230 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



So there was an end of his chance as a tenant. The 

 old man had cows on his land, which he let to a 

 dairyman, and so paid his rent ; after his wife died, 

 he became so feeble he could not walk across the 

 room to his own door. A daughter had married a rich 

 farmer twenty miles off. She had to take her father 

 home to her house in a cart to save his life, and there 

 he lived for some years. The farm is part of the best 

 land I have : by manuring, it has paid me capitally 

 since. . I could not allow it to be thus left half waste, 

 and therefore served a notice to quit, and ejected. The 

 County Court judge agreed it was impossible I could 

 help ejecting in such a case, but yet ordered me to 

 pay four years' rent, over 150, for so doing. I think 

 it was a wrong decision, and so did most others who 

 heard it. Luckily I had a set-off for dilapidations, 

 that saved me in part, and by appealing to the' Judge 

 of Assize I forced on a compromise that still more 

 relieved me. This is the effect of the Land Act as 

 it is worked. 



No reasonable landlord objected to capricious 

 evictions being stopped. The attempt to make out 

 a bastard Tenant-right, as has been done, has caused 

 great disgust, and turned many against the Act. It 

 is strange, the effect of unfair dealing, by men in the 

 position of judges towards those whom it is impos- 

 sible to deprive of much power, except by confisca- 

 tion, is not observed. 



Nor is the requirement of thirty-one years' leases 



