Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/147

 The Statistical Accounts of Scotland. 135 larly in the form of publication as regards the arrangement of the parishes. In the original account, the " Reports on the Parishes " seem to have been issued just as they happened to be ready for publication, without any regard to any arrangement whatever, whether alphabetical or under counties. In the new account you will find a distinct improvement, for in it the parishes are arranged topographically under their respective counties. With regard to the change of matter mentioned above, take one illustration. The account of the Parish of Liberton, near Edinburgh, given in the old account is summarised under six general headings with no subdivisions, while the report of the same parish in the new account requires five general headings and forty-six subdivisions for the narration of the information therein contained. And while, as a rule, you find in the new account fuller, and of course, more recent information, still much that is interesting and valuable regarding Scotland is to be found only in the old account. I do not wish you to go away with the idea that these volumes contain nothing but dry statistics, columns of figures, interesting only to the statistician. All through the volumes much will be found of interest to the general reader, to the archaeologist, the antiquary, and the folklorist. Curious epitaphs will there be found for those who delight in meditating among the tombs ; there you can read of the excellence of the bread at Peterhead, and the weight of the cabbages in the parish of Forgue ; of in- stances of the salmon itself jumping into the boiling pot ; calcu- lations respecting the physical stature of Adam and Eve ; the effects of disappointment in love ; the fact that the servant maids in Stornoway always had their morning dram ; that school- masters had part of their emoluments from cock-fighting dues ; that Redgorton servants stipulated at hiring time that they should have salmon for their meals only twice a week ; that the session clerk of Heriot conjoined with that important office those of pre- centor, beadle, and grave-digger ; that golf was played at Burnt- island, Musselburgh, and Montrose, and that coal was first used as fuel in Scotland in the year 1291. In these volumes librarians will note with pleasure that in Scotland 100 years ago there were 10 public libraries, and last, but not least, you can there read of the advantages to be derived from a perusal of the Statistical A ccounts of Scotland. But the Scotland of 100 years, of 50 years ago, is not the Scotland of to-day, and this work, so valuable in so many ways