54

New Town Stewart.

and expense incurred in their formation will, on a future day, be amply repaid.

Wearied with the continuance of barrenness, which for some miles had attended us, the traces of cultivation were a great relief. The labors of man are requisite to inspire social interest; his comfort, after all, is the secret spring that vibrates on the heart.

A new bridge, of a light and airy construction, is nearly completed over the Cree. Here we met a number of the towns-people, whose habiliments had an appearance as creditable as those of the same class in England. A great improvement in dress has taken place, even among the lowest classes in Scotland, in the course of the last few years.

New Town Stewart is ill built, ill paved, and to the traveller inspires but one wish-that it could be avoided.

Two miles further is the hospitable mansion whence I am now writing. Such a metamorphose has the face of the country here undergone, that those who knew it some years ago might doubt its identity. This you will easily credit, when I tell you that general sterility has been

compelled to resign his iron empire to exuberance and plenty. We were most kindly received; and our want of punctuality more easily pardoned than we deserved, by the good family who I sincerely hope did not partake of the inquietude of, yours ever,

J. C. C.

LETTER VI.

Merton Hall, August 16, 1813.

THE whole of this morning was devoted to farming: Mr. Boyd's operations offered much to interest and gratify. Good management, though always entitled to praise, is not always duly appreciated.

Great pains, great perseverance, and an inexhaustible share of well-founded hope, were necessary to commence, continue, and accomplish an undertaking, approved by few-condemned by many, whose judgment entitled them to respect; and derided by those whose opinions were inconsequential. Those who now witness the successful results of his labors can form no adequate idea of the difficulties which he has had to encounter,-no less than one hundred acres of morass, on which no beast could travel, no esculent plant would thrive, have been reclaimed, drained, and cultivated; and are now waving with luxuriant crops of grain.

Ashes of Burnt Clay as Man

57

The merits of Dr. Richardson, as an agriculturist, are not confined to his introduction of fiorin Mr. Boyd has found him a powerful ally. I hope to become equally his debtor on my own farm. At his suggestion, recourse has been had here to the burning of clay, as practised in Ireland, in the vicinity of bogs, where fuel is accessible; this resource is cheap and inexhaustible. From the ashes so produced excellent turnips are procured; and the power of cropping extended beyond what could otherwise have been practicable. The discoverers of the new world could scarcely have felt more delight at the sight of land than I did at the effects produced by this valuable operation. I decided at once on its introduction on my own farm; and understanding that Mr. Boyd had no further occasion for his principal operator, I engaged him, anticipating not only the important changes which it will enable me to make at home, but the improvement of thousands of acres lying barren and unproductive in our neighbourhood, from the inability of procuring lime, or other fertilizing substitutes.

Were the views of my Irish tour exclusively directed to an investigation of this practice, I should think my time profitably employed, with

58 Reclaimed Morass producing Oats.

a view to the advancement of agriculture in Cumberland and Westmoreland.

The green crops are here excellent, particu larly that of Swedish turnip. The grain is weighty, even on the upper grounds, which heretofore yielded nothing but stones; the labor and expense of removing which are enor

mous.

I was amused with a defence set up by a poor Irishman, who had taken a job, but declined to proceed with it, alleging before a magistrate in his defence, "An plase your honour, when ever I remove one stone, I find two." This entitled him to another discovery, that of finding half a crown unexpectedly.

An upper morass has also been reclaimed, and is now under a crop of oats. On this description of soil I should prefer paring and burning, then sowing it down with grass seeds, and harrowing them in with lime and the ashes from the kilns.

The great desideratum on such soils is to render the surface compact, by the cultivation of grasses, for the feeding of stock.