10 ox THE AGRICULTUEE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAXD. 



such, for instance, as the abolition of private or " family " regi- 

 ments, and the high rate of wages in the south. 



The inhabited houses in 1871 numbered 4814, so that there 

 is rather more than an average of iive persons to each house. 

 Of the population in 1871 there were 11,408 males and 12,909 

 females. The present population is equal to about one person 

 for every 50 acres, the proportion of land to each person in 

 Eoss and Cromarty being exactly one-half of that extent. What 

 may be termed the natives of Sutherland, the descendants of 

 the " ancient inhabitants," like those of Eoss and Cromarty, 

 belong to one or other of the branches of the Celtic race, and 

 have j)ursued similar habits in social life. Sutherland, too, has 

 had a full share with its neighbours in regard to invasion and 

 plunder, the fierce Norsemen and the Danes having made fre- 

 quent raids on the county, leaving behmd them indisputable 

 traces of their presence, as well as of the character of their 

 mission. In the parish of Golspie there are the rums of three 

 " Pictish Towers," built and used, it is supposed, by the Danes. 

 One of the three is situated near Dunrobin Castle, and is in a 

 wonderfully good state of preservation. The north and west 

 coast abounds with these ruins. One in Strathmore, in the 

 parish of Durness — " Donnadillee " — is the most perfect in the 

 county, the walls still standing to a height of 20 or 30 feet 

 above ground. Interesting, however, as they are, space cannot 

 be devoted to these points. Gaehc is still the " every-day " lan- 

 guage of the older or hona fide natives of Sutherland, not a 

 few of whom understand very little English, and can speak still 

 less, or even none at all. But, mider the bracing current of 

 national education, and the ever-increasmg intercourse between 

 the inhabitants of the Highlands and other parts of the comitry, 

 the Celtic language is fast dying out, and perhaps, except from 

 a philological point of view, is doomed to extinction at no 

 distant date. Since the commencement of the present century, 

 more particularly during the past twenty- five years, a large 

 number of farmers and others from the south and north-east 

 of Scotland have settled in Sutherland, and these fresh infu- 

 sions have materially modified the habits of the people, as 

 well as tended to hasten the demise of Gaelic. The dwelling- 

 houses of the smaller tenants have been greatly improved 

 during the past quarter of the century, chiefly by the pro- 

 prietors ; and there are now comparatively few of those low, 

 black, uncomfortable " feal" houses that were to' be seen every- 

 where throughout the county, even in villages and the royal 

 burgh of Dornoch, at the commencement of the present century. 

 These small tenants hold their lots of land at low rents, are 

 as a rule sober and of good moral character, and are more 

 industrious, better educated, better fed, and better clothed, as 



