order we have placed it in, are obvious, without any farther explanation; but our making fo fmall account of mofs, for the neceffary article of fuel, as to confider it as the last and leaft object, to be taken into the reckoning, in selecting a fituation for a village, may require to be accounted for. tained; for the peats ftacked wet will not burn, and they are confequently in great mifery, with smoke and cold, through the winter. For these reafons, we look upon the neighbourhood of mofs to be the very leaft confideration in chufing the ftance of a village. Coals may be furnished to the inhabitants of fuch village perhaps cheaper (every thing confidered) than peats, though they fhould even have the mofs at their doors. But, at any rate, it would be extremely proper in the Joint-stock Company, in the prefent infancy of their village, to lay in a ftock of coals at Ullapool. Were a confiderable fishing to ftrike up there, during the time the people were at work with their peats, (which very often happens) they would be reduced to the dilemma, of either lofing the fishing, or ftarving with cold through the winter; both these inconveniencies would be prevented, by the Company having on hand a quantity of coals, ready to anfwer fuch an emergency. Nam verored way to me lis ;,9 Horw UN vu The Society is not to be informed, that the climate of the whole of the Weft coaft of Scotland is boisterous, and fubject to great rains. This circumftance is very unfavourable to the gaining of peats: the making of fuel from mofs is one of the hardest pieces of work the Highlanders have to encounter. They dig their peats to-day: fome days after they lift them from the ground to dry: next day a hurricane of wind and rain throws them all down they are fet up again, and again fhare the fame fate. By this time the feafon is gone, and the poor people are obliged to put the peats in a wet ftate up into ftacks. Thus their time is confumed, their bodies, toiled, and, after all, their purpofe is not at. Obfervations on the Proceedings of the Joint-Stock Company at Tobermory and Ullapool By the Same as hope TH a HE author left that country fome years ago, and before the undertakings were begun at Ullapool. From the information he has received, he finds that very confiderable buildings are already erected there; a pier, an inn, a place of worship, and fchool-houfe; befides, a number of fmall houfes for fifhers and tradesmen, have been erected by individuals, aided, as we are informed, by the funds of the Company, Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon thofe perfons, who fet on foot and encouraged this plan, of civilizing and improving that neglected corner of our native country. When we reflect upon the noble motives by which thefe perfons were actuated, it is exceeding difficult to find fault with any thing which has been done under their directions, or to touch upon any thing unpleasant to them. Candour, however, and our profeffed defire of giving our undif guifed opinion, obliges us to obferve, that it were to be wifhed the Company had proceeded more flowly in the laying out its money, and done fome of its works upon a smaller scale, particularly the innat Ullapool, which is moft unneceffarily large, Probably it would have been better, had the Company economised as much as it could, in order that it might be the better enabled to advance the confiderable fums which will be wanted wanted for that abfolutely neceffary measure, of making and keeping up roads of communication between their villages and the low-countries. ་ The establishing fome useful manu facture in the villages, and the making of these roads, we look upon as the principal confiderations in the whole bufinefs of thefe new erections, fo far as the Highlands is concerned. The failure of the fishing upon that coaft for a tract of years, (as has been formerly known to have hap pened) would have the effect to draw off all the adventurers in the fishing upon a large fcale, who had fettled there. The only thing, therefore, which would be left as an inducement to the lower order of people to remain at the villages, would be the manufacture mentioned, and the facility with which they could communicate with the Low-country. The poor people who remained, would be thus enabled to carry on fome little trade; and, by maintaining their hold, prevent all which the Company fhall do from, being totally loft, which would otherwife inevitably happen, if the herrings fhould abandon the coat for any confiderable space of time: thefeoffh have been known to difappear upon that coaft, for upwards of twenty years. Thus, roads would be a great benefit to the vil lages, in cafe of the worst happening. If the villages are profperous, roads would infinitely increase their profperity, by putting it in the power of the Jeffer fishers in these hamlets, to convey their fish fresh to the towns in the Low-country, where they would fetch great prices. Upon the fubject of the manufacture proper to be in troduced into sthe fishing villages, we fhall referve ourfelves, until we come to fpeak of the improvements which the inferior parts of the Highlands will admit of; becaufe the kind of manufacture proper to be eftablished there, and the manner of conducting it, will equally apply to the Coafts of the Highlands. It is a melancholy confideration, when one reflects, that in a country, famous throughout the world for the wisdom and liberality of its civil polity, the maxims which that polity fhould dictate, are, in the cafe we are now fpeaking of, fo much departed from, that the fettling and civilizing the remote parts of the Empire, is not done under the direction, or at the expence, of the Government of the country, but is laid upon the fhoulders of individuals, who, anxious for the public welfare, do it voluntarily out of their own eftates, rather than fruitlefly apply for the aid of the State. A Frenchman, or a Swifs, would hardly give credit to this relation. In thefe countries, even when one of them was fhackled under an arbitrary monarchy, works, the carrying on of which would bring advantage to the whole community, were done at the expence of that community. Some French authors have, with great fuccefs, fhown in their writings, that the fettling remote that parts in a kingdom, and opening communications between thefe, and the more civilized parts, ought to be the bufinefs of every well-ordered State. # But if our Governors are fo torpid, as not to trouble themselves about such public fervices as that we are now fpeaking of, but to allow the charge of doing it to fall upon the virtuous individuals, whofe zeal and anxiety for their country has led them to take the bufinefs upon themselves, yet furely they will, for very fhame, now that they fee fo much done, give their confent, that the expence of making thefe neceffary roads, fhall be defrayed out of the public putfe. This is an event devoutly to be wifhed for; and the Society, and all the friends of the Fisheries, and of the Highlands, fhould ufe their beft endeavours to bring it about. It would relieve the Joint-ftock Company of a very heavy burden, and lighten the lofs, which it is not impoffible may arife, when the Company fhall come to balance accompts with thefe eftablishments it fhall have foftered. It will coft the minifter very little trouble to do this favour to the Company, and this duty to his courtry. The best way for him to do it, would be to lay a fmall tax upon the ton of every veffel employed in the herringfineries in Scotland, for the fpecial purpose of making and maintaining thefe roads; the Company, or a committee of it, to be the truftees, under the act imposing the tax, for feeing the money duly applied. No body would grumble at this tax. A fhilling a ton upon the buffes might produce about Sool. per annum, upon the credit of which, the Company might borrow 6000l. or 7000l.; a fum, it is apprehended, fufficient to make the roads at prefent needed. The roads once made, the tax might be mitigated, except fo much as was neceflary to keep them in repair. It would be bad policy in the prefent ftate of that country, to propofe a turnpike upon thefe roads. We are fenfible, that the fum above mentioned is not fufficient to make the roads in queftion, and alfo the bridges which would be requifite upon thefe roads; but the making the roads is the first thing to be done; which, if found of utility, there will then be encouragement to build bridges. It may be objected, that a tax upon the buffes would be improper; but as it would be but a fmall one, and as the owners of the buffes would be much benefited by thefe roads, it may be fuppofed they would think the payment of the tax no hardship. At prefent, when a bufs has caught as many herrings as will load her, fhe departs for her port; and, let the fish be ever fo plenty, the can derive no farther be nefit from them; but if the roads in queftion are once made, the buffes will find fale for fuch herrings as they may catch, after they have made their Cargoes; for not only the country people, but ftrangers from the Lowlands, will buy their furplus herrings, when they can take them away in carts, which at present they cannot do. Befides this, by means of good roads from the western fishing-grounds, to Inverness, &c. any bus which may come by a misfortune, can be fupplied with fails, cordage, &c. from thefe places, inftead of being obliged to go to her port (at the diftance perhaps of an hundred miles) for that purpose, by which delay the might lofe the fifhing for that feafon. We have already difclofed our fentiments, that in the prefent fcarcity of market for British herrings, by unneceffarily pushing the Fishery, and lavithing encouragements upon it, an evil may arife to the country inftead of a good: for this reafon, we think the Joint-stock Company fhould proceed in their buildings with cautious fteps. We do not fay that they have already built enow of houfes at their two faid villages, but our fincere belief is, that it would neither be for the Company's own intereft, nor for that of the Community, to proceed very much farther, until more markets are fecured for Britifh herrings. A town in a fertile country may be fupported alone by the refidence of gentry in it, a retail trade, and public hoftelaries; but, in the Highlands, it is a manufacture or fifhery which muft fupport any appearance of a collected fociety; therefore, inftead of expending money upon buildings, which may never be inhabited, or which, if inhabited, will only help to fill the market with a commodity in no great requeft; we would humbly incline to think the Company fhould very foon fufpend its operations, until the effects of the experiments it is now making fhall be a little known. At the fame time, we are under no difficulty in faying, that we think the beft application of the Com pany's pany's funds now, would be, firft, to encourage fome Dutch curers to fettle at the two villages, for the purpofe of teaching the people there the true method of preferving herrings: and, fecondly, (if no aid can be obtained from Government) to apply part of these funds to the making and upholding proper roads between the faid villages and the Low-lands. In the prefent ftate of the fishing trade, thefe two measures, in our opinion, are what the Company should direct its principal attention to. Having faid thus much regarding what the Joint-stock Company have with the most laudable intentions done for this country, it falls next to be confidered, by what encouragements the fettlements already established by the Company, may be best preferved during their infancy, and until full time is given to make a fair experiment of their utility. We fhall not hesitate to fay, that, in our opinion, the fooner thefe vil lages are left to uphold themfelves by their own exertions and industry, the better for the Company and the community. Encouragements do not always produce the good effects they aim at, efpecially when beftowed by public bodies; although encourage ments engage the fober and induftrious, they are alfo baits for the needy, the defperate, and the idle. That in-. That in duftry depends as much, if not more, upon the spirit and difpofition of the people, as upon the encouragements held out to them, is fairly exemplified in the history of the town of Stornaway already mentioned, which has thriven and grown rich, although for a confiderable time, and till of late, in the hands of even feverity and exaction. At the fame time that we fay this, we are clearly of opinion, that all the individuals who are already invited, or whom it would be prudent hereafter to invite to thefe villages, fhould have liberal inducements held eat to them, to remain or fettle there. B The offering a house and garden to a fettler gratis, may be an inducement to a wretch who rather intends to beg than work, and be will be glad of the offer without any farther encouragement; but if the Company wish for induftrious men, it must not only offer them a free house and garden, but alfo a boat, nets, &c. upon credit. Even this is not enough: The accomplishment of the Company's purpose (viz. keeping the fettlers in the vil lages) will never be brought about, unless it fhall find a market at their doors for the fish caught by their fettlers. We do not mean by this, that the Company fhould claim the pre-emption of all fish fo caught; on the contrary, the fettlers fhould be encouraged by the Company obliging itfelf to take from off their hands all fuch fifh as they cannot difpofe of, and that, not at an under, but at a medium price. Thus, the Company muft for fome time be the purchafers of fish: It must do more; for, with the price fo given by the Company, to a fettler for his fifh, he cannot, in the prefent ftate of the villages and the country, procure the neceffaries of life; therefore the Company, to effect its purpose, muft engage itself to fupply, at moderate prices, the fettlers, at all times, for a certain period of years, with meal, butter, cheese, falt-beef, fhoes, linen, ready-made fisher-jackets, &c. and coals, if demanded. Čoals, it will be abfolutely neceffary the Company fhould provide, for reafons' we have given. Without fuch encouragements are granted to the villagers for fome time, we are of opinion the fettlements will only languifh, and at laft die. It is almoft peedlefs here to ob❤ ferve, that the Company, in its mercantile capacity, muft provide buildings for fheltering, and alfo materials for curing fuch fifh as may be fo offered by the fettlers, as well as storehoufes, for the articles of confumption we have mentioned. The Company fhould not however engage itself to thefe thefe conditions long. If the fifhery fucceeds, and British herrings fhall open a market for themfelves, by the improvements which may be hereafter made in curing them, the confequent profperity of the villages will open refources to the fettlers for fupplying themselves, upon perhaps better terms than the Company could afford. Upon the whole, we are of opinion, that the Company, while it on the one hand, for the reasons we have urged, proceeds with caution, in not bringing too great a number of people into its vilJages, it should, at the fame time, on the other hand, grant due encouragement to those perfons it may be proper to bring there, to induce them to come to, and remain in thefe fettlements.This laft is a measure abfolutely neceffary, being the only chance for effecting the Company's purpofe in any degree at all. But there is a great difficulty remains, viz. What is to become of fuch of the fettlers as live alone by fishing, The difficulty here stated, has often SIR, To the PRINTER. HAVE fent you a tranflation of a moft excellent letter to Queen Elizabeth, written in Latin by the celebrated John Fox, the martyrologift. The original itself is but little known; and I believe a tranflation of it was ed by the condemnation of two Dutch perfons to the flames, for maintaining Arianifm and other abfurd and hereuical opinions. zabeth; from the Latin. Moft ferene and happy Princess; moft illustrious Sovereign: the honour of your country, and the ornament of the age! never attempted, at leaft for the pub. A letter from John Fox to Queen Elilic eye. 1 am of opinion that the author carried his ideas of toleration as far as any Divine of the age in which it was written. At that time Mr Locke had not unfolded its principles, nor fettled its extent. At that time too, the Rev. Mr David Williams had not published his letter on Intellectual Liberty:" and fcorn. ing what Lord Nugent once called Mr. Locke's" mingled ray," had not then blazed forth in the full uncloud ed fplendour of meridian liberty! The following letter was occafion "AS nothing was more diftant from my intention then this intrufion on Majefty, fo I must confefs that nothing ever affected me more fenfibly than the filence which I have hither to maintained, but which the neceffity of duty now impels me to relinquith. "I know not by what infelicity it hath |
