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Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 j-r Tr-)inin \ I I gTRICTURES Alio REMARKS . ON THE EARL OF SELKIRK'S OBSERVATIONS OH THE PRESENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND, WITH A VIEW OF THE CAUSES AND PROBABL£ COKSEQI/ENCES OF EMIGRATION. By ROBERT BROWN, Esq. SHE&IFF-fUBtTITVTE OF THE WSSTERM SISTKICrf OF INVBRNE8S-SHIB.E, 111 £ftres the land, to luwt'oing ilk » t>rey, Where wealth accumtaUtet and men decay : Princes and lord* nuy flourish, or may &de ; A lireath can make them, as a breath has madet Bat 9. bold peasantry, their country's pride. When once destroy'd can never be mpply'd. O0I.D9MITU. ,'%:i, EDINBURGH: . AMOi SOLD BY JOHN FAIRBAIRNy EDINBURGH* AMD J. MURRAY, S2. FLEET STREET) LONDON. 1806. < iiimmmmmmmmfr mmmm \ I;, >X' 'nJ -' fr-.rr*f i>^ ^ Cl.<»". ^^■•" t*:H;€ii^^-ii j^ .O 3 .r:^. ifn H.'V!:^'. .yu ''kQ, 'ii£i'. • ,^. A ■- ^^« ...». > ■ >. :#- •^'n^^^fif^.^i'i':!:'^^."!;,' <*^(/ ■♦Tk J^='« *l'^-' - ht'tK yv,Ji -Tilt ,?ft !^''?y"^«^!?ii,V4v^-r?v;- .•g^.i;:i'';-.^3-^:?p-: c-i 'iO *^-x'« ►.'■«.•'?' ■T.»»^r;)-" ■.■^*^^^ «3m .-rs^^ 3,r,A^3}rm ■A.m ^iii'pii 'Jli' Ml-.i-V;^ Jg^pij-vj..!^;ij3v :M; -^•'f';-';<^-t .10 •).■..'./> -... ' r :V.„ ,'»5m*ia^B»^i'j5^-?y^^^ -ir'Mi#^^'';5 f(S^%.t^> .-'j J: ' <•» ii''-i'\ M: l i '• r;- r* 'I'* ■ AJ'rii* v».-: :-x'r ,Y i i 1-,. .*u>i REMi^RKS. ^^. » f :'.r ■■ .■} -b'. I ... ^ , , r. > .-..v..., • •; OK my arrivai in Edinburgh ii few days ago, a friend favoured me with k perus^ of Lord Selkirk's work, enti- tled, '^ Obiervatiotis on the Present Btaie oftki ITtghhnds of Scotland^ with a vkiv of the Causts^ and probabh Comequenqe^ of Zmigrai^ tton* 3 if.- . ■ .; Feeling an Uitei^e^t iti thfc prtJ^peHty of the Highlands^ whef« my Jot i^ caft^ I read the book with atter^tion, an^l;>eg leave to ky before the public a few remarks up<^ ^- 1 am far from ^tetending to controvert' i»ny of his Lordship's theories, borrowed A from '■-'■» //■ 1 7 from received systems of political econo- my, of which I do not profess to be a judge. But I am bold to maintain, that the$e theories are rvholly inapplicable to the present state of the Highlands ; or, ra- ther, that that state has changed so rapid- ly of late years, as wholly to elude their grasp. ' ■ I hope to make it evident to every can- did reader, that his Lordship's knowledge of the Highlands is very superficial : that his information was chiefly derived from persons iV^ho had no partiality towards their own country ; and that his Lord- ship, misled by the partial examination of a district or two, made a sweeping conclu- sion, that all the Highlands and Isles were in the same states That, so far from the Highlands and Isles being overstocked with inhabitants, so as to require emigration ; these countries require the aid of new settlers to stock them properly, and to convert to profit all those sotirces of. industry which nature presents. That the authorities on which his Lord- ship founds his arguments are obsolete, /and , wholly inapplicable to the present '•'. ■ - :;■ --v-r---' A -,- ' " ., •; state. \ ." htktfe of the Highlands and Isles ; and that, ^n fact, no authority older than ten years 18 admissible* That every industrious man may find a ' comfortable dubsistance, for himself and family, in the Highlands and Isles t and> with respect to those who will not work, We should be obliged to the Earl of SeU kirk, and others who wish to stock their estates on the other side of the Atlantic, to take them from usi ^ " * Lord Selkirk, so fif ad can be collected through his Wotk, ascribes ertiigration, Jirst^ To the change from ancient to mo- dern manners among the people ; iecond^ To the rise of rents \ thirdy To the intro*. duction of sheep, and engrossing of farms ; fourth^ An oVtercharged population. Which cannot find employment in their dWit ■country.-;-In following oUt his very ela* borate reasohings on the subject, the facts * to be adduced will eilable the rfeader to ^ ^ judge how far any of these causes havfe "produced the effects ascribed to them. It will be *een, that they are in a great mea- .:sure hypothetical ; haVe had either no re^ " :'existeJice, or little of no effect oa emigra* II A 9 t'\< ■'■' The The only object I have in view, is to set the public right with regard to facts, which I state from local knowledge, and to leave them to draw the proper inference. i Should these observations meet with a favourable reception, they may probably be illustrated at greater length at a future opportunity. In *he mean time, I shall confine my remarks principally to the nine first divisions of his Lordship's work. But here I think it necessary to make a few observations on what his Lordship states in page 5. of the Introduction, *' That he resolved to try the experiment, and at his own risk to engage some of the emigrants who were preparing to go to the United States, to change their destination, and to embark for our own colonies." In the eleventh chapter, that topic is again entered upon at greater length j and in pagf s 166. and 167., hi^ Lordship quotes the names of certain settlements in America, to which the Highlanders of different dis- tricts Jiave the greatest predilection, arising from the connection that subsists betwixt the original settlers and their relations at liome. That, previous to the American war, certain colonies of Highlanders set- if';'- ■;, ■--■'., ^: ^^ tied \,.i-.i; near '*^' / near their countrymen, and Lord Selkirk's, agent was obliged to acquiesce. .j^- I shall quit this part of the subject by observing, that it would have been wiser in his Lordship to have made no claim of merit for having changed the current of e- migration. He should have been entirely silent on that topic ; as what he has ad- vanced upon it, betrays a want of inquiry, or his patriotism would not have led him to attempt what had been already done tp his hand. xfipi^ffl;^ ft* ' f flat felvr ^<>m.. r?f1< al^l^li^flt 'L Independence of the Highland Chieftains in . , ,. former times, F. 9, ; "Under this head is presented a view of the relative situation of landlord and te- nant previous to the year 1745, which is admitted to bear a faint resemblance to the truth. But the general picture which his Lordship exhibits of the ancient High- landers, has all that colouring which poets give to the golden age ; and to the modern Highlander presents an old friend with a new face. '*^t -^rifS ..-*»-,i-,.^»^f • .»■.•.» •. His Lofdship seems to regret the change '"'.^ that II ii: \ > ' li fti , \ that the Highlands have undergone, and insinuates a wish to transplant a portioa of the ancient spirit to the other side of the Atlantic, which savours more of enthtU' siasm than of sound policy. A different and more correct view of the state of the ancient Highlanders, would evince, that, instead of the description which he has gi^ ven of the comparative happiness of these people under the old system of clanship^ the very reverse was the case* A people without industry ; subject to no law but that promulgated by their chiefs ; exposed to the most barbarous of punishments at their arbitrary will, to the confiscation of property, to the miseries 'of dbnrestic war* fare, to theft and plunder, and to all the other ills inherent in a barbarous state of society ; cannot possibly be held up as en* joying even a tolerable degree of humarf happiness, s: -,../ j*^ ). ^^ij v.j ^s^:>-i.iu::: It is only matter of regret, that the Highlands continued so long under the old System, after the rest of the Idngdom had changed for the better; and it may be safely said, that the suppression of the rebellions in 1715 and 1745, but particii* larly the latter, (although attended with ' much ( \ he Ihe lay Ke ki* th ch 13 '**;*>' II much misery to many individual High-* ^ landers of those day a), were the most for-^ tunate events that ever happened to their i^ xountry. To the lower orders these events were peculiarly propitious, as they were followed, by their gradual emancipation^ from a state little better than slavery ; and, ] by rendering industry secure, paved xh^i way for the acquisition of wealth. Nor^ are they now insensible of this great change: they contrast their present states with that of their forefathers, and draw^^ the proper inference. ■.^,.,^^.^-.^,.^,^,^: II, Cijnge in ihe PoUcy oftJr J^ghland Pro^ V'v •*■»/,•. •■■*-■ ■ . ) ■■ • r I • -■ . ■. ' ■ . . » • . . / . . 4 > V . . ' . . i . The author is correct in stating, that the present generation of proprietors are more intent on obtaining an adequate return in money for tlieir lands, and less disposed to sacrifice their real interest, than their pre- decessiors, whose ambition, warranted by sound policy, it was to retain a numerous body of idle adherents. What was 9oui:td policy at one time, might prove gross follf :^ !*■''■ ■■ ,...-•-■ .--.'•■ •■■;•>■■. at ij; \ «l «t a subsequent period, when circurtisrail- ces were completely changed, i ti Circumstances have occurred, which ful* •ly justify the present race of Highland pro* prietors for acting as they have done,in en~ deavouring to turn their lands to the best account, by exacting for them an adequate rent* But, if it is inferred, that this has arisen- from a disposition to oppress on the part of the landlord, producing discon-^ tent and emigration on the part of the te^ nant, such an inference is wholly falla-^ cious. The Earl of Selkirk may have observed^ in other parts of the kingdom, the effect of rent in stimulating the industry of the •tenant ; and that) in fact, the farmers in other districts have only become Wealthy and independent after their lands were charged with a fair and adequate rent. He may be assured, that th0 same causes pro- duce the same effects, in the Highlands, aSr in other districts* - ,^;<--^^^ 4*. Mtiv*^ X'''W't^ rv The abolition of feudal services, and imposing an adequate rent on the land, has not only produced a more vigorous cultivation, but a considerable extension a£ the cultivated surface. , -. .. .,^,., ^ . ••^ : An 15 * An assertion is made, (/. 24.), that some proprietors, from vanity or tenderness, still retain their people, by the sacrifice of their / pecuniary interest. But, in fact, no exam- ples have occurred in the course of my ac- quaintance with the Highlands, of proprie- tors maintaining their dependents in feu- dal idleness, against their own interest ; though there may be, perhaps, a solitary instance, of some small proprietor, the doubtful claimant of high ancestry, who has the vanity to affect the pomp and state .of his grand ancestors. Even such va- ^ nity is not unaccompanied with some good effects. It generates a disregard of, or ra- ther a contempt for, useful industry, and it also leads to pecuniary embarrassments, which ultimately bring the estate to th« hammer. '■^i^''^-"'---*. *,#*' ■K<'»'*?v**4--*i;w,i*?^ ».iMK3t.'" >'^ These estates are commonly transferred to men who have made money in trade, or in the East or West Indies. Such new proprietors are well qualified to repair all the mischiefs which the ridiculous affecta- tion of chieftainship had produced. In place of a gang of idle menials, which his exsublimity kept about his person, and of -dazy and slovenly tenants, who, in place of cultivating. wm il > '> \ H cultivating, wholly neglected the lalnl ; th* new proprietor excitesi and liberally re** Wards, useful industry \ and efiecting the improvement of the estate on an enlighten- ed and prudent plan, contributes to the ■permanent ca^ «;al of the nation* -fc< To save repetition, it may be proper to remark, that the change which his X^ordt ship sometimes describes a9 advancing^ and sometimes to be at this moment at a .crisis^ is already past* The change allu-* ded to, is from the wild and disorderly state of feudal barbarism, or rather of clanship^ to the security produced by the extension of the power of general government and law ; a change fVom idleness and rapine tp peace and industry. This change, I main-» lain^ is now ejected ; and all that hisLojd- ship says about it, in the progre.ss of hifi work, convinces me, that he has fonned his opinion more from books, or from tra- dition, than .from actual inspection of the state of the Highlands. ^4 t-ij Etc jqoi j rr,; Oi / w : thf - i :jry II ITT. Consequences of this change on Poputatiort^ through the prevalence of Pasturage^ Sheep^ ^) farmings and engrossing of Farms, P, ^. '> It may be admitted, according to Lord Kelkirk, that in the aiicient state of the • Highlands^ the produce of the land was , mostly consumed by its occupiers^ But to give full eflirct to this observation in sup- > j^ort of his theory, his Lordship ought to .:. *how, that the Highlands hair6 already ar- rived at such a degree of improvement, as . admits no farther extension of the ctdtiva witbaut employing more? i II was to tencc of as far as gc, have :)Oth the the foun- lyealth to 0, by ha- industry, nparative ermanent irging of »al object. Lordship > engross- tlie culti- le former t is true, useless the joint |iU put in seful la- swamps, )ther ob- crops in iploying more more hands than operated before. In other districts it has been found, that engrossing of farms, against which there was so much outcry, when accompanied with an increase of produce, occasion- ed more hands to be employed on these farms, than when they were occupied in patches by a number of small tenants. For confirmation of this fact, his Lordship is referred to the late Reverend Dr Robert- son*s treatise on the size of farms, publish- ed by the Board of Agriculture, and to the survey of Mid-Lothian by George Robin- son, Esq. .J Such districts of the Highlands, there- fore, as are favourable for the production of crops by the improved mode of agricuU ture, as the principal object, are likely to suffer no diminution of population by the enlargement of farms. J3ut, exclusive of sheep-farms, we shall have occasion to show, that by far the greatest proportion of that country is best adapted for farms of various, though mostly of small size. '" His Lordship always talks of the num- bers which the land already (Cultivated can sustain, and infers that the number of mouths .exceeds the produce. But he Jl.vXJT| B3 never WT n ";li nev6r says a word of the large tracts of land, embosomed in these mountains, which are better adapted for cultivation than the lands actually cultivated, and whose produce migl.v sustain a much more numerous population. . , The roaas now making, at the joint ex- pence of governiTient and of the proprie- tors, will open a communication with many valleys now inhabited, and produce an extension of their cultivation. They will also lay open other valleys, whi^h ne- ver have been cultivated, nor even inhabit- ed. They will remove one grand objecr tion of his Lordship to the farther exten- sion of cultivation in the Highlands; be- cause, by these roads, every disposable ar- ticle may be ponvpyecj to a very beneficial market, These numerous tracts scattered through the Highlands, are, in genera), adapted for the occupancy of small tenj^iits, where their labour will not interfere with the sheep system on the mpuntains. Lest this asserr tion may appear gratuipus, or hypotheti- cal, reference may be made to some of the Highland districts of Argyle, Perth, and Inverness, ^here it is actually reduced to practice. 23 practice. Want cf roads is tKe reasoii why many small farmers, in such situa- tions, keep the excessive number of horses remarked by his Lordship. Where every thing must be carried on the backs of horses, a great nvimber are necessary to do the work on particular emergencies. But where good rOads are made, a single horse and cart can carry more than all their ca- valry. Thus the interior mountains may be stocked with sheep ; ^while a numerous race of cultivators may find employment in the valleys, and on the, level ground on the sides of rivers and lakes, - , The islands and sea-coast on the north- west of Scotland, exhibit a different cha- racter from the inland countries; and may, in general, be regarded as best adapted for agriculture, and the rearing of black cat- tle. From traditiv^n and history it appears, that the islands, and sea-coast of the West Highlands, were inhabited long before the internal parts of that country. The situa- tion is well adapted for the human race ; and the Chronicle of Mann, with the frag- ments of ancient Scottish and f^orwegian Jiistory, which have eached our times, JB 4 , evince, \ • ■V I »i I I evince, that, at a very early period, thesio icountries were inhabited by a numerous and hardy race of people. TT^^e clipiate it^ by no m.eans so unfavourable fpr the rai- ding of corn crops as is comnipnly imagi^ ned; and both soil and climate are admira- bly adapted for the potatoe, and every species of green crop. The pastures are of the best quality ; and the seas ground ar^ well stocked with fish. It is a curious fact, that the population of the isles and sea-rcoast of the Highhinds of Scotland, remained stationary during a period of at least seven hundred years, and only began to increase at a period not; remote from our p'^vn tunes. The apparent cause pf this fact is, that, before xSx-. abolition of heritable jurlsdic-j tions, the inhabitants were involved in constant petty warfare with each other, vhich pndered both their lives and their property insec^ire. Occupied with these contests, only a yei*y small portion of their time seems to have been devoted to the cultivation of the ground, to fishing, or to any other useful employment. Since thi$ great revolution, however, in the political state of the Highlands, the population has * * I been ■i -» . $5 < ' 'II teen rapidly increasing, which may be a- scribed to the now quiet and peaceable state -of the inhabitants ; to the improvement of barren lands, and tLe universal use of that valuable root, the potatoe ; to the introduc- tion of the cod and ling fishery ; and last- ly, to the universal practice of inocula- tion, to counteract the dreadful ravages of the small-pox, 'jtp wmvr In /. 35. Lord Selkirk argues, that agri- culture canfiQt be properly conducted, un- less the land prpduces much more than is necessary to maintain those who are em- ployed in its cultivation ; and he goes on to show, how the interest of the landlordvS'- must necessarily impel them to throw se-_. jyerai of these small possessions into one, and to adopt measures by which superfiu- pus mouths may be diminished. -^ In a cjiampaign country, capable of be- ing turned up by the plough, it is evident that this reasoning is perfectly conclusive. There, though no superfluous mouths may be fed, yet, we have observed, that extend- ed cultivation will still require additional labourers. As, in such situations, the prin- cipal prpduct must be grain, it is evident, that if much more is not raised tlian is ne- cessary to feed those engaged in the culti- vation 26 > vation of tlie land, the landlord need not expect any rent, because there is no sur- plus from which it can be paid. But the situation of the districts, now under consideration, is very different from this. It is not possible, as asserted by his Lordship,/. 35, ^ that one man constant- ly employed, might accomplish all the work of cultivating several of these small possessions.'* In fact, the only practi- cable mode of subjecting a number of these small possessions to one man, would be, by consigning then^ to a person un- der the denomination of tacksman, who came in place of the proprietor, and the people under him continued to cultivate their small possessions ar before ; and the only diiterence felt by the latter, would be a more rigorous exaction of services, than when they held immediately of the pro- prietor. This was the mode adopted while chieftainship was the order of the day ; and, as very justly observed by his Lord- ship, it was intended to provide for young- ^ er sons, and other near relation'^ of the fa*» mily, who, at that time, " had no other means of provision. But when sucli grants expire, they are now seldom re- newed ; 'U-Jt- -•'VV* *■ Jii' 27 ^^ t ! "hewed ; . and the policy of oiir. Highland, proprietors has lately taken a different di- rection ; which is to make all, even the smallest occupants, hold immediately from themselves. That , munber of such small possessions cannot yet be occupied by one active cul- tivator, may appear from the following statement of facts, -'m In the Isles, and on the north-west coast of Scotland, the cultivated fields are ge- nerally of small extent. They are bound- ed, and so much intermixed with rocks, rivulets, and marshes, that few of them are at present capable of being cultivated by the plough. Though there are many extensive tracts of level laiid, which never have been touched ; many marshes, ^and wet grounds, of excellent soil, which might easily be drained ; and many mosses which might be improved, and all these sub- jected tQ the plough : the asseition is not faf from truth, that, in these districts, two- thirds of the lands actually cultivated, must for some time to come be wrought by the spade, in place of the plough. While the spots, selected for cultivation, are pitched upon from other views than h V 28 the disposable produce arising from cul-. ture, this must continue to be the case, and the cultivator must persevere in using the spade, in place of the plough. But, from the rapid changes which have lately taken place, the liberal policy of landlords, join^ ed to the extending knowledge and im-. proving sagacity of tenants ; the time does not seem very remote, when all the land produce necessary for the sustenance of a very numerous population, may be raised, even in these regions, by means of the plough, 7^ JL. j:^v;a II om cuU :ase, and ising the ut, from ;ly taken ds, join.* and im- ime doe9 the land mce of a )e raised, s of the atest part isions, is shown to be impracticable ; and what is about to be stated will sufHciently evince its impolicy. ' With this instrument a man, by means of his own personal labour, and the assis- tance of the other branches of his family,, can rear and maintain, on a small portion of ground, a numerous offspring, though he cannot afford a surplus to pay rent. But, when it is considered how small a portion of land (which in the Highlands is far- from being unproductive) is siifficient to supply the wants of a family ; and in how short a time the industrious man may exe- cute the necessary labour in raising and cutting down his crop ; it must appear evi- dent, that he has a considerable portion of vacant time, which he may devote to other employments, from the savings of which he may be enabled to pay the landlord a fair and adequate rent for his possession, however small. Such employment the in- dustrious man, whose residence is near the sea-coast, may at all times have, either in the manufacture of kelp, or in prosecu- ting the cod and ling fishery in spring and Rummer, and, in most places, by applying to the herring fishery in the latter end of ■is? . ' " harvest I ' m harvest and beginning of winter. To eacli holding ihere is also annexed a portion of waste pasture, on which the tenants rear cows, and in some cases sheep. It is evi- dent, therefore, that tenants, in such situa- tions, have many resources, both for sub- sisting themselves, and paying a rent, in- ilependent of the corn produce of the land. ■ It is manifest^ that dispossessing small occupiers, and letting large^ tracts to one cultivator, cannot be adopted in situations where the land is chiefly cultivated by the spade ; for in such cases the land, until it imdergoes a farther improvement, cannot be cropped except by the holders of small portions. ^' A numerous and increasing population incireases the quantity of cultivated land, which would otherwise remain waste. In many parts of the North-west Highlands and Isles, the quantity of cultivated land has been doubled within the memory of many people alive, by the improvement of moss and barren ground. When an increasing po- pulation requires an addition of cultivated land, it is common for the inhabitants of farms on the coast, to take in a large tract of J !■-• :«.,!« ■jBa iii 31 of adjkcent moss, which, being all manu- red with shell-sand or sea- weeds, of which there is always on these coasts an inex- liaustible abmidance, in the course of be- ing cropped for two or three years, will equal in value any other part of the farm. A still more common practice is, when te- lunts become too numerous on the culti- vated part of a farm, for one or two of them to remove to some other part on tlie sea-coast, and there form a new settlement. In the course of fifteen or twenty years, by the accession of new settlers, and by the early marriages of the children of the first settlers, this new colony equals in popula- ,tion, and value, the original farm from which it was detached. It is a fact wor- thy of notice, that in one parish of the Long Island, about forty years ago, the east side of the country which borders with the sea, and is there* wholly moss, had on- ly about ten families settled upon it. la- stead of ten families, that tract has now a population of nine hundred souls ; while the population of the other side of the pa- rish, instead of being diminished, has in- creased. In other parishes of th§ Long Island, though the numbers cannot be so II i V^H^i.. exactly v*r '1 , \ .32 ncaccty asccrtainsd, the population lias in^ creased from the same cause, and at least to an equal extent. ■ As the land already cultivated bears but a very small proportion to the extent which is capable of culture, it will require an in- creased population, and a length of time, to effect the necessary improvement. The people have no occasion to cross the At- lantic to cultivate waste lands, because they can be furnished with abundance of employment, in this way, at home. The fisheries may be carried to a much greater extent, and employ a large addition of hands. The small holdings, and mode of culture, already established on the shorea of the North-west Highlands and Isles, have laid a foundation, on which may be built a system similar to what is already established, in convenient situations, along the southern shores of the Moray Frith. There a brave and skilful race of fisher-* men occupy small lots of land, which they cultivate, chiefly with the spade, when fish- ing is impracticable. From the superior abundance of fish,, and their near conti-i guity to every shore, there is no exti^ava- gance in predicting, that tliis immensely Varied ^ varied suid cxtenslW lltte • of ite/irfay come to be stocked with a numefous swamt of intrepid fishermen, who ' "ivill enrich themselves and their toiintry, and add un- conquerable strength to the bulwarks of the nation^ But, as this subject may be! reconsidered, it is only necessary to state j' that, notwithstanding sbme hints to the contrary, thrown out by hife Ldrdship in the proigreSs oi his work, no person expe- rimentally acquainted With these sfea^ ever doubted, ' that thef quantities of fish that may be taken art utterly unlimited. The kelp manufacture also, may be highly im- proved ; and even on the present system of management, its quantity may be great- ly increased, and would ernploy a propor- tional addition of hands. '. •^Ara-r.^i inir, ^» I have thus described etteftsive tracts of country,' where the v^hoie or greatest part of the arable produce^ contrary to Dr A-f dam Smith's opinion, is consumed by the cultivators ; yet, contrary to his Lordship's^ opinion, so far is it from being the interest of proprietor^ to turn oflP these small oc- cupants, and to enlarge the farms, in order fo get a greater rent, that they could get C but If , •■ - • «4 - 'T - twcen farming and olh^r * ''"'''°" ^'^ tenantry, to ad»anta^. with ''^ ^^ '^' Sheep-farming shfi'^ "'f^* °"'«'- ''ards. It is „f„ ^ ^"n,,.derea after- ««. on this subject i., nt^^i ' ''*''•'«- -ij'-t being aSKte':'"'' »nd circumstance of the Hi Jm ? "'" -grossing of farms. Jh^^t'^V^^ ' advantage to the nrn,^: T '^*" ^ °f -shosfi,e.irfrSrt """'"'''- and that ,h; grea"." nar. /I P^P-'^ion , and Isles doe! noT dm^'ft "''"^"'*'' ;ng, Hi. conch-sionrtherl^tSr the interest of landlords to turn offM " small tenants, falls to the gro^l ^ "^^ -'% ^-.av^^.^.t^ W^ e,...r^' T- IV. .SV>w/^ ^5 n but . f lY; Situa/ioH amf Circunuianca of iht Old ^ TcHaatry: cAoice af Retources wh$n Stpos» Witd of their Farms : Emigration prefer-^ '-'red; for 'what Reasons i limited im Ei^ teHtm The Autlibt* KaVingi **^ ^^ preceding ^tioii9t erronetniily, as wb have endea- voured to shoTv, represented the change of manners, the rise of rents, the engrossing 6f farms, and sh&ep-f;irming, as the means by ^hich the people were thrown out of em- ployment, and deprived of subsistence ; hei comes now to represent emi^^ ration as the most eligible mode of obviating these evils^ or r^her following as a necessary cons^ queuce; ' irWr '^ ^-r7i;*/p i'->iiT.ai The change from barbai'Ous to more ci-' Vilized manners, has been already consi- dered, and has been shown to be highly l^ijieiici^ to th0 people^ and therefore could HOI £orn\ any reasonable mdtive for emi- gr^tion^ The rise of rents and engrossing of farnis, haVe been also considered ; and -vi^hat has been said on these hbads need not . b« repeated* h, 'i^-''-- ■^•■■' '- '<*-T »- 1 *^' "^ , " ^s certain, that in thf NnrfhMV,. lands a- least, er^iiirnHnn ^'fe''- fore sLeep-far^n °" commenced be- ^ rarming was introduced If k„ gar some time previoi,.! t,. ""cea. it be- •nent of rhe Am!! ' eommence- agener?l comhmo,- " o"ginartd in • - obstn^cHe ~ ™^ '^^ '-^«-en. Macdonald Z^":^ T'"'"' ^^''^ I-o^d the second it Z.^^ ' P""?'^' ' ^'^ ;i-d Wr:ir:nrprtr^"^^'^ ^'^- •Catholics an r.i; •• Protestants and «i more of^; ' f 7°P-. ^Wch sho^. -'^^Pa«o..hrf:i^r^,2fr.o. State, it was r-^^c^^ u ^^eftgary*s e< ofhi;Cn;2>^^-veralofthecU tlier Jn secut^nT *^^^ '° outwit each o- P-ts of tra"fo^"'^«"^^^^^^^ •b.at .r "''"^'^«"«°-«'- their sabtenams and 5t' lad nts nd and dependents, and, wRen thby' chose td; embark in the business ■ they carried their peoplis along with tKcni ; ' 'and tntts laid tiie foundation ef those colonies in !the. gulf,' or on the banks, of the river St lawrence, and of one colony in North Carolina, which have since received considerable accessions from the numbenr of their cbtintrymen who have followed them. ^^>7-i>nj»a) ^.vMli^ The^e adventurers, entering intb another continent, and fondly flattering themselves, as Lord Selkirk lias since done, that they were to perpetuate theit* families, to in- crease tlieir fortunes, and each of them to acquire estates, and to equal their own chieftains by the extent of their ;;>ossessiGns, and the number of their foUowbrs in the new country; sent home accounts of the most seductive and flattering kind. The novelty of the change, the spirit of enter-^ prise, the universal ambition of becoming great lairds, and the alluring prospect of acquiring great and permanent propei ties, in a country said to hu flowing with milk' and honey, all combined to spread the rage for emigration far and wide ; and had not the war in .Americ?. taJcen place at the time,' the Highlands Were in a fair way of losing .-: ' ' C 3 tlieir I. 8S I- their inhabitants, to an extent which would Jxave required some generations to replace. Many of the Highland emigrants, parti- pularly from Skye, adhered to the royal caiise, and suffered severely from the ultir mate ascendancy of the Republicans. The settlers in Quebec, Montreal, and other co- lonies on the river of St Lawrence, though their country did not fali under the dooii- liion of the United StateS| yet suffered se- verely in ^he conflict* ^ ' ' To these causes, therefore, ^nd to tht panic struck by the convulsions in Ame^ rica, may he attributed the almost total suspension of the rage for emigration for •* .-1 » , , /,-> , :* .•tiaVrii many years. : To those xmacquainted ^ith the real stale of the Highlands, ^nd whp are perpe- tually stunned "\yith the hue and cry ar. gainst high rents and sheeprfarming, it may appear somewhat surprising when they are iiifornied, that of the number of ^migrants who have gone to America from the cquntry which lies to the north and west of the tract of the Caledonian Canal, a great part of them have emigrated from districts which are not yet, nor are ever likely to l^e, s\^.ljocted to the system of §heep-farmr I iHMHAi rwiejjft 99 ing. From Argyleshire, where sheep- farming was first introduced, fewer emi- grations have taken place, than from other districts where tliis system had not been adopted; If facts, therefore, are to be of any use in settling our opinions pn matters of this sort, we must reject all arguments as fallacious, which ascribe emigration to sheep-farming. In fact, emigration origi- nated, in the North Higldands, from the pauses which have been assigned. - '♦' ■ ^ The Ute ilame of emigration first began to be kindled along the tract of the Cale-* donian Canal, by certain religious itine* rants, who addressed the people by inter- preters, and distributed numerous pam* phlets, calculated, as they said, to excite a serious soul concern. The consequence ■was, that men who could not read began zo preach, and to inflame the people against \-\r''\r lawful pastors, whom they never had i i: sT-'ected of misleading them. They next adopte4 a notion, that all who were supe-* ripr to them in •'vealth or rank, were op- pressors, whom they would enjoy the con-< solation of seeing damned. Lastly, many of them took into their heads, that all la- bour, not necessary for the support of ex- C 4 istence. i > f?.\i \l' 4Q i jstencc, was sinful. When the fumes of dis^ content had thu^ been prepared, through the medium pf fanaticism, to which, it i^ laiown, the Highlanders are strongly at- tached, j at last those leveljiing: prjbciples^ which had long been fermenting in the south, made their way among, thena, and pxcited an ardent desire pf gpingto a coun- try, wh^re they s].ipposeid all men were c-^ qual, a. .^ ^-^ndly flatteried thepi^elve^ they might li\, vitliout jabonr^' -This spirit, fostered and nursed -hj the emigrant a- gents, men who cgjtijied on. a regular and profitable trafiiq by transporting th^ir t:ountrymen, was xkQK long confined to one ^stric^, but soon found its, way over the >vhole Highlands and Isl^s, To these, and not to the causes assigned by the Earl of ^elkirk, I arn disposed to ascribe the oriy gin, progress, ^ and late violent eruption of the rage of emigration ; a rage, which, if various causes had not contributed to coun-: teract, ag^in tl\rcatened to depppujate th^ Highland^, Lord Selkirk continues, under Head 4., to argue, that the farming of large sheep- wulks, and the throwing of several posses- ^\(^n^ into one, for the purpose pf agricul- ture 41 ture and rearing black cattle, must have the efiect in general, of turning great 'n^^l^ bers adrift, who cannot apply themselves to any other employment than that' ftd which they were formerly accustomed. 'r/) u It may be. granted, that, in times past^ sieveral proj.rietors,i blind to their truje in^^ terest, were too ready to join with their hill or sheep pasture, low. ground capable of maintaining a numerous population^ But the case is now very different. Croft*- ing of the low grounds has been found $q profitable to proprietors, that no sooner ^ the current lease of a sheep-farm expired, than a survey is made by professional rrien| ,who lay out into lots of considerable 'ex-* tent the whole low cultivated grounds, or such grounds as are judged fit subjects* foe culture. These are inclosed, and are af*? terwards, with some muir-pasture, let to tenants on a lease of from nine to tliirty yearsp The first year the tenant pays, per- haps, a rent of 5 s. per acre ; the second, 7 s* 6 d. ; and so on, until the rent may a- mount to 20 s. or 30 s. per acre. By these means^ the burden is light, while he is building his houses, and improving hi? lands ; but, towards the end of the lease, when 4f i when the subject becomes i|iore product* tive, his rent increases with his ability to pay. In the lease, the mode is some-r times expressed by which the tenant is to cultivate his lands ; and the size and di» itiensions of the dwelling4iouse are also pointed out. If this be executed accord-* ing to the plan, the tenant is entitled to a premium in pioney from the landlord when the house is finished, or to repiuner ration at the end of his lease. As sheep always prefer upland pasture, and never descend to the low ground except during storms of snow, it has been found by ex- perience, that where low cultivated grounds had been incautiously subjected to slieep, they have run wild, and are covered with heath or brushwood, and yield very little assistance to the sheep. It is hence the in^ terest of the proprietor tp restore them to a rotation of cropping, by the crofting sys- tem. It is also the interest of the sheep- farmer ; for cultivated land, besides sup-, porting its own stock, can afford a much greater supply in hay, tiirnips, or other green food, for his sheep, during a hard winter, than they could derive from the ,\ :. . ' same 4a ^ame land in a wild and uncultivated state. ia/i-.iO ■^djji.^j** ;i:i' * ji_..iiicviji^*».t'j/»oi»i fef , This practice^ which only commenced in the North Highlands about ten or twelve years ago^ is now becoming universal. It is constantly observed in the. letting of farms not formerly under sheep, and in re-letting those formerly under that stock. . The cutting off of a low tract of arable land, or a flat of dead moss, seldom or never interfetes with the value of the sheep- farm, from which it has been detached; while it creates almost a new estate to the landlord, and conseiiuently a vast increase pf revenue. : ;.. ..,. -j^ '.. The situation of the tenant is also great- ly bettered. Instead pf a listless beings sleeping in the fields in summer, wrapped in his plaid, and fed on the simple fare of milk or whey, and not unfrequently sub- sisting pn the bipod of live cattle ; instead of doling in winter in a miserable smoky hut, pervious to the inclemency of the ele- pients, and feeding on flesh often little bet- ter than carrion, and at all seasons threaten- ed with starvation ; he is now active, indus- trious, and in all respects another being, Jle enjoys a comfortable house, built with stone 44 stone and lime^ and has. the luxury of glass in his windows. The labour of his hands,' during a few months of the year, insures a sufficiency of produn to maintain him- sdlf and family. The sale of cattle, of which he may rear and dispose a few an- nually, and the wages he may' earn while he is not employed upon his farm, pi*ovide a fund for paying the landlord's rent j for providing the extra convonJeiicies of life,' er even, perhaps, for accumulating into % ^mall capital. -^ *-,-v>. - ii.;..; ^.,. .. ,.vxi4,,l : The current wages usually paid to labour- ers, are now nearly equal to those paid to the same description of men in the soutlv country. Even in the most remote of the Western Isles, the current wages of a- la-^ bourer are Is. 6d» per day. :-:jpj[.j . It is a curious fact, that scarcely ari in- stance has occurred, where a crofter, /. e, a person who holds a distinct lot of land, has shewn the smallest disposition to emigrate. This clearly shews this mode of occu- pancy to be suitable to the genius and cir- cumstances of the people; and were it uni- versally adopted, in all proper situations, it might become an abundant source of population. >:^.j . v ' ' . ;^ : ■ ' ft 45 ?*> tt is to be observed, m regard to those tracts in the North-west Highlands and Isles, held by tacksmen, though not stock- ed with sheep, nor calculated for that stocky tlhat most of them are approaching rapidly to a different system of management. Ih many districts, the tacksmen's fantis are falling fast into the hands of small tenants^ who, instead of being cottars^ or subte- nants, as formerly^ now hold directly of the proprieton The proprietors of most of the jestates on the Long Island, and other islands, have greatly ameliorated the situa- tion of their people, by this mode of ma-t nagement, while, at the same time, they have much increased their incomes, ^rii? r - Lbrd Selkirk seems to lay particular stress on the statistical account given by the minister of Harris, regarding the state of possession in that country. It is there- fore necessary to offer a few * explanatory remarks respecting that pai-ishiaTr* 'ji\T ' ' A few years ago, Mr Hume of Harris^ on his return fromlndia^ visited his estate fpr the first time after his accession to iti Tl^e estate was then, with the exception of twenty-three small tenants, wholly held in lease, by tac^ksmen. The whole income ' f /r/ -r amounted m 4e 'J I Hi anidnnted only to L. S9Sper aUiiUtnl and so little prospect had he of augmenting hit rent-roll, that he resolved on a sale of the whole property at a very moderstte pricej On farther consideration^ it occurred^ tliat his estate might be of greater value than he Was, at first, inclined to believe* He saw a numeroxis body of tacksnien, who occiipied only small shares of their farms, living in affluence and splendour, and amassing considerable wealth, on the la-' hours of the subtenants and cottars. It Occurred to him, that by letting the farms to the subtenants and cottars themselves, hd might relieve his people from n^any vexani Hup/ff t*r^v r The extent of these crofts is often con- siderable, and equal to the ordinary farms in many of the ioAivland counties ; and should the posses s6r8 exert the necessary* degree of labour and address in bringing tliem under cultivation, they ma^ in time become fann-s of no inconsiderable value, and rais'j the runk of their holdersy from the situation of crofters, to that of respect* able farmers. ;, Here, how^ever, it may be proper to re- mark, that extensive properties ought not to be without a few tacksmen of respecta*. bility, although they should not be adapt- ed for sheep-farming. All great estateij contain tracts calculated for rearing nume- rous herds of black cattle; and where an improved system of agriculture may be in- tro'^uced with success. Such tracts should be let to people of education and capital, who, besides answering other good purpo- M^ t 1 *' ses. 49 I scfl) form a link in the chain of gradation from the lamllord to the cottars. *' ^^^ 'In general, the -greater part of the isl-*- nnds on the west ct>ast of Scotland, can only b^ advantageously managed under' small tenants ; and it is not likely the pro- prietors will be induced to turn away their |X)opl necessary for sue-' cess. Accordingly, they never were sv\perior . D2 m '}r.■^,J'j^^'.-, >A-*-^ ■Mb. ^i I Si .'t to other regiments in regular battle, and tHey shone chiefly in daring and desperate enterpriteSy where they came into close contact Tjith th^ir enemy, where indiridual skill and valour were of more use than re- gular order, and where the matter was de- cided by their claymores. liis Lordship need not fear, that as long as men continue in the Highlands, soldiers will be found j nor. are they likely to be the worse for the substituting of regular discipline instead of wild desperation. Nor is the prediction, which. seemSuCalculated to rejoice the heart of Bonaparte, •' That the Highlands will be stocked by a few shepherds and their dogs^," likely to be so soon realized as his Lordship expects. On the contrary, by the extension of agriculture and fisheries^ they will continue to be stocked by a brave and hardy race of men, who are both able and willing to defend their country, by sea^ as well as by land» :ui..ls^..i^_tii7tf^^:i^ch^-m^ ., , This is now aa armed nation ; and, un-: der the divine blessing, an armed nation^ if Ic^ y men of vigour and ability, cor- dially \aiited among themselves, and deter-^ mined to risk all for the safety of all, can- not „ I * See p. 30. of Lord Selkirk's Book. ' **.■ 53 not be subverted. In such a crisis, ivhat* ever credit may be due to the philandiropy , of those who preach emigration, certaiidy , none is due to their wisdom or policy. Is Lord Selkidc so blind as not to see, diat, if this nation be subverted, liis colonies must fall under the dl-grasping domination of Bonaparte ? Removing the people will en- able him to subdue them in detail ; where- as, keeping them it home will oblige him to encounter them in mass. £yen the A- merican States, ow3 to the majesty of the British Navy, the prolongation of their existence. It is well known Bonaparte took Louisiana from Spaiii, in order to make it a dep6t, from which he niight reduce the Americans to be his vassal? A tribu- tariesy and might extirpate rvc j hing that bore the sembknce of liberty fr ^n the new continent, as he has done from the old. «''fi;"Tmr:i5vK fi^.^a '?jvj^ri,i^ ■ ♦ J Were an attempt made to instigate and. encourage a great part of the active popu- lation, to abandon the Highlands, by some unfortunate merchant, who had been ruined in trade ; by a farmer, who had been turn* ed out of an extensive farm, through the pique of a landlord or his factor j c r !) I « I ,4U! ...V'f'V, 54 by some reduced fencible officer, at the end of a wpr, who could obtain no em» ,( ployment, unless he descended to the lank * . t)f a labourer : — I say, by such a desciipr /^ion of men, the promoting and carrying^ ^ on the emigrating trade fpr their bread, might admit of an excuse. • But what are we to think of one, who has a great stake in this country ; who has never experienced adversity nor detraction ; whose genius and talents are imiversally admired, at such a crisis as the present, becloming the advocate for emigration ? rl-'^ir:,/ ;:; y ■.U. ri . ,V* 'S Ui^j^jll^j^ ,...„, S*.4U , V* Vh Emigrations of the ISghlanders intimatefy connected with the progre^Ji of National Pron sperity: not detrimental to Manufactures nor itnjigricultuh, F,15fdi\fi*3z o;i? 'siorf'^nrh It has already been demonstrated, thae there is no reason for migration, on ac- count of the measures that have been an dopted to increase the productiveness of the arable lands. It remains to be shown, that laying the mountains under sheep, does not afford any p "ong motive for emigra-? tion. '• -^^m -^k'mmmi ^ i^ *^f%- ". " "' ■, ■ir,D, jt is ;a f^ct, that) while certain parts of the cop^try vfere stocking with ,sh^ep for the first time ; the price of lambs in the High- .Wds was as high as 10 s. 6d,, and even 12 s, a-headf while the price of a weddet did not exceed 20 s. No, new tracts wer^ laid under ^h^^p in the Highlands in 1S04 and IQiO^S^ and the consequence is, thai; lai»bs, for want of the former demand, sold for thesQ two seasons at from 5 s. tp 6 s. a-piece, while the weda^ iXDse as high V' * «4 •V,.-., ,• In spit^ of all hijs Lordship'^ arguments, the population of the Highlands has no chance c :. decreasing. It has lately increa*- aed with astonishing r^idity ; and, in pro- portion as habits of industry acquire con- Ermation, the objects of pursuit are multi* plied and varied, the increase of population must advance in a higher ratio, 'rv f --^ - Nor can it be supposed, as argued by his Lordship, that an increased population will diminish the disposable produce of the .Highlands. Highland produce, such as black cattle, sheep and wool, have now a: "> " ■ I- n. ■ ' ' ■ sure t,^vMi 'i - SI I ' t. ^i'e and pei'niancnt market. A Higliiandr jer cannot now enjoy the luxury of flesh meat, and warm clothing, unless' he create, ' liy^Vhis industry, something which he |can exchange for them, at tlieir market price. He is in a very diflferent situation -from his aiKestors, whp coul4 procure these luxuries by the chase, or for nothiftg. Heiice the situation of the modern High- lander necessarily impels him to industry': imd the effect of his industry must be to multiply, instead of diminishing, the disif- posable prodi^:C8 of the Highlands.' io :*^**^*^***''-''''^'^^^ ■-■■ ' ^"' 'The general assumption is perfectly ju«t,^ that the disposable produce of the High*- Jands promotes the population of other Ay districts; ■'I; ■>v ' ^ I 58 ( ' imrb ■■ -.of 5d of die herbage, the districts, adapted for cattle, might maintain a very great stock during summer ; but they cannot be &ub* sisted in winter without the labours of husbandry. Husbandry cannot be carried on without people; and, were the peopl#i removed, or diminished in number, the a* mount of black cattle exported must suf- fer a proportional diminution. On the contrary, as the numbers of the people in-* crease, and they will necessarily increase by the improvement and extension of agri- culture, the amount of cattle exported must increase in proportion. His Lordship uni- formly admits, that the tending of cattle affords more employment than the manage, ment of sheep. But the combination of pasturage with agriculture, from which this increase of cattle has resulted, must continue to employ an increased popula- tion. Thus his Lordship's conclusions are not only in diametrical opposition to facts, but even to his own premises, ^ - ^The frequent burning of the stimted wood, coarse grass, heath and other shrubs^ with which the mountains were covered, has, in.many cases, rendered the same ex- tent of pasture capable of maintaining •n\>M aiV double i . K ■ ' eo double the number of sheep it could do when that stock was first introduced. Hence the introduction of sheep, without, diminishing cattle, has created an entirely new fund of disposable produce, which is perpetually increasing ; so that the va- lue of Highland estates is likely to rise to fji amount far beyond what their owners yet dream of. This cannot be effected in the way proposed by his Lordship, by re* moTing the people ; but by encouraging them to become industrious at home. ■•■';^ ^* Towards the conclusion of this section, his Lordship states. That the Highland prbprietors used all their influence, and even applied to Parliament for legislative interference, to prevent their people from leaving them. Now, I boldly aver, that this statement is in direct opposition to faet. The Highland proprietors used no influence : they did not apply for any le* gislatiye interference : they left the people to the freedom of their own will ; and the only interference they showed, was a dis- position to provide settlements, on theif property, for persons who seemed quali- fied to promote their mutual advantage. "^^ '^f >h VIL Means 61 OT. VII. Meai^i that have been proposed for pre^ serving th^ Population of the Highlands t • Jf"PrQyunetttof}Vaste Lands A^c, P, 91|^^ .[.. lLi «j^hi* vjifHie great national utility of improving^ wa8t« lands, is admitted by all who have thought on the subject. Without im- provement, what are now the most fruit- ful parts of the country would have been a desert. All the arguments brought by his Lordship^ to show that waste lands cannot be advantageously improved by the Highlanders, in their own country, apply with additional force against their impro^ v'uig waste lands in th^ colonies. . « it is cer-' tain, that an acre can be brought into cul- tivation at much less expence in the High- lands than in America, and, when in good order, is of far greater value than the same extent in the colonies. Much yet remains to be done in the Highlands ; and if the people cannot be prontably employed in ireclaiming waste lands in their own coun-» try^ why remove them to a situation where they must reclaim waste lands of starve, and must contend with many ob-^ ^t. . stacles M \ 63 ' Bcacles that do not occur iii their owd country ? His Lordship frequently talks of the habits and prejudices of the Highlanders, , and their incapacity for other labour be- sides the cultivation of land. But I will venture to assert, that a Hebridian, who ' never saw a tree in his own country, when plunged into the abyss of an impetietfftbtd • forest, must feel a greater violence done to his habits and prejudices, than if he were set to work in a cotton-mill, or even, to be made a weaver of gauze. He must. , cut down and remove these trees, before . he can turn over the soil ; whereas, in his own country, he has only to turn over the soil, apply manures, and sow his seed } operations of much less difficulty than ' those he must encounter in the colonies.' In the colonies, the land is always most fer- tile at the first breaking up, but soon de- generates into a caput morUturit ; but at home, by the repetition of manures, the land increases in fertility the longer it is cultiyatedir u-i.^ *.*. * ...v.. . tv -.:w.._»^^-*. , In/. 92. it is insimiated,That Waste lands cannot be advantageously brought iiito cul- tivation in the Highlands j and this opinion '.''■..';'^^ ' . G8 is fttrengthbned by a note from the survey of the northern counties recnecting the Black Isle, or the extensive district situated be- tween the Friths of Heaulieu nnd Cromarty. Hut the writer of that note, though he saw a fact, did not see a reason for it. No>, liincstone, or marl of any kind, have yet been discovered in that district. A gentle- . man of property and enterprise in that dis- trict, who attempted to extend cultivation^ • found that bringing lime from Sunder- land, with a distant inland carriage, made its cost exceed its value. Having no other manure but the dung of his cattle, which , is hardly sufficient to keep up the fertility of the lands already cultivated, he found, that diverting a portion of this to the waste, was only robbing the land already in cuU ture, went not far in improving the new ground, and produced inferior returns from a more extensive surface. But, in the Highlands in general, and particularly on the west coast, limestone, clay, and shell ' marl, are found in great abundance. Along the sea-shores, shell-sand, and sea-w^eeds may be got in any quantity. In favoura- \ ble situations, it can be demonstrated, that waste land may be brought into cultiva- tion . I ' ■x- T V- (kk i t. [I I i; ii tion at niuck less expencei and may he made tO yield more valuable returns, thani in America*.: .. <. . «/;. js. Of the pJans adoptfed by difi^reht priv^' priecors for carrying on the improvem'^f^nt of barren lands^ Lord Selkirk seems tota!-^ ly ignorant* He ^xe^ on an individnri hi* Mance^ and rashly extends from it a sweep- ing conclusion to the Whole Highlands; We have already shown, that the slow pro- gress iinade in improving the extensive ■tfujmii^ .^uii^%ik4^%\::fn.Tmiii,>^'i^-':wi^iti>^''i^r' tract ♦ Tl.at bringing land into cultivation^ and continuing its culture, requires far n\ore severe lalbbtir and expence, \HiiIe the returns are of far inferior value in Americai to what they are from well managed land in the Highkndd) appears evident front Parkinson's Tour in America. ; ; ji ?i s, ' If thai gentlemanj^ being a rctuhiecl imfgrant, be suspected •f exaggerdtion, reference is made to the printed proposals, long 4go circulated in this cOu^'ury, by the late illustrious Washing^ ton. That gentleman v^as reckoned the best fai-mer in Ame- rica ; yet he offered to let his land in farms',' with 'the slaves/ live-'btock, and imr/lements iipon it, for a rent so very low fier aere, that even a Highland laird would think himself mockec^ ■Were he fo receive such an offer for his cultivated land, from a' man who furnished all the Stock and implements himself.' Low as his terms tvcre, it does not appear he ever prevailed oh a singk farmer to take a lea'^f.- of his land. In America, the la- bour of clearing land of wood is immense. The returns are tolerable for a few years, after which' the land becomes good fdf nothmg, and the setllef is obliged to proceed in the r.lear- 'T>g of new land. Thus, after a life of severe and incessant toit/ he cottunont/ dies as poor as xv^fecn he began. J t 1 .1 C f t V 65 , tract called the Black Isle, was owing en^ tirely to scarcity of manure. The Caledo- nian Canal, and the roads now construct*- ing, will facilitate the conveyance of calca^- Teous manures froni districts whe»"e they abound^ to places where they are wanted, and tvill forward the improvement of the Black Isle itself. But to hold up one or two solitary examples as thv*^ general prac- tice, is only calculated to mislead. To enumerate the various modes of im- proving waste lands, which have been a*- dopted by difierent proprietors in, the Highlands, would occupy a volume* Suf* iice it to say^ that each adopts the plan he thinks most conducive to his interest ; and, in general, their plans are attended with an adequate degree of success* -mnm r/The facts which have been stated, render it obviousj that it is the true interest of the proprietors of the north*- west coast and isles, not only to retain the original popu* .lation, but to encourage its increase. By doing so, instead of stony fields, glens full of brushwood, and bogs, and barren tracts of moss, they will have cultivated fields and green pastures. Their country will acquire a hardy race of people, fit for • - E the ?]■ Ml » i the ordinary avocations of rural life, and who will contribute their share towards supplying the army, and navy j with useful soldier) and sailors. . .... j.;^,. \ Though the Earl of Selkirk's patriotism he entitled to much praise, in wishing to divert emigrants f^'om the American States to our own settlements ^ yet surely his Lordship will not go the length of assert- ing, that a man in Nova Scotia or Prince Edward's, is as valuable to his country as a man in North Britain. Foreign settle- ments may be wrested from us, and the inhabitants may become our enemies. But though matters should not come to that extreme, a man in Britain, in these perilous times, can assist in the defence or aggran- disement of his country, to which a colonist cannot contribute, /^ul-i e^a^ . ; As to the fisheries, it is asserted, that the holding of lands is incompatible with the occupation of a fisherman. This subject is treated with great want of information. To support his argument, his Lordship quotes a paper given in to the Highland Society, by Mr Melville of Ullapool. To all his arguments I shall only oppose a few facts, concerning the actual state of the fisheries. 67 ^sherles. The cod mi llilg fishery is Car* >ied on all along the sea-^oast of the Long Island, from the Butt of the Lewis to Bar^ rarhead, but most successfully towards the extremes of that range ; also around the island of Sky, the islands of Canna, Muck, Tyre, Coll, Mull ; and, in general, all along the coast of the Mainland, from the Point of Ardnamurchan to Cape Wrath, The boats employed are generally commission^ ed from Peterhead, or are built at home on the same construction^ The price of these boats, with sails, jnasts, oars, &cc. is gene- rally from ^. 15 to £, 16 each ; and a pro- per set of lines and hooks for each boat, will cost from £»12 to £» 14* The usual fishing banks lie along die coast, at the ground intended .for crop, and leaves it to be sown by his wife or o- ther members of his family, while he again renews, in spring, his usual occupation* Without a land hoUding^ the fisherman could not carry on his business. In a si- tuation where every on^ rears oi^y what is necessary for himself, he could not find a market at which to purchase either coiD, potatoes, or even a drop of milk. Even if there were an opportunity of purchasing these articles, before one half of the year was over^ the savings of his sununer's fish- ing would be exhausted, and he and his' family would be left to starve during the other half. Or, suppose farther, that the fishing should fail for a season, what is to become of the fisherman without E 3 ' lauds I 1:: 70 «' w lands or any other employment ? He must be mined. )t\ '^'■hr «■ '"'* •4^f?K !^^'r' "^Tke landlord has an interest in encoura<» ging fifihing, I ec9;.iae ^ fisherman can pay ^ higher rent for a piece of gronnd» than » man who ahould occupy it without fol- lowing that employment. To the Iktter it produces no more than to the former; while, on the other hand, the fisherman can afiTord to add to the original va\ue of ^he lands^ a part of the profit arising frpm the prodnpe o£ a neighbouring, fishing ' Expeci^nce has always shown, in every instance in which it lists been tried, that the establishment of villages will not at present sv^ceed; ^d the reason is obyin' «ua. A settler in one pf them cannot be ac- ,commodated with lands, and without this he will never adventure in the fishing busi-> n€S8..i'j'tfKT to ^inwxKiqqi) iiw ur^^ ©r? ;: •>*»' A village was som^ years ago establish^ ed at Stein in Skye, and attempts were made .to settle fishers there, but without success. The late General Macleod sold a number of lots of his estate in that vicinity. The highest brought him about £, 8000, and the lowest £, ^^000. Th^se lots were - 1 purchased n purchased by intelligent men of mode** rate fortunes. They foresaw, that, aU though the British ^Society were?? likely to tail in establishing a fishing in one of the most favourable situations in the Highland*, they might profit by their er-» rorfi. Accordingly, on their entering intp possession of the lots, which toot; placQ -at Whitsunday 1800^ they removed th^ *' tacksmen, who held the lands, at. what was ^ ' to them a high rent, and let it HQ :9uch a$ ^ they found willing to adventure/in the fish* ^^ ing. To the surprise of many, they obtain- ed from a numerous body of tenantry, a rent * by which their properties yielded a return •»* of six to seven per cent, of the purchase * '^ money. These tenants have applied thenw * * selves successfully to the fishing, and will, vto. i^hen the current leases expire, give a con-^ ;^' siderable augmentation. t»t»jt;ii|i3jbfi**>*ii*^/ . As a farther illustration of what wa^ • said concerning the crofting system, and the necessary coQnection of agriculture .with the fisheries, it may be stated, that Mr Macdonald of Stafia, according to my "^information, has reduced completely into ''practice this system of subdividing, and '^ portioning out into lots, a considerable part ^' ■ _• E 4 .- ■ •- ' Vi,«,. of !.i ..M, l.:?^ ■ 12 rfv of his estate in the islands of Mull ami Ulva. He has been so successful, chat, in the short space of five years,. he has not only doubled the value of that part of his prop^ity^ and rendered the situatiox) and condition of his tenantry (who, with their families, now amount to from eight h\in-» dred to one thousand souls) more com- fortable, but has increased their numbers one-third. These tenants, if the question should now be put to them, will answer/ that they would rather continue as they are at present, with each his own portion or lot of land, and paying the increased rent they now do, than take the lands, in pro^*^ miscuous occupancy as formerly, for no.- thing. Mr Macdonald has been uniform-f ly in the habit of giving leases to all his tenantry of every description, the duration of which depends on the extent of improver ments they engage to perform. Besides the improving of his lands, Mr Macdonald has shown the most indefatigable penroe^ ranee in encouraging his tenants to embark in fisheries ; and such has been his success in this, that, during spring 1805, 1 am in-p formed, three Ulva boats, with five tenants in ?ach, commenced the cod and ling fishr .V-i':/ y ■ mg 73 ing m April, and, by the month of July last, had caught upwards of three tons />cf* * boat ; making in all nearly ten tons of well i rured and well dried cod and ling, which 4 they 6old on the beach under their houses, { to vessels which came for the purpose, at ♦ the rate of £, 22 to £. 23 Sterling pa^ ton, making in all the amount or value of their ten tons of fish £.230^ which, when di- vided amongst fifteen, leaves to each fish- • er*s sha^re £. 15^,5 s,. Thus, this species of occupation yields a return of upward* < of £, 5 per month to each ; and as the out- fit and exp ^ . ' • . ■«,'.,.' J. it.., * I understand Mr MacdonalJ, who, I hope, will excuse ray mentioning it, has been in the practice, during several years past, of keeping a regular journal of the improvementB carrying uii upon his estate. .It contains much valuable information coO' turning the cod, ling, aud herring fisheries, and the best modeb i5f carr^'ing them on with vigour and success, which it might prove useful to lay before the public. 18 Art «t>^i la^ML. . be Lord Selkirk's opinion, or that of prac- tical men, as he calls them, experience shows, that they have formed very errone- ous opinions, which tlicy must retract when they are divested of prejudice, and acquii more correct notions from existing facts. It has already been hinted, that not only in the West Highlands, but along the shores of the Moray Frith, the fishers are accommodated with small lotd of land ; so that the reverse of his Lordship's doctrine is clearly established by fact. ^^ ;As to the herring fishery : In so far as it can be carried on by boats, it must be by people residing in the Highlands, who have a holding 6f lands. The herring fish- cry is much more precarious than the cod or ling fishery. Some years the fish visit the coast in smaller quantities than in o- thers. Some years they only remain a few months, or even a few weeks. These cir- cumstances point out strongly the necessi-. ty of a small farm, even to those who are possessed of boats and materials for this kind of fishery. Without this their situa- tion must prove truly unpleasant, and their sustenance precarious. At most, the fish- ing lasts only a few months in the y^ar ; ^ m m r- io :^l| < ^. tt »o that during the rest of the yeaf the fish- erman may work at his farm ; and when he is at the fishing, the farm labour may be carried on by the remainder of his fa^ mily, 'In the Isle of Mann it is the small fanu-o era who carry on the herring fishery, A few of them join stocks, and purchase a boat, which is generally from fifteen to twenty-fite ton^ burden, and half decked. They procure a sufficient train of nets. At first they go 'far out to sea» and after.- wards follow the herrings when they ap- . proach the coast ; and their operations are generally successful. As it is only for a certain period of the year that the flshr ing lasts, they contrive to carry on their farming concerns, it may be said, ala)08t witliout interruption. . So far from the fisheries being incapable .of affording employment to many addi- .tional hands, (as hinted/. 184.), it is a cer^ ^ain fact, that, were the salt regulations so framed, that this necessary article might "be procured free of all duty, and restraint ' of every kind, colonies of Dutchmen, and .even of Americans, with large capitals, hare expressed a desire to settle in the West erj lii thi M caj sei coi Hi 77 West Highlands, and to prosecute the fish^ erics. The period of the herring fi&liery is likely to be extended, by adopting the tne* thod pursued by the people of the Isle of Mann, who, like the Dutch, go out and catch them in the open sea, early in the season, and continue the pursuit after they come upon the shores, or into bays. With regard to manufactures in th« Highlands, none are yet established. Thir« ty years ago, the cotton trade had not found . its way from England to the low ' country of Scotland ; and, previous to that period, some gloomy-minded political wri- ter might have argued, as our Author does respecting the Highlands, against the pro- bability of establishing manufactures there. There is not only a possibility, but even a probability, that manufactures may find their way into the Highlands at no remote period. The soil and climate are well a- dapted for the growing of flax ; and the linen manufacture has made considerable progress in some districts in the Gram- pians. .Hemp might be raised, and manu- factures established^ of all the cordage used in the flsheries. Suppose the woollen manu- facture should go no farther than the s^nn- ^ - ' ' ning cm t78 ning of the wool, this would convey to it much additional value, and give ample employment to the women. Coal may be brought to every part of the coast by sea, and the roads now ma-' king will facilitate the carriage of it into the interior. The turf is generally good, and is always at hand in aid of the coaL Were the spinning established, it might 45oon lead to the weaving, dying, and dress- ing of the cloth : and pure water is more necessary for the latter operations, than mineral fueJ» • "S. v^: •A4.r?:'=w>rf'rii(f; r,.' VllL Emigtatton has no pdtmanmi Effect on " '■* With regard to what his Lordship states, /. Ill, 112, &c* respecting the population of the Highlands, and the implicit defer- ence he pays to the work of Mr Malthus on the piinciple of population j not having -had -an opportuiuty of ccnstdting that vworjc, which I doubt not may be^s valua- jble;a8 his Lordship represents it, I shall ^niy beg leave to state my own ideas on •the subJ3ct4 k-s»- *,>■.:- I •».; fc •» '^.. I *79 I conceive that population will always advance in every country, in proportion aa the means of subsiste'^.ce, to be procured by labour, continue to increase. Addi- tional population, as long as there is a sub- ject on which to operate, from which ad- ditional means of subsistence may be pro- cured, will constantly continao to provide a fund for the maintenance of its future increase. Nor will this progress meet with interruption, until all the land is reduced to die highest state of garden culture, sometimes mentioned by hi8 Lordship ; from which it is *iot possible for addition- al labour to extract nrvore means of subsist- ence. To that state, some districts in China, and Japan, seem to have arrived ; and as these people seem to have an insupe- rable aversion to leave their country, the exposition of infants is permitted as* a cor- rective of an over-crowded population. B' -, though his Lordship often insinu- ates, is he. prepared boldly to assert, that the Highlands have arrived at that state, where additional labour cannot increase the means of subsistence, and provide for an increasing population ? 'H/" :;;• r ? 'md So far is this from being the case, that • , ' xnany m m ^^ts^s^^^mi ; 80 tnaLy additional hands are necessary, fully to occupy the land and fisheries. The Highlands and Isles, like America, can on- ly be regarded as countries yet in a state of infancy, where the cultivated land is not brotight to yield half the value it might do, and consists merely of a few patches in- terspersed among deserts, capable of being cultivated with equal, or with greater ad- vantage* The fisheries, too, are even mbre in a state of infancy, than the cultivation, of the land^ And will any nian say, it would be wise to abandon such ample means of subsistence, and increased popu- lation, and send the people to fell trees in America ? His Lordship may r^st assured hts pr^ diction is not likely to be soon acccxmplish*- ed, that " th6 misery of the people would thus in time produce the effect which emi- gration is now working, and reduce their numbers to a due proportion with the em- pioyment that can be given them." Ac-. cording to our noble Author, this misery tf tke people^ is to operate by inducing them to abandon the propagation of the species. But these people, who never experienced any thing approaching to the state of ab- ;; . solute 1 81 solute famine, foreboded by his Lordship as' connected with obedience, are not likely to rebel against the first law of nature, in consequence of any prospective representa- tions of starvation his ingenuity may exhibit to their view. In the Highlands, the poorer classes, from early attachments, generally marry at an early period of life. Many, not worth L, 20 in the world, marry at eighteen. As long as industry continues, there is no danger of population decrea- sing ; and while such an ample field re- mains for the extension of industry, every addition made to industry must increase population. There is no objection to a part of the people leaving the country ; and all tho«e who are not disposed to labour, can be well spared. The only danger to be apprehend- ed, is such a ferment as prevailed before the American war, and has been revived of late, which may induce the people, natu- rally of warm tempers, and ready to lend a greedy ear to seductive representations, to emigrate eti masse. The Highlands would then become, what his Lordship pre^ diet '; will happen, occupied by a few shep- herds and their dogs. It is extremely ab- F surd QSviTs 82 II surd to argue, that thi8 chasm would, in time, be filled up by the propagating ener- gies of the remaining stragg^lers ; who, by previous emigrations, being reUeved from the terrors of starvation, his Lordship thinks, will labour more assiduously in the manufacture of the species. Were any great mass of emigration to take place, it would require, at least, a century to fill up the chasm, while all the improvements now going on must be at a stand. This im- portant part of the empire requires a nu- merous and permanent population ; and we have shown, that, in place of decrease, it affords ample means of increase. It has been formerly noticed in these Strictures, that the population of the High- lands has considerably increased since the year 1 745, an 1 the causes of that increase are already assigned. But it is very far from being true, that the population of the Highlands is yet at its utmost limit, as great part of it contains the means of maintaining an increased population. An instance is gi- ven by Lord Selkirk of the increase of the population of the Long Island, consisting of the parishes of North and South l^ist, and Barra. By Dr Webster's account, they are gs ing the ing Tist, hey are ftf^ said, in 1755, to have contslined iivfe thousand two hundred and sixty-eight peo*- ple; at the date of Sir John Sinclair's survey, eight thousand three hundred and eight. The writer of these Strictures can add, from having made a return of the popula- tion lists under the late act of Parliament, of these three parishes, and other oppor- tunities of local knowledge, that the popu- lation, previous to the late emigration, ex- ceeded ten thousand. And it is not impro- bable^ that, in ten or twelve years^ the de- ficiency created by the emigration will be replaced. But it by no means follows, that the increase of population increases the poverty of the people, as insinuated by his Lordship. The very reverse is the case. The people are become much more indus»- trious, and j instead of idleness, apply them- selves to hard labour. Formerly, when po- pulation was thin, the crops were trifling and scanty ; and for want of winter food, it was no uncommon thing, in a Severe season, for a tenant to lose many, or all of his cattle* Even the small rents were seldom, or auver, paid with any degree of pmictuality. k: was formerly a regulation on many great Highland eatates, that no F 2 tacksman /■ ^,5?;^*?==?^ Bsrs 84 tacksman should take a subtenant or cottar on his farm, until the laird*s small tenants* fanxLs were fully occupied by them. This condition was often engrossed in the tacks- man's Lease. Nor was it uncommon, when a tenant took half a penny of the lands on a farm not fully stocked with people, to get a farthing of lands gratis, I have had occasion to look into the books of some former factors of Higliland estates, and have observed, not unfrequently, that they deduce, from the amount of the rent- roll, considerable sums for lands lying waste and unoccupied. The present punctuality of the payments of rents on some Highland estates, is un- common in the south country; and in- stances of distress in levying the rents, in the Highlands, are extremely rare. Lord Selkirk seems anxious to establish, that the tenantry, and richer sort of the common- ality, are the least industrK)us body of the community *, the least capable of being directed to any nvw pursuit. This is surely a doctrine that was never promul- gated by any oiu? but himself, and coni* mon * See page 117. 85 moa sense would lead us to disbelieve ir. The fact is, that in the Highlands, as in every other country, riches and industry go hand in hand, ' ' *"*^ '" There is a good deal said about the changes that tlie sentiments of the tenants in the Highlands have undergone, on ac- count of the rise of rent, and other local causes. Tlie reasoning here shows a want of knowledge of th« present sentiments of these people. The fact is, that in the Highlands, there ai^e few men alive now, who were bom at the Rebellion ; and the new generation dif*^ fers widely in sentiments from their fa* thers. To the present race it is a matter of indiflerence who is the proprietor, or whe- ther he is resident, or is familiar or dis* tant in his manners. The great object with them, is to have their lands on terms which will enable them to live comfortably, to pay their rents, and to be dealt £aurly and justly with by their landlord, or his factor. The landlord is only respected by his tenants, in proportion to the happiness they enjoy under him, and the good he . does amongst them. F3 IX. Prejudices ■'i^'&^^m^. :v M JX. Prejudices of the Highland Proprietors against Emigration: mistakes from which they arise, P, 1 26. J . ,. . /! ^ h 1 1' >' r* i ^ The preju iices of the Highland proprie-» tors, are said b)\Lord Selkirk, to be in di- rect opposition to their interest. This is cer^ tainly paying them a compliment, to which they h^ve no title. The fact is otherwise. The Highland proprietors, whose lands are not adapted for sheep pasturage, have an interest in a throng population ; and of that they have such experience, as weighs more with them than his Lordship's plau- sible arguments. -..,. p^ "7 -r . , ; . Recruiting in the Highlands is now completely at an endf on the former plan ; and his Lordship cannot point out an in- stance of any one proprietor, who sacrifices the substantial contents of a rent-roll, for a parade of idle retainers. That such pro- prietors as have a throng, and useful po- pulation, should show a certain degree of solicitude in retaijiijig their people, is not at all surprising, :' Lord Selkirk goes on to assert, that the prejudices of the proprietors are strength- ened »7 '» ' ened by the clamour of certain persons a- mongst their dependants and neighbours, who have motives of pecuniary interest for their conduct. This is an unjust asser- tion, and can be easily refuted. It is ob- vious, that the persons here aimed at, are the lesser heritors, the principal tacksmen, and the factors. As to the first class, which is not nume- rous, they are in general resident proprie- tors of small income. No class of men are better judges of the value of land, or are more disposed to turn it to the best account. They cannot afford to let their lands in large lots, at an easy rent, to tacks- men or wealthy farmers, who, from their style of living, cannot afford high rents. On the contrary, their lands are generally let in small divisions to working tenants, or fishermen, and, in proportion to their extent, are more populous, and rented at a higher rate, than those of the greater heri- tors. To them, therefore, it can be no ob- ject, that a great landed proprietor should have a throng population. On the con- trary, it is their interest that the greater heritors should let their lands to a few in- dividuals only, as their own tenants would ' F4 bv I,!!, 8S by that means be held in more request j engross the different employments that the country aiFords ; raise their wages at plea- sure; and, in the end, aUbrd to pay them a higher rent for their lands^ than they can pay under the present order of things. «^* As to the tacksmen, i^ is easy to show that it is not their interest that the small tenants should be retained. There is no class of men they dread more than the lower, or working class of the community; and experience shows, that except where they occupy sheep-farms, or farms solely adapted for black cattle, their numbers are daily diminishing, while their lands fall into the hands of small tenants, who, in the Isles, and on the sea-coast of the High- lands, for reasons formerly explained, can afford to pay a higher rent than the gen- try. The conseqiience of this is, that these two orders of men are constantly at vari- ance with each other ; and instances could be pointed out, where the tacksmen have entered into combinations with a view to send off' the lower orders to America, that, by getting rid of a formidable rival, they might have the field to themselves. That the tacksmen, therefore, do promote the retention 89 tetention of a population, which is daily ex- tending, and threatening to rum them out of their holdings, is, to say the least of it, extremely improbable, '-i v.- .rM;;U/>ij rjai>. ''With regard to the factors, the allega- tion is equally erroneous. It must be ad- mitted, that formerly, when the factors in the Highlands were generally near con- nections of the Chieftains, armed with their authority, and the once formidable office of baron-bailie, their power was con- siderable, and their situation enabled them to manage the people, so as to amass coj^siderable fortunes. But the Highland proprietors, who must, in general, be al- lowed to have cle.irer notions of their true intL rest, than is admitted by Lord Selkirk, have long ago corr^ ^ted thi s error. Instead of natives of their own esi-ate, they employ strangers, generally men brought up to business in the fc<>uth or east of Scotland, or more frequently people from England. To these they allow handsome salaries, and make it a condition of their appointment, that the ill not follow any kind of bu- siness, (^ or even farming), except the one for which cuey are purposely engaged. This description of men, unconnected 5^ith the tenants of the estates they manage; in IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y n // {/ ^ .^^ /.. %i ^w 1.0 I.I 1.25 u£ 1^ mil 2.2 •» |40 US llB 2.0 1.8 U 11.6 V] vl % /: /^ PhotogiBphic Scienceb Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 l\ iV ^ :\ \ LV 4^\ ] '*^':.x% "^^ "^^ ^ %' i I 90 in general ignorant of their language^ and often objects of their jealousy; it is not ta be supposed, are the most likely to enter into dealings or traffic of any kind, even if it were permitted. And should any one have the temerity to act otherwise, it is not to be supposed, that the ancient race of inferior gentry, who consider men of that description as intruders and innova- tors in their -country, would allow him long to prosecute such a traffic, before they made his coijiduct appear in such a light to his constituent, as would soon procure his dismissal. But setting these consider- ations aside, is it reasonable to suppose, that a factor, unless he saw it to be for the advantage of his constituent, would prefer a numerous race of people on an estate, to a few substantial tacksmen ? f - ;-i^,kuxa iD He generally receives a certain per-cen- tage of his employer's income ; and it may easily be conceived, that if a large estate of £, 8000 or £. 10,000 a-year was let to twenty or thirty tenants, the duty of the factor in uplifting the rents, and of super- intending the internal management of the estate, would be much more agreeable and easy, than to collect the same rent from . seven 'V' 'A. 9i seven or eight hundred tenants, and to en- ter an a complex management of a nume- i:ous population.^ v;^ i 'a > -^X^ y^'ur^^tifn^ inr 'rrf i When the fact, therefore, is inquired in- to, it will be found, that throughout the whole Highlands, to the north of the tract of the Caledonian Canal, the Highland fac- tors have no business to attend to but one. . And Lord Selkirk cannot specify a single factor in thie North-west Highlands and Isles who is engaged in trade, and more than two he cannot point out, who have farms ; and even these farms are not ex- tensive, nor have kelp attached to them. His Lordship cannot therefore apply his reasoning, as to the conduct of factors in former times, to those of the present day, unless he visits the iniquities of the old High- land factors on their successors^ to (he third and fourth generations, -; The principal situation for kelp, is in the Long Island. The manufacture of kelp was introduced by certain Irish ad- venturers, about fifty years ago. Before that time, the manufacture of that article was wholly unknown on the north-west coast of Scotland. Some native indivi- cluals, profiting by the example of the I- rish, 92 rish, Gommcnced the kelp business them- selves, and, having gained considerably by vhe undertaking, the system became gene- ral, (t';'*'-?! ;;v';n't:i-' r ,'>^v:H^t:? ^r /./ The kelp manufacture has gradually ex- tended from that period, down to the pre- sent time, and on some estates m the High- lands, affords now no inconsiderable share of the revenue arising to the proprietor* The Lewis is said to be capable of produ- cing 450 tons annually, the Harris 650, North Uist 1500, South Uist 1500 tons, and Barra 250 ; in all 4350, This, quan^ tity may be considered as a fair average in favourable seasons. The land rent of that tract exceeds M' 13,000, but is below £,, I4:fl00per annum. > ;: .; i^^wr The kelp, after deducting the charge* of manufacture, the freight to market, com- mission to agents, &c. has, for these last seven years, yielded a clear profit of from M' 4: to £.5 per ton ; but, taking £A^ 10s. as a medium, the income arising to the proprietors of the Long Island, who now make. the kelp, with a very few exceptions, on their own account, will, fromi that ar- ticle, amount to £, 19,575. ' The manufacture of kelp is at all times, t and 93 and particularly in a rainy season, a dif- ficult and precarious business^ and can on- ly be carried on in the months gf June, July, and the two first weeks of August. In the islands of North and South Uist, where the quantity of kelp is most consi- derable, in proportion to the extent of po- pulation ; about two tons is at an average allowed to each Iiead of a family, or a stout working man. A great part of that kelp is made from cast or drift ware, which comes ashore on the west coast, after a gale of westerly wind. This ware, if not instantly secured, is often drifted back again to the sea ; and although it may afterwards return to the shore, it is in general found, in a few days, to have lost so much substance, as to be utterly unfit for its original purpose. It re- quires three hundred and fifty horse loads of ware of this description to make a ton of kelp ; and it may easily be conceived, that, without a number of hands always ready on the watch to secure the floating ware, no great quantity of kelp could be made from that ware. #. The rest of the kelp in these islands, is made on the east coast, from the growing ware V 94 Av^ard found in the bays and aims of the seay and often on sunken rocks, at some distance from the shore. Great part of this ware is cut, and floated ashore on rafts and in boats, ^nd is attended to the maker with no inconsi- derable degree of toil and risk. To expedite the business, and for mutual convenience, the kelperL generally form into small par- ties, make a joint stock of their ware, and divide the manufacturing price at the end of the year. The making of kelp is a dirty and disagrreable employment, and must, if the present race of people were to leave the country, be given up altogether* Let any man conceive, how a labouring man in the south, or other parts of the kingdom, would relish to go out, at the ebb of the sea, to his middle in salt water, to cut the ware, and continue during the flood up to the neck in that element, drag- ging ashore the ware which he had pro- .viously separated from the rocks ; and from that extreme, be obliged to go and suspend himself over the burning, or the working of the fluid materials of a kelp- kiln. « After all, be obliged to go to sleep in the clothes he wrought in during the day, under the roof of a miserable and u^- r . comfortable 9j; comfortable shealing. Notwith6tandiilg what his Lordship insinuates, none but the present race, are capable of undergoing the hardship. But although that were not the case, is it rational to suppose, that, if an estate were so far depopulated, as to have no more hands than what were ne- cessary for carrying on the farming opera- tions on Lord Selkirk's scale, that a pro- prietor could collect six or seven hundred hands every season, from other parts of the Idngdom, to make his kelp, when none of them, allowing even £^ 4 per ton, could gain .more than ^. 8 in a season ; a sum scarcely sufficient for transporting them from the south to the Highlands, and back agam r „-v'i '■ t-^^f-t:^^*-^- / ^.'-A».t. ,; In proportion as the population on some estates increases, so in proportion does the quantity of the kelp : and it cannot be denied^ by any one acquainted with the kelp manufacture of the Highlands. tKat, by the adoption of more approved modes of managing and cutting, the quantity of Highland kelp will increase considerably. /«> Instead of sacrificing the real value of a farm, by letting it to kelp makers, the re- . verse •is the case; Suppose two farms ly- ing in the close viciinty of each other ; the ond m one having no kelp on its shores, the othef a certain quantity of kelp. Suppose each of these farms Capable of maintaining an equal quantity of stock. The tenant or tenants of the one^ will only be enabled to pay a rent arising solely from the quantity of stock they can dispose of to the dealen The tenants of the other can dispose of the same quantity of stock ; and, by add- ing to the amount of their sales, a certain portion of the profits of their labours, can pay a greater rent than the former, who have not had the same opportunity of ap- plying themselves to useful labour. The business is now so well understood in the Highlands, both by landlord and tenant, that the extent of shore that goes a- long with the farm, is always a stipulated article at a set ; and the rent rises and falls in proportion to the quantity of jshore gi- ven, and according as tho price of the la- bour is raised or lowered. • ' '^ On one considerable kelp estate, the pro- prietor being about to leave the country, and reside in Engliind, dreaded that his people might become more remiss in his absence. To insure their industry, he raised the manufacturing price from two 97 to four guiheas per ton ; while, oh the o- ther hand, his lands, already sufficiently rented, were augmented in proportion, and the people remained equally satisfied as before. Had the Earl of Selkirk an oppor- tunity of knowing the fact, he would learn, .that kelp: farms are frequently let to small tenants, considerably above their intrinsic valuci- This being the case, his arguments may. ainuse, but not convince, the proprie- tors of those parts of the Highlands and Isles, where kelp is an article of profit, that t;liey are under the influence of an errone*- ous policy* /ii^iAju.ivj ^jitt ^iJAijj^ojija x.i-.j .?!i Time not permitting me to enter into the consideration of the three last sections of Lord Selkirk's book, I shall only offer a remark or twb on what he says respecting the motives of the Highland Society, in " having recommended measures inconsis* tent with every principle of justice." 'a^w;^ To defend the conduct of that Society is no business of mine, as they are able to defend themselves from any accusation of this sort. The est facie presimiption is, that a body so numerous and respectable, were actuated by views of benevolence and h?umanity#. i *v. '^i^t ..Jii^*^,; :•; gj^I >;*■;'..:. ;■■■■ nyjil O The €■ ! ' M 9S Hie latQ emigration act, ao far from pro- ducing the direful eiiects predirted by liis Lordship, has only tended to insure a safe and comfortable passage to the emigrant, at whatever time he chooses to depart. It has removed the most formidable obstacle that lay in the way of emigration, namely, the terror, the misery, the distempers, and other fatal incidents attendant on a long «ea voyage, in an over*crowded ship. In fact, it ha^ rendered the way to America open and easy. Had the framers of this bill meant, that it should stop emigra^- tion altogetherj they certainly have shown themselves to be very bungling politicians. By securing to the emigrant a safe and comfortable passage, without any mate- rial increase of expencc, their bill is like- ly to operate in direct opposition to the intentions imputed to its authors, and to promote, under proper restrictions, emigra^ tion* The act has already operated in redu- cing the former exorbitant profits of the e- migrant carriers ; and, by the high securi- ty required to be lodged, for a due obser- vation of the law, it has taken the business of carrying emigranta out of th€ hands of ' ' ^ • . petty 99 '|)Ctty traffickers, who were accustomed to go about and raise a ferment among the people, on purpose that they might extort exorbitant profits, by conveymg those they had deluded, across the Atlantic, at the risk of their lives. By throwing the busi- ness of emigration into the hands of men of capital, such as the Earl of Selkirk, who can find the required security, and carry on the trade on a large scale, it is to be presumed the poor emigrants will always be treated with fairness and propriety, which they did not, in many cases, expe- rience from the petty traders. -i> • ' Nor has the bill operated in raising the price of a passage, so much as his Lordship represents* ^ ^;^'v^v«.'r Several vessels sailed from the north of Scotland last season with emigrants, and some are preparing to leave it in the course of the ensuing summer. A Mr Rabbi of London, broker and agent for James Hodges, Esq; of the house of Bou- chea, Hodges, and Co. Cheapstow, Mon- mouthshire, has engaged several cargoes of emigrants in Mull, Skye, and other dis- tricts, for Prince Edward's Isle, to whom he has sold many thousand acres, in thirty- i" > G 2 three 100 three and other lots, in that island, at a rate, of 500 per cent, above the Lon- don wholesale prices. From a copy of his contract of agreement, in my pos- session, I find that he* is to give the passage, furnish provisions, and every requisite, at the rate o£ £.6 for each pas- senger. In the year 1801, the rate of freight to America was £, 10 per passenger ; and it is supposed the traders had a profit of at least £, 5 on each. But in 1802, from a competition among the traders, the freights were reduced so low as to be, at an average, from £4 5 to £.6 ; and the rate w'as similar in 1 803. The traders, however, by crowding immense numbers of passen- gers in small ships, the melancholy effects of which -iare but too well ascertained, still continued to draw a profit, varying from 20si to 50 s. a-head. Since the passing of the act, the rate has been, for 1804 and 1805, at £, 9 per passenger. ,^i i^ uj«. .■ But Rabbi, the modern Moses, is to de- liver the Highlanders out of the Aouse of bondage^ and carry them to the wilderness of Prince Edward's, without the benefit of manna, pr any other supernatural assist- ance, for £, 6 a-head. If he is equally pru- dent fit; rh 101 de- dent with the rest of his brethren^ it is pre- sumed, notwithstanding the regulations of the act, his carrying of emigrants will not prove a losing speculation. On the con- trary, ho will have a profit of 10 s. a-head on the passengers ; as I know that Messrs James Strong and Company of Leith, and some other merchants, have chartered their ships to him at L. 5, 10 s. per passenger, allowing at the rate of two tons register for each passenger, with .the other statutory provisions. . ^ -^ **- -:v**n But, admitting that the act has raised the expence of freight, this is more than compensated by the safety ?nd security of the passengers, who h^ve now a prpspect of arriving in soimd health in a foreign country, fit for undergoing any hardship or fatigue, ind for undertaking the most active operations. • Formerly they were landed in a diseased and debilitated state, fit only for hospitals; and, before they could engage in any ope- ration, were often obliged to spend their little capital, if not to consign themselves to hopeless slavery. But, setting these meHncholy consequences out of the ques- tion, no nun, who has the means, can he- G 3 sitate V r- 102 «itate which he will most cheerfully pay« the doctor's bill, or a bill of fare. '^ Leaving the Earl of Selkirk to realize his projects on the other side of the Atlantic, as he best can, w9 shall admit his ac- counts of his colony to be true, until some letters from his settlement appear in pu- blic, giving a different view of afl^rs there. It only remains to add, that the spirit and necessity of emigration, if the latter ever existed, is now in a great mea- sure at an end. The Highland proprietors, seeing the benefit of a iiseful population, are adopt- ing the most effectual and prudent mea- sures, for retaining the people on their e- states. Some of the late emigrants them-' selves, who were the most wealthy when they went off, have returned to» and a* gain settled in the mother-sountry, parti- cularly in the Long Island ; and thej give no flattering accounts of the new land of promise. Add to this, the receipt of se- veral letters written by the settlers, which (notwithstanding the system of espionage established in some of the colonics, to pre^ vent accounts, unfavourable to the views of those interested in emigration, from reach- ..... ing ■* • >» 103 !i! ing Europe) have got home, dissuading their connections from embarking, until they can send better accounts. Somq of these letters contain the most pointed complaints Against the traders in emigration; com- plaints which may become a subject of fu- ture investigation. , These last-mentioned circumstances have had more efiect on the minds of the High- landers, than either the emigratio^ bill, or Lord Selkirk's book ; and we may foretell, without being inspired by the spirit of prophecy, or gifted with the second sights that the Highland proprietors and their tenantry, will adjust their own affairs for their mutual advantage, according to the dictates of prudence and sound policy; and, by so doing, insure future prosperity to their country, to an extent they are not yet aware of, long after the Earl of Sel- kirk's book has ceased to be read. •m G4 GENE- V ■ii^iJ,iXfn ;;*Cv)-uiiqv>-i.fj ,l.ai*?fl^,:fri od? .j^d? • ' -C. i'? ,h..,..l C^.:-; ;■/•,;>.;: ^•■...; ^'j t^'lJi.fi* 3^v '• ".* ■ / » • 'r^^f^^ vKjrf p.t\tjc6hl 'ipuri^i;A> i:l^U.-i^:'jr A - * i . . I'' *- k • i, f >. • • L •>' ■ 4' Vt GENERAi REMARKS. '--^ i" la i'sfrtiufivr^j «->*Vr •-iM-f"'-.'- !^rrr .^ r 1. 'TPJHE indolent habits of the High- r.i J. landers, and their aversion to stea- dy industry, are often described by the Earl of Selkirk as arising out of the feudal institutions. But these institutions, and the spirit of clanship, have long ceased to afiect, either the habits or manners of the great body of the people. The true cause of this indolence, is the ease with which a man in these regions can acquire subsist- ence. There are few situations on the sea- coasts, where a man, with a very trifling apparatus, may not take as many ikh in an hour as will serve his family for a week. The interior lakes and rivers also . abound li . V' . V 106 aboiind with great varieties of fish, many species of which might be turned to profit. A very slight degree of labour is necessary to raise abundance of potatoes, with a little grain. Milk, eggs, poultry, and pigs, are procured with little labour. These, and not the remains of the feudal institutions, or clanship, are the true causes of the in* dolence of the Highlandert. ^ ^ ,.j ^^^ ,j ^>^, The imposition of adequate rents, to which his Lordship ascribes all the dis- contents of the people, is every day ope- rating as a corrective of those indolent ha- bitsy and^ by stimiklating; indtistry^ it f ai^r sing tise tenants to comparative wealth and indepcnde&ce. His Lordship's mode of correcting thi^ indolence,, is more sudden and vio^t in its operation. He says,^ the people aire do* mg no good to themselves at home^ aoid are a burden on their landlords. He there-^ fore proposes to transfer them to a situ»* tion^ where they cannot obtain a particle txf subsistence, except what th«y extract from the land by the most severe and un^ remitting labour. How men of such con«* firmjed habits of indolence may be able to endure this violent regimen, remains to be explained. 107 explained. But his Lordship's specific a- gainst Highland indolence, reminds me of the mode by which I have been told idle fellows were wont to be punished in Hol- land, and other places. They were locked in a cellar, into which water was introdu* ced through a pipe, and the culprit was obliged, either to pump it out, or drown, 2. With regard to the observations scat- tered through the work, concerning, the several classes of inhabitants, the want of leases, and the dispositions of each class towards emigration, it may be observed, . That on a)l well-regulated Highland e- states, contrary to \. hat his Lordship states^ p> 40. &c. the small tenants who possess a farm in common, hold each an equal share. For it has been found extremely prejudi- cial to allow one man to have a larger di- vision than another, on the same fami. But this mixed occupancy of the cultivated land, and common occupancy of the pas- ture, is so rapidly changing into separate possessions, as has been already explained, that, had his Lordship's work appeared a few years hence, what he adviUices on this point would probably be less understood bjr the Highlanders, than his dissertations concerning u (.-. A lOS concerning the feudal system and clan«> - With regard to leases, it is clear, that the land ought always to be given to the tenants for a certain period of years. Eve- ry enlightened proprietor in the High- lands follows this practice, and grants lea- ses averaging from nine to thirty years, and in many cases of much longer dura- ».-**irf iff^fcii^'o «««4 *^<«^#«^i^ ' But there are often prejudices on the part of the tenants, which induce them to reject a lease, or to accept oiie only of a short duration. They conceive a lease to bind them down to the land during its whole currency ; and the rage of emigra- tion is one cause of their rejecting leases of long permanency. The restless and un- settled disposition engendered by this fer-. ment, has greatly obstructed the progress of regular industry at home. ''"*' In the year 1802, leases of nine years were offered to the tenants on the estate of Clanranald ; but, although no augmenta- tion was demanded, they had formed so strong a desire to emigrate in a body, that few of them would accept of leases, choo- sing rather to hold their lands from year to 109 to year. In 1803, the greatest part of m estate belonging tp Lord Macdgnald, con-> twining. $. population of fcmr tho^8and soula, litras peered in lease for a term of years to the tenants ; but, from the same cause, only the tenants of two farms ac- cepte4 the lease^ the rest choosing to pos- sess from year to year. rhf^oiU svsa imoa , 3. So far is it from being the interest of the proprietory to .keep down the wages of labour, whether employed in agriculture, or even in the. working of kelp, (as assert- ed by hi? Lordship, p, 132, 133.), their interest is directly the reverse, and is ge- nerally understood to be sa A man who has the certain prospect of an adequate re- turn in money, will labour mpre in one week than he would in two, were he to be called out according to the ancient, and now generally abolished system of exact- ing service-days. The higher the wages of labour in any district, the higher will the lands be rented. High wages enable the labourer to pay a better price for, and' to consume more of, the produce of the land, if he has no small holding ; and if he possess a small portion of land, high wages enable him to pay a better rent for it. - • Thus no Tlius the increase of wages redounds ttltU mately to the advantage of the landlord, whether the labourer occupy land himself^ or consume "he produce x>f what is occu- pied by others. This has been so clearly manifested in several districts of the Highlands, that some have thought it might prove a salu- tary measure to raise the price of labour, by political regulations. The wretched system of cottars and servitudes, is now generally abolished. Farm servants are generally unmarried men, who live in the house of their employer* Day labourer^ are becoming every day more and more frequent ; andj even in the Western Isles, a good workman earns about Is. 6 d. f>e^ day. ^^' '»'J^V7 \i>%v3 tU' Msmw^it^ ji^sifcj^te^iKs^^i ■ * A gradual rise on the rents of small holdings, tends also to stimulate the indu* stry of the tenant ; for, in proportion as a man becomes less dependent on the spon* taneous produce of his lands, and the re^ turns of his cattle, the more he exerts him* self, to obtain, by vigorous cultivation, good management, and frugality, returns sufficient to cover his increased rent, and to provide the necessaries of life. The ha- ' bits Ill t>itt of induttry becoming regular and steady, he even goes beyond these his first objects, and acquires a surplus, which flccumuiates into wealth. *• ' ' "*'■ ^"'^^ Accordingly, in the course of my ac- quaintance with the Highlands, I have al- ways observed, that the small tenants, who had their land on the lowest terms, were generally slothful, and the worst payers ; while those who held land at what might be deemed a fair rent, were always the most industrious, and the clearest of debt. There is therefore not the smallest ground for the clamour that has been rai- sed against the Highland proprietors, for driving away their people^ by raising their rents, the effects of which his Lordship paints in such glowing colours. Where- ever the raising of rents has been prudenc- ly conducted, it has produced effects di- rectly the reverse of those ascribed to it, and has raised the tenants to comfort and independence. ^J ^ i - r * ■■-■ •* 4. His Lordship labours under a mis- take, when, in p, Sl^ 58., he represents the tenants as almost entirely the only class disposed to emigrate, because they possess the means of defraying their passage, f while i .' \i .-V. 112 while the others go to the minufacturinlf towns* , iuK>r\>a Huu;? iiv»v© j»ii ,>«^iivJd ( In fact, it is the class denominated sul>> tenants, who hold lands under the tacks« men, who first shewed a spirit of disiconr tent, and a disposition to emigrate* ^'^'^** In the year 1802, a cargo of about two hundred and seventy emigrated from South Uist ; and in 1803^ nearly as many more with Lord Selkirk himself. Of these two cargoes, only twenty-six held land from the proprietor; The great body went from the tacksmen's lands. In 1801 and 1802, a considerable emigration took place, from Arisaig and Moidart. The number might be about three hundred, and of these se- venteen only held lands direct from the proprietor* ^uln-y ■oittjfctln i|v>(r.» hi ami n^ If can be truly affirmed, that, in most partd of the North-west Highlands and Isles, the case was pretty similar to theex^ amples quoted* His Lordship is therefore in an error, in stating that it is the te^- nants who emigrate j as it is generally those who hold lands at second handwfOi(-r7 ^jiKt Not one of the tenants who emigrated from Clanranald's property, and from ma*- ny , other estates in the Highlands, were 'haw turned 113 turned out of their lands, or entertained the slightest apprehension of being turned out, either by the engrossing of farms, or- subjecting them to sheep, which his Lord- ship assigns, in Section III. of his work, as the principal causes of emigration. On the contrary, many of them held beneficial leases, of which, by selling the reversion, they acquired more than was sufficient to defray the expence of transporting them- selves, and families, to America. 5. It is generally the idle and indolent class of tenants who seem most anxious to emigrate. The steady and industrious, ra- ther show a disposition to remain at home* Notwithstanding all his Lordship has said, it is well known that few of them retain any capital after landing in America. So far is this from being the case, it appears, from his appendix E, that some of his own emigrants had not wherewithal to pay their freight, and that " a few were bound under indenture to a certain number of years' service." > ■*. The distinguished humanity aild philan- thropy of his Lordship, it is admitted, af- ford the most ample security against any oppressive use being ma^ of such inden- PI ^'- tures. . V 114 tures. But it is well knc«vn, that these in- dentures have already been abiised,and may come to be abused, even in his Lordship's colony, into the most shocking cruelty and injustice. Such indented servants form the subject of what is called the white slave tradcy which has long been practised, and is well understood, in the American States. Great numbers of those who had w herewith to pay their freight, and even a little extra capital, on their arrival in Ame- rica, before they could get into a situation where they could provide for themselves, have been reduced by necessity to sell their services, or rather themselves, for a limit- ed time, for bare subsistence. They are then bought and sold, and transferred, like cattle, from hand to hand. Their master always endeavours to get them into his debt be- fore their contract expires, for the payment of which they are under the direful neces- sity of entering into a new indenture, and thus they seldom recover their personal li- berty. .,- Their situation is still more deplorable, if they have contracted sickness or disease in an over-crowded ship ; for' in such a case they are vvh^y at the mercy of those who -•'.^ .. , 115 who may afford them food and medu ines, and who speculate on the recovery of their health, and a long indenture tor their re- imbursement. Here I may observe, that, contrary to what his Lordship states,^. 151. the Highlanders, who are rot accustomed to regular changes of linen, and are sur- rounded by their own and their children's filth, require much more room, in propor- tion, to preserve health on board a ship than his Majesty's troops, who are kept perfectly clean. For a detail of the white slave trade ^ reference is made to Parkinson's Tour in America, where every step of it is explained. r ,» . ; i;/^;: - : n't i It is to be hoped, that every proposition originally laid down, has been completely established ; and that it must appear to e- very unprejudiced person, the Highlanders may find ample and profitable employment in their own country, in the improvement of waste lands, in fisheries, and probably, at no distant period, in manufactures, if they are disposed to be industrious : That, so far from being a burden on their land- lords, as repeatedly asserted by his Lord- ship, or its being cither the policy or in- terest of the landlords to get rid of them, • It - > V u> 116 it is both the policy and interest of land- lords, through a very extensive range of the Highlands and Isles, to retain them ; That, even where the interest of the land- lord reqviires to enlarge an arable farm, in order to introduce a more skilful cultiva- tion, or to lay an extensive range of moun- tains under sheep, his interest also requires him to provide for the tenants who may have been dispossessed, by the crofting system ; ihr which there are extensive and commo- dious tracts, on almoF" every estate : That, in sucTh a case, the tenant, having his la- bour confined to a clear and precise ob- ject, is in a much more comfortable situa-j- tion than when he loitered and slept among tht* mountains, and had no definite object: of pursuit ; That, in all cases, a man who is disposed to be industrious, may turn his labour to much better recount in the Highlands than he cai!i in the colonies, e- specially if he labour in agriculture or fish- ing ; and, with respect to those who are a- verse to labour, that they must be in a much worse situation in the colonies, where they must labour or starve, than in their own country, where they can support ex^ istence with hardly any labour. It: 117 It may be farther remarked, that the sums necessary to convey a man and his family to America, and to maintain them there until produce can be raised, would be amply sufficient to stock a farm, or to establish a lucrative fishery in the High- lands ; where, with all the disadvantage of paying rent, the labour of the tenant will prove more beneficial to himself, than in America. This remark is offered to the serious consideration of such tenants, as may have been deluded into a favourable opinion of emigration. The Author of these Strictures can truly aver, that he is actuated by no mean mo- tive : he has no interest to serve ; no re- sentment to gratify. Conscious of his in- feriority of talent, he would not have ob- truded himself on the public, but from a sense of duty ; an earnest desire to remove prejudice, and to vindicate the cause of truth and humanity. Edinburgh^ Fcbruarij ISOG. APP- mmmmm wf'^m^F^^m V ' ^ -'/.»j: .-. !1: fVt »• ' './ * 9'^ii 'V' ■*•,*-» :.l ■•■':;",• , .--TtHi .^-A. \ 4» ^!'' ..?' Ti ,.•.,( ,. Ji ,4 * )■' r ■ p ^ . Y M ^ '- ,j, - , ;f' ■»:'> ■ v.- ; 1 'V ■1 . 1 , 4 * 'Vl •• 517 1 f i ■ - . . , ,:: A' STATE OF EMiG PPENDIX. * 2, AND 1803^ RATIONS, 1801, 1801 referred to, ji* 7. :^^-'( 11 e ■'H Years. •3 c V Port whence. Country whither. Contractors. Countries whence. i 1 " ■■'' et - Aird, Strathglass, Urquhart, Glen- %- , ■* ' gary, Knoidart, 1801. 3 799 F. WiUiam and Isle Martih. Pictou. Geo. Dunoon. ' Arisaig, Moidart, Lochaber ; a few frorp Ross-shire, Rannach of Perth- shire, Appin, and Glencoe of Ar- .gyleshire. 1802. 1 70 Isle Martin. Pictou. *^ Sutherland. 3 4-73 F. William. Up. Canada. A. M'MiUan. . 1 Same countries as 1 128 Ditto. Pictoiu S. Fraser. j I in 1801. r North Morven, 1 550 Knoidart. Canada. M'Donaldand 3 Knoidart, Glen- Elder, "l elg, Strathglass, LKintail, Lochalsh. 1 600 Braccadale. Wilmington. N. Carolina. ("Lord M'Donald Ditto. -J and M*Leod's e- estates. 1 340 Moidart. Sydney. Spanish-town. Cape Breton. r300 from Arisaig And. M*Don-l Mid Moidart; 40 aid. 1 from Egg, Rum, L&c. 2 900 Uist and Barra. Pictou. J. Ure. rClanranald, Boys- Niell. 1 dale, and Barra. 1 250 Greenock. Canada. % ^ U 4110 . ' J mmm mm 120 > * f I. STATE OF EMIGRATIONS, continued. Year. A. to 1*3 6 ;, ■ 1803. Freighter!. From whence. Ill In the Moray Frith, engaged by D. For- ^ Stratliglass. bes, burden 120 tons, By Mr Clark, Ditto. By a Club of Strath- gla'jS people, | Vessels of Major j Mftlville'8 at Ulla- ; pool, by D. Roy ' from America, I Veseels of R. Maci- ver from Stornaway, Vessel of J. Mac- kenzie, Lochead, Major Symon Fraser Fort William, who nas made a trade of the business since 1790. • i Ditto. Ditto. , Ditto. Sutherland* ' shire. Lewis. Ditto. Fro,-^ difFe- Whither. Pictou. Pictou. PictoU. Pictou. Pictou. Pictou. Pictou. rent quarters' „. in the High. P''^^""- lands. d § 120 120 120 120 200 600 FINIS. Ah^rnethy bf IValker, Prtntert, Old Bank Close. 4> a II