Page:Petty 1851 The Down Survey.djvu/132

 goe for good, either of which would bee very ridiculouse, according to my judgement, ffor on the one hand the Commonwealth would loose, and the souldiers on the other hand. Many of those souldiers that shall fall in those places will have a bondage on them, instead of their having satisfaction, for these many yeares. Most part of Kerrey will not make or raise the quitt rents, some of it never did, nor never will, and yett people lived on it, and is pasturable for cattle, and yet, as aforesaid, not worthy the said quitt rent. Therefore, in this doubtfull case, all that your servants could doe in the same, for the reasons aforesaid, was only to be exact in giving the true quantity, and our judgements concerning the quality, not assuming to ourselves to determine any thing therein, but have layd the same open to your lordshipps, in only giving our sences thereof, and leave you to judge. But this I will dare to say, that noe man or men whomsoever that your lordships shall employ shall ever reconcile the differences that arises concerning the premisses, except by this way proposed by your servants, or something equivalent with it, except that they will throw away all the benefitt that would arise to the Commonwealth in the said course lands, vizt, whole plowlands, allmost parishes and barronyes. And as for the souldiers to take the same, every acre for satisfying acres, and pay quitt rent for the same, it cannot bee exspected nor required; for noe landlord can exspect more then the full worth of his land, or require of one more then he can by any meanes make, he using his best endeavours to improve it; yett will he not wholly throw the same away, though hee cannot gett what hee would.

But as concerning the letter of the Act of Parliament, touching the setting out of lands in Ireland, your lordshipps servants did and doe absolutely thinke the word unprofitable will admitt of some interpretation; not that I doe presume to give the absolute interpretation of the same, but, being a person concerned, doe humbly offer my sence concerning the same, vizt:

Either must the Act admitt of some interpretation of the word profitable and unprofitable, or else there is very little unprofitable land in Ireland, if any; for that is only barren that beares nothing, or that only unprofitable which is good for nothing. And if this be all that the said Act of Parliament will hold, in that case then I dare engage to find out, of the lands admeasured for the souldiers and adventurers, above three or four hundred thousand acres of land that shall bee absolutely profitable, according to that sence, more then is now returned. But, as aforesaid, I did and doe judge that those very words of the