THE LOWLANDS. 317 



tive barbarism. That state of commonality which still 

 exists among the peasantry of Eussia, once existed every- 

 where, and has everywhere more or less receded before 

 civilisation. 



Population has not increased over the whole extent of 

 the Lowlands to the degree it has in the counties of Lanark 

 andKenfrew. If in some counties, as Ayr and Edinburgh, 

 it has trebled, in many others, even the richest, such as 

 Haddington and Linlithgow, which form part of the Lo- 

 thians, it has progressed very slowly. It has doubled, upon 

 the whole, however, and is now a little above one head 

 per five acres, or equivalent to Wales, and some depart- 

 ments in the centre of France those of Haute Vienne, 

 Creuse, Dordogne, and Correze. This increase of popula- 

 tion is therefore far from being in correspondence with the 

 increase of wealth. Within the same period the popu- 

 lation of England has trebled, and that of Ireland 

 quadrupled. 



Even upon this nice question of population, the Scotch 

 possess an instinctive knowledge as great as the first 

 economists. Wherever a permanent demand for labour 

 arises, there population increases to meet it. But this de- 

 mand does not equally arise everywhere ; and in purely 

 agricultural districts the tendency is rather the other way. 

 Thus Scotland is sheltered from those troubles and suffer- 

 ings which excess of population produces. She has never 

 any ground to fear as to her subsistence, since she freely 

 exports much of her agricultural produce ; and the limited 

 number, as well as the moderate habits of her consumers, 

 admit of a large part of her receipts being turned into 

 capital, 



We shall presently see in the Highlands a much more 

 rigorous application of the same principle. 



