miles in length, bounded by the sea on the north, the river Bann on the east, and the river Derry or Lough Foyle on the west out of which 1000 acres more may be allotted to each of the towns, for their commons, rent free; the rest to be planted with such Undertakers as the City of London shall think good for their best profit, paying only for the same the easy rent of the Undertakers."

A few years afterwards (1613) the whole of the Irish property was divided into twelve lots, and balloted for by the Companies, each of the large Companies associating with itself a certain number of the lesser companies, so as to make the contributions of each of the twelve nominal Companies, towards the expenses of the undertaking, equal. And from that time forward the individual Companies had the entire government, management, and proceeds of their own properties in their own control respectively. At the time of the division of the estates, the Companies had been already assessed "towards the plantation of Ireland," to the amount of 40,000., a sum which was eventually swelled, by different assessments, to upwards of 60,000l. It is not much to be wondered at that the payment of these large sums made the Companies, at the time, think that they had made but an indifferent bargain, more especially as the annual value of the whole property was only then rated at 18007. The price of produce and of some of the articles of domestic consumption, at that time, in Ulster (1613) will account

for this low estimate. The following are some of the prices of those days:-A cow or bullock, 15s. (about a halfpenny per lb.); a sheep, from 16d. to 2s.; a hog, 28.; a "very long" salmon for 4d., 6d., or 8d.; barley, 11d. a bushel; oats, 4d. a bushel; strong beer, 16s. a barrel, (represented by the London Commissioners as very dear.) The bargain, however, has since proved to be one of the best ever made by the Citizens, the annual income from the property at present divided among the Companies being upwards of 100,000l. a year.

Previous to the division of the property among the Companies, the Common Council appointed a special Company or Society for supervising and managing the affairs of the Plantation. This Society shortly afterwards (in 1615) was incorporated under the name of "The Society of the Governor and Assistants of London of the new Plantation of Ulster ;" and in 1662 received a second Charter from Charles II, under which it still exists. It is now known by the name of "The Honorable the Irish Society." At the period of the division of the property, this Society retained in its possession "the houses of Londonderry and Coleraine, the lands attached thereto, and the woods, ferries, and fisheries," as not being susceptible of division. This property they still retain, and may thus be considered as constituting a thirteenth Company.

The twelve great Companies among whom the Ulster property was divided, were the following:— Mercers, Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Goldsmiths,

Skinners, Merchant Tailors, Haberdashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintuers, Cloth workers. Four of these Companies (Goldsmiths, Haberdashers, Vintners, Merchant Tailors,) have since sold their rights in perpetuity; two (Salters and Skinners) have not yet got possession, owing to the non-expiration of a long lease granted by them; while the remaining six (Drapers, Fishmongers, Grocers, Mercers, Clothworkers, Ironmongers,) have had their estates under their own management for a good many years past. The estates are managed by resident agents, but none, I believe, are actually cultivated by the Companies. The Companies, as already stated, have the character of being excellent landlords: the rents being moderate; the tenants seldom molested in their tenure; and great liberality being shown in the maintenance of schools and in the support of other charitable institutions.

The whole property of the Companies is at present reckoned, in round numbers, at about 160,000 acres, and that of the Irish Society at 14,000, making a total of 174,000 acres; constituting, in fact, more than half the county. In a valuation of the whole of the county property made in 1802, for the purpose of levying the Cess, the Companies' property was calculated at 14927., while all the remaining property of the county was valued at 8847. A general idea of their individual extent may be gathered from these two facts: 1st, that the population on one of the properties (Fishmongers) amounts to upwards of 4000;

2d, that the individual Companies derive incomes from them varying from 8000l. to 16,000l. per annum.

The circumstance that most interested me in regard to the local administration of the Companies, was the marked patronage afforded by them to the education of the people on their respective estates, and, indeed, in the county generally. Having been kindly favoured by most of the Companies which have their estates in their own management, with some particulars relating to their respective schools, I am glad to be able to notice them in this place. They redound greatly to the honour of these bodies, as evincing, at once, great liberality of views, and a very paternal regard for the welfare of the people under their government. It will be seen that no consideration as to the religion of the children is allowed to interfere with the distribution of their bounty.

1. The Irish Society.—I have already noticed the admirable school in Coleraine, which is entirely supported by the Society. I will only here add, that its annual cost to the Society is upwards of 2501. This, however, is but a small proportion of the benefits contributed by the Society towards the education of the people in the county. According to an official document now before me, it appears that in the year 1851-2 it contributed funds towards the support of no less than ninetyone schools, amounting in all to 14667. In addition to this sum the Society, during the same

year, expended in charitable donations of various kinds (including 5501. for building churches), the sum of 9157. 18s, In illustration of the liberal way in which the Society expends its funds, it may be stated that it contributes annually to the Lough Foyle College the following sums:

For the College

For two Masters, 40%. each

200%.

80%.

For five Exhibitions to Trinity College, Dublin, 30%. each 150%.

Total

430%.

It also subscribes 801, annually to the Templemoyle Agricultural Schools. The net income of the Society, from its Irish property, during the year ending the 10th of February, 1852, was 12,4297. 6s. 11'd.

2. Fishmongers' Company.- This Company took the direction of its property into its own hands in the year 1820. Since then it has built and endowed numerous schools throughout the district. It now maintains eight schools entirely at its own expense, besides contributing to others partly supported from other quarters. The annual expenditure on schools, during many years, has varied from 354. to 5117., making an average considerably above 4007. Of the eight schools entirely supported by the Company, one is exclusively for boys, three exclusively for girls, and four for the two These schools, in the year 1852, contained 498 pupils of both sexes. I have not been able to

sexes.