The Government has appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into
the condition of the " Crofters," or small tenants, in the Highlands and the Hebridean Islands, especially Harris, Skye, and Lewis. Something like famine is approaching there. The crofters, always too numerous for the poor soil, have gradually been deprived of their common, pasturages„ which fetch more rent when thrown into the sheep farms and sporting " forests ;" they have suffered from bad erops, like their neigh- bours, and their income from work other than agriculture has been reduced in ways not quite understood. They are, therefore, in a most miserable condition. Mr. Cameron, on Tuesday, called the attentima of Government to the facts, and recommended that the Board of Supervision should be authorised • to grant ontsiloor relief in exceas of • its legal powers. The Government promised watchfulness, and it would be easy to raise a great subscription for the High. lands, but tha proprietors should help largely.
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