48 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



of things a generation or two back, when political 

 influence meant very substantial gains. A few 

 modern instances have been taken hold of, and ex- 

 aggerated for opposite political ends, and , thus the 

 idea has become current. 



I believe the true reason more leases have not 

 been granted in Ireland is a commonplace one. 

 Practically, it is not possible to enforce against the 

 tenant any covenant in a lease, except that of paying 

 the rent, and this can be just as well enforced when 

 there is no lease. 



The effect of a lease is, therefore, altogether one- 

 sided. Practically, the landlord is bound by it, while 

 the tenant is not. This is especially the case when 

 the tenant, from any cause, fails to dwell on his 

 farm. I suppose no one doubts that idleness, drink, 

 family quarrels, folly and ignorance of all sorts, do 

 break tenants in Ireland as often as elsewhere. My 

 experience is, that these faults are more common 

 here than elsewhere. When a tenant with a lease 

 begins to fail, the land is cropped and scourged with- 

 out either manure or mercy. The stock is gradually 

 sold, unavoidably causing more cropping, buildings 

 are neglected, and often wrecked, ruinous bargains in 

 advance for even two or three years made, selling the 

 right of cropping the fields for a little ready money, 

 and thus payment of the rent is kept up sufficiently to 

 prevent an ejectment till the land is reduced to a state 

 that is inconceivable by any one who has not seen it. 



