In speaking of the same island, after expressing my approbation of the "great improvement" of allowing the tenant to prosecute the fishery on his own account, I have stated, that "even the tenant of Noss, however, has not been able to procure a lease of that endurance that would encou rage him to make permanent improve ments; and that two or three years bound the lease." I have since been informed that I have here fallen into a mistake; for that the tenant of Noss forms a noted exception to the Shetland tenants in general, and that he holds a lease of the island for his own lifetime, and two years to his family after his death. This is better than I formerly understood: but I cannot help remarking, that if the period of the certain duration of the lease (after the expiry of its contingent subsistence by the principal lessee's death) were extended only to ten or twelve years, there can be no doubt that it would prove eventually more beneficial both to landlord and tenant. The tenant would not probably scruple to incur some expence in improving, if he foresaw that his heirs at least would reap some of the advantage and indeed the landlord might, in that case, most properly stimulate the tenant's exertions, by stipulating for the erection of inclosures, offices, &c.

Very few leases of any consider able duration are to be found in the whole of Shetland. Two or three years in general limit them. For most of the small farms, there are no written leases. But this, I am told, is, in many cases, owing to the poor people themselves, who are terrified at pen and ink, and often tell their lairds, in a whining style, "They "will take the ground for the time; "God only knows if they will live "to the year's end," &c. I am unable to trace this stupid apathy," (for such I must call it,) to any other cause than the state of hopeless poFeb. 1806.

verty and irretrievable dependance, in which, by a variety of unfavourable circumstances, the great body of the Shetlanders are certainly involved.

2. Mails. In the Magazine for August last, p. 578., in treating of the irregularity of the arrival of the post-office mails at Lerwick, I by mistake mentioned Leith, instead of Aberdeen, as the port from which the packet sails. Were the packets obliged, under a sufficient sanction, to sail regularly from this latter port, it perhaps might be a preferable station to either Leith or Huna.

3. Commission of the Peace.-I for, merly remarked that there were no Justices of the Peace in Shetland.I am happy to hear that two gentle men have lately qualified. At their first sessions, above a hundred delinquents (it is said) were convened before them, chiefly, however, for making malt in private. It is believed that the Board of Excise urged this first establishment of Justices, as they found that a quarter-sessions at Lerwick was indispensable to the suppression of practices inimical to the revenue. It will be fortunate for Shetland if similar motives should speedily lead to the establishment of Justices in the detached islands, where there are at present no kind of magistrates, to give decreet for trifling debts, to call for the statute-labour *, to awe the turbulent, or curb the petty offender. It was in this sense that I affirmed there was no magistrate in Shetland but the Sheriff-substitute : and I was correct. I am aware that the Admiral and Commisssary may also be accounted Magistrates in the extensive meaning of the word; but certainly these judges, whose jurisdiction is very limited, and who hold their sittings in Ler

wick,

*This, it is to be hoped, will now speedily be done. As yet there is only

one made road in Shetland.

wick, do not in any degree supersede the necessity of Justices of the Peace in the scattered islands of Shetland.

4. Profits of Landlord and Tenant on the fisheries, &c.-In my remarks on the state of the common peo ple, after quoting a severely chiding passage from Mr Pennant, I added "In confirmation of this remark of Mr Pennant, it has been sta ted, that, after deducting the expence of salting and drying, the landlords of Shetland, at this day, export their fish at a profit, (including the bounty from Government) of above 400 per cent." It will be observed, that I was here narrating only what "had been stated." For the arithmetical accuracy of Mr Pennant, Mr Morrison, or perhaps others, I am not answerable. I myself am inclined to think that, in gene ral, the profits of the landlords on their fishers and fish do not nearly amount to the enormous per centage above mentioned. It has even been affirmed to me, that "they have commonly only 20 per cent." This, however, is, I am convinced, running to the opposite extreme: their profits must "commonly" be triple that, in some eases six times that amount. I must here enter more into detail, and specify the data on which I proceed. I shall first examine the profits of the landlords, and then those of the tenants *.

It requires (I understand) 21⁄2 cwt. of wet fish to make I cwt. of dry. The hundred-weight of green fish costs 38. 6d. The whole expence of splitting, salting, drying, &c. does not exceed 2s. 6d. per cwt.; or, the

*The task is, to me, irksome, and I am aware that it may seem invidious: but it is rendered necessary by the conduct of some of the landlords of Shet

land; and I shall strictly abstain from personal allusions.

hundred-weight, costs the landlord, in all 118. 3d. The fish is sold at 198. or 20s. per cwt. or at a profit of above 70 per cent., besides 3s. per cwt. of Government bounty upon exportation; making, in all, a profit of nearly cent. per cent. But I must add, that the fish is often sent, on com mission, for retail in the Leith or Edinburgh market †, when it brings 28s. or 30s. per cwt. or about 150 per cent. from which the expence of conveyance, &c. is to be deducted.

The landlords have besides, a profit on boats, lines, sails, &c. which does not, I believe, (on an average,) exceed 20 per cent. On some articles it is probably considerably less ;and some gentlemen, I have been informed, furnish hooks and lines to their tenants nearly at prime cost.The lairds have a large profit also, on every article of produce raised by the tenant's industry, butter, wool, hides, oil, &c.

Let us now contrast with these various profits, (the aggregate a mount of which I shall not pretend to estimate,) the advantages which the tenant derives from the summer's fishings, as stated by the Rev. Mr Morrison of Delting (Stat. Acci vol. i. p. 389,); and declared to be accurate, by the Rev. Mr Jack of Northmavine (vol. xii. p. 360.).— "How far the people in general are benefited by the fisheries, (says Mr Morrison, apparently with a sneer of generous indignation,) will appear from the following statement." states the total annual expence six-cared boat to be, on an average, L. 19: 5: 10; and the total annual returns, only L. 19:10:6;-so that

He

of a

there

† The fish imported from Shetland into Leith, pays tithe to the minister of North Leith, amounting to about 5 per cent. or the twentieth fish; a most ungracious tax, considering that the fish had already paid tithe in Shetland.

there remains of free profits the insignificant pittance only of 4s. 8d. Sterling which if it be divided a mong six sharers in a boat, amounts to the sum of ninepence farthing Sterling to each man, as the free profits of the summer's fishing!

But

in the above calculation, wages are included in the annual expence, and these are averaged at L.1: 13: 4 to each man for the season; so that if the tenant himself be the fisher, as he generally is, this sum falls to be added to his gid. of summer gainings, making in all L.1: 14:12. "But, adds Mr Morrison,) the fishers carry many articles from their own houses to the fishing-stations, such as butter, milk, &c. on which no value is here put*."

5.Runrig. I have stated (Mag. for Aug last, p. 579.), that the herdingact and the act for dividing runrig pro. perty, have been much neglected in Shetland. I have since been assured that, in some parts of the country, the latter act has been almost completely carried into effect. These, however, are only praiseworthy exceptions; for it is unquestionable, that runrig lands are still to be found, in greater or smaller quantities, in almost every corner of Shetland.

6. Whale-fishing exaction.I for merly stated (Magazine for August last, p. 580,) that for every lad who goes to the Greenland or Davis

* ́I observe that Mr Thomson, in his report of Walls and Sandness (Stat. Acc. vol. xx. p. 103.) makes the profit on a six-oared boat about L.6.sterling, or L. 1 to each man (exclusive of wages.) But I also observe that he omits to take into account the expence of the boat itself, an expensive and perishable article. It costs above L.8, and lasts about six years. Hence the average annual expence on the article of boat is about L.1 78. which must be deducted from the alleged L.6 of profits.-If I have misunderstood either MrThomson or Mr Morrison, I shall be happy to be cor*ected.

Straits whale-fishery for the summer, the cottar family to which he be longs must pay to the landlord one guinea of fine or of additional rent. I have been challenged for making this statement without havng previously examined all the landmails legers" of the country, (by which, I presume, are meant the rental-books.) 1 adhere to my former statement ; and yet am ready to believe, that, if the whole land-mails legers of the country were examined, no trace of the exaction might be found. This would not prove that the evil does not exist, but only that, if it does exist, the landlords who practise it are not insensible to its flagrancy. These gentleman may perhaps deny that it is either a finet, or an exaction, or an additional rent. Let it, then, be called a bargain, to which they surely cannot object. I give them the option of the name; for the name will not alter the spirit of the transaction. As an indubitable proof that it does exist, and that it is not a private bargainwith the tenant, but an arbitrary and fluctuating imposition, I have now to state, on the best authority, that advertisements were, last spring, (1805,) affixed to some of the parish-church doors of Shetland, informing the poor Shetlanders be

longing

Sremities of the earth, the Ultima Thule; that it should be honoured, in short with so laboured an invective, by way of refutation, from the greatest critics of Hethlandia!

1. Unft School. It is alleged that I had said, that there is no school in Unst," and that I had " quibbled

myself into the mistatement."The quibbling is all on the side of the Zetland critic. He himself admits that there is no parochial school; and it must be evident to any person who reads the whole passage*, that I was speaking of established parochial schools only, and not of uncertain and occasional schools, kept by persons totally unqualified, viz. illiterate old men and old women. In a subsequent passage t, I speak of there having hitherto been no "public school" in Unst; but add, that at last a school-house is building. 2. The author, foreseeing that he must yield my position that there is no parochial school in Unst, searches out a more serious blunder, and accuses me, in the next place, of credu lity in believing-what? (Parturiunt montes, nafcitur ridiculus mus)—that there are no mice in Unst, tri. umphantly declaring that these little creatures have not been wanting in Unst" during the memory of man." A controversy on such a subject is mighty pleasant it tends to enliven one's spirits in wading through grave disquisitions on oppression and parochial schools. But I cannot yield even the point about the mice. I have great authorities against Thule, though, for the sake of the feline race of Unst (the parties chiefly interested in this part of the dispute) I shall not be sorry to find that my authorities are naught. The Statistical account of Unst bears to

:

Quoth Hudibras," I smell a rat;
"Landlord t, thou dost prevaricate!""
BUTLER.

3. Cafile of Scalloway.Thule is pleased to assume that I have described the Castle of Scalloway as forming a geometrical square, and this assumption he successfully refutes. But I used the word fquare as an adjective, not as a substantive; my words being, "It is a lofty, square, and turreted building." The epithet Square, therefore, ought in fairness to be understood merely as implying that the building is cornered or not round. Of the justness of this interpretation, Thule may satisfy himself by having recourse to Johnson's Dictionary. He says that the castle never has had more than one arched storey; but he must admit that it has once had upper floors whether arched or not f. He most unfairly adds, that I have "mistated every thing about the castle ex"cept the circumstance of its being "turreted:" Whereas, it is certain that I have stated a variety of circumstances about this castle, to which

*Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. v. p. 188.

In the same way that Thule has endeavoured to prove a connection between Vindicator and P N., it would be very easy for me to infer the privity of Thule with the principal author of the statistical report of Unst, and of the Letter to the Highland Society in 1802.

ns,

He twits me with my Scoticisms (flat for storey), as if his own style were immaculate.

§ Magazine for June 1805, p. 433.