ase of this estate made in my more public
appearances, owing to the fact that I have been brought into general
notice through offensive legal proceedings, that a brief account of the
matter must form part of my reminiscences.

Prior to 1878, a gentleman named Harenc, the owner of a large extent of
landed property in the north of Kerry, died.

Who the estate subsequently belonged to I am uncertain. Anyhow,
according to the title-deeds, it was somehow divided among ten or twelve
individuals before the property came into the Land Estate Courts for
sale.

This circumstance suggested to a large number of the tenantry that it
might be an opportunity to avail themselves of the provisions of the
Bright Clauses, and become pretty cheaply the owners of the land on
which they lived.

After they had offered the sum of L75,000 for the estate, for the
purpose of splitting it up into small holdings, it was found that the
trustee had privately agreed to sell it to Mr. Goodman Gentleman, the
agent for the late Mr. Harenc, for L65,000.

The tenants were not going to be frustrated by that--being Irishmen and
litigious, which is one and the same thing. So they appealed to the
Landed Estates Court, and induced Judge Ormsby to make an order
annulling the deed of sale, and directing that the property should be
put up in lots suitable to the purposes of the tenants.

Several of the tenants who did not want the property split up approached
me to suggest I should buy the property, and appeared by counsel--the
present Judge Johnson--in support of me.

I met the tenants, and stated that if it fell to me I would give each of
them a lease of thirty-one years, and indemnify myself for the
purchase-money by a rise on the entire rental of five per cent, on the
valuation of each estate, according to current estimates, at which they
showed every sign of satisfaction.

I then offered L80,000 for the whole estate, and was declared the
purchaser. A large bonfire was lighted on February 20th, 1878, by the
tenants at Aghabey, near Luxnow, on their being apprised I had become
their landlord.

Another section of tenants, however, were anxious that the property
should be bought by Messrs. Lombard and Murphy, private individuals I
never met.

The judge of the Landed Estate Court, Judge Ormsby, gave them the
property.

I appealed against this decision, and the Court of Appeal unanimously
reversed the verdict of Judge Ormsby, the three judges being t