REVIEWS, TRANSLATIONS, AND SELECTED ARTICLES. 133 



It appears, then, from the foregoing table, that in twelve out of 

 the thirty-three counties of Scotland there has been, since the 

 Census of 1851, irrespective altogether of the natural progress of 

 the population by excess of births over deaths, a diminution of the 

 inhabitants to the extent of 81,825 ; and as these counties are almost 

 entirely agricultural and pastoral, the fact woiild seem to indicate 

 that either manual labour was less wanted in tliese particular 

 districts, or that a better remuneration for labour and industry was 

 offered elsewhere. 



For a striking contrast to this state of things in the agricultural 

 and pastoral parts of Scotland, we have only to look to the Census 

 figures of the commercial, mining, and manufacturing'^ covmty of 

 Lanark, where we find, in the course of the last ten years, an 

 increase to the population of no less than 101,290 ! The fact is, the 

 increase of the population is almost entirely limited in Scotland to 

 towns^ and to these of the largest kind — the increase in towns being 

 10*9 per cent., whereas the rural districts only show an advance of 

 0*9, or not 1 per cent. ; or, if Scotland be divided into three great 

 divisions — viz., called Insular, Mainland-Rural, and Towns — the 

 insular will show a decrease of 8 "6 per cent., the mainland-rural an 

 increase of 3'9 per cent., and the towns an increase of 12*9. But, to 

 show still more forcibly the decline that has taken place among those 

 residing in the rural portions of Scotland, it may be mentioned that 

 the small increase stated as occuring in the mainland -rural district 

 of 3.9 per cent., is owing almost entirely to the increased population 

 of the smaller towns situated within the limits of that great division 

 of the country. The leading deduction, then, to be drawn from 

 these dry statistical details is simply this, that ttere has existed for 

 some time a manifest tendency on the part of the inhabitants of the 

 country districts, and particularly of those dwelling amid the High- 

 lands and Islands, to quit a land where rural labour was little 

 wanted, and pastoral care was poorly paid, for other countries where 

 both were in good demand and highly compensated ; or for towns 

 and cities, where the hardy and unskilled labourer is almost always 

 sure to find employment. That this emigrating spirit in search of 

 future prosperity has proved as yet as advantageous to Scotland as it 

 has certainly been to Ireland, will scarcely be denied, seeing that it 

 increases not only the value of the labour, and raises the condition 

 of those who remain behind, but elevates the position and increases 



