LIFE of Dr HUT TON. 45- 



Though his principal objeft in this excurfion was to acquire 

 information in the pradlice of hufbandry, he appears to have 

 beftowed a good deal of attention on the mineralogy of the 

 countries through which he pafled, and has taken notice in his 

 Theory of the Earth of feveral of the obfervations which he made 

 at that time. 



About the end of the fummer he returned to Scotland, and 

 hefitated a while in. the choice of a fituation where he might 

 bell carry into eflfe<5l his plans of agricultural improvement. At 

 laft he fixed on his own farm in Berwickfhire, and accordingly 

 fet about bringing it into order with great vigour and efFedl. 

 A ploughman whom he brought from Norfolk fet the firft ex- 

 ample of good tillage which had been feen in that diftridl, and 

 Dr HuTTON has the credit of being one of thofe who introduced 

 the new hufbandry into a country where it has fince made more 

 rapid advances than in any other part of Great Britain. 



From this time till about the year 1768, he refided for the 

 mod part on his ferm, vifitlng Edinburgh, however, occafional- 

 ly. The tranquillity of rural life affords few materials for 

 biographical defcription ; and an excurfion to the North of 

 Scotland, which he made in 1764, is one of the few incidents 

 which mark an interval of fourteen years, paffed moflly in 

 the retirement of the country. He made this tour in com- 

 pany with Commiffioner afterwards Sir George Clerk, a gen- 

 tleman diftinguifhed for his abilities and worth, with whom Dr 

 HuTTON had the happinefs to live in habits of the mofl inti- 

 mate friendfhip. They fet ovit by the way of Crieff, Dalwhin- 

 nie, Fort Auguftus, and Invernefs; from thence they proceeded 

 through Eaft-Rofs into C9,ithnefs, and returned along the coaft 

 by Aberdeen to Edinburgh. In this journey Dr Mutton's chief 

 objedt was mineralogy, or rather geology, which he was now 

 ftudying with great attention. 



For 



