338 Absenteeism, cuid the Edinburgh Review. [April, 



of the most pleasant specimens of this kind of intolerant demonstration — 

 curious, as exhibiting the length to which a man may dance after the jack- 

 lantern of his own absurditj^, as well as entice his fellow-creatures after 

 it — is the article headed " Absenteeism," in the last number of the Edin- 

 burgh Review. 



The Reviewer sets out — as, in fact, most philosophical disputants do 

 — by paying his own wisdom the tacit compliment of treating the errors 

 of those who have gone before him leniently ; he admits that, — " with 

 few exceptions," all those who have " turned their attention to the state 

 of Ireland, have ascribed " a very large share of its poverty and tur- 

 bulence to " non-residence ;" and moreover agrees that, " at first sight," 

 this opinion does seem to be " as well founded, as it has been universal." 

 Now, in this " first sight " lies the fatal temptation which lures every poli- 

 tical economist to his ruin. " At first sight," such a thing appears — that is, a 

 " vulgar observer" (a man who knew nothing of political economy) " would 

 so conclude " — of course, let such a person conclude what he will, the 

 very existence of science hangs upon shewing that the fact is otherwise. 

 It " does seem " (" at first sight ") that " the wealth sent abroad from 

 a country to support absentee landlords and capitalists," must occasion 

 " a proportional diminution of the means of supporting and employing 

 the people who remain ;" — then, wherefore do we MTite in the Edinburgh 

 Review, but to shew that all this is delusion and mistake ? 



For which purpose, the general subject of Absenteeism is divided into 

 two heads : first, the loss sustained of home trade and employment in a 

 country by the absence of wealthy proprietors ; and, second, the loss of 

 the moral benefits and example which would have resulted from the resi- 

 dence of such persons ; and the first of these supposed grievances — to 

 wit, the expenditure of wealth abroad, which might have enriched 

 labourers and tradesmen if employed at home — " it will not be difficult 

 to shew " (says our Scotch friend) " is altogether imaginary." 



" The rents of the Irish absentee landlords are said to amount (annu- 

 ally) to three or three and a half millions ;" and these, no matter to 

 what place they are sent, " can be remitted only in one way " — " in the 

 raw produce, or in the manufactures, of the country." That these rents 

 must arise out of the produce or manufactures of the country from which 

 they come, is perfectly true ; and that they are likely to be remitted in 

 the form of produce or manufactures, is perhaps, up to a certain point, 

 also true ; but the manner in which the Reviewer shews that they "must" 

 be so remitted, is a little whimsical. " The agent of an absentee land- 

 lord," he says, " after receiving the rents of the tenants, say £10,000" 

 (which £10,000, see page 63 of the Review, is paid by the tenant 

 in specie), " purchases a bill of exchange from the Irish merchant upon 

 London or Amsterdam for £10,000; — the merchant, in order to supply 

 his correspondents in London or Amsterdam, on whom the bill is drawn, 

 with funds to pay it, must," (in italics) "Jbr it is not in any respect op- 

 tional xvith him, go into the Irish market and buy £10,000 worth of the 

 raw products of the country, or manufactured goods, and send them abroad 

 to his correspondeni ." Now how the agent, who has received £10,000 

 in money, " must," without option, send that £10,000 into the Irish market 

 to purchase commodities, when, directly, and only enclosed in a paper 

 or a box, he can send it, in its own proper shape, at once to his em- 

 ployer, is not very distinctly made out ? and certainly, that — specie — is 

 the form in which the rent would be remitted, whenever the demand for 



