is partly flat, but, for the most part, declining towards the north. The foil in the fouthern part is light and fandy, but by proper culture, bears rich crops; in the higher ground of the very beautiful and fertile bank that faces the fea, it is deep black loam; in fome places, very rich clay. In the northern parts, though it is in fome places abundantly rich, the climate is lefs favourable; the foil too, in many places, being a clay bottom mixed with fand, is of inferior quality, and lefs productive; it is now arable in general; not long fince, a great part of it was taken from moors; in diy feafons, however, it yields good crops; much wheat and barley of excellent quality is raised in the fouthern parts; peafe and beans alfo, and every kind of grain that is ufual in this country, fucceed well here. Agriculture, &c.-Though the farmers are not attached to any particular mode of farming, the following is a rotation of crops frequently obferved here, wheat, turnip, or any green crop, barley, and clover. There are few oats raised in the lower part of the parish, but they are much used in the higher grounds. Sometimes we ftand in need of importation of oats and oat-meal; while we export confiderable quantities of wheat, barley, pease and beans, and fome potatoes. The late Earl of Balcarras, about 40 years ago, introduced field turnip into his plan of farming, and fed oxen with them to a great extent; the use of that valuable root was not perhaps fooner known in this part of the country; his Lordship's example was but little follow ed, Wheat is fown in September, October, November, fome even in January and February; which laft is fometimes found to answer well: It is reaped commonly in August and September. Peafe and beans are fown in February, March, and beginning of April; barley generally in May: And reaped in August, September, or fometimes beginning of October. ed, if at all, till within thefe 25 years; the practice is now become very general, to the great benefit of the country. -When the turnip appears above ground, it is often much. hurt from a cause that seems not to be well understood, fome imputing it to a fly that eats the tender leaves; an ingenious gentleman in this neighbourhood, who has bestowed much attention on this fubject, imputes it to froft, and is confident the turnip fuffers nothing from the fly. The Ruta baga or Swedish turnip, was introduced into this parish about 4 years ago. Its leaves refemble the rib kail plants, the root refembles field turnip, not fo large in general, but heavier in proportion to its fize, and of much firmer texture. It is believed, that as great weight of this root may be raised on an acre, as of field turnip; this plant seems to be gaining ground here; it is proof against the most intense froft; the feafon for fowing it is from the 1ft to the 20th May; it may either be transplanted as cabbage, or managed as field turnip. Potatoes were fcarcely known in this country 40 years ago; they now afford the poor half their fuftenance, and generally appear at the tables of the rich; they are well known to be very proper food for horses and other animals, and are fometimes diftilled into whifky. Pease and beans are much ufed, and generally fown in drills; they are hoed with the plough, and afterwards with hand hoes, which renders them meliorating crops. The number of horses in the parish is about 239; of cattle, 624; of afses, 22; of wheel-carriages, 3. The plough generally ufed is that of Small's conftruction, with a broad fock and mold board of Carron metal. Twenty or 30 years ago, the almoft univerfal practice of the farmers of this parish was, to yoke 2 horses and 4 oxen in a plough; now, ploughs are generally drawn by 2 horfes, one ploughman managing them; scarcely are any oxen feen in a plough.-There are between 70 and 80 ploughs, and about the fame number of VOL. IX. 0.0 carts; carts; about 40 years ago, few carts were used in this country; coals, victual and other articles, were at that period, and perhaps later, carried on horseback; corn, hay, manure, &c. were driven with wains, drawn by 2 horses and 2 oxen. The parish contains 631 ploughgates, confifting of between 40 and 50 acres each, so that the whole parish may be computed at upwards of 3000 acres arable, befides 280 acres of links or fandy plains, the haunts of rabbits, a fpecies of a nimals, which, though deftructive to corn, bring no small profit to the proprietors; they are extremely prolific, being faid to have young 5 or 6 times in the year, 3 or 4 of the first litter, 5, 6, or 7, of the following ones. Property in land has changed much in this parish of late years. The value of land is rapidly increafing; farms let for 19 or more years, are generally raised one third, and the rents of some are doubled within these few years; a farm of good land uninclosed, fit for the highest culture, is let from 40s. to 50s. a-acre; the best pasture, inclosures, &c. from L. 2 to L. 3 the acre. Thirty or 40 years ago, there was scarce a large farm in this country that had not a flock of fheep; now there are very few sheep in the country, excepting those in gentlemens inclosures, for family use; fince fummer fallow, for the culture of wheat, and the clover and turnip system for feeding cattle, were introduced, the farmers difcontinued keeping flocks of fheep*. The valued rent of the parish is L. 9509 Scots.-The real rent is increased Servants wages are gradually increasing in this parish. The wages of a common labourer 6 or 7 years ago, were from 7 d. to 10 d. a-day; now they are from 10d. to 15 d. The wages of men-fervants hired for the year at the above period, were from L.4 to L. 5; now they are from L. 6 to L. 8, and their victuals. The wages of maid-servants at the fame period, were from L. I, 10 s. to L. 2 Sterling, for the year; now they are in general from L. 2, 10 s. to L. 3. The wages of wrights or carpenters a-day, are 1 s. 6d. in fummer, and 1s, 3d. in winter, Of masons the fame. increased in proportion to that of other parishes in the neighbourhood. The air is wholesome in general, though damp in fome places; the people live to a good age; there are many who live beyond 80, and fome beyond 90 years. There is a poor woman in this parish, who avers, that she is more than 100 years old. This, however, is not authenticated by our records. Population.-At the time of Dr Webster's report, the number of fouls was 2131; the number of the intants at present is about 2013. There are 4 villages or small towns. Colinfburgh contains about 357 inhabitants; Earlfferry, about 350; Kilconquhar, about 258; Barnyards, about 198; the country part of the parish, about 850. There are 2 clergymen, one of the Established Church, the other of the Relief Congregation. There are between 600 and 700 fectaries, adhering chiefly to the Presbytery of Relief, with fome Burgher-feceders and Independents; few of the Episcopal profeffion, and no Roman Catholics. There are 13 proprietors of land, 5 refiding, and 8 nonrefident; 1 writer, 11 merchants, 20 farmers above L. 50 rent, 10 innkeepers and brewers, 8 fmiths, 89 weavers, 23 tailors, 18 masons, 21 failors, 3 butchers, 12 gardeners, 46 fhoemakers, 8 bakers including apprentices, 4 flax-dreffers, 2 coopers, 5 millers, 2 tanners, with 1 clerk, and a currier, 6 saddlers, who are employed occafionally in shoemaking. The apprentices and journeymen are included in the numbers of the respective trades. Stipend, School, Poor.-The ftipend is 10 chalders 3 fir lots 3 pecks and 2 lippies barley, and L. 17:13:9 Sterling, with a glebe faid to be more than 7 acres.-There is one established schoolmaster with 200, merks of falary, a good school-house, dwelling-houfe, garden, and a small croft of land, The scholars are commonly between 30 and 40 in number; 4 of whom are at prefent learning Latin. Two and fometimes 3 teachers are employed by the inhabitants of diftant parts of this extenfive parish.-The number of poor at prefent is 26.-They receive a monthly allowance, and fometimes oftener, from our public funds, according to their respective neceffities. For these purposes and acci. dental cafes that occur, our weekly collections, and the liberal aid of the heritors, with the intereft of our stock, are generally fufficient, without affecting the principal. are but 3 travelling poor in the parish. Annual income in 1790, L. 45 There 2 54 34 2 4 58 17 53 1791, 1792, Annual expenditure in 1790, L. 31 13 7 The small income in 1791 was owing to the vacancy in that year. Royal Borough. There is one Royal borough, Earl's Ferry*. From a copy of a charter in the poffeffion of the magiftrates, renewed in the year 1589 by King James, it There is a tradition, that on account of the generous and obliging attentions of the inhabitants of this town to the Earl of Fife, when he lay concealed in a cave in their neighbourhood, and particularly for fer |