86 Want of Order in Irish Peasantry. 



local knowledge of the country through which 

 we meditated to travel. 



Having answered such letters as required 

 immediate attention, I recur to my promissed 

 diary. 



Great as has been the gratification of this 

 tour, a daily review of the various objects for 

 your amusement has not been that part of it, 

 which to me is and has been the least pleasur- 

 able. 



Our situation last night was by no means 

 desirable. By the sacrifice of a night's sleep, 

 however, I procured some insight, which other- 

 wise I could not have attained, into the conduct 

 of a class of men, in which I must include, 

 with the tithe proctors, the middle men, or 

 tenants, standing between the owners and cul- 

 tivators of the soil. Had I not thus accidentally 

 become a witness to their misconduct, I should 

 hardly have credited that such unfeeling tyranny 

 could have been exercised. If such be the 

 general practice with both these descriptions of 

 persons, and much I fear it is, it accounts for 

 much of that want of order in the Irish pea- 

 santry, which is incomprehensible to those on 

 your side of the Channel. Can it be matter of 



