THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, FOR OCTOBER 1797; With a View of CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE, from the South-weft*. A view of this caftle from the fouth, was given in our Magazine for October 1794, to which we refer our readers for the defeription. State of the BAROMETER in inchs, and decimals, and of Farenheit's Ther. MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from October ift to 31ft, within one mile of the Caftle of Edinburgh. ACCOUNT OF THE FARMERS IN MID-LOTHIAN. From a General View of the Agriculture of the County of Mid-Lothian, by G. Robertfon at Granton, near Edinburgh. THE HE most important clafs of cultivators are of the original flock of farmers; thofe who have inherited the profeffion from their fathers, and who have never been in any other line of life. Thefe, in all countries, form the great body of the husbandmen; and it is chiefly. from their profeffional character that the state of agriculture may be judged of. In this county, about 3-4ths of the whole farmers are of this clafs; and whatever truth there may be in general in what fpeculative and fpecious writers on agriculture frequent ly alledge about the ignorance or obtinacy of common farmers, as regulating their conduct entirely from the practice of their forefathers, it does not apply at this time to them, as they do not appear to have omitted any requifite exertion to bring the knowledge of their bufinefs as faft forward as to keep pace at leaft with the other arts and fciences, which in this age and nation have fo rapidly advanced. mix, at an early period of life, in fociety, and hence acquire fooner the habit of tranfacting bufinefs with cafe and with accuracy. They have likewife the advantage, from being in the vicinity of the town, of reading the works of the most celebrated authors, from the many extenfivé libraries in circulation; and, in particular, (principally from that circumftance) the writings on agriculture are very generally known; even newspapers are had here on more eafy terms than at a greater diftance, and when people have a turn for fuch amufements, the knowledge they hence derive is confiderable. They do not, however, confine themselves merely to reading the theories of writers on hufbandry, which are often fpeculative and vi fionary; but very frequently make excurfions in perfon to the neighbour. ing counties, where there is any probability of feeing improvement, or of gaining information. Very few of them but have explored, at various times, one, or all of thofe various extenfive fields of spirited husbandry, Eaft Lothian, the Merfe, and Northumberland; Stirlingshire, the Carfé of Gowrie, and Angus; and many of them have travelled to the more diftant counties in England, in the view of obtaining more accurate in telligence of the various fyftems of husbandry as there practifed. The Hh 2 Their fituation, in this county, is indeed favourable to improvement. In the near neighbourhood of a great town, they may have opportunities of acquiring knowledge, which thofe at a distance cannot. The facility with which they may in their younger days acquire a liberal education is obvious, and they are not negligent of that advantage. They alfo ' valuable valuable county reports, published by the Board of Agriculture, will greatly tend to promote fuch ufeful excurfions. <As an occafional occurrence of a musement ferves, however, to re-animate the fpirits, and to ftimulate ftrongly to further exertion, fo the Mid Lothian farmers, though little converfant in the laws of the cockpit or of the turf, enjoy however a fruitful fource of entertainment in the pleasures of that focial family intercourfe which they very generally keep up among themfelves. It is al fo from thefe frequent communications with one another, that many of the best improvements have been fuggefted, and thus, in the very hours of their relaxation, the interests of their profeffion are attended to; for farmers here feldom meet together, but in the view to difcufs fome fa. vourite plan of operations, or to make remarks on the various fyftems practifed in their neighbourhood. With regard to the manner of life in the domeftic fituation of this body of men, it is not eafy to be defined by any precife general terms. It feems, indeed, as if it were depen dent, in fome degree, on the ftate of the cultivation, of the foil, and temperature of the climate; which are not more different in the low and fertile parts of the county, from thofe that are high, cold, and unim proved, than are the manners and habits of life of the refpective hufbandmen in thefe different fituations; The moorland farmers, as if in con, formity to the foil, which has under. gone very little melioration, and to the climate, which is naturally fevere, feem ftill to retain a strong cast of the manners of their forefathers, and to live and toil under the fame uncomfortable circumftances. Their houfes are damp, smoaky, and diminutive: their fare fimple and limited: their labours hard, and even oppreffive; yet they alfo have their days of relaxation, and times of entertainment, and in which they fhew no little eagerness to indulge. Thus, their propenfity to ftroll the fairs and markets is remarkable; and in their marriages there is a difplay of feftivity that is almost boundless*. Even their funerals are conducted fyftematically, on a pompous and oftentatious plan. But thefe were the customs of ancient times, and whatever is of ancient origin, is with them venerable. Even religion itself, which in other places has altered its exterior form, is ftill retained by them in all the aufterity of the days of Oliver Cromwell and the covenant. With all these peculiarities, they are a careful and induftrious people. In the lefs important branches of hufbandry, they are outdone by none. In the making of butter and cheefe, rearing of calves, growing and dresfing of lint, and fuch fmaller matters, they are truly exemplary; though it must be observed, that these things are more properly in the female department; and, in fact, it is to the gude wives chiefly, that the character of induftry is applicable. It is wonderful to find fuch a profufion of webs of sheeting, blankets, and all forts of clothing, as they have hoarded by them; young farmer, although his whole fortune fhould not exceed rool. in value, will have so people on horfeback at his wedding, accompanying him from the bride's houfe to his own, perhaps 10 miles diftant, at full gallop. This they call kiding the bruize t, probably from the many bruifes by falls, thereby occafioned. If Mr R. has, we apprehend, mistaken the meaning of the word bruixe, which, in this infance, means nothing more than the broos, or broths, prefented to the perfon who first arrives at the houfe of the bridegroom. The riding of the broos, is contested as a point of honour, not by the whole company, but by a few perfons, commonly an equal number of the friends of the bride and bridegrooms ED.] |