ty, or confidence in the
Government, he would not have adopted the desperate course of breaking
120 contracts, kindling the flames of agitation, and planting Ribbon
lodges all over a district hitherto peaceful and tranquil. But he was
bent on crushing the independent yeomanry into the abject condition
of tenants-at-will. To carry out this purpose, Mr. Trench was
indispensable. He knew how to tame the wild Irish. And Mr. Trench was
equal to the occasion. He went to reside a few weeks at Tullamore, to
reconnoitre the enemy's position. He writes as if this was the first
time he made acquaintance with the estate. But his own residence
was in the Queen's County, not far off; and there is good reason to
believe that he knew all about Geashill long before; and all about
every estate belonging to an English absentee in the four provinces;
for he had, growing up around him, a young generation of land-agents,
trained in all the arts of modern management, and one of the ablest
of these, his son, Mr. T.W. Trench, became his partner in this agency.
Mr. Trench's tactics are not new, though he excels all men in their
skilful application. His plan, adopted on all occasions, is to divide
and conquer. Violent measures being dangerous and contrary to his
own feelings, he trusts to diplomacy, dealing with individuals,
taken separately into a private room, where his irresistible personal
fascination invariably brings matters to a satisfactory issue.

In this case, he went over to the English executors, and persuaded
them to advance the 30,600 l. to be distributed among the tenants,
under the guarantee of Lord Digby that this sum would cover all
possible claims. Thus provided with funds, he summoned the tenants,
not all, but ten of the most influential, to meet him at Geashill. He
left this meeting, purposely, to the last day and the last hour, as a
piece of generalship. He says:--

'They appeared puzzled and anxious, and very uncertain what to do. At
length one of them proposed that they should do nothing until they had
had an opportunity of consulting the remainder of the leaseholders, of
whom there were upwards of 120 upon the estate.

'"No," replied I, "you must come to a decision now; there is a
messenger at the door on horseback, to ride to the telegraph station
at Portarlington to stop the English witnesses coming over. This must
be done within an hour, or they will start for Ireland, and _then_ it
will be out of my power to stop t