Series 4 > Papers on Sutherland Estate Management 1802-1816 > Volume 9

1811-1816
213
property stands on my Books for as much more as it originally cost
me but the rent is 3 times as much; however as at present the fault is
entirely mine for not having sent such State of accounts as you require
I will rectify the error if possible in 3 weeks or so, but our present
hurry is beyond what any person who is not on the Spot can form
an idea of, and I shall for the next 14 days be all together in Strath’s
Naver and Brora where we have at least 430 familys to arrange in
different allotments, to double their present rents, and put them in a
more industrious way of Life. If to this you’l add our new Colliery,
Lime, Brick and Salt, for which men and material are to be brought
from many different quarters besides the large Farming concerns,
and on which new Servants are to be at this term, and our Road and
Mound works, you will not be surprised that I shoud have no great
will to pore over accounts but which at the same I know are kep’t
with every care and accuracy. It is very right to make your Stafford¬
shire people pay to a day, if you did not I suspect the money woud go
to the Alehouse and Butcher; but before a poor Sutherland Man can
pay he must often sell his Cow, his wife and daughter must Spin and
his Son go to the roads or some distant quarter to gain it by his Labour.
Thus situated coud one say to this Man sell your Cow at half her
worth or I will poind your Horse and turn you out of doors; besides
it had been too much (in my opinion) the practise to make the people
pay fore’hand rent, that is, if a Man enters to his possession at Whit¬
sunday he pays for the ensuing 12 Months at Martinmas. Now I woud
only have him to pay either at the expiry of 12 Months or rather at
Martinmas after, and then he will have reaped his little crop, sold a
Cow and earned his Summers wages. But the fact is that no rule can
be given, all must rest on the discretion and good sense of the Factor
and while blackguards and idlers shoud be strictly looked after so
ought the industrious and diligent be nursed like children. One woud
not quarrell with a child because it coud not read the first time a Book
is put into its hand. Give them a thorough knowledge of right and
wrong, show them that they must earn their bread by the sweat of
their brow, hunt down all vagabonds and the thing will come round.
The changes already brought about are wonderful!, and the Kildonan
men of last year are now industrious Herring Fishers; but after this
long epistle I am for once going to drown my cares in drinking Lady
Staffords and the Duke of Wellingtons healths at Dornoch after an