man
Will naturally hesitate before sinking
money in farms which are held at fixed
rents, with incessant appeals for further
reductions. Cottages are being built in
some places by the unions on terms
w a. N orfV cl erh &c In hA
tractors, and promise little for the COM
fort or the inmates