It is said that the season was uncommonly favourable for high grounds, The larch is now spreading over the whole kingdom, and has proved a valuable acquisition to the produce of many barren moors in the Highlands, where the climate is found more favourable for this species of pine than in the plains. The wood is of an excellent quality. The Atholl frigate, built entirely of Athole larch, is expected to show that it will prove a good substitute for oak in ship-building. The larch was accidentally brought to Scotland by a gentleman whom I have had occasion to mention more than once. Mr Menzies of Culdares was in London in 1737, and hearing of a beautiful pine shrub recently imported, procured four plants; he gave two to the Duke of Atholl, which are now in full vigour at Dunkeld, and may be called the parents of all the larch in the kingdom; he gave a third to Mr Campbell of Monzie, and kept the fourth for himself, which unfortunately was cut down forty years ago. It had then been planted 45 years, and had grown to seven feet nine inches in circumference. The Duke of Atholl's plants were placed in a green-house at Dunkeld, where they did not thrive, and were thrown out, when they immediately began to grow, and quickly showed the consequence of being placed in a proper climate. The Duke of Atholl sold one thousand larch trees of seventy years growth for L. 5000. If they had been planted and grown regularly, they would not have covered more than nine Scotch acres of the light soil on which they thrive best, allowing 22 feet square for each tree, more than ample space for the larch. AA. Page 153. IT is said that a man is more comfortable as a day-labourer than as a small farmer. Experience is in opposition to this opinion, in so far as, where we see many thousand labourers become paupers, such is never the case with the occupiers of land. These may be poor and involved in difficulties, but they are never in want of food, or dependent on charitable aid. Ireland is stated as an instance of the misery of small farmers. This is no more a fair example, than that of the people placed on small allotments of moorland in the new mode introduced into the Highlands. That part of Lord Breadalbane's estate, which is on both sides of Lochtay, contains nearly 11,000 acres of arable woodland and pasture, in sight of the lake, besides the mountain grazing; the whole supporting a population of about 3,120 souls. Were he to divide the 11,000 acres into eight or ten farms, agreeably to the practice now in progress in the Highlands, placing the present population on small lots as day-labourers, would they be so independent as they now are, paying for the lands on the banks of Lochtay, high as they are, and notwithstanding a backward climate, as good a rent as is paid by many farmers in Kent or Sussex? Lord Breadalbane is sensible of this, and preserves the loyal race of men who occupy his land, without having occasion to establish associations for the suppression of felony, as in the improved districts in the north, or establishing rates for the poor, as has been done in the fertile and wealthy counties of Roxburgh, Berwick, &c. Should his Sovereign visit Scotland, and pass through the Earl of Breadalbane's territory, his Lordship might assemble, on a few hours' warning, 2,000 men, in the prime of life, ready to receive his Prince at any of the great passes or entrances into his property, at Taybridge, Glenorchy, or Glenogle. At the head of this loyal and hardy race of men, Lord Breadalbane may welcome his Sovereign, and, pointing to his followers, may say, such men as these are good supporters of the country and the throne, and, while their loyalty, principles, and ancient spirit, are preserved pure and undaunted, they will always be ready to "Follow me" + at the call of their King and Country. ‡ BB. Page 177. To offer an agricultural comparison, taken from a Highland glen, may * When protecting associations are found necessary in the North Highlands, under the new mode of management, I may notice the state of morals in this great property, maintaining a population of more than 8,000 persons in Perthshire, besides 5,000 in Argyleshire. From the year 1750 to 1813, there have been only two persons accused of capital crimes in Lord Breadalbane's estate in Perthshire, and both were acquitted. The first was a farmer tried on suspicion of murder. The second was Ewan Campbell, (or Laider,) noticed in Appendix EE. Macalpine, also mentioned in page 119, Vol. I. was tried for an illegal act, which would have subjected him to the punishment of felony, namely, for wearing the Highland garb. Some aberrations from the general rule of morality have lately occurred, the concomitants, as a certain class of political economists say, of the progress of civilization-Swindling, fraudulent bankruptcy, and forgery, the consequences of civiliza tion. + See page 29, Vol. I. Since the above was written, a meeting of this kind happened in September 1819, when 1,238 men of Lord Breadalbane's tenants, in the prime of life, and in the garb of their ancestors, assembled on the lawn in front of Taymouth Castle, when Prince Leopold honoured his Lordship with a visit. The number could have been doubled. He was a married man, who lived at the foot of Ben Lawers. In autumn occasion a smile, but I may be permitted to mention the relative state of two glens high up in the Highlands, both of nearly the same extent and quality of pasture, and arable land, with no difference of climate. The one is full of people, all of whom are supported by the produce. The other glen was once as populous, but is now laid out in extensive grazings, and the arable land turned into pasture. The population of the latter, compared with the former, is as one to fifteen, and the difference of rent supposed to be about four per cent. in favour of the stock-farming glen. But in the populous district, the surface is cleared, the soil improved, and the produce increased, merely by the strength of many hands, without expence to the landlord either in building houses or otherwise. In the grazing glen, the soil remains in a state of nature, and large sums have been expended in building houses for the men of capital. The income-tax being removed, few direct taxes reach them, horses or carts being scarcely at all employed, whereas, in the populous districts, taxes are paid for horses, hearths, dogs, and for the manufactures which the people consume. The stock-farmer ought to send more produce to market than can be spared, where there are so many people to support, but does this additional marketable produce go to the landlord? Perhaps as much of this produce is laid out on the extended mode of living in the family and personal expence of the man of capital, as is consumed by the more numerous but more economical occupiers; but that even they can spare a full proportion, is evident from the rent and taxes they pay, and the money required for their necessary supplies; the land, at the same time, supporting a numerous population who improve the soil, and give nearly as good rents to the landlord, and pay more taxes; consuming manufactures in the same proportion, and adding to the employment of those who prepare them; and producing from their small spots of land a sufficiency to answer all demands; and, above all, to maintain a robust, active body of men, ready to turn out in defence of the liberty and honour of their country. With all this the earth is cultivated and grain produced, and industry, and the improvements of men, are allowed full play. In the grazing districts, again, with less than one-fifteenth part of this population, few taxes are paid, few manufactures consumed, the soil is left in the state of nature, and the country apparently waste. Conversing on this point at different times with judicious stock-farmers and graziers of capital, I asked if they could pay a rent equal to that of the small tenants in the populous glens. They answered, "Yes, certainly." Following up this question, I asked if they could pay the rent, still keeping the people, having no cultivation, and turning all the land to pasturage. The answer always was, Certainly not more than half the rent. When further questioned, why then did they turn their own farms to pasturage, when 1765, a servant girl in his family suddenly disappeared, and no trace of her could be discovered till the following spring, when the shepherds found her body floating in a small lake, nearly half way up the mountain. Owing to the length of time the body lay in the water, no close examination could be made, and no marks of violence were observed: but after the body was found, a report was spread that an improper intimacy between the deceased and her master had been observed. On this suspicion he was apprehended and tried at the Perth Circuit Court, and acquitted, as there was no evidence beyond this suspicious report. While he lay in jail, it was broke, and several prisoners made their escape, and as he refused to accompany them, saying he was conscious of his innocence, the circumstance acted powerfully in his favour; he, however, never returned to the country. His family followed him to the Low country, where he settled and died. they saw and acknowledged the superior advantage of cultivation ? To this the only answer was, That pasturage was more easily managed; that, with ten men and twenty dogs, they would take care of all the sheep and cattle in the glen, which, under cultivation, supported 643 persons. In short, they fully acknowledged, that cultivating the land made this immense difference; but then they could not cultivate the farms without restoring the people, or employing a great many servants. They insisted, at the same time, that pasture is better adapted to wet climates, and more easily managed than cultivated fields, overlooking the strong and acknowledged fact before them, as well as many others of the same tendency. Their concluding argument was, that to improve the soil was the business of the proprietor, not theirs. If gentlemen allowed their lands to remain in a state of nature, without an attempt to improve or continue the cultivation, the loss was the proprietor's, and so long as they got their farms for the rents they could afford to pay in pasture, they asked for no improvements.* * CC. Page 183. THE funds for the relief of the poor have been stationary in those districts where the inhabitants hold their lands. In the Highlands of Perthshire, even in 1816 and 1817, years of unprecedented pressure on the poor, when great sums were subscribed for their support in the south, there was no increased demand beyond what private benevolence supplied. The clergymen, who have the management and distribution of the funds for the poor, find no clamorous call for charitable aid; on the contrary, they are obliged to search for proper objects, who conceal their wants, suffering every privation, rather than humble themselves to ask for public charity, at the same time that they will gratefully receive private aid from any benevolent or more opulent neighbour. In a letter from a respectable clergyman in Athole on this subject, he says, "I have witnessed many singular instances, and have been astonished and gratified, to see how long poor creatures will struggle with their fate before they submit to that painful degradation. How eminently useful is it to step forward to their aid before the virtuous pride is altogether destroyed, and they are reduced to that last resource which they so justly and greatly dread." t Another able and zealous clergyman writes: "I must always search for objects of charity in my parish. When questioning individuals on their state, I have seen a blush of shame and confusion spread over their countenances; and while they endeavoured to conceal their wants, and pointed out to me others more needful, I knew that they were in great necessity." In the parish of Mouline, containing a population of 1,947 souls, there are thirteen poor receiving permanent relief, and eleven occasional assist It may not be irrelevant to state, that, notwithstanding the recent depopulation of the higher glens, their inhabitants have always been more athletic, better limbed, and more independent in their minds, than the inhabitants of the lower glens; the soil in many of the higher glens is deep and rich, and when properly cultivated with lime, manure, and green crops, the corn is strong and productive, failing only in cold and wet autumns. The upper glens on Lord Breadalbane's, as well as those on many other estates, prove the superior appearance of the people and capability of the soil. + Letter from the Reverend Mr Duff, minister of Mouline. Reverend Dr Irvine, Little Dunkeld. Ditto ance, but no itinerant beggars in the parish. Indeed, the fund could not afford much, as the amount has not exceeded L. 22, 10s. on the average of the last five years. To this may be added the interest of small sums bequeathed by benevolent individuals some years ago. In the parish of Dull, with a population of 4,236 persons, the number of poor is sixty-one, assisted by a fund of L. 92, 15s. annually. Weem parish has no itinerant beggars out of a population of 1,484 souls. The amount of the funds is L. 24, 10s., on an average of five years, and the number of poor on the same average fifteen persons. In the parish of Logierait, the poor have lessened in late years, when there was a great increase of them in the Northern Highlands. The number of inhabitants is 3,015, with little variation for several years. In 1812, the paupers were forty-one, and in 1817, the number was thirty-two persons. Dr Smith, in his "General Survey of the County of Argyle, drawn up for the Board of Agriculture," in speaking of the poor of Argyleshire, says, "The number supported by private or public contributions or otherwise is, in general, very inconsiderable, as they have a modesty and spirit that makes them endure absolute want before they can bring themselves to the mortification of receiving any public aid. This innate disposition keeps them from being any where a burden. In the island of Tyrie, in Argyleshire, there are 2,446 persons, with fifty paupers. In the island of Coll, the number is 1,193, and thirty-four poor receive aid. The annual distribution to each individual from the poor's fund is 3s." With such a fund, it is absurd to speak of the allowance to a pauper as a support. DD. Page 184. THE excuse for this manner of letting lands by auction is, that landlords cannot otherwise ascertain the value of their property. But are those who are thus called upon to offer the proper value the best judges? They are, in general, either the tenant in possession, distracted with anxious dread of being turned out, and, therefore, ready to give any rent rather than move from the scene of his past happiness; or it may be a speculator, supported by credit, without property to lose, who will risk any rent, in the expectation that fortune and favourable seasons will enable him to work his way; if he fails, he is no worse off than before, nay, perhaps, richer, as part of his creditors' money may remain în his hands; or, lastly, it may be a stranger from a distant country, ignorant of the quality of the soil and of its proper management, in an elevated country, and a boisterous uncertain climate. It is said, that while people are ready to take farms, the rent cannot be too high, and the landlord is justifiable in taking the best offer. In the same manner, it has been said, that while there are numberless candidates for army commissions, the pay of subalterns is not too small. That the pay of a subaltern is too small, I well know by years of hard experience, and I believe the numberless candidates are rather urged by a predilection for the profession, and by their want of other employment, than tempted by the sufficiency of military emoluments. From the same cause, and from the same desire of obtaining a settlement, candidates are induced to bid for land at whatever rent. Were it the practice to set up commissions to public sale to the highest bidder, or by secret and rival offers, the money to be paid in annual instalments, like the rents, instead of the whole down, thus affording some hope, that the delay would enable them to pay all, there is no doubt that the price of commissions would quickly augment; but what would be the consequence? Certain ruin to the unfortunate purchasers, their spirit broken |