198 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



sent? Besides, on many estates there have been 

 contracts or promises as definite as any leases, and 

 that have been acted on in favour of the tenants, 

 without one exception, for near half a century. These 

 have been more favourable to tenants than if they 

 had leases under the Land Act. 



Forty years ago I let my tenants know that, with 

 the single exception of gross misconduct, each should 

 hold his land for his life without increase of rent. 

 The rent should only be raised to his successor. 

 This was, of course, equivalent to a lease for thirty 

 years. Practically it has been more. Out of kind- 

 ness one had to make a concession to the widow and 

 children, if a man died young. There were a few 

 old leases, and an old verbal promise of thirty-one 

 years to the tenants of one ploughland. The holders 

 of these had to be given the same advantage of my 

 promise as the yearly tenants. 



Nearly two-fifths of my people still hold under 

 this arrangement. These are now all old, and a few 

 years will place their successors under leases. I 

 have given these details, because they show plainly 

 the arrangement under which great numbers of 

 tenants, in all parts, hold under respectable landlords. 

 The State would have to recognise such contracts 

 and promises, whether legal or honourable, because 

 tenants have profited by them for long courses of 

 years. A compulsory Tenant-right in such cases 

 would be an outrage on right. If ever the question 



