Villages. cur to make the harbour safe in all winds, affords the means of vessels getting in and out in all winds; but this proceeds from the entry into the harbour lying nearly at a right angle with the direction into and out of the bay. It is also a great advantage that there is a good flow of tide, which at spring tides is said to be twenty feet, and there is at the lowest ebb several feet of water at low water between the proposed pier-head; so that there will be seldom less at neap tides than 16 or 17 feet of water in the harbour, which is capable of receiving vessels from 300 to 400 tons, according as they are more flat or more sharp built, and which afterwards can, upon a greater flow of tide, be got into a more advantageous birth. Another advantage to the executing the proposed design arises from a great quantity of rough rocks that lie at the northwesterly point of the bay, very proper for building the outsides of the body of the pier, the inside of which may be done with rough stones, won or blasted from the rocks neighbouring to that upon which the pier is proposed to be built. By this means the pier may be executed at a trifling expence in proportion to the extent and utility of the design; for the rocks that are represented within the intended pier will be removed and made smooth, so as to procure an addition of harbour room at little or no charge, as they will be used within the pier. When this is done, there will be an addition of harbour room in the space between the elbow before mentioned and the pier-heads capable of holding thirty ships of middling size, with sufficient passage; and which in time of war will be very useful on this coast, not only for the refuge of coasters from the enemy, but in bad weather for privateers, and the smaller-sized vessels acting offensively."

The smuggling trade formerly carried on at this port has for many years totally ceased. It was remarked, and the

observation is not unimportant, that not one of the per- Villages. sons engaged in this illicit traffic died rich; and by far the greater number of them became bankrupt in succes

sion.

By opening a corn trade here, the port of Eyemouth has been productive of many advantages to the farmers of the Merse. Several dealers in grain soon settled here. Thus the farmers are less exposed to a combination of corn-dealers in Berwick or Dunbar, the only ports formerly in use.

The merchants here soon became numerous and respectable. Besides the corn, they opened an importation trade to the Baltic for timber, iròn, pitch, and tar; all sorts of heavy goods were as readily got here as at Berwick. Corn and meal have been shipped here for Leith and other markets to the extent of 20,000 bolls annually, and in some years more than double that quantity,

Merchants here, as farmers, made a great reform in the old husbandry; neat hedges were raised, fields of turnip sown; grass and the best practices in agriculture were to be seen; and the baneful trade of smuggling is long since laid totally aside.

Though in some of the country villages there is a Markets, sort of weekly market, there is none for the general accommodation of the country deserving that name except at Dunse, which has a regular weekly market, held every Wednesday, at which a great concourse of country people generally attend for the dispatch of business, as well as to provide themselves with every accommodation of life.

We have already stated, that the payment of a large proportion of the rent of this county must depend upon its cattle. Hence the fairs of the county become of considerable importance, and are usually well attended. The VOL. II.

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Commerce, breeders of cattle and sheep, who have a proportion of &c. their stock annually ready for sale at stated seasons, are

known to the graziers of the county and the dealers from England, who go to their houses to make purchases; but the graziers attend all the fairs in the hope of making good bargains. It is supposed, however, that in general these exist more in expectation than reality, though they are sometimes obtained when the seller happens to be in Fairs. want of grass or in want of money. The first fair in the season for cattle is held at Greenlaw on the 22d day of May; but at it there is only what is called a poor show of milk cows, and a few oxen or young stiers, which are purchased by the graziers. The next fair, which is better attended, is held at Dunse upon the first Thursday of June. To it the graziers resort, finding a better choice of cattle. The sheep offered for sale at this fair are not in great numbers, and are chiefly of the Lammermoor breed, hogs or wedders. The cattle that are fit to travel are bought up by the English dealers; and the heavy kind that are fat are bought up for the Morpeth market. Swinton fair, the third Thursday of June, is like that of Greenlaw, and not considerable. Earlston, held the 29th of June, is a good market for cattle; at it are sold to the English dealers a number of the highest and best conditioned cattle, and a number of young cows in good order for feeding off in the season. Dunse August fair, held the 26th of that month, is the most considerable in the county; at it and in the country, two or three days previous to the fair, a number of good cattle are bought up for driving to the markets in Suffolk, &c. There are fairs also at Swinton, Greenlaw, Earlston, and Dunse, in October and November; but these are inconsiderable; and the fairs at Lauder, Churnside, Foulden, and other places, in summer, are of the same kind. Formerly

&c.

Dunse November fair used to be a great market for marts; Commerce, that is, fat cattle of a small size sold to farmers, trades people, &c. for salting for winter use; but the practice of killing marts, now that good beef is to be had all the winter through, is generally given up. At all these fairs the business of the day is finished with the horse market, which commences about twelve o'clock noon, and ends in the evening more like a scene of gambling and riot than fair-dealing.

Besides these fairs, the graziers, breeders, and dealers of this county, attend the great markets periodically held at different places in the counties of Northumberland and Roxburgh. Grain is also sold froth this county by sample at the Dunse markets every Wednesday, at Kelso on Friday, and at Berwick on Saturday. The grain sold at Dunbar is also sold by sample; but that sent to Haddington and Dalkeith is conveyed in bulk in sacks containing a boll éach. The sacks are returned with the money. These last are justly held to be the best markets; but they are not within reach of the greatest part of the county. These long carriages of the grain before it reach the market is a considerable drawback on the corn farms in the county. It requires two days work of a cart with two horses to carry four bolls of wheat or five bolls of barley from near the west end of the county to the markets of Berwick or Eyemouth. Sometimes they take coals in return the second day, which is a saving. These carriages were distressing formerly when all the grain was carried on horseback. They are still distressing on account of the deepness of a few of the cross roads; and in comparing the rent of land in this county with that of other counties in Scotland near the markets and near manure, the extraordinary long carriages of this county, added to the badness of some of the roads, is not overlooked as being inconsiderable.

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Commerce, &c.

There are two paper mills in the county on a great scale; both carry on a brisk trade; several manufactures Paper mills of woollen cloth on a small scale, and mostly for home

Lint mills.

consumption; two considerable bleachfields; and a number of weavers, who are mostly employed by the Edinburgh and other manufacturers, who send to them lint, and receive yarn, green or white cloth. There are several breweries for home consumption. There are a number of mills in the county, where a brisk trade of manufactu→ ring grain into flour and hulled barley is carried on; but few of the millers become rich, and the erecting of mills has not been a good concern to the proprietors.

There are two lint-mills in the county pretty well employed; but the lint sent to them by any one person is in such small quantities as to make the dressing and keeping together the different parcels very troublesome. There is a considerable bleachfield at Dunse; but in general, this county has been found still more unfavourable to manufactures than any part of the Lothians, chiefly, it is believed, on account of the great distance from coal, and also, during a long period, on account of the badness of the roads.

There are no overgrown estates in this county. They extend from L. 500 to L 5000 per annum. There are many below the former, but few above the latter sum. Many gentlemen reside upon their estates during the whole year; but a considerable number retire to Edinburgh during winter. This county abounds with beautiful villas; but they are of such a kind as to afford few or no materials for description. In consequence of the moderateness of the fortunes of the proprietors, the houses do not consist of those princely palaces which excite the admiration of the traveller: they are rather handsome and commodious dwellings, which adorn in a great de