CONTRIBUTED BY J. W. C. November, 1829. The text was Psalms exix., 31-"I have stuck unto thy testimonies, O Lord, put me not to shame." The following is a part: "Do not think, my dear young friends, more highly of yourselves than you ought to think. There is not between men professing god'iness without its spirit and its power, and those who have almost or altogether abandoned its profession, such a great gulph fixed as has sometimes been imagined. The one class may pass to the other, and are in danger of coming also into the same condemnation. Sinful as is the life and shameful as is the death of a few, there are thousands more, who, if they repent not, must perish, and who are in danger of hell fire." The following is another portion of this sermon :—“Oh, it was painful to think how little these men, who could read, had ever read the Bible; or how almost entirely it had been forgotten; how ignorant they were of the names, of the order, and of the contents of the book; how frequently, to save precious time, it had to pass between us through the iron grating in looking out for them passage after passage of its heavenly testimony; how strange to them was most of its history, many of its characters, and its glorious truths; and how far behind they were, especially when first visited, in any. thing like a clear and connected acquaintance with the first principles of the oracles of God. We are poor ignorant creatures,' they said sometimes. 'What infatuation not to have known this before?' 'What have we to answer for in not reading our Bibles?' Oftener than once, the opening of the Scriptures to them was like the dawning of a new day apon their souls, and, in point of information at least," if not more, like an introduction into marvel. lous light, to which they had hitherto been selfblinded," HISTORICAL SKETCH. XIV. There was written by Dr Burns of St George's a pamphlet called "A Voice from the Scaffold: or, a Solemn Address on the Execution of John Craig and James Brown at Paisley, on Thursday, 29th October, 1829." It was printed and published by Alexander Gardner, 14 Moss Street, and cost 2d. The following are extracts from it:-"The case of these men illustrates the bad effects of taking up with evil company. To this they ascribed a fatal efficiency in leading them astray from the paths of integrity; and the social character of vicious indulgence has, in all ages, proved one of its most dangerous accompaniments. An unprincipled companion recommends himself, it may be by his cleverness, or by his social qualities, or by his willingness to oblige; and, by the arts of deceitfulness, he soon gains a fatal ascendency over the minds of his companions. Vice forms its combinations. One criminal leads on another, just in the same way as one crime leads to other crimes. These three coadjutors in vice, who committed robbery on the 14th June last, encouraged one another in crime. The scruples of one were overcome by the boldness of another; and, what any one might singly have shrunk from with horror, the whole band resolved on and executed with a daring impetuosity.' The next extract refers to the keeping of the Sabbath:-"No time is so well adapted for the purpose of moral and religious culture as the hours of the Sabbath; and the civil and spiritual authorities of the land can never be more patriotically and usefully employed than in recommending and enforcing the due observance of the Sacred day. John Craig and James Brown acknowledged to me with tears, that had they sought the 'green pastures of Christian ordinances, in place of roaming in the fields like beasts of the forests, and had they sat down beside the 'still waters' of spiritual refreshment, instead of quaffing the poisonous draught of beastly intoxication, a very different lot would have been theirs." The next extract refers to intemperance:- There can be no doubt that intemperance has increased amongst us by the low price of ardent spirits, consequent on the lowering of the duty on whisky. I am quite aware of the demoralizing effects of smuggling, and I should rejoice to find that by lowering the duties on lowland distillation, the evils in question were completely removed. But it can never be forgotten, that these evils, great as they are, can never compare in magnitude or extent of prevalence, with the miseries that are attendant on the use of ar وو dent spirits; and I would join most cordially in a petition to Parliament for a rise on the duties in whisky in particular. It has proved beyond all doubt 'Scotland's skaith'; and those are not true reformers, who either contend for the indiscriminate granting of licenses, or who resist every attempt to legislate for the morals of the people. In February, 1829, there was instituted in Paisley a Society for the Protection of the Dead, which lasted till 1836. This society had been instituted on account of the great numbers of bodies that were being exhumed for anatomical study. The members of this society, about 7000 in number, took turns of watching the different graveyards, or paid for substitutes. The watchers were accommodated with wooden houses, in which were fires, in the different churchyards. Each of the members paid one penny per quarter into the funds of the society. To satisfy people, the society frequently opened graves, and in every case they were found intact. In the country districts, where no watch was kept, graves were regularly pillaged. About the year 1823, before the institution of this society, a party of doctors were engaged lifting the body of a woman in Paisley the grave, however, was being watched by the woman's husband, who shot dead one of the party. It was not only corpses from graves that found their way to the dissecting room : people in various parts of the country were murdered for their bodies. For this crime, Bishop and Williams were hanged in England in 1831; and Burke in Edinburgh in 1829. For many years after the latter culprit was executed, many were afraid to venture out at night lest they should be "burked"; and thoughtless mothers frightened their children by telling them of the "burkers." So bad was trade in 1829 that the situation of officer for the Society for the Protection of the Dead-an office involving many arduous duties, and remunerated with only 10s per week-having become vacant, there were no fewer than 37 applicants for the post. In 1829, Gilmour Street was made from the County Buildings to the Dyers' Wynd, and made to communicate with the Cross by a narrow passage, nine feet wide, called "The Hole in the Wa'." In 1829, there were admitted to the benefits of the House of Recovery and Dispensary, 1479 persons. Of those there were cured 1090; relieved, 62; died, 90; removed to town's hospital, 8; removed from town or left it, 12. remained on books Jan, 1, 1830, 167. In this year there were admitted 169 cases of fever. This was the first year that the house was lighted with gas. In 1830, trade was very bad in Paisley in every department of industry. The Cart dues this year were let for £222; in 1829 they had been let for £360; and in 1828 for £300. On the 27th January, 1831, there was a ball held in the Renfrewshire Tontine, Paisley, for the purpose of raising a fund to provide clothing for the destitute. The Provost and 22 other gentlemen formed the committee of management. The tickets for gentlemen were 10s, and for ladies 5s. In February, 1831, Dr Kerr delivered a lecture to the Philosophical Society on the best means of supplying Paisley with water. After a few remarks on the means of supplying towns with water by the ancients, the doctor pointed out the practicability of providing a sufficient supply from Gleniffer Braes. Allowing 2 cubic feet or 12 imperial gallons daily for each person, the inhabitants of Paisley, numbering 38,000 would require 76,000 cubic feet daily, or 27,740,000 cubic feet yearly. Dr Kerr recommended a reservoir to be made that would contain a supply for more than six months, and which would have an embankment of about fifty feet. The doctor estimated that the undertaking would cost about £15,200, of which £8500 would go for bringing the water into the town, and £6700 for distributing it through the streets. This was not to include the expenses of obtaining the necessary Act of Parliament. The population of the town. and suburbs in 1831 was 47,000, with 549 paying £10 rents and upwards. On the 9th of May, 1831, a proçession of those in favour of Parliamentary Reform—a large body in Paisley-marched to Renfrew for the purpose of passing a loyal address to His Majesty to dissolve Parliament, in order that the sense of the people should be taken on the subject of reform. In the procession were bands of music and 170 flags. The procession marched from St. James' Street to the policies of Mr Speirs, of Elderslie, where the meeting was held. In November, 1831, a general meeting of all the subscribers to the relief fund of 1829, master manufacturers, clergy, bankers, merchants, surgeons, and other inhabitants, disposed to subscribe for the relief of the unemployed weavers, was held in the Court Hall. Bailie Lymburn was called to the chair. It was moved by Sheriff Campbell that the meeting should exonerate the magistrates and relief committee in appropriating the surplus funds in the bank since 1829, towards the relief of the unemployed operatives, seconded by Mr R. Pattison, and unanimously agreed to. Moved by William Fulton, Esq., seconded by William Lowndes, Esq., and unanimously agreed, that it had become necessary to open a public subscription for THE TOWN OF PAISLEY: relief of the unemployed operatives in town. Moved by Sheriff Campbell, seconded by John Orr, Esq., and unanimously resolved, that the existing committee continue their exertions, with power to add to their number, and to appoint persons to take up subscriptions. The exertions of the committee for collecting money for the unemployed were most successful. The subscriptions ceased in January, 1832, and up to that time there had been collected £2134 9s 1d. The principal subscriptions were: Mr Campbell, Blythswood, Lord Lieut., £100 0 100 0 100 0 10 0 Sheriff Campbell, 10 0 Fulton M'Kerrell, of Gateside, 10 0 There were admitted to the benefits of the House of Recovery and Dispensary in the year 1831, 1894 cases, among which were the following:-Cholera, 5; diarrhoea, 72; fever, 494; Lepra Vulgaris, 6. |