Transactions. 157 



ments which have been called into existence, such as railway, 

 telegraph, and post-office officials. Printers have also largely 

 increased in number, and those employed in the manufacture of 

 woollen goods very much more so. It could not be said now as it 

 was said by Dr Burnside, " The spirit of industry is by no means 

 so great among us as could be wished, and we have but few 

 manufactures, owing in great measure, as it is generally thought, 

 to the scarcity and dearness of fuel." Ih 1791 there were 78 

 persons licensed to sell spirits, or 1 to 89 people. This year we 

 have 84, or 1 to every 150 people. In addition to the 78 persons 

 who, on an average, were licensed annually, there were on an 

 average about 20 persons' fined for selling without a license. Dr 

 Burnside makes the reflection on this point, which has so often 

 since been made : " The use of spirituous liquors, and especially ot 

 whisky since its price was reduced, certainly does produce very bad 

 eSects upon the good order, industry, and health of the lower 

 classes of the people. Unhappily, individuals themselves are not 

 the only sufferers, for their wives and children are often in great 

 distress and misery. Hence, too, many of the petty crimes, debts, 

 &c., which swell the list of those sent to prison and the correction 

 house." 



In 1791 there were, according to Dr Burnside, only 38 

 Roman Catholics in the parish. This, it would appear, was an 

 understatement, as in 1795 he discovered in the New Church parish 

 alone 64. The great difference between the number of Roman 

 Catholics a hundred years ago and the number at the present day 

 reminds us of the fact that a large proportion of the new popula- 

 tion has come from the sister island. In 1791 it was supposed 

 that there were in the parish 200 belonging to the Relief com- 

 munion, 150 Episcopalians, 270 Antiburghers and Seceders of all 

 ages. The remainder were supposed to belong to the Church of 

 Scotland. In those days there was one church for every thousand 

 of the population. The proportion at this present day is about 

 the same. 



The productions of the parish were said to be wheat, barley, 

 oats, potatoes, lint, and, in the neighbourhood of the town, garden 

 stuff. A farmer gave Dr Burnside the computation that there are 

 in the parish about 720 acres of oats, 240 of barley, 180 of wheat, 

 and at least 100 of potatoes, 20 to 30 acres of peas, and as many 

 of turnips. Rev. John Gillespie, Mouswald, has supplied me with 

 the following notes regarding the present produce, for the purposes 



