Kelp is the most important produce of Uist, the manufacture of which was totally unknown until the year 1735, when it was imperfectly introduced by one Rory M'Donald, who had been invited from Ireland to make experiments. Of this valuable commodity, more than 1200 tons were made per annum in North Uist alone. All the inhabitants, with the exception of the principal taxman, and a few tradesmen, were employed in the preparation of it from the 10th of June to the 10th of August. In South Uist not less, on an average, than 1100 tons were manufactured every year. Cattle consti tute the next valuable production of Uist, of which about 750 head are annually exported. The total number of horses is probably about 2400, which is very large, considering the low state of agricul ture; but they are of very diminutive size, and a great proportion of them arc employed in the trans portation of sea-weed for the manufacture of kelp; indeed, a good many horses are imported from Sky and Lewis. There are about 12,000 sheep in Uist, of a very small breed, covered with very fine wool, of which about 15 fleeces go to a stone. Goats are not numerous.
There has been no improvement upon agricultu ral implements for near a century. The plough in general use is little known beyond the Long Island. It is drawn by four small horses, has one handle, held in the right hand of the man who guides it, who at the same time uses a lash with his left hand. Another machine is drawn by one horse in front of this plough, having a crooked iron like a reaping hook attached to it, to cut the ground, so that the plough may turn it up with greater facility. The number of men and horses requisite to keep this plough going, makes it very expensive; for it re quires one man to direct the plough, another to lead the horses, one to direct the iron for cutting the ground before the plough, and another to lead the horse harnessed to it. Some of the gentlemen farmers have discarded these rude machines, and have introduced the improved plough; hut the most common mode of turning up the ground, is with an instrument called the cascroim or crooked spade. Harvest generally begins about September, and is completed about the end of October. They begin to manure the ground early in winter, continuing at this occupation until seed time. On the patches of arable ground set apart to them from year to year, they raise crops of barley, oats, and potatoes. In years of scarcity, the people live much on the dried roots of the pot cntilla ansrrina, growing in all the pastures in great plenty. The number of carts in Uist is very trifling; the common mode of trans portation is on horses' backs.
From the constant employment of the people in kelp-making, and in cultivating with great toil the little spots of ground, the fisheries on the coasts, which might be rendered such a source of wealth to the inhabitants, are in a great measure abandon ed to adventurers from other parts of the kingdom.
The population in North Uist may be widely es timated at about 4000, who are almost all protest ants. In South Uist, there are about 5000 inhabit ants, of which latter number about five-sixths are Roman Catholics. The people are in general sober, industrious, and acute, and so full of curiosity, as to be inquisitive to a degree bordering on imperti nence, or at least having that appearance to stran gers. They are for the most part honest and peace able; all their little quarrels are determined before the baron bailie, with whose decisions they remain perfectly satisfied. Gaelic is the language generally spoken.
The climate of Uist is so variable, that it is not uncommon to have frost, snow, sleet, and deluges of rain, all in the course of a few hours: wet wea ther however predominates.
Little or nothing is as yet known of the minera logy or botany of these islands. There are no trees, and even bushes will not rise higher than the wall which protects them. Game of all kinds abound, as well as all sorts of sea fowl; birds of prey are also numerous. particularly ravens (corvus corax), which at particular seasons come in such flocks, that they literally cover the country. The fresh water lakes are full of remarkably fine trout (salmo fario). The sea fish are herrings (clupea harengus), ling (gadus snolva), cod (gadus nior hua), mackerel (scomber scouter), turbot (pleuro nectes maximus), skate (raja Latis), and flounders (pleuroneetes jlesus); also great variety of shell fish.
The basking shark (squalus tnaximus), is often kill ed on these coasts by the inhabitants, for the valua ble oil produced by the liver.
Druidical circles are numerous all over Uist. Danish signal forts, built without cement, are very frequently met with: some of these are situated on rocks in the middle of the fresh water lakes, and are accessible from the shore by a causeway raised almost to a level with the water.
The island of Eriskay lies a little to the south of the extremity of South Uist; and a little to the S. and \V. is ];array or Barra, (see that article,) with its attendant islands Flodday, Hellesay, Gigay, \Vatersay, Sanderay, Pabbay, Mengelay, and Ber neray, all inhabited, and from one to three miles in extent. The productions of these islands are in every respect similar to those of Barra and Uist. See Macdonald's .Rgricultural Survey of the Hebri bes, and Macculloch's Description of the Western Islands.