equally noted for thefe two advantages, the preference, no doubt, fhould be given to the one from which a road to communicate with the Low-country could be cheapest made. Oeconomy is highly neceffary: and therefore preference fhould be given to the cheapest road, though longeft, provided the dif ference of diftance be not attended with any confiderable difadvantage to the inhabitants of the propofed village. It is almoft needlefs to explain here how the longest road may be cheapeft. Every gentleman of the Society knows that the Highland country is incumbered with rocks, and interfected by many rivulets, and that a mile of road in fome places, will cost more money than to make twenty in other places. But from what we have faid, it must not be inferred, that we propofe placing the villages at a distance from the Low-country, rather than near it. This is the fartheft thing imaginable from our meaning. What we urge is, that a cheap long road, would probab ly be more convenient for the funds deftined to the encouragement of the Fishery, than a fhort, but expenfive one: If any place upon the Weft coaft is found poffeffed of the two firft qualifications we have mentioned, and from whence a road could be made, cheaper than from any other part poffelfed of like qualifications, the fhort nefs of the road would enhance the value of the fituation, and it ought immediately to be made choice of for the fite of a village.

Next, if there are two or more places upon that part of the coaft, which fhall be equally in poffeffion of all the local advantages we have mentioned, we would prefer the one for building our village upon, which fhould be known to be beft frequented by haddocks, and other fmall fish; becaufe thefe would afford fome fubfiftence to the inhabitants of the village, when the herring-fishing fhould happen in any one year to fail.

Lastly, we reckon the neighbour. e VOL. XIV. No. 80.

hood of peat-mofs in one place, and not in another, if both are equally poffeffed of the local advantages already mentioned, a good reafon for preferring the place where mofs is found, to the other, for building a fishing village upon.

Should all thefe local advantages meet, in any fituation upon the Highland coaft, we may fafely pronounce, that fuch fituation is the very place proper for building the propofed village upon. To the great credit of the advifers of the measure of building there, the village of Ullapool will be found to be poffeffed of all these advantages. It is not only the best firuation for a viHage, upon the northern diftrict of the west coast, but (if we are not misinformed) it is the very beft, from at leaft Toppermorry all a long the whole range of the Weft coaft, to the North-eaftermost point of this part of the united kingdom.Ullapool is in the very centre of the beft fishing grounds for herrings in Scotland: there is a fine flat of land there, most of it arable, and the reft very improveable. The making a road from it to the Low-country, will be cheaper and cafier than from any other part of the North-West coaft we know. Inthe bay of Ullapool, (fmooth land-locked corner of Lochbroom) fome of the fioeft haddocks and other kinds of fish are to be found at almost all feafons of the year, within two of three hundred yards of the doors of the refidenters there; and there is, in the hills at the back of the level land at Ullapool, mofs inexhantible. therefore, the village of Ullapool does not thrive, there must be very fmall hopes, that one built upon any other part of the Weft coaft will fucceed.

If,

In what we have faid refpecting the circumftances which fhould weigh principally in fetting down a village upon the Weft Highland coaft, we apprehend our reafons for the elimation in which we have held each circumftance, and the confequent priority of

order

order we have placed it in, are obvious, without any farther explanation; but our making fo fmall account of mofs, for the neceffary article of fuel, as to confider it as the last and leaft object, to be taken into the reckoning, in selecting a fituation for a village, may require to be accounted for.

The Society is not to be informed, that the climate of the whole of the Weft coaft of Scotland is boisterous, and fubject to great rains. This circumftance is very unfavourable to the gaining of peats the making of fuel from mofs is one of the hardest pieces of work the Highlanders have to encounter. They dig their peats to-day: fome days after they lit them from the ground to dry: next day a hurri cane of wind and rain throws them all down they are fet up again, and again fhare the fame fate. By this time the feafon is gone, and the poor people are obliged to put the peats in a wet ftate up into ftacks. Thus their time is confumed, their bodies toiled, and,' after all, their purpofe is not at

:

tained; for the peats ftacked wet will not burn, and they are confequently in great mifery, with fmoke and cold, through the winter. For thefe reafons, we look upon the neighbourhood of mofs to be the very leaft confideration in chufing the ftance of a vilJage. Coals may be furnished to the inhabitants of fuch village perhaps cheaper (every thing confidered) than peats, though they fhould even have the mofs at their doors. But, at aný rate, it would be extremely proper in the Joint-ftock Company, in the prefent infancy of their village, to lay in a ftock of coals at Ullapool. Were a confiderable fishing to firike up there, during the time the people were at work with their peats, (which very often happens) they would be reduced to the dilemma. of either lofing the fishing, or starving with cold through the winter; both thefe inconveniencies would be prevented, by the Company having on hand a quantity of coals, ready to answer fuch an emergency,

HE author left that country

THE fome years ago, and before the

undertakings were begun at Ullapool. From the information he has received, he finds that very confiderable buildings are already erected there; a pier, an inn, a place of worthip, and a fchool-houfe; befides, a number of fmall houfes for fishers and tradefmen, have been erected by individuals, aided, as we are informed, by the funds of the Company. Too much prafe cannot be bestowed upon thofe perfons, who fet on foot and encouraged this plan, of civilizing and improving that neglected corner of our native coun

try.

When we reflect upon the noble motives by which thefe perfons were

actuated, it is exceeding difficult to find fault with any thing which has been done under their directions, or to touch upon any thing unpleasant to them. Candour, however, and out profeffed defire of giving our undif guifed opinion, obliges us to obferve, that it were to be wifhed the Company had proceeded more flowly in the laying out its money, and done fome of its works upon a fmaller scale, particularly the inn at Ullapool, which is most unneceffarily large. Probably it would have been better, had the Company economised as much as it could, in order that it might be the better enabled to advance the confiderable fums which will be

Wanted

wanted for that abfolutely neceffary measure, of making and keeping up roads of communication between their villages and the low-countries.

The establish ng fome useful manu facture in the villages, and the mak. ing of thefe roads, we look upon as the principal confiderations in the whole bufinefs of thefe new erections, fo far as the Highlands is concerned. The failure of the fishing upon that coaft for a tract of years, (as has ben formerly known to have happened) would have the effect to draw off all the adventurers in the fishing upon a large fcale, who had fettled there. The only thing, therefore, which would be left as an inducement to the lower order of people to remain at the villages, would be the manufacture mentioned, and the facility with which they could communicate with the Low-country. The poor people who remained, would be thus enabled to carry on fome little trade; and, by maintaining their hold, prevent all which the Company fhall do from being totally loft, which would otherwife inevitably happen, if the herrings fhould abandon the Weft coat for any confilerable space of time: these fish have been known to difappear upon that coaft, for upwards of twenty years. Thus, roads would be a great benefit to the villages, in cafe of the worst happening. If the villages are profperous, roads wou'd infinitely increase their profperity, by putting it in the power of the leffer fishers in thefe hamlets, to convey their fifh fresh to the towns in the Low-country, where they would fetch great prices. Upon the fubject of the manufacture proper to be in troduced into the fishing villages, we fhall referve ourselves, until we come to fpeak of the improvements which the inferior parts of the Highlands will admit of; because the kind of manufacture proper to be established there, and the manner of conducting

it, will equally apply to the Coafts of the Highlands.

It is a melancholy confideration, when one reflects, that in a country, famous throughout the world for the wisdom and 1 berality of its civil polity, the maxims which that polity fhould dictate, are, in the cafe we are now fpeaking of, fo much depart ed from, that the fettling and civilizing the remote parts of the Empire, is not done under the direction, or at the expence, of the Government of the country, but is laid upon the fhoulders of individuals, who, anxious for the public welfare, do it vo. luntarily out of their own eftates, ra ther than fruitlefly apply for the aid of the State. A Frenchman, or a Swifs, would hardly give credit to this relation. In thefe countries, even when one of them was fhackled under an arbitrary monarchy, works, the carrying on of which would bring advantage to the whole community, were done at the expence of that community. Some French authors have, with great fuccefs, fhown in their writings, that the fertling remote parts in a kingdom, and opening communications between thefe and the more civilized parts, ought to be the bufinefs of every well-ordered State.

But if our Governors are fo torpid, as not to trouble themselves about fuch public fervices as that we are now fpeaking of, but to allow the charge of doing it to fall upon the virtuous individuals, whofe zeal and anxiety for their country has led them to take the bufinefs upon themselves, yet furely they will, for very fhame, now that they fee fo much done, give their confent, that the expence of making thefe neceffary roads, fhall be defrayed ent of the public purfe. This is an event devoutly to be wished for; and the Society, and all the friends of the Fisheries, and of the Highlands, fhould use their best endeavours to bring it about. It would

relieve

relieve the Joint-stock Company of a very heavy burden, and lighten the lofs, which it is not impoffible may arife, when the Company fhall come to balance accompts with thefe efta

blishments it fhall have foftered.

It will cost the minifter very little trouble to do this favour to the Company, and this duty to his country. The best way for him to do it, would be to lay a fmall tax upon the ton of every veffel employed in the herring fisheries in Scotland, for the fpecial purpose of making and maintaining thefe roads; the Company, or a committee of it, to be the trustees, under the act impofing the tax, for feeing the money duly applied. No body would grumble at this tax. A fhilling a ton upon the buffes might produce about 8ool. per annum, upon the credit of which, the Company might borrow 60001. or 7000l.; a fum, it is apprehended, fufficient to make the roads at prefent needed. The roads once made, the tax might be mitigat ed, except fo much as was neceffary to keep them in repair. It would be bad policy in the prefent ftate of that country, to propofe a turnpike upon thefe roads. We are fenfible, that the fum above mentioned is not fufficient to make the roads in queftion, and alfo the bridges which would be requifite upon these roads; but the making the roads is the first thing to be done; which, if found of utility, there will then be encouragement to build bridges. It may be objected, that a tax upon the buffs would be improper; but as it would be but a fmall one, and as the owners of the buffes would be much benefited by thefe roads, it may be fuppofed they would think the payment of the tax to hardship. At prefent, when a bufs has caught as many herrings as will load her, fhe departs for her port; and, let the fish be ever fo plenty, the can derive no farther be nefit from them; but if the roads in question are once made the buffes

will find fale for fuch herrings as they may catch, after they have made their cargoes; for not only the country people, but ftrangers from the Lowlands, will buy their furplus herrings, when they can take them away in carts, which at prefent they cannot do. Befides this, by means of good roads from the western fishing-grounds, to Invernefs, &c. any bufs which may come by a misfortune, can be fupplied with fails, cordage, &c. from thefe places, inftead of being obliged to go to her port (at the diftance perhaps of an hundred miles) for that purpose, by which delay fhe might lose the f fhing for that feafon.

We have already difclofed our fentiments, that in the prefent fearcity of market for British herrings, by unneceffarily pushing the Fibery, and lavithing encouragements upon it, an evil may arife to the country instead of a good for this reason, we think the Joint-ftock Company should proceed. in their buildings with cautious steps. We do not fay that they have already built enow of houses at their two faid villages, but our fincere belief is, that it would neither be for the Company's own intereft, nor for that of the Community, to proceed very much farther, until more markets are fecured for Britifh herrings. A town in a fertile country may be fupported alone by. the refidence of gentry in it, a retail trade, and public hoftelaries; but, in the Highlands, it is a manufacture or fifhery which must fapport any appear ance of a collected fociety; therefore, inftead of expending money upon buildings, which may never be inhabited, or which, if inhabited, will only help to fill the market with a commodity in no great requeft; we would hun bly incline to think the Company fhould very foon fufpend its opera tions, until the effects of the experiments it is now making shall be a little known. At the fame time, we are under no difficulty in faying, that we think the beft application of the Com

pany's