Abbey, with that part of the town which lies on the fouth of this rivulet, falls within the county of Forfar. The reft of the town and parish are in the county of Perth. The streets are paved, and have lately been provided with lamps. The town has received confiderable ornament, as well as advantage, from the excellent turnpike roads that have just been finished. The Perth road, from the weft, falls upon the cross in a direct line of about a mile; with this the Dundee road, from the fouth, forms a right angle; and, when the latter is carried directly through the town, to the caft, as is in contemplation, and the ground on each fide feued for building, the beauty will be nearly completed. Several good houfes have lately been built here. The steeple was built in 1762, on the spot where the prifon of the court of regality ftood. The view from the Beach Hill, northward of the town, is fingularly delightful. The eye contemplates the meanders of the river Ifla, in its courfe through a fertile and extenfive plain; and, on the other fide, a champaign open country, variegated with thriving villages and fruitful fields. There is a weekly market on Thursday, and fairs in April, May, July, and December. Coupar is fuppofed to have tripled the number of its inhabitants within the last half century. This increase is chiefly owing to the encouragement given to the manufac-. turing of linen in this part of the country, and partly to the monopolifing of farms, by which fmall tenants and trades people have been obliged to remove to manufacturing towns.

Villages, Mills, &c.—Next to Coupar, the greatest villages are Balbrogie, Wellton, and Cadam; and the number of families in the largest of these does not exceed 35. There is scarcely

There is no bridge between that and Perth on the one fide, nor between it and the bridge of Deane on the other.

ly a garden in the parifh that deferves the name; culinary productions being more regarded than ornament or elegance. There are 2 rivulets and 5 mills; 1 in Coupar, 3 in Kethock, and 1 in Balgirfho.

Manufactures.-There is a tannery in Coupar, which was built in 1781, wherein about 2600 hides of different kinds are dreffed annually, and 9000 ftone of bark used. There is also a very confiderable linen manufacture *. In 1792, there were flamped at the ftamp-office in this town, all manufactured in the courfe of that year, and within the bounds of the parish, 97,810 yards of brown linen (in about 600 reed), and 116,793 yards of harn. Both thefe kinds are fent to the English market. The linen is whitened at the bleachfields in the neighbourhood, is used for buckram and hat linings, and is worth about 9 d. per yard. The harn is used for pack-fheet, and is worth about 5 d. per yard. There is but one bleachfield in the parish, viz. that at Balgirsho, at which there are annually whitened about 200,000 yards. The number last year (1793) was only 90,coo yards. There are 4 whisky ftills in the parish, 3 of 40 gallons, and 1 of 30.

Population. The population of this parish has increafed confiderably within thefe 40 years, as will appear from the following Table:

POPULA

The introduction of the linen manufacture, into this parish and neighbourhood, was principally owing to GEORGE YOUNG, late a merchant in this town, a man of an uncommon capacity for bufinefs and improvements. This man found means, by petitioning the Board of Trustees for the Forfeited Eftates of Scotland, to procure a furvey, and estimate of expence, for a CANAL between PERTH and FORFAR by this place. The plan was formed on a scale too expensive for the state of the country at that time, and was confequently dropt.

A man fervant's yearly wages are from 9 1. to 11 l.; a woman fervant's from 31 to 41.; 1 pound (22 oz.) butter, 9d. Beef fells at from 3 d. to 4 d. per pound; a good hen from 1 s. to 1 s. 6d. A mafon's wages are 1 s. 6d. per day; a taylor's 10 d. ; a man's hire for the harveft 11. 10s.; a woman's ditto 11.; a labourer's wages per day, with victuals, 1 s. In general, the price of every thing is raised one third within these last 40 years.

Rent, Heritors, Church, Poor, &c.-The valued rent of the parish is 6669 1. 14 s. 4 d. Scotch. The number of heritors is 35. The chief proprietor is the EARL of MURRAY. The Crown is patron. The ftipend is 500 merks Scotch, and 6 chalders of victual, with an allowance for the communion elements. The glebe is inconfiderable. The manse was built anew in 1781. The church was repaired in 1780.-There are at prefent 24 perfons on the poors lift, who are fupport

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ed by the collections at the church doors. The collections, at a medium, including mort-cloth fees, and dues for marriages, amount to about 56 1. per annum. The poor's money

is diftributed to them monthly, and they are allowed from 2 s. to 5 s. at a time. There is an Antiburgher and a Relief meeting-house in Coupar. The latter was built in 1792. They are both well filled, but chiefly from the neighbouring parishes.

School. The fchool was rebuilt in 1792, and is large and well lighted. The average number of fcholars is about 60. The master is in a valetudinary state, and the school is taught by an affiftant. English is taught for 1 s. 6 d. writing and arithmetic at 2 s. 6 d. and Latin at 3 s. per quarter. The falary is 111. 2 s. 1 d. Sterling. Sir John Sinclair, or any other public fpirited gentlemen connected with Parliament, who have the intereft of their country at heart, must be convinced of the neceffity of adopting fome plan, to put the pa rochial teachers in Scotland on a more refpectable footing. Their fituation, at prefent, is not equal, in point of emolument, on an average, to that of the meanest mechanic or day labourer.

Difadvantages.-The fcarcity of fuel, and the great distance from any fea-port, are inconveniencies feverely felt by the inhabitants of this diftrict. The moffes, the nearest of which is 6 miles diftant, are either totally exhaufted, or restricted to the tenants of the ground. To have coals from Perth or Dundee is found, therefore, to be the cheapest expedient. Thefe, confidering the diftance they have to be driven, and the high expences of carriage, prove very expensive to the poor tradefman. Much too, of the farmer's time, that would have been laid out in improving his farm, is indifpenfibly loft VOL. XVII.

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