IN SCOTLAND.

197

are large, can afford to pay a much higher rent to the proprie-tor, than he could pay in England for land of the same qua-lity ; because his improvements and mode of cropping arenot checked by the tithe-owner, and because, by the lengthand security of his lease, he is protected against oppressionfrom the proprietor. In many districts of Scotland , there isa great competition for farms, when the current leases are a-bout to expire, more especially if the land is in good condition;and even where it is of indifferent quality, or in bad order, thefarmer, from the hope of raising an increased produce by the im-provement of the farm in the course of a long lease, frequent-ly agrees to give a higher rent, than he could afford to payduring the first five ov six years, if he expected even a smallprofit in the beginning, instead of a considerable addition tohis capital towards the end of his lease.

The whole land-rent of Scotland , twenty years ago, did notexceed two millions of pounds Sterling. It is now nearlyfive millions 5 and as leases expire, the rent is increasing at therate of from L. 100,000 to L. 200,000 per annum, partlyowing to the gradual depreciation of money, but chiefly to theimprovements that have been executed during the currency ofdie old lease, and to such as are meditated under the security°f the new one. Its rental, therefore, in 1812, may be estima-ted at about 29 shillings per Scots acre, of all its arable land.In a few years it will be at least 6 millions, or 24 shillings forevery English acre that is arable. But it must not be sup-posed, that the arable land, by itself, would yield this rent, asthere are above three acres of uncultivated land for everyarable acre, and the amount of rent includes the whole. Be-sides, this is the gross rental, from which there must be madeconsiderable deductions,—for public burdens,—for buildings,and repairs,—and for the expenceof those improvements whichare partly by agreement defrayed by the landed proprietor.But these deductions will not increase in proportion to theadvance of rent; as farm-houses and other buildings are nowmore durable than they were formerly. In the Appendix , a