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ton. After deducting all expenses, tliis quantity, 

 yielded a sum nearly equal, or sometimes exceed- 

 infr, the whole amcultural rental; and in the estate 

 accounts the factor is found discharging himself of 

 that rental altogether by setting off against it the 

 return of kelp. I have letters and papers written by my 

 grandfather, in which he points out that under these 

 conditions the tenants had their land practically rent 

 free, and concludes from this circumstance, and from 

 his knowledge of the stock and crop raised in the 



Rental below true Island, that the rental must have been, even then, far 

 below the real value of the land. The indisputable 

 facts upon which he founded this conclusion were 

 mainly these — that whereas the whole rental of the 

 Island was then about ^looo, there were not less 

 than 13,000 acres of fertile land out of which that 

 rental could be met, without taking into account at 

 all the very large sum made by the tenants out of 

 their share of the kelp. The Island was even then 

 known to produce 1000 bolls of barley. This, to- 

 gether with the kelp, would produce far more than 

 the whole rent. "I allow," said the Duke, in ex- 

 plaining his calculation, "all the oats, all the potatoes, 

 all the lint, all the sheep, all the milk, butter, cheese, 

 poultry, eggs, fish, &c., which in other countries are 

 sold to contribute rent — I allow all these to go for 

 the support of the tenants, because I wish them to 

 live plentifully and happily." 



Result in increase It is quite needless to point out the natural and 



recUeT sibdi^" inevitable consequence of such a condition of things. 



vision of crofts. If it were possible by the artificial cheapening of com- 

 modities to establish among any people a higher 

 standard of living than that to which they were ac- 



