A ON THE HISTORY OF LEASES OF LANDS 



use of the land, and to the tenant for his labour. But as agri- 

 culture still farther advanced, and the necessity of better stock 

 and implements became apparent, a more refined location came 

 into force — that by which the landlord delivered the stock, crop, 

 and implements to the tenant at the beginning, and which 

 were in like form and numbers redelivered at the end of the 

 term. The coloni partiarii of Eome, the ^9c?"ia;m of Greece, 

 the theowes and socmen of ancient Britain, the metayer of 

 France, the ryot of Turkey, the raiat of India, and our more 

 modern steelbow tenant, were all more or less likely belonging 

 to this class of cultivator. The only succeeding form, emanat- 

 ing from progressive agriculture, is that with which we are best 

 acquainted, and to which the British farmer now almost exclu- 

 sively belongs. 



In examining still farther into the origin of location, it be- 

 comes a necessity to view the progress of agriculture — for want 

 of better records — through the dim medium of race and language. 

 Dr Prichard says that the valleys of the Indus, the Mle, and the 

 Euphrates have been the nurseries of the first great nations 

 which have made a name in later times. The Aryan race, in its 

 more original and undivided state, w"as evidently well acquainted 

 with agriculture, and this is borne out by the observations of 

 Niebuhr and Professor Max Miiller, who both notice that all 

 the Aryan languages — Greek and Latin included — have the more 

 peaceful words almost alike ; while those representing war, the 

 chase, and adventure, differ in each of the dialects, and thus 

 show that while the original stock had long led a life of peaceful 

 prosperity, each colony after separating acquired individuality 

 and nationality in its language, and as they advanced into new 

 •countries, new terms grew with new adventures and new genera- 

 tions. 



As apparent from the ancient Vedic v\'ritings — 1200-1400 B.C. 

 — grain w^as raised and groimd into meal, the ox and the cow 

 formed the source of riches, and even then the use of iron was 

 known. In Egypt 3000 B.C. farms were cultivated which were 

 the property of the state, and a system of land surveying was in 

 operation, caused by the removal or obliteration of landmarks by 

 the overflow of the Nile. In Babylonia 2000 B.C. — as indicated 

 by the cuneiform inscriptions — laws relating to land were tabu- 

 lated, recognised, and enforced. A law tablet in the British 

 Museum explains the right of possession as extending over 

 lands, houses, and slaves (male and female), and a boundary stone 

 was a title and mark of possession. An estate consisted of the 

 house, field, and plantation or grove, and mortgage seems to have 

 been common in practice. There is a distinct record of a land 

 grant for services rendered to the state. The grant was from 

 Merodach-Baladan I. to Merodach-Gum-izakir, the boundaries 



