On 'distress' in Scotland and Ireland and Lord Dunfermline and Lord John Russell. The letter references the beginning of the Great Famine, with Sir George Grey writing: 'We have scarcely any Potatoes here but the people as you know are not dependant upon them and are all well off with high wages. Corn is rising and will I am afraid be very high'. James Loch's role in the Clearances in Sutherland is also referenced in the letter.