HAWICK TO MOSS PAUL. 207 



In 1772 much more than half the sheep in Scotland 

 died; in January, ^94_, there was hardly a farm 

 without a dead shepherd, and twelve were laid one 

 Sunday in Moffat churchyard, after the week of 

 the ^'Goniel Blast/' Beattie of Muckledon lost 

 seventy score of sheep, and the mouth of the Solway 

 was literally dammed up with carcases. The Ettrick 

 Shepherd has told of those gloomy days, and so has 

 the late Lord Napier of Thirlstane Castle. Black 

 frost did the deed in 1816 and 1837, but '60 was a 

 still more fearful year, and in Ewesdale one farmer 

 alone had to spend ^1,500 extra to keep his stock 

 in life at all. The value of the sheep which did not 

 die was fearfully deteriorated, and the mortality 

 helped to prove that of late years a larger-boned 

 but softer sheep has been introduced to the Cheviot 

 sheep-walks. In spite of the corn, lentils, and hay, 

 from a fourth to a sixth perished in the South of 

 Scotland. A great deal of Dutch hay w'as used, 

 but it was sadly deficient both in weight and quality. 

 It was generally found that in such adversity no 

 flocks throve really well, except such as had stores of 

 mountain hay to fall back upon; and in a paper 

 which Mr. Aitchison read before the Farmers' Club 

 at Hawick, after the disaster, he dwelt most earnestly 

 on its value. " Sheep," he said, '' make up nearly 

 half the rental of Scotland, and yet landlords are 

 sadly remiss, and very little is done for them. Sheep 

 drains, sheep stells, and March feuces have done much; 

 but more is exhausted on forty acres of wet lowland as 



