infpection of the heritors and fubfcribers. The fum which mult be railed in this way is about 401. Sterling annually, as the poor, according a they are fingle, or married; able to work a little, or, none at all; have allowances of from 6 d. to 2 s. 6 d. a week.

Manners and Morals.-A tolerable degree of industry prevails in the parish, and the morals of the people are as good as throughout the country at large.

Advantages and Difadvantages.—The great difadvantage under which the parish labours, is wetnefs in almost all teafons, particularly in feed time and harvest. Co is abound in the parish, and are to be had both in it, and the cait part of Shotts almoft adjoining to it, at 6 d. per load, weighing two and a half cwt. Lame is eafily driven from the neighbour ing parshes of Bathgate and Livingstone, as the high ro ds from Clafgo, to Edinburgh, and from Borrow/tounnets to Claugh, run through the parish in oppofite directions. Freeflone quarries are open in feveral parts of the parish.

Edinburgh affords a ready market for most of the produce of the farms, as calves, poultry, cheele, and butter, which are bought up, and taken there by carriers. There is alfo a confiderable traffic in milk cows, to fupply the Edinburgh cow-feeders. The parth and neighbourhood abounds with dealers in black cattle. These dealers, by requiring grafs parks to hold the cattle they have on hand, give great encouragement to inclosing and planting. For fuch parks as are tolerably fenced and fheltered, they pay from 15 s. to 25 s. per acre. Many people in the parish make a livelihood by keeping a horfe and cart, with which they drive grain from Leith and Dalkeith to Glasgow, and often bring a load of pig-iron, in returning, from the iron works lately established in that neighbourhood.

NUM

NUMBER XXI.

PARISH OF MEARNS.

(COUNTY OF RENFREW.PRESBYTERY OF PAISLEY.SYNOD OF GLASGOW AND AYR.)

By the Rev. Mr GEORGE MLATCHIE, Minifter.

Situation, Extent, and Surface.

HE parish of Meanns is fituated in Renfrewshire, in

THE

the prefbytery of Paifley, and provincial fynod of Glafgow and Ayr.. Its centre is about 8 miles diftant from

Glasgow, and nearly as far from Paifley Its length, from east to weft, is 6 miles, and its breadth about 34. It stands high above the level of Clyde. There are no confiderable. hills in it. but the face of the ground is beautifully diverfified by a great variety of waving fwells. It rifes gradually from the east extremity to the weft, where the moor or commonty lies.

Soil and Produce.-The foil is all of a light and quick kind, lying on a bed of rotten rock, excepting fome fmall tracks in the lower part of the parish, which have a clay bottom. If is chiefly remarkable for its fine pafture. It produces grafs both in greater quantity than common, and likewife of the very best kinds; and it every where abounds with a profu fion of white clover. The greater part of the lands is in pafturage. Every farm is flocked with milk cows; and the principal

も

principal object of the farmer is to produce butter, and butter milk, for the Glasgow market. The butter that is made here, and especially that which is falted for winter's ufe, is reckoned preferable to any other, and the demand for it is vaftly greater than can be answered. It has nothing of that rancid taste, which butter made on deeper and heavier foils is fometimes found to have; and it keeps in good condition for a very long time, Potatoes are raised for domestic use, and fome barley and oats, but fcarcely fo much of the latter as can fupply the parish. It is but a few years fince fown graffes were introduced. Lefs attention, perhaps, than they deserve, have been paid to thefe, on account of the great crops of natural grafs which the foil, in many places, is fitted to produce. Two hundred ftone of this grafs is often raised upon one acre; in fome particular fpots, 260, or even 280, and this, too, for a great fucceffion of years. This natural grafs fells one penny, or three-halfpence per ftone cheaper than the best clover and rye-grass. Field turnips have hi, therto been fown only in fmall quantities.

Corus.-Moft of the cows here are of a middle fize, and of a brown and white colour. They give from 10 to 15 Scotch pints of milk per day. Some of them, during the prime of the grass, give 17 or 18 pints. There are not a few farmers, however, whofe cows, upon, an average, do not give above 8 Scotch pints per day. This is owing to their want of care to get a proper breed, and to their keeping more of them upon their ground than it is able fufficiently to pasture. Their queys, too, are much injured, by being kept in the Moor of Mearns, where they are only half fed; and from this circumftance, they never afterwards attain the fize, nor give the quantity of milk, which thofe cows do that have been reared with care at home.

The

The churning of milk makes a great and laborious part of the farmers work. Of late they have introduced the use of churning-mills driven by water. There are many ftreams which run through the parish, and anfwer for thefe mills, and, on trial, they prove highly beneficial, and fave a great deal of labour.

Moor. The commonty belonging to the heritors is about 1600 acres in extent. It is always covered with the most beautiful verdure, and produces very good grafs and clover, without any heath or bent. Were it once divided, it would need nothing but shelter and inclofing to render it extremely valuable. At prefent the heritors receive little benefit from it, as it is under no proper management. There are fteps taking to bring about a divifion of it, which will both tend to enrich the proprietors, and add to the beauty of the parish. In this commonty there are three lochs, well stocked with fish. One of thefe, called the Brother Loch, is about three miles in circumference, and abounds with char and trout. The other two, the Little Loch and the Black Loch, are of a smaller fize. Thele lochs afford plentiful fupplies of water for the public works, in this and the neighbouring parish of Eaftwood.

Heritors and Rent.-The landed property of the parish is at prefent divided among 60 heritors, the greater part of whom are retident. The principal ones, according to their valuation, are Mifs Pollok of Pollok; Sir Michael Stuart of Blackhail, Bart.; Mr Hugh Hutchifon of Southfield; Mr Brown of Caplerig; Mr Maitland Hutchefon of Greenbank; Mr Logan of Fingleton; and Mr Wilfon of Netherhoufe. Several of these are refident. They have excellent modern manfion-houfes on their eftates, and are exemplary and active

in

in promoting around them a spirit of industry and improve

ment.

The rent of land is high. Exclufive of the moor, it may be, on an average, 26 s. per acre. Some parts of it are let in afture, at 50s. per acre; and there are fome confiderable proprietors, who can let the whole of their lands for paiture, at 44 s. per acre. About 26 years ago, the average rent was not above 7s. or 8 s. per acre. The lands then were not inclofed, and it was usual to have a great part of them in conftant tillage, which gave the most miferable returns; and what was in pafture was always overstocked with cattle, which were therefore kept in a ftarving condi tion. The profits of the farmer, of confequence, were fmall, he paid his rent with difficulty, and lived poorly. The incloting of the lands, and an induftrious and judicious ma nagement of them, as well as the increafe in the value of the articles of produce, enable the present tenants to live com fortably, and to pay their rents with punctuality.-The va lued rent of the par fh is 4711 l. 6s. 6d. Scots. The real rent is probably near 5000 l. Sterling.

Manufactures.-There are two cotton mills in this parish, at Bushey on the water of Cart, both belonging to the fame proprietors. The one of thele was erected in 1780, and the other about two years ago. The number of people employed in both mills are as follows: