THE TOWN OF PAISLEY: received part of this order, sent to Lyons to have the silk manufactured there. On this coming to the ears of the king, an order was given that the silk must be wrought in this country or not. at all. Meanwhile subscriptions were pouring into Paisley from London, Edinburgh, and other parts. The king sent £500, and the following other places received of his beneficence :Spitalfields, £2000; Macclesfield, £1000; Blackbura, £1000; Rochdale, £500; Lower Darwen, £100; Thornton, £100; Bolton, £500. In many parts of England great riots took. place, and mills containing power-looms were destroyed. The military were called out, and several rioters were shot. In July, 1826, a meeting of the noblemen, freeholders, Justices of the Peace, Commissioners of Supply, and Magistrates of towns of the county, was held in the County Hall, for the purpose of adopting further measures for the relief of the unemployed weavers in Renfrew. shire. On the motion of Sir John Maxwell, seconded by Mr Speirs of Elderslie, Archibald Campbell, Esq., M.P., Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Renfrew, was unanimously called to the chair. Mr James Carlile, treasurer to the fund for the relief of the distressed, stated that there was now in hand £1671. After some dis-1 cussion, in which the following gentlemen took part, viz. :-Mr James Wylie, county fiscal; Colonel Mure, Sir William M. Napier, Mr Wallace of Kelly, Provost Farquharson, and Mr Speirs, the following resolutions were proposed by Mr Maxwell:-1st, That the privations of the working classes continue, and the funds for supporting them inadequate, and temporary relief in this county nearly exhausted. That their situation demands the most serious consideration of the nation and His Majesty's Council. 3rd, That it is expedient that every measure be resorted to for making their case completely known and exciting the sympathy of the public, in order that the consequences of want may be averted by the interposition of the Executive Government. 4th, That a committee be appointed to carry the intention of the foregoing resolutions into effect, and to co-operate with any committee appointed for similar objects in Lanarkshire or the neighbouring counties. These resolutions were seconded by Mr Speirs of Elderslie. A committee was then appointed with power to add to their number. The chairman stated that the subscription paper was opened, and put down his name for £100. Five hundred guineas were subscribed at the meeting. 2nd, CONTRIBUTED BY J. W c. XII. On the 22nd of July, 1826, there died at Elderslie an old man well known to the whole neighbourhood. His name was Hugh Shaw, and he was in his 113th year, having been born in Wigtonshire, on the 16th August, 1713. He came to Paisley in early life as a weaver, and enlisted, in 1739, in the ". young Buffs." 1746, he was engaged at the battle of Dettingen, in Flanders, also at Fontenoy and Tournay. In 1746, he fought at Culloden, under the Duke of Cumberland. He frequently said that he In believed he could have shot Prince Charles at Carlisle, had he chosen. He was thoroughly Jacobite in feeling. He also served in Asia and America; but, being discharged previous to the organisation of the Chelsea fund, he had no pension. Latterly, he had been little better than a mendicant, visiting Paisley, Johnstone, and neighbourhood. He wore a tartan plaid and had a paper on his hat on which was written his age. He was unjustly considered a miser, and, on that account, did not receive the assistance that he would otherwise have got. Several persons, however, were very kind to him; among these were Mr Speirs, of Elderslie, and the Rev. Mr M'Nair, of the Abbey. He had outlived all his relations, except his second wife, who was a very old woman when he died. He was buried with military honours in the Abbey church-yard. A company of the 42nd Highlanders, who were then quartered in Paisley, fired the farewell shot. It was said that there were not fewer than 10,000 persons at his burial, and that no funeral had excited such interest since that of the last Earl of Abercorn, who had been buried in the Sounding Aisle. The year 1826 was long remembered as the year of the short corn. The summer of this year was one of the hottest and driest ever recorded; it began early, and continued late. The corn was reaped by pulling it up by the roots. Unlike the year 1701, the grain was very deficient in quantity; so that horse feed rose to famine prices, and some of the coaches had to give up running on that account. The following were some of the market prices in November, 1826:-- Oatmeal, per 14 lb. imperial, 28d to 29d. 4d 5d. New salt butter, per lb. imp., 8d 11d. Eggs, per dozen, ... Beef steak, per lb. imperial, Mutton, per lb. imperial, Lamb, per lb. imperial, Beef, per lb. imperial, 9d 10d. 13d 14d. New cheese, per lb. imperial, 6d 61d. In February, 1827, trade improved, and subscriptions for the unemployed ceased. Up till that time there had been subscribed over £13,600. A great part of this sum had been got from London, Edinburgh and other towns at a distance. The following were some of the principal local subscriptions:- Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, £150. Major Harvey, of Castlesemple, £150. Archibald Campbell, of Blythswood, M.P., £110. Earl of Glasgow, £150. Marquis of Abercorn, £100. Lord Blantyre, £50. Lady Stewart, £50. Sir Robert C. Pollok, Bart., of Upper Pollok, £50. Col. Mure of Caldwell, £50. William Carlile & Co., £20. Rev. P. Brewster, £10. The Misses Campbell of Blythswood sent £5 paid by a carter to prevent prosecution for improper driving. Sir Michael Shaw Stewart sent for the soup kitchen a fine fat heifer, and requested Provost Farquharson to purchase two of the best sheep on his account, as those on his own ground I would not drive; and also to distribute 20 carts of coals. Archibald Spiers, Esq., of Elderslie, sert numerous donations of vegetables, and a fine young bullock for the soup kitchen. Numerous donations of clothing were also received: several bales from Mrs Spiers of Elderslie. In 1827, an old Burgher Church was taken down in the Abbey Close, for the purpose of building a more commodious structure on the same site. This opened up a splendid view of the Abbey from the Causeyside, and it was hoped by many in the town that the view would be kept. A subscription was at once commenced for the purpose of giving the congregation another site. At a meeting that was subsequently held the congregation was offered the" choice of three different sites in town, or £400. in cash, with the retention of the old ground as a burial-place; and the subscribers pledged themselves to erect a neat wall and railing in front of it. All overtures, however, were rejected the new church was proceeded with, and the view destroyed. The £400 offered had not all been raised, but it was considered that should the congregation have expressed willingness to accept such a sum, it might have been got. The following were some of the principal subscriptions that were collected : Community of Paisley, James Carlile & Sons, James Dunn, James Watt, Greenock, £31 10 0 10 10 0 2 2 0 2 12 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 We find that fifty years ago, sportsmen were as able to have large bags as now. On Monday 13th August, 1827, three gentlemen on one portion of the Duchal Moor bagged 110 brace; and on the farm of Muirshiels, one gentleman shot 32 brace, and another 31 brace. There were 99 game licenses granted in Renfrewshire for 1827-28. In September, 1827, a large company met in the Saracen Head Inn for the purpose of witnessing a presentation of silver plate, which had been principally. subscribed for by the working classes, to Provost Farquharson. This was intended as a testimony of the gratitude which was felt for his unremitting exertions during the distressing period of the past year. Dr Wm. Craig occupied the chair, and, after the usual toasts, presented the Provost with three beautiful silver salvers, each bearing the following inscription: ΤΟ ROBERT FARQUHARSON, Esquire, PROVOST OF PAISLEY, As an expression of Public Gratitude FOR HIS Exertions in behalf of the Unemployed Operatives during the late period OF Unexampled Distress. Provost Farquharson then addressed the meeting, and said, in the course of his remarks, that his labour had been light, supported and encour aged as it had been by every rank of society, from the King down to the humblest in the country. Mr Farquharson came from Aberdeen. shire to Paisley in 1801, and was admitted a Burgess in 1805; elected a Bailie in 1819; was Provost in 1824-25-26. CONTRIBUTED BY J. W. C. The coach fares between Glasgow and Paisley in 1829 were, inside 1/6, basket 1/, and outside 9d. About 145, 100 persons were then annually conveyed between Paisley and Glasgow in coaches, of which 22 left each town daily for six days each week, and on Wednesdays 30. The Canal boats also plied between Paisley and Glasgow, carrying about 33,700 each year. The fares by the Canal boats were 9d cabin, steerage 6d. Two boats left Paisley and returned each day, and on Wednesdays three. There were also conveyances for goods: three Canal boats and eight carriers' carts being constantly employed for that purpose. The expense of carriage was about 9d per cwt. There were admitted during the year 1827 to the Dispensary and House of Recovery 1195 per sons, of whom 78 died; of these there were 164 fever cases, of whom 20 died. On the 1st of December, 1827, there died, in his 81st year, a most respected citizen in Mr John Love. He was born in the parish of Kilmalcolm, but came to Paisley with his parents in infancy. He was one of the principal manufacturers in the town, and was one of the chief promoters of the old Paisley Library in 1802. He acquired Hope Temple Gardens, now the Fountain Gardens, and laid them out with flowers and shrubs. In these gardens he had a few animals. He was a member of the Town Council, and a favourite dog called "Wasp accompanied him even to the Council meetings. An elegy on this dog was written by Dr Craig, which will be found further on. Unfortunately, Mr Love speculated heavily in making large shipments to America, which turned out disas trous, and he was reduced to insolvency in old age. A number of friends rallied round him and secured him a competency for life. |