herland estate was in 1806.
The great change was made in 1811-12, and completed in 1819-20.

The Sutherland estates are in the most northern portion of Scotland. The
distance of this district from the more advanced parts of the kingdom,
the total want of roads, the unfrequent communication by sea, and the
want of towns, made it necessary to adopt a different course in regard
to the location of the Sutherland population from that which
circumstances had provided in other parts of Scotland, where they had
been removed from the bleak and uncultivable mountains. They had lots
given them near the sea, or in more fertile spots, where, by labor and
industry, they might maintain themselves. They had two years allowed
them for preparing for the change, without payment of rent. Timber for
their houses was given, and many other facilities for assisting their
change.

The general agent of the Sutherland estate is Mr. Loch. In a speech of
this gentleman in the House of Commons, on the second reading of the
Scotch poor-law bill, June 12, 1845, he states the following fact with
regard to the management of the Sutherland estate during this period,
from 1811 to 1833, which certainly can speak for itself: "I can state as
from fact that, from 1811 to 1833, not one sixpence of rent has been
received from that county, but, on the contrary, there has been sent
there, for the benefit and improvement of the people, a sum exceeding
sixty thousand pounds."

Mr. Loch goes on in the same speech to say, "There is no set of people
more industrious than the people of Sutherland. Thirty years since they
were engaged in illegal distillation to a very great extent; at the
present moment there is not, I believe, an illegal still in the county.
Their morals have improved as those habits have been abandoned; and they
have added many hundreds, I believe thousands, of acres to the land in
cultivation since they were placed upon the shore.

"Previous to that change to which I have referred, they exported very
few cattle, and hardly any thing else. They were, also, every now and
then, exposed to all the difficulties of extreme famine. In the years
1812-13, and 1816-17, so great was the misery that it was necessary to
send down oatmeal for their supply to the amount of nine thousand
pounds, and that was given to the people. But, since industrious habits
were introduced, and they were settled within reach of fishing, no such
calamity has overtaken them. Thei