38 ON THE STATE OF IRELAND. [BOOK I. 



sublets the land comes only upon the richest, and will 

 have only to deal with him. 



The number of farms held under this tenure is dimi- 

 nishing every day throughout Ireland. They are remark- 

 able for their bad cultivation, and no one is desirous of 

 renewing this sort of lease. 



In many baronies the Commissioners observed, that the 

 majority of the farms were not leased, on account of the 

 poverty of the tenant, who has not the means of paying 

 the great expense of writings and stamps. 



In several baronies of the province of Munster, and 

 principally in that of Conello, a stop is put to making 

 leases by the disorder consequent upon disputes concern- 

 ing tithes, the payment of which has been for several 

 years refused. 



The competition for land is so great, that even those 

 who hold their farms only from year to year, find others 

 willing to take them at an extremely raised price. The 

 Commissioners questioned the witnesses in all the pro- 

 vinces of Ireland, in order to ascertain whether any clauses 

 were introduced into the leases with a view to prevent 

 farmers exhausting the land, by compelling them to follow 

 a systematic cropping : they also examined the leases in 

 the different parishes which they visited. 



They ascertained, that in general no clause of this kind is 

 inserted in the leases, as the proprietor understands the art 

 of cultivation no better than the farmer ; that the lands of 

 those few who had introduced such clauses, were in the 

 same condition as the lands of those proprietors who had 

 not done so, because it was impossible to cause the wisest 

 conditions to be carried into effect. It is not possible even 

 to prevent the farmers subletting ; for, say the witnesses, 



