latter. An ambiguous or indifferent expreffion of one writer is maliciously catched hold of, individiously produced, and prepofterously wrefted, to invalidate the direct arguments, which the fame writer has produced in confirmation of religion, and which are not the least affected by the cited expreffion, nor attempted to be confuted by his lordship: as the reported scepticifm of a great prelate, when he came to die, is given us for a great truth, and with a peculiar poignancy of wit, to set aside all the learned labours of his life, in defence of the truth; though upon other occafions, the confeffion of a martyr is of no weight or confideration; but a dying infidel. is to be fure, of unquestionable credit and authority.

'When he is hard preft by. an argument, which he cannot anfwer, he knows how to evade it: when he is at a lofs for proofs, he gives you allufions: where facts are against him, he fuggefts his fufpicions to the contrary, and fets poffibility against probability; whilft from his adverfaries he requires, what is not poflible, in order to authenticate what is probable: and of such unrelenting mettle is this champion in the field of controversy, that upon occafion he fatisfies himself, and would fatisfy his reader, with boldly affirming what he cannot prove, and boldly denying what he cannot refute.-He frequently evades what he cannot answer; alters the ftate of the queftion, and after a fly fubterfuge out of the hands of his enemies, proclaims himself entire victor! Thus he is to prove against the divines, and their Bible, that the moral attributes of goodness and juftnefs belong not to God:-and this he does by proving, that temperance and fortitude cannot have place in the fupreme Being; which neither the Bible, nor any divine that I have heard of, ever maintained.'—

He fometimes makes general acknowledgments, which he afterwards explains away, or denies, by denying the particulars deduceable from them.-He declaims when he would be thought to confute-obfcures, when he should elucidate, and confounds when he should diftinguish: he would seem to expote doctrines, while he is only tedious and prolix in declaiming againft abfurdities, with which they have no natural connection, and triumphs in exploding acknowledged errors, when he would perfuade his reader, that he is confuting eftablished doctrines: and fometimes he preffes into his service celebrated names, in supporting such opinions, as they clearly and uniformly difclaimed. He frequently makes ufe of illuminations, that give you no true light, and fimilitudes, that convey no real likeness. Some general refemblance, or one common mark, or even the appearance of it in two different fubjects or characters, is fufficient with his lordship to identify

Such being the state of foreign affairs, the hiftory of domeftic feuds becomes now that of Scotland. The carl of Crawford's fuccefs against the Catarenes, under the earl of Buchan, encouraged Robert to entrust him (Buchanan fays his fon) with a commiffion for fubduing other infurgents, who were then disturbing the peace of the country. Particular mention is made of two Highland tribes, the one called the Clan Chattan, and the other the Clan Kay. They were numerous, brave, and barbarous, and the carl of Crawford was not without his apprehenfions, that should he attempt to fupprefs them by force, they might both unite against him, and thereby occafion a great deal of bloodshed, if not defeat him. After fome confideration, he and Thomas Dunbar, earl of Murray, who was joined with him in the commiflion, refolved to have recourse to policy; and, under pretence that they were unable to reconcile their differences, they propofed a method by which they might be terminated. This was by thirty, on each fide, entering themselves as champions for their respective clans, and deciding their differences by the fword, without being allowed any other weapon. This propofal, which was entirely according to the fpirit of the feudal-law, was agreed to on both fides. The king and his nobility were to be spectators of the combat. The conquered clan were to be pardoned for all their former offences, and the conquerors honoured with the royal favour. The North inch of Perth, a level spot, so called from being partly furrounded by water, was to be the fcene of action; but, upon the muftering the combatants, it was found that one of them, belonging to the Clan Chattan, had absented himself through fear, and could not be found. It was propofed to balance the difference, by withdrawing one of the Clan Kay; but none of them could be prevailed upon to refign the honour and danger of the combat. After various other expedients failing, one Henry Wynd, a fadler, though no way connected with either clan, offered to fupply the place of the abfentee, upon his receiving a French crown of gold (about the value of feven thillings and fix pence) which was accordingly paid him. The encounter was maintained on both fides with inconceivable fury; but, at length, by the fuperior valour, ftrength, and fkill, of Henry Wynd, victory declared herfelf for the Clan Chattan. Of them no more than ten, befides Wynd, were left alive, and all dangerously wounded. The combatants of the Clan Kay were all cut off, excepting one, who remained unhurt, threw himself into the Tay, and escaped to the oppofite bank.'

Among a people fo fierce and obftinate in their private difputes, and fo little accuftomed to the reftraints of legal au

thority,

Enquiries are commonly, and judiciously, made into the crops the land has usually yielded; but let me remark, that this point, although not abfolutely to be flighted, yet is never to determine a man's decifion. Crops are found every where to depend on management, scarce ever on foil. A good farmer gains great crops wherever he goes; a bad farmer always poor ones. But as the rent is proportioned commonly to the foil, and as good husbandry may be exerted on good as well as bad ones; it is requifite to form an exact judgment of what every kind of foil is worth in rent.

And here let me remark, that, whenever I fpeak of rent, I mean the amount of rent (commonly fo called), lights, the poor, church, constable, furveyor's rates, repairs of buildings, covenants for work, &c. in a word, every article of annual expence, to which the farmer is liable from the occupation of his farm. If he confiders the landlord's rent alone, he will, in numberless inftances, be wretchedly deceived, and fubject for ever to the worst of mistakes.

:

• All stiff foils are viewed to most advantage in winter: the general fault of them is wetness, which is in the greatest excefs at that season of the year. If the fields are level, and the water stands in the land, notwithstanding the furrows are well ploughed and open, it is a certain fign that the clay is very ftiff, and of fo adhesive a nature as to contain the water like a difh it is likewife probable, that draining of every kind will prove infufficient to cure the natural evil of fuch land. This kind of foil, likewife, fhews itfelf in the breaking up of stubbles for a fallow; a very strong draught of cattle is then neceffary to work it. It breaks up in vast pieces, almost as hard as iron. When it is worked fine, it will run like mortar, with a heavy fpring or fummer fhower. These foils will yield very great crops of beans, and wheat, &c. They must, like others, be cultivated by fome body; but I would advise every friend of mine to have nothing to do with them; never to be captivated with feeing large crops upon the land; for he does not fee, at the fame time, the expences at which they are raised.

I do not, in mentioning this foil, any more than the rest, notice the weeds they produce: I have never found that fign worth a groat. For the different management of farmers, the purchase of feed, the change of manures, &c. &c. all confound the natural connection between weeds and foil.

• The next kind of stiff foil I fhall mention is the mouldering, crumbling clay; which is, of all other foils, the best. If you obferve a field of this land in winter, it will lie perfectly dry, if well ploughed and water furrowed.-You may walk over a winter fallow, or wheat field of it, foon after rain,

without

without adhering to your fhoes, and may eafily push it about, like garden moulds, with the foot.-It will bear ploughing much earlier in fpring, than any other ftiff foil. If you view a ftubble of it, you will find with a fpade, that it will break up loose and mellow. Any drains take full effect on this foil, and will, if ever fo wet, lay it perfectly dry: At the same time, it does not run to mortar with fudden rains. Whenever a farmer meets with fuch a foil as this, it is of no confequence to enquire what crops it has yielded, or any fuch circumftances: he may depend on its bearing plenty of corn, with good management. If it has been defective, it muft infallibly be owing to a wrong method of culture.-A Alat fituation is, to all ftiff foils, unfavourable; a fall, or inclination fome way or other, adds much to the value. Such a foil may exist unknown, for want of hollow draining; but then any little rifing place, that is dry, will, in all probability, prove an index to the reft. Twenty fhillings an acre for this land, when drained, is a much deeper rent than 5s. for the other clay.

The next foil I fhall mention, is that of the stiff loam, which is nearest allied to brick earth; this is in general an unkindly foil, without plenty of manure. It is known in winter, by being very adhefive upon walking over it; is not fo retentive of water as the first mentioned clay, being very easily drained; but is long in drying, even when little or no water is feen upon it: For which reason, it is generally late in the fpring before it can be ploughed. When quite dry, it breaks up neither fo hard and cloddy as the firft clay, nor near fo crumbly and mellow as the fecond. If it is in ftubble, it is apt to be covered with a minute green mofs. There are many varieties of this foil, but all agree in most of these circumftances, and in being what the farmers call poor, cold, hungry land. When hollow ditched, and greatly manured, it yields any thing; but those who hire it fhould forget neither of these expences. It turns to the best profit laid down to

grafs.

The gravelly foils are numerous in their kind, and very different in their natures. Warm, dry, found gravelly loams are easily diftinguifhed in winter: They admit ploughing all winter through, except in very wet times; always break up quite in a crumbly ftate of running moulds; and if a stubble, will dig, on trial by the fpade, in the fame manner. If under turnips, you may perceive, by walking through them, that it will bear their being fed off. This foil will pay well for manuring, but will anfwer very well in a good courfe of management, without any.

The

The wet, cold, fpringy gravel is a very bad foil; it is known, in winter, by the wetness of it; and in fpring, by its binding with hafty showers: It never breaks up in a crumbly ftate, nor fhews a mellowness under the spade. Hollow drains greatly correct its ill qualities, but it requires a prodigious quantity of manure to fertili..e it.

Some gravels are fo fharp and burning, that they produce nothing except in wet fummers; but such are known at any season of the year.'

The next chapter we fhall felect, is of the most advantageous method of difpofing of 501. in farming.

'I dedicate this chapter to the service of the fervant, labourer, and other poor men, who, faving or acquiring a small sum of money, are defirous to become farmers: But it is impoffible, in the title of this or any of the fucceeding chapters, to specify minutely the fum which will be proved in the calculations; when I fay 50l. I mean only a tum under or over that. It may vary from 35% to 657. nor is there any thing inaccurate or useless in fuch want of previous limitations. It is more genuine to reject them, and fhews that the estimates are not warped to answer precisely a given point, but either extended or diminished, according to the circumftances of the farm.

I must farther be allowed to premife, that I aim, in all things, at eftimations of good husbandry; confequently, bad farmers must not quarrel with me for not fquaring my ideas to their practice.

In all the preceding parts of this inquiry, gentlemen and common farmers have been upon the fame footing; it would only have multiplied divifions for nothing, to have made any diftinctions between them: but, in the article of stocking, it is very different; a gentleman, as I fhall fhew hereafter, muft, in moft cafes, affign more money to any given purpose, than a common farmer :-I fhall not, however, make any distinction between them, while I fpeak only of little farms, fince gentlemen can have nothing to do with fuch but through curiofity; never for profit: and as to farms of pleasure, viz. Experimental ones, I fhall treat fingly of them hereafter. When I come to middling and large farms, I shall make distinctions between thefe claffes.

• Little farms must be on rich foils, or at least such as require no improvement. There are variations in thefe, which must have various calculations.

Divis