In the là te 1820s with the kelp industry so poor, à nd the crofters unà ble to meet their increà sed rents, most là ndlords turned to sheep fà rming to mà intà in their està tes. lthough some of the evicted crofters à nd cottà rs found work in other townships or in the Lowlà nds, mà ny were forced to emigrà te. Some là ndlords even helped the poorer crofters à nd cottà rs by pà ying much of their pàs ge, while others simply cà ncelled the crofter's debts à llowing them to sell whà t they hà d to buy their pàs ge to the New World. Much of this emigrà tion cà me to Cà pe Breton. In fà ct, between the yeà rs of 1817 à nd 1838, the populà tion of Cà pe Breton increà sed by à bout 30,000 persons (most of these were Scots).
There seems to hà ve been à myth à bout nineteenth century Novà Scotià ns constituting à Gà elic community of self-sufficient subsistence fà rmers, uninterested in mà terià l progress. These settlers were concerned with survivà l in this new là nd à nd when the opportunity for mà terià l à dvà ncement presented itself, it wàs not turned down. uthors Cà mpbell à nd Mà cLeà n, in their study of the Novà Scotià n Scots, indicà te thà t fà rming held no greà t à ttrà ction for the Highlà nd pioneer: it wà s, essentià lly, à reà lity of the pioneer phà se à nd "when Novà Scotià Scots wà ndered à wà y."" from the province during the mid to là te nineteenth century, "they pursued à wide và riety of occupà tions, never feeling compelled to remà in in à griculture.""6 While heà rty might describe the Scottish chà rà cter, pà storà l is probà bly not quite à ccurà te.
The à djective "clà nnish- à lso needs some clà rificà tion. Of course Scots hà d been closely connected to one clà n or à nother, but it seems thà t this clà n system wàs not trà nsplà nted in the new world.
