Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/150

 

CHAPTER V

THE ACTS OF SETTLEMENT AND EXPLANATION

1660-1667

 

Condition of Kerry—Ireland in 1662—The Acts of Settlement and Explanation—Dr. Petty and the Cromwell family—The settlement of Ireland in 1667—Sir James Shaen—Quarrel with the Duke of Ormonde—The Irish Cattle Acts—Effects of Absenteeism—Estimate of the Irish character—Interests of the Irish people—Settlement at Kenmare— Instructions for Kerry.

The Restoration had necessarily reopened the Irish Land Question, and Sir William had once more to attend to 'his surveys, distributions, and other disobliging trinkets,' as he termed them. He was, however, by this time secure of the royal protection, though a long struggle was yet before him. His stake in Irish property was large, nor was it represented merely by the land he had received in direct payment for his official services on the survey. The long delay which had taken place in the payment of the army had reduced a great number of the soldiers, and even of the officers, to great distress. Land debentures began to pour into the market soon after the passing of the Act of 1653, especially those belonging to the common soldiers; and the process had gone on ever since. These debentures in 1653 were not commanding more than a price of from four shillings to five shillings in the pound, and they were eagerly bought up by the officers from their own men at reduced prices. A regular land market existed, and brokers established a sort of Exchange in Dublin. When the army was satisfied, and the prohibitions of the Act had therefore ceased to be operative, Dr. Petty, as already seen, himself entered the market as a buyer—chiefly from the debenture brokers—and thereby largely increased his own stake in Irish land.