INCIDENTAL EFFECTS ON IRELAND 581 
capital among those who, with a view to a livelihood, AD os 
were principally concerned in that pursuit. The wealthier 
occupiers of the land were generally engaged in the business 
of pasture; and the profits thence accruing to them were, 
for the most part, expended in the purchase of those articles, 
which the prevailing practice of excessive hospitality re- 
quired; seldom or never in agricultural projects. Several 
of the country gentlemen pursued tillage in their respective 
demesnes with some spirit and some skill, chiefly with the 
view of supplying the demands of their families; but few and few of 
of them extended their views to the augmentation of their She Joust 
rentals, by the improvement of the waste and unproductive ee to 
land which they possessed. * * The generality of them in ring 
Ireland could not, or at least thought they could not, con- ' 
veniently abridge their annual expenses, in such a manner 
as to enable them to collect a sufficient capital for carrying 
into effect extensive plans of improvement; and many of 
them were probably deterred from adding to the burdens 
of their encumbered estates by borrowing money for such a 
purpose. The tillage of Ireland for home supply, for there 
was not sufficient encouragement held forth to cultivate corn 
for exportation, was chiefly carried on by those who engaged 
in it with no other capital than the aid of three or four lusty 
sons as partners, whose united endeavours were directed, 
during their short leases, to extract from the land as much 
as the condition in which they found it would admit of; 
and whose annual profits, hardly earned, after defraying the 
trivial expenses of their food and clothing, were very rarely 
sufficient to qualify them for any agricultural undertaking 
which seemed likely to be attended with even moderate 
expense. Hence it happened, that the waste land of Ireland, 
presenting such an immense source of wealth, was left almost 
neglected until near the close of the last century.” We may 
here see the greatest of the evils which was brought upon 
Ireland by absenteeism. In England during the eighteenth 
century the “art of agriculture progressed by leaps and 
bounds, and this was due to the fact that during the 
eighteenth century the great landowners were the most 
zealous students of agriculture, and the boldest experi- 
1 Newenham, View of the resources of Ireland. 76.