In the early 1850s a single small steamer had plied the route between the Clyde and Portree in Skye once every fortnight. Three decades later two larger vessels sailed to Skye and Lewis every week and a further three ships visited Barra and North and South Uist. These developments in communications were both cause and effect of the changing way of life in the region and the basis of the closer involvement of the people in the money economy. Above all, they allowed the population of more areas to take full advantage of the sustained fall in world grain prices which took place after the opening
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