poor. So long as mankind are fupported by strolling, the industry and ingenuity of thousands must be loft to the community, and vice cherished to a confiderable degree. -The decrease of population in country parishes, and the great refort of people to towns, is an evil much to be re gretted. Though this mode fhould continue, it is not improbable that there may be ftill a gradual increase of inhabitants over Scotland. But the question is, by which of these two plans may population be fuppofed to increase moft; whether, by a well peopled ftate of country parishes, or by extending and crowding the towns. In all infectious diftempers, such as fevers, fmall-pox, meafles, hooping cough, the danger to children is greatest in towns. to inoculated small-pox, the diftemper may be introduced in towns at a favourable feason, and, when introduced, it takes its range of infection, and before its courfe is finished, the hot unfavourable feafon arrives, and the distemper generally becomes malignant and fatal. In the country, infection from this diftemper may be more eafily avoided, and I hope to fee whole parishes taking fuch rational views of inoculation, as to agree to have all their children, who have not had the distemper, put under inoculation, at the fame time, during the favourable feafon; a victory over prejudice, not to be expected univerfally in large But dropping this confideration, the fickly looks of many children, in large, crowded, ill fituated, or ill conftructed towns, fhow that the country is the preferable place for children. Inhabitants of large towns are fenfible of this, who rejoice in the opportunity of having them fettled in the country, especially after they have been ailing, as the only means of restoring their health and vigour. But how is the prevailing refort to towns to be prevented, when the present taste is, to raze or fuffer almost every

towns.

house

house to go to decay, which is not conducive to the benefit of a farm? Might not the building one or two neat villages in every country parish, be the means of preventing this great concourse of inhabitants to the towns. They might be erected in a dry fituation, and calculated for convenience as well as health. Suppofing thefe villages to be inhabited by mechanics, manufacturers, day-labourers, farmers fervants and widows, there might be one or two fmall farmers connected with the village, who might have leifure, and be induced to perform carriages to the villagers for hire *.

Personal services are still performed here. They are specified and limited. Occupiers of a house and garden, or of a house, garden, and one or two acres of land, perform fome days work occafionally, as the proprietor may happen to require them in the course of the year. Such tenants as poffefs ground fufficient to enable them to keep a horfe, befides the above services, are bound to perform two horseback carriages in the courfe of the year, as far as Dundee, which is about 12 miles, or to a fimilar distance. Greater tenants are bound to bring a certain number of bolls of coals from Dundee to the proprietors house, which require 2 or 3 days work of their carts Befides, they must give a day's work of all their reapers, for cutting down the proprietors corns. Thefe go by the general name of services, in place of the old arrhage and carriage, which were very comprehensive. Arrhage, I take to be from the Latin, aro, to till; and implied the driving out of the manure for the proprietor's farm, ploughing and harrowing his ground reaping in harvest, and bringing home his hay and corns. The old fervice of carriage was very unlimited, and very tyrannically exacted.-From 16 to 30 years back, from the prefent time, about 37 cottages were razed, or became ruinous. From 10 to 17 years back, Io or II new cottages have been erected; an increase of small houses has begun to take place; a mill, for fpinning flax-yarn, is building; and a village is begun, for accommodating the hands to be employed, which will require a confiderable number of houfes. The em ploying of cottagers in agriculture, increases population. A houfe for ac. commodating a family, is a confiderable inducement for a fervant to mar. ry; and, from having a house and an acre or two of land, a fervant is more inclined to remain in his mafter's fervice. Hired fervants are apt to be touchy and petulant, by being lefs dependent, as having it more cafily

in their power to remove from one place to another. A hired fervant, however, has the chance of obtaining more extenfive knowledge, by tometimes changing his place.-There is no post-town nearer than Forfar, a bout 3 miles diftant from the centre of this parish. We have one alehoufe; no inn. Ale-houfes are not so much resorted to, as 30 or 40 years

ago.

NUM

NUMBER XVI.

PARISH OF BALMERINO,

(COUNTY AND SYNOD OF FIFE, PRESBYTERY OF CUPAR.)

By the Rev. Mr ANDREW THOMSON.

THIS

Name, Extent, Climate, &c.

HIS parish takes its name from a small village upon the banks of the river Tay, anciently spelt Balmurenach, fignifying, as would appear from the Gaelic, “Sailors "Town;" and the old abbey of that name is called by Leflie Balmuræum, and by Fordun, Habitaculum ad Mare. This parish ftretches along the banks of the Tay in 2 ranges of hills. The medium length from E. to W. by a pretty exact measurement, about 3 miles, and its breadth from N. to S. nearly 2 miles. It is almost a femicircle, 24 with the church in the centre, and the northern half of the circle cut off by the Tay. From the above measurement, it muft exceed 3000 Scots acres; about 2-3ds of it is arable, and fupports more than 700 people old and young. There are no difeafes peculiar to the parish; on the con

trary,

trary, the people may be faid to be healthy. There were 4 perfons who died within these 10 years upwards of 90; and there are feveral now alive above 80 years of age. The wholesomeness of the climate appears allo from the fruitfulness of the females. The present incumbent has often, in the course of 10 years, had an opportunity of baptizing twins; and there are 2 families in it at present, I of whom has had thrice twins, and the other has five fons, now alive, at 2 births: The twins are youngeft, and were baptized in the 1789.

Soil and Culture.-As the lands lie on rifing banks, they are for the most part dry. The foil in general is thin and sharp, but very productive, lies on a gravel, or what is called here a rachelly bottom, except in fome places where it is tilly, or upon rock, and confequently wettish; and even this is much improved by draining, (which is now begun to be better understood), though indeed it is to be wished that the Highland, or fome other society, would pay attention to that great improvement in agriculture, by offering a premium for the best effay on the most effectual mode of draining lands. The method of culture and cropping varies even in this fmall parish. The ploughing is now generally carried on by two horses, managed by one fervant with a pair of long reins, and oxen are feldom yoked; yet some keep and work them both in the plough, by themselves, and in carriages. In cropping, fome adopt the following rotation: Four years in grafs, kept the 2 first years for hay, and the 2 laft laid out into paflure, oats, barley, green crop, or fummer fallow, with a top dreffing of lime, wheat, barley, and grafs-feeds, and fo on, having always 5-9ths in green crop and fummer fallow, 4-9ths in white crop, and never more than 2 white crops in fucceffion. Others, with what they call infield land, take 2 VOL. IX.

E e

years