Description:Young begins his report on Sutherlandshire by acknowledging his prejudices ‘not only against that part of Scotland, but also against the Noble Marquess’, resulting from reports of the Clearances which had appeared in the English press.
However, Young describes how his visit to Sutherland had changed his perception, and he writes of ‘the great advantages which these changes have produced on the appearance of the country and the comfort and civilization of its inhabitants’.
Young describes the destitution of inhabitants who remained in the hills. He compares their ‘wretchedness’ with the lives of tenants who had been removed to the coast who were living ‘in neat and comfortable cottages’. He notes that over two thousand people were employed in the fishing industry at Helmsdale, reflecting ‘the beneficial effects of the changes’.