110 Transactions. 
The next important undertaking which engaged the attention 
of the burghers was the remodelling of their place of worship. 
That the church was not sufficiently commodious had long been 
felt, and at length the Council “did enter into contract with 
Wm. and John Anderson and James Stillie, all jomers in Annan; 
whereby they, the said joiners, should be obliged to put up seats 
upon the town’s proportion of the Parish Kirk of Annan, and 
elect a loft upon and over the said proportion, and put up seats 
upon the said loft. The seats upon ye said proportion to consist 
of twenty-two in number upon the floor, and twenty-one seats in 
number upon the loft, besides the seats for the magistrates.” 
The erection of a gallery in the church was soon followed by 
another improvement. On 7th December, 1740, the Council 
unanimously agreed to add to the building a handsome steeple. 
“The said day the Magistrates and Council of the burgh being 
determined with all convenient dispatch to build and erect a 
steeple and put a clock and bells in it for the advantage and 
ornament of the burgh, and to the end that they may be the 
better enabled effectually to complete and finish the said work with- 
out bringing the burgh into more debt, have unanimously resolved 
to retrench and abridge the public expenses of the burgh, as much 
as possible consistent with the honour and dignity of the burgh. 
And therefore they enact and ordain that the public expenses of 
the burgh at entertainments, giving of burgess tickets, and the 
meetings of the Magistrates and Council upon any of the burgh’s 
affairs whatsomever shall not exceed the sum of Thirty pounds ~ 
sterling money yearly from Michaelmas to Michaelmas.” The 
worthy Councillors did not find it easy to reduce their “ public 
expenses,” and notwithstanding the good resolution adopted in 
December, 1740, the liquor bill of the burgh continued to amount 
to more than thirty pounds per annum. Owing to the state of 
the town funds, the publicans’ accounts often remained unpaid 
for years. In September, 1763, it was agreed to make an effort 
to wipe out the accumulated debt of seven years. The treasurer 
yeceived instructions to pay the publicans’ bills in full, though 
they exceeded the authorised sum. ‘ But. as the town’s revenue 
was much impaired, this was to be no precedent in time coming.” 
Many of the entries in the old Council minutes relate to con- 
victions at the burgh court for “blood and riot,” and other 
offences. It amuses one to pour over the yellow pages in which 
