278 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



its difficulties. J\Jr. J. S. Mill's late acknowledgment 

 in the Examiner newspaper of January 4, that a 

 change in the law of settlement would make little 

 difference in the number of owners of land, reduces 

 the question mainly to one of sentiment, and in 

 substance is throwing up the sponge. The distribu- 

 tion of the land in small quantities among large 

 numbers of the people has something to say for itself, 

 if it can be shown to produce greater happiness to the 

 majority. Hatred of an aristocracy and doctrinaire 

 radicalism are not yet English principles of action. 

 The true issue is, are English landowners to be 

 deprived of the right of settling their estates, when 

 they marry, on their intended wives and expected 

 children ? 



The weak place in the argument of those who 

 wish to upset the present law of settlement of land 

 is in their facts, or more accurately their want of facts. 

 The utmost they can carry their case to is, that in 

 the opinion of Mr. So-and-So, of more or less authority 

 as a poor-law inspector or otherwise, the settlement 

 of land prevents a due outlay of capital upon it for 

 landlords' improvements, notably the building of 

 cottages. This is not proof, but opinion. Cases such 

 as those cited of settled estates that are unimproved, 

 plainly prove nothing at all; they have no more 

 weight than cases (which could be cited by the score) 

 of estates in strict settlement excellently managed, 

 on which every proper landlord's outlay has been 



