COUNTIES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY. 157 



James has also expended much labom- and money. Instead of 

 dilating further on all these undertakings, we simply subjoin a 

 table of his principal expenditure, as the best way of affording a 

 correct idea of the magnitude of his works : — 



Improving land and building tenants' houses, . L. 134,000 



Laying out castle, policies, and gardens, . . 48,838 



Building castle, ..... 



Eelief to the population in 1846 and 1847, 



Constructing bridges, .... 



Constructing roads, .... 



Building and maintaining schools, 



Planting and fencing woods, 



Erecting a slip at Stornoway harbour, . 



Erecting quays and breastwalls (chiefly at 



noway), .... 



Fishing stations and store houses, 

 Emigrating natives, 



40,000 



37,356 



4,000 



22,500 



10,000 



9,150 



6,000 



Stor- 



;-l 



r 

 2,300 



1,196 

 10,069 



Brick and tile works, 4,000 



Total, .... L. 329,409 



In addition to this immense sum. Sir James expended many 

 smaller sums for the benefit of his estate and its inhabitants ; 

 and, with the exception of L. 30,000 obtained from the Govern- 

 ment Drainage Loan Commissioners, the whole outlay has been 

 direct from his own purse. In the years 1846 and 1847 the 

 potatoes in the Lewis, as in the north generally, were destroyed 

 by the potato blight, and the inhabitants left almost desti- 

 tute of food. At this juncture Sir James came forward with 

 true and characteristic liberality, and imported large quanti- 

 ties of meal, potatoes, &c., for distribution among his starving 

 tenants, who afterwards repaid him by labour to the extent of 

 L.23,531. 



The agriculture of the Lewis is so peculiar to itself, that instead 

 of treating of it along with the mainland of the county, we shall 

 here discuss it as concisely as possible. According to a return 

 taken up in 1875, there were in all 14,362 acres under cultivation 

 and permanent pasture, exclusive of hill, moor, and mixed grass 

 and heather pasture. These acres were disposed as follows : — 



