26 DISTRICT. 



land ; and were far advanced, perhaps, in 

 urbanity and ufeful knowledge, while the 

 inhabitants of the more central and Nor- 

 thern Diftridls remained in a ftate of bar- 

 barity and ignorance. Hence, in thofe 

 days, they not only felt, but really pof- 

 felTed, a well grounded fuperiority. 



But, through a feries of fubfequent cir- 

 cumftances, which it would not be dif- 

 ficult to trace, the inhabitants of the body 

 cf the Ifland have long fmce gained the 

 lead, in what relates to the ufeful arts, and 

 modern improvements : a hS: of which the 

 mere Provincialifls of this extremity of it 

 do not appear to be yet fufficiently ap- 

 prized ; or, fomewhat unfortunately for 

 their country, cannot yet allow themfelves 

 to acknowledge. 



I endeavour to place this circumffance, 

 in v/hat appears to me its juft light, the 

 rather, as it has tended, more than any 

 other, perhaps, to prevent the country 

 from profiting by modern difcoveries. 



Indeed, of late years, the spirit of 

 IMPROVEMENT has not numbered more 

 compofedly, in the Highlands of Scotland, 



than 



