strongly exemplified in the lands of " Grandsagh," as appears by your Secretary's report:-for notwithstanding the Society did give them half-a-year's rent, to enable them to commence their improvements, yet after nine years that they have been in possession of it, no improvement has been made, but the land remains in its original unimproved and barren state.

Taking it then for granted, that our object (I say our object, as I feel myself highly interested, both as an Irishman and as your agent, in the prosperity of the colony,)-conceiving then, I will say, that our object is to procure a wealthy and resident tenantry, whenever it can be done without injury to the industrious, I should follow Mr. Slade's plan as one of the best that could be adopted for that purpose; I mean that of giving the tenant a perpetuity in a part of the ground he holds, whereon he would cheerfully lay out his money, and a lease for one life and a certain number of years of a larger proportion. The consequence would be, that every shilling that was laid out on the part he got the perpetuity in, would tend to increase the value of the surrounding ground, and when the lease of the terminable part expired, it would become much more valuable; inas much as all lands adjoining to towns or inhabited places rise in proportion to the money expended in their neighbourhood. This scheme has been fully proved by Lord Northland, who has a considerable property in the county of Tyrone, and has tried the experiment, which has answered so well with him that many gentlemen are following the example. I would not, however,, trust entirely to the liberality of my tenant in such cases; but on making the lease, I would bind him to lay out a sum of money in building, and to plant a certain number of trees: the sum to be laid out by the party, and the number of trees to be planted, must depend in a great degree on the nature of the farm granted,. and how far it is fit for plantation or tillage, and it will not be possible for the Society or me to form any estimate of the proportion, till the survey of "the Quarterlands" which is now making by your order is completely finished, and I hope to be able to lay some of the detached maps or farms before you prior to my leaving town. I must however observe in general, that the lands, called the Quarterlands," differ very much in value; some of them being nearly barren, whilst others of them are very good. Great care therefore should be taken when we are sub-dividing the farms into the parts that the Society should lett in perpetuity, and those they should lett in terminable leases; that it should be so done, as to induce the tenant to improve the barren parts as well as the arable ones; otherwise he might be inclined to confine his expenditure to the better part of the land, leaving the other part in its former situation. On this subject I shall be able to explain more fully when the map is finished; as likewise, on the management of the bogs, the system of managing which is very bad at present, as none of the tenants pay that attention to it that they would if it was their interest, from their having a property of any kind' in those bogs.

At the time of establishing the colony, it is probable, the bogs were kept for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Londonderry, and for the purpose of supplying them with fuel, for which reason the Society very judiciously reserved them in their own hands; but now, what with incroachments on the bogs which have been made by the tenants, (some of them so long since that it is impossible to trace their date, nor owing to the want of a map of "the Quaterlands," can we trace their extent,) and what with the bog being cut and wasted by the undertenants, there is no turf for the supply of Londonderry, which is all supplied by boats that come from a distance, and the tenants on" the Quarterlands" only considering the supply of the moment, cut the bog in the most wasteful manner, without any regard to those that come after them. I would therefore advise the Society in the new leases they make, by all means to set a proportion of the bog to the tenant with each farm. He will then find some interest, not only in cutting with care and advantage, but in improving the surface, and rendering productive that which is now a complete caput mortuum, equally barren and unsightly.

The interest the tenants have now in their leases, is, for the most part, very small, as their tenures are only for a few years, and generally one or two existing lives; and as they do not think it prudent on such short terms, to lay out money either in building or improving on a liberal scale, the more wealthy part of them would very willingly, surrender their present leases and commence immediately on an increased rent, and I am very certain, they would give as much for a lease at this moment, as at the expiration of the term which they hold; for such a lease would give them an immediate and full enjoyment of their farms, and enable them to lay out their money on the same with advantage,-few of them for want of such expenditure getting the value out of their ground; and it would evidently be the interest of the Society, for the following reasons: In the first place, it would expedite the improvement of that part of their property, which is now, from its barrenness and unimproved state, a disgrace to the city of Londonderry and a discredit to the Society :-In the next place, it is much to be feared lest the people of Londonderry, who are increasing daily in wealth, and seek the relaxation of a country retirement from the fatigues of business, should be induced to establish themselves and build their villas on the other side of the water, (which since the building of the bridge, has an easy communication with Londonderry,) and which being all of it freehold property, belonging to individuals, they could easily obtain long tenures of; and such establishment, if once formed, would be an almost perpetual bar to the ipmrovement of that part of the Society's property. I cannot help here adverting to two or three gentlemen, whose reliance on the Society's generosity has induced them to lay out large sums of money on their holdings; I mean Mr. Alexander Lecky, Mr. Harvey, and Mr. Scott. The two former gentlemen have built

very handsome dwelling-houses on their farms, and greatly improved the places; and Mr. Scott has planted, drained and improved at a considerable expence a farm, which from a waste hill he has made a beautiful spot of, and on which he intends immediately, if he gets a renewal, to build a handsome house. These gentlemen undoubtedly have a strong claim on the Society, having with very short tenures expended their money, in a full reliance that the object of the Society was, to encourage the colony, and those who expended their money in the improvement of it.

The erecting of a public fountain, such as your Secretary recommends, would be an excellent idea; and though the subject he proposes to perpetuate be one not generally relished by Irishmen, yet would be very appropriate to a colony established by the city of London, and would do them very high honour: if such a thing should be resolved on, it might not be amiss to put some of the expense on the tenants who procure such renewals.

I hope these few general observations will be satisfactory to the Society, and when the map is finished, I shall be enabled to make such further remarks on the particular farms, as will more fully guide them in their future proceedings concerning these grounds. I must however say, that the Society would understand the nature of their estates better by sending to Ireland a deputation of their own body to visit them, than by explanations from any person whatever; and if they should come to such a laudable resolution, I shall feel it a duty I owe the Society to attend them, and point out any thing to them worthy of notice on their estates.

I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,

Your most obedient Servant,

J. C. BERESFORD.

TO THE HONORABLE SOCIETY OF THE GOVERNOR AND ASSISTANTS OF LONDON, OF THE NEW PLANTATION IN ULSTER, WITHIN THE REALM OF IRELAND:

GENTLEMEN,

HAVING, by your direction, made as accurate an inquiry into the state of the timber growing on the several proportions in the county of Londonderry, as I could do without putting the Society to expense, I beg leave to annex the following statement, which is as accurate as I could make it under the circumstances:

On the Skinners' proportion, to which Mr. Ogilby is tenant, there is no wood whatever, except a few scattered trees; altogether, as well as I can estimate, not worth £500.

On the Fishmongers' proportion there is a wood of some magnitude; it is divided into two parts by the road leading from Newtown-Limmavaddy to Londonderry. The part which is above the road is a growth of about thirty years, during which time it has been fenced and preserved by the tenant, Mr. Beresford; the lower part between the road and Lough Foyle, is an old wood of oak, fir, beech, ash, and lime; the oak is natural wood, the rest planted by the tenant and his ancestors.

On the Drapers' proportion, which is held by Mr. Rowley, there is no timber whatever.

On the Salters', which is held by Lord Londonderry and Mr. Bateson, there are some trees in hedge-rows about the town of Magherafelt, but very little timber of any value besides; I suppose in the whole there may be from £500 to £800 worth of

trees.

On the Haberdashers' estate, which is held by Lord Waterford, there is no timber whatever, except here and there an odd tree or two to shelter the houses of the peasants.

The Ironmongers', of which Mr. Dupree is the tenant, has very little timber, except a small wood of ten or twelve acres on one of the native freeholds.

On the Merchant Taylors' estate there is not a tree, except at Mr. Richardson's demesne, which is just adjoining to the Coleraine fishery, and which has been entirely planted by the tenant, the late Mr. Richardson.

The Clothworkers' is equally destitute of timber, except immediately about the demesne of Mr. Jackson, which is at the entrance of the town of Coleraine, where there are a good many old ash-trees of some value, and some ornamental plantations.

On the Grocers' proportion, Mr. Connelly has a wood of about thirty or forty acres, called the Glen of the Ness, but the trees are young and small, and of no value except for the bark, being oak,-that may be worth from £500 to £1000.

On the Vintners' proportion, the demesne of Castle Dawson has a considerable quantity of new plantation and some old trees; and about the neighbourhood of Bellaghy there is a good deal of scattered timber, but no regular wood or plantation.

On the Goldsmiths' proportion, tenanted by Mr. Ponsonby, there is no wood, except the demesne of Hamilton Ash, Esq. which is small, but well planted; I should think the timber on it worth from £1200 to £1400.

On the Mercers' proportion, tenanted by Mr. Stewart, brother to Lord Londonderry, there is very little timber of any kind. On the whole I may venture to say, that the county of Londonderry is perhaps the worst wooded county in the king's dominions.

London, 27th January, 1803.

I am,

Your most obedient servant,

J. C. BERESFORD.