Though the situation of Fifeshire, almost surround ed by the sea, with several harbours, which, at a small expence, might be made to admit vessels of great burden, is particularly favourable for com merce, yet it makes no figure in that department. Customhouses are established at Kirkaldy and An struther, the former of which embraces all the coast from Aberdour to Largo, and the latter from Largo to St Andrews. The trade on the north side of the county is under the inspection of the customhouses of Dundee and Perth, and that from Aberdour west ward belongs to the customhouse of Borrowstown ness. In 1800, 142 vessels, carrying 18,518 tons, and navigated by 883 seamen, were under the two customhouses within the county, and about half the number of each was supposed to be under those out of it. These vessels are partly employed in foreign trade with Russia and the ports on the Baltic, but chiefly in the coasting trade. The exports are the manufactures already mentioned, with coal, lime, and grain of all sorts; and the imports from foreign parts, timber, bark, hides, and tallow, flax and flax-seed, hemp, tar, iron, &c. and coastwise, groceries, and other articles required for home consumption.
Fifeshire contains seventeen royal burghs, four of which were excused from sending representatives to Parliament, from their inability to defray the neces sary expence, but still retain all their other privi leges. The thirteen which have a share in the elec tion of the members for the Scottish burghs are Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkaldy, and Dysart, which form one district; and Anstruther, East and West, Pittenweem, Kilrenny, and Crail, another. The re
maining four are joined with burghs belonging to other counties ; Cupar and St Andrews, with Dun dee, Perth, and Forfar ; and Dunfermline and Inver keithing, with Stirling, Culross, and Queensferry. Fifeshire thus sends three members to Parliament, one for the county, and two for its burghs; besides, that the latter have a share in the election of two members more. None of these towns are now con siderable, Dunfermline excepted, which is a thriving place, with a population, in 1811, of 11,649. That of Cupar, the county town, and St Andrews, the two next in importance, is about 4700, Kirkaldy 3741, and all the others less than 2000. Packets and fer ry-boats ply regularly across the Forth from several of these places; but the great thoroughfares are be tween Leith and Kinghorn, or Pettycur, and between Queensferry and Inverkeithing or the North Ferry.
Fifeshire is divided into sixty-one parishes belong ing to the four presbyteries of St Andrews, Cupar, Kirkaldy, and Dunfermline, which compose the synod of Fife; but there are four parishes besides in the presbytery of Dunfermline, and one in the pres bytery of Kirkaldy, which are not situated in this county. The population in 1800 and 1811 will be seen from the following abstract. See Sibbald's His tory of Fife and Kinross.—Thomson's General rim of the Agriculture of the County of Fife.—The Beau ties of Scotland, Vol. IV.—The General Report of Scotland, Playfair's Description of Scot land, 1819.