that fuch of them as are able to walk about, go from door to door, not only within the bounds of the parifh where they refide, but also in the neighbouring parishes. Two causes may be affigned for the collections being fo finall, namely, too great a difregard to public worship among thofe of a fuperior ftation, and the poverty of the common claffes, together with their being too fond of drinking whisky.

Rent.-The real rent is about 1900l. Sterling. The va lued rent, in Scotch money, is 39401. 14 s. 5 d.

Agriculture and Produce.-There is a good deal of grain raised in, and exported from this parith.-There are three kinds of oats, white, black, and grey, befides beans, potatoes, and peafe.-Sowing of grafs and turnips is only in its infancy. This is no doubt partly owing to the fhortnefs of the leafes, and partly to the want of inclotures. The feed time commences commonly about the end of March, or beginning of April, and the harvest about the beginning of September. The crops on fome of the ftrath grounds, at a distance from the sea, are very apt to be hurt by frofts, blafting, or mildew, particularly on the Highland estate of Braemore. The inhabitants in these parts fuffered very much in 1782 and 1784. The common mode of farming among the tenantry is to fow bear and oats alternately, excepting what ground they lay down with potatoes. If the land in this parish had the fame justice done to it, which other parts have, by be. ing rested, and raifing green crops, there is no doubt that it would yield as luxuriant crops as moft parts of Scotland. But the cattle being fmall, little is done by the plough. They go four a breaft, and the driver goes backward, with his face to the ploughman and the cattle.

VOL. XVII.

D

Cattle,

Cattle, &c.-In the Highland part of the parish the cattle are small and hardy; there is much room for the improvement of them. The fheep and horfes are also of a small kind, excepting Sir JOHN SINCLAIR's flock at Langwall.

Number of black cattle in the parish

Sheep, exclufive of Sir JOHN SINCLAIR'S
flock

4055

2555

Prices of Labour and Provifions.-These two articles are greatly increased of late years. A day-labourer gets from 8 d. to I s. a day; women 4 d. and 5 d. Men fervants from 31. to 41. befides 6 bolls of meal, or their maintenance in the houfe; women fervants, befides maintenance, receive from 30 s. to 40 s. a year.-Pork and mutton fell commonly at 3 d. the pound, and even beef in some seasons of the year. There is no market in the parish, nor any one nearer than 20 or 30 miles. The gentlemen, for the most part, must therefore kill for their own use.

Services. It were greatly to be wished that fervices were entirely abolished, as they are much against industry and improvement. However, according to the prefent mode of farming, fome fort of fervices may be abfolutely neceffary. Although unlimited fervices are wearing out by degrees, yet they are ftill continued in fundry respects, which is both slavifh and detrimental to the tenants. They have a tendency to hurt their morals, as well as to hinder industry and improvement.

Antiquities.

Antiquities.-There are feveral old caftles along this coast, at Berrindale, Dunbeath, (till inhabited), Knackinnon, Latheron,

According to tradition, WILLIAM SUTHERLAND was the laft who poffeffed the castle of Berrindale. He was called WILLIAM MORE MACKEHIN, i. e. Big WILLIAM, the fon of HECTOR, implying that he was of a gigantic fize. He went to Orkney with one of the Earls of CAITHNESS, and was killed in a skir. mifh there. Before he fet out on this expedition, it is faid he was prepoffeffed with the opinion, that he never would return to his native country. He lay down on the ground above Berrindale inn, contiguous to the burial place, and caused the length of his body to be cut out in the form of a grave, which to this day retains the name of the long grave, and measures about 9 feet 5 inches.

The following Memoir respecting the gigantic WILLIAM, grandfon to HECTOR MORE of LANGWELL, has been communicated by another hand.

About the end of the 15th century, HECTOR SUTHERLAND, commonly called HECTOR MORE, or Meikle Hector, was proprietor of the estate of LANGWELL. He was defcended of the family of DUFFUs, and refided in a castle on the rock at the water mouth of Berrydale, the ruins of which are ftill visible He built a house at Langwell, for his eldest fon William, who married a beautiful woman, and refided there.-Some little time afterwards, William's wife was in child bed of her first child, and Robert Gun, tacksman of Braemore, came over the hills to Langwell, accompanied by fome of his clan, on a hunting party. Robert Gun propofed to his friends, that they would pay a vifit to Hector More's fon, and his young wife, which they accordingly did. Robert Gun, upon feeing the woman in bed, fancied her. Upon their way home, Gun declared to his companions, that he would have William Sutherland's wife to himfelf, and that the only means by which he could accomplish his defign, was to take away her husband's life. His friends, whose confciences were not more ftrait laced than his own, having approved of his intention, they accompanied him the next day over the hills, and lay in ambush in the woods near William Sutherland's houfe, until they oblerved him come out to his

garden,

1

theron, Forfs, Swinzee, and Clyth. These were places of strength in the days of rapine and violence. Most of these caftles

garden, when Robert Gun fhot him with an arrow from his bow. They went immediately into his houfe, took his wife out of bed, and carried her and her infant child in a large basket they had prepared for that purpofe, to Braemore, where Gun refided. How foon the mother recovered, the was reconciled to Robert Gun, notwithstanding of his murdering her husband. She begged of him to call her infant fon William, after his deceased father, though the knew, had her husband been alive, he would have named him HECTOR, after his own father Hector More. Robert Gun held the lands of Braemore of the Earl of Caithness in tack, but he would pay no rent to his Lordship. After being much in arrears to the Earl, his Lordship fent John Sinclair of Stircock, with a party of men under arms, to compel Gun to make payment; but Gun convened his clan, and they defeated John Sinclair with his party. Several were killed, and John Sinclair was wounded in the engagement. This thews that Robert Gun was both a tyrant and an ufurper. Young William's mother lived the remainder of her life with Robert Gun, and had two fons by him-After these fons had arrived at maturity, young William and they went one day a hunting; and William, being more fuccessful than the other two, killed a roe, which he defired his two brothers to carry home. They objected to this drudgery, and faid that he might carry home his own prey himself. But William, who by this time had heard of his father's tragical end, told them, with a menacing aspect, that, if they would not carry home the roe, he would revenge fome of their father's actions upon them, which intimidated them greatly, (though they were ignorant of the cause of his threatening), as they knew he had more perfonal ftrength than them both, he being then about 9 feet high, and ftout in proportion; they accordingly carried home the roe, and told their mother that William had threatened them in fuch a manner. She communicated this circumstance to their father Robert Gun, adding, that the fufpected William had heard of his father's death. Robert Gun being afraid of young William's perfonal ftrength, wifhed to be in friendship with him, and proposed that he should marry his (Gun's) filter, who refided with them in the character of a houfe-keeper. William did not relish the match, and would not accept of her. Soon afterwards Robert Gun made a feast at his house, where he col

lected

caftles ftood on a high rock above the fea, and cut off from the land by a deep ditch with a draw-bridge. Part of the

walls

lected feveral of his friends, and by fome means or other got young William so much intoxicated, that he was carried to bed, and Robert Gun put his filter to bed with him.-When William awakened next morning, he was furprised to find Gun's fifter in bed with him. She told him, he might recollect that the ceremonies of marriage paft betwixt them the preceding evening, and that he was now his lawful spouse. He got up in a paffion, and declared that he was impofed upon, and that he would hold no fuch bargain.

Robert Gun flattered him, and said, that as he was now mar. ried to his lifter, he would make the match as agreeable to him as poffible, by putting him in poffeffion of the eitate of Langwell; and, in order to accomplith his promife, he, with a few of his connections, concealed th mielves near Hector More's caitle on the laid rock until early in the morning when the draw bridge was let down, they forced their way into the caftle, and carried Hector More (who was then an old feeble man) out of his caftle, and left him in a cot house in the neighbour hood, where he remained for fome little time, and afterwards went to Sutherland, and paffed the remainder of his days with one of his relations, Su hetland of Rearchar.

Robert Gun then returned in triumph to Braemore, and conducted William Sutherland and his efpoused wife to the. faid caftle, and gave then alfo poffeffion of the eftate of Langwell. William being very much diffatisfied with Robert Gun's conduct, and not liking the company of his fifter as a spouse, went and complained of his grievances to the Earl of Caithnefs, who prom fed him redrefs as foon as he returned from the Orkneys, where he was going to queli a rebellion, along with the Baron of Rollin, and wished that he, (William) being a very fout man, would accompany him. William confented to do fo; and returned to Berrydale to bid bis friends farewell before he would go on fo dangerous an expedition. Juft as he was parting with them at the burial ground on the Breas, on the' eaft fide of the water of Berrydale, he told his friends that he fufpected he never would return from Orkney; he then laid himself down on the heath near the faid burial ground, and defired his companions to fix two ftones in the ground, the one at his head, and the other at his feet, in order to fhew to pofterity his uncommon ftature; which ftones remain there ftill, and the

exact