Two letters to Nicholas R. O'Conor at the British Embassy in Paris - 1882.

Envelope addressed to N. R. O'Conor Esq.*, British Embassy, Paris. Backstamped at Castlerea and Ballymoe and with Paris arrival stamp front and back. Sent Freepost but with T (Taxe) 5? unpaid postage mark on front.

Letter 1: Pages read 4, 1, 2 and 3. Dated 27 January 1882.

Strokestown Jany. 27.

My Dear Nicholas,
O'Conor's case struck out with costs £3 against him - only one other case tried, judgement not given yet. There will be only one more tried out of 21 listed. They wait over until next Circuit unless settled out of court which the Chairman strongly recommended the tenants to do. I offered that all who held above 20% over the valuation should come down to that, all at & under 20% to remain as they are. They would not listen to this up (to) today - the case tried is one in which the rent is nearly the highest in proportion on the property. I said I considered £24. £1 an acre would be about a fair rent the valuation is £22, the tenants valuators only valued it at £21.10 Our valuator put it down at £24.15. Burke thought it better not examine him as he differed so little from the tenants man - the Chairman complimented me on the fair way I met the tenants (there notices were not properly served. I claimed the point it would have been only putting off the evil day & prolonging the agony) the great consideration shown them, the great assistance they got and wound up by saying if all the agents & landlords in the country acted as you and I did there would have been very little cause for complaint among the tenants. I think they wont reduce their rent much below £24 what I put on it.

M. C. (?) Comyn **.

(written across top page 1: I leave Dundermott on Monday and return there on Wednesday).

Letter 2: Pages read 4, 1, 2 and 3. Dated 28 January 1882.

Dundermott. Jany. 28. 82

My dear Nicholas,

Both cases tried were ruled at the value I put on the land today and Mr. Chairman in giving judgement again complemented us both and thoroughly advised those tenants whose cases were not heard to settle with their landlord who had acted so well by them. I am sorry to say only one man took his advice and he was already at the valuation. All would accept the valuation except two or three who say it is much too high and was not fairly put on by Griffith or his men. I believe I got off better today than I would have done had I not made the offer of concessions I did - I will see them all after Lanesboro fair for rent and will try to settle there. There will be little gained by fighting and it will render the collection of rent almost impossible. If I could get an average of 10% all round over the valuation I think we would be as well off as we will be left by the Court. Hanly and Keanes (?) cases come on next Friday. I go home on Monday and return for them.
M. C.(?) Comyn.

You may recollect I often told you the rents were too high and would not stand if enquired into.

Newspaper Report from "The Freeman's Journal" of Saturday 28 January 1882. The story relates the case at The Strokestown Sub-Commission under the Land Act, referred to in the letters above. It was included in the envelope with the two letters.

Images are not to scale.

Follow this link for: A letter from Sir Nicholas Roderick

O'Conor to Sir Francis Beilby Alston - 1890.

* The Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Roderick O'Conor, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., (1843 - 1908) was an Irish-born career diplomat. He was born in Dundermott, County Roscommon in 1843 and was educated at Tullabeg and Stoneyhurst Colleges and the Université Catholique de Louvain in Munich. O'Conor's diplomatic service dates from 1866 and he was subsequently attached to the Embassy in Berlin. In the following years he served as Secretary at the Hague, Madrid. Rio de Janeiro, and Paris. He was Secretary of the Legation at Peking (1883-6) and Secretary and Chargé d'Affaires at Peking (1885-6) and Washington (1886), Political Agent and Consul-General in Bulgaria (1887-92), envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Emperor of China and King of Korea at Peking (1892-5) and envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Emperor of Russia at St Petersburg (1895-8). He was British Ambassador to Turkey from 1898 until his death on 19 March 1908 in Constantinople. He was awarded CMG in 1886, KCB in 1895, GCMG in 1896 and GCB in 1897. In 1887 he married Minna Margaret Hope-Scott, daughter of James Robert Hope-Scott, Q. C. (1812-1873) and Lady Victoria Hope-Scott (1840 - 1870), eldest daughter of the 14th Duke of Norfolk. In 1918, at the Brompton Oratory, his daughter Eileen married Prince Matyla Ghyka of Romania. After World War II the family settled in the United States.

** The then Colonel Comyn was still representing Sir Nicholas (British Ambassador in Constantinople) as his agent in 1904. At the November rates that year he unsuccessfully offered to sell the land to the sitting tenants.

Sources: Wikipedia, Janus and other sources.

A book "Notes from Constantinople - The Political Diary of Sir Nicholas O'Conor, Britain's Ambassador to the Parte, 1898 - 1908" by John Burman was published by The Isis Press in 2010. (ISBN 9789754284140).

Addenda: Apart from our letters, (which were purchased from a seller in France), the biggest collection of material relating to Sir Nicholas is in England. One hundred and sixty seven archive boxes, including his diaries, family and diplomatic correspondence and those of his wife (material dating from 1785 to 1938), were deposited in the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge by Muriel Nevile between 1938 and 1988. (A catalogue list is available on the Janus link above).

Further information on the participants in this correspondence welcome. Please contact us.

Special thanks to Fin Corley for transcription of the letters.

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