STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND. PART XVII. NUMBER I. PARISH OF COUPAR OF ANGUS. (COUNTIES OF PERTH AND FORFAR.-PRESBYTERY OF MEIGLE. SYNOD OF ANGUS AND MEARNS.) By Mr JOHN RITCHIE Student in Divinity at Markinch. T1 Situation and Extent. HE parish of COUPAR lies towards the center of the fpacious valley of Strathmore. Though defigned of Angus, the greatest part of it is fituated in the county of Perth. The distance from the latter is 12 miles, and from Dundee nearly the fame. The river Ifla is its northern boundary. The length of the parish is about 5 miles, in the direction of S. W. and N. E. The breadth is from 1 to 2 miles. Kinlach and Batmyle, formerly belonged to this parish, but are now annexed to that of Meigle. VOL. XVII. A Surface Surface and Soil.-The parifh is divided, length-ways, by a ridge or bank of confiderable height. The afcent of this bank from the fouth is eafy; from the north it is steeper. Contiguous, on the north fide, lie the Haughs of Isla, containing upwards of 600 acres of a strong clayey foil. These haughs produce excellent crops of corn and grass. It frequently happens, that, after northerly rains, the Ifla is fwelled to fuch a degree, as to lay the adjacent banks and haughs under water to a great extent; and, in time of harvest, these inundations have been known to carry off large quantities of corn. Wherever the ground is elevated in any degree, the foil is light and gravelly; in the low grounds the foil is either of a clayey or loamy nature. The Watton Mire is a common of confiderable magnitude, containing nearly 200 acres. The people of the parish were wont to repair thither for turf and fods, which they used in part as feuel. It is now totally uselefs in this refpect. Several overtures have been made to have this common partitioned among the heritors, but none have yet fucceeded. Were it drained, and sheltered with planting, it might turn to advantage. It now presents a bleak and barren appearance in the heart of a rich corn country. The only plantation ground is in the weft end of the parish, containing from 50 to 100 acres of common fir, the property of Lord Privy.Seal. In many places of the parish and country adjacent, we meet with a red earth of a clayey unctuous nature, commonly called mortar, and fometimes ufed in building. It is found a few inches below the furface, and reaches to a confiderable depth. Below this ftratum of red earth is found a foft ftone of the fame colour, which is, evidently, the fame earth in a confolidated form. Agriculture. The lands are now generally inclofed with thorn hedges. Formerly, the diftinction between Outfield and Infield Infield was conftantly obferved. The former was cropped alternately with oats and bear; the latter, after a few fucceffive crops of oats, was fuffered to lie out a number of years in lea. The run-rigg prevailed, too, in many places. These abfurd practices are now worn out, and the modern improvements generally introduced. Ploughs drawn by cattle were formerly in ufe. These are now fucceeded by ploughs with two horfes abreaft, where one man both holds and drives. Produce and Cattle.-List-feed is fown in confiderable quantities; and, when the feafons prove favourable it fucceeds very well; the lippie of feed frequently giving a ftone of dreffed flax. Half a century ago no wheat was raifed in Coupar. The quantity is ftill inconfiderable, owing to the difficulty of procuring manure. No field beans are railed. Oats, barley, and peafe, are the grain in moft requeft. The barley is either fold to the brewers in the town of Coupar, or carried to the neighbouring ports, where it is either malted or put on hipboard. The other grain, made into meal, generally finds a ready market in the populous village of Coupar. The prices of the corn are the fame as in the neighbouring parishes. The graffes fown are rye-grafs and red clover. No hay is made but for home confumption. A few acres are generally fallowed in fummer, and fields of turnips reared for the cattle againft winter. Each tenant brings up young cattle in proportion to the extent of his farm. Thefe he difpofes of to drovers, or fach as keep grafs parks, who feed them, and take them to Falkirk to meet the English merchants. There are no fheep kept in this diftrict. Potatoes are raifed in large quantities, and are of great fervice to the poor. It is not much above 20 years, fince this ufeful root came into general ufe in this parish. Leafes.-The farms are commonly let for a term of 19 years, a a period by far too short to roufe the exertion of the tenant, and induce him to employ that labour and expence, in meliorating the foil, which he might have in his power. Proprietors of land, it is prefumed, would find it ultimately to the advantage of their eftates, did they give more fcope to the farmer, by granting him a lease of triple the ordinary time. In fuch a cafe it might be ftipulated, too, that the proprietor fhould receive a certain fum of money upon the expiration of an ordinary leafe. At the commencement of the lateft leafes the rents have been nearly doubled. The land, at an average, brings about 16s, per acre, though fome farms are let at above 20 s. per acre. The number of acres in the whole parish, by a grofs calculation, is about 2400, without including the commons; and the present rent is 22141. Climate, Difeafes, &c.-Remarkable inftances of longevity have feldom occurred. A poor woman died a few years ago, who must have been 116 years, from what the remembered to have feen. The fituation of the parifh is healthy, there being no marshy ground or ftagnant water, nor any thing to obftruct a free circulation of air. There are no diseases peculiar to the place. Nervous and hysterical disorders are faid to be much more common now than formerly, owing, without doubt, to the way of living, particularly to the more frequent ufe of fpiritous liquors and tea. The prejudices against inoculation are far from being removed, efpecially among the poorer fort, Town, Roads, &c.-COUPAR is divided by a rivulet, which, turning the mills of Kethock, with two others in its course, falls into the Ila, about 5 miles to the weftward. The Abbey, *The bridge over the Ila, near Coupar, was built in 1765. There |