The following is the list of the Corporations as they stand in the order of precedency in the Deacon Convener's books:-Hammermen,* Taylors,† Cordiners, Maltmen,

*The following is the rationale of the precedence of the "knights of the hammer" as given by M'Ure:-"The blacksmiths have the precedency of all trades in Glasgow considering their rise; for we read that Tubal Cain was an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron, who flourished after the creation of the world, anno, 874; he was the son of Lamech, and his mother's name was Zillah, and the sister of Tubal Cain was Namah, whom (as the learned conceive, and the agreement of the name and function makes probative,) the heathens worshipped by the name of Vulcan, the god of Smiths, and his sister Namah, by the name of Venus, who first taught men how to make arms and other instruments of iron, and was so called by reason of her beauty, Exod. chap. xxxi. "And though the blacksmiths be accounted an unclean trade, yet you look into the 13th chapter of the first book of Samuel, verse 19th, you will there see in what a sad condition poor Israel was in for want of blacksmiths; in regard it was a cursed politic in the Philistines, which also other nations used, as the Chaldeans, to take away their smiths, and Porcena obliged the Romans by covenant, to use no iron but in tillage of their land.

if

"The annals of England maketh mention of the smith, and in the history of king Henry the Eight, you will find there was a blacksmith's son whose name was Thomas Cromwell, who was vice-gerent unto the king's person, and one of his privy counsellors. And if you read the history of Scanderbeg of the Turks, you will find there was a blacksmith who was a general, and had commanded all their armies, and when all his officers fled, he gained the victory. Likewise in the lives of the emperors, you will find one of them was a blacksmith, and in the history of Queen Mary six blacksmiths were burnt alive for refusing to bow their knees to Baal; and in the history of the heraldry of arms, you will find the highest coat of arms in the three nations belongs to the blacksmiths, their motto is an escroll,—

'By hammer in hand all arts do stand.'

"The jovial taylor at his carouse sings merrily thus,

Weavers,* Baxters, Skinners, Wrights, Coopers, Masons, Fleshers, Gardeners, Barbers,† Hatters.

These fourteen incorporations, with the Merchants' House, are the only chartered societies that have a share in the government of the city, and from whom the councillors, and consequently the magistrates are elected.

By the addition to the charter of the burgh in 1801, it is provided that every person who shall be elected into any one of the offices of Provost, Baillie, Dean of Guild, or Deacon Convener, shall, on his refusing to accept, at the first meeting of council after the election of the Dean of Guild, be fined in the sum of eighty pounds sterling; and also, that every Councillor nominated and declining to accept, shall be fined within three months after his election, in the sum of forty pounds sterling. The fines so incurred, are to be levied for the behoof of the poor of the Merchants' and Trades' Houses respectively, according to the rank of the refusing member.

SUBURBS.

GORBALS.

The magistrates of the Gorbals are annually elected, and consist of a senior and two resident baillies. The

'That man be prince or noble born,
Our handiwork must him adorn.'"

M'URE.

*The weavers obtained a seal of cause from the magistrates, with consent of the archbishop, in 1528.

The surgeons, formerly incorporated with the barbers, were separated from them about the middle of last century.

Lord Provost, Town-Council, and magistrates of Glasgow, as superior of the barony, appoint one of their number to be the chief or senior baillie, and two of the inhabitants are at the same time chosen to act in the like capacity. These are elected from among the inhabitants of the old village of Gorbals and Tradeston the one year, and from those of Hutchesontown and Laurieston, the next. To these are added four Burliemen,* who act as a Dean of Guild Court.

* The origin of this word is very ancient. The following will afford some explanation:

Burlie-Baillies are officers employed to enforce the laws of the Burlaw-Courts.

"This falconer had tane his way,

O'er Calder-moor; and gawn the moss up,

He thare forgather'd with a gossip:
And wha was't, trow ye, but the deel,
That had disguis'd himsell sae weel
In human shape, sae snug and wylie;
Jud tuk him for a burlie-baillie."

RAMSAY'S POEMS, ii. 536.

"Laws of Burlaw ar maid and determined be consent of neichtbors, elected and chosen be common consent, in the courts called the Byrlaw courts, in the quhilk cognition is taken of complaintes betwixt nichtbour and nichtbour. The quhilk men sa chosen, as judges and arbitrators to the effect foresaid, are commonly called Byrlaw-men."-Skene.

"Birlaw courts are rewied be consent of neighbours."- Regiam Majestatem, B. iv. c. 39. § 8.

"This little republic was governed by a birley court, in which every proprietor of a freedom had a vote."-P. Crawford, Lanarks. Statist. Acc. iv. 512, 513.

"The said John Hay, as tacking burden aforesaid, obliges himself to provide the foresaid William in ane house and yard,-and to give him ane croft by the sight of barlay-men, give he require

ANDERSTON AND CALTON.

These districts, the western and eastern suburbs of the city, are also respectively independent of its jurisdiction. The former is governed by a Provost, 3 baillies, and 11 councillors, the latter by a Provost, 3 baillies, and 11 councillors.

the same, he paying the rent the barlay-men puts it to."-Contract A. 1721. State Fraser of Fraserfield, p. 327.-JAMIESON'S ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY, VOL. i.

295

CHAPTER XI.

SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF COMMERCE AND

MANUFACTURES.

"All is the gift of enterprise, whate'er
Exalts, embellishes, or renders life
Delightful."

THE only description of industry known to have been practised by the inhabitants of Glasgow at an early period, beyond that applied to those employments which supplied them with articles of domestic or personal necessity, was fishing in the river Clyde, and this, it would appear, as early as the year 1420, they had carried to such extent, as to make it a branch of trade. A Mr. Elphinstone is mentioned as engaged, at that date, in the trade of curing and pickling salmon, and sending it for sale to the French market; and Principal Bailie notices, that between the year 1630 and 1660, the exportation of salmon and herrings from Glasgow had greatly