sect. I. THE COUNTY OF FIFE, 53 



Besides its being an unnatural restraint upon 

 property, it not unfrequentiy puts it in the 

 power of profligacy and dissipation, to ensnare 

 the honest tradesmen, who may not be apprised 

 of the terms upon which his employer holds 

 his estate. 



Entails have often the unhappy effect like- 

 wise of restraining, within too narrow limits, 

 the operations of natural affection, and natural 

 justice, by putting it out of the parent's power 

 to make a suitable provision for the younger 

 branches of the family. 



Nay, in many instances, they prove a great 

 bar to the progress of agricultural improvement. 

 If the proprietor has a large family, when he 

 finds that he can neither burthen his estate, nor 

 alienate any part of it, instead of devoting a li- 

 beral portion of his income to the amelioration 

 of his lands, the advantages of which must be 

 ultimately reaped by the heirs of entail, he will 

 be led to save every shilling in his power for 

 the education and settlement of his younger 

 children. Or, if he has no heirs of his own 

 body, and his estate, agreeably to the nature of 

 the entail, must pass into the hands of a distant 

 relation, or of one with whom he has little con- 

 nexion, and for whom he has as little friendship, 

 he will be equally indisposed to project and exe- 

 cute schemes of expensive improvement. 



Residence of Proprietors. A few of the pro- 

 prietors, whose family seats, and the principal 

 part of their property, lie in other counties, are 

 non-resident, and seldom visit Fife. There are 

 some, likewise, engaged in particular employ- 

 ments, with the prosecution of which a constant 



