Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is, in the new parts of it, a fine clean city; the houses in the old town are excessively high, and the streets inconvenient; but the streets of the new town are very broad, and almost all in straight lines; some of them are a mile long. Most of the houses are built of white stone, which sparkles as if it was inlaid with diamonds when the sun shines on it.
The manufactures carried on in the city, are mostly cabinet-work, furniture, carriages, musical instruments, linens, shawls, silks, glass, marble, brass, and iron work. There are also many breweries, for Edinburgh has long been celebrated for its ale, large quantities of which are sent to London, and other parts of the kingdom, Glasgow, which is the principal manufacturing and trading town, contains extensive cotton factories.
In many parts of the Highlands, the natives are employed in feeding sheep and cattle, for the markets; and in the valleys, and other sheltered places, hemp, barley, flax, and potatoes, are cultivated, though unfortunately most of the barley is made into whiskey. In the more northernly parts the general employment is fishing.
Ireland is a much warmer and more fertile island; it is celebrated, in point of industry, for its wool, butter, beef, hides, tallow, cows, horses, pigs, sheep, potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, and linen. Linen is the chief manufacture. There are numerous mines, from which are obtained gold, silver, iron, copper, and lead; all very useful metals, I think.
There are also quarries of marble, slate, and freestone; and in various parts are found coal and turf. In Ireland, turf is the principal fuel used. The brewing of stout, and a strong bittered beer, for exportation; and the distilling of whiskey, another strong but spirituous drink, are other branches of Irish industry.
Fishing is an important occupation with those peasants who live on the sea-shore, and near the rivers or lakes. The making of roads, draining bogs, and improving the land, now employ thousands of poor labourers, who formerly used to be without any occupation.
The Irish dairies are well-managed and are generally extensive; many counties in the south part of the island are occupied almost entirely by dairy farms. As many as thirty or forty cows are kept on some of them, for butter is the chief produce, and this is sent into England, Portugal, and the East and West Indies. Some of the nice butter you eat on your bread and rolls comes from Ireland. Sheep and cattle are fed in great quantities on large pieces of land devoted to the purpose the sheep are large, and have fine wool.