774 
SUTHERLANDSHIRE. 
and in a county so much intersected by water, there was only 
one bridge, that at Brora, the span of which does not exceed 
24 feet. Consisting as this county does, almost entirely of 
one uninterrupted succession of wild mountain or deep 
morass, the intercourse between one district and another 
was confined exclusively, or nearly so, to the exertions of 
those who could travel on foot; and even this mode of 
communication, except to the natives, who were brought up 
to such toil and exertion, was almost impracticable. Be¬ 
sides the fatigue of such an exertion, it was accompanied by 
considerable difficulty and danger to a person accustomed 
to such exercise, to which he was exposed in passing preci¬ 
pices or struggling through swamps. Being, moreover* like 
all mountainous countries, intersected by deep and rapid 
rivers, and numberless lesser streams, which, although at one 
moment nearly dry and easily fordable, are apt, in the course 
of a few hours, to toe so swollen, as to remain for days im¬ 
passable; the adventurous traveller was exposed to the 
chance of being cut off from all shelter, or subjected to the 
sad accommodation of a Highland hut. So long as this 
rude state of things continued, all improvement was im¬ 
possible; and as the communication of Sutherland with the 
south lay through the counties of Ross and Inverness, it was 
evident, that until the proprietors of these counties opened 
the communication, all that could be done in Sutherland- 
shire would be of little avail. 
Such was the state of this district until the year 1803, 
when parliament having agreed to advance half the expense 
of constructing certain roads and bridges in the Highlands 
of Scotland, the proprietors of Ross-shire and Inverness 
embraced the offer, and in consequence, a line of road has, 
been constructed according to the best principles of the 
art, from the town of Inverness by Beauly and Ding¬ 
wall, to the boundaries of the county of Sutherland; 
two excellent stone bridges, consisting of five arches each, 
having been built across the Beauly and Conon rivers. This 
line of communication, with the above exception, was opened 
for the public accommodation in the years 1816 and 1817. 
The county of Sutherland was still more forward in avail¬ 
ing itself of the liberality of parliament. The two principal 
obstacles to a free communication, arose from the friths of 
Dornoch and Loch Fleet, over which it was a difficult un¬ 
dertaking to construct bridges; though, without this, the 
communication by means of ferries must have been tedious 
and imperfect. After a careful survey of the frith of Dornoch, 
it was determined to construct an iron bridge across it, at a 
place called Bonar, where the breadth of the frith is consider¬ 
ably diminished, though above this point it again expands. 
The work was accordingly begun in June, 1811, and finished 
in November, 1812, at an expense of £13,971. It consists of 
an extensive embankment on the Ross-shire side, with two 
stone arches, of 50 and 60 feet span respectively, and one iron 
arch of 150 feet span, which was cast in Denbighshire, and 
being there first erected, it afterwards was taken to pieces, and 
sent to the Highlands of Scotland. From this point different 
roads have been constructed, one to the seat of Lord Reay, si¬ 
tuated upon the Northern Ocean, a distance of about 50 miles, 
which was commenced in 1810, and completed in 1820; 
and another towards the county of Caithness, which is se¬ 
parated from Sutherland by a lofty range of mountains, 
intersected by deep and almost impassable ravines, termi¬ 
nating in a vast precipice, jutting into the sea, well known 
by the name of the Ord of Caithness. The new road is 
conducted across these ravines, and over the mountain, with 
such skill, that the traveller is unconscious of the height to 
which he has ascended, until the diminished sight of the 
objects below him point out to him the reality. The length 
of this road is about 41 miles. It was undertaken in differ¬ 
ent portions, and begun in the several years of 1807, 1809, 
1811, and 1813, and finished respectively, in the years 
1811, 1813, and 1814. In the line of this road occurs the 
arm of the sea called Loch Fleet, or the Little Ferry. Across 
this inlet of the sea it was necessary to have the means of an 
easy and uninterrupted communication; and for this pur¬ 
pose, in place of a bridge, a mound with a bridge at one end 
of it, was constructed across the narrow part of the channel, 
by which the sea was excluded, and some good land was 
thus recovered for cultivation. The extreme length of this 
mound is 995 yards, exclusive of the bridge; its width at 
the base 60 yards, sloping to about 20 feet at the top; its 
perpendicular height being about IS feet. The highest tide 
which has happened since its construction, rose ten feet five 
inches on the mound, perpendicular height. At the north 
end it terminates in a strongly built bridge, 34 yards long, 
consisting of four arches, of 12 feet span each, fitted with 
strong valve gates. It is, iu all probability, one of the most 
complete structures of the kind in the island. The expense 
of this work, including some additions and alterations, 
amounted to near 11,000/. The roads thus formed became 
the bases of other roads, which have been since made out in 
other directions, and which have been found of incalculable 
benefit for the improvement of the country. In many places 
these roads are cut through the hardest rock; in others they 
are obliged to be suppoited on bulwarks of solid masonry. 
Expensive drains to protect them from the mountain floods, 
and bridges over the innumerable streams that rush from the 
hills in every direction, are required. These must be 
formed of the most durable materials, and the best work¬ 
manship, to resist the impetuosity of the torrents. Nothing 
will set this in so striking a point of view, as to state, that, 
upon the projected road to Assynt, a distance of 46 miles, 
three bridges of three arches each, two bridges consisting of 
one arch of 40 feet span, five of 20 feet span each, three of 
24, six of 18, two of 12, besides many others of inferior di¬ 
mensions, would be required. When to this is added, that 
the lime and timber necessary for their construction had to 
be imported; that huts had to be constructed for the work¬ 
men ; that arlificers had to be brought from a great distance; 
and a supply of food, carefully stored up, and purchased 
from the neighbouring counties, a correct idea will be ob¬ 
tained of the obstacles which were encountered, in carrying 
these improvements into effect, and which still, in a great 
degree, stand in the way of the progress of those which re¬ 
main to be done. To complete these improvements, a mail 
coach began running in July, 1819; and thus, at the dis¬ 
tance of 802 miles, a constant and regular communication is 
now maintained with London, by the county of Sutherland, 
which not many years back had no means of intercourse 
even with the contiguous counties. To obtain this advan¬ 
tage, horses had to be brought from Edinburgh, a distance 
of 400 miles; and inns and stabling, and also post-offices, 
had to be built in different parts. 
Sutherlandshire, as has been already remarked, was one of 
the last strongholds of the feudal system in Scotland, where 
that ancient state of manners prevailed, after it had been ba¬ 
nished from the other parts of the country, by the progress 
of improvement and increased rents. So long as the lands 
were held by the well understood term of military sendee, 
and the landlord was considered as the head of the clan 
which was spread over his estate, it would have been reck¬ 
oned altogether inconsistent with the relation in which he 
stood to his tenants, to have raised their rents. But when, 
from the change of manners, and the progress of society, 
these services were of no further use, the landlords, imme¬ 
diately disregarding those family ties which had formerly 
bound together the chief and his clan, began to think how 
they could turn their lands to the best account; and it was 
obvious, that by disencumbering their estates of all the su¬ 
perfluous population which the feudal system had brought 
together, and letting them to improving tenants, who would 
convert them to the purposes of sheep pasturage, for which 
they were best fitted, they would greatly increase their rents. 
Such was precisely the state of matters in Sutherlandshire. 
A hardy race of ancient tenants were scattered over the sides, 
and through the glens, of the various mountains, where 
from time immemorial their fathers were settled, and to 
which they were attached, as to a paternal inheritance. It 
now became the policy of the landlords to follow the same 
system 
