( 26 ) 



Case of consolifla- possessions they would be able to prosper. This hope 



tion of crofts— ^^^^ ^^^^ -^^^^^ disappointed. The farm I refer to is the 



farm of Maiinal. ^ ^ 



farm of Mannal — formerly subdivided into twenty- 

 three crofts, or rather fragments of crofts, rented at 

 from ^5 to 30s. each. This farm is now held by three 

 tenants who have risen from among the rest, of whom 

 two pay rents which place them above the crofting line 

 {£o^)y ^^'liilst the other (a widow) has a croft not 

 much below it (^24, 14s. 6d.). 



Explanation as to The one exceptional case of a farm now held by a 

 farm of Hillipol . . ^^ ^^^j^. ^^ .^ ^g ^^^^^ j^^j^ . crofters, is 



now held by oue o ^^ J '^ 



tenant. no less remarkable as an illustration of the varie- 



ties of circumstance which must determine such 

 results. It is the farm of Hillipol, which had come 

 to be subdivided into twenty crofts so small that one 

 quarter of the whole number were under £2 value, 

 six others were under £'^ value, and none exceeded 

 ;^5 value. In 1847, however, three of them had 

 become vacant and were in my own hands. This was 

 one of the farms on which I determined to expend a 

 large sum in drainage. It was good strong land, but 

 in miserable condition from wet and from the most 

 wretched cultivation. During four years nearly 

 ;^iooo had been spent in draining and fencing. The 

 tenants had been generally in arrear even at the old 

 rents, and none of them could pay the interest on the 

 outlay, which the land under better management 

 could more than well afford. They naturally fell 

 further into arrear, and were obviously incapable of 

 managing and stocking the farm in its improved con- 

 dition. The result was unavoidable that during the 

 years of emigration and of insolvency affecting this 

 very poor class of crofts, the tenants of Hillipol were 



