ORIGIN OF THE UNDERTAKING. S

political author has recently declared, “ that the very valuableaccounts collected in it, will ever remain an extraordinarymonument of the learning, good sense, and general informa-tion of the clergy of Scotland .” He adds, “ that it exhibits abetter picture of the internal state of a country, than has yetbeen presented to the world With such a basis, the ex-periment of the proposed plan of “ A General Report, maybe tried, in regard to Scotland, with peculiar advantage. Par-liament will thence be enabled to judge, whether it should beextended farther, and in what respects the system may beimproved.

In order to draw up this General Report of Scotland withaccuracy, a number of well-informed individuals have been se-lected, to each of whom, one, or at the utmost two, or three,important heads or chapters, and sometimes only a particularsection of peculiar importance, have been intrusted. So va-rious are the points, either directly or indirectly, connectedwith the political economy, or the agricultural interests andimprovement of a country, that no single individual, nor eventwo or three individuals, can he competent to the task, of com-pleting so great a work, in the manner in which it ought to beexecuted. A good corn farmer, for instance, may be unac-quainted with the best mode of managing grass lands; and aperson perfectly conversant in the management of live stock,may be unable to give a proper description of the implementsof husbandry, or of the buildings necessary for a former.Different persons, therefore, were selected, conversant witheach department; and they were severally furnished, withthe information contained in the County Reports, connect-ed with each particular head, and with such other publica-tions, as might enable them, with the aid of their own per-sonal observation and experience, to prepare the portions ofthe work they had respectively undertaken. In order to ren-der the whole as complete as possible, the portions thus pre-

Malthus on Population, 1st edit. 1803, p, 13 and 14, note.