I was so much pleased with the goodness of these poor people, that, in despite of my indolent disposition, I bestirred myself the very next day to find a better habitation for them on my own estate. I settled them, infinitely to their satisfaction, in a small farm; and the girl married her lover, who undertook to manage the farm for the old man. To my utter surprise, I found that Mr. Hardcastle was affronted by the part I took in this affair. He complained that I had behaved in a very ungentlemanlike manner, and had spirited the tenants away from Lady Ormsby’s estate, against the regulation which he had laid down for all _the_ tenants not to _emigrate_ from _the estate_. Jemmy Riley, it seems, was one of the _cotters_ on the Ormsby estate, a circumstance with which I was unacquainted; indeed I scarcely at that time understood what was meant by a _cotter_. Mr. Hardcastle’s complaint, in matter and manner, was unintelligible to me; but I was quite content to leave off visiting him, as he left off visiting me--but here the matter did not stop. This over-wise and over-busy gentleman took upon him, amongst other offices, the regulation of the markets in the town of Ormsby; and as he apprehended, for reasons best and only known to himself, a year of scarcity, he thought fit to keep down the price of oats and potatoes. He would allow none to be sold in the market of Ormsby but at the price which he stipulated. The poor people grumbled, and, to remedy the injustice, made private bargains with each other. He had information of this, and seized the corn that was selling above the price he had fixed. Young Riley, Noonan’s son-in-law, came to me to complain, that _his little oats were seized and detained._ I remonstrated. Hardcastle resented the appeal to me, and bid him wait and be damned. The young man, who was rather of a hasty temper, and who did not much like either to wait or be damned, seized his own oats, and was marching off, when they were recaptured by Hardcastle’s bailiff, whom young Riley knocked down; and who, as soon as he got up again, went _straight_ and swore examinations against Riley. Then I was offended, as I had a right to be, by the custom of the country, with the magistrate who took an examination against my tenant, without writing first to me. Then there was a race between the examinations of _my_ justice of peace and _his_ justice of peace. My indolence was conquered by my love of power: I supported the contest; the affair came before our grand jury: I conquered, and Mr. Hardcastle was ever after, of course, my enemy. To English ears the possessive pronouns _my_ and _his_ may sound extraordinary, prefixed to a justice of peace; but, in many parts of Ireland, this language is perfectly correct. A great man talks of _making_ a justice of the peace with perfect confidence; a very great man talks with as much certainty of _making_ a sheriff; and a sheriff makes the jury; and the jury makes the law. We must not forget, however,