404 
Sutherland Reclamation. 
ness and Ross. But a still greater advantage is obtained in 
fetching them home in the spring. If rough weather set in, as 
it often did, when they were being driven home, the losses of 
life and of condition were enormous. 
The northern continuation of the Highland Railway owes its 
existence to the present Duke of Sutherland, whose investments 
in the Northern lines are — 
£ 
Higliland Railway Company (Perth to Bonar Bridge) ., 99,864 
Sutherland Eailwaj' Company (Bonar Bridge to Golspie) 94,200 
Duke of Sutherland Railway (Golspie to Helmsdale) .. 63,000 
Sutherland and Caithness Eailwav (Helmsdale to Wick) nnn 
and Thurso) .. .. \. J 60,000 
Dingwall and Skye , .. 5,000 
£322,064 
The line from Golspie to Helmsdale was constructed solely 
at the expense of the Duke. 
During the seventeen years that the property has been in his 
possession, a great variety of works have been undertaken for the 
development of its resources, and for the employment and benefit 
of its population. In all of them the Duke has not only taken 
the keenest personal interest, but they have received his constant 
supervision and attention. It would be foreign to the subject of 
this report to describe the numerous experiments that have been 
made for converting peat into articles of commercial value, the 
development of the sea fisheries, the breeding of salmon, and the 
building of numerous shooting lodges for the occupation of 
persons who circulate monev in various ways in districts formerly 
cut off from civilization. ]\Iany other works, however, have been 
undertaken that have materially, though indirectly, contributed to 
facilitate the work of reclamation. Many of these undertakings 
are concentrated at the village of Brora. A seam of coal crops 
out here upon the coast ; a shaft was sunk at the beginning of the 
century, and coal was raised in small quantities for many years. 
The contractor who was working the mine became insolvent, and 
work was discontinued about the year 1830. Forty years after- 
wards, on the completion of the railway, the mine was reopened, 
and has since been worked bv the Duke. A tramwav connects 
the shaft with the railway and the Brora harbour. The quality 
of the coal is poor, but it is largely used in the district. There 
is a well-organized brickyard and tilery close to the mine. The 
quality of the clay is better adapted for bricks than for pipes, as 
the latter cannot be made of sufficient strength without giving 
them more than average weight ; in spite of this drawback, they 
have been very largely used lor draining. A saw-mill and large 
steam-carpcntery works enable the Duke to have all the timbers, 
