Many years ago, the late Sir James Matheson, desirous of cncouraging the occupation of larger holdings on his property, offered ten-acre lots of arable ground, thoroughly drained, trenched, and fenced, with corresponding hillpasture, to certain of his small tenants; they could not be induced to accept lots of more than eight acres, and after farming these for wo years, requested that they might be divided, as eight acres proved more than they could manage. These and other similar incidents, coupled with the paucity of applications under the Crofters Act for the enlargement of holdings, justify a doubt whether so much anxiety for enlarged areas really exists as has sometimes been supposed. Our own impression is, that if the crofts were restored to their original dimensions, not many, and only the most energetic and prosperous, of the crofters, would desire to acquire additional land-and the explanation is not far to seek. Alternate cropping holds absolute sway over the whole crofting arca in the northern islands and the larger part of the western seaboard; turnip-culture and the sowing of improved grasses are unknown; even a period of rest in rough pasture the ground never obtains, and this being the system of agriculture, the crofter evidently lacks the elements of education in his trade as a farmer. Nor can he farm otherwise; for, on a given date, the ring-fence of the township arable ground (when there is a fence at all) is breached for the admission of the stock, and remains open till farming operations begin in spring: the individual crofts being unfenced, no man can grow a turnip or sow an ounce of grassseed for his own use,-all, in short, are reduced to the same low level.

It will readily be understood from the above explanation, that the first step, after the removal of the parasites, towards raising the crofter, is to improve his system of agriculture, and that no improvement is practicable till individual holdings are fenced-not only fenced, but cross-fenced-so as to enable the more energetic members of the community to adopt an approved rotation, and to retain the results. But fencing crofts is a work of such magnitude as to be beyond the means of most Highland landlords: e.g., in 1883 there were in the Lews 2941 crofts; in North Uist, 362; in South Uist, Barra, and Benbecula, 974; and on other properties they were numerous. Recent legislation, too, has so far deprived the landlord of his proprietary interest, that, even if he possessed the necessary capital, he could hardly be expected to devote it to the undertaking-an undertaking, too, opposed to the wishes of the great majority of his small tenants. The writer of these lines, in discussing this subject recently with several crofters, was assured that fences erected within the township cultivations would certainly be demolished.

A few crofters have been removed under the experimental scheme in Government colonisation; but, few as the individuals have been, it is understood that it has not been found practicable in all cases to induce persons already in the occupation of land to accept the vacant lots. In these circumstances it is plain that the extension of holdings is by no means so easy as has been assumed for rhetorical purposes by so many well-intentioned but ill-informed persons. Where additional ground is demanded, it will generally be found, on inquiry, that the settle

ment of subdividers and squatters is contemplated, not the extension of existing crofts.

It militates seriously against the success of the crofter as a farmer that he is also usually a fisherman, while the possession of a croft often withdraws him from fishing at inopportune times. His tendency to unite the two callings is, no doubt, a main cause of his failure in both, while it is certainly an obstacle to the extension of his holding. It happens that there are already some £20 crofts in one district of the Highlands, and it is disappointing to find that the occupants are in less prosperous circumstances than their neighbours with smaller holdings; the deduction, by a skilled observer near them, is that no croft should be at less than £50 rent, and that provision should have been made in the Crofters Act for the creation of fishinglots in convenient proximity to good boat-harbours. On a previous page we have assumed £25 as the minimum rent at which new holdings should be created; if we raise the limit to £50, it will be seen that the capital required reaches a sum absolutely prohibitive.

Few persons in any degree realise how greatly the scale of living has risen in the West Highlands; and as this is clearly an important element in considering the question, it deserves to be briefly noticed. Forty years ago all the food-stuffs imported into the parish of Gairloch were carried by a smack, which went twice a-year to Glasgow, and there was no road beyond Kinlochewe; now, a steamer calls weekly at four ports in the parish, importing tea, flour, meal, tinned meats, butter, cheese, apples, oranges, confectionery, bacon, perfumes, clothing, clothing, tobacco, and whisky, &c. To Ullapool, fifteen

years ago, the steamer came only once a-fortnight, and an old herring-skiff sufficed to receive her cargo; now there is a weekly call, and each cargo would fill the old skiff three times over: the baker of the former days failed to make a living, whereas now four of his craft prosper, and their bread is sold all over the parish, while the consumption of tea, tobacco, and whisky is described as enormous. In 1844 Stornoway had no steam communication; while now there are two weekly steamers from Glasgow bringing cargoes mainly composed of food-stuffs, a weekly steamer from Aberdeen or Glasgow, and a daily mail-steamer from Strome Ferry. As to the southern portion of the Long Island, twenty years ago the steamservice was only fortnightly, and the cargoes were mainly "Indian and oat meal, molasses, and coffee; there were also very small quantities of tea and sugar. Now, the cargoes contain great variety; there is practically no Indian meal, but large quantities of oatmeal and flour, immense quantities of tea and sugar, butterine, cheese, bacon-stuffs, and tinned meats; there are two weekly cargosteamers and a daily mail-steamer. In short, "What were formerly rare luxuries to the people are now necessaries, and their wants have increased in greater ratio than the means of satisfying them." The increase in the cost of subsistence may be estimated by the opinion of an intelligent native of Skye, old enough to remember the scale of living in 1840, when £10 a family would have covered the whole annual expenditure of the crofter and cottar classes in the island, whereas now the expenditure reaches at least £50 a family. Much additional evidence on this subject might be adduced; but

committee of the House of Commons to visit the west coast and the Hebrides, and suggest what he thought necessary to develop their resources and ameliorate the condition of their inhabitants. A king's vessel was placed at his disposal for the purpose. Amongst his suggestions were the construction of the Caledonian Canal and the Crinan Canal; that houses should be erected at Bowmore, Portree, Ullapool, and Stornoway, conferring special privileges on fishermen, and that sheriffs should be stationed at these villages. The Professor's suggestions appear to have been carried out. Of all these villages, Stornoway is the only one which has succeeded as a fishing-station. The British Fishery Company built Tobermory and Stein, neither of which can be called thriving. At Colonsay, Carsaig (Mull), and West Tarbert (Harris), expensive piers were built, none of which are used to any extent in connection with fish ing. There are extensive storehouses at Badcal and Lochinver, which were used by a Mr M'Donald, who carried on the salmon-fishings of that coast. He is said to have had twenty tinsmiths employed in connection with his business. He was unsuccessful. Thirty-one years ago a Company called the Great West of Scotland Fishery Company, Limited, was formed, of which many of the foremost merchants of Glasgow were shareholders. The manager was a person of east coast experience. The Company had stations at Barra, Eriskay, Loch Boisdale, Rodel and Scalpay, Harris, Stein, Glendale, Locheishart. The fishermen were provided with boats and fishing-gear; stores were kept where provisions were supplied; a powerful steamer, specially designed, with sea-water

VOL. CXLVI.-NO. DCCCLXXXVIII.

tanks, plied round the stations conveying the fish to market. In three years the Company had to wind up, after incurring considerable loss. The steamer, which was the first to afford communication to these places, continued to ply as a carrier of passengers and goods to these localities. The Dunara Castle is her lineal descendant. Had there been any hope of the fishing ultimately proving a suc cess, there would have been no want of capital to carry it on. Captain Kerr had a small steamer specially built, and an able cutter, for the prosecuting of these fishings. His scheme resulted in serious loss. Others have extended their operations as far as Rockal, and have ceased through non success. I am aware that the trawl, both by steamer and sailingvessel, has been used on the most likely places in the west with disappointing and quite unremunerative results. Great part of the basin of the Minch, from the nature of the ground, is unfit for trawling. For a century or longer before 1870 there sailed annually about July from the Clyde ports a large fleet of sloops and schooners, filled with salt and barrels, each accompanied by two skiff's or smacks with nets for fishing herrings. This fleet visited the lochs of the west coast. The most noted places were Glendhu, Loch Broom, Scalpay, Portree, Loch Hourn, Loch Nevis, Loch Snizort, and Loch Scridden. They bought fish from the natives, as well as fishing themselves. The fleet returned to the Clyde about the end of the year. The cause assigned for the extinction of this fleet is, that after the Stornoway summer fishing was prosecuted by so many boats with long trains of nets, the herrings did not appear with such frequency in the lochs as before.

2 N

The more the Stornoway fishing was prosecuted, the more the herrings were diminished in the lochs and irregular their visits. To the effects of the Barra summer herringfishing is ascribed the final blow this fishing began twenty-three years ago. The recent collapse of the Highland Fisheries Company, which had all former experience to guide and newest scientific ideas for its assistance, after an ephemeral existence of three years, emphasises former failures. Many of the native merchants have shown considerable enterprise in the prosecution of the fishings; and as the fishermen are often indebted to them, they can put presEure on them to stimulate their exertions. But, withal, the precariousness of the industry is too often exemplified. Plenty of evidence could be adduced to show that the fishings have not been neglected. Let us turn our attention to the fishes which have been found to be of commercial value viz., herring, cod and ling, lobsters, conger-eels.

"Herrings.- Barra and Stornoway are now the fishing-stations of the Hebrides. Off Barra and off the Butt of Lewis are parts to which herrings resort about the month of May with comparative regularity. Sometimes the quantity and sometimes the quality, or both, are disappointing. These herrings at the beginning of May are lean and insipid. Towards the end of the month their quality is much improved, especially those caught in the Minch; during June they attain their primest condition. The quality of the herrings caught off Lochmaddy and Harris is better than that of those caught off Stornoway and Barra. When these fishings were first begun, their products were nearly all sent in a fresh state to the home markets. Now, the greater part fished

off Stornoway is cured and sent to the Continental markets. When this fishing was begun at Barra twenty-three years ago, nearly all its produce was sent fresh to the home markets. Wealthy fish-merchants in Liverpool had a large number of special steamers running direct between Liverpool, Barra, and Loch Boisdale, with their own fish. After a few years this system was abandoned. Now, all the Barra fish are cured for the Continental markets. Shortly after this fishing began at Barra and Loch Boisdale, curers established themselves at Skiport, Lochmaddy, Rodel, Finnis Bay, Scalpa, and Tarbert. All these places have been abandoned except Barra, Scalpa, and Tarbert, because of non-success. At Barra this industry is precarious, and at Harris most discouraging to those engaged in it. The news of the advent of a shoal of herrings on any part of the coast is always rapidly spread through the medium of the coasting steamers or by telegraph, when fishermen from all parts eagerly proceed to the fortunate locality. This branch of fishing does not suffer or languish for the want of communication; there are usually too many steamers ready to give all necessary facilities. The Glasgow fish-merchants have a fleet of swift screw-steamers which are always ready to be despatched to any fishing when the markets justify their doing so. And the fishermen are well enough alive to their own interests to advise these merchants by telegraph when any fishing springs up. The advent of herring in any of the lochs during autumn or later is now infrequent compared with former times, according to all reports, ancient and more recent.

"Cod and Ling.—It was found years ago, and has recently been confirmed, that even with the most expeditious possible transit from