( 50 ) 



steadings have been built ; so that I question whether 

 in any part of the Highlands agricultural improve- 

 ment has made more rapid progress. 

 Expenditure by the To suni up this part of the subject, I may here 



Duke on improve- - r i.\ ri - • j.\ j. j-j. 



ments in Mull and i^^^i'i^ ^"^ Commission that my expenditure on im- 

 Tyree since 1846, provements, during the period under review, upon 

 the two estates of Tyree and Mull, including lona, 

 has been no less than ;^53,6io. 



And here I may again point out to the Commission 

 Explanation as to that the increased rental which has been obtained on 

 ygj^|.^j ^ my estate in Mull during the last thirty-five years has 



been obtained in the same way, and has been due to 

 the same causes as those which I have indicated in the 

 case of Tyree. As regards all the larger farms, the 

 rents have been determined by the market value 

 offered by tenants who made their own estimate of 

 value, and have had sufficient knowledge and capital to 

 work it out. As regards the crofter class, competition 

 alone has not generally determined rent, but it has 

 been determined by a sort of tarifi* founded on the 

 value of cattle, and applied to the stock of each croft. 

 Whenever there has been any change of rent, my in- 

 structions were to take the stock as rendered by the 

 tenants themselves, to apply to that stock the current 

 rates, and then to deduct at least 10 per cent, from 

 the rent which would be applicable to the larger 

 farms. As the price of store or lean cattle has been 

 steadily rising for many years, and has never been 

 higher than of late, I have every reason to know that 

 the tariff rates applied to that stock are moderate. 

 For example, the rate charged for each milk cow 

 (with *' followers" or calves) has been ^3, for each 

 two-year-old beast £1, los., and for each " stirk," or 



