ULSTER TENANT-RIGHT. 171 



customs. These have been decided on appeal by 

 the judges of the superior courts named for that pur- 

 pose. It has been established that a limitation of 

 the customs on estates to four years' purchase is good. 

 This was settled as to Lord Erne's estate in Ulster, 

 where the tenants are very flourishing. Four years 

 was insisted on, because by paying more the new ten- 

 ant stripped himself so bare of capital as to have none 

 for farming the land. There have been other like minor 

 points. The decisions, it should be observed, wholly 

 turn on the question, What was the custom of the 

 estate ? The tenants had bought their several rights 

 in their farms expressly under the custom of the estate, 

 well known to them and the landlord. What they had 

 bought and paid for, the same, and no other, they 

 had a just claim to sell. The tenants' efforts of 

 course have been to claim and get the utmost custom 

 that prevails anywhere. Whenever a decision was 

 made contrary to their interest, of course a howl and 

 clamour rose up about it. Several small attempts 

 have been made in Parliament to get an Act passed 

 reversing the judges' decisions. All have failed. 

 The custom is the universal rule of right everywhere. 

 About 1840 I went to Ulster to inform myself on 

 the management of land there. Previous to that 

 time the difficulties in the management of land in 

 Ulster were as great as in other provinces. Tenants 

 were usually as badly off and unsatisfactory as else- 

 where. The linen trade had led to great subdivision 



