t, why should they
not in Ireland? Lay out money in affording them employment, pay them for
draining and sewering--the benefit will be ultimately yours." The answer
is obvious. It would require more money than the property is worth to
build good houses for all; and, if built, they would soon go to ruin
from the habits of the people. If they possessed the land in fee, the
occupants, from their numbers, could not exist upon it. The landlord
cannot make them emulate the Belgian or the Frenchman in industry. The
produce of the orchards he may plant will be stolen, and the trees
broken and destroyed, to obtain the fruit. They will not exert
themselves to raise many things which are sources of profit to the poor
man in this and other countries; or if they did, they would have no
market--they would obtain no price for them. And why? Because their own
misconduct prevents the establishment of any manufactures, or the outlay
of any money amongst them. Who will carry his machinery to a country
where--though he may be a good master and a kind friend, though he may
give occupation to hundreds and diffuse wealth among thousands--his
spindles may be stopped at the beck of a priest, and his machinery left
to rust at the dictate of Mr O'Connell. Independent men do not wish to
lose all self-control--to sacrifice all right of private judgment; and
he who dares to assert his own opinions, or to defy the behests of the
"Liberator," has no business to betake himself to Ireland. As to giving
employment in sewering and draining--which would benefit the estate--it
is not every man who can afford to set his land at a cheap rate, and
afterwards to expend his income for the immediate benefit of the
occupier. But even this has been attempted. Lord Lansdowne tried to
accomplish it on his Irish estate; but the steward he sent to
superintend the work was noticed to quit, and driven out of the country,
by the very persons for whose benefit those improvements were
planned--by the very men who were to be paid for their execution. Under
such circumstances as we have stated, in many instances the fear of
death compels the landlord to abandon all idea of improvement. He must
submit to sacrifice his rent, because those in possession can't or won't
pay him; and, if he removes them, he can find no one to succeed them:
and, in addition to his other consolations, he has the pleasure of
seeing himself described as a monster more ruthless than any Russian
despot; w