Book I. 



AGRICULTURE OF SUTHERLAND. 



1I5I 



tricts, with roads. Fin point of execution superior to most roads 

 In England. And owing to the equally praiseworthy exertions 

 of the counties of Ross and Invemesg, on the one hand, and of 

 Caithness on the other, the same perfect means of communica- 

 tion now exists, from the burgh of Inverness to the town of 

 Thurso upon the North Sea. 



Fetv dulrictf of Scotland possess so small a proportion of land 

 Jit for cultivation, compared with its extent, as Sutherland; 

 'and previous to the year 1 8 1 1 but even a small portion of that was 

 brought into cultivation. Each shore is fringed (if the expres- 

 sion may be used) with a narrow border of arable land, which, 

 on the south-east coast, extends from a few hundred yards to 

 about one mile in breadth : the interior consists entirely of 

 mountains. 



The lands were let to tacksmen, as in Ireland, till in latter 

 times, when a certain district was let to the whole body of 

 tenants resident in each " town or township," who bound 

 themselves, conjointly and severally, for the payment of the 

 whole rent. This land was held, as emressed in Scotland, 

 " run rig," or like common field land in England. 



The effect of this arrangement was to scatter thicklv, a hardy 

 but not an industrious race of people up the glens, and over the 

 sides of the various mountains ; who, taking advantage of 

 every spot which could be cultivated, and which could with 

 any chance of success be applied to raising a precarious crop of 

 inferior oats, of which they baked their cakes, and of bear, 

 from which they distilled their whiskey, added but little to the 

 industry, and contributed nothing to the wealth of the empire. 

 Impatient of regular and constant work, all the heavy labor 

 was abandoned to the women, who were employed, occasion- 

 ailv, even in dragging the harrow to cover In the seed. 



To build their hut, or get in thfir peats for fiiel, or to perform 

 any other occasional labor of the kind, the men were ever ready 

 to assist ; but the great proportion of their time, when not in 

 the pursuit of game, or of illegal distillation, was spent in indo- 

 lence and sloth. Their huts were of the most miserable de- 

 scription. Thei{ were built of turf, dug from the most valu- 

 able portions of the mountain side. Their roof consisted of 

 the same material, which was supported upon a rude wooden 

 frame, constructed of crooked timber, taken from the natural 

 woods belonging to the proprietor, and of moss-fir dug from 

 the peat bogs. The situation they selected was uniformly on 

 the edge of the cultivated land, and of the mountain pastures. 

 They were placed lengthways, and sloping with the declination 

 of the hilL This position was chosen, in order that all the 

 filth might flow from the habitation without further exertion 

 upon the part of the owner. Under the same roof, and enter- 

 ing at the same door, were kept all the domestic animals be- 

 longing to the establishment. The upper portion of the hut 

 was appropriated to the use of the family. In the centre of 

 thisupper division was placed the fire, the smoke from which 

 was made to circulate throughout the whole hut, for the pur- 

 pose of conveying heat into its farthest extremities. The 

 effect being to cover every thing with a black glossy soot, and 

 to nroduce the most evident injury to the appearance and eye- 

 signt of those most exposed to its influence. The floor was the 

 iiiure earth, except near the fire-place, where it was rudely 



pAved with rough stones. It was nerec levelled wHh much 

 care, and it soon wore into every sort of inequality, according 

 to the hardness of the resi>ective soils of which it w"as composed^ 

 Every hollow formeil a receptacle for whatever fluid happened 

 to fall near it, where it remained until absorlied by the earth. 

 It was impossible that it should ever be swept ; and when the 

 accumulation of filth rendered the place uninhabitable, an- 

 other hut was erected in the vicinity of the old one. The old 

 rafters were used in the construction of the new cottage, and 

 that which was abandoned, formed a valuable collection of 

 manure for the next crop. 



The intrvdudion of the potatoe, in the first Instance, proved no 

 blessing to Sutherland, out only increased this state of wretch- 

 edness, inasmuch as its cultivation required less labor. 



So long as this system just described remained in full force, 

 no attempt could 'be made to improve or meliorate the situ- 

 ation of these poor people. To better their condition, however, 

 to raise them from such a state of continual poverty and occa- 

 sional want ; to supply them with the means, and to create in 

 them the habits of industry, was, and is the bounden duty o 

 the owners of every such property. And it was not less their 

 duty to do so, because the same arrangement which was calcu- 

 lated to produce this salutary effect, was at the same time the 

 best suited to increase the value of their property, and to add 

 to the general wealth of the community. 



TYie fundamental principle of agricultural improvement in this 

 case was derived from no si)eculative reasoning, but from what 

 has actually taken place in a different but similarly circum- 

 stanced part of the kingdom. 



It is well known that the borders of the two kingdoms were 

 inhabited by a numerous population, who, in their pursuits, 

 manners, and general structure of society, bore a considerable 

 resemblance to that which existed in the Highlands of Scotland. 

 When the union of the crowns, and those subsequent trmisactions 

 which arose out of that event, rendered the maintenance of that 

 irregular population not only unnecessary, but a burden to the 

 proprietor to whom the land belonged, the people were re- 

 moved, and the mountains were covered with sheep. So that 

 it had been for a length of time proved by the experience of the 

 stock farmers of those mountam tracts which comprise the 

 northern districts of England, and the southern parts of Scot- 

 land, that such situations were peculiarly suited for the main- 

 tenance of this species of stock. Taking this example as their 

 guide, experience had still further provtd, that the central and 

 western Highlands of Scotland were equally well calculated 

 for the same end. Reasoning from this success, and observing 

 that the climate of Sutherland, owing to its vicinity to the 

 ocean, and to its being considerably intersected by arms of the 

 sea, and much more moderate than this latter district, it was 

 fairly concluded that this county was even better fitted for this 

 system of management than tne heights of Perthshire and 

 Inverness-shire. The inferior elevation of its mountains contri- 

 buted still further to this effect, and held out every encourage- 

 ment to -adopt the same course which had been pursued wi(i 

 such success in both parts of the kingdom. 



The propriety of converting the mountainous parts of the count]/ 

 into sheep-malks was in this way rendered evident, provided the 



people.could be at the same time settled in situations, where, I wealth, and where they should not be exposed to the recurrence 

 by the exercise of their honest industry, they could obtain a | of those privations, which so frequently and so terribly afflicted 

 decent livelihood and add to the general mass of national | them, vrben situated among the mountains. 



