in 1641 the Catholics held something more than one-half of the land of Ireland, instead of over two-thirds as Petty supposes.
If we next examine Petty's figures as regards the results of the Restoration settlement we find that at first sight his figure for the extent of land set out to the transplanted, 700,000 Irish acres agrees closely enough with the total in Eliot's list, viz., 717,000 Irish or 1,162,000 English acres. But if we can trust a statement of the Irish agents there were still in or about 1664, 156,000 acres due to persons who had obtained decrees for lands in Connaught under Cromwell, but who had got none.[1] Probably many, if not most, of these persons never got any satisfaction, so that Petty's figure must be substantially reduced here.
Then it is quite impossible to believe that something over 500 innocents got back 1,200,000 Irish acres, nearly one-sixth of all the profitable land in the island, and working out at over 4000 English acres a head.
Both parties seem to have agreed that 400,000 acres would be required to satisfy the nominees;[2] but this may have been before the actual list was decided on; in any case it is certain that many of the nominees never got full satisfaction. It is remarkable that the area held to be forfeited by the adherents of James II. amounted only to something over 1,100,000 Irish acres inclusive of the estates of those comprised within the articles of Galway and Limerick. There can be no reasonable doubt that, as all the Catholics of Ireland had sided with James against William, so
