The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-09 00:00:00

THE WEST HIGHLANDS,

A correspondent, writing from Stornoway on the '23d
December, gives the following particulars relative to
the Long Island and Lewis :
" This communication would have reached you ear-
lier, but at this season of the year Stornoway has often
no communication with the mainland for ten or twelve
days at a time. Vessels deeply laden have made a pas-
, sage lately from Skye with east and north-east winds,
while our good packet was lying in Lochewe, and could
not come across to Stornoway, although having four
mails on board, and the fifth due. This, and other ar-
rangements connected with the post-office here, call
loudly for redress, and in any other part of the country
would not be tolerated. The proper way of sending the
mails from this quarter would be by the steamer landing
a bag for Inverness and the other northern towns at
Balmacara, and carrying letters for the south to Glas-
gow. It is expected, ere long, through the exertions of
our proprietor, that this arrangement will be carried into
effect. Having been lately on a visit to the islands of
South Uist and Barra, I had an opportunity of wit-
nessing the destitution that prevails amongst the inha-
bitants of these remote places. In former times the
principal employment of the people was the manufacture
of kelp and the prosecution of the fisheries, The price
of kelp at market has been very low for many years
past, and consequently few of the people now do any-
thing at it. There is, perhaps, no part of Scotland
where the fisheries might be carried on with more suc-
cess than around the islands above-mentioned; and at
the time when bounty was payable on fish the take yearly
was very considerable, but of late Abe prices of fish have
also fallen, and the people are getting so poor that they
are not able to keep their boats in proper repair, or pur-
chase fishing materials, and few of those are able to go
out to sea at all. The consequence is, the fishirga in
this quarter, for the last two years, have dwindled down
to a mere trifle; and I am sorry to say, that the men are
noways encouraged by those whose duty it might be sup-
posed to help them. The potato crop in these, as in most
of the other parts of the Highlands, has entirely failed.
Many families who were removed last spring to bring in
moss-ground have not a single grain of meal of any
kind, and are wholly depending on the bounty of others
for subsistence. Government seems to be doing every-
thing for Ireland and overlooking the Highlands.
I am confident that at this moment there is no part of
Ireland in a worse condition than the places I have
mentioned. There is scarcely a single man employed at
work of any kind in the whole islands. The roads
which were begun two years ago, and which gave em-
ployment to many of the inhabitants, were stopped last
harvest. The men of Barra and Uist are hardy seamen;
none can manage boats better, or are more daring. I
have no hesitation in saying, that were the sum of 2,000/.
laid out in the building of boats and purchasing fishing
amongst the fishermen of
rtretsecrial andislands, distributed
that but little other help would be required,
as the men are willing and anxious to be employed.
North Uist, in general, is not in such a bad condition,
being less thickly populated.
" The island of Harris, in many parts of it, is in like
condition with South Uist and Barra. The country,
unfortunately, is at present under the management of
trustees, and there is no work of any kind carrying on.
The fisheries here, from the same cause as the other, is
merely a name. The island of Lewis, fortunately, is
in the hands of a benevolent proprietor, who has keen
improving the country since it came into his possession,
and is at present employing many people at making of
roads, building piers and storehouses, bringing in waste
land, and various other things, and is keeping the island
in a supply of meal, so that there is no fear of want.
At the same time the people in some parts of the island,
especially in the parish of Uig, are badly off, their po-
tato and barley crops having failed. The fisheries in
Lewis are carried on in a different and more successful
manner than in any part of the Long Island. The
curers generally furnish the fishermen with boats and
fishing materials. The boats being paid in three years,
and the fishing materials at the end of the season, the
consequence is the take is yearly improving. I hope
these facts will be the means of calling forth the sym-
pathies of the people in the low country in behalf of the
received
it vh eadt
anypo o r
assistanceinhabitants
given
iovfe then
them
Longem
I,_lsland,be
and
am
thankfully sure
and gratefully remembered."—lnverness Courier.