INTRODUCTION. li 



You describe the contention that the country requires men, and that 

 by abolishing small holdings they are being exterminated, as "non- 

 sense ". The facts are against you. The men are exterminated, so 

 far as this country is concerned, when they are evicted ; for most of 

 them emigrate, and the recent census shews that the Highlanders in 

 the Highlands are being, to all intents and purposes exterminated, and 

 that the population is rapidly decreasing. Therefore, if it is a good 

 thing to have the men, evictions must be bad, and should be checked. 

 If the men are of no value, the case is altered. 



I have no personal knowledge of the miseries of small tenants in 

 Connaught [to which you refer], though I believe such chiefly prevails 

 among the cottars who have no land. I know something about the 

 state of the Highlands, and I carefully read the letters of your own 

 "Special Commissioner" a few years ago. If we believe him, he 

 seems to have found misery enough, though, in my opinion, he, in 

 many cases, overstated it. No one ever suggested that the Highlanders 

 should be crowded on the land. They are overcrowded already in 

 patches close to the sea-shore. What is proposed is, that they should 

 be spread over the straths and beautiful glens from which they were 

 evicted to make room for sheep and deer. 



And here let me say what I have often said privately, that sheep 

 and sheep farmers are almost entirely responsible for the Highland 

 evictions. The people were driven away to make room for sheep, and 

 it seems now that retribution is fast overtaking the original sinners by 

 their being in turn gradually driven out by sportsmen and deer forests. 

 These will also have their day, and I trust and believe that man will 

 yet take his proper place and occupy his fair share of the land. Even 

 then there will be plenty room for real sport and for a sufficient supply 

 of sheep. 



I am not sure that I could even now write anything more 

 accurate or appropriate than this extract, and time will show 

 that I have accurately gauged and described in it the true 

 position of the Scotsman, not only as regards the past, but 

 also as to his future position respecting the Highland 

 Crofters. 



