488 



BERWICKSHIRE. 



Berwick* 



shire. 



stance occurs in the rocky cape or promontory co- 

 vering Eyemouth bay on the north-east, which is 

 composed of large nodules of whin and schist, of great 

 varieties of size, form, and colour, imbedded in lapi- 

 dified clay, somewhat like steatite, of various colours, 

 often greenish, generally very hard and tough, but 

 soapy to the feel. This stone is very durable, even 

 when exposed to the stormy waves of the German 

 Ocean, as is manifest both by the mother rock, and 

 by Eyemouth outer pier, which has stood the raging 

 of the sea uninjured for above thirty years. In many 

 places there is abundance of stratified silicious sand- 

 stone, usually called free-stone, much of which is 

 coarse grained, yet useful in building ; though in 

 some places it is found of very fine grain, and beauti- 

 ful in colour and texture, standing the weather ad- 

 mirably. No coal has yet been found worth working 

 in the county ; and, indeed, the only seam yet disco- 

 vered is at Lamberton, of which there are various ru- 

 mours, none of which are worthy of being mentioned 

 for want of full and authentic information. At Ord- 

 well, on the Whitadder, an attempt was made, many 

 years ago, to dig for copper ore, and the gallery or 

 mine is yet open and accessible for a considerable way. 

 The writer of this account could never procure any 

 report on this subject worth listening to, and he only 

 knows that it was abandoned long ago. Agricultu- 

 ral reports have now been procured of all or most of 

 the counties and districts of our country ; and it were 

 perhaps worth national encouragement, to employ 

 scientific mineralogists and geognosts to examine de- 

 liberately and to report upon the probability of our 

 subterranean riches. 



Berwickshire is noted as an agricultural district 

 of peculiar excellence in its general system of ma- 

 nagement, which consists in judiciously blending to- 

 gether the cultivation of grain and grass alternately, 

 or what is usually called the convertible agriculture . 

 In this plan, a portion of every arable farm, usually 

 about half, is in pasture, appropriated for the breed- 

 ing and feeding of cattle and sheep ; while the re- 

 mainder is under arration, for the production of tur- 

 nips, ruta baga, and hay, as winter provender for the 

 stack, and grain of all the usual kinds for sale ; and 

 these are regularly and progressively interchanged. 

 One remarkable excellence of this system, where it is 

 not hampered by injudicious covenants in leases, is that 

 in any turn of markets in favour of stock or grain, 

 or the contrary, the farmers can suddenly take the 

 advantage of the change by extending the branch 

 which promises profit, and curtailing the other. But 

 the limits of an article like the present does not ad- 

 mit of extending our remarks on this subject, which 

 will be found detailed in the agricultural report of 

 the county. 



All farms in this county are held under regular 

 leases, mostly for nineteen years endurance, some- 

 times more, but seldom in those recently granted, and 

 a few shorter. By these the farmers stipulate to pay 

 a certain money rent yearly, hardly ever a grain rent, 

 and there are no personal services or bondages. The 

 rental amounts paid by farmers must, of course, vary 

 according to the value of the lands. But the farms 

 taken within the last six years, in good situations as 

 to manure and markets, and of tolerably good soil on 



the average, have been let at from one pound to 

 thirty shillings, two guineas, and even up to three 

 guineas and four pounds eleven and sixpence the 

 English acre ; which, for the Scots, are respectively 

 1 :5:6, 1, 18s. 2 : 13 : 4, 1, and b : 16:*. 

 But there is every reason to suspect that at least the 

 extreme rents in the foregoing enumeration are be) ond 

 the golden mean ; especially considering that Berwick- 

 shire contains no carse soil, and even, generally speak- 

 ing, its soil is far from being of a deep and substantial 

 nature, except around towns and villages, having only 

 been manured since the cessation of the border wars; 

 before which most of it lay in waste pasture, or under 

 the miserable deteriorating system of lee and run* 



"g- ... 



This is entirely an agricultural or rural district, 



and has no manufactures worth mentioning, except 

 that of paper ; for which there are three mills in the 

 county. Broomhouse paper-mill near Dunse having 

 eight vats ; Ayton paper-mill five ; and Chirnside or 

 Allanbank paper-mill two. There is nothing which 

 can be called commerce at the only seaport in the 

 county, Eyemouth j excepting that one corn mer- 

 chant exports coastwise from this place a good deal 

 of the surplus grain produce of the county; and 

 here likewise coals and lime are imported for the 

 supply of the eastern inhabitants. Berwick still re- 

 mains the chief commercial harbour of export and 

 import for the whole county. There are several 

 fishing villages of small importance, the inhabitants 

 of which are principally engaged in the white fishery, 

 chiefly for the Edinburgh market. The salmon 

 fishery of the Tweed belongs principally to the town- 

 ship of Berwick, and the opposite English shore of 

 that river ; and the trade of salmon exclusively to 

 the London market, sent fresh and packed in ice, 

 centers entirely in that town. 



In 1795, the rental of the county was estimated 

 at 112,000. In 1800, at 118,000. In 1806, at 

 210,000. And in 180S for the property tax of 

 1807, at 226,000. One striking instance of the 

 progressive rise in the value of land is worth record- 

 ing. About sixty years ago, a farm of 300 English 

 acres was sold for 950. Its progressive rents were 

 in successive leases of nineteen years, several of which 

 merged into new bargains before they expired : 

 37, 50, 100, 400, and 615. It was sold 

 a few months ago for very near 20,000, though 

 six or seven years of the last lease have to run ; and 

 during the whole period of sixty years, the landlord 

 has been at no expense whatever in ameliorations or 

 improvements, neither docs the farm possess any pc- 

 culiarly good soil, or any remarkable advantages, ex- 

 cept nearness to market. 



In 1755, by the returns made to the celebrated 

 Dr Webster, the population of the county was 

 24,946. In 1794, as made up for the Statistical 

 Account of Scotland, it was 30,875. And in 1801, 

 under the population act, the numbers were 30,529. 

 The diminution, only 346, may. be more than ac- 

 counted for by the drain of men for the navy, army, 

 and militia. Berwickshire contains -/ T of the whole 

 extent of Scotland ; T ' T of the population, -_', of the 

 valued rent ; and pays Vj f tnc rca ' rcnt f the 

 kingdom. In 1783, its whole taxes to the state and 



Berwick- 



bhire. 



