134 REVIEWS, TRANSLATIONS, AND SELECTED ARTICLES. 



the comforts of those who go away. And although there must erer 

 be felt a pang on the part of a pilgrim family when abandoning for 

 ever the cherished scenes of childhood, even when those are associated 

 with nothing better than the comfortless home of the Highland 

 cottar, still the mutual personal benefit that results from this separa- 

 tion has been generally found to be, to those gone and to those left, 

 well worthy of the temporary pang. 



Among the immediate causes which have led to the late depopula- 

 tion of the Highlands and Islands, and the partial diminution of the 

 inhabitants of the other rural districts of Scotland, we shall only 

 allude first, to the great enlargement which has lately taken place in 

 the sheep-walks and agricultural farms — particularly in the northern 

 parts of the country — thereby diminishing a host of small master 

 graziers, and even smaller agricultural tenants, each and all of them 

 without energy and without capital ; secondly, to the discouragement 

 given to the continuance of unnecessary cottars and crofters idly 

 occupying the country ; and, thirdly to the eflfects and results of the 

 late Highland famines, which have, alas, too sadly taught the poor 

 and perishing denizens of a country that cannot maintain them, to 

 flee for refuge to one more kind and hospitable. 



If, however, from the returns of the present Census we have been 

 told that the rural portions of Scotland have, with respect to popu- 

 lation remained either stationary or have shown a tendency to decline, 

 it is, at the same time, certain that in the great centre of trade, 

 mining and manufactures — we mean in Glasgow — there has been a 

 most marvellous increase in the amouut of its inhabitants. Eor 

 while at the commencement of the present century that city and its 

 suburbs only contained 83,769 persons, the last Census revealed 

 the fact that its population, with that of its increasing suburbs, 

 amounted to 446,395, and which, when compared with the population 

 residing on the same territory ia 1851, showed an increase of no less 

 than 86,357 duriug the last ten years, or a rate of 23'95, or nearly 

 24 per cent. That this increase has mainly arisen from a constant 

 immigration from all parts of Scotland, and also from Ireland, is no 

 doubt certain ; for if we assume that the last year's birth and death- 

 rates — which were, births, 3*87 per cent. ; deaths, 3 per cent. — have 

 been the average rates for the last ten years, which we believe is not 

 far from the truth, and that the mean population during the same 

 period may be fairly assumed to have been 403,000, it will then. 



