KINNETTLES, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 3 miles (S. VV.) from Forfar; containing, with the village of Uouglaston, and hamlet of Kirkton of Kinnettles, 437 inhabitants. This place appears to have derived its name, signifying in the Gaelic "the head of the bog", from the situation of its church near the extremity of a tract of marshy land, once the bed of a river. It is unconnected with any event of historical importance, though, from various relics which have at different times been discovered, it appears to have been inhabited at a remote period. The parish is about two miles in length and the same in breadth, and comprises ,'J708 acres, of which 2840 are arable and in good cultivation, about 120 woodland and plantations, and the remainder waste. Its surface is bisected by a hilly ridge of elliptical shape, which, by a very easy ascent, attains an elevation of about .'150 feet above the level of the sea, dividing the parish into two valleys of nearly equal extent. This ridge forms a branch of the Sidlaw hills, and one portion is called the Brigton and the other the Kinnettles hill, from its being in the two estates into which the lands are principally divided. It is mostly in a high state of cultivation, and clothed near the top with rich plantations, forming a very interesting feature in the scenery; and from its summit, which is flat, are extensive and varied prospects over the surrounding country. The lands are watered by a beautiful rivulet called the Kerbit, which has its source in the parish of Carmylie, and winds through the parish with a tranquil current, giving motion to several mills, and falling into the river Dean; it abounds with trout of excellent quality, and is much frequented by anglers. There are also numerous copious springs, affording an abundant supply of water. In this parish the soil is extremely various, consisting of rich dry loam in some parts, in others being of a more damp clayey character, in others sandy and gravelly, and in some places a rich improvable moss. The crops are oats, barley, wheat, a few acres of rye and peas, with turnips and potatoes. The system of agriculture is advanced: the rotation plan of husbandry is in general practice; the lands have been drained, and partially inclosed with stone dykes, &c.; and the farm houses and offices are substantially built and well arranged. On most of the farms threshing-mills have been erected; and all the more recent improvements in the construction of implements have been adopted. Dairyfarming is well managed, and all due attention is paid to the rearing of live stock. The milch-cows, about 100 in number, are the Ayrshire and the Angus: the cattle, generally of the Angus breed, average 500; and the sheep, which are of the Leicestershire and Cheviot breeds, with a few of the Linton, South-Down, and Merino, number 350. There are plantations of silver, spruce, Scotch, and larch firs, intermixed with oak, ash, plane, elm, beech, lime, birch, and other varieties. The substrata are chiefly whinstone, sandstone, and slate. Of these, the whinstone is of compact texture, varying in colour from a dark blue to a pale grey, and is extensively quarried both in the northern and southern districts of the parish; it is, however, very difficult to work, and is obtained only in blocks of small size, of very irregular form, and used chiefly for drains, and for repairing the roads. The sandstone is partly of a grey colour, and partly tinged with a reddish hue; it is quarried for building, and is raised in blocks of massive size. The slate, which is of a fine grey colour, is found chiefly on the banks of the Kerbit rivulet, but not to any great extent; it produces good slates for roofing, and flagstones of large dimensions and of excellent quality. Copperore, and also veins of lead, are embedded in the sandstone; manganese is found in the whinstone strata; and garnets, mica, quartz, and calc and lime-spar in the freestone rocks. The annual value of real property in the parish is £4342. The mansion-house of Kinnettles was built about half a century ago. Hrigton is a spacious mansion, partly ancient, but princijially of modern erection, having been greatly imjjrovcd and enlarged by the late proprietor; and there are some other good houses in the parish, of which those erected within the last fifty years are built of stone, and roofed with slate. The village of Kirkton is small, but neatly built, and is mostly inhabited by persons employed in the several handicraft trades requisite for supplying the wants of the inhabitants of the parish. The weaving of various kinds of cloth, chiefly Osnaburghs and brown sheetings, is pursued in different parts. Facility of communication with the neighbouring towns is afforded by the railway from Forfar to Perth, which intersects the northern part of the parish; the Strathmore turnpike-road passes for more than two miles through nearly the centre of the parish, and the road from Forfar to Dundee runs through the eastern portion of it. There are bridges over the Kerbit, one of which, at the village of Kirkton, is a suspension-bridge. Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of Forfar, synod of Angus and Mearns, and in the patronage of the Crown: the minister's stipend is £158. 6. 8., with a manse, and a glebe valued at about £19,. 15. per annum. Kinnettles church, erected in 1812 at the expense of the heritors, is a neat edifice, adapted for a congregation of 400 persons. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £34, with £40 fees, a house, and two bolls of meal annually in lieu of a garden. There is also a female school, the mistress of which has a house and garden, in addition to the fees. The poor receive the interest of a bequest of £50 by Mr. James Ma.\well. The upper stone of a hand-mill for grinding corn was discovered by the plough, in a field, in the year 1833; it was rather more than two feet in diameter, was an inch and a half in thickness, and composed of mica schist, intermixed with portions of siliceous spar, and studded with small garnets. A small conical hill near the banks of the Kerbit, and which is still called the Kirk Hill, is supposed to have been the site of some religious foundation; but nothing certain of its history is known. There are several springs of chalybeate properties, and two springs strongly impregnated with copper. Colonel William Patterson, F.R.S., many years lieut.-governor of New South Wales, was born in this parish in If^S.