Having made this Estimate of the Decays in the Whole Commonwealth; I descend to inquire what the Catholicks of Ireland have gained by the late Changes; and Say
1. That the whole Pay of the Army being 204 Thousand Pounds per Ann. I hear that the Catholicks receive about 160 Thousand Pounds thereof per Annum: Which at two Years Purchase (for Military Imployments are not yet worth as many Year's Purchase as they were 4 Years since) amounts to 320 Thousand Pounds.
2. The Lands, for which the Lord Dunsany, Mr Husey, and Mr. Barnwel, have gotten Verdicts,[1] may be worth about 1000l. per Ann.
Nor do I believe that ten times the said Summ can be gotten more in the same Manner. Now if the best Titles are worth but 10 Year's Purchase, then the Value of 10000l. per Annum, gotten upon such Verdicts, is not worth so much; and their whole Gain of Soldiers and Ejectors not worth above 400 Thousand Pounds.
On the other Hand the Catholicks have lost as followeth (vizt.)
1. The Superfluous Expence abovementioned, amounting for their Shares probably to 350 Thousand Pounds.
2. The Lands belonging to the Roman Catholicks of Ireland A° 1683, were worth 3 Millions. But if the Generality of Lands have fallen above one half, I question whether their Lands and Houses be not fallen ⅓ or a Million.
3. If the Cattle of Ireland be now fallen from 5 to 3 Millions, and that above one half thereof did belong to the Roman Catholicks, then they have upon this Account lost above a Million more. In all about 2 Millions 350 Thousand Pounds; but have scarce gotten, and probably will not get
- ↑ The Irish courts as reconstituted by Tyrconnel, ejected a number of Protestants from lands that had been allotted them and gave the lands to Catholic claimants.
improvement of Ireland. Catalogue of MSS. the Property of Lord De Clifford, sold by Christie 11 February, 1834, lot 299. These papers are said to have been bought for the British Museum but could not be found there in September 1895.
