Scathlan 2

it. The landlord has, according to the local practice, taken from the tenants here some 1,500 acres of mountain, on which they grazed their sheep or cows; and he has requited them for this bereavement by raising the rents on the arable patches which he has left in their possession. Some time ago, two Englishmen were brought over to inspect this mountain, with the view of renting it for sheep- . farming. But, honest souls! the look of the place terrified them: they had never seen anything like it before; and they hurried home as fast as they could. It is said that the landlord, despairing of all chance of tempting Scotch or English sheep-graziers over, meditates grazing himself: a new walk in which he may not be as successful as in petty sessions pra,ctice. HOW TO QUADRUPLE THE RENTS Still human animals, when ingeniously worked by Donegal _ landlords, are found more profitable than sheep. As we travelled along the road, we had evidenes of this in Mr. J. 0. W. 's case, and the unew cuts". A number of tenants, from whom the right of pasturage on the mountain had been taken away, had been offered a '-'cut" each at £1. 12s a year: - Griffith would have valued it at perhaps two shillings. The miserable creatures cling to life and to their native place; and they took the '-'cuts". But, after a trial, they told the landlord they could not work them unless they got them for the first year rent-free; '-'but we would not be listened to", said a tenant, '-'and the landlord is serving the notices of ej'ectment this day". The almost incredible misery of these wretched peasants will be best conveyed in the story ofone of them-an average case- as _ !took it down from the man's own lips. He held what he termed '-'a farm"; that is to say, a patch of arable land, with a cabin upon it; and he had, besides, the right of grazing a sheep or two, or a cow, up the mountain. For this he payed £1. 5s a year till recently; "and with this he contrived to support himself, his wife, and three or four children. But from him, as from the others, the landlord took away the mountain grazing, and raised his rent from twenty-five shillings to four pounds. A '-'cut" of the mountain was then given him; and the rent set upon it was one pound twelve shillings. Thus, in fact, his rent was increased to more than five times its original amount! I asked him how he could contrive to pay that sum: he answered '-'God only knows-I don't think I'll ever be able to pay it; sure if it wasn't for burning the kelp we couldn't pay the rent at all; an' even on that the landlords want to put a tax, if they can". This man, when describing the misery of himself and his fellows, amid the desolation of the mountain waste, uttered some exclamations in Irish that sounded like oaths. Now, I had noticed, travelling through this wild district, that nothing like an imprecation ever escaped the lips of these simple peasants; and I mentioned the matter to my reverend friend. He smiled and said- '-'I fear Mih/1 learned to curse a little in America". 19