§S8 



FARMERS' REGISTER— SIR JOHN SINCLAIR. 



preciate Ihe imporlance of^ foreign powers ; and 

 felt so thoroughly convinced of the inadecjuacy of 

 the means of defence opposed by Pitt, in 1796, to 

 the tremendous developement of the warlike re- 

 sources of France, that he seriously thought of 

 transporting himself with his family to the United 

 States of North America. But the dark cloud 

 passed away ; and if the times were bad in his na- 

 tive land, tliey aftbrded, for that very reason, a 

 nobler field for the exercise of his benevolence and 

 patriotism. 



While yet a young man, Sinclajr made several 

 short tours on the continent ; but in 1786, he un- 

 dertook an extensive journey through the northern 

 states of Europe, visiting St. Petersburgh, Vien- 

 na, and Berlin, and returning through France and 

 the Netherlands. It was his good fortune, to make 

 his travels the source of two important benefits to 

 his country, — an improved method of coining, and 

 a better system of manufacturing gunpo\vder. 



Sinclair's activity as a writer, is unsurpassed. 

 His literary works are as numerous and compre- 

 hensive, as they are instructive and impressive. — 

 His first work, published in 1782, is an essay on 

 the Scottish dialect. The subject of the work is 

 philological, but its object political ; for it was an 

 attempt to approximate the conversational lan- 

 guage of the Scots and English, so that the two 

 nations might be more closely united. This pub- 

 lication was succeeded by treatises on Parliamen- 

 tary Reform, the Naval Strength of Britian, on 

 Militias and Standing Armies, the Retention of 

 Gibraltar, the Corn Laws, and Finance. 



The last mentioned pamphlet, suggested the 

 compilation of his celebrated History of the Re- 

 venue of Great Britain, a lucid work, and full of 

 useful matter. It has gone through several edi- 

 tions, and been frequently translated. This was 

 followed by a volume of Essays on Agriculture, 

 and the Art ot Preserving Health ; and that again 

 gave rise to the Treatise on Longevity, in tour vo- 

 lumes, a work which has not a little contributed 

 to raise the reputation of the author, and which, 

 in its philanthropic tendency and enlightened views, 

 may rank with the work of Hufeland on the same 

 subject. A work on the agriculture of Scotland, 

 and a Code of Agriculture, with some fugitive 

 pieces, complete this series of his labors. The 

 fame and gratitude which his exertions have ac- 

 quired, may well be flattering to our author. Fo- 

 reigners emulate his countrymen in the expression 

 of these feelings, and the French, in particular, 

 honor him by turns with the titles, " Le. previicr 

 jfgronome de V Europe," " Le Grand-pretre de 

 Ceres," and " Le Ileros de VEconomie Rarale." 



A new genius of literary undertakings, howev- 

 er, exalts our admiration of Sinclair. By unwea- 

 ried seven years' exertions, he completed a Statis- 

 tical Account of Scotland, in twenty one volumes 

 octavo ; and by his power of exciting and cherish- 

 ing activity, he has caused the compilation of se- 

 venty volumes of agricultural reports, from every 

 county of England and Scotland, independent of 

 some kindred undertakings which remain unpub- 

 lished. These enormous collections have been the 

 fountain of important discoveries, and innumera- 

 ble reforms, to which the accunuilation of such su- 

 perabundant materials has necessarily led. 



But lest our readers should imagine that this 

 man, so variously and deeply busied with calcula- 

 tions comprehensive views, and auxiliary studies 



of every kind, whose works, though in general 

 fertile of instruction, yet are individually dry, and 

 incapable of furnishing the refreshment which we 

 derive from the realms of poetry, it is time there- 

 ibre to pass in review, his claims to the possession 

 of sentiment and esprit. On every opj)ortunity, 

 he evinces both inclination and facility of expres- 

 sion in verse. This gift he seems however to have 

 used sparingly in his riper years ; and yet circum- 

 stances have brought him in contact with the na- 

 tional muse. The poems of Ossian, first made 

 known to the world by Macpherson, had awaken- 

 ed astonishment and enthusiasm throughout Eu- 

 rope, before their authenticity began to be ques- 

 tioned. At length, some distinguished critics un- 

 dertook, in the absence of historical, to demon- 

 strate, by internal evidence, that they were a mo- 

 dern imposture. The deep silence of Macpher- 

 son, was regarded in the light of a confession ; and 

 the question remained undecided long after his 

 death, although he had left the original Gaelic po- 

 ems behind him, and expressly destined a sum of 

 money lor their publication. A committee of the 

 Highland Society of London was appointed to in- 

 vestigate the matter : Sinclair was appointed chair- 

 man; and chiefly owing to his exertions, this body 

 was enabled to establish the truth, that Macpher- 

 son had really procured legendary songs still lin- 

 gering in the Highlands, and even preserved in one 

 or two instances in MS.; but had arbitrarily omit- 

 ted several passages in his translation, added much 

 of his own, and not unfrequently mistaken the 

 sense of the original. The original Gaelic text 

 was, with much difliculty, prepared for the press; 

 and this service gained for Sir John, an increase 

 of attachment on the part of his countrymen^ and 

 new laurels for the literary Avorld. 



Loaded with such fruits of a life of energetic acti- 

 vity, our author has now reached that advanced 

 age, fiom which he may look back with satisfac- 

 tion on his career and his labors. If the influence 

 of his lessons, and his example in the world at large, 

 extend beyond the reach of vision, arid be of an al- 

 most untangible nature, what he has accomplished 

 at home is determinate and cheering. When Sin- 

 clair journeys through his own lands, or those of 

 his neighbors, and sees the cultivation of the soil, 

 the manufiictures and population of the country 

 continually increasing, — his native village trans- 

 formed into a thriving town, — a wretched fishing- 

 village extended to an important harbor, where 100 

 vessels find secure anchorage, and in its neighbor- 

 hood whence 1500 fishing boats set sail of an even- 

 ing, — when he looks round, and sees himself in 

 wealthy circumstances, surrounded by twelve chil- 

 dren and fourteen grandchildren, — he must feel gra- 

 titude to the Pi'ovidence which has givpn such an 

 evening to his day, an evening which we fervently 

 pray may be of long and happy duration. But Sin- 

 clair dreams not even yet of repose. The grey- 

 headed veteran of seven and seventy years, looks 

 cheerl'ully and actively to futurity. Leisure would 

 be to him a burden. He knows, that man is only 

 worthy of living, so long as he prosecutes generous 

 resolves, and feeling himself yet full of vigorous in- 

 tellect, he prepares to complete the system of his 

 literary undertakings. He has already published 

 Codes of Agriculture and Longevity, but he wishes 

 to accomplish a similar compendium of Political 

 Principles, and then a Code of Religion ; for he sees, 

 that new views ol'the super-sensual concerns of man 



