mentioned. The imports are the ingredients used in the vitriol work and potteries; fometimes English barley for the ufe of the diftilleries in the neighbourhood. More wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, and hay, are supposed to be confumed than are raised in the parish: Lefs peafe and beans. Confiderable quantities of cabbage plants are raised. The season of fowing them is Lammas. Befides the fale in the neighbourhood, 150,000 at a medium are fent annually to Glafgow, and about 70,000 to Falkirk and Carron. The feverer the winter, the demand for them is the greater. The price is from 3 s. to 6 s. 8 d. per 1000. The principal market for garden productions is Edinburgh.

Cuftom-Houfe.-A custom-house is established here, the jurifdiction of which extends from the Figgat Bourn on the weft, to the mouth of the Tyne on the eaft. The port is Morifon's Haven: The creeks, the Figgat Bourn, Muffelburgh, Port-Seton, Aberlady, and North Berwick. There VOL. XVII.

K

are

ton-pans, 19 of which were imported in fhips belonging to the town. Of thefe cargoes 21 were wholly from Norway, 6 from Sweden, 1 from Dantzic, 2 from Dantzic and Norway, 2 from Bremen, 5 from Rotterdam, 2 from Havre de Grace and St. Martin, 1 from Oporto, and i from Maryland in North America. This laft cargo confifted of 102 hogfheads of tobacco, 59 of which were delivered at Prefton-pans, and the remainder was carried to Leith. Some years after this period, several of the veffels belonging to this port were loft at fea. This, together with the check it received at the Union, gave the trade a blow from which it never recovered. No perfon of enterprise or capacity, or poffeffed of a fufficient ftock, made any perfevering. efforts to re-establish it. Purchasers not finding fuch an affortment of goods as formerly, had recourfe to other ports; and about the year 1743, it entirely ceafed. The harbour mostly ufed by the traders was Port-Seton, about a mile to the caft, in the parish of Tranent. Before the Union, and for fome years after it, the Dutch trade centered chiefly in Preston-pans and Queensferry.

are 31 falt-pans in the collection, viz. 11 at Cockenzie, 4 at Preston-pans, 2 at Cuttle, 4 at Weft Pans, 4 to the weft of Fisherrow at Pinkie Pans, and 6 at Duddingston Pans.

Markets, Mills, &c.-There is a butcher market in the parish every Wednesday and Saturday, which is fupplied by butchers from Tranent and Muffelburgh, no perfon of that occupation refiding in the parish. Though nine tenths of the lands are rented, there is not one family who depend for their livelihood folely on farming.-There are only 5 brewers in the parish *. There are two mills, one of which, at the weft end of Cuttle, is turned by the water of a coal-level; the other, at Morifon's Haven, is turned by the sea water, collected at the flow of the tide. They are employed in grinding flint for the use of the potteries.

Stage and Tolls.-A ftage coach goes to Edinburgh and returns every day in the week, except Sunday. It departs at 9 o'clock in the morning, and arrives at Edinburgh about 11. It leaves Edinburgh at 4 in the afternoon, and arrives at Preston-pans about 6. It carries 6 infide paffengers; the fare is 1 s. 8 d. for each. There are 2 toll-bars, Ravenshaugh toll on the poft road, and Wallyford toll, on a crofs road leadThefe tolls, of which the laft mentioned draws a mere trifle, were let at the following yearly rents :

ing to Dalkeith.

Heritors, &c.-There are 20 heritors, the principal of whom are the Countefs of Hyndford, proprietress of the lands of Prestongrange and Dolphinston; Mr Finlay of Drummore, Mr Syme of Northfield, Mrs Ramsay of Burn

rigg,

The brewery of malt liquors was formerly carried on to a much greater extent than it is now. In the year 1754 there were 16 brewers.

rigg, the trustees of Schaw's hospital, and the trustees of Watfon's hofpital. The principal feats are Prestongrange, Drummore, and Northfield. Preston House is occupied by

the boys on Schaw's inftitution.

Church and School.-The great body of the people adhere to the established church. About a twentieth part of the whole number are feceders, of whom nearly two-thirds are of the Burgher perfuafion. There are 10 or 12 Epifcopalians. The prefent church was built A. D. 1774. It is neatly fitted up, and may accommodate about 900 hearers. The patronage belongs to the Countess of Hyndford. The manse was built A. D. 1782: The fchoolmafter's houfe, which contains the school room in part of the ground floor, A. D. 1790. The fees at the parish school are, for English, 2s. per quarter; for English and writing, 2 s. 6 d.; for writing and arith metic, 2 s. 6 d.; for English, writing, and arithmetic, 4 s.; for Latin, 4s. The number of scholars is from 60 to 70. About the fame number may attend three private teachers.

Poor. The number of poor on the ftated penfion lift amounts to 42. Their penfions are fettled by the kirk-feffion, and are increased or diminished as their circumftances require. No penfioner with a family receives at prefent more than 2 s. per week, and no individual more than 1 s. 4 d. The funds arife from the collections at the church door; the intereft of 2501. Sterling of funk money t; the rent

of

PRESTON TOWER, formerly the refidence of the HAMILTONS of Preston, faid to have been built about the year 1500, is ruinous. At Dolphinston there are also the ruins of a family feat.

+ The fum of 2501 above mentioned, was left by different perfons to the poor. One hundred of it was bequeathed by the late ANDREW MACDOWAL of BANKTON, one of the Senators of the College of Juftice, who bequeathed a like fum to the poor

of

of a house and garden at Preston *; and perquifites for mortcloths. From thefe funds, a fum of nearly 301. per annum is appropriated for the ftated poor. The refidue is left in the hands of the kirk-feffion, to be diftributed, as an interim fupply, to those who are fuddenly reduced to want by miffortune or disease. Out of it, likewife, are paid fmall falaries to the feffion-clerk, precentor, and beadle; fchool wages for the education of a few poor fcholars; fums occafionally for clothes to the poor; and the funeral expences of the penfioned poor. In addition to the 301. above mentioned, the heritors and feuers are affeffed to the amount of what more is neceffary for the maintenance of the ftated poor. The heritors are affeffed in proportion to their valued rents; the feuers in proportion to the value of their fubjects. The proportion paid by the latter is to that paid by the former, as i to 6; correfponding to the fuppofed value of their different properties. Houses belonging to heritors, for which they draw rent, (their family feats excepted,) are affeffed after the

fame

of every parish in which he had property. In the bequest, a right of prefenting the poor perfon, or perfons, to whom the intereft of it is to be given, is reserved to the heir of entail.

A. D. 1753, the heritors, and fome of the feuers, applied to Parliament, and obtained an act for impofing a duty of two pennies Scotch on each Scotch pint of ale brewed, brought into, and vended in the parish; the money arifing from which was to be applied for repayment of a fum to be advanced for purchafing a charity work houfe, for conveying foft water to the town of Prefton-pans, and for repairing Morifon's Haven. For the first mentioned purpose a houfe was purchased at Preston, with a small garden; but, after a trial of a few years, the scheme not answering, it was given up. Befides the utter averfion which many in actual want had against entering into the house, the expence was found to be greater than when the penfioners had a stated allowance given to them, and were permitted to spend it after their own way. Since that time, the rent of the house and garden have made a part of the poor's fund.

fame manner as those of the feuers, and are included with them in the payment of the fixth part of the affeffment. The affeffing of these subjects by the real rents was confidered as ineligible for many reafons. When a proprietor occupies his own house, it is difficult to afcertain what the rent ought to be. Tenants and landlords may not always be disposed to give the neceffary information, especially when they have an intereft in with-holding it. Even where the rent is afcertained, there must be a difference in affeffing old and new houses, though the rents be equal, on account of the neceffary reparations which the former require. This it is not easy to ap preciate. Ten per cent. may be an equitable deduction for one house, but not for another. For these reasons, the other mode of affeffing, by the value of the fubjects, was adopted about 8 years ago, and the proportion, with concurrence of the heritors, fettled as it now ftands. The value of the fubject, or subjects, belonging to each individual, is estimated by perfons of skill and of character; and the, affeffment is levied in proportion. The medium of the whole difbursements to the account of the poor, for the 5 years preceding 1793, is about 137 1. Sterling per annum. The fum paid as the weekly maintenance of the stated poor, for the prefent year (1792), is 2 l. 1 s. 6d.; which is lefs than it has been for many years past *.

Friendly Societies.-Some private Friendly Societies are instituted here. By contributing a fmall fum of money weekly, when in health, a subscriber, when sick, receives a comfortable

During the years 1782 and 1783, owing to the scarcity which then diftreffed the country, the number of the poor, and the fum neceffaty for their fupport, was greatly increased. The rate for ftated penfioners, in 1783, amounted to 31. 10 s. per week, befides what was given to the occafional poor. The number of poor continued to be greater than usual for several years afterwards.