Excerpt from A Sketch of Scottish Industrial and Social History in the 18th and 19th Centuries<br><br>In the Introduction, which was added to the book at the express request of the publishers, it has been sought to furnish the reader with a starting-point for the study of the period which is the special subject of the book, by giving an out line of the industrial progress of Scotland during the four centuries previous to the Union.<br><br>In conclusion, the writer would like to express the hope that the present slight sketch of a subject of so much magnitude and importance may be the forerunner of a more exhaustive treatment of it.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.