Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-15
Glle SkYa GrOllcrs.

The news of land question in Skye may
possibly have surprised some people whose
notion of that island is derived vaguely from
Mr.. Blacks novels and Sir Walter SCOTS
poems. TIose, however, who know some
thing of the north of Scotland are aware that
the troubles of the crofters are no new matter,
and that Skye is perhaps the centre of them
Every one has heard of the great clealances
which took place in Scotland in the
latter part of the last century and the begin
ming OF this. What emptied the Highlands
was the great sheep farms, which in their
day and way were supposed to he national
benefit. 1t was owing to them however
that the lower slopes of the mountains were
dcnuded of wood, and that an end was put
to the system resembling that OF the Sean
dnavian soctcr-by which the small tenants
in the valleys drove their cattle annually to
the hill pastures. II sheep have in some cases
given place to deer, this is a kind OF ven
geance on the sheep, though the Old compan-
ions and hunters OF the deer the men Of the
days which Duncan Baw Mcintyre sang and
saw Tie last Of have not come back with the
restored eXiles There have remained, how
ever, Il considerable number of crIitcrs or
small tenants in the Highlands and islands,
aud things have for many a day not been
much better with these than with their Irish
relations who speak Ersc instead Of Gaelic.
The first blow to thcm-at least to those of
then: who, as most do, dwell near the sea shore
was the failure of the kelp trade; the sec
ond, the potato famine, which struck the
west of Scotland quite rs hard AS it struck
Ireland IF.
The peasantry who live in this unchcorinl
land cannot he said to make up for the lack
| of exterior ChCcrfulness by their interiors.
A skye hovel, especially one of the genuine
kind, which, as II rule, lies away from the
main roads, is a marvellous place. 1t is said
that Il doctor not long come to the place
| wondered at the recurrence at the same time
of the year of certain kind of low fever.
| lie investigated the outlaying hamlets aud
discovered that il was practice not merely
to stable all cattle in one side of the undivl.
vidcd cabin, but to keep the stable I'M
cleanscd for the whole year, and then tC
unroof the thatch, thoroughly impregnatcd
by that time with the volatile matter, and
use the whole as manure. We cannot, OF
course, vouch for the truth of this horrible
story, but 1t has good authority. Round this
sweet home the peasant has few sour field,
for pasture, potatoes, and perhaps Il little
grain, which, however, is rare in Skye
Manufactures there are none, except that OF
the famous Taleskir distllery There is moi
much tishing-the chief resource OF the othel
great IIebrdean island, the Lcwis-and it is
not very clear why there is not more. Thi,
is not cheerful state of things, and pellap,
discomfort is not to be wondered at. Tn,
conflict has arisen out of the withdrawal.bl
Lord Macdonald of his tenants rights of fire.,
pasture over Ben Lea, without any diminu
tion of rent corresponding TO the value Of tn,
privilege now refused to them. This priva
ton coming upon previous suffering, Ia
been too much for the patience of the island
ers. Probably their revolt is the beginning
of land reform,