This friend of mine held the opinion that landlords of the old stock
never did wrong, never were rapacious or cruel; it was the new
landlords, traders who bought out in the Encumbered Estates Court, who
had no mercy, and the agents. Here again was brought up the story denied
before that the agents had a percentage on the rents collected.
One cannot agree with the fact of all landlords of the old stock being
considerate and kind and all new landlords rapacious; for Lord Leitrim
was of the old stock, and who would wish to succeed to the inheritance
of hatred he left behind him, and Lord Ardilaun, a new landlord, is well
spoken of by all his people. Every one with whom I spoke of him,
including the parish priest, acknowledged him to be a high-toned,
grandly benevolent man, who, if he differed from his tenants, differed
as one on a height of grandeur may misjudge the ability of the poor.
XLVIII.
IN THE COUNTY CAVAN--THE ANNALS OF THE POOR--BURYING THE PAST.
As an instance of hardships of which the poor had to complain, my
informant mentioned the case of one very old man, whose children had
scattered away over the world, which meant that they had emigrated.
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