HISTORICAL SKETCH. raised under the auspices of the town authorities. This second regiment had to furnish their own uniforms, which consisted of scarlet coat with yellow facings, white trousers and black gaiters, sugar-loaf shaped hat festooned with two brass chains. XI. In 1812, the cotton manufactures were extensive, and the making of silk gauze, which had at one time been the staple trade, was almost given up. In this year there was not a dozen looms engaged in the silk gauze manufacture. In 1814, there was only one coach started to and from Glasgow each day. It left Glasgow in the morning for Paisley, and returned in the evening. During the war with France, trade was good, and high wages were obtained. At the close of that war in 1815, wages suddenly fell, and discontent ensued. The disbanding of a large part of the army made matters worse, and work was not easily obtained: politics were discussed, and a radical reform in the Government of the country advocated. The whole of the year 1816 was exceedingly wet and cold, and the harvest was one of the worst ever known. Th In 1818, the foundation stone of the County Buildings was laid with masonic honours. building was completed in 1821, and cost £28,000, for which the county was assessed. A large ad. dition was afterwards made at an expense of £10,000. It contains a Court House, offices for the transaction of public business, a jail, and a chapel. In 1818, large meetings were held for the purpose of making a radical reform in the House of Commons by force of arms. In 1819, unions were formed throughout all the manufacturing districts of the country for this purpose: the excitement was intense. Meetings of "Radicals," as they were called, took place regularly in Paisley; and were in constant communication with others in England. Secret drilling also went on, and a favourite place for that purpose was the Gleniffer Braes. Still, doubtless, many turned out for the fun of the thing, and never expected that anything serious would result On the 11th September, 1819, a large meeting was held at Meikleriggs Moor, and a body of Radicals from Glasgow attended it. They marched through Paisley with flags flying. On the return of the Glasgow force, constables were in waiting at the Cross, and seized one or two of the flags. A riot ensued: the Riot Act was read, and cavalry sent for. The following day (Sunday) the riots were renewed. The mob armed with pieces of railing, charged the police up Storie Street. The military ultimately succeeded in clearing the streets; but the town was in an unsettled state for some days after. The breaking of windows and lamps was the only damage done. Meanwhile the preparing of arms was going on. There were few guns and little ammunition; but the manufacture of pikes and clegs was actively prosecuted. The cleg was a piece of lead shaped like a top, with a steel spike at the small end and feathers at the large end, and was intended to be thrown at the horses of the cavalry. In 1819, trade was so bad that there were 1100 empty looms in Paisley. Sunday the first of April, 1820, was fixed as the day for the Radicals to rise and "strike terror into the hearts of the tyrants." This day, however, came and went and nothing was done. Next day a meeting was held, and it was resolved that a search for arms should take place that night. In the evening a large body met at Maxwellton Hill; and proceeded to various farm houses, where they obtained several guns. One party of Radicals went to Foxbar House, and demanded arms. The demand was answered by a shot from one of the windows. Several shots were then fired, and a young Radical, named Cochran, was shot through the heart, and another, named M'Kechnie, wounded in the arm. The Radicals then retired, and it was just as well for them, as the military immediately arrived. The son of the proprietor of Foxbar House, who was supposed to have fired the fatal shot, left immediately for America. M'Kechnie also went to America where the ball was extracted. His arm never healed, however, and he died about a year and a half after his arrival. On the same night that the search for arms was made, an expedition set out for Pinnel Glen, near Kilbarchan, for the purpose of establishing a blacksmith's forge. Steel, tools, bellows, and anvil were carried from Paisley to Kilbarchan, where guides were to be in waiting to conduct the expedition to the Glen. On arrival at Kilbarchan, no one was ready to receive them; they knocked on the causey stones with sticks, but no one appeared: the expedition was a failure. No rising of Radicals took place in Paisley. Some houses were searched, arms obtained, and a few arrests made. Many fled to America. On the suppression of the Radicals, trade revived and continued good till the end of 1825. In 1820, the quantity of linen manufactured in Paisley was very small: only 50,162 yards in that year, and it gradually became less. The manufacture of muslin was extensive. In 1820, the financial affairs of the town were in a very bad state; and the revenue was insufficient to meet the expenses. The authorities in previous years had put off their difficulties by borrowing, and had thereby increased their liabilities. The attention of the Council was then directed to the fact there were a great number of holders of town lands not acknowledging the corporation as their superiors, by payment of their feus. These vassals repudiated the right of the civic authorities, and the result was a recourse to law, in which the authorities were triumphant. In this manner the Town Council was enabled to replenish its coffers. In Oct., 1820, the prisoners were removed from the old Tolbooth to the new prison, and, with the exception of the steeple, the old building was demolished, and its site appropriated for shops and an addition to the Saracen Head Inn. Like other prisons in Scotland the old Tolbooth was very irregularly managed: prisoners were incarcerated without a written warrant, and liberated without being brought before a magistrate. An order from the sheriff, a magistrate, or the captain of the patrols was quite sufficient authority to incarcerate; and no register was kept detailing in full the nature of crime, term of imprisonment, &c. Intoxicating liquors were sold by the jailer to the prisoners, and the jailer, in addittion to other perquisities, was entitled to levy 4d per head per diem from each of the prisoners; so that when a prisoner got his discharge, his bill was handed to him. We have heard of a family having been accommodated with lodgings in the Tolbooth, on their parents leaving Paisley to visit the Field of Waterloo shortly after the famous battle. In 1821 the population was 38,500. In 1823 a joint-stock company obtained an Act of Parliament for the lighting of the town with gas. The act received the royal assent on 30th May, 1823, and the original capital, of the company was £16,000. The promoters and first directors were-Ludovic Houstoun, of Johnstone (Governor), R. Farquharson, (Deputy-Governor), Messrs Alexander Fullerton, James Buchanan, W. Waterston, John Orr, John Bell, James Wylie, Joseph Twigg, William Gilmour, James Jackson, and George Millar. In the words of the Act of Parliament the company was established for producing "imflammable air, for lighting said Burgh and Abbey Parish of Paisley." In 1824 the first newspaper was published in Paisley. It was called the " 'Paisley Advertiser," consisted of four pages, cost sevenpence, and appeared every Saturday. In the year 1824, there were admitted to the benefits of the Dispensary and House of Reco-* very 815 persons. Of these there were cured, 606; died, 61; relieved, 33; removed by friends, 1; sent to Town's Hospital, 2; remained on the books on January 1, 1825, 109. The total number of patients since opening of Dispensary in 1786, 19,562. In 1821 there were 874 patients. 1822 In 1824, measles and small-pox were prevalent in the town. There were 17 cases of small-pox brought to the House of Recovery; and it was found that 15 of the patients had not been vaccinated. The disease, in the case of the two who had been vaccinated, was very mild. Out of the 17 cases of small-pox, four died. In two of these, the patients were aged, on whom the disease is always more severe. The receipts of the Dispensary and House of Recovery for 1824 were £435 4s, which exceeded the former year by £86 18s 9d. The expenditure was £401 4s 7d, exceeding the previous year by £70 4s 9d. In ' 1825 there were thirty-two departures of coaches from Paisley to Glasgow, and as many arrivals every day. inside Is 6d, basket 1s. The The fares were, coaches were comfortable, and the horses good. The average number of passengers by each coach was twelve. This was considered an immense traffic. Nor is it to be wondered at, when we consider that seven years before, the only coach (with the exception of the mail, that went between Glasgow and Greenock) that communicated between Paisley and Glasgow was a clumsy six-seated conveyance, which ran to Glasgow on the market days. This vehicle never moved till it was fully freighted; and the fare was five shillings. In 1825 the coach fares between Glasgow and Johnstone were, inside, 2s 3d; basket, 1s 8d; outside, 1s 6d. Each passenger was allowed 10 lbs of luggage free. The proprietor did not hold himself responsible for any parcel above £5 in value, unless booked and paid for accordingly. During the year 1825, there were admitted to the benefits of the Dispensary and House of Recovery 1010 persons. Of these there were cured, Relieved, Died, Removed by friends, Sent to Town's Hospital, Removed from Town, Remained on Books Jan. 1,/26, 659 Total number of patients since opening of Dis pensary in 1786, 20,572. The nett receipts in 1825 were £504 19s 11d; and the expenditure, £471 8s 2d. Towards the close of 1825 trade became very bad, not only in Paisley but throughout the country. In Spitalfields alone there were in January, 1826, 15,000 looms idle, and 30,000 persons literally starving; at Darlington onethird of the population were out of employment; at Norwich, 10,000; at Huddersfield there was quite a stagnation. On the 23d January, 1826, a general meeting of inhabitants of Paisley took place in the Court Hall to take into consideration the distressed state of the weavers, and to devise means for obtaining for them temporary relief. Provost Farquharson was called to the chair, and explained the purpose of the meeting. A deputa tion of manufacturers had called upon the magistrates, and laid before them the distressed state of their employés. The magistrates had, accordingly, called the meeting, that the matter might be laid before the public. The chairman read a statement which had been presented by the manufacturers, by which it appeared that on the 21st inst. the total number of unemployed weavers in Paisley was 1002; 46 of these had been unemployed for twelve weeks and upwards, 27 had been unemployed for ten ditto, 6 had been unemployed for nine ditto, 40 had been unemployed for eight ditto, 24 had been unemployed for seven ditto, 73 had been unemployed for six ditto, 68 had been unemployed for five ditto, 120 had been unemployed for four ditto, 80 had been unemployed for three ditto. There were 1232 looms empty. The Rev. Mr Burns moved, and the Rev. Mr Thomson seconded, . that a committee be appointed to collect subscriptions to be applied to the relief of the distressed. Twenty-five gentlemen were then appointed to collect subscriptions and distribute the funds in the most useful manner. A vote of thanks to the chairman and the magistrates brought the meeting to a close. In the beginning of the year 1826 the king gave orders that the rooms in Windsor Palace should be draped with silk, to encourage the silk weavers. One of the manufacturers, who |