The Irish standard., 1886-04-17
IRISH LANDLORD AND TENANT,

lRlSH LANUhUhU AMI LIN AN l.
Lord Kingston and Patrick McManus-A
Pitiful Tale.
Mr.. Wilfred Blunt, SO well known as
q friend to Arabi and as the husband OF
Lady Anna Loveiace, the grand
daughter of Lord Byron, publishes an
Interesting interview with All Irish ten
ant in an English paper as an average
example of the true relations all such
tenants bear to the landlord.
Mr.. Blunt has just returned from Kill
ronan, in county Roscommon, where
Lord Kingston has been evict-
ing his tenantry, and situated in
p;Kel}y's district, near the boundary
lime Of Roscommon and Sligo. This is
a tract of mountain land thickly peo-
pled. The little whitewashed houses
OF the peasant tenants dot the land
scape close to each other right up to
the hill in plots Of five to ten acres, and
show distinctly how the land had been
reclaimed. Here the Celtic population,
be:ng driven from the better lands in
&ht. plains, haYe taken refuge in times
past and reclaimed the soil at their own
cost, and built these dwellings with
their own hands.
Mr.. Blunt thus narrates his inter-
view with the tenant, Patrick Nc
Manus. a little old .man OF seventy,
hunched, bent and bowed, but cheerful
under his rnisfortunes:
[ found him in a neighbor's house,
where he had been taken in through
charity. + asked him where he had
been born, and ne told me in a house
yonder where the soldiers were, and
which had been his own. 1t had been
built from the ground by his father.
who mad originally taken five acres,
partly of rough grass and partly for till
age. Thirty years ago he had himself
reclaimed two and q half acres more
from the mountain, going down to the
valley for lime and carrying it up in
baskets ON his head at @ shilling {. bas-
ket. About that time, having some
savings, he paid EGO for the tenant
right Of another bit of eight acres. But
the very next year the landlord had
taken this away from him without
compensation. He now held seven
and half acres, five inherited from his
father and two and & half acres, five in
herited from his father and two and a
half reclaimed by himself, and for this
ne paid e5 per annum. People had adj
yised him to go into court to get his
rent lowered, but where was he to find
xaoney for it? So he had gone on till
last autumn, when he WAS sued for a
half years rent--e2 9s. lid. and now
for G3 l2s. l0d., with eviction. 1t was
only half years rent he owed. and he
had paid his rent and his father before
him for seventy years. He pathetically
said, IT believe. like Job, in justice and
God, and that would get back one day
hefore / died into my own house,
I found the house, continues MIR.
Blunt, occupied by the emergency man,
a sailow youth and three constables,
who were engaged cooking the owners
potatoes. Iasked the constables whether
they liked their work, and they said
they were not allowed to think whether
they liked it or not, but they got three
siiillings and sixpence day while on
such work. 1t may be, said one, with
q curious smile, home rule wouldn't be
better tor US, though it might be for
the country, The emergency man said
nothing, but went on eating potatoes.
Here is how the case Of debtor and
creditor stands, 50 far as I can make out,
between McManus and LordKlngston.
Pat owes Lord Kingston e2 29s. Id,
Plus costs for being eyicted, E3 lbs. 10d.
total, 96, Is. Sd. Per contra, Lord
Kingston has got from Pat house Of
the approximate value, let US say, OF
5g70; two and half acres Of waste
and reclaimed, value, say &i0, and for
eight acres Of land resumed without
compensation about se20, and for fines
at various times, say e5-total, CLOS
and the balance Of Patrich's loss is
e9S Its. Sd. That is to say, Patrick,
after seventy years Of honest labor, is
to die in the workhouse because Lord
Kingston owes hum EOS It's. Sd.
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