he interior was
generally executed with a rude kind of spade, and there was not a gig in
the county. In 1845 there were one thousand one hundred and thirty carts
owned on the estate, and seven hundred and eight ploughs, also forty-one
gigs.

Before 1812 there was no baker, and only two shops. In 1845 there were
eight bakers and forty-six grocer's shops, in nearly all of which shoe
blacking was sold to some extent, an unmistakable evidence of advancing
civilization.

In 1808 the cultivation of the coast side of Sutherland was so defective
that it was necessary often, in a fall of snow, to cut down the young
Scotch firs to feed the cattle on; and in 1808 hay had to be imported.
_Now_ the coast side of Sutherland exhibits an extensive district of
land cultivated according to the best principles of modern agriculture;
several thousand acres have been added to the arable land by these
improvements.

Before 1811 there were no woodlands of any extent on the estate, and
timber had to be obtained from a distance. Since that time many
thousand acres of woodland have been planted, the thinnings of which,
being sold to the people at a moderate rate, have greatly increased
their comfort and improved their domestic arrangements.

Before 1811 there were only two blacksmiths in the county. In 1845 there
were forty-two blacksmiths and sixty-three carpenters. Before 1829 the
exports of the county consisted of black cattle of an inferior
description, pickled salmon, and some ponies; but these were precarious
sources of profit, as many died in winter for want of food; for example,
in the spring of 1807 two hundred cows, five hundred cattle, and more
than two hundred ponies died in the parish of Kildonan alone. Since that
time the measures pursued by the Duke of Sutherland, in introducing
improved breeds of cattle, pigs, and modes of agriculture, have produced
results in exports which tell their own story. About forty thousand
sheep and one hundred and eighty thousand fleeces of wool are exported
annually; also fifty thousand barrels of herring.

The whole fishing village of Helmsdale has been built since that time.
It now contains from thirteen to fifteen curing yards covered with
slate, and several streets with houses similarly built. The herring
fishery, which has been mentioned as so productive, has been established
since the change, and affords employment to three thousand nine hundred
people.

Since 1811, also, a savings bank