ing them from
his estate, and letting his land to some more efficient and deserving
tenant. He accordingly desired them to remove their property from the
premises, as he did not wish, he said, to leave them without the means
of entering upon another farm, if they felt so disposed. This they
refused to do; adding, that they would, at least, put him to the expense
of ejecting them. He then gave orders to his agent to seize; but they,
in the mean time, had secreted their effects by night among their
friends and relations, sending a cow to this one, and a horse to that;
so that, when the bailiff came to levy his execution, he found very
little, except the empty walls. They were, however, ejected without
ceremony, and driven altogether off the farm, for which they had
actually paid nothing for the three preceding years. In the mean time
the farm was advertised to be let, and several persons had offered
themselves as tenants; but what appeared very remarkable was, that the
Roman Catholics seldom came a second time to make any further inquiry
about it; or, if they did, Simmons observed that they were sure to
withdraw their proposals, and ultimately decline having anything to do
with it.

"This was a circumstance which he could not properly understand; but
the fact was, that the peasantry were almost to a man members of a
widely-extending system of agrarian combination, the secret influence of
which intimidated such of their own religion as intended to take it, and
prevented them from exposing themselves to the penalty which they knew
those who should dare to occupy it must pay. In a short time, however,
the matter began to be whispered about, until it spread gradually, day
after day, through the parish, that those who already had proposed, or
intended to propose, were afraid to enter upon the land on any terms.
Hitherto, it is true, these threats floated about only in the vague form
of rumor.

"The farm had been now unoccupied for about a year; party spirit ran
very high among the peasantry, and no proposals came in, or were at all
likely to come. Simmons then got advertisements printed, and had them
posted up in the most conspicuous parts of this and the neighboring
parishes. It was expected, however, that they would be torn down; but,
instead of that, there was a written notice posted up immediately under
each, which ran in the following words:--

"'Take Notess.

"'Any man that'll dare to take the farm belongi