e, and prevailed on them
to wait till Mr. Sellar came. On his arrival I told him of the poor
old woman being in a condition unfit for removal. He replied, 'Damn
her, the old witch, she has lived too long; let her burn.' Fire was
immediately set to the house, and the blankets in which she was
carried were in flames before she could be got out. She was placed
in a little shed, and it was with great difficulty they were
prevented from firing that also. The old woman's daughter arrived
while the house was on fire, and assisted the neighbors in removing
her mother out of the flames and smoke, presenting a picture of
horror which I shall never forget, but cannot attempt to describe.
She died within five days."

With regard to this story Mr. Loch, the agent, says, "I must notice the
only thing like a fact stated in the newspaper extract which you sent to
me, wherein Mr. Sellar is accused of acts of cruelty towards some of the
people. This Mr. Sellar tested, by bringing an action against the then
sheriff substitute of the county. He obtained a verdict for heavy
damages. The sheriff, by whom, the slander was propagated, left the
county. Both are since dead."

Having, through Lord Shaftesbury's kindness, received the benefit of Mr.
Loch's corrections to this statement, I am permitted to make a little
further extract from his reply. He says,--

"In addition to what I was able to say in my former paper, I can now
state that the Duke of Sutherland has received, from, one of the most
determined opposers of the measure, who travelled to the north of
Scotland as editor of a newspaper, a letter regretting all he had
written on the subject, being convinced that he was entirely
misinformed. As you take so much interest in the subject, I will
conclude by saying that nothing could exceed the prosperity of the
county during the past year; their stock, sheep, and other things sold
at high prices; their crops of grain and turnips were never so good, and
the potatoes were free from all disease; rents have been paid better
than was ever known. * * * As an instance of the improved habits of the
farmers, no house is now built for them that they do not require a hot
bath and water closets."

From this long epitome you can gather the following results; first, if
the system were a bad one, the Duchess of Sutherland had nothing to do
with it, since it was first introduced in 1806, the same yea