IRELAND, 1840-1880. 



95 



his reversion, and give a bonus gratis to whoever 

 chanced to be tenant. There is just the same objec- 

 tion to the three F's, so much talked of. They are 

 the same as Tenant-right, and more thoroughly unjust 

 to owners. It is quite different from the case of 

 the tenant having himself paid a predecessor for 

 the right of occupation. That a tenant is to get 

 ten to twenty years' purchase for that which cost 

 him nothing, and which the landowner never thought 

 of giving him when he let the farm, will not bear 

 discussion. 



No doubt it would give great satisfaction to ten- 

 ants who never paid a shilling for it, that on leaving 

 their farms (even for non-payment of rent) they should 

 get a large sum from the owner or succeeding tenant. 

 But besides the question of wrong, the custom of an 

 incoming tenant paying a large sum to his predecessor 

 must be hurtful to all, except the man who pockets 

 the money. It clears out of capital every man who 

 takes a farm, except the very richest, and shortens 

 the available capital even of these. The competition 

 is far keener than under the most rack-renting land- 

 lord. The payment occurs at the very time when a 

 tenant most wants all his capital in order to stock 

 and manure his new farm. In Ulster not only all 

 the capital the new tenant has is thus paid away, but 

 all he can borrow besides, for the sake of getting more 

 land. The practice is very opposite to that of the 

 landlords and agents of well-managed estates in Eng- 



