pretty near the mark. No doubt, however, the elaborate estimate framed by Mr. Griffith, and contained in his evidence given in the Second Report of the Lords' Committee on Tithe (1832), is much more deserving of attention: it is principally bottomed on official valuations, and is probably, therefore, a little under the mark. According to Mr. Griffith, the average rent of Ireland, exclusive of the value of houses in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Limerick, and other large towns, amounts, at present, to 12s. 5d. the statute acre. But the area assigned to the different counties, and to the kingdom in general, by Mr. Griffith, on which he estimates the rent, includes the freshwater lakes or loughs, comprising an area of 455,399 acres. These, however, ought certainly to be excluded. Supposing this to be done, the average rent, per statute acre, of the land of Ireland, will, according to the data published by Mr. Griffith, be 12s. 9d. an acre; and, allowing for the probable inferiority of the valuation for the local assessments to the actual rent, the latter may, perhaps, be taken at about 13s. 6d. an acre at an average of the island, including mountains and bogs, but excluding lakes. The following table, carefully compiled from the data supplied by Mr. Griffith to the Tithe Committee, exhibits the cultivated and uncultivated land in each county and province, the average rent per acre, &c. TABLE of the Extent of the several Counties of Ireland, exclusive of Lakes, distinguishing the Cultivated Land from the Unimproved Mountain and Bog; showing also the Proportion of Cultivated Land in each County, assuming 1,000 to represent the Total Extent of Cultivated Land in Ireland, with the estimated Rental of the Land in the several Counties, and the Average Rent per Statute Acre. Table of the Extent of the several Counties of Ireland — continued. N. B. The estimated value here given is exclusive of the value of the houses in the cities of Dublin, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and Galway. The annual value of the unimproved mountains and bogs has rental of the cultivated land of Ireland, amounting to 14,603,000 acres, a sum of about 12,000,000l., equivalent to a rental of about 16s. 5d. an acre, which, allowing as before for deficiencies in the valuation may, perhaps be increased to 17s. or 17s. 6d. an acre. It has been said, that this is by no means a high rent, and that it goes far to weaken the credit to be attached to the statements, as to the excessive competition for land in Ireland. Such; however, is not the case. Considering the wretchedly defective system of agriculture that prevails in Ireland, and the fact that the land has to support more than three times the number of individuals that can be advantageously employed upon it, 178. per statute acre is a very high rent. This, however, is not the only payment in the shape of rent that has to be made by the occupiers; what is called the "Tenant's Right," exists almost every where in Ireland. This is a custom which has grown up of an outgoing tenant bargaining with his successors for his good-will, or for leave to enter peaceably into the possession; and is as uniformly the subject of negotiation and arrangement as A system of this sort, the rent to be paid to the landlord! though a serious inroad on the right of property, and strongly evincing the inadequacy of the law to afford security and protection, is firmly established in most parts of Ireland; so much so, that the fact of a tenant being ejected for an arrear of rent, is no bar to his selling his good will. The sums paid on this account are sometimes quite enormous, antè p. 510. The peasantry, who justly look upon this system as opposing a formidable obstacle to their being deprived of their holdings by the introduction of a new class of occupiers, are all warmly attached to it; and were an individual to enter on a farm without having effected an agreement as to the "Tenant's Right," with its previous occupier, the chances are ten to one that his property, and probably his life, would be endangered! Distribution of Land.-Quantity and Value of Agricultural Produce. -There are no means whatever for forming any estimates of the extent of land under different crops in Ireland. Of the 8 millions of people in that part of the empire, it is supposed that about 5 millions are principally dependent on the potato; and of the remaining 3 millions, 2,500,000 are believed to be principally dependent on oats. According to the table previously given (p. 514.), the average produce per statute acre in oats is 44, Winch. bushels; and estimating the consumption of each of the 2,500,000 individuals principally fed on oats at 2 quarters, we should have 1,110,000 acres employed in raising food for them; and adding to this the quantity required for the partial feeding of others, for seed, the feeding of horses, and other internal purposes, and for exportation to England, the whole land under oats may, perhaps, be taken at from 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 The extent of land under wheat and barley does not, probably, exceed 600,000 or 700,000 acres. acres. Mr. Griffith, as already seen, estimates the whole extent of Ireland, He further exclusive of lakes, at about, 19,944,000 statute acres. estimates the unimproved mountain and bog at 5,340,000 acres, leaving 14,603,000 acres of land fit for tillage, pasture, &c. Now, if we estimate the average annual value of the produce of this land, tillage as well as pasturage, at 31. an acre, the entire annual value of the land produce of Ireland, exclusive of bogs, will be 43,809,000l.; and including bogs, it may be taken at 44,500,000l. This estimate is, of course, merely given as a very rude approximation. The Commissioners of Poor Inquiry in Ireland estimated the total annual value of its land produce at only 36,000,000l. But the reasons they assign for this estimate are of the least satisfactory description, and we have no doubt that it is below the mark. — (App. H., Part I.) Deductions from the Rent.-Landed property in Ireland is placed under what would be considered in England very advantageous circumstances. There is neither land tax nor poor's rate to pay: the landlord, as has been seen, rarely lays out a sixpence on farm buildings or repairs: even the agent, instead of receiving a salary, is frequently allowed to indemnify himself by extorting fees from the tenants; so that the rent-roll, and the free income, are identical. But, with the exception of the relief from the land tax, it may well be doubted whether these apparent advantages should not be considered very serious disadvantages. A poor's rate would put a stop to the vagrancy that is so prevalent in Ireland; and it would be signally beneficial to the landlords, by obliging them to take effectual measures for preventing the subdivision of the land, and the increase of cottages. The want of proper farm buildings is, in the end, quite as injurious to the owner of an estate as to the occupiers; and nothing can be imagined so hostile to the interests of all parties, as the payment of agents by fees collected from the tenants: it opens a wide door for oppression and jobbing of all sorts, and puts an end to that confidence which should always exist between the tenants and the agent, and the latter and the landlord. The Price of Land depends on the condition of the district in which it is situated. In some places it is hardly possible, except at the most imminent risk of personal danger, to eject a tenant from an estate, or to consolidate the small patches into which it may be divided. In such cases, land fetches, of course, a comparatively small price, perhaps not more than 17 or 18 years' purchase; but where good order prevails, and the law is respected, land fetches 28 or 30 years' purchase. Undoubtedly, however, a feeling of insecurity attaches to all investments in Ireland; and this circumstance contributes to keep down the price of land in it, and hinders English capitalists from making loans on the usual terms on most Irish estates. Were the security of property and the empire of the law as well established in Ireland as in Britain, land would certainly sell higher in the former than in the latter. Most Irish estates are, comparatively, in a state of nature; and afford capacities for the profitable outlay of capital that are all but unknown in England. NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED IN AGRICULTURE. The following tables, extracted from the parliamentary returns, contain all the existing information on this important subject:— Account of the Number of Families chiefly employed in Agriculture; and of the Number of Males of Twenty Years of Age and upwards, being Occupiers em. ploying Labourers, Occupiers hot employing Labourers, and Labourers engaged in Agriculture, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, specifying those belonging to each Class in each County. SECT. X. Slow Progress of Agricultural Improvements.- Notices of the Progress and Present State of English and Scotch Agriculture. - 1. Slow Progress of Agricultural Improvement-Circumstances which retard it. -Considering the wonderful facilities of communication that exist in Great Britain, and the universal diffusion of information by means of the press, the slowness with which agricultural improvements make their way is not a little surprising. Mr. Harte mentions that, when he was a youth, he heard Jethro Tull declare that though he had introduced turnips into the field in King William's reign, with little trouble or expense, and great success, the practice |