TALES AND ANECDOTES OF THE

PASTORAL LIFE.

England, where it is not customary recently published. It is written with for the mercantile banks to allow in- so much ability, and with such an terest even upon the largest deposites. appearance of precision and of close If associations of this kind, in that reasoning, that those who take a deep country, should therefore comprise a interest in so promising an institution, large proportion of men of informa cannot fail to be astonished, as well tion, and the number of their mem- as somewhat alarmed, at the extraorbers be consequently very limited, dinary opinion of its author, when, they may certainly find their account after a very imperfect, though an imin managing their own affairs; but posing view of their probable utility, the character of such societies has he comes to this conclusion, that, but a very slight affinity with that of “ taken by themselves, it is at least Saving Banks.

a doubt whether Saving Banks * may Having been led to notice the re- not produce as great a quantity of evil markable difference in the conduct of as good."

Hi. English and Scottish banks, in regard 20th February, 1817. to the advantage they allow to depositors, I cannot avoid observing, that the practice of the latter, in pay. ing interest on deposites of so small an amount as £10, has materially con

No I. tributed to diffuse among the lower MR EDITOR, orders of this country, that abstinence Last autumn, while I was staying and foresight by which they are so a few weeks with my friend Mr favourably distinguished from the Grumple, minister of the extensive same class in England. The desire of and celebrated parish of Woolenhorn, accumulating a little capital is never, an incident occurred which hath af. except among the very worst paid forded me a great deal of amusement; labourers, or such as have large fami- and as I think it may divert some of lies, repressed in this country, by the your readers, I shall, without further difficulty of finding for it a secure and preface, begin the relation. profitable depository. Partly to this We had just finished a wearisome circumstance, perhaps, though it has debate on the rights of teind, and the been generally overlooked, it may be claims which every clergyman of the owing that so many Scotsmen have established church of Scotland has for been enabled to rise from the class of labourers; and, by habits of applica- It is a curious circumstance, that an tion and economy, which are very appropriate term for those banks should generally combined, establish them- still be wanting. “Saving Banks,” though selves in a few years in the learned the most common appellation by which they professions, or arrive at independence Edinburgh reviewers long since found fault

are known, seems to please nobody. Tho through the more lucrative pursuits with it as it was then printed. The writer of commerce. In England, on the of the article referred to in the text tells us, contrary, there is no such facility to that some adjunct is wanted to distinguish the secure and profitable investment this from other species of banks, and no of small savings: monied men,-at good one has yet been found. He rejects least bankers, the most convenient and

** Provident Institution,” and “ Frugality accessible of this description,-pay no

Bank,” equally with “ Saving Bank;"

and thinks that “ Poor's Bank,” would be interest; and landed proprietors cannot always be safe depositories, while Duncan gave the Ruthwell Institution the

the best, if it were not humiliating. Mr the laws of England protect their ample title of the " Parish Bank Friendly estates from the just demands of their Society of Ruthwell." The Quarterly recreditors.

viewers will not consent to this, and proOn a future occasion I may proba« pose the term “ Friendly Bank," with the bly offer you some remarks on the name of the place prefixed. But the Edinmoral effects to be looked for from the burgh and other banks, in which the depointroduction and increase of Saving interfere in the management, are not very

sitors are strangers to each other, and do not Banks, when I shall venture to examine what I think is a most injudicious, unless it be understood to apply to the man.

aptly designated by this latest invention, and by no means impartial, article on

agers exclusively. Be so good as insert this this subject, in the Part of the Supple- note for the purpose of exercising the inment to the Encyclopædia Britannica genuity of your readers.

Hi.

66

11

a grass glebe; the china cups were by day, and they could not understand already arranged, and the savoury tea- why they should be driven from the pot stood basking on the ledge of the parlour, or how they had not as good grate, when the servant-maid entered, a right to be there as he. Of course, and told Mr Grumple that there was neither threats nor blows could make one at the door who wanted him. them leave him ; and it being a scene

We immediately heard a debate in of life quite new to me, and of which the passage, the parson pressing his I was resolved to profit as much as guest to come ben, which the other possible, at my intercession matters stoutly resisted, declaring aloud that were made up, and the two canine "it was a' nonsense thegither, for he associates were suffered to remain was eneuch to fley a' the grand folk where they were. They were soon out o' the room, an' set the kivering seated, one on each side of their maso the floor a-swoomin.” The parlour ter, clinging fondly to his feet, and door was however thrown open, and, licking the wet from his dripping to my astonishment, the first guests trowsers. who presented themselves were two Having observed that, when the strong honest-looking colleys, or shep. shepherd entered, he had begun to herd's dogs, that came bouncing and speak with great zest about the sport capering into the room, with a great they had in killing the salmon, i deal of seeming satisfaction. Their again brought on the subject, and master was shortly after ushered in. made him describe the diversion to He was a tall athletic figure, with a me." O man!” said he, and then black beard, and dark raven hair hang- indulged in a hearty laugh—(man ing over his brow; wore clouted shoes, was always the term he used in adshod with iron, and faced up with dressing either of ussir seemed to copper; and there was altogether be no word in his vocabulary)—“O something in his appearance the most man, I wish ye had been there ! I'll homely and uncouth of any exterior I lay a plack ye wad hae said ye never had ever seen.

saw sic sport sin' ever ye war born. “ This,” said the minister, “is We gat twall fish a'thegither the-day, Peter Plash, a parishioner of mine, an' sair broostals we had wi' some oʻ who has brought me in an excellent them; but a' was naething to the salmon, and wants a good office at my killin o that ane at Pool-Midnight. hand, he says, in return.”—“The bít Geordie Otterson, Mathew Ford, an' fish is naething, man,” said Peter, me, war a' owre the lugs after him. sleeking down the hair on his brow; But ye's hear :- When I cam on to “I wish he had been better for your the craigs at the weil o' Pool-Midsake-but gin ye had seen the sport night, the sun was shinin bright, the that we had wi' him at Pool-Midnight, wind was lown, an wi' the pirl* yewad hae leughen till ye had burstit." being away, the pool was as clear as Here the shepherd, observing his two crystal. I soon saw by the bells dogs seated comfortably on the hearth- coming up, that there was a fish in rug, and deeming it an instance of the auld hauld; an' I keeks an' I high presumption and very bad man- glimes about, till, faith! I sees his ners, broke out with "Ay, White- blue murt fin. My teeth were a' wa. foot, lad ! an' ye're for being a gentle terin to be in him, but I kend the man too! My certy, man, but ye’re shank o' my wastert wasna half length. no blate ! I'm illeneuch, to be sure, Sae I cries to Geordie, “ Geordie,” to come into a grand room this way, says I, “aigh man ! here's a great but yet I wadna set up my impudent chap just lyin steeping like a aik nose an' my muckle rough brisket clog.' Off comes Geordie, shaugle afore the lowe, an' tak a' the fire to shauglin a' his pith ; for the creature's mysel-Get aff wi' ye, sir! An' you that greedy of fish, be wad ventoo, Trimmy, ye limmer! what's your ture his very saul for them. I kend business here "So saying, he ato brawly what wad be the upshot. tempted, with the fringe of his plaid, “Now," says I, “ Geordie, man to drive them out; but they only ran yoursel for this ae time. Aigh, man ! about the room, eyeing their master he is a terrible ane for size-See, with astonishment and concern. They yonder he's lying.” The sun was had never, it seemed, been wont to be separated from him either by night or Ripple. + Fishspear.

shinin sae clear that the deepness o' drowned the men," said I. “Ou na, the pool was a great cheat. Geordie only keepit them down till I took the bait his lip for perfect eagerness, an power fairly frae them-till the bullers his een war stelled in his head-he gae owre coming up; then I carried thought he had him safe i’ the pat; them to different sides o' the water, but whenever be put the grains o' the an' laid them downí agroof wi': their leister into the water, I could speak heads at the inwith; an' after gluthernae mair, I kend sae weel what was ing an' spurring a wee while, they comin; for I kend the depth to an cam to again. We dinna count muckle inch.-Weel, he airches an' he vizies o' a bit drowning match, us fishers. for a good while, an' at length made a I wish I could get Geordie as weel push down at him wi' his whole might, doukit ilka day; it wad tak the Tut !--the leister didna gang to the smeddum frae him-for, 0, he is a grund by an ell—an' Geordie gaed greedy thing ! But I fear it will be a into the deepest part o' Pool-Midnight while or I see sic glorious sport again." wi' his head foremost! My sennins Mr Grumple remarked, that he turned as suple as a dockan, an' I thought, by his account, it could not just fell down i' the bit wi' lauchin be very good sport to all parties; and ye might hae bund me wi' a strae. that, though he always encouraged He wad hae drowned for aught that I these vigorous and healthful exercises could do; for when I saw his heels among his parishioners, yet he regretfinging up aboon the water as he had ted that they could so seldom be cons! been dancin a hornpipe, I lost a' power cluded in perfect good humour. thegither; but Mathew Ford harled They're nae the waur o' a wee him into the shallow wi' his leister. bit splore," said Peter; “ they wad

"Weel, after that we cloddit the turn unco milk-an'-water things, an' pool wi' great stanes, an' aff went the dee awaya' thegither wantin a broolzie.? fish down the gullots, shinin like a Ye might as weel think to keep a alerainbow. . Then he ran, and he ran! vat working wantin barm.” an' it was wha to be first in him. But, Peter, I hope you have not Geordie got the first chance, an' I been breaking the laws of the country thought it was a' owre; but just when by your sport to-day?" he thought he was sure o' him, down Na, troth hae we no, man cam Mathew full drive, smashed his close-time disna come in till the day grains out through Geordie's and gart after the morn; but atween you an' him miss. It was my chance next; me, close-time's nae ill time for us. an' I took him neatly through the It merely ties up the grit folk's hands, gills, though he gaed as fast as a shell- an' thraws a' the sport into our's the drake.

gither. Na, na, we's never complain " But the sport grew aye better.- o'close-time; if it warena for it there Geordie was sae mad at Mathew for" wad few fish fa' to poor folk's share." taigling him, an' garring him tine the This was a light in which I had fish (for he's a greedy dirt), that they never viewed the laws of the fishing had gane to grips in a moment; an'association before ; but as this honest when I lookit back, they war just hind spoke from experience, I have fightin like twae tarriers in the mids no doubt that the statement is founded o the water. The witters o' the twa in truth, and that the sole effect of leisters were fankit in ane anither, close-time, in all the branches of the an' they couldna get them sindrie, else principal river, is merely to tie up the there had been a vast o' blude shed; hands of every respectable man, and but they were knevillin, an' tryin to throw the fishing into the hands of drown ane anither a' that they could; poachers. He told me, that in all the an' if they hadna been clean fore- rivers of the extensive parish of Woolfoughen they wad hae done't; for enhorn, the fish generally run up they were aye gaun out o sight an' during one flood, and went away the comin howdin up again. Yet after a', next; and as the gentlemen and farwhen I gaed back to redd them, they mers of those parts had no interest in were sae inveterate that they wadna the preservation of the breeding salmon part till I was forced to haud them themselves, nor cared a farthing about down through the water and drown the fishing associations in the great them baith."

river, whom they viewed as monopoBut I hope you have not indeed lizers of that to which they had no

THE SUGAR CANE IN THE UNITED

COLONIAL POLICY.

right, the fish were wholly abandoned may be sure I accepted of the invitato the poachers, who generally con- tion with great cordiality, nor had I trived, by burning lights at the shal- any cause to repent it. I have, since lows, and spearing the fish by night, that time, had many conversations and netting the pools, to annihilate with Peter, of which I have taken every shoal that came up. This is, notes; but the description of a country however, a subject that would require wedding, together with the natural an essay by itself.

history of the Scottish sheep, the Our conversation turned on various shepherd's dog, and some account of matters connected with the country; the country lasses, I must reserve for and I soon found, that though this future communications.

H. hind had something in his manner and address the most uncultivated I OBSERVATIONS ON THE CULTURE OF had ever seen, yet his conceptions of such matters as came within the

STATES, AND ON OUR SYSTEM OF sphere of his knowledge were pertinent and just. He sung old songs, MR EDITOR, told us strange stories of witches and While the example of the successe apparitions, and related many anec- ful efforts made by the negroes in dotes of the pastoral life, which I think Hispaniola for the recovery of their extremely curious, and wholly une freedom and independence, and the known to the literary part of the com- recent commotions in our own West munity. But at every observation that India colonies, have powerfully athe made, he took care to sleek down tracted the public attention, it seems his black hair over his brow, as if it to have entirely overlooked the rising were of the utmost consequence to his competition which must, at no distant making a respectable appearance, that period, materially affect the demand it should be equally spread, and as for the staple commodity of these disclose pressed down as possible. When tant settlements. From a short statedesired to join us in drinking tea, he ment given in Mr Pitkin's Statistical said “it was a' nonsense thegither, for View of the Commerce, &c. of the he hadna the least occasion ;” and United States, published last year, it when pressed to take ad, he per appears, that in 1810 above Ten MILsisted in the declaration that “ it was LIONS of pounds weight of sugar had great nonsense.” He loved to talk of been manufactured from the cane in sheep, of dogs, and of the lasses, as he the state of Louisiana :* and so rapidcalled them, and conversed with his ly has its cultivation extended, that dogs in the same manner as he did in 1814, only four years afterwards, with any of the other guests; nor did not less than FIFTEEN MILLIONS of the former ever seem to misunderstand pounds, or above 8,300 hogsheads, him, unless in his unprecedented and were made in the same district. The illiberal attempt to expel them from culture of the cane has also been inthe company.—“ Whitefoot ! haud aff troduced into Georgia, and there seems the woman's coat-tails, ye blockhead! little reason to doubt of its succeeding Deil hae mę gin ye hae the mense of equally well as in Louisiana. "In a miller's horse, man.” Whitefoot 1805," says Mr Pitkin, Thomas instantly obeyed.—“Trimmy! come Spalding, Esq., a gentleman of wealth back aff the fire, dame! Ye're sae wat, and enterprise, procured one hundred ye raise a reek like a cottar wife's lum cane plants from the West Indies, for

- come back, ye limmer!" Trimmy the purpose of trying them on his went behind his chair.

plantation, on an island near the seaIt came out at last that his business coast of Georgia. After repeated with Mr Grumple that day was to trials, in which he was guided princirequest of him to go over to Stride- pally by his own judgment and exkirton on the Friday following, and perience, he completely succeeded. unite him, Peter Plash, in holy wed- About three years since, he made a lock with his sweetheart and only joe, Jean Windlestrae ; and he said, if that the sugar cane is indigenous in Louisi

Hennepín, quoted by Labat, asserts would accompany the minister, and

ana, and was found growing spontaneously take share of a haggis wi' them, I wad near the mouth of the Mississippi on its see some good lasses, and some good first discovery.—Edwards' Hist. West Insport too, which was far better." You dies. Vol. ii. 208, 4to ed. Vol. ).

D

a

small quantity of sugar of a good qua- good policy to import raw materials lity; and in 1814, he had one hun with a view to export them when dred acres in cảne, which produced wrought up. If we shall hereafter seventy-five thousand weight of prime purchase sugar from America, it will sugar, and four thousand gallons of enable her merchants to order still molasses; and but for the want of larger quantities of our manufacturés. boilers, which, on account of the war, They will not, we may rest assured, could not be brought to his plantations, send us their produce gratis, and they he would have produced one hundred cannot take money in payment, the thousand weight. The culture of the real value of gold and silver being cane is found not to be more laborious greater here than on the opposite side than that of cotton, and is not liable of the Atlantic. But supposing them to so many accidents. One thousand to receive payment in gold and silver, pounds per acre is not considered a it would only shew, that we found it great crop. This at ten cents, (5£d.) more advantageous to export mảnufacwould be one hundred dollars. Al- tures to countries abounding in those most every planter along the sea coast metals, and then to pay them over to of Georgia is now turning his attention, the Americans, rather than export more or less, to the culture of the su- directly to the latter. gar cane; and from experiments already The remarks I have just made, made, the cane is found to grow luxu- apply equally to the case of any other riantly as far north as the city of power who might come into competiCharleston in South Carolina.”

tion with our own sugar colonies : and These facts render it nearly certain now that peace has been restored to that America will soon be in a situa- the country, and the attention of the tion to export sugar; and I confess legislature is no longer attracted by that I contemplate the probability of the momentous discussions to which an that event without any feeling of re- arduous and long protracted contest gret, and am even convinced it will be gave rise, I do hope that our system much to the advantage of this country. of colonial policy will be thoroughly -If the Americans cannot undersell investigated.— I am not aware that our planters, the latter have nothing to it has been materially changed since fear from their competition ; but if Dr Smith exposed its mischievous they can afford us a valuable necessary tendency; and I confess, I cannot see at a cheaper rate, very cogent reasons the utility of employing our soldiers indeed would be required to shew, and sailors at an infinite expense, to why we should not become their cus- preserve a precarious authority over tomers — There is surely nothing so isles situated in an unhealthy and very attractive, or advantageous, in the pestiferous climate, if we can purchase possession of the West India islands, their products cheaper elsewhere. as to induce us to tax ourselves for No colonies were ever reckoned so their support,-for such, to the con- important to this country, as those sumers, is the real effect of every mo- which now form the powerful repubnopoly. Sufficient employment for lic of the United States. But has capital can still be found in this coun- their independence had any bad effects try, and it is not necessary to force it on the wealth, commerce, or industry, into the colony trade, by giving an of Great Britain ? The reverse is undue preference to its products over decidedly the fact.--Without the exthose of other countries; and even if pense of maintaining armaments to such employment could not be found, defend these distant and extensive it would be impolitic in government to territories, we have continued to enjoy give any factitious encouragement to every previous advantage resulting one department of industry, inasmuch from their commercial intercourse.—As as it is certain some other branch long as we can afford to sell manufacmust be thereby proportionally de- tured goods to the Americans, cheaper pressed. No bad consequences have than they can prepare them at home, resulted to us from purchasing the and cheaper than they can purchase cotton of the United States ; on the from any

other

power, we shall contrary, it has been attended with the continue to supply their market to håppiest effects.—The Americans have precisely the same extent we should taken an equivalent in our manufac- have done had they still remained tured goods, and it is always reckoned our colonies. --Surely no person ima