Trench, whose _Realities of Irish Life_ excited so much attention three
years ago. Mr. Trench was the most eminent of a class of men peculiar to
Ireland, and growing out of the unfortunate condition of that country.
He was an agent, which means overlooker and manager of the estates of
absentee landlords.

In England, except on very extensive properties, landlords do not employ
an agent of this sort, and even where they do his duties are of a very
different character. There the landlords, being nearly always in the
country, if not on their estates, look after their business themselves,
and have merely an overlooker, who does not occupy the position of a
gentleman, to superintend and report to them what may be needful, whilst
the rents are collected by a solicitor. This is the case in Scotland
also.

But in Ireland this would never do. Even where the landlord is resident
he almost always has an agent, to save himself the great trouble which
would otherwise be entailed on him, while to the non-resident an agent
is imperatively necessary.

Most Irish property is still subdivided into very small farms, and this
is in itself a source of constant trouble. The tenants get into arrear
or become hopelessly insolvent: they very often refuse to quit their
holdings nevertheless, and have to be coaxed, bought or turned out, as
the case may be; which several processes have to be accomplished by the
agent. Then he is compelled to see in many cases that they don't exhaust
the land by a repetition of the same crops, and in fact to superintend,
either by himself or his sub-agents, in a hundred ways which would never
be necessary in England, where the farms are large and their holders of
a different class.

He also represents the landlord socially, and is frequently the great
man of the district, duly invested with magisterial and other county
offices. The office of agent has therefore in Ireland had a high social
standing, and agencies are eagerly sought by the younger sons of
gentlemen, and even noblemen.

There are three or four estates whose agencies are regarded as special
prizes, and of these Mr. Trench held one, the marquis of Lansdowne's.
That nobleman--who is descended from the ancient Fitzmaurices, earls of
Kerry, and the celebrated _savant_ Mr. William Petty, who first surveyed
Ireland, and took the opportunity of helping himself pretty freely to
some very nice "tit-bits" as "refreshers" by the way--has a very
extensive