.0 ^ V.i8*^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I us 140 IL25 III 1.4 2.2 11. i 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716)S72-4S03 <^>" CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroraproductions / Inttitut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriquaa Technical and BibHographic Notas/Notas tichniquaa at bibliographiquas Tha Inatituta haa attamotad to obtain tha baat original copy tyailabla for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographicaHy uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chaclcad balow. D D n Colourad covara/ Couvartura da coulaur FTI Covara damagad/ Couvartura andommagAa Covara raatorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raataurte at/ou palliculAa I I Covar titia miaaing/ La titra da couvartura manque □ Colourad mapa/ Cartaa giographiquaa an coulaur □ Colourad ink (i.a. othar than blua or blacit)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua blaua ou noira) Colourad plataa and/or illuatrationa/ Planchaa at/ou illuatrationa an coulaur Bound with othar material/ ^ ' RaliA avac d'autrea documanta rri Tight binding may nauae ahadowa or diatortion along interior margin/ La re liure aarrie paut cauaar da l'o>^ibra ou de la diatortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank iaavea added duri.^g reatoration may aroear within the text. Whenever poaaibia, theae have been omitted from filming/ 11 ae paut que certainea pagea blanchea aJoutAea lore d'une reatauration apparaiaaent dana le texte. maia, loraque cela Atait poaaibia, cea pagea n'ont pea 4t« fiimAaa. The totl^ U^ Additional commenta:/ Commentairas supplAmantairas; mh notation may make printing difficult to read. L'Inatitut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 4tA poaaibia da ae procurer. Lea dAtaila de cet exemplaire qui aont peut-Atre uniquea du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modificetion dana la m Ithode normale de filmage aont indiquAa ci-daaaoua. |~n Colourad pagea/ D Pagea de couleur Pages damaged/ Pagea andommagAes Pages restored and/oi Pages restaurtea at/ou pellicul6es Pagea discoloured, stained or foxei Pages dAcolortes, tachaties ou piquies Pagea detached/ Pagea ditachies Showthroughy Tranaparance Quality of prir Qualit4k in6gale de I'impression Includes supplementary matarii Comprend du material supplAmentaire Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponible r~~| Pages damaged/ I — I Pages restored and/or laminated/ I — I Pagea discoloured, stained or foxed/ |~~j Pagea detached/ r^ Showthrough/ r7| Quality of print varies/ r^ Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ The poai ofti filml Orig begi the I aion othf firat aion or III The ahal TINI whi< Map diffi enti beg righ reqi met Pagea wholly or partially obacured by errata alipa, tiasues, etc., have been refilmed to enaura tha baat possible Image/ Lea pagea totaiement ou partiellement obacurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une peiure, etc.. ont M filmAes A nouveau de fa? on A obtenir la meilleure image poaaibia. Thia item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de riduction indlqu* ci-deaaoua. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2ex 30X V 12X 10X aox a4x 28X 32X Hails B du todifier r una Imaga The copy filmad hara haa baan raproducad thanka to tha ganaroaity of: MMropolHan Tofonto Library Canadian Hittory Dapartmant Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quaiity poaaibia conaldaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in Icaaping with tha filming contract apacif Icationa. L'axamplaira film* f ut raproduit grica i la ginAroalt* da: Matropolitan Toronto Library Canadian Hittory Dapartmant Las imagaa suivantaa ont At* raproduitaa avac ia plus grand soin, compta tanu da ia condKlon at da ia nattat* da l'axamplaira film*, at an conformM avac laa conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Original copiaa in printad papar covara ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or iliuatratad impras- sion, or tha bacic covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tha firat paga with a printad or iliuatratad impraa- sion, and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or iiiustratad impraaalon. IS Laa axampiairaa originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast imprimia sont fiimte an commandant par ia pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par ia darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illustration, aoit par ia sacond plat, salon la caa. Toua laa autraa axampiairaa originaux sont fiimte an commandant par la pramlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last recorded frama on aach microficha shall contain tha aymboi — ^- (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whichavar applies. Un dee symbolas suivants apparattra sur la darnlAre image do cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUiVRE", le symboie ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratlcs. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are riimed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimAs A des taux da rMuction diff Aranta. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un soul cilchA, ii est film* A partir do I'angia aupiriaur gauche, do gauche A droite, et do haut en baa. en prenant ia nombre d'imagea nAcassaira. Lea diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthoda. errata to I pelure, an * n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 l«»!:. •■si::- ■;(::■ ■ijil. ;'•■ ■;: •<■ m^ ■:iiii iiiiii, •iii'iiiiiiiil i;:ij;ip!l . r.y. ..Ml r'l.. li' -^!f ■.,1 li ■■■I. ■ •^^S ^•ts;.*' r0i, tea er degree, are our principal coiiipetitors the supply of com. The year 1870 wau a ' harvest year in England ; prices were , and the total imports of wheat were only 94,152 cwt. against 51,880,393 cwt. in 5. The following table gives the sources supply:— , V Feroeni Cwt of«U. Itnd States and Canada 91,716,886 imia e,769,aeo Itish India 8,379,887 ftnany 8,824,148 pt 8,918.aC7 Rkeyand Koamonia l,a38,8Sl ill 988,619 |iic« S9&SS0 Wark 962,580 tr oottntriea 8,808,8M 19.7 7.4 5.9 4.9 9.9 9.8 0.7 0.9 7.4 Total 44,374,169 100 he importations of corn wore 39,968,286 , of which upward of 60 per cent. cam6 this country. CanAcMan ezpoMsof in are included in those of this country. ill be seen tbWb Buasia aod Toricejr have hed 22.8 jxer cent of the lupcliea to d. Inuidlaa deatfli mcvmU Kg^t bebw iobjeot 1» the raMmliiiy- n 1 il ^ ri>difCflir9oolc«l Wl- flhii tlw Oaii<|iiM«r wm eoolfiWI imm 'tttytinagai. It ooalalni • "omwu of of EoRlAiid, and In** lifand ttuMi faortdly M 000 of the moit idoMlib dooameiiti Id fbe E0gllih SUte Vtipti Offlot. The eetMiu thus Noordad WW iiiede wUh gieat eure and jniantenen, •ndMcoxdlDi^to itai retuiiu the nnmbar ol Uad-holdHHi in Eogltnd pi 1086 vm 64|8I3. It osold Mtfflely he nUL thai all ttMM were land-ownen. ^ y<|rj fav from Ik Some held hf one tenate tedaome hy Mother, irot all had a mote oc leaa ahao* hile Inlflreat in a greater or Um portlou of kheeoU. No other land oaosoa haa ever heen oMdetill within afewjeani ago; In 1872 Parilanw&t ocderad 'Mother, and the OoMmhnlon appointed to take ohaXKe of the natter haa laielflMraedaa theraeolt U lU labonm two quarto Tolomea of 1,800 of oloaefy printed and tabalaied Thia aeoand Domesdaj Book Ita origin to the peralatent ol BefomMM, who have avaUf Pv^Hfi^ eg^^biit lanl Lwera Wgid lo 80,000 vm ^ M^ fUU ih« teti» Ifopdatka waa a9j7ia^Mft^ la 108S ItoMlHt hand, with a popciatloii of 2, OOO^OQO, «h«t were 5i,8l3 tand^waaia. lilalo b» pnadaed that, leadag ool U Timr tha eltf ef Loadoa, then aai84i000r OOOolaom III Baglaad and Wakaoooa- pM« uA 1,600,000' aoiea oonaaoM an^ waate. How how doea the new Daaaei day Book ahow that thla laid la owmdl It «o«U aaem faom tha aaauury that thei^ an 079,«M ^waan. Ihia aepwni ntt^ aatlaf^abiy, aad aceoa te teU 1 Ma W dUbrart iMMtt what the oppoaaala eClia# iBoaeffdly have been In the hAUeiiaek tbgforlh. Whea,how«T«r,lkUiaBdi>- Blood that ol theaa 703,289 hold leaa than an aaia^ the extent of the mlataha, If nle- tafc««hanbe,h aacntohelaaiBhaiaell^ thaanlght at fliat be ImagladL Of the nnudnlng 200,647, ebont 7,000 nay b#: dedneted for double retunaca torper* aona holding propertj in more tiiaa one eonntj. Thia would leaf* 26^,647 potiened of an aore and apvarda, wUoh night aeem to pdat to an' amount of dlitrlbntlmi fa* abore wluit had been generally aappoaed. Batthaa» when the partioulaia are gone bto attU- mora eKefoUy , a verj diSnrantoonolailoii lareadicd. TherearelOO pecaona who, among them, hold 3,852,000 aerea, or moaa than • one>ninth of Iha whole aoreage of the Ungdom; Three of thaae holdeaoh 100,000 aorea and apvari^ lAUe the lowcat amonnt held by any one of them la 20,000 aorea. Another faet tcUa Ita own atory. Of the thlrtyfovr miUhMia of aoren^ 12^000 ' penona bwit 29,846,000. ThblearcB 4,164,000 aor | to be owned by all the reat. At we hav* abeady aaid, 703,289 own lem than an aereeaoh, oru^ about 600,000 aeraa In all, kaviog 3,664,000 to the oth« "land- ownera." Of thea^ 260,000 wlB mvr age holdlnga'of firom one to ftre aorn, and 7,471 a good deal more. The twelve Ivgeat ownera In England and Walea aa regardaaraa are the Doke cf Noithum- beriaad, Dake of Darronahlre^ Doke of Clarehmd, Sir W. W. W|a»» I>ukn ol Bedford, Earl of OarlUe, pt^ of Eat. lead. Earl of hwwi»l% to^ .iMoadeld, Mail Powli^ Sail BiovaWw, aad BmI 'al:X)eily* Ha liali laid by the OolleffM of the £411,164 PMipioidyttlWMutlM of Ini^kHii !■ vUik ttin ^ no U4v«' domn bold 149,8^ mm, uA «&• DoMm oI liweMttr imi Oorawall 80^901. ! ^ Nov, wlMkk doikoM Nianii ilMir t Ap. poNB^f thai Booriy a nlUbm ol pofWNU .oim porta of tlio soil of Snf- hai. Bat uluft ndlf t Ihol 12,1«0 hoodi ol fualllM own 29,860,000 mkoo oat of an icgNi^ ol 34,000,000; onA that oa4 ot a total nntal ol 1600.000,000 Umm 19,100 abiorb $447,760,000. Tiwie'tiro facta nuMM than malEe oat tha oaiooltlio land nloriaen^ w]u> lna|»t, not apm lind obnfiioatloa or Intetfo^oneo with o»- dfaucf tndaIaini,batapon all banrlan ptothaoaaj and dtaap tmnate ol land bobg dona KW%f irlth, ao tbat that ipadea be lahJMt to the lattte laws of aoeamola- tloo uid disintegration, and be In evetf COM disposed of as freely as any other ar* tiole of merohavidlflo. In other wocd«|^ ihst all laws of entail and primogenitor* shenld be abolished, and tli%t in ofwy eaie a nsan that doafa In landahoold, II ha oannot pay Ua debti, have hia proporty sold without reierT>^ exactly aa if he dealt In sugar and tea. Thna the EnsUsh land qnoitlon, aa It now stands. Is ais wa hare often assertei In these eolmnns. No entail, no prlmo* genltna^ and cheap oonTayanotaig» *> *^ the title-deed of an aore may notoost as mnoh as that offkn earldom. B?erythlng polnta to this Tuy speedily bsoomlng one of the "bomlng ' qneatiens in Britain. »«.i«»<^V*»,jM •p^f«..4U»i ■ . • t. • f ••j*-*r gy ?'• fS «''«,'-? J!.*.t iX9f^x.-ai.M tblmse nr OESSiku. ■ ■ . ' » . TOTAL roODDOTIOir Of ITOOPa— ^THB OBOPS 4K9:WrQRTB Of 1870 — ^thi PBOBA]pi.a ' :, DBMAMD rOB AKBBICAN PBODUOIB. • /9 (B9tton flewM.)^ /^ a,»»„H-.a toreiy careful statisncal «Ki kreoently made by the Treaph Oov«rn4 Jthb total oehial prodtfQtihe coosftttp*roi» Jtfetelif tahi^*^ Statefthat come Vter Bweddiapon; i, have to obtain ^;iain sap^eb fram countries. Ii this oonntry thtM-BlOke cereal productitm consists of botn. In %— oats predominate, and next in qutsntity w wheat, rye, barley, and com. Ba8Sia,Pj sia, and France produce large whsat Mo; and the two first are onr largest eompetoi — In the English market. In Bombiiiin Md Senria com takes the first ranlc^ ^^JPi *"> 1860 Russia and Prusria led the iMttd States in the supply of wheat. Vram M to 1861 the exports of wheat from thii try to England spmng suddenly up , 340,504 cwt to 15,610,472 owt, M^lUe in same period RuMda advanced oidx CNib' 3,837,464 to 4,667,483 owt., and pEUSsta/firmn ! 3,346,301 cwt. to 4,462,673 cwt. The lead, * taken so suddenly by this coimti^ has efor; I since been maintained. Tables oote|lt|g Hmh ' years from I860 to 1872 show that .the "'■^" , ted States suppUfd England dozing '*^ I riod with 28.6 per cent, of het totfil ' of wheat, including flonr^ agBlnst centfix>m Bussia and 17.2 per ' Qermany. In the same period Im- ported 43 per cent, of her tottdlht] of com froi^ this G0untry|In ISottL. of cmm from tUSl ootthivy to OriNt only amonhtod to 1,341,304 boliheis, _ , ., 1,796,632 bushels from Turkey and Boama;' nia, and 1,^0,628 bnahisls ^coinBttsda. tAij present Boumania and Soothei^ Bnssia. 1;d » lesser degree, are our principal oompetitoML In the supply of cci. The year 1876 was'4 good harvest year in England; prioeBz.weca low, and the total itiportiof n^eat wen o^ 44,394,162 cwt against »1,88«,393 cwt,-1)| 1875. The following table gives the araiDsa of supply:— I. tolspsr anom. Otihis Ishes 'iM^^f^^ bushels, ^ol iM^-M^ *^-%^^^ '■".■>- .-Owt '^■ Unitod HtalM Md aaiuUU •*!>?%%> BmsU...... "MS?S Btitiah IndU., JSJiS KSTPt.' i. 9fM TiirkByuid Rotunanta. .^.t.... Iff Chili, ,,*•*........>. ■......*..•• fnnet jijjii OtlMr oovntriw S,fl|^SSB xMTMflU. S t.fr S.S 0.7 n [] s' fe v3 »■ \?. 5*. >,im: 1P0t»l«»««»»»»ee«'ee'a»s««e'«^"»"%(?^ The importatimiB of 90m iri»t9 80,9S8,|I#^ titfeivn-K'^r 'W>(**r M. AT-' 'i f> o<„ £3 k if.- ',*&> •f ,. •»»<( >.,•,> C'lf ^ 9 ^ •%..-• -^ /.- '■''1 V. ^ ■'--, «» / sis )1 ^ Oi &^ "•t^ ^' te^ ^ % •O'^- V o. ^ ^ -^ ^ ^ r K^ t hq o H :n..- ^ 4> ^ \ \ < V £3 fi X CC!i A 'X ^ ^ I s*:,! j;^(S!rw«i*w«5fe«8^^ Ms^m; •Paoty Monagl^ M^^ 1 miadio OonuuflnoAr ^fn.tft in tbi* ooM^ iam, <^ which S^4RlMWf .-. V jr«ttr, apd 26>99S are mi}> aijmKioKj aod mouoUiD. Br J 18Bl. Mrf 1871 Monaghan lost 11^ 4^ Its popaiation ; the number of) ^^U.ai hoQBCi diminiahiog ia the lanM |>er?^d, 21,064 to 22,420. Id ibe [list ii{«Qtioned year the total populatiop lif flw tmtnty amonnty Ito 114;969 per- \Mi^' af ooeapatton ibe inhabitants distributed as follows:— Profession- \^; domestic, 1^607; com- ^5{ ai^ioaltnn), 31,5^f ia-H ,928; indefinite and noB'l^ro- |e^te^^j508. There are 14,516 fnrm- l^o^enjpying 19^893 farm holdings. vfme latter, 2,583 are under five acres ; 4«787 are between 5 and 10 acres ; 6,1^. are %etwete 10 and ^ ; 2,600 are be- tiraeo 20 and 30; 986 are between 30 «i$ 40 ; 447 are between 40 and SO ; 368 ' are between 50 and 75 ; and 234 are be- tween 75 and 700 acres. One holding akae is above 1000 acres in extent. By roligiou« profession, the population of J ?i2S''^'2P ''** distributed as follows in i 1S?2:— Roman Catholics, 84,345, or 7d?4 per pent. ; Protestant RoiscopaHan?, 15,Ml, or 13*6 per cent. ; Presbyicrians, 1^914, or 121 per cent, j Methodists, ^', and all other denominations, 576. In i9n there were 4,964 persons in ntoashan speaking English and Irish, and 138 who speak Irish alone, while, in |861i the Iric^-speakiog population num< tered 7,417. Monaghan counts 203 pri- Sai^ schools, of which 157 are under the ational^vstem.and 33 belong (o the vanrcfr Education Society; and four sni^ior edueational establishments, of 1 wni^ two are ecclesiastical. In the ten j years preeeding 1871, 14,953 persons ] fWJ^rated from the county, against 26,- 842 in the previous deeen Dial period. Tyborb.— The statistics of thiscoun- ty, drawn fi-pai the census of 1871, have Just been published. They show a popu- Jktion of 215,766 persons, which is a decrease of 22,735 from the last consus. The number of inhabited houses in the ooBBty is less by 1,340, being now 41,. 62Brth6ietininhabited are 1,340. Prom »bli*«oreage of 775,255 there are 275,- MZiwm under tillage, 264,-271 are de- ^otedto pasture, and 9,195 to planta- , i4^^ W tliB oi^Dty tb6 eotam^ial I eldiianot rei:^ large, only mustering ' TtiaJicncurt^ral (ilaas, however, ^{f ^^i^^» "Q^I ^he industrial 1»€v« ' " 42,156^rMMlM|liiad' >ti.. TJuiJesittiim»ift _. 6 OhruOrnhguXim, ia tgahwIiTof tb'^ Sodet^of Ittmektiii; but only two genuine Jews; Uoitarti^ 5, whioD is also the number of the Frle- thiokers; Brethren 17; Plyitto^th do. 21, and Christian do. &, but ibt " Christians" of the county only nam- her 26. The illiterate persons of^five years and upwards arc 55|359or29^r cent, of the population. This shows a considerable improvement in the census of 1861, when the percentage was 32-6. In that year there were 206 persons who ^ke Irish only, and 10,654 who could both speak English and Irish. At the last census these numbers were 130 and 6,421 respectively. Ap regards emi^- tion, the ]^« t census shows that 23fr22 persons havj emigrated during the pre- vious ten years, whereas during the ten years preceding 1861 the number was 39,629. . GALWAT.-r-The census of Ireland for 1871 has reached as far as Galway, which forms the subjeict of the portion of the return^ last issued. There were in Galway County in 1871 a total popu- lation of 248,458 persons, against 440,- 098 persons in 1841. The number of inhabited bouses in 1871 was 45,564; in 1841, it was 73.325. The total valua- tion of houses and land in Galway county in 1871 was £439,521, and in Gftilway town, £32,453. The town of Galway is tenanted by 4,102 families, living in 3,365 bouses, of which 404 are first class, and two (?) are mud cabins. The total population of the town of Galway in 1871 was 19,843, and of these 8 were between 85 and 90 years of age. No centenarian is reocrded, but the un- usually large number of 6i i>«rauus, including 19 males and 35 females, are dnumerated in the county population as having attained the age of 100 years and upwards. Of the total population of the County Galway, excluding the county of the town, and comprising a total of 228,615 persons, the enormous proportion of 321,316 persons wore of the Roman Catholic religion. Protes- tants are set down as numbering 6,649 ; Presbyterians, 443 ; Alethodists, 222 ; all other denominations not exceeding 85. In this l9tter number are included several eccentric denominations. The capital of the county exhibits pretty much the same proportions in the reli- gious diflFerences of its population. The figures with respect to education show a rather large 4)roportion of illiteracy I among the people, particularly among the Gatholio tection, which, of course, I forms (he popular aud poorest as well ad Jl Ibe laifest element. No less thni| 30,- iish.' Irooi 1151 mtmjm^ 'J^ n litariau , ath do. ' mt tbt iy nnui* s ot&ve r29^r bHow8 a. Q oensQS ras 32-6. 0D8 who could At the 130 aod etnigra- t23;^ the pre- the ten >er was THCB LAND QUESTION OP BEING A SEK;IES (DIP HjETTEK^S PUBLISHED IN THE "LONDON TIMES," FROM THEIR OWN SPECIAL COMMISSIONER. WITH A REFERENCE MAP. ■ \ PRICE, SO CENTS TORONTO: A, S. IRVING, PUBLISHER. NTED AT THE LEADER OFWOB. •t ** ■\^iSyo. • ■>« Q '"•W • 30 oo-« .•o 90 1 ••• •..•• **••.• • •:::• ■ '. - iKkn^^H ■"•() :/ ' 1 In' the the The IO«Wk4Ml|e ^J liiti> the irl|o)e iittieiltiil 11 .n"*.»r».-««SW«-:i»!«gV>. Apr It .• • ••. •••; [•.:•:::•.• When the Loud Special C of the sji one of th Tenure v patience The adtr Commiss the trutl either th( Letters t satisfacti< opinions question. PREFACE. -•♦♦- When the present Ministry determined to remedy Irish grievances, the London Times, with its usual enterprise, secured the services of a Special Commissioner to investigate and exhibit the various workings of the system of Land Tenure, which was universally admitted to be one of the chief causes of Irish discontent. The mere facts of IriiUi Tenure were so distorted and exaggerated that it required the greatest patience and ability to sift the evidence presented for investigation. The admirable Letters furnished from time to time by the Special Commissioner, afforded ample proof that, in attempting to arrive at the truth, he had not been carried away by favor or affection for either the owner or the occupier. The Publisher has collected these Letters together, with their Editorial introductions, and has great satisfaction in laying them before the Public, as exhibiting the opinions of an unbiased and well-informed party upon this momentous question. A. S. Ibviko, Publisher, ^'^ ^^n/t Sf/ffiet. Toronto. at c t 9i k B o tf s. 1 tt S Q 1 2 c 1 1 to* I -5i Y~ S' it ' A Dili Question as the I most ne have to 1 haa neve meat. 1 the most Passion linea- f t a man n or in att will find for one < of Irish from wi patience dence pi the faitl would gi measure tion mus wildest c of state has reali combina possess other hit portod 1 public c Establisl by those equal gc ment ha unjust at the natic laboured their pec State. I can be e: ment of article ol ment of certain t prejudice the way We pi articles ' , ■■,♦■ ■ u THE LAND QUESTION OF IRELAND. A Bill for the settlement of the Lan^ Question of Ireland has been Ion;; promised as the measure the Ministry will put fore- most next Session; and the promise will have to be redeemed. A more difficult task has never been undertaken by any Govern- ment. It demands the widest knowledge, the most sober jud;jment, the firmest faith. Passion and prejudice have clouded the out- lines • f the Land difficulties of Ireland, and a man must keep strict guard over himself, or in attempting to arrive at the truth he will find himself hurried away by sympathy for one or other disputant. The mere facts of Irish tenure are so distorted, as repeated from witness to witness, that the utmost patience is oftea baffled in sifting the evi- dence presented for investigation. As for the faith that is necessary in those who would grapple with this problem, who shall measure it ? To settle the Irish Land Ques- tion must, in the cars of many, sound as the wildest of promises. It has been the dream of statesman after statesman, yet no one has realized it: for. in addition to the rare combination of qualities the Minister must possess who shall compass it, there arc other hindrances behind. He must be sup- ported by an intelli>;ent and a resolute public opini:;n. In destroying the Irish Establishment Mr. Gladstokk was backed by those unflinching advocates of good and equal government oy whom the Establish- ment had been uniformlly denounced as unjust and injurious, but the casting vote of the nation was undoubtely duo to those who laboured for its downfall because it violated their peculiar theories of the functions of the State. No especial fervour of voluntaryism can be exoHCted in furthering the improve- ment of tne Land Laws of Ireland. As an article of the Liberal programme the settle- ment of tho Land Question will receive a certain amount of adoption, but there are prejudices even here v/hich must stand in the way of any heartiness in the cause. We publish to-day the first of a series of articles on the Land Question of Ireland written by an intelligent observer, with smgular qualifications for hia task, who has undertaken to study on the spot che pheno- mena of agriculture in the sister island. It is of an introductory character; but its perusal may servo to supply an answer to the question, often raised, why there should be any Land Reform in Ireland at all. This is the first prejudice to be overcome. The Land Laws of Ireland are substantially the same as those of England ; the variations are trivial and technical, while on all im- portant points there is a complete identity. Where, then, is it asked, is the need f^r further legislation ? English landlords and English tenants live in amity together, and if things are different in Ireland, the A|ult must bo with the people, not with the laws under which they live. It might be thought a sufficient reply to this reasoning to pomt out that every successive Administration for many years passed has confessed the neces- sitr of further legislation for Ireland. Each of them has had its Land Bill, and while those who have been " out,"whether Liberal or Conservative, have not been slow to criti- cize the scheme of those who were ♦' in," they have been found a year or two after- wards reproducing the same proposals — the same, at least, in principle — a3 their own. But we need not rely upon mere authority. The fe^tory of Ireland has been different to that oTTTngland ; tHe social systems of the two countries have been widely apart ; the education of thoir inhabitants is dissim ilar. Our correspondent rapidly reviews ~tKe agrarian history of Ireland since the begin- ning of the present century, and the retro- spect is sufficient to bring into painful light the dissimilarity of the two nations. All this, how3ver, ^ may be replied, does noth- ing more than establish the fact that the people are different, or, if that form of putting it be preferred, that the nations nre unlike, and therefore confirms the opinion , that the fault is with the peogje, and mi f with the laws. Theanswer to this is, tnat ' wKere nations differ laws must differ also. A ^CCCOi^oi THE LAND QUESTION legislator hu before bim the people for wnom he makes laws, and it is in reference to them he must legislate. It may be al- lowed that it should be his object to educate them bv law, but he cannot accomplish this onless he takes note of their peculiar charac- teristics 5 and if he fail to do this and leave them unguided in their special difficulties, aome part at least of the blame of the disor- organization that follows must rest upon him. The necessity of legislating with reference to the society for which legislation is intend- ed may be thought self-evident, but the pro- position is of such essential importance in its bearing on the Irish question that it may receive some simple illustration. It often happens that laws punishing particular of- fences are not found iu the jurisprudence of a country until an advanced period of its history. The offence is not committed, or so rarely as not to attract attention. Thus, for example, it is not yet a score of years— it is, indeed, barely a dozen — since the first Act was passed by Parliament for the pun- ishment of fradulent trustees. The system of trusts had been ingrafted on our law for centuries, and it is unquestionable that many a trustee must in that time have abused his powers with fradulent intentions, yet his responsibility was limited to the restitution of the property he had misapplied ; he was never made liable to punishment for his mis- conduct. Suppose, before the scandals had arisen which gave occasion to the passing of the Fraudulent Trustees Act, instances had been rife of misappropriation of trust funds, and the persons interested in these funds, finding that their sole redress was an illusory order directing a bankrupt to refund money' he had spent, had taken the law into their own hands and committed acts of violence on their dishonest guardians. What would have been the reflection of in- telligent men on such events ? Would they have said it was sud that trustees could not be found who were discreet and faithful, and that it was sadder to think that their wards were passionate and violent, and that there were other countries where trustees and their wards never quarrelled ? Or would they not rather have said that it was plain the law was defective which did not provide for the punishment, and thereby for the repression, of wrongs too frequently recurring ? It may be, and in a sense it is, the fault— that is to say, the defect— ot a people that the peace cannot be preserved among them without more definite provi- sions protecting the proper claims of iodivi- dnals than are found necessarv in a neigh- bouring country ; but it is still more clearly the fatut of the legislature that these claims should be liable to be violated in the absence of means of protection, and should give rise to the violence of self-assertion in consequence. Another observation must be made in ap- proaching the discussion of the Land Laws in Ireland. It is necessary to protest that we do not mean to imply by the illustration we have used, and we do not in fact believe, that it is common for the landlords of Ire- land to outrage the proper claims of their tenants. Laws are made not so much for the guidance and support of the best as for the repression and punishment of the worst of a community. If there w^re no law 5a England against highway robbery, the mas( of Englishmen wouldstill, as wp hope,abstaiQ from "taking to the road," and the existence of the law is no more than a confessios that there are some who in its absence wouH be guilty of the crime which it punishes, ac there is, indeed, a small number who eves, now commit the offence hoping to escape punishment. The law of landlord and tenant vests in the landlord in Ireland, as in Eng- land, an immense power ; and if it is found as a matter of fact that there is a proportion of Irish landlords — although the proportion may be so small that their joint acreage may be even comparatively contemptible — habi- tually disregarding claims which on any principle of justice must be admitted to be rightly put forward by their tenants, a case for the intervention of the Legislature, by way of stricter definition of mutual rights, is established. One last point must be noticed. Why, it will be asked, does not the Irish tenant pro- tect himself? The letting and hiring of land IS a matter of contract, and it is open to the cultivator of the soil to prevent any infrac- tion of his just claims by insisting upon ap- propriate stipulations at the commencement of his tenancy. This touches one of the greatest difficulties of the Irish question. We have the most unqualified belief that in the highest development of our social or- ganization the relations between landlord and ten»».nt must bo determined by free con- tract, ef needy, a mable to fu' do anythi leld the land nain, and tl t as much a: irovidence. some under !]!hancery, an )f interests >wner and tl ivas aptljr ddi nfeudation" stroyed resj md led to i )ver, except where for n isage bad g nterest) leld by the a 1 mures ; am ed in the abaenco and should give self-assertion in t be made in ap- ' the Land Laws Y to protest that J the illustration t in facf believe, landlords of Ire- claims of their lot 80 much for f the best as for lent of the worst wpro no law in obbory. the mast wp hope, abstain md the existence an a confessios ts absence would! h it punishes, ae imber who evec, oping to escape (liord and tenant and, as in Eng- and if it is found e is a proportion 1 the proportion )int acreage may temptible — habi- which on any e admitted to be ' tenants, a case ! Legislature, by f mutual rights. )ticed. Why, it Irish tenant pro- id hiring of land it is open to the . vent any infrac- isisting upon ap- commencement ; ;hes one of the Irish question, ed belief that in f our social or- Jtween landlord ned by free con- Jther at arm's e essential that, be attempted, > retard — every accelerate — the shall bo able to quality w'th the ually look upon contract. Tt is. ssible and even 'ence may lessen : the cultivator injurious notion OF IRELAND. that he and the soil he cultivates are indis- solubly connected. But we are bound to look at the facts of tbe case, and the facts, such as we know them, enforce the conclu- sion that the Irish peasant cannot even now, from over-population and other causes, con- tract freely with his landlord even at the commencement of his tenancy, much less fortify his position when he is alread;^ a tenant. Heio, however, we are entering upon what must be reserved for the subse- S[uent letters of our correspondent — the acts of the tenure of land in Ireland. Our immediate purpose is served if we loosen and dissipate the prejudices interfering with a proper consideration of those facts as presented. No. I. I have undertaken, at your request, to investigate and report upon a subject of gieat national importance. The Land Sys- tem of Ireland— that is, the relations between the owners and occupiers of the soil in that country, and the social pheno- momcna resulting from them- — has for many years, as your readers know, attracted much general and painful attention. Half a century ago, when, daring the period of distress that followed the war with France, Parliament considered the question for the frst time, that system had definitively ssumed a form that, without^exaggeration, lay be described as being melancholy and ortentous. Absenteeism, with its numer- >us and complicated mischiefs, prevailed to in enormous extent: and throughout the sland large tracts had fallen into the hands >f needy, and worthless landlords, who, nable to fulfil a single duty of property or 9 do anything to improve their estates, eld the land in a kind of destructive mort- nain, and though only of extracting from t as much as it could yield to reckless im- }rovideuce. A considerable area, too, had some under the control of the Court of Chancery, and in many districts a gradation >f interests was interposed between the )wner and the cultivator of the soil which vras aptly dtssignated as a "barbarous sub- nfeuaation" which confused rights, de- stroyed responsibility, checked industry, vaA. led to many acts of injustice. More- 9r, except in the province of Ulster, where for many generations a well-Enown isage had given the tenant a substantial nterost, the land was, for the most part, leld by a poor peasantry on precarious mures : and even where leaseholds were not uncommon there were few signs of grow- ing improvement. Above all, an immense and increasing breadth of the country was being rapidly covered by the dense swarms of a cottier population, who, intrenching on the domain of legitimate husbandry, and clinging in wretchedness to their petty hold- ings — their squalid '' cabins and potato gar- dens" — spread over the island a huge mass of villagers — multitudinous array of want and pauperism. The consequences of this state of things were seen in widespread disorder and poverty, and in a complete disorganization of society. Except in a few favoured districts, agricul- ture was in a backward condition ; the land bore on its face the marks of neglect and thriftlessness ; even where nature was most kindly, industry seemed generally to lan- guish. By the pressure of population on the undeveloped resources of the country, the rent of land was usually forced up to a point too high for the public good ; it was regulated, as has been well said, by the competition of starvation, not of capital ; aad, accordingly, the growth and accumula- tion of the national wealth were ruinously checked ; and the occupier of the soil was too often the mere dependent serf of his landlord, kept iu a lifelong state of hopeless penury. Owing to the general poverty of the peasantry, too, and the subdivision of holdings which was one of its effects, the impiovcments .added to the soil were few; the landowner, from his peculiar position, was usually able to throw on the occupier the burden and cost of the few that were made ; and he was too often tempted, on a change of tenantry, to appropriate titesd improvements to himself, and to confiscate, witnout an equivalent return, the hardly- earned fruits ct another's industry. Add to this, that, from a variety of causes, the running up into the historical past, the salu- tary customs and charities of life which in a well-ordered state of society adorn the rela- tion of landlord and tenant existed only in a few parts of the island, and that by far the greater portion old animosities of race and sect btill separated the classes connected with the land, and we can comprehend what elements of mischief were scattered pro- fusely through the community. The impediments, moreover, to national progress that necessarily followed from this state of things were by no means the most formidable consequence. Society in Ire- land at this period, in the words of a singu- larly calm-minded statesman , was gravitat- ing towards a war of classes, a fierce strug- gle for the means of subsistence. In several counties the unfortunate 'peasantry, unable 7 f 6 8 THE LAND QUESTION / to bear the pressure of want, whicli seemed continaally apon the increase, formed com- binations to compel the redaction of rent and the settlement of wages — a wild endea- vour to fix upon the soil a population it could not, in its actual condition, support within even an approach to comfort. In part, unconsciously to themselves, the small farmers and the mass of cottiers arrayed themselves into a set of Trades' Unions for the purpose of rej^ulating property in land, so as by some means get a livelihood out of it; ana, like other Trades' Unions, they ex- pressed their will by a system of terrorism and general outrage. The Wbiteboy code confronted the law and overcame it in many districts, tribunals of assassination and violence prescribed the conditions of landed tenure, and pgrarian crimes increased and multiplied, supported far and near by popu- lar sympathy. The upper classes, angry and terrified, and baclced by the whole power of the State, retaliated with no light vengeance ; and repeated acts of coercion, special commissions to administer relentless justice, continual executions and transporta- tions, and law executed with unsparing Beverity were the lamentable and unceasing consequences. So threatening was this state of society that Sir George Lewis, as he surveyed it, wrote of ft in this remark- able language : — " This system pervades the whole community ; it sets the rich against the poor ; it sets the poor against the rich ; it constantly actuates the whole agricultural population in their most ordi- nary dealings ; it causes sleepless nights and anxious days to those who do not individu- ally feel the weight of its vengeance. It is not the banding together of a few outcasts who betake themselves to illegal courses and prey on the rest of the community, but the deliberate association of the peasantry, seeking by cruel outrage to insure them- selves against the risk of utter destitution and abandonment. Its influence, therefore, even when unseen, is general ; it is, in fact, the mould into which Irish society is cast— the expression of the wants and feelings of the general community. So far as it is suc- cessful it is an abrogation of the existing law, and an abolition of the existing govern- ment, for which it substitutes a dominion, beneficial apparently in its immediate con- sequences to the peasantry, but arbitrary, capricious, violent, unprincipled, and san- guinary, oppressive of the upper and cor- ruptive of the lower classes, and, in the long run, most pernicious to the entire society." This state of society was for many years the subject of anziooa enquiries in Parlift- ment; but statesmen, though appalled at th( condition o results, were able to devise no other remedy through than an imperfect Poor Law and measnrei serf has of coercion. A terrible visitation of Provi into the de nee brought nearly to an end an order oi of wages things that threatened not only Ireland, ba by eveij < the empire. The precarious root which ha( of product sustained the teeming and impoverishei tion betwr" Irish peasantry, which, as has been said, profits, rei was the material basis on which society ii Ireland rested, perished during two consecu II ai C( tive seasons ; and the nation, after an agon| izing trial, went through a great and Strang iransformation. The masses of wretched ness that incumbered the soil were lifted' from it literally in millions, and having ex perienced a bitter ordeal, relie ved by mag- nificent Imperial charity, sougTit tne lar Wesfiri the continuous waves of an emigra tion unparalled in history. At the same time' the whole system of property in Ireland was smitten by a sudden shock ^ embarrassed landlords were involved in ruin ; the inter- ests of middlemen, as the class of interme- diate owners wus called, became in most instances almost worthless. The fetters in which the land was bound were thus in an extraordinary way loosened, and statesman ship happily lent its aid to promote a revolu- tion ultimately fortunate. A Poor Law, stringent, yet on the whole just, prevented poverty from re-settling on the soil, and accelerated, as we believe wisely, the emi- gration of the cottier population. The estates of the insolvent landlords were sold and transferred to others by a summary pro- cess, and in this manner an immense area was thrown open to a new class of proprie- tors. At the same time many legislative efforts v/ere made to simplify and reform tenures, and to attract capital and energy to the land ] and the Imperial Exchequer con tributed largely in loans for the improve ment of landed property. The results, con joincu with the natural influence of the mild and impartial system of government which has now prevailed during many years, can not be doubtful to a candid enquirer. The material wealth of Ireland has increased in a wonderful degree since the great famine. Several millions of acres, formerly waste, have been reclaimed and permanently en- closed, and throughout the whole country agriculture has made remarkable and suc- cessful progress. The worst phenomena of the ola state of society have in a great degree vanished. What has been called landlordism is not felt to be universally an intolerable burden ; there is no war of mere poverty against property* If agrarian con- federacies still exist, tney have lost much of their baleful activity. Above aU, the accumulat state of Ir compared ration. Notwitl progress, ' afewperp Irish agni that of E cept in SOI defective though dii detrimentt barrassed they were, been bro landed pr basis. T much goo in some di class of p and illibei gion and ; of Che 801 done som over the < cottier pe the positi been imp relations better cl proportic sixths of pfecarioi y real sens clination hold int< that no i by thin ' rent is airdw tl margin great i added i industr} of the ] often t have si improv or indi cordinj toral 1 would OP IBELAND. 3n which society m during two consecu ation, after an agon ■" a great and strange piasses of wretched^ the soil were lifteij ions, and having ex- relieved by mo sought the ;al lOQgh appalled at tb( condition of the poorer classes has passed vise no other remedj thrcogh a very happy change ; the cottier Law and measurei serf has in great measure been converted visitation oi Provi into the agricultnral labourer, and the rat 3 an end an order oi of wages has increased enormously. " Tried lot only Ireland, ba By every conceivable economic tes^— amount rious root which ha( of production, returns of industry, propor- and impoveri8he( tion between the burdens of land and its as has been said] profits, remuneration to labour in its forms, accumulation of all kinds of capital — the state of Ireland is one of hopeful prosperity compared with what it was in the last gene- ration. Notwithstanding, however, this decided progress, society in Ireland still exhibits not a few perplexing and alarming symptoms. Irish agnculture, as a rule, is far behind that of England or Scotland : indeed, ex- cept in some fortunate spots, it is still very detective and backward. Absenteeism, though diminished, still prevails to an exfSuc detrimental to the country. Though em- barrassed owners are more uncommon than they were, though middlemen tenures have been broken up, it cannot be said that landed property rests generally on a secure basis. The Landed Estates Acts have done much good, yet complaints are made that in some districts they have introduced a new class of proprietors, grasping, mischievous, and illiberal. The old dissensions of reli- rion and racekeep the owners and occupiers of ttesoiTasunder ; time and change nave done something, b^t not much, in bridging over the chasm between them. While the ity, sougni tne waves of an emigri At the same time' perty in Ireland was ihock y embarrassed] in ruin ; the inter he class of interme d, became in most Jess. The fetters ini nd were thus in an ned, and statesman to promote a revoln. te. A Poor Law, hole juflt, prevented J on the soil, and 3ve wisely, the emi- population. The landlords were sold by a summary pro- r an immense area ew class of proprie- B many legislative mplify and reform pital and energy to ial Exchequer conl sixAl of the land of Ireland is still heldTfiy 3 for the improve-f precarious tenures — ^yearly tenancies, in a - real sense at will — and that a growing disin- clination exists to concede even short lease- hold interests. Complaints are made, and that not only by trading agitators but ,by thinking men, that the pressure ot cottier peasantry have almost vanished, and the position of the agricultural labourer has been improved in a remarkable manner, the relations between tlio landlords and the better class of tenants have not been in proportion improved. It is said that five- The results, con ifluenceofthe mild government which I many years, can- lid enquirer. The i has increased in the great famine. », formerly waste, 1 permanently en- he whole country markable and suc- orst phenomena of have in a great ' has been called be universally an is no War of mere If agrarian con- r have lost much Above all, the not rent is'still excessive ; that it does alTbw the Irish farmer a fair and reasonable margin of profit. It is said, too, that the great mass of improvements which are added to the soil are the product of the industry of the tenant, and not of the outlay of the proprietor j that landlords have too often the power, and in some instances have shown the will, to p,ppropriate these improvements to their own benefit by direct or indirect means; and that iniustic(9, ac- cordingly, is not seldom done^ and'ngricul- toral progress is seriously impeded. It would appear, too, that there are few signs of an increasing growth of the kingly senti- j-J^ ments that should knit the lande classes // together ; indeed, according to some re- .>**" Y ports, there has been a tendency in an oppo- ^ site direction. More than all, those foul confederacies of blood, so long the curse of Irish society, have never been completely dissolved, and of late, unhappily, have given proofs of continuing and even renewed vitality. Though egrarian outrages are few compared with what they were thirty years ago, several agrarian crimes of the very worst type have been perpetrated during the last eighteen months ; the spirit that fosters this wicked conspiracy, and that assures for it impunity and sympathy, sur- vives in a great part of the nation ; nor has it ceased with the cessation of the cause that formerly made it so fierce and intense — the extreme want of a half-starving pea- santry. Nor must we forget that at this moment the Government will not intrust the immense majority of the occupiers of the ^ ' / land in Ireland with firearms ; that until f^' '■'^* ' the other day the Habeas Corpus Act was C suspended throughout the whole island ; that / a Minister of the Crown not long ago ^~ admitted that if Fenianism had enjoyed a 'V,^,,_^, momentary triumph it would have obtained ■ the support, as it had the good-will of an *^^^ unknown number of the agricultural classes. This train of phenomena, which never ceased to attract the attention of thinking persons, has now forced itself into public notice. The Irish Land Question has be- come a subject of wide national interest, and will take up a great deal of the time of Parliament in the next Sessson. As might have been expected, as it is viewed in difft.- ent aspects by different interests, opinion respecting it varies considerably ; but there is a general conviction that some change is required, and violent measures have been put forward as the only solution of the problem. Men of all parties have admitted the necessity of one reform of evident justice — the securing the Irish tenant com- Eensatun for the improvements he may ave annexed to the soil ; but several bills introduced with this object have, for differ- ent reasons, proved unsuccessful. Mean- while, even the most practical statesmen Jt<^ allow that the relations of landlord and ' tenant in Ireland are nQt in a satisfactory •cc/MlC)^ state, and reforms of a very radical kind have ^4, /rvj., been advocated by a not contemptible party^ It is urged that the ordinary rights of owner* ship in land in Ireland must be largely modified in order to protect tho rights of the occupiers, and that, in the interest of the whole community, the Irish farmer should be asaored a firmer hold than he has 10 THE LAND QUESTION //y^) d I °° *^® *°'^' '* '* ^*'*^ *^*^ "* ^"^^ society ^'J is, the absolute* domiuion of the landed pro- -C*) iprietor is irreconcilable with the public I ' / ' good ; that it places his tenant in a state of QCi-ii^, jaere dependence; that rack rents, precari- / ons tenures, discontent," hatred, injustice^ (XA.i. (Ji and crime are the miserable tut inevitable / /results J and that Ireland can have neither i.\ mck ' prosperity nor peace until the occupying tenantry shall have obtamed a more 'durable interest in the land than theyvare likely to /have as things now are. Schemes, accord- ^ ingly, of the most revolutionary character, amounting in substance to a transfer of the soil from the landlord to the tenant, subject to a quit rent, have been propounded by men m no small r-^putation in economic science, and are kncvn to find favour in the eyes of some at least of the Roman S) Catholic hierarchy. Even statesmen of the ( highest distinction, and censciencious of / ' / their great responsibility, seem to think that (xyJxOi'h .^'^ landed system of Ireland must be /changed in some way that shall augment hlUi'l the interest of the occupier in his holding, / though, with the exception of Mr. Bright, t^C^ perhaps, their language has hitherto been vague and undefined. This, therefore, is the Irish Land Ques- tion, which I have undertaken to examine for you in its phenomena, and, if possible, its causes, not merely in books but in my own enquiry ; nor should I have accom- plished your object, were I not to review the principles, at least, of the measures con- sidered applicable to it. 1 approach the task with sincere distrust in my own power to perfonn it well, yet I hope that I may be able to throw some degree.of light on this important subject; for, in the first place, my principal business will be to collect and recoid facts which must be useful tr> inform opinion, and I write with no instructions from you save to find out the truth and report it fairly. In the next place, I take up the enquiry with no peculiar theory of m^ own that is likely to cause me to see evi- f dence wrongly; and, especially, I have a ^ / settled conviction that, as tho still existing evils of Ireland may oe traced to a variety of causes and ascend to the remote past, so it is idle to Imagine that they can all be re- I y ^ f moved by any single or sudden panacea. lUJ V -r" No. IL .■■;...:„ :t;.-^-?/ TiPPEBAnr, July 26. I have left Dublin for this place, having thonght it advisable, for sevenJ reasoBS, to Tisit Tipperaiy in the first instance. It is unnecessary for me to record at any lengtli my impressions of the metropolis of Ire-I land. Manv of your readers are, oi coursel familiar with its pretentious squares, its fine! public buildings, its wide streets, and its ex-f tensive suburbs, and few, perhaps, would! care to know much about its poorer and] less prosperous quarters. Like all the great! cities of these kingdoms, Dublin has par-^ ticipatcd in the rapid progress of this gene- ration in material opulence. Compared! with what they were ti^enty years ago, ite tho- roughfares are brilliant and gay, the shops and quays are busy and thronged ; there is : a marked improvement in the street archi- j tecture, in the large warehouses and in the public vehicles. Yet Dublin retains essen- tially unchanged its peculiar and rather singular characteristics. It has not the splendor ot a real capital ; it wants the look of energetic and thrifty industry that be- longs to most of our great centres of com- merce. Its public edifices, monuments for the most part of the extravagance and the taste of the Irish Parliament, contrast painfully with the decaying aspect of many of the masses of dwellings around. Its big squarej, and the broad approaches to them, are laid out in stateliness and pomp, but they seem slatternly in their magnificence, and the mansions, with a great deal of display, are often deficient i:; genuine comfort. The tide of life mns thinly and weakly through spaces enli- vened by few equipages; the streets seem usually too large for the traffic; at night the gas-light hardly subdues the dark- ness; by day there is comparatively little of the roar and din of flourishing trade. In some particulars the features of Dublin are remarkable, and not a little significant. Al- though a place of very great antiquity, the existing town is comparatively modern; few of the buildings are of an earlier date than the first years of the 18th century ; and while Dublin abounds in memorials of the Protestant colony that became ascend- ant after the Revolution of 1688, and of Protestant denomination in many forms, it is not rich in associations that run up to a remote era of Irish history. In few cities is the contrast between the rich and the poor more ofiecsively marked — regions of squalid lanes, and foul, noisome streets, that look all the more miserable because the rickety and dilapidated houses are for the most part of recent origin, are the habitations of the mass of the poor ; notwithstanding man^ excellent charitable institutions; the sani- tary arrangements of the place are bad : until lately the water supply was disgrace- ful ; and tne Lififey, a filthly and huge 8ewer| icord at any lengtli metropolis of fro- lera are, ol >U8 squares, its fine streets, and its ex r, perhaps, would »ut its poorer and Like all the great , Dublin has par- gress of this gene- ence. Compared r years ago, its tho- nd gay, the shops bronged j there is louses and in the •lin retains essen- :uliar and rather It has not the it wants the look industry that be- .t centres of com- ), monuments for ;vagance and the lament, contrast J aspect of many ellings around, road approaches in stateliness m slatternly in e mansions, with re often deficient tide of life runs ?h spaces enli- !S ; the streets ' the traffic; at ibdues the dark- .ratively little of hing trade. In 8 of Dublin are significant. Al- it antiquity, the tively modern; an earlier date 18th century ; n memorials of lecame ascend- f 1688, and of lany forms, it is It run up to a In few cities ch and the poor jions of squalid ets, that look use the rickety for the most habitations of standing many >us; the sani- ace are bad : was disgrace- d huge seweri OF IRELAND. ■r 11 largedwith the seeds of fever and pesti- nce' is the outlet of an execrable system course ' drainage. All now is orderly and quiet' ■■ " It the frequent couples of military police, inged at the edges by a following mob, at maet continually the spectator's gaze, mind you that Feniauism has been threat- ling, and that you are no longer in one of le cities of England. You leave Dublin for Tipperary by that cccllent line the Great Southern and West- ■n. The route except at few intervals, here all is level to the far horizon, follows . — avv. , .ucio la ,r the most part a broad tract between the street archi- in sInWinrr into ito°high eminences, and there sinking into lereluplands at various distances shut in the indscape. This tract, ascending abont lid- way to the height of the great watershed it Leinster, and then a falling by a gentle de- cline, presents a vast diversity of feature, lut until the end of the journey is ap- roachedit is not very picturesque or inter- sting. The scenery of the valley of the jifFey is pleasing and rich, but rather tame ; t is laid out in well-squared fields and en- losures, thickly studded with country seats md farms; but the husbandry is not re- Tiarkably good, the oats seem short and the turnips sickly, and the meadows are crowded with huge haycocks— ono of the chief blots of agriculture in Ireland — which are left out to tan and decay until antumn. After leav- ing Kildare the trajn runs along the edge of ;he central plain of Leinster |and acvoss the leads of several of the streams that ulti- nately reach the sea at Waterford ; and be- iide Maryborough it skirts the range of the iwelling Slivebroom hills, which for centu- ries gave the Celtic clans a broad line of lefence asainst the English invader. This listrict is' generally of little interest; the soil is for the most part poor ; bogs and marshes, thsir waters not carried off by the ilnggish and slowly descending streams, stretch out drearily in many places ; the fields are often ill-drained and culitvated; good country houses and homesteads are rare ; the Irish mud-cabin is too frequently seen; the few towns are ill-built villages of low gray houses with bad slate roofs, ending in rows of miserable thatched dwellings. As Munster and the heads of the Suir are neared a favorable change passes over the scene ; bold and lofty hills trend down to plains, in places gay with magnifi- cent verdure ; the face of the country, often dotted -vith fine plantations and extensive parks, with rich breadths of meadow and pasture between, wears a more bright and luxuriant aspect ; and the crops in the deep and fertile tilth seem to defy the drought and love the summer. After traversing miles of country of this .kind the jutting peaks of the Galties are seen rising against the sky; and having passed the Limerick Junction, you reach the little town of Tip- perary, not far from a stream to which Celtic fancy has given the name of " well of the plains." Tipperary differs in few respects from the small country towns of the south ot Ireland. The place lies within^tho shadow of a. range — covered in long breadths by plantations of fir — high over which and divined from it by the beautiful valley of Aberlow, the scene of many a fierce conflict between the chiefs of Ormond and Despond, rise the crests of the Galties. The streets, irregular, but tolerably wide and clean, are composed of square houses of stone and slate, for the most part built in the last century, and per- haps then the resort of ;tho local gentry ; and those terminate in an Irish town of squallid and low-thatched mud-cabins, the habitations of the poorer population. High above towers the commanding steeple of the Boman Catholic Church, lately erected by voluntary subscription, its doors open to reverent crowds, who kneel as they pass the Cross hard by. It seems to look down on the attenuated spire of the English church — the name given to the edifices of the Es- tablishment by the peasantry of Munster as it stands enclosed within its walled graveyard. The shops of Tipperary seem not bad; their fronts are brighter with faint and gilding than is usually the case in reland, and the town, though not in the least interesting, wears a look on the whole, of thriving industry. There are several Banks and some public buildings, none of these, however, requiring notice except the school founded by Erasmus Smith, an Eng- lish adventurer, who received large grants , of forfeited land from Cromwell, and who endowed schools in several parts of Ireland, for the education of the children of his fellow settlers, and for the advancement of that Protestant faith, which Treland, as a nation, will not accept. Tipperary has lost the feeble manufacture it had in the days of Arthur Young, and its trade is for the most part confined to the sale of corn and butter for export, and to retail commodities for the adjoining districts. This business, how- ever, is not inconsiderable, and several hund- red thousand pounds are exchanged annually in the article of butter. The population of Tipperary, like that of the inland towns of Ireland, has diminished greatly of late years ; it was, 7,001 in 1851 ; 5,900 by the last Census ; and it is now certainly considerably less. '.4^ L rn ^/l