none, but fuch as are in their own power to remedy. A healthy climate, and, in general, a fruitful foil; no epidemical distempers prevalent among them. Coals from Arbroath, the common fuel, 70 ftones Dutch weight, at 6s. and 6s. 6d.; but last winter at 8s. 6d., when they were scarcer and dearer than ever known. Every perfon who chooses to work, finds immediate encouragement, good wages, and ready payment for his labour. Every perfon who has any of the neceffaries of life to difpofe of, finds a ready market. The farmers enjoy, in moderation, many of the conveniencies of life, and their married servants, when they behave honestly and difcreetly, find protection and support from their masters. Many of the tradesmen, particularly the weavers, are in comfortable circumstances; they appear to know their interest, and to attend to it carefully. And people of all ranks seem to aim at what is ufeful and fubftantial, rather than what is showy or fuperfluous. Was the writer of this to exprefs what he believes to be the general fense of the people in this parish, with respect to their fituation and circumstances as members of fociety, it might be comprehended in the following words: "May the bleffings of providence we at prefent enjoy, be continued to us; may the prefent British constitution remain unfhaken, and may agriculture, manufactures, and trade flourish. What remains to complete our temporal prosperity, depends on our own activity, diligence, and in duftry. We want no more, we wish no less."

NUM

NUMBER XVI.

PARISH OF KIRRIEMUIR.

(COUNTY OF FORFAR, SYNOD OF ANGUS AND MEARNS, PRESBYTERY OF FORfar.)

By the Rev. Mr. THOMAS OGILVY.

Name, Extent, Surface, and Soil.

KIRRIEMUIR, commonly pronounced Kellamuir, is a Gaelic word, and fignifies Mary Kirk. The form of the parish is irregular. Its greateft length from S. E. to. N. W., is 7 or 8 miles, its least 4. The greatest breadth from S. W. to N. E., is about 7 miles; the leaft 6. The northern part, called Glenprofen, from the river Profen which runs the whole length of it, is bounded on the S. by Kingoldrum; on the E. and N. by a ridge of mountains which separates it from Cortachy and Clova; and on the W. by another ridge of mountains which separates it from Glenifla and Lintrathen. This glen is about 12 miles long; and, with the tract of country which lies along the burn of Lednathie, Glenuig, Glenlogie, and fome fmaller glens which are comprehended

under the general name Glenprofen, may contain 24 or 30 fquare miles. The face of the country is various. For about a mile to the N. of the parishes of Glammis and Forfar, it is almost flat. Then it rifes gently about 2 miles more, forming almost one continued floping bank, till within a few hundred yards of the town, which ftands nearly in the centre of the southern part of the parish, and is separated by a narrow valley or den, about 100 feet deep, from the above bank. To the E. and W. of the town, it is almost level. The reft of the parish is beautifully diverfified with hills, and dales, rivers, woods, and plains. The hills, however, thofe in Glenprofen excepted, are of no great elevation, and are either cultivated, or planted, or afford tolerable pafture. Glenprofen is altogether hilly and mountainous. A few of the hills are covered with grafs, except on their fummits; and a few of them are rocky; but they are, in general, covered with heath, interspersed, however, with innumerable patches of grafs, probably produced by the many rills which tumble down their fides. Some of thefe hills are interfected by rivulets which have their fource in the glens formerly mentioned; and in the glens are feveral hundred acres of fiat moffy ground, partly covered with bent and rough grass, which afford good pafture for young cattle during the fummer months, as the hills do for fheep. In Glenprofen, the foil is partly thin and light, partly moffy, and, in general, wet. In the fouthern part of the parish, are all kinds of foil; but a black mould, on a bottom of mortar, predominates. This, when dry, produces heavy crops of all kinds of grain; but being in many places wet and spongy, the harvest is often late, and the grain of rather an inferior quality.

Rivers, and Woods.-The river Elk, which has it fource in Clova, forms the N. E. boundary of this parish for about 2 miles

2 miles. The Profen takes its rife in the N. W. extremity of it; runs the whole length of the glen to which it gives name; afterward separates the parishes of Cortachy and Kingoldrum for about 2 miles; then Kirriemuir and Cortachy for about 2 miles more; and falls into the Esk near Invercarity. The Carity has its fource in the parish of Lintrathen; traverses that and the parish of Kingoldrum; and, after a meandering courfe of about 4 miles in this parish, is loft in the Ek at Invercarity, to which it gives name. Thefe rivers fwarm with small trout, which afford excellent fport for the angler; and, in the fummer months, a great number of featrout refort to the Esk and Profen. This trout is red, of an excellent flavour, and by many people preferred to falmon. Some years ago, falmon were likewife plenty in the Efk; but now, owing to the dam-dikes towards the mouth of the river, their numbers here are inconfiderable. The Gairie has it fource about 2 miles to the W. of the town in the meadow, formerly the Lake of Kinnordy. After paffing the meadow, it glides along a channel cut for it out of folid rock, till within 300 or 400 yards of the town. Then, changing its courfe to the S. E., it defcends into a narrow valley; and, in its fall, turns a corn and malt mill, a flax, and 2 fulling mills. Directing again its courfe to the E., it meanders along the den, which is of a ferpentine form, about 200 yards to the S. of the town, and 60 feet below the level of the lowest part of it. At the eastern extremity of the den, which is about a mile long, it takes a fouthern direction, and after beautifying and enriching the parks of Logie, again turns to the S. E., and, after a courfe of about 10 miles, which, in a direct line, would not exceed 5, falls into the Dean a little to the E. of Glammis Caftle. Before the Lake of Kinnordy was drained, in 1740, this was a confiderable ftream; but now, in a dry fummer, it is fcarcely fufficient to turn a mill.

This parish, to the E. of the town, was once a continued foreft, called Platane. At prefent there are no woods of great extent; though a confiderable quantity both of hard and soft timber, of all kinds and ages, is interspersed up and down the parish, especially on the estate of Kinnordy, the proprietor of which is giving his feat every embellishment which wood can bestow, as well as ornamenting the country, by planting every piece of wafte ground on his eftate. Mr. Ogilvy of Clova, has likewife planted, within these few years, 300 acres of Scotch and Larix firs, befides hard wood; and continues to plant a certain number of acres every year. There is, befides, in Glenprofen, a confiderable quantity of natural wood, moftly birch; and, were it not for the sheep, it would foon become a foreft, as the upper part of it, which is ftill called the Foreft of Glenprofen, has evidently been.

Climate, &c.-The climate varies confiderably. The lower part of the parish is far more mild and temperate than Glenprofen, except in the middle of fummer, when, owing to the reflexion of the fun's beams from the hills, the latter is perhaps warmer than the former. And, about the boundaries of the parishes of Glammis and Forfar, the air is milder than about the town, and to the northward of it. Scrofula and confumptions are the most common diforders; and we are fometimes, though rarely, vifited with putrid fevers. The air is clear and falubrious; the people rather above the common fize, well made, ftrong, active, and healthy. The ague, which is common in the lower parts of Strathmore, is unknown here; and, often, whilft Forfar, Glammis, and Meigle, are enclosed in mift, there is none at Kirriemuir. There are no inftances of a remarkable longevity; but many arrive at 80; and 2 or 3 died lately who were above 90.

Cultivation,