ThusEnglandhasforseveralyearsbeenfilledwiththeatchievementsofseventythousandHighlandersemployedinAmerica。
IhaveheardfromanEnglishofficer，notmuchinclinedtofavourthem，thattheirbehaviourdeservedaveryhighdegreeofmilitarypraise；buttheirnumberhasbeenmuchexaggerated。Oneoftheministerstoldme，thatseventythousandmencouldnothavebeenfoundinalltheHighlands，andthatmorethantwelvethousandnevertookthefield。ThosethatwenttotheAmericanwar，wenttodestruction。OftheoldHighlandregiment，consistingoftwelvehundred，onlyseventy-sixsurvivedtoseetheircountryagain。
TheGothickswarmshaveatleastbeenmultipliedwithequalliberality。Thattheyborenogreatproportiontotheinhabitants，inwhosecountriestheysettled，isplainfromthepaucityofnorthernwordsnowfoundintheprovinciallanguages。Theircountrywasnotdesertedforwantofroom，becauseitwascoveredwithforestsofvastextent；andthefirsteffectofplenitudeofinhabitantsisthedestructionofwood。AstheEuropeansspreadoverAmericathelandsaregraduallylaidnaked。
Iwouldnotbeunderstoodtosay，thatnecessityhadneveranypartintheirexpeditions。Anation，whoseagricultureisscantyorunskilful，maybedrivenoutbyfamine。Anationofhuntersmayhaveexhaustedtheirgame。Ionlyaffirmthatthenorthernregionswerenot，whentheirirruptionssubduedtheRomans，overpeopledwithregardtotheirrealextentofterritory，andpoweroffertility。Inacountryfullyinhabited，howeverafterwardlaidwaste，evidentmarkswillremainofitsformerpopulousness。ButofScandinaviaandGermany，nothingisknownbutthataswetracetheirstateupwardsintoantiquity，theirwoodsweregreater，andtheircultivatedgroundwasless。
ThatcausesweredifferentfromwantofroommayproduceageneraldispositiontoseekanothercountryisapparentfromthepresentconductoftheHighlanders，whoareinsomeplacesreadytothreatenatotalsecession。Thenumberswhichhavealreadygone，thoughlikeothernumberstheymaybemagnified，areverygreat，andsuchasiftheyhadgonetogetherandagreeduponanycertainsettlement，mighthavefoundedanindependentgovernmentinthedepthsofthewesterncontinent。Noraretheyonlythelowestandmostindigent；manymenofconsiderablewealthhavetakenwiththemtheirtrainoflabourersanddependants；andiftheycontinuethefeudalschemeofpolity，mayestablishnewclansintheotherhemisphere。