others, and I have felt deeply interested in the -- properties, no
doubt from being more in contact with them; but when the poor
among them are in terror of the proprietors alike, and bound by
forced advances to different fish-curers, alas for liberty! and more
offered to any fish-curer who will advance more on them. This is
not calculated to raise any tenant in self-respect."
'10,025. You speak in that letter of "forced advances:" what were
these?-What I meant by that was this: the proprietor's ground
officer or agent in the island, for the time being, told the tenant
that he might fish for me this year. I found that he had only £2 or
£3 to get; and the ground officer told that tenant that if he did not
go to me and get an advance for his rent, he would take him from
me and give him to any other man who would advance the rent.
That looked very like forced advances.'
'10,026. That, however, was in 1860?-Yes.'
'10,027. Was that a common practice in those times?-I believe
that thirteen years ago truck existed ten times as much as it does
now.'
'10,028. But in 1860 was it a common thing for a proprietor's
ground officer to threaten to remove a tenant unless he could get
his rent from the fish-curer?-Yes; to threaten to remove him from
the ground unless he could pay his rent, or to move him from a
fish-curer who would not give him an advance for that purpose, to
some other fish-curer who would do so.'
'10,029. Have you known instances of fishermen who were treated
in that way?-Yes. I was referring to cases of that kind when I
was writing that letter. It was my own experience at the time
when I was at Uyeasound as a fish-curer, trying to engage any men
who came to me. Many came to me and fell into debt, because I
found that many of them required more from the shop than their