Large Estates.

Coming down to the present moment, it would be observed that this process was being page 5 reversed, and the State was now beginning to buy back large estates for the colony. But to go on with his sketch. These wholesale buyers of land were able to bring a great deal of influence to bear upon the Legislature, Some of them were probably legislators, and if not, had someone whom they would back up at the next election who would be [unclear: able] to work the little arrangement quite as well as they could themselves, if not far better, because their hand would not be seen in it. Now, there was another feature which had come in also—plural property votes—because it was said, of course, "a man who had a stake in the country, a man who was a [unclear: bstantial] man, who had landed property, [unclear: must] have more votes. The man at the [unclear: street] corner could not expect to have such [unclear: ting] power as the man with the broad [unclear: res]." The consequence was, that at every [unclear: lection] there was a steady increase of people [unclear: who] were interested in holding the land.