78 ON THE STATE OF IRELAND. [BOOK I. 



largest farms average twenty acres each, and the twenty 

 smallest one-third of an acre. 



In order to prevent a greater subdivision, proprietors of 

 land cease to grant leases. In one parish, in order to con- 

 solidate farms of thirteen acres, four years' previous notice 

 was given to 120 families to remove from the land, that is 

 to say, one-third of the inhabitants of the parish. At the 

 time of departure, instead of 120 families, they had in- 

 creased to 160 by marriages contracted in the interval. 

 Twenty of them went to America. The improvement of 

 the land produced by this small consolidation is perceptible 

 to the eye, especially since the introduction into the parish 

 of Scotch farmers. Another proprietor possesses 1300 

 acres, of which one-third alone are cultivated : upon this 

 one-third he has two hundred families, and he considers 

 the farms on his estate to be sufficiently consolidated. 



One witness said, that many instances might be cited, 

 in which from fear no one has dared to lay out capital upon 

 the lands formed by the union of several farms, the tenants 

 of which had been expelled. No Scotch or English farmers 

 have actually hired farms, but several have wished to do 

 so, and taken steps with that intention, but have even- 

 tually withdrawn from fear of violence. 



A proprietor wishing to consolidate his land, his corn- 

 stacks were burnt, his horses killed, and his farming im- 

 plements broken, and a witness exclaimed before the Com- 

 missioners, ee I believe it, when you have driven 120 per- 

 sons from their lands at Balligilligaii ! " 



The witnesses, speaking of the barony of Balrothery, 

 stated, that for the last twenty years there has been an in- 

 creasing disposition to enlarge the size of farms, and the 

 principal motive is to keep down the increase of popula- 



