2^8 #H the crtinmetions in RofsJJnre. -^"g- £9* 



The Immediate cause of the present commotions, is the 

 letting of some extensive farms in Rofsftiire for the pur- 

 pose of breeding (heep, instead of having them parcelled 

 ©ut into small allotments among a great number of poor 

 families, wlio had no means of stocking these so as to 

 avail themselves of their natural produce, nor an\ other 

 means of subsistence than that which they derived from 

 the miserable culture of a small part of the ground, for 

 •which they were able to pay next to no rent vrhatevei. 



That I am by no means exaggerating on this occasion 

 will appear from the following well known fact. The 

 late Sir John Lockhart Rofs of Balnagowan, having re- 

 solved to convert a small part of his estate into a flieep 

 farm, sent for some fkilful fheep farmers to go over it, 

 and to pitch upon a place proper for that purpose. They 

 made choice of a vale, with hills on each side, to a great 

 extent. They computed that this farm would be suffici- 

 ent to maintain throughout the whole year, Jive thousand 

 head of (heep ; but they advised him to understock it at 

 first, till he saw how they succeeded j and theretore pro- 

 posed he fliould put no more than three thousand upon it 

 at first. At the most moderate computation any (heep 

 rearer would have been willing to pay him three hundred 

 pounds rent fot this farm. On inquiry he found that it 

 ,was at that time occupied by thirty-two families, with six 

 persons in each family, on an average, who, altogether, 

 paid to him thirty-one pounds, ten Jhtllings of rent \ and 

 this renl was supposed to be so very high that these poor 

 persons paid it with great difficulty, and could not afford 

 to give him twenty (hillings more, had he exacted it witli 

 ever so much rigour. The humane landlord foreseeing 

 that these people would be reduced to misery If he car- 

 ried his plan into execution, desisted from it, and made 

 choice of another district for that purpose, A similar 



