SUTHERLAND, an extensive county in the north of Scotland, situated between 57° 53', and 58° 36' north latitude, and between 3° 39', and 5° 15' west longitude from Greenwich; having the sea on the south-east, west, and north, Caithness on the north-east, and Ross-shire on the south. From north to south it extends from 35 to 50 miles, and from west to east from 45 to 50, and contains, according to the latest authorities, which cannot, however, be depended on as accurate, about 1,800,000 English acres, divided into 18 parishes, which belong to the synod of Sutherland and Caithness. Of the other divisions, the principal are, Assynt and Edderachy-lis on the west, and Strathnaver on the east; names recognized by the inhabitants, and which still serve to designate the locality of the natural objects and other circumstances of the country.
The coast of Sutherland, like that of the other Highland counties of Scotland, presents a succession of inlets of the sea, and bold promontories, with a number of rocks and islets. The principal arms of the sea are Lochs Assynt, Laxford, and Inchard, on the west; Durness Bay, Loch Eriboll, the Kyle of Tongue, and the bays of Torridale and Strathy on the north; and Loch Fleet in the Frith of Dornoch, on the south-east; and the more remarkable promontories are, Ru Stoir, on the south side of Loch Assynt; Cape Wrath on the north-west extremity of the county; Far-out Head, and Whitten Head, on the north; and Strathy Head on the north-east. The interior consists of mountains, mosses, lakes, and streams, presenting great variety in form, but almost all having the same general character of being barren, rugged, and dismal, more especially on the western side; and so closely thrown together, that there is no valley of any extent, and seldom a tree or a shrub to relieve the eye. The Assynt mountains have not even heath to cover their naked-
ness, except in patches among the rocks near their base. Some exceptions to this general character occur on the eastern coast, along the Dornoch Frith, and on the banks of a few of the lakes and rivulets; but in a general view, these are so inconsiderable, that, according to the writer of the Agricultural Report, the cultivated land, green pastures, and woods, do not much exceed 60,000 acres, or about one-thirtieth part of its area; and the cultivated land alone is little more than one acre in a hundred. The climate of the east coast, however, is not so severe as to prevent the growth of wheat, which sometimes ripens as early here as in many parts of England.
The principal streams are, Oickel, Fleet, Brora, and Helmsdale, which fall into the Dornoch Frith on the south-east. The tide renders the Oickel navigable by vessels of 50 tons, for about 12 miles, and for boats for about eight miles farther; and they have all good salmon fisheries. These rivulets have their source among the mountains, in the centre of the district, and flow south-east. In the same quarter a number of streams take their rise, and flow north; such as Strathy, the Naver, which gives its name to the tract called Strathnaver, the Dinatt, &c., most of them containing salmon. The most considerable lake is Loch Shin, about 20 miles long, and one broad, situated on the southern side of the county, through which flows a stream of the same name, which falls into the Oickel. There are several others of considerable extent in different parts, the whole occupying about 47 square miles, or upwards of 30,000 acres. On the north coast the sea has formed some remarkable caves in the limestone rock, particularly one at Smow, to the east of Balnakeel of Durness, 32 yards wide, and 20 yards high; and another at Fraisgill, 50 feet high, and 20 feet wide at its entrance, but contracting by degrees till its termination, more than half a mile under ground.
Coal, limestone, marble, and sandstone, are found in Sutherland; and it is supposed to contain other minerals, which either have not been explored, or turned to any account. On the rivulet Brora coal is now worked to some extent; and connected with these works, a railway has been recently formed from them to the harbour at its mouth, with salt-works, at which the small coal is consumed. Limestone of a good quality abounds on the coast, and is also found in some parts of the interior. At Leadmore and Lead-beg, in Assynt, excellent marble, some of it white and pure as alabaster, has been wrought by Mr Jopling from Newcastle; and a black kind, streaked with yellow veins, occurs in Edderachylis. Clay fit for bricks, tiles, and the coarser kinds of pottery, is also found on the east coast upon the Sutherland estate.
This county, which is valued in the cess-books at L. 26,193, 9s. 7d. Scots, is divided among 13 proprietors. Of this valuation the Sutherland estate, belonging to the Marchioness of Stafford, Countess of Sutherland in her own right, is almost two-thirds, and that of Lord Reay nearly a seventh part. The former contains about 890,000 English acres. Skibo, Bighouse, and Strathy, are each above L. 500
Scots, the others under that valuation. In 1812 the gross rental of the lands and houses, as returned under the Property-tax Act, was L. 28,458, 8s. 4d. including about L. 1700 as the rent of the salmon and other fisheries. More than half the valuation is held under entail. The principal seats are Dun-Seats. robin Castle, the Marchioness of Stafford, on the coast of the Dornoch Frith, in the parish of Golspie; Skibo, Dempster, on an inlet of the same frith, near the south-eastern corner of the county; and Tongue Castle, Lord Reay, on the Kyle of Tongue, on the north coast. Most of the other proprietors have good modern houses, all of which are situated near the coast. In no part of Britain has a greater change been effected in so short a period as in Sutherland, and this chiefly by the spirit and liberality of its greatest proprietor, the Marquis of Stafford. Within these twelve or fourteen years, roads, bridges, harbours, and villages, have been constructed wherever they seemed to be required; and both the natural and moral obstructions to the improvement of this extensive territory have, as far as it appears practicable, been in a great measure overcome.
In this, and in some other parts of the Highlands, there is still a class of landholders called teadsetters, once numerous in the other counties of Scotland. These men, having advanced money to the owner of an estate, obtained from him a temporary right to a certain portion of it as a pledge for their security, corresponding in yearly value to the interest of the money lent, and subject to redemption upon its repayment. The practice of granting securities of this kind has long since fallen into disuse; but several of them still subsist, or subsisted very lately, upon the Sutherland estate, especially upon the south-east coast. Lands of L. 200 Scots valuation, instead of L. 400 Scots, as in other counties, afford a vote in the election of a member for Sutherland, whether held of the Crown, or of the Earls of Sutherland.
The tenantry include nearly all the other inhabitants; and small as is the population of this county, the number of these tenants is out of all proportion to the extent of the productive land. Excepting along the south-east coast, where there is a stripe of arable land, seldom so much as a mile in breadth, there is nothing that deserves the name of an arable farm; and scarcely any where as much and lying contiguous as would form one; the valleys in which the waters flow being very narrow, and the soil often of an inferior description, besides being exposed to inundations from the swelling of the mountain torrents. Yet these valleys or straths, in many instances, are tenanted at the rate of one family for every acre of arable land; the people living in miserable huts, without chimneys or windows, under the same roof with their live stock, which pasture on the higher grounds; and cultivating the ground for oats, bear, and potatoes, with a crooked spade, or cascrom, instead of the plough; their cattle perishing for want in hard winters, and themselves sometimes reduced to the necessity of living upon their blood. Such is the system that prevailed till lately over all the Highlands of Scot-
Sutherland-land, and which, though giving way, still prevails over a great part of Sutherland. The change, where it has occurred, has been owing to the introduction of sheep; of which there are now several considerable flocks, chiefly of the Cheviot breed, which, under proper management, are found to answer, notwithstanding the severity of the climate. Much loss, however, was sustained by the earliest adventurers in this line, chiefly, it is alleged, from the hostility of the natives; and eagles and other birds of prey, and foxes, still commit great ravages among the flocks. The number of sheep has been computed to be about 140,000, producing about 18,000 stone of wool, of 24 lbs. per stone. Of the rent paid by the small tenants on the south-east coast the exact amount cannot be ascertained; the arable land not being let by the acre, but by the quantity of grain that may be sown; which is at the rate of from 15s. to £. 1, 1s. per boll, paid partly in money, and partly in oatmeal and bear; but to this we must add personal services, customs and casualties, exacted by the tacksman or the landlord. In other parts of the county, where the proportion of arable land is still much smaller than on the south-east, the tenants pay in proportion to the number of black cattle they can rear and maintain; these affording the only surplus for the landowners. It is the general practice to make butter and cheese, and to rear a calf for every two cows. The quantity of butter is from 24 to 48 lbs. avoirdupois, and of cheese, about twice as much per cow. "The leases between the proprietor and principal tacksman," says Captain Henderson, "are generally 19 or 21 years, but the tacksman seldom gives a lease to his subtenants or cottars, and when he does, it is generally for three, five, or seven years. This is done with a view of making them submissive in performing personal services, &c."
Until the recent establishments of the Marquis of Stafford, which are still in their infancy, there was no manufacture in this county, if we except that of kelp, of which the quantity used to be 250 tons. A cotton mill had been erected at Spinningdale, on a branch of the Dornoch Frith, by a Glasgow company, but the building having been burnt down in 1806, the undertaking was abandoned. A good many boats are employed in the fisheries on the west and north coast for cod, ling, haddock, and herring; and lobsters and muscles are got in considerable quantities. At Helmsdale, on the east coast, many of those small tenants who were removed by the introduction of sheep farming have also embarked in the fisheries with considerable success; and large sums have been expended within these few years by the noble proprietor of the Sutherland estate in erecting the necessary buildings. The principal exports are cattle, horses, sheep, wool, salmon, and cod; their butter and cheese are nearly all consumed at home; and besides the usual imports of cloths, groceries, &c., they require some corn, chiefly oatmeal, especially on the west and north sides of the county, where they have very little corn land. Dornoch, a royal burgh, situated on the south-eastern extremity, on the Frith of that name, is the only town, and contains little
more than 500 inhabitants. Golspie, Helmsdale, and Brora, are the principal villages. With these exceptions, the inhabitants are scattered along the coast, and, in some of the principal straths, passing much of their time in idleness; a healthy, robust, and simple, though not ill informed race, who have contributed largely to the public service. For the last half century, the Earls of Sutherland have raised among them, at the commencement of every war, a corps of 1000 men, well known by the name of the Sutherland Fencibles; but this spirit, founded in attachment to their chiefs, has now become much weaker than formerly.
The county, in which the number of voters may vary from 20 to 25, sends one member to Parliament; and the town of Dornoch joins with Dingwall, Tain, Wick, and Kirkwall, in electing one for the Scottish burghs.
The population, according to the census of 1801, was 23,117; in 1811 it amounted to 23,629; and in 1821 to 23,840, of which 11,088 were males, and 12,752 were females. The families employed in agriculture were 3362; in trade and manufactures 642; in all other occupations 818. The increase of population from 1811 to 1821 was only 211.
There are some remains of antiquity in various parts along the coast. The most interesting are two circular buildings, called Dun Dornadil, or Dornadilla's Tower, and Castle Coll, both reared of large stones, nicely fitted, but without cement, and of which considerable portions are still entire, after the lapse of probably 1000 years. Castle Coll, which is situated on the east side of the county, on a stream that falls into the Brora, has an exterior circumference of 54 yards, with walls four and one-half yards thick at the base, inclining inwards nine inches in every three feet in height; and two small apartments on each side of the door-way, as if intended for guard-rooms. The highest part of the wall is now only eleven feet high, but old people remember it twice that height. Dun Dornadil is in the parish of Durness, on the northern side of the county. It is a building of the same character with the former, but still more dilapidated, and is celebrated in the ancient Gaelic ballads as a place of renown at a very early period. The ruins of Dornoch Cathedral still display the original grandeur of that edifice, which is said to have been built in the eleventh century, and repaired and enlarged in the thirteenth. Circular cairns with subterranean passages, tumuli, and some small forts, may yet be traced in various situations along the coast.
See the general works quoted under the former Scottish counties; Henderson's General View of the County of Sutherland; and Loch's Account of the Improvements of the Marquis of Stafford in Sutherland. (A.)