1'503. Review of Peehles Survey. lo^ 



incurred expences of various kinds, which never were demand- 

 ed. Otliers, after volunteering their fervices, and taking every 

 manner of trouble to afcertain fafts, had their reports publicly 

 difowned, and, in Tome cafes, reprobated by tlio'e who employed 

 them. In fhort, a degree of confufion and milu!;dei landing has 

 prevailed, leldom exceeded in tlie management of any other 

 public eftabliiliment. 



The reverend author of the Peebles furvey lias not, we be- 

 lieve, fared much better than the majority of his brethren ; and 

 ■we underiland, that, had not fome friends interpofed, his la- 

 bours would have ended in an abortion. Appointed during the 

 adminiftration of Sir John Sinclair (the life and foul of the 

 Board), to report the hufbar.dry of his native county, he cheer- 

 fully undertook the tafk, without aiking, or even expeding, any 

 fee or reward ; but, after taking much trouble in invelti- 

 gating the ftate of rural economy, and executing a report which, 

 difplays juft views of every fubjed: embraced, when he appeared 

 at the Board with the refult of his labours, another Pharaoh fat 

 there, who knew not Jofeph. In plain terms, the report, for 

 realbus unneceflary to be fpecified, was returned to the author, and 

 is now publifhed by iubfcription, like thofe of many others, ^vho 

 took a fimilar way of introducing themfelves into public notice. 

 Leaving thefe topics, we enter, with pleafure, on an examination 

 of the work, 



Peebles is a fmall inland county, containing about 183,000 

 Scotch acres, and is divided into iixteen pariflies, fome of which 

 are of conliderable extent, but none of them very populous. 

 The climate is late and moift, the loweft arable land being 

 about 400 feet above fea level, though cultivation is attempted 

 at an elevation of 90-j feet above that level. The weather in 

 winter is rigorous, and in the fpring months cold eafterly winds 

 often prevail. The predominant foil is mofs or peat earth, 

 mixed in the vallies with portions of clay and fand. A few old 

 croft lands may be claffed among loams, and the banks of the 

 waters and rivulets generally prefent a rich fandy foil, probably 

 depolited there after former floods or f peats ; but the extent 

 of thele haughs or low grounds is not confiderable. 



From thefe things it may readily be fuppofed, that the diftri£t 

 is better calculated for pafturage than aration ; and, in fa6f, the 

 latter mode of hulbandry is only carried on partially, though, in fe- 

 veral refpefts, in a very fpirited manner, both by landed proprie- 

 tors and tenants. Under fuch circumftances, the author has ju:iici- 

 ouily narrowed his inquiries concerning the minutias of agricul- 

 ture, and devoted his main attention to the moral excitements of 

 agricultural induflry, which are of univerfal application. He 

 has noty however, neglc61ed to give a diftind account of the 



X 3 fyfler'^ 



