Editing North Uist (section)

====Kelp====
[[File:Rockpool - geograph.org.uk - 608824.jpg|thumb|left|Kelp on the coast of North Uist]]
During the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], the scarcity of external supplies of minerals to the [[United Kingdom]] led to a boom in the [[kelp]] industry, which became North Uist's main source of income.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII">Lawson, Bill. [http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazbl/gazbl35.htm "From The Outer Hebrides to Cape Breton - Part II"]. ''[http://www.globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/ The Global Gazette]''. 10 September 1999. Retrieved on 14 October 2007</ref> When the war ended, the availability of foreign mineral supplies led to an abrupt collapse in the demand for kelp-based products. The burning of kelp had also damaged the fertility of the land. As a result, the [[crofters]] of North Uist could no longer afford the rents.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII"/> Even though the landlords reduced the rents (e.g. in 1827 the rents were reduced by 20%) many crofters resorted to emigration.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII"/>

In 1826 the villages of Kyles Berneray, Baile Mhic Coinein, and Baile Mhic Phàil, at the north-east corner of North Uist, were abandoned by their inhabitants. Although some moved further south-east to Loch Portain, most of those affected moved to [[Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia|Cape Breton]], in [[Nova Scotia]]{{refn|group="note"|This is shown in the rental roll of 1827, which states that over fifty families had "Gone to America", meaning Cape Breton.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII"/>}}.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII"/> As the economic conditions worsened, and with reports of islanders having success overseas, the numbers of families emigrating from Scotland to [[North America]] greatly increased.<ref name="globalgenealogy-LawsonII"/> By 1838, the number of people having left North Uist was reported as 1,300; before the 1820s, the population of North Uist had been almost 5,000,<ref name="Hebridean-Princess">[http://www.hebridean.co.uk/_pdf/Hebridean-Princess-Scotland.pdf Hebridean Princess Scotland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930044732/http://www.hebridean.co.uk/_pdf/Hebridean-Princess-Scotland.pdf |date=2011-09-30 }} Retrieved on 17 October 2007</ref> but by 1841 it had fallen to 3,870.