THE FAMINE AND EXODUS. 387 



sales is, that the land is obviously becoming more di- 

 vided. The Commissioners made four thousand lots out 

 of the eight hundred and thirty-nine domains sold up to 

 the end of 1852, and the average price per lot was 2000. 

 Many were sold at 1000, and these were not always the 

 best bargains. This subdivision, generally speaking, has 

 been approved of, as it creates what in Ireland has hitherto 

 been wanted a middle class. Those proprietors, whose 

 estates have come to the hammer are not all entirely 

 dispossessed. Some retain portions of their old proper- 

 ties ; and in many cases such portions, being entirely 

 free from debt, are worth more to them than the whole 

 estate was in its involved condition. A man is not rich 

 in proportion to the number of acres he owns, but accord- 

 ing to the rent he draws from it ; and when that can be 

 increased by reducing the extent, there should be no 

 hesitation about doing so. 



Another no less important fact is deserving of notice, 

 and that is, that the majority of the purchases are 

 for Irish account. It was hoped that English or Scotch 

 purchasers would have been induced to buy land in 

 Ireland, and farm it ; but neither, it seems, have come 

 forward ; and for this reason, that agriculture nowadays 

 requires capital to a greater amount than ever, both in 

 England and Scotland, and the remuneration upon the 

 spot is quite sufficient without any necessity for going 

 elsewhere in search of it. Besides, there exists an old 

 distrust of Ireland, not soon to be eradicated. Neither 

 do they like to bring themselves into contact with misery : 

 they fear the revival of jacqueries, and detest popery and 

 the papists. Ask an Englishman to invest his capital in 

 Ireland, promising him at the same time a return of eight 

 or ten per cent : it is much the same as proposing to a 

 Frenchman to send his to Africa among the Arabs. This 



