210 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



tenants and becoming proprietors. And I believe 

 there is conclusive direct evidence to the same effect 

 to any extent. If it is not clearly recognised that 

 the great number of bad tenants who lose their farms 

 from any cause, nineteen times out of twenty are 

 just useless poor creatures who in no circumstances 

 can do good with land, it is impossible to remedy 

 the troubles of the country. 



This, then, is the working of the other panacea 

 peasant proprietorship. It is no panacea at all. 

 Carefully worked, it may be made to do some good ; 

 as it might too, I think in England and Scotland. 

 I have long believed that by a system of Land 

 Banks, more or less on the model of the Prussian 

 Land Banks, advances might be made without risk 

 to help any one in the three kingdoms who wishes 

 to buy a limited portion of land, and thus the number 

 of landed proprietors be fairly increased, and those 

 appeased who suffer in any degree under land- 

 hunger. Such advances, if made gradually, and 

 with a firm resolution to enforce repayment, would 

 be quite safe. 



In Ireland the curious readiness to place money 

 on deposit in banks, and the great sums so deposited, 

 enable a Land Bank to be set up with great ad- 

 vantage. Depositors now only receive usually 1 

 per cent for their money ; the offer of 2 per cent 

 would procure a great sum. By arrangement with 

 the Bank of Ireland, which now has many branches 



