The Sun.
London, England, 1835-02-03 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

The Appendix contains a return by the King's Remem-
brancer in Scotland, of all feu duties, teind duties, and rents
payable to the Crown in Scotland, with the exception of those
belonging to the Crown in Orkney, with regard to which
there is a report by Mr. Thomas Graham, Chamberlain of the
Crown estates. There is also a return showing the amount
received on account of the several branches of the Crown re-
venue in Scotland, from the accession of his present Majesty to
the term of Whitsunday 1833, and the appropriation thereof.
Your committee have had more particularly under their
consideration the state of the Crown property in Orkney, and
have examined on this subject Mr. Milne, the Secretary to
the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, and Mr. Maeken,
zie, who acts as solicitor for this Board in Scotland. The.y
have also put queries in writing to Mr. Maconochio.,
Depute of Orkney, which, together with his answer-
-, will be
found in the minutes of evidence.

The two first-mentioned cyneltemen
.
ledge of the country, 410 hu vinti no local know-
onlyhu, '
since last yoar, were alO- nad charge of this estate
the amount of the re' e to
give little information beyond
it arises, the o. -A
..‘, the description of property from which
public burdens, and the expense of manage-
ment.. The gross rent is stated to be about 1,5001., of which
about 800/. arise from feu and teind duties, payable in kind,
and the remainder from lands. The public burdens are
1951. 14s. 2d., and the expense of management is between
500/. and 600/. The surplus or free revenue would amount
to between 8001. and 900/.

The Sheriff-Depute states that he has held that situation
for upwards of 12 years, and has endeavoured to make himself
acquainted with the Crown estate in the Sheriffdom : the re-
sult of his inquiry is a decided opinion that it is not for the in-
terest of the Crown to retain a property so remote, so scat-
tered, and so expensively managed as this estate in Orkney ;
and he conceives it would be better to sell it now than to at-
tempt any course of improvement, or to delay the sale until
the commons and runridge lands have been divided, and the
questions of disputed right adjusted. His reasons for this
opinion will be found in the minutes of evidence ; and looking
to the situation which this gentleman holds as Sheriff-Depute
of the county, and to the means which he has bad of forming a
correct judgment, your committee are disposed to acquiesce in
his conclusions.

It appears to your committee that immediate steps should
therefore be taken to ascertain the value of the property, and
the best mode of bringing it to sale ; and as soon as an ade-
quate price can be obtained, that it should be sold under the
authority of the Act of Parliament which enables the Com-
missioners of Woods and Forests to dispose of property simi.
larly situated ; and your committee recommend, for the rea
sons assigned by him, that legal proceedings at the instance
of the Crown, for the division of commons and runridge lands
in Orkney, should be suspended until it shall be ascertained
whether the value of the property will be increased by such
proceedings in an amount equal to the expense to bo incurred.