Divifion of the Inhabitants, and their Occupations.All the inhabitants are farmers, and cotagers employed by them, except thofe afterwards mentioned. About ten of the inhabitants are finall proprietors of lands, which they occupy themselves. There are eight weavers, two bleachers, two fhoe-makers, two millers, five blacksmiths, five masons, four taylors, and eight joiners: all of whom are employed in working for the inhabitants of the parish, and not in manufacturing articles for fale. There are no houthold fervants except in gentleman's families, and thefe are few. There are about thirty-two male, and thirty-fix female labouring fervants. The greatest part of the farming and dairy work is done by the farmers themfelves, their wives, their fons, and daughters, and cottagers; which laft work either by the piece or by the year, receiving what is called a benefit; that is, a house, yard, peats, 52 ftones of meal, a quantity of potatoes, and as much money as, with thefe articles would, communibus annis, amount to thirteen pounds Sterling per annum. Befides the above mentioned fervants, fome hearers are hired by the day from the adjacent moor countries. It is remarkable that all the inhabitants are natives of this island, except one perfon only, who comes from freland. There are no nobility refident in the parish, and the gentry amount only to twenty-feven perfons befides their domeftics. All the inhabitants are of the established church, except fix Cameronians, nine Burgher Seceders, two of the church of England, and three Catholics: but most of all these denominations attend the parish church occafionally, except the Catholics.

General Character.They are a fobér, regular, and induftrious people, all employed in farming, except the few above mentioned. They are generous and humane, although they have not been calledto the exertion of thefe qualities by any remarkable events,except in the year 1782 and 1783, as fhall be mentioned afterwards. They enjoy in a reafonable degree, the conveniencies and comforts of fociety, and are in general as contented with their fituation as most people. Their condition, however, might be meliorated, could the heavy multures be removed, which hinder improvements in agriculture; or could coals be in

ported duty free,which checks any attempts to the establish ing manufactures. With refpect to the morals of the people,it may be obferved, that during the time of the prefent incum bent, which is 19 years, only one perfon has been banithed for theft, and one enlisted for a foldier: This laft, in a few months, folicited his friends to make application to get him out of the army, which they did with fuccefs; and he has ever fince lived in the parish an induftrious labouring man. In regard to other particulars, they are healthy, robuft, and rather above the common ftature. Several instances of longevity have been obferved among them. Within thefe few years, three perfons have died, whofe ages were 90, 95, and 96.

Church. The value of the living, including the glebe, is about 1201. Sterling. The laft patron was Robert Beveridge of Fourmerkland, Efq. the proprietor of an estate of that name in the parish. He died lately, and by his death, the patronage devolved to his fifters, the eldest of whom is married to the Rev. Mr. James McMillan minifter of Torthorwald.

The manfe and office houfes were all new built in 17733 the church in 1779; and the two school houfes in 1782; all which buildings are now in excellent repair.

State of the Poor. The average number of poor who now receive alms is fifteen. The annual fum expended for their relief, is about 321. Sterling, produced by the collections in the church on Sundays, excepting the intereft of a small fum appropriated to them. Thefe fifteen perfons are all maintained in their own houfes, or boarded in other families; none of them are kept in hofpitals or work-houses. The greatest number of them earnabout two-thirds of their maintenance. Thofe who are orphans under ten years old, or who are very old and infirm, and without relations to aflift them, are boarded out at the rate of 41. Sterling per annum. Befides the relief from the parish, the poor receive frequent fupplies of food and clothes from charitable and well-difpofed people. They are however kept from begg

S The parfonage houfe, thus called all over Scotland, is evidently derived, as manfion is from the Latin manea, to remain or abide.

ing from door to door moft effectually, by the affurance of their inevitably lofing all parith relief if they perfift in the practice. As the church feffion is extremely attentive to give them relief, according to their necethities, to provide medical affiance for them when fick, to pay the schoolmafter for teaching their children reading, writing, and the common rules of arithmetic, their own interest induces them to comply with the defire of the feffion, not to beg. Beggars, however, occafionally infeft the parish, but they do not belong to nor refide in it.

*

Price of Grain and Provifions.The price of wheat, barley, and oats are generally regulated by the Liverpool and Greenock markets, being juft as much below the prices at thefe places, as will pay freight, and afford a very moderate profit to the corn merchants, who export the grain to one or other of thefe places. For many years paft, the price of grain has been in general the fame as in the London market, which is always a little below that of Liverpool. Grain is in general cheaper here about Candlemas, the markets being then overstocked by the farmers anxiety to make up their half-year's rent, which is payable at that term. Communibus annis, wheat is 5 s. barley 2 s. 2 d. and oats I s. 1d. the Winchester bufhel. The prefent average price of beef, veal, mutton, lamb, and pork through the year is 3 d. the pound of 16 ounces, for thofe of the best qualities. At particular times of the year they are all much cheaper; and though at fome periods they amount to 5d. a pound thefe dear times do not laft long. The price of a roafting pig is 45; of a goofe 2 s.) of a turkey 2s. 6d; of a duck tod.; of á hen is; of a chicken 3d.; of rabbits, though there are few of them, Is. the pair without the fkins; butter is gd. the pound of 24 ounces: cheese varies according to its richnefs and age.

Price of Labour. The wages of men labourers are Is, a day from the firft of March to the firft of November, and 1od. the rest of the year, except that in time of harvest they are 13d; and of mowing 18d. The wages of women are, for working at peats, 8d.; at turnip weeding, hay making, and other farm work in fummer, 7d. ; fhearing in

§ The church feffion is the fame as the very in the English parishes.

harvest, 13 d. Both men and women furnish their own provifions out of their wages. The day wages of a carpenter and a mafon, are 1 s. 8 d.; of a bricklayer and flater, 2s.; * of a taylor, s. without, or 6 d. with meat. Work, however, is generally done by the piece. The average of farm fervants, when they cat in the houfe, is 71. for men, and 31. for women; but the farm fervants are generally paid by what is called a benefit, before defcribed; and if the man's wife and children are employed by the farmer, their work is feparately paid for. The wages of domeftic fervants are nearly the fame with thofe of farm fervants.

Expences of a Labourer's Family.-The expences of a common labourer, when married, and with four or five child ren, is about 161. a year. The wages which he receives, together with the induftry of his wife, enable him to live tolerably comfortable, and to give his children an education proper for their station, provided he and his wife are fober, industrious, and frugal: Those of them who are em barraffed in their circumftances, owe their poverty either to their own, or to their wife's bad conduct. That the la

bourers can maintain their families at this fmall expence, is owing to the farmers, from whom they have cottages, allowing them as much land for one year's rent free, to plant potatoes in, as they can manure fufficiently with ashes, or fuch dung as they can provide for themselves; and these potatoes conftitute at least one half of their year's food.

Divifion and Rent of Lands.-A great part of the parish is inclofed, but a confiderable part ftill lies open. The farmers feem fufficiently convinced of the advantages of inclofing, and would willingly allow their landlords intereft for fuch fums of money as would be neceffary for making inclo fures. The farms are in general from 40l. to 150l. a year, but there are fome few from 40 1. down to as fmall as $1.

The wages of these four artifts were 2d. lefs before the year 1788, at that time an uncommon fpirit for building appearing in the country increafed the demand for labour of that kind. This fpirit proceeded from the general tafte for good houtes, which marks this period, and from many monied men, who, having purchafed estates in this part of the country, are building elegant manfion-houses for themfelves, and good farm-houfes for their tenants.

1

About the year 1771, a fpirit of improvement appeared in the parish, when the farms became larger than they had formerly been; but for fome years paft they have continued nearly of the fame fize. The beft arable land is let from 11. I s. to 'l. 10 s.; and the inferior from 20 s. to s. an acre. The hill pafture is not let by the acre, but by the lump. The whole rent of the parish amounts to fomething more than 3ecol. Sterling per annum, including houfes, and the fmall fifheries in the Nith and Cluden. The heritors are thirty-one in number, of whom ten of the fmall ones and three of the largest, refide in the parish. There is no map of the parish, the number of acres in it have not confequently been precisely ascertained; they are estimated at about 7500. Of thefe, about 60 are employed for raifing wheat, 250 for barley, 20 for peafe and beans, 10 for rye, 1310 for oats, 100 for potatoes, 30 for turnip and cabbage, 20 for flax and hemp, 500 for fown grafs, the reft is pasturage, except about 150acres for roads and plantations. None of the ground is common; and every proprietor knows the exact marches of his eftate; but a confiderable quantity of the hilly part must always lie in a state of pafturage, not being arable on account of the fteepnefs of the hills. Several hundred acres, however, of the lower parts of thefe unbroken grounds, are capable of cultivation; and, if properly improved, would pay well for the labour beftowed on them. The greatest part of the parish is thirled to the mill of Cluden, and pays a very high multure †, which greatly tends to retard the cultivation and improvement of the district.

Mode of Cultivation.-There are 70 ploughs in the parish. Thofe ufed in the firft divifion, fee page 516, and the great

* When the laird, i. e. lord of the manor, builds a mill, he obliges his tenants to have all their corn ground at that mill only. The farms are then faid to be thirled, or under thirlage to the mill. But fometimes, as is the cafe here, the tenants of one eftate are thirled to the mill of another, which, when the dues are high, is a great bar to improvement ̧

+ Multure is a certain ftipulated quantity of meal, given as payment to the miller for grinding the corn: And all corn grown on farms thirled to the mill is obliged to pay multure, whether the corn be ground åt that mill or elsewhere.