Mr. James Caird has proposed this week a new remedy
for the social evils of Ireland. He says the real difficulty of that country is, that while the landlord ought to find the fixed capital, barns, buildings, &c., and the tenant the floating capital, the landlord cannot find the former for want of means, and the tenant cannot find the latter for want of security. He proposes therefore to give the landlord the means, through a State loan, provided he will give the tenant the security through a lease of 34 years. The tenant in return is to pay 5 per cent, on the capital so advanced— that is, we suppose, 4 for interest, 1 for sinking fund. The objection to that scheme is,—would it conciliate the people ? We think not. They want hereditary tenancy, which, of course, they can only have through a Perpetual Settlement, with compen- sation to landlords. That is not beyond English resources, but it is beyond the present ideas of British statesmen.
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