t to the Egyptian
expedition. But he rendered more peaceful services to his country. He
formed new farms; he enclosed several thousand acres; as head of the
'British Wool Society,' he introduced the Cheviots or 'long sheep' to
the North--an improvement which is said to have doubled the rents of
many estates; he introduced agricultural shows; he persuaded government
in 1801 to devote the proceeds of the confiscated estates of Jacobites
to the improvement of Scottish communications; he helped to introduce
fisheries and even manufactures; and was a main agent in the change
which made Caithness one of the most rapidly improving parts of the
country. His son assures us that he took every means to obviate the
incidental evils which have been the pretexts of denunciators of similar
improvements. Sinclair gained a certain reputation by a _History of the
Revenue_ (1785-90), and, like Malthus, travelled on the Continent to
improve his knowledge. His first book finished, he began the great
statistical work by which he is best remembered. He is said to have
introduced into English the name of 'statistics,' for the researches of
which all economical writers were beginning to feel the necessity. He
certainly did much to introduce the reality. Sinclair circulated a
number of queries (upon 'natural history,' 'population,' 'productions,'
and 'miscellaneous' informations) to every parish minister in Scotland.
He surmounted various jealousies naturally excited, and the ultimate
result was the _Statistical Account of Scotland_, which appeared in
twenty-one volumes between 1791 and 1799.[65] It gives an account of
every parish in Scotland, and was of great value as supplying a basis
for all social investigations. Sinclair bore the expense, and gave the
profits to the 'Sons of the Clergy.' In 1793 Sinclair, who had been in
parliament since 1780, made himself useful to Pitt in connection with
the issue of exchequer bills to meet the commercial crisis. He begged in
return for the foundation of a Board of Agriculture. He became the
president and Arthur Young the secretary;[66] and the board represented
their common aspirations. It was a rather anomalous body, something
between a government office and such an institution as the Royal
Society; and was supported by an annual grant of L3000. The first aim of
the board was to produce a statistical account of England on the plan of
the Scottish account. The English clergy, however, were suspicious; the