An elegant church was built here in 1787, to which Charles Lyell, Efq. of Kinnordy, the principal heritor and fuperior of the town, added a handfome fpire, which is feen through the whole of Strathmore. The manfe was built in 1774; but fo ill executed, that it was found neceffary to repair it in 1787. It is now a fubftantial and commodious houfe. The ftipend is 112 bolls of victual, meal, and 1 bear, and 470 1. Scotch, including 501. for communion elements, and 201. for grafs-money, with a glebe of 4 acres. Lord Douglas is patron.-The schoolmafter's falary is 200 merks, with a commodious house and a small garden, befides 1 l. 12 s. Sterling, mortified to him, many years ago, by a Mr. Ogilvy a clergyman in London, for teaching 4 boys of his own

name *.

The number of fcholars varies from 60 to 100. There are 2 private schools in the town, at one of which the numbers are much the fame as at the parochial fchool. At the other, are taught from 20 to 40 scholars. In the country part of the parish; there are 4 fchools, at which from 100 to 150 children are taught to read English.

The number of poor families which conftantly receive alms,

* Mr. Hendry of the parish of Kensington, London, a native of this paris, by his will, bequeathed to the minister and elders 14001. Sterling, in truft, the intereft of 1200l. to be laid out in educating, and furnishing with books, pers, ink, and paper, 12 Loys, or, as many more as it will educate; and the intercit of the remaining 2001. to be paid to the fchoolmafter for keeping the accounts. Some difficulties arafe about fome parts of Mr. Hendry's property, and the exclufion of the truft in his will; fo that his executors did not think themfelves fife to pay the money without an amicable fuit in Chancery. This was begun in 1784; and in 1796, the Chancellor found the money due, with 14 years intereft; but, instead of ordering it to be paid, he directed it to be laid out in the funds, and a plan to be given in how it was to be expended. This was done foon after; but the legacy has not yet been paid. It is, however, expected that payment will be ordered in the courfe of next term.

is at prefent 19. The only fund for their fupport arifes from the interest of a small fum faved by the feflion in former years, to answer any emergence, collections in the church, dues for lending mortcloths, fines from delinquents, and the fale of the effects of penfioners after their death. These, for the year 1792, amounted to 991. 9 s. 8d. The diftributions to the above penfioners, and fome other occafional charities, with 41. 6s. paid to the feffion-clerk and beadle, amounted to 861. 16s. 2d.; fo that in 1792, there was a faving of 121. 18s. 61d., although the allowance to each penfioner was never more liberal, being from 3s. to 7 s. a-month, befides the rent of their house, and from 5s. to 10s. to affift them in buying fuel *.

Mifcellaneous Obfervations.-A little to the W. of the town is a globular hillock, and contiguous to it, a circular pond evidently excavated to form the hillock. In a difpofition to the estate of Kinnordy by one of the Douglas family, this hillock, which is called the Court Hillock, and a road to it, is referved. The pond is commonly called the Witch Pool, and was lately converted into a refervoir for the mills on the Gairie; a much better ufe than, if we may judge from the

name,

*In 1752, the collections made in the church were, each Sunday, at a medium, including what was collected at the difpenfation of the Lord's Supper 95.94d. In 1772, the church was vacant; but in 1770, they were 14 s. 2 d.; and in 1795, 11. Ss. Iod.: A clear proof this of the growing opulence of the parish, as well as of their charitable difpofition. But in order to have the amount of their charity, we must add a confiderable fum given to be distributed among poor families, not penfioners, by two of the heritors who are Epifcopalians, and, therefore, feldom or never attend the church; and a very large fum given by the people to ftrolling beggars, most of whom, inftead of being objects of charity, are very fit objects for a house of correction. Such, however, is the difpofition of the people, that their purfe is open to every vagabond who can tell a plausible tale of woe; and as much fquandered in this way as would make all the poor in the parish live comfortably.

name, the fuperftition of our ancestors led them to apply it. At Invercarity there is a Gothic building of cut ftone in good repair. When it was erected, is uncertain; but it muft have been before the 15th century. It confifts of 4 ftories, and each storey, except the uppermoft, which is divided into 2, of only one apartment. The walls are about 9 feet thick, project confiderably near the top, and terminate in a parapet not more than a foot thick. Between the parapet and roof, there is a space for 2 or 3 men to walk abreast, and immediately above the gate 3 fquare apertures, through the projection of the wall, fo placed, that a ftone dropped through them must fall upon a perfon ftanding at the gate. To the E. of the gate which fronts the S., are fome vestiges of 2 wing, demolished, it is faid, by the Earl of Crawford, in 1445, in fome family feud between the Lindsays and Ogilvies, one of whom was then proprietor of Invercarity *.

NUM

This town was in great diftrefs in 1782, not fo much from a fcarcity of victual, for fome of the farmers never had a better crop, as from a refolution entered into by the people not to give above a certain price. Confequently the farmers carried their victual to the best market; and this place was threatened with a famine. To prevent this in future, a fociety was established in 1785, called the Weaver Society. Each member, at his admiflion, pays a certain fum, and fo mach a quarter afterward; and, in cafe of fickness, or inability to work, he is entitled to a certain allowance a-week; and in the event of his having a widow, the receives a small annuity. The funds, which are now confiderable, are employed in purchafing meal, which is fold to the members at prime coft, and to others, at a trifling profit. This fociety has been of great ufe to the parish, Another, on much the fame plan, called the Society of Shocmakers, was established fone months ago. There are 3 moffes in the parish and several others on the boundaries of it. From thefe, the common people are fupplied with fuel; but the moffes being much exhausted, it is now procured with difficulty; and after a wet fealon, the poor are almost starved. This is the chief disadvantage under which the parish labours; and is likely to be, in fome measure, remedied by the great quantity of thriving timber lately planted here, and in the neighbourhood; and by the turnpike road making t✔ Dandee, the nearest fea port.

NUMBER XVII.

PARISH OF KEMNAY,

COUNTY AND SYNOD OF ABERDEEN, PRESBYTERY OF GA RIOCH.)

By the Rev. Mr. PATRICK MITCHELL.

Name, Extent, Surface, c.

'HE name of this district is faid to be derived from the

THE

Kembs, a chain of little hills which takes its rife early at the middle of the parish, and extending along the 1. fide of it, terminates in the parish of Cluny, by which

emuay

is bounded on the W. and S. W. There are 2 miral fprings at the foot of the Kembs, about an English le diftant from each other, one of which is called the emb-well, and the other the Spa-well. The water is pretty ongly impregnated with iron, but has not as yet got any putation for its medicinal virtues. The parifh lies 14 miles from the capital of the county. It is bounded on the N. E., and N. W., by the river Don. It is of an irregular

gular figure, and about 44 English miles in length, and nearly 3 broad. It is rather hilly than flat; but there are no hills in it of any confiderable height.

Rivers, Fib.-The Don, which is our only river, abounds in excellent falmon. The way in which they are caught here, is by cruives, of which there are 2 belonging to Mr. Burnett of Kemnay. The falmon are fent fresh to Aberdeen for exportation, and are fold to the merchant at 4d. the pound, from the beginning of the fishing feason to the middle of April, and thence, to the end of the season, at 3d. the pound,

Soil. The foil is, for the most part, a light mould, very ftony, and lying on a bed of fand. The haughs, indeed, on the banks of the Don, are, in general, a fine rich loam, deep, and perfectly free from ftones; but they are of no great extent in this diftrict. We have here great abundance of peat-mofs, a confiderable part of which has been in tillage for ages, and is called Burntland. It was heretofore the practice to plough fuch grounds early in fummer, and as foon as the furrows were a little dried, to fet fire to them; a practice of confiderable advantage to the farmer for a few years after the burning, but very ruinous to the foil. Since this practice was prohibited, the crops of oats on our mofly grounds have been poor, and, in late feafons, are generally loft. But trees of all kinds thrive wonderfully in our peatmoffes. The late Lord Kaimes takes notice of this fact in his Gentleman Farmer; but he flates it inaccurately, and draws a conclufion from it, which by no means follows. "At the feat of Mr. Burnett of Kemnay," fays his Lordthip (page 305, of the edition 1776) 10 miles from Aberdeen, a kitchen-garden, a flower-garden, a wilderness of trees, indigenons