Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/352

 

III

A briefe Accompt of the most materiall Passages relatinge to the Survey managed by Doctor Petty in Ireland, anno 1655 and 1656^[1]

Barronyes in Irland are of various extents, viz^t., some but 8000 acres, and some 160,000 acres.

The first survey or old measurement was performed by measuringe whole baronyes in one surround, or perimeter, and payinge for the same after the rate of 40^s for every thousand acres contayned within such surround; whereby it followed that the surveyors were most unequally rewarded for the same worke, viz^t., he that measured the barrony of 160,000 acres did gaine neere five tymes as much per diem as he that measured that of 8000 acres. Besides, wheras 40^s were given for measuringe 1000 acres, in that way 5^s was too much, that is to say, at 5^s per 1000 a surveyor might have earned above 20^s per diem cleare, wheras 10^s is esteemed, especially in long employments, a competent allowance.

The error of this way beinge discerned, the same undertakers order, that instead of measuringe entire baronyes as before, that scopes of forfeited profitable lands should bee measured under one surround, bee the same great or small, or whether such scopes consisted of many or few ffarme lands, townelands, ploughlands, or other denominations usuall in each respective county or barrony. And for this kind of worke the surveyor was to have 45^s for every thousand acres, abatinge proportionably for such parcells, either of unprofitable or unforfeited land as should happen to be surrounded within any great scope. Now this latter way, besides the inconveniencyes above mentioned, laboured with this other and greater, viz^t., that by how much the measurer's paynes and worke was greater, by soe much his wages and allowance was lesse, soe as noe surveyor could foresee wheather hee should be able to performe his respective undertakinge at the rate above said, or that hee should not gaine exorbitantly by it.

Hereupon D^r Petty propounded that the whole land should be measured both accordinge to its civill bounds, viz., by barronyes, parishes, townelands, ploughlands, balliboes, &c, and alsoe by its naturall boundings by rivers, ridges of mountaines, rockes, loughes, boggs, &c.; as answeringe not onely the very ends of satisfyinge the

1. From a manuscript in the Record Branch of the Office of the Paymaster of Civil Services in Ireland.