OF THEIR OWN STATE, 63 



of his potato-fed labourers, to excite among 

 them a little emulation, where that is possible, 

 and have the whole under his own personal 

 superintendence. So far is prudent, and abso- 

 lutely necessary. Potato-fed labourers require 

 something more stimulating to keep afloat their 

 sinking spirits than either potatoes or a six- 

 pence per day: but then comes the abuse of 

 the system. For a master to hang over a lot 

 of workmen day after day, without an hour's 

 intermission, is rather a tedious task for an 

 Irish farmer : hence, to obviate this, twice the 

 number of hands are called in to perform the 

 work, which consequently gives the master 

 half the time to himself. The result of such 

 a practice with a dense population like that 

 of Ireland, or, in fact, wherever the system is 

 practicable, is obvious. In the first place, the 

 labourers are half the year out of employment, 

 lounging about in idleness, and stirring up each 

 other to all those agrarian outrages which 

 disgrace their country. In the second place, 

 they are often, or rather invariably, induced to 

 neglect the cultivation of their own small 

 holdings at the proper season, in order to 

 secure the work of the landlord and large 



