SCOTLAND. 



Mate. 



sutiics. Scotland. The former consist chiefly, or rather solely 

 ~^~^*~**^ of occasional Irish persons, generally labourers and mr- 

 K ljf'asti- chnnics, ami no chiefly found in the populous towns of 

 the VIM In (llasgow alone they have been estimated 

 it j 1 1, oo<), and wi- need not name the conjectures and 

 computation^ made of their numbers in Dumfries and 

 the otlu-r towns which they frequent or inhabit. 



As to the hereditary Catholics, their precise numbers 

 are not known, but they are estimated by their own 

 clergy as lying between 50,000 and G'0,000. They are 

 divided between ivcrul districts, where they have re- 

 mained from the earliest separation of the churches ; 

 undergoing little or no change further than what has 

 arisen from the progress of population and from emi- 

 gration; and, speaking generally, the great mass is 

 found among the Highlanders. 



In the Western islands, Barra is so far Catholic, that 

 it contains but very few Protestants ; and the same 

 religion is found in South Uist, Benbecula, and North 

 Uist, more scantily further north, so as to comprise a 

 considerable proportion of the population of the Long 

 Inland. In the inner islands, Egg and Canna are 

 chiefly Catholic, as is Rum in part ; but comparatively 

 few are found in the other islands, and in many there 

 are none at all. It is impossible to be very minute 

 in these details. 



On the western shore, the great centre of the Ca- 

 tholic population is a district which may be held to in- 

 clude Arasaig, Moiclart, Morrer, Knoydart, and parts 

 of Kintail, though the boundaries need not and can- 

 not be accurately defined. Nor would it be easy to 

 limit the exact places of those found in Ross and Inver- 

 ness-shires, though here, Inverness itself, and Strath- 

 glas, may be considered as a sort of centre. In Argyle- 

 shire, Lismore is similarly the centre of Catholics, who 

 are found in various places on this coast. 



In the properly eastern Highlands, the chief masj 

 is found about Tomantoule and Glen Livat, diverging 

 in a scattered manner to the neighbouring country ; 

 and this enumeration is sufficiently accurate to give a 

 general notion of the places of the Highland Catholics, 

 though many are also found in certain parts of Perth- 

 shire, and elsewhere, which it would be tedious to in- 

 dicate. 



In Aberdeenshire, there is also a centre of Catholic 

 population, which may be considered as including 

 those who appertain to the shires of Banff and Moray, 

 and the Catholic establishment of Auchcort may be 

 considered as its centre. Thus Edinburgh may also 

 be considered one, on account of its Catholic bishop ; 

 and it is quite superfluous to remark that some few are 

 to be found in all the principal towns of the kingdom. 

 Here, however, it is also proper to say, that the Catho- 

 lic church of Scotland is chieHy confined to the inferior 

 orders, though it must not be denied that several old 

 opulent families, and among these two of the peerage, 

 (Traquair and Newburgh) belong to it. It is also 

 but justice to remark that the utmost harmony pre- 

 vails when the two churches come into contact ; that 

 the Catholic people are among the most orderly and 

 industrious of the population ; and that no political or 

 other grievances on this subject seem to be felt. The 

 children of Catholics are in general educated at the 

 parish schools ; nnd in those parts of the Highlands 

 where the Catholics are most numerous, few or none 

 but Protestant teachers are employed, the adherents to 

 both religions seeming equally anxious to avail them- 

 selves of the means of instruction put in their power. 



The church government once included the celebrated 

 foreign seminary of Douay, but its establishments for 



- 



education are now confined to Scotland. Of 

 Linuon- is the chief, and Aucbcort the next, 

 Uined chiefly by the produce of Undi, and in the for- 

 mer case, by that of a manufactory of lime. Three 

 bithopf. in partibut, have the charge of a* many dio- 

 cesan divisions, of which LUmore and Auchcort are 

 the place* of two, and the third is located in Edin- 

 burgh. The priest* are few in number, but found in 

 the various places where the population of this per- 

 suasion is concentred ; and hence the performance of 

 their duties is necessarily deficient, as the remoter and 

 scattered Catholics have little opportunity of profit- 

 ing by their instructions, except under distant visita- 

 tions. 



As to the church revenue, we may aay that is no- 

 thing ; and from the poverty of the flocks, the office 

 of priest is truly one of religion and of privation. 

 There are no foreign grants for its maintenance. The 

 property of Auchcort was held on a long lease which 

 will shortly expire, and that of Lismore is scarcely suf- 

 ficient to maintain its very limited college. A grant 

 of L.1000 per annum, formerly given by our govern- 

 ment, has been suppressed and not replaced ; and the 

 ministry has consequently nothing to depend on but 

 the contribution of its flocks, which, from their general 

 poverty, are necessarily small. A few small chapels 

 in different places serve for the performance of the 

 weekly lor periodical duties ; but in many of the 

 islands and elsewhere, there is not even that accommo- 

 dation, j-i 



CHAP. VII. STATE OP EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND. 



There is no country in the world where the estab- Siau of 

 lishments for the education of all ranks in society are education, 

 placed on such an excellent footing. 



It was enacted during the reign of William and 

 Mary, that " there shall be a school and schoolmaster 

 in every parish of Scotland," with a salary varying 

 from 100 to 200 merks. In the year 1803, the limits of 

 the salary were raised to 300 and 40D merks, or to 

 16, 13s. 4d. and 22, 4. 5d. To this was added a 

 dwelling house, having at least two apartments, and a 

 quarter of an acre of ground for a garden. The pro- 

 prietors of land in the parish are assessed for these ex- 

 pences and for that of the school-house. Half of the 

 salary, however, is paid by the tenants, and the other 

 half by the proprietors. At those schools are taught 

 reading, writing, arithmetic, and in general the Greek 

 and Latin classics, French, geography, land-surveying, 

 and the elements of mathematics. The fees in the 

 country parishes vary from Is. 6'd. to 5s. per quarter. 

 In towns and villages many of the teachers of the pa- 

 rish schools have evening schools, at which mechanics 

 and other labourers have been long taught arithmetic, 

 practical geometry, and other useful branches of know, 

 ledge. 



Provision being thus made by act of Parliament for 

 the support of a school in every parish in Scotland, 

 every parish possesses one ; and as all the schools are 

 placed under the inspection of a resident clergy, being 

 annually visited and examined by the presbytery 

 within whose bounds they lie, Scotland possesses a 

 system of instruction which cannot be obtained in 

 any other country where the clergy are not compelled 

 to residence. A very great numbe." of the schoolmas- 

 ters in the country parishes in Scotland are young 

 men who are either students in divinity, or preachers 

 of the gospel, and whose minds are deeply imbued 



