“They desired that I should accept as a basis, not the reduced rents that had been already fixed by the Land Commissioners, who, however, had already reduced the rentals on an average from 25 to 30 per cent., but that those rents should again be reduced 25 per cent. Then instead of multiplying this figure by 20, according to the provisions of the Land Act, making the price of purchase 20 years’ rent, they wished to multiply it by 12 or 13 only. So that the owner of a property that five years ago brought in 400_l._, and was then worth about 8,000_l._ or 9,000_l._ first saw his rents reduced by 100_l._, and then by the terms of the Land Act, the price of expropriation or forced sale would have been but 6,000_l._ (300_l._ × 20); he had already therefore to submit to a loss of from 2,000_l._ to 3,000_l._ of his capital. But I was authorised to accept this valuation. “They, however, proposed to diminish the original rental by another 25 per cent., which would thereby be reduced to 200_l._, and then by multiplying the 200_l._ by 12, the purchase-money would be 2,400_l._, twelve years’ purchase. They, therefore, would have it inferred that in five years the property had lost more than three-fourths of its value. “Now on nine-tenths of all Irish estates the annual charges and expenses exceed, and greatly exceed, one-fourth of the average income. Nine times out of ten, therefore, the indemnity for expropriation would not suffice to pay off the debts. Not a single penny would reach the unlucky proprietors. Frankly, now, can we wonder that they refuse to aid in their own ruin?” Whilst he was speaking to me I was looking at the country we were passing through. An artist would find a certain charm in it, but in the eyes of an agriculturist its appearance is lamentable. On all sides are rocky, barren mountains; we have not seen a tree since we left Derrygariff. The streams daily wash a little more of the thin layer of vegetable mould from the great schistic blocks that are visible on all sides, carrying it down to the turf pits that fill the bottom of the valley. The destruction of the forests has been another great misfortune for this country, and I asked Mr. Trench if he had never tried to re-establish plantations. “Replant!” said he. “In the first place, as I have already told you, wood has no value here because of the timber imported from Canada and Norway; and in the second, if I replanted the mountains, the farmers would hasten to complain to the Land League that I was depriving their cattle of pasturage, and my plantations would soon cease to exist. They all have goats; and you know how little time goats require to destroy young trees. If I wished to replant these mountains or simply to cultivate them on a new method, I must begin by sending the tenants away. Mr. Adair tried to do it, and you know how that business ended.”