74 THE IRISH AGRARIAN PROBLEM. 



on that road when, in the year i86g, the 

 Irish Church was disestabhshed. Bright still 

 championed his old solution, but could not 

 prevail against the many weighty arguments and 

 prejudices on the other side ; and it was decided 

 to adopt a reform of the system of tenure based 

 on the custom already described as the " Ulster 

 Tenant Right." 



The Act of Parliament of 1870 by which this 

 reform was carried out applied mainly to all 

 yearly tenancies up to the value of ;^ioo, though 

 leaseholds under thirty-one years were also 

 included. The Act contained four points of 

 cardinal importance : — 



(i.) It was settled once for all that a yearly 

 tenant who was the subject of an arbitrary 

 eviction should receive compensation for dis- 

 turbance. He was excluded however from the 

 benefits of the Act by any breach in the con- 

 ditions of his tenancy, by non-payment of rent, 

 and above all by sub-division or sub-letting of 

 his holding without permission of the landlord. 



(2.) A tenant on leaving was entitled to 

 compensation for any improvements which he 

 carried out. 



(3.) The " Ulster Custom," " Ulster Tenant 

 Right," was legally recognized. 



(4.) Besides the above, the tenants on estates 

 which came into the bankruptcy court received 

 by the so-called '' Bright clauses " facilities 

 for the purchase of their holdings. It was the 

 intention of the legislator to make arbitrary 



