ly manufactured and fold for home confumption, at the rate of 2 s. 4 d. the pound. There is likewife here a mill, with 10 beaters for beating thread. In the united parish are 3 meal mills, employing a miller, befides affiftants. The whole parish of Pert is under thirlage to the mill of Pert, fome paying, and others multure, befides knaveship, &c. The whole land of Craigo is under thirlage to the mill of Craigo at, befides knaveship, &c. There is no thirlage at the mill of Logie. This thirlage, which is a fort of old feudal tenure, by which tenants and others are bound at a certain fixed rate, to have their corns ground at certain mills, is generally confidered as a grievance, and is at fome mills a prelude to very indifferent ufage.

Agriculture, &c.-Some woodlands on the estate of Craigo are found to produce a confiderable variety of moss, no fewer than 14 or 15 different fpecies, fome of which have been transmitted for the inspection of the Royal Society at London. Some of the old woods are Scots fir, others a mixture of hard wood, fuch as ash, elm, oak, birch, &c. The young plantations on the different eftates in the parish confift partly of Scots fir, and partly of larix, spruce, plane, elm, beech, afh, birch, in short, an intermixture of all kinds, commonly raised in nurseries.-About 450 acres have been planted here within these 10 or 15 years paft; and of these about 270 acres were inclosed, and nearly planted out the 2 last years.-According to the A beft computation, there are from 180 to 190 horfes in the parish, young and old; about 740 black cattle, exclufive of calves, about 200 of which are annually brought up. There was formerly a great number of fheep in this parish; but fince the inclofing of fields and fowing of artificial grafs took place, the breeding of sheep has in a great

measure

measure been given up; fo that there is fcarcely now 100 fheep in the whole parish, and these are chiefly kept for the use of the table. The parish can afford itself a very tolerable supply of various kinds of provifions. It does not export any confiderable quantity; but finds in general a ready market for grain of different kinds at Brechin and Montrofe, where it is bought partly for the ufe of the inhabitants, and partly by commiflion for exportation to other places. Both at Brechin and Montrose, but especially the latter, a good deal of bear and barley is fold for malting. Till of late years very little ground was fown in artificial. graffes. It is faid the first ever known in the parish was about the year 1746 or 1747, when a perfon in the parish of Pert having fown a ridge with clover, got a public proclamation made for people to keep off their sheep and cattle from it, which brought many to fee it as a matter of curiofity. Oats are generally fown about the end of March, and begin to be reaped about the 1ft of September, and sometimes later. Barley is fown about the middle of April, bear later; and both are commonly reaped rather earlier than oats. Pease are fown and reaped much about the fame time with oats. Wheat is fown here in September and October, and reaped about the fame time with barley. The ripening of the different corn crops is rather retarded by the liming now fo much in ufe. Flax is fown about the end of March, and reaped the 1st of Auguft. Turnips are sown about the middle of June; grass feeds according to the different crops with which they are fown out; and hay is ufually cut in July. The grofs amount of the parish in Scots acres, with the different ways in which these at an average are employed, are as follow:

Grofs

Grofs amount, exclusive of farm-steadings, (that is, farmhouses and their offices), roads, gardens, &c. 3860 acres.

The valued rent is L. 3816:9: 4 Scots. The real rent, including the value of what the feveral proprietors hold in their own poffeffion, furplus rents, rents of mills, bleachfields, &c. lime works not included, may be from L. 1800 to L. 1900 Sterling. The number of ploughs is about 55; of carts 64. Several of the ploughs are of the old Scotch kind, others of a lighter conftruction. The best arable land in the parish lets at about a guinea an acre; that of an The number of inferior quality at about 10 s. or 15 s. farms is rather diminishing, owing to junction or monopoly. Most of the parish of Pert, and a good part of Logie, is inclofed, partly with hawthorn, and partly with furze hedges on funk fences. No doubt hedges are a great benefit in point of fhelter, as well as ornament. They are only found inconvenient in a wet harveft and low fituation. The hawthorn likewife harbours prodigious flocks of sparrows, which devour confiderable quantities of grain. Perhaps ftone fences, built pretty high, might in fome respects

be

be preferable, as fheep could be more commodiously kept within these; and furely it is a circumftance much to be wifhed, that the breed of theep were more encouraged here than it now is. Many of the people in the parish have still an unreasonable averfion to inclofing, notwithstanding its many obvious advantages.

Advantages and Difaivantages. It is an advantage, that the centre of the united parishes, lying at nearly an equal distance from the market towns of Montrose and Brechin, about 4 or 5 measured miles from either, there is found a ready fale for grain, poultry, butter, cheese, eggs, &c. But then there is a disadvantage refulting to thofe of the parish who have fuch articles to buy; because on account of the demand at these towns, enhanced of late by a number of monied men, who have fettled in thefe places and neighbourhood, there is no article of provifion can be purchased within the parish, but at a very dear rate, and even higher than in the above market towns. There is likewise a temporary disadvantage, which those especially of the poorer clafs are beginning to feel: The coal has here, for a confiderable time, been the principal article of fuel, yet the common people have in a good measure likewise depended partly on furze and broom, and partly on turf and peat. The furze and broom begin to fail, as most of the waftes, from whence these were procured, are either inclofing or converting into corn ground. The article of turf becomes still scarcer, as the moors from which that was got, are now for the most part inclosed and planted, and the low country moffes which furnished peat, become every day more and more exhaufted, so that in a few years a total failure of them may be apprehended; and as to peats from the hills, the distance from hence, which is 10 or 12 miles, part of it very steep and disagreeable road, renders it extremely diffi

cult,

eult, as well as expenfive, to procure them; fo that the parishioners here, in a short time, will be chiefly confined to two articles, wood and coals. Burn-wood at present is by no means plentiful; and though there be a good many rifing plantations in the parish, yet these mostly confist of hard wood; and, at any rate, several years must elapse before they can prove serviceable in the way of fuel. On this account, there will be at least a temporary neceffity of ufing a greater quantity of coal, which will fall very heavy on the poorer fort, by reason of the additional tax on that article, all to the north of the Red Head, a promontory near Arbroath. It is hoped the Legislature will be induced to abolish this very partial and unreasonable tax. Under this article, it may be proper to remark, that the bleachfields, lime quarries, &c. in the parish are a very confiderable local advantage, as they furnish employment, efpecially during the spring and summer seasons, to near 80 individuals; befides, the fmaller tenants, and others who have horses, earn no inconfiderable profit, by carting coals to the line works f om Montrose.

Stipend, School, Poor.-The value of the living, including the glebe, is one year with another about L. 80 Sterling. The patrons are the Crown, and the New College of St Andrew's per vices. The fchoolmaster's falary, including school-fees, and other perquifites, is better than L. 20 Sterling a-year, befides a free house and garden. He has in the winter feafon from 40 to so fcholars, and in fummer from 30 to 40. His terms for Latin and arithmetic are 2s. 6d. the quarter; writing 2s.; reading English 1s. 6 d. The number of poor in the parish at prefent receiving alms, is about 25. The annual amount for their relief, may be, one year with another, about L. 40 Sterling.

Prices of Provifions, Labour, &c.-All kinds of butcher meat fell nearly at 4 d. the lb. except pork, which is about

31d.