1.' Woods and Fuel.-The natural wood is confiderable; it will bring, at a cutting, betwixt 2000 l. and 3000 l. Sterling. Befides this, there are nearly 200 acres planted with Scotch firs, larixes, &c. These plantations are all fucceeding well, and being laid out with judgment and taste, give an appearance of improvement to the country, which cannot fail to please. Coal is the principal fuel, 12 cwt. of which, brought by water, cofts in the Cardrofs Bay, where it is unloaded, 5 s. Sterling. Many of the farmers bring their coals from Kilpatrick, and pay at the pit 2 s. per cart. Attempts have been made to find coal in this parish, but as yet they have proved unfuccefsful. Rents, Proprietors, &c.-The valued rent is 3000l. Scotch. It is difficult to say what the real rent amounts to, as many of the proprietors retain confiderable farms in their own hands. The value of land, however, must be on the rise. The great influx of strangers, in confequence of the manufactures upon the Leven, occafions an increafing demand for whatever the parish produces. Thus the farmers find a ready and convenient market at home, a circumstance which cannot fail to accelerate the improvement of the country, and increase the real rent of the proprietors. In the neighbourhood of the Leven, many inclosures are let upon leafes, for There are 13 heritors, 3 of whom poffefs more than two thirds of the whole. between 21. and 41. Sterling per acre. Roads. The two great roads through the parish, the one leading to Loch-Lomond, the other running along the Clyde, are kept in the beft poffible repair. To thefe the ftatute labour, now commuted, is annually applied. Great praife, however, cannot be bestowed on the cross or parish roads. But as the commiffioners must be fenfible of the necessity of crofs crofs roads for the improvement of the country, no exertion, we are convinced, will be wanting on their part to promote fo laudable an end. Population. The population has of late greatly increased. From a lift taken in November 1793, it appears there were no fewer than The return to Dr Webfter, in 1755, was only Increase within thefe 38 years 2194 fouls. 795 1399 Print-fields. The print-fields of Dalquburn† and Cordale are by far the moft confiderable and extenfive of any in Scot land. It is difficult accurately to afcertain the number of children that are annually born, as many, who are not of the eftablifhment, neglect their registration. There is no regifter of deaths. + The ground, now occupied by the former, was early in this. century fet apart chiefly for a bleach-field. A few coarfe handkerchiefs, land. Meffrs Stirlings, who purchased this field from the original proprietors, are well known. At first they had a field at Dafholm, in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, where they carried on the bufinefs of printing to a confiderable extent. Upwards of 20 years ago, they removed from that fituation to the river Leven in this parith. To this they might have been led by a variety of circumstances, but by nothing more than by the foftnefs and tranfparency of the water of the Leven, fo peculiarly fitted for the purpose of bleaching. A neck of land, in the form of a peninsula, occafioned, it would appear, by the river forfaking its former channel, was the place marked out as the most proper to anfwer the end which they propofed. Accordingly, in 1772, a purchase was made of this fpot, called Cordale, and upon it houfes have been built, and machinery confiructed, to an extent, and upon a plan, which must have coft the company an amazing fum.-At thefe fields, the property of this company, there were employed, in fummer 1792, 876 persons. Of these 300 were girls (pincellers), and about 130 were boys, from 8 to 15 years of age. It may be proper to obferve, that the boys are in general healthy, active, and lively, having nothing of that pale and fickly look, which too often marks thofe boys who are employed in the cotton fpinning. The wages for one month, July 1792, amounted to within at trifle of 1000l. Sterling. It would be to no purpose to enter here into a minute detail; the Statiftical Account of the 8.to parish kerchiefs, it is true, were then printed; but nothing fine or valuable in the printing line was carried on, till about 20 years ago, when it was purchased by a company in Glasgow, under the firm of M'Alpine, Fleeming, and Co. Buildings were raifed, and machinery conftructed, by this company, at great expence; an extensive capital was employed, and every appearance promifed fuccefs. This flattering profped, however, was foon clouded. Difputes arifing among the partners produced a fale of the property, and a diffolution of the company. parish of Bonhill, already published, contains all the neceffary information: To it the reader is referred*. Suffice it to observe, that every divifion of labour takes place at these two fields, which is known to facilitate the work, and to carry the art to a high degree of perfection. The goods manufactured are faid to rival, in the London market, to which most of them are sent, even those of the finest quality that are the manufacture of the first print-fields in England. Villages. In the year 1782, the hands employed at the above fields had become so numerous, that it was extremely difficult to accommodate them, in houses and lodging in the neighbourhood. Mrs SMOLLETT of Bonhill, whofe lands lay most contiguous, readily embraced this opportunity of improving her family eftate, and of accommodating the public. Accordingly, a village was planned by the advice, and under the direction of her fon, now her fucceffor. No fooner was this plan adjusted, and the terms of building fixed upon, which are from 9 d. to 14 d. the fall, upon transferable leases of 99 years, than a great number of fteadings were purchafed, and houses immediately built. The first ftone was laid in 1782, and the village was called Rentoun by the feuers, in compliment to the present Mrs Smollet, who had been active in encouraging an undertaking of fuch importance, both to her family and to the public. Since the above period, the village has rapidly increased. It confifts of three principal ftreets, which run in a direction from north to fouth, parallel to one another. These again are intersected by a number of other streets, all laid off at regular diftances. The demand for houses, every where upon the Leven, has, within thefe few years paft, been very great. In confequence of this, befides the village of Rentoun, a number of houfes have been See volume III. No. LXV, been built in this parish, op ofite to Dumbarton, upon feus from Mr Denniston of Colgrain; and a village is just now begun upon the property of Mr Graham of Garth ore, which, it is probable, when the prefent ftagnation of bulinefs is over, will faft increase in population. Diftillery, Mills, Ferries, &c.-There is one diftillery, which confumes of the produce of the parith about 500 bulls of bear and barley. The number of public houtes, or rather whifky fhops, has of late been greatly diminished. The Juftices have for this year given licence to only two in the viilage of Re: toun, to fell spirits of home produce. are three corn mills, at two of which the ulture on the af one peck and an tricted lands, is nearly in the proportion of half the boil, confifting of 8 tiones. This proves a great dif. couragement to improvement. There are 4 different ferries, two of thefe are of great antiquity, as appears from the charters of the proprietors. The prices of labour, victuals, &c. are nearly the fame as in Glagow and its neighbourhood. Fiferies.-The Zair or Yair Fifings, fo productive in this parith, feem to be almoft pecumar to it. A yare is built of ftones gathered from the tide water mark, about 4 feet in height, and of confiderable length, and itretches out into the river in the form of a crefcent, or of three tides of a square; but to give it a probability of fucceeding, it must proceed from a point of land, lo as to include a bay. The distance which it is extended from the there is tuch, as to make it appear, or to crown, as the fhers term it, about two hours before low water. Were it placed farther into the fea, or built higher, the furf would be continually beating it down. In fpring tides, the water retiring quickly, great quantities of fish, particularly herrings, are occafionally taken within VOL. XVII. E e thefe |