CAITHNESS, a Scathe 'canny, the mat Dinh ern of the mainland of Great Britain, is anted between Me *0' and 5r of north latitude, sad be tween 2° 50' and sn 17' west longitude; and, is eluding the island of Shona, to the Pankow' Fri* extends ever 6181 *pare masher 895,680 English acres, of which 8414 *CM are Covered by lakes and other waters. About a "fourth of the safes mountainous, more than a half cousins of hasp mosses, and :sal, about amt eighth pet is debated. The boeadaties, proarontorieo, bays, dame, wild metals, 8ta. having 'been particidarly idscribed in the correspendiag article in the Encgedopedin we shall define our notices at present to she is omitted there, and to the sheikdom which die pro gress of time has introduced.
This county is divided into thirty.ftmr. estates, eight of whisk• comprise two-thirds of the salad rent, which is ea tOd. Stets; and more than a third of the whole is held under entail. Nine proprietors of the names of &mink me of a•Peer, held mess than the half of this valuate& The real rent, for the year ending April 14111, *el for the lands L.80,926, is. 9d. Sterling ; and for the homes 1.1)698, 75. 61. The Earl of Wilms the only noblemen who resides in, or is oseseettd with the county ; mat of the other proprietors have modern mansions, and reside, at least a pert of the year, upon their estates. Rents in this, as in al, most every part of Scotland, have experienced a very great advance within the last fifty years ; in one instance, noticed in Captain Henderson's survey of the county, published in 1812, nearly eight-fold, from 1762 to 1809. In 1792, Sir John Sinclair established a dock of Cheviot-sheep on his farm of ;argue]], which have been found to prosper in that climate i and several other spirited improvements were about the dame time promoted by this gentle man, though unfortunately they have not been at tended with all the success that their indefatigable, but perhaps too sanguine, projector bad contem plated. Several other proprietors have shown a very laudable zeal for the interests of this remote, and, till of late, mach neglected 'quarter of the inland. About twenty-feer years ago, an act of Parliament watprocured for coannutmg the statute labour, under which L.550 has been annually ex.
pended on the repair of roads; and, within these the proprietors have availed themselves of the aid granted by Parliament to the northern counties, of half the estimated expence necessary to make the great lines of road ; more especially from the Ord to Wick, and from Wick tgehurso. No attempts to
raise Fdantatiomi in this dainty have yet been suc ossfel, thoogit it appears, from the trees found in inessea, that weeds had formerly grown, even on the sea-enst. As a great part of the county is nearly level, the want elf plasmic= is much felt in this ri gorous climate.
It has been the practice in this county, from time immolation, for a few of the superior class of ent, ruder the mane tacksmen, to take a lease fbr » or et years 'of a town land, occupied by from 10 to 40 smell timers, at a 'rent commonly paid hi money, and not partlY 'in hind, tat was the ease with manlier tenants. Time teen =spied only a part of the lands themselves, and subset the ternainder to small tenants, for a certain money rent, payments in grain, customs, and services (the latter in many cases unlimited), so as to have, upon the whole, a s rent for the trouble and risk of rack-rent from these odttenthMi. Though 'this ar rangement has been much, and perhaps jruely com plained of, both in the Highlaads of Scotland and is Ireland, as oppressive to the lower classes, yet it seems to be the natural consequence of that minute division of farm-lands whichhas been sb injudiciously recommended for improving the tondition of the poor. The surplus rent drawn by the tacksman is charge against the proprietor for factorage and insurance ; and, notwithstanding the oppression of the small tenants, which may be the consequence of thus placing them at the mercy of one who must have a much +Blighter interest in their welfare than the proprietor himself ought to feel, yet 'there ttp pears to be no remedy bet such a idle as would `dis lodge these small tenants attegedtere—the enlarge ment of farms to such a laze as would sake them an object to professional foment. A few young men, from the south of Scotland, have taken fart= here, but it is said they.have not been seccestiul *a blishing a mode of managemeet superior to that Of the natives. A great part county, according• ly, is still divided into small holdings, of which the teat is paid in money, in the Highland district of it ;' and, in the Lowlands, partly in money and partly in ' grain ; and in some instances, with customs, casual. ties, and services, as formerly. When the small tenants possess upon leases, the term is commonly too short to encourage any expensive improvements, or even to permit any favourable change in their modes of cultivation.