of both charges. The ftipend, annexed to the firft, confifts of 8 chalders of meal and grain, and about 25 1. in money, with a small glebe. Of the grain and meal, there are only paid, within the parish of Cupar, 19 bolls. The ftipend of

the second minifter is about 10col. Scotch. manfe belonging to either of the ministers.

There is no

Religious Perfuafions.-Till within these few months, there has always been an Epifcopal meeting-house in Cupar, having a fixed pastor refiding in the town, or in the immediate vicinity. At present the people of that perfuafion, who are now reduced to a very small number, assemble for public worship only occafionally, when the Epifcopal minifter from Pittenweem prefides. The fect of Relief have a meetinghouse in Cupar, built in 1769. The number of members in the parish, belonging to this congregation, cannot easily be afcertained, as they are in a ftate of conftant fluctuation. There are alfo a few Burghers and Antiburghers, who belong to the congregations who meet at Ceres and Rathillet. About 7 or 8 perfons affemble on the Lord's Day, in a private house in town, for the purposes of devotion; but their principles and mode of worship are not known. It is pleasant to conclude this detail of the religious perfuafions which prevail in this place, with remarking, that the fectaries in Cupar live on good terms with their neighbours, the members of the Eftablifhed Church;-that their different opinions in religion feldom interrupt the focial intercourfe of life, or prevent them from doing kind offices to one another;

that a more liberal and benevolent spirit begins at last to prevail; and that, except among a few, that gloominess of afpect, that bitterness of fpirit, and that fierceness of zeal, which in former times marked and difgraced the different fects, are, at the prefent day, happily unknown.

Poor.

Poor. Though the parifh of Cupar is very populous, yet, during the last 20 years, there have never been, at any time, more than from 4 to 7 beggars belonging to it. The num ber of begging poor is at present 5. The number of poor houfe-holders, however, is very confiderable. Fifteen receive from the kirk-feffion a weekly allowance, proportioned to their various claims A far greater number are fupplied occafionally. Parochial affeffments, for the maintainance of the poor, in this part of the kingdom, are yet unknown; yet a more decent and adequate provifion is made for the fupport of the indigent in Cupar, than in most parishes, perhaps, where thefe obtain, and where the population is equally great. The poor receive annually, collected at the doors of the church, between 701 and 801.; and 161. as the intereft of a fund in money, which has long been their property. In a building which ftands near to the church, known by the name of the Aims Houses, and under the management of the kirk-feffion, a few aged and infirm women are lodged, and, in part, fupported, out of the above fund.But, befides the confiderable fupplies, which the poor thus receive from the ordinary parochial fund, they are indebted to the liberal spirit of public bodies, and to the compaffion of individuals, for effential and feasonable support The town of Cupar, greatly to their credit, give liberaily out of the revenue of the burgh, to the indigent and diftreffed. The incorporations, too, as far as their fcanty funds will permit, contribute to the relief of their decayed members. A fociety has been formed, among tradefinen and mechanics, which has the happieft effects. By contributing, when in health, a very fmall fum weekly, they provide for their fupport in fickness and old age. of the principal heritors of the parish, who conftantly refide in it, have each of them their lift of weekly pen

The ladies of feveral

fioners,

fioners, to whofe wants they kindly and regularly attend; and other individuals are not more diftinguished by their rank and opulence, than by their extenfive charity, and exemplary bene volence *.-It may be laid with the ftri&teft reg-rd to truth, (and to the honour of the humanity of the age, and of the place, it ought indeed by no means to be concealed), that no cafe of private diftrefs is made known, which does no bere meet with kind fyn.pathy, and inftant relief, that no tune of general fcarcity occurs, which does not bear teftimony to ', the virtue of individuals, and call forth the mit benevolent exertions. These acts of beneficence are by no means pecu. liar to thofe of high rank, and in affluent circumftances; ine ftances of compaffion to the afflicted, and of relief extended to the indigent, fr quently occur among thole placed in the humblr walks of lite, which do honour to themicives and to humanity.

Vagrant Beggars.-Though the town of Cupar may be

faid

In the year 1782, the price of meal rofe to an enormous height. That the poor might be enabled to purchase their uinal fupply, the feffion add d to their ordinary diftributions the fum of 501 the favings of former years. They divided allo to the neceffitous 251 raifed for their use by the humane and benevo. lent, by the laudable and efficient fcheme of a fubfripuon hall. Owing to thefe and fome other donations of lefs connderation, the peor in Cupar were happily preferved from the prefuse of want, during that year of general distress -In the courfe of the laft wintner, (1793), coals, all over the kingdom, w re extreme. ly tearce and high priced. That the poor might not differ from the want of fuel, and that coals might be fold to them at the ordinary rate, the town of Cupar generously gave 20 neas, to affitt in reducing the price of this neceflary article. nobleman, who probably would not w fh his name to be meu. tioned, fent to the town 15 gu neas to purchase coals for the poor The refiding heritors of the parith alfo ferilly contri buted to the fame benevolent purpose. One gentleman gave 5 guineas, another 3, &c.

gut

A

faid to have almost no begging poor belonging to it, yet there is no town perhaps in Scotland, of the fame extent, where a greater number are daily feen infefting the streets. Capar being the principal thoroughfare, on the great turi pike road leading through the county of Fife, and no plan being fleadily followed, to prevent the numerous vagrants paffing from north to fouth, and from fouth to north, to beg the whole round of the town, the inhabitants are daily fubjected to their importunities and extortions. To the difgrace of the police alfo, feveral houses are ftill to be found in Cupar, that harbour the idle and the profligate, from whatever quarter they come. In the day they prowl in the neighbouring country, giving out, that they are poor from the parish of Cupar, and beg or plunder by turns, as opportunities offer. At night, they return to the infamous receptacles which they had left in the morning, difpofe there of their poils, and riot and caroufe, at the expence of the fimple, the fober, and the induftrious. In truth a fum of inoney could not be laid out by the community fo frugally, or fo much to the advantage of the town and of the neighbourhood, as in hiring a perfon, whofe fole bufinefs it thould be to prevent foreign poor from begging in Cupar, and to apprehend all vagrant strangers, who cannot give a proper account of themselves.

It is hoped, that it will not be deemed improper, or in any degree difrefpectful to the laws and conftitution of the coun try, to conclude this article with obferving, that the acts of the Parliament of Scotland, intended to operate for the regulation and maintenance of the poor, are many of them become of little ufe, and inapplicable to the prefent ftate of fo ciety. Whoever has lived in England; whoever has paid attention to the legal provifion made in that country, for the maintenance of the poor; whoever has witneffed the formidable amount to which the tax in fome diftricts rifes, how. fatally

fatally it sometimes operates, as an encouragement to idle. ness, and check to induftry; whoever has paid attention to these circumstances, would never wish to fee poor's rates esta blished in Scotland. Yet, every one who has been, during any confiderable length of time, concerned in the manage ment of a parish fund in this country, must frequently, from the imperfection and inconfiftency of our acts of Parliament relating to this business, have felt himself difficulted, and must have wished for a new law, containing proper regula, tions on this fubject, fo very important and interefting to fociety-particularly for a ftatute, defining accurately thefe two points:

ft, Who are the poor, or who are they who have a le gal claim to maintenance in a parish?

2dly, Who are the fole and legal administrators of the funds belonging to the poor * ?

Schools.-The schools of Cupar meet in a convenient and

hand

*The arguments against the establishment of poor's rates, have often been ftated to the public. It is unneceffary here to repeat them. From what has been represented, with respect to the maintenance of the poor of Cupar, it is evident that a decent provifion may be made for the indigent, without adopting a practice, that has been attended with fuch pernicious effects wherever it has been established. If the landholders of Scotland understand their own intereft; if they entertain a deep and grateful fenfe of the prudence, and purity, and difinterestedness of minifters and kirk-feffions, in the management of the funds belonging to the poor intrusted to their care; if they are interefted in the comfort of those with whose welfare their own profperity is intimately connected-while they reprobate parochial affeffments, and all their baleful confequences to fociety, they will chearfully follow the only plan, which, in many pa rishes, can prevent their establishment-they will regularly contribute, on the Lord's Day, to the relief of the poor in those parishes where their property lies, whether they refide or not, and whether or not they attend public worship.