OF SCOTLAND.

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coal, that article, when used, being imported from the south-ern counties.

Although coal is not found, at least worth working, inany part of the kingdom to the north of the river Eden inEifeshire, (with the exception of the coal-mine recentlyworked, in the county of Sutherland), yet all the northerncounties are regularly supplied, by importation from theFrith of Forth, and the north of England; coal being car-ried up the Tay, to Perth and Dundee, and indeed to all theports around the shore, to the most northerly point of thekingdom. Along the western coasts of Argyle, Inverness ,Ross and Sutherland, with the Hebrides , wherever the inha-bitants use coal, they are generally supplied from the Clydeand the sea-ports of Ayrshire. But although a very con-siderable quantity of coal is imported into all those northerncounties, the consumption is chiefly confined to the towns,and to people of property along the shore; for, exceptingfarm-servants in some of the well cultivated counties alongthe east coast, the great body of labourers generally use peatas their fuel. Indeed in all the upland districts, and interiorHighlands , nothing else is ever thought of, at least, in thesesituations, the substitutes are but few and indifferent.

As coal, however, wherever it can be procured, is gene-rally found cheaper as fuel, than peat, the consumption of itis gradually increasing throughout the Highlands , as well asin the moorland districts of the southern counties, accordingto the advancement of road-making, and other internal im-provements in the respective districts of the country.

It must be admitted at the same time, that in too manyinstances, farmers are still to be found who, instead of pur-chasing coal, spend the summer months in digging anddriving peat, when they might be much better employed, incleaning their turnips and summer fallow, although their dis-tance from coal should be considerable. For the remarkmade by Dr Keith in the Aberdeenshire Survey, is too ap-plicable to many farmers in other districts, namely, to save