382 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



regulated community. It is the same with perpetual 

 leases. Instead of extending them, they should rather 

 be reduced by repurchasing the fine, and by reuniting 

 nominal property with actual possession. What is needed 

 are long leases, with moderate rents, and a constant care 

 to prevent subdivision ; or, if it be desired to preserve the 

 old system of tenants-at-will, great liberality towards the 

 tenants on the part of proprietors. No more middlemen 

 speculating upon under-lettings ; no more partnership- 

 tenure, con-acre, and other contrivances for making a 

 momentary gain at the expense of the land ; but in their 

 place useful advances, hitherto unknown and beyond the 

 reach of the common farmers. While necessity will oblige 

 farmers to dispense at starting with ready-made capital, 

 they will find such capital as they can avail themselves 

 of, as buildings, marlings, drainings, &c., extremely useful 

 in hastening the formation of the other. Wherever large 

 farming is established, it can go to the expense of these ; 

 but, otherwise, these fruitful expenditures fall as a charge 

 on the property. 



In default of natural benevolence, the poor-tax, under 

 skilful management, has certainly acted as a powerful 

 social lever ; it lays the proprietors under the necessity 

 of making exertions, if they do not wish to see all their 

 income absorbed by the workhouse. And this means of 

 coercion, already so powerful, is not the only one which 

 was to be employed to expiate the past wrongs of Irish 

 property. A radical improvement in the relations be- 

 tween proprietor and tenant was not possible to any 

 extent without a kind of revolution in property. Even 

 allowing them more enlightened and liberal intentions, 

 most of the proprietors, already overhead in debt, could 

 do nothing : they had exhausted their credit and re- 



