forefeet of the horses were shod. The bridles, reins, and farm ropes of last century were ordinarily made of rushes, or twisted roots of the fir tree.

"Agricultural carts had no wheels till about the year 1770, when, owing to a general improvement of the roads, these became common. Manure was drawn to the fields on cars or sledges, or on what was called tumbler-wheels, since they turned with the axle-tree. These latter were anciently made of oak, rudely fashioned, of three feet in diameter and wholly unprotected by iron.

"During the seventeenth century the country was, for grazing purposes, intersected with green roads, on which sheep and cattle might feed and rest. Between the principal towns the roads were uneven; in winter they were nearly impassable. Bridges were narrow and insecure. Rivers were crossed at fords, where the ordinary assistants were women. By an easy adjustment of their garments they waded across the streams, bearing the men upon their shoulders. James VI. facetiously told his English courtiers that he had a town of 500 bridges, alluding to Auchterarder, of which all the women were ford women.

NAVAL RESERVE IN LEWIS.-From "United Service Magazine," March, 1893.-The following story, related on indubitable authority, will give a better insight into the manners and customs of the islanders than pages of description. Soon after the battery officer took up his abode here, a resident told him one day that if he went down to the brink of a small river, which many of the Reserve men had to cross on their way home of a Saturday afternoon, he would see something that would surprise him. Accordingly he wended his way thither, took up a post of observation well out of sight, and waited. IIe had not been there long ere a party of buxom lasses sauntered down from the village near by, waded the river, and sat down on the opposite bank. Soon after a batch of Reserve men was descried coming along the road, in all the glory of uniform and boots. A queer spectacle then presented itself, for on reaching the riverside each defender of his

E

country mounted pick-a-back on the shoulders of his "best girl," or better half, as the case might be, was carried bravely through the stream, and deposited gently on the other shore.

66

'By an Act of Parliament passed in 1719, the able-bodied males of every district were enjoined to render a week's labour for the improvement of the district roads, hence the name of statute-labour roads. Subsequently personal labour was commuted into annual cess. In 1720 road surveyors were appointed, and bridge-erecting became general. The Turnpike Act of 1750 induced the vigorous completion of operations efficiently initiated. Scottish roads were at length made firm and compact through the genius of Macadam.

"The breakfast of a farmer's family was porridge and milk, the spoons used being made of horn. For dinner broth was served in timber cogs, and had as a constituent a kind of pot-barley, neither milled nor scaled. Another constituent of farm-broth was the great nettle, urtica dioica, which grew luxuriously in ditches and waste nooks. During the eighteenth century, and even earlier, the great nettle was in many districts as a broth-vegetable displaced by kale or colewort. Subsequently were added the carrot, onion, and turnip, cut into small portions. When on Sundays the gudeman preferred a hot, instead of the usual cold Sabbath dennèr,' he was privileged with a dish of sheep's head and trotters. The preparation of this dish is thus humorously described in the vernacular:-'It needs little watchin', and disna gang wrang wi' owre lang boilin'. Cleek it on an' get it fair through the boil, then cleek it up so as it'll no boil ower an' pit oot the fire, an' ye may lock the door an' gang to the kirk, an' come oot when you like. It disna matter for an hour or twa, either; deed it's a' the better o' plenty o' the fire, especially if ye hae a handfu' o' the blue pat-pea

in't, an' plenty barley. Then what's like the broth on a cauld day.'

"In the farmer's kitchen supper was served at seven o'clock. There were ordinarily two courses, first kalebrose then oat-cakes and milk. Kale-brose consisted of colewort cut into portions and boiled in a saucepan along with oatmeal and salt; or a handful of oatmeal was thrown into a large vessel, and the boiling liquor of the colewort cast over it and mixed. When potatoes became common these were substituted as the evening meal. Potatoes boiled in their skins were toppled from the saucepan on the tafil or dinner boards, when all, some standing and others seated, extended their fingers to the heap.

"Prior to the eighteenth century persons employed on a farm were clothed by its produce. The products required were flax, wool, and leather. Flax seeds, procured from Holland, or Riga, or Philadelphia, were sown on light soil, the richest crops being yielded on haughs or river banks. On every farm flax was sown, and in addition to that required by the family, each maidservant was allowed a portion for her personal attire. When the raw material was by village artisans sufficiently prepared then commenced the work of spinning. At the spinning wheel females of all ranks occupied themselves busily. In the farm-house the gudewife and her daughters span with their domestics. The sheets used in every farm-house were fabricated by the women of the family.

shepherd-land' or

"From the sheep pastured on his grazing acres, did the husbandman derive woollen clothing for himself, his children, and his hinds. The wool was originally spun in the farm-house, but in the seventeenth century it was entrusted to the litster, whose vocation was to cleanse and prepare it for household use. When the web of

woollen stuffs was returned by the litster, the tailor was summoned, who continued to work upon the premises till the entire fabric had been converted into garments. A century ago the tailor's daily pay was tenpence, but he was allowed to supply thread, on which he derived a small profit.*

"Animals' skins were converted into leather, by tanning either on the premises, or at the village tannery. A century ago, the district shoemaker or souter was accommodated in the farm-house for a period of weeks until he converted the leather reared upon it into boots, shoes and leggings.

"The rental of the entire lands in Scotland in 1644 was £319,000 Scots; it had in 1748 increased to £822,857 sterling, and in 1813 to £6,285,389. Now the rental is slightly under twenty millions. At the accession of Robert II. in 1371 the population of Scotland was about 470,000, while in 1560 it had increased to 700,000; and at the union of the crowns to 100,000 more. At the political union in 1707, it was reckoned at 1,100,000; in 1755, at 1,255,663; and in 1791 at 1,514,999. During the following ninety years the numbers more than doubled, the census of 1881 representing a population of 3,735,573."

* It is related of one of these peripatetic clothes-makers that according to universal custom, he was awarded a "twal 'oors," being a glass of whisky at noon. The mistress of a farm-house where he was plying his vocation had allowed the usual hour to pass without conforming to the usual practice, and the tailor, who became quite impatient, resolved to try stratagem in order to procure his customary refresher. He accordingly pricked his finger till the blood came, which he spread over as large a surface as possible and showed the wounded hand to his hostess. She was rather concerned at the sanguinary sight, and asked if whisky would be a good remedy, which he of course dubbed "the very thing." Pouring out a glassful he exclaimed, "We'll let the saw seek the sair" (let the salve seek the wound), and swallowed the whisky right off.

The Rev. Mr. Dun, in 1792, has given a report on the parish of which the following is an extract :

"The inhabitants of this parish are, in general, a virtuous and industrious people. That pride of mind and impatience of contradiction, which the possession of landed property frequently inspires, perhaps may occasion too many lawsuits.

The small number of the poor, dependent upon alms, and the liberal provision made for them, by voluntary contributions, are facts implying, in so populous a parish, no common praise; they bespeak industry, sobriety, frugality, and charity, to be the leading features in the moral character of the people.

As to their external appearance, they are of a middle stature; and being free from hereditary diseases, while they enjoy the advantages of an open situation, and a pure, although rather moist air; they are, in general, vigorous and healthy. Some, indeed, particularly the females, are not a little subject to hysterics; a disease, the prevalence of which in this place, has, with some show of probability, been attributed, partly to the dampness of our earthen floors, and partly to the effects of spinning, for which the women in this neighbourhood are deservedly

famous.

The women, when engaged in spinning, sit by the fireside, and keeping, as their custom is, always the same station; the one side is exposed to the chilling cold of the season, and the other is relaxed by the warm influence of the fire. Besides, in turning her lint-the person who spins, commonly employs but one foot, and uses chiefly the hand of the same side, in making the thread. Thus the labour is very unequally divided, by which the health of the body must naturally be affected. Lastly, the waste of the saliva in wetting the thread, must deprive the stomach of a substance essential to its operations, whence all the fatal consequence of crudities, and indigestion may be expected."

We see from this report that the number of landed proprietors was much greater then than now. The spinning in these times must be curious to the young people of the present day, although the operation was going on in Kirkintilloch till about 1840. Mr. Dun has evidently not been a smoker, or the waste of saliva would not have struck him so forcibly.