CH. I.] LANDLORDS AND TENANTS. 33 



their farms, these middle-men having failed to pay the pro- 

 prietor in fee; and many instances are mentioned of farmers, 

 who are obliged to pay these middle-men day by day, whilst 

 the latter render their payments only yearly or half-yearly. 



Many proprietors in fee, having still very long leases 

 granted to middle-men, have appointed bailiffs to reside 

 upon their estates, in order to protect the tenants against 

 the exactions of the middle-men. 



The Commissioners have taken every possible means of 

 ascertaining to what extent the soil of Ireland is sublet 

 by middle-men, and what influence this system may have 

 upon the state of cultivation. In order to assure them- 

 selves of the truth, they visited many districts. 



In the barony of Kells (Upper and Lower), province of 

 Leinster, they obtained the following results* : 



Plantation Acres. 

 Quantity held direct from the proprietors 



in fee 27,754 



Quantity held under the Courts of Chan- 

 cery and Exchequer 216 



Quantity held on glebe lands 1,494 



Quantity held in college and endowed 



charity lands 334. 



The lands of the tenantry holding under the first class 

 of landlords are in a better condition than the rest, That 

 portion held under colleges and charities, as well as that 

 held on glebe lands, is in a miserable state, because the 

 system of letting and subletting has been continued, which 

 the proprietors in fee have long since checked. 



In the 216 acres held under the Courts, the tenants are 



[* These and the following statements are copied from the Report of 

 the Commissioners (Appendix F., p. 162, seq.) TRANSL.] 



D 



