lEypenmental  ^Legislation

37

this  kingdom,  and  I  have  read  sufficient  of  the
large  literature  of  the  subject  to  know  that  evidence
in  favour  of  and  against  such  a  tenure  of  land  is
exceedingly  divergent  and  perplexing.  The  proper ­
  resource,  then,  is  to  try  the  thing—not  by  some
vast  revolution  in  the  land-owning  of  Ireland,  as
proposed  by  the  late  Mr.  Mill,  a  measure  which,
in  the  first  place,  would  never  pass  Parliament,
and,  if  it  did,  would  cost  an  enormous  sum  of
money,  and  probably  result  in  failure—but  by  a
small  and  progressive  experiment.  “  Earth
hunger  ”  is  a  very  potent  passion,  and  1  believe
it  is  that  from  which  the  Irish  people  are  really
suffering.  Bread  and  bacon  are  not  the  only  good
things  an  Irish  peasant  might  aspire  to  ;  a  place
to  call  his  own,  a  share  of  the  air  and  sunlight  of
his  native  isle,  and  a  land-bank  in  which  to  save
up  the  strokes  of  his  pick  and  spade,  might  work
moral  wonders.  It  is  not  safe  to  predict  the  action
of  human  motive  ;  but,  at  any  rate,  try  it,  although
the  trial  cost  as  much  as  one  or  two  first-rate  ironclads, ­
  or  a  new  triumph  over  a  negro  monarch.
Surely,  the  state  of  our  Irish  Poland  is  the  worst
possible  injury  to  our  prestige.
Much  doubt  exists,  again,  as  to  whether  imprisonment ­
  is  necessary  to  enforce  the  payment  of  small
debts.  If  needless,  it  is  certainly  oppressive.
But  if  the  abolition  of  the  power  of  imprisonment,
on  the  part  of  County  Court  judges,  would  really
destroy  the  credit  of  the  poorer  classes  with  their