1803. Account of the District of Lammermuir* jii 



closed, by n'hicii tlieir value will be greatly irxrcase.l, gc 

 the farmers would thereby be enabled to raise tamips and 

 hay, for suppoiting the flocks during tlie iucleinent \Ainter 

 months. 1 liis should be done bj' allowing the tenant a 

 complete reimbursement, at the expiration of Iiis lease, 

 for all inclosures that are then in a fenclble situation ; 

 or should be done by the Proprietors at their own expcnct, 

 upon the tenant becoming bound, to pay a reasonabh inter- 

 est, during the currency of his lease, for money so expended. 

 It is well known that several proprietor:^ insist, in such a case, 

 for seven and a-half per cent, which is highly unreasonable ; for 

 if the tenant is bound to leave them in a sufficient state to 

 his successor, the repairs can never revert upon the proprie- 

 tor ; a.nd at the end of the lease, an increase of rent is the ne- 

 cessary consequence, if this mode of improvement has been 

 judiciously executed. 



Lime has been found to produce material advanta^;;es in 

 many parts of this district. Every encouragement ought 

 therefore to be held out, so as it may be extensively used. 

 There cannot be a greater encouragement offered than giving 

 suitable attention to the making of good roads ; for, at this 

 time, the expence of carriage is sufficient to deter the most 

 part of tenants from so beneficial a practice. It is hardly to 

 be expected that Lammermuir roads can even be so good as 

 those in other parts of the county ; but the inhabitants, at 

 the least, have an equitable claim, that the money produced 

 by the statute work, within the bounds of the district, should 

 be expended there, and not carried to roads v/here they have 

 little or no interest. ' N. 



\Wishing to "jcind up the tyth contronjci^sy, we take the 

 earliest opportuiiity of inserting the folloiving Reply to 

 /^f Answers of IMrT. S. /// our last number -, and entertain-^ 

 ingan opinion that a regulation of tythes, ho'cvcver neces^ 

 sary, is not to be expected in the preseiit state of public 

 affairsy it appears expedient to ivavc the question till a 

 fitter opportunity occurs. It remains only to add, that, 

 as this burden is ackjiovjledged, on all hands, to bg a great 

 obstacle to agricultural ifuprovemefit, every true friend 

 to his country, must ardently long for the return cf peace, 

 when this and other iinportant subjects may he calmly and 

 seriously in'uestigated.~\ 



TO 



