574 
Trish peasantry in the disturbed 
parts of that unhappy country.— 
“In years of plenty,” says Fletcher, 
“«many thousands of them meet 
together in the mountains, where 
they feast and riot for many days, 
and at country weddings, markets, 
burials, and other public occasions, 
they are to be seen, both men and 
women, perpetually drunk, curs- 
ing, blaspheming, and _ fighting 
together.”” Such was the state of 
Scotland at the time when the 
present system of education was 
established. 
It is justly stated by Dr.°Cur- 
rie, that at the present day, there 
is perhaps no country in Europe, 
in which, in proportion to its po- 
pulation, so small a number of 
crimes fall under the chastisement 
of the criminal law as in Scot~ 
Jand ; and he adds upon undoubt- 
ed authority, that, on an average 
of thirty years preceding the year 
1797, the executions in that divi- 
sion of the island did not amouut 
to six annually, and that more fe- 
lons have been convicted and sen- 
tenced to transportation at one 
quarter-sessions for the town of 
Manchester only, than the average 
- number of persons sentenced to a 
similar punishment during a whole 
year by all the judges of Scotland. 
- But the influence of education 
in Scotland, has not been merely 
negative or confined to the dimi- 
nution of criminal offences: it has 
produced in a very eminent de- 
gree those habits of industry and 
frugality, upon which all civiliza- 
tion and improvement ultimately 
depend. In no age or country 
have these excellent qualities, the 
cardinal virtues of the lower or- 
ders of society, been more pre- 
valent than among the peasantry 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
and common people of Scotland 
during modern times: in none 
have the instances been more fre- 
quent of individuals, who, by a 
course of meritorious exertions, 
have raised themselves from an 
inferior condition of life, to ease 
and competence, and sometimes 
to riches and distinction. 
It is impossible to conceive any 
situation more happy and respect- 
able than that of the parent of a 
well educated family (such as was 
the father of the subject of this 
memoir, and such as there are 
now many others among the farm- 
ers and peasantry of Scotland) en- 
joying the just reward of his pa- 
ternal cares in the prosperity and 
success of his children; each of 
whom he sees engaged in some 
beneficial pursuit, each bettering 
his condition in life, and each ad- 
vanced somewhat in the scale of 
society above thesituationin which 
he was born. It is this visible 
progressand continualimprovement 
in the circumstances and condi- 
tion of families, so frequent in the 
class here particularly alluded to, 
which produces the greatest por- 
tion of happiness of which any 
community is capable; which sti- 
mulates to intelligent activity, and 
useful, persevering exertions; and 
which keeps alive and invigorates 
that orderly quiet ambition, which 
is the foundation of all private and 
public prosperity, and the great 
civilizing principle of individuals 
and nations. 
It is true that there are several 
other circumstances, besides the 
system of public education in 
Scotland, which have assisted 
in producing that extraordinary 
change of national character which 
has given accasion to the present 
