TENANTRY. 17 



SECTION V. 



Of the Tenantry of Ireland, 



IT has been probably owing to the fmall value of land in 

 Ireland before, and even through a confiderable part of the 

 prefent century, that landlords became fo carelefs of the in- 

 terefts of pofterity, as readily to grant their tenants leafes for 

 ever. It might alfc be partly owing to the unfortunate civil 

 wars, and other inteftine divifions, which for fo long a fpace 

 of time kept that unhappy country in a date rather of devafta- 

 tion than improvement. When a cattle, or a fortified houfe, 

 and a family ftrong enough for a garrifon, were eflentially ne- 

 ceffary to the fecuritv of life and property among proteftants, 

 no man could occupy land unlefs he had fubftance for defence 

 as well as cultivation ; fhort, or even determinable tenures 

 were not encouragement enough for fettling in fuch a fituati- 

 on of warfare. To increafe the force of an eftate leafes for 

 ever were given of lands, which from their wafte ftate were 

 deemed of little value. The practice once become common, 

 continued long after the motives which originally gave rife to 

 it, and has not yet ceafed entirely in any part of the kingdom. 

 Hence, therefore, tenants holding large tracts of land under 

 a leafe for ever, and which have been relet to a variety of 

 under-tenants, muft in this enquiry be confidered as land- 

 lords. 



The obvious diftinction to be applied is, that of the occupy- 

 ing and unoccupying tenantry : in other words, the real far- 

 mer, and the middle man. The very idea, as well as the 

 practice, of permitting a tenant to relet at a profit rent, feems 

 confined to the diftant and unimproved parts of every empire. 

 In the highly cultivated counties of England the practice has 

 no exiftence, but there are traces of it in the extremities ; in 

 Scotland it has been very common ; and I am informed that 

 the fame obfervation is partly applicable to France. In pro- 

 portion as any country becomes improved the practice necefla- 

 rily wears out. 



It is in Ireland a queftion greatly agitated, whether the fyf- 

 tem has or has not advantages, which may yet induce a land- 

 lord to continue in it. The friends to this mode of letting 

 lands contend, that the extreme poverty of the lower clafles 

 renders them fuch an infecure tenantry, that no gentleman of 

 fortune can depend on the leaft punctuality in the payment of 

 rent from fuch people ; and therefore to let a large farm to 

 fome intermediate perfon of fubftance, at a lower rent, in or- 

 der that the profit may be his inducement and reward for be- 

 coming a collector from the immediate occupiers, and anfwer- 

 able for their punctuality, becomes neceflfary to any perfoa 

 who will not fubmit to the drudgery of fuch a minute attenti- 

 on. Alio, that fuch a man will at leaft improve afpot around, 



VOL. II. B his 



