He would have succeeded, my Galwegian thought, had not the agent, Mr.
Hewson, obstinately fought with the obstinate curate, Father Stephens, over the suggestion made by the latter, that the terms granted on the fine neighbouring estate of Mr.Stuart of Ards--a man of wealth, who lives mainly at Brighton, though Ards is one of the loveliest places in Ireland--should be extended by Mr.Olphert for a whole year to his own people, who had never asked for anything of the kind! Mr.Olphert said he knew Gweedore well.

He owns a "townland"[16] there, on which he has thirty-five tenants, none of them on a holding at more more than L4 a year.

Father M'Fadden of Gweedore, he said, finding that the people on Mr.Olphert's townland were going back to the "Rundale" practices, tried to induce Mr.Olphert to return all these subdivisions as "tenancies." This he refused to do.

As to the resources of the peasantry, he thought them greater than they appeared to be.

"This comes to light," said Mr.Olphert, "whenever there is a tenant-right for sale.
There is never any lack of money to buy it, and at a round good price." The people also, he thinks, spend a great deal on what they regard as luxuries, and particularly on tea.