A PLEA FOE THE WASTES. 3 



occupied by his feudal chief of ages past. Our Queen 

 better knew her northern people, when, upon her first 

 memorable visit to this land of Catarans, she, like the great 

 chieftainess, cast herself freely, fully, upon the unbought 

 devotion of her clans. 



Perhaps I feel too strongly on this subject ; and I know I 

 am open to the remark that feudalism implies dependence, 

 while no feeling of that sort is compatible with improve- 

 ment in character or country. But are we sure that all 

 we term improvement is more than simply alteration? 

 And is there one mountain-born son of Albyn who will 

 not agree with me in preferring our unspoiled, unplanted 

 glens, our wild game, and our national distinctness, to all 

 the busy important bustle of modern civilisation, which has 

 already transformed many of our most romantic nooks into 

 models of "suburban villas"? I well recollect offering to 

 show an exquisite specimen of real Highland taste and 

 beauty, with all its wild character preserved, to a worthy 

 metropolitan : his answer was, " Ah, thumthing in the 

 Englith thtyle ! ! " He had ascended Ben Lomond shortly 

 before, the day lovely, only a few light clouds flitting over 



localities for turning adrift their dependents. Many of these poor 

 creatures, although suffering every privation, refuse to emigrate, even 

 when given all reasonable encouragement. It is a hard case, but what can 

 the lairds do ? To give employment, by reclaiming such land, is out of 

 the question, and to support such numbers of starving people would ruin 

 the estate. The only resource, now that the kelp-trade has failed, is to 

 reduce the population, at the same time enlarging the grazing farms, 

 (the surest return in the Highland districts,) and giving leases to 

 respectable Highland tenants. 



