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however, is compensated by the coke produced, for which 

 there is a plentiful demand, so that the gas-light company 

 are enabled to charge moderate prices, and to secure an 

 ample remuneration for their capital. 



The population of the parish of Berwick, which has not 

 increased much within the last thirty years, was, according 

 to the census of 1811, 7746; of 1821, 8723; and of 1831, 

 8920. The following is the return made under the last 

 Census Act: 



Inhabited houses . . . 1190 



Families . . . . .2118 



Houses building ... 7 



uninhabited ... 69 



Families employed in agriculture . Ill 



trade . . 885 



no trade . . 1122 



Males . 39371 



Females . 4983) ' 



Males 20 years of age . . 1897 



Occupiers of land employing labourers . 16 

 not employing labourers 53 



Labourers employed in agriculture . 86 



Employed in manufacture . . 44 



,, retail trade, or handicraft . 952 

 Capitalists, bankers, &c. . . 176 



Labourers, not agricultural . . 311 



Retired tradesmen, and persons disabled 244 

 Male servants '. . . .15 



under 20 years of age . 5 



Female servants . . .412 



The total number of burgesses is about 1000, of whom 

 about 460 are resident; 427 of these were registered prior to 

 the last general election, and 25 7 other electors were also 

 registered. The population of the townships of Tweedmouth 

 and Spittal is, according to the last census, 4000 ; of the 

 whole parochial chapelry of Tweedmouth, 4971. The popu- 

 lation of the whole parliamentary borough was therefore 

 12,920 in 1831. 



Education. For the education of children of burgesses 

 there are six schoolmasters, paid out of the corporate purse. 

 The average number of pupils is about 300. The branches 

 of education taught are, reading, English grammar, writing, 

 and arithmetic. The salaries of the teachers amount alto- 

 gether to 380J. per annum. The burgesses have also the 

 patronage of a free grammar-school, in which Latin and 

 Greek are taught, and here, as well as in the schools more 

 peculiarly their own, their families are educated free from 

 any expense to themselves, except a small sum for firing. 

 The grammar-school is endowed. The number of pupils 

 varies from twenty to thirty, of whom about ten are bur- 

 gesses' sons. The annual income arising from lands and 

 tithes is about 158/., and the schoolmaster's salary, with 

 repairs, taxes, &c., is about 100/. per annum. The surplus 

 is appropriated towards the liquidation of a debt incurred in 

 rebuilding the school and repairing the master's dwelling- 

 house. There is also a charity-school, which was founded 

 in 1725, for educating and clothing poor children above 



eight years of age, who must be inhabitants of Berwick, 

 and attend the Church of England. The scholars are 

 taught reading, writing, and accounts, and are allowed to 

 remain five years in the school. The National system has 

 recently been adopted in this school. Formerly" a portion 

 of girls were instructed, but now boys only are admitted. 

 The number is usually forty. The master's salary, which is 

 50/., and the expense of clothing, books, stationery, repairs, 

 and other incidents, amounts to 1601. a year. There is also 

 a Lancasterian school, supported by voluntary contributions, 

 in which 120 poor girls and boys are taught reading, writing, 

 and arithmetic at the annual expense of about 36l. There 

 is also a school of industry, for educating poor girls, and 

 qualifying them for service. Both are supported by volun- 

 tary contributions. The children are instructed in read- 

 ing, writing, sewing, and household work. The number is 

 generally 115, and the annual cost 75/., towards which each 

 child contributes one penny per week. Besides these, and 

 a school in the parish workhouse hereafter noticed, there 

 are various private schools, in which about 600 pupils are 

 educated, and several Sunday schools. An infant school 

 was lately established, and exertions are now being made for 

 continuing and enlarging it. There is no mechanics' insti- 

 tute in Berwick. One was attempted a few years ago, but it 

 failed. There is, however, an institution of a novel descrip- 

 tion, which promises to be of much utility. This is the 

 Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, a society which was com- 

 menced three years ago. Its object is to examine with care 

 and accuracy the natural productions of the district, em- 

 bracing Berwickshire and the northern/division of Durham. 

 Any person of respectable character is admitted to this 

 society, on condition of making a small annual contribution 

 to defray the expense of printing an account of its pro- 

 ceedings. Its members now amount to upwards of thirty, 

 and its utility begins to be recognised. 



1 . Sunday Schools. 



3. Population. 



The period of education is here assumed to be between 5 and 15 years of age. 



There is a public subscription library in the town, with an 

 annual income of about ISO/. It was established in 1812, 

 and now possesses upwards of 4000 volumes, The annual 

 subscription is one guinea, besides a guinea at entrance. 

 A dispensary, now combining the advantages of an in- 

 firmary, was instituted in 1813. The number of patients 

 who receive the benefit of this charity is between 150 and 

 200 each year. 



The uxptin.se* of the town may be divided into two classes, 

 parochial and corporate. 



1 . Parochial Expeni/es.H, may be noticed to the credit 

 of the place, that long before Sturges Bourne's Act was 

 passed all matters relating to the poor were transacted by a 



select body called ' trustees,' who were elected annually by 

 the rate-payers, and the present select vestry is only a legal- 

 ized continuation of the same body under a different name. 

 In no place, perhaps, are the poor-laws more judiciously, 

 economically, and humanely administered. In 1820 the 

 poor-rates, on the houses, lands, and fisheries within the 

 parish, amounted to 53SSI. Since then a considerable re- 

 duction has been effected, and for the year ending March, 

 1834, the sum raised was only 3984/. Prior to the year 

 1828 the expense of supporting prisoners and other charges 

 usually payable out of county-rates, were paid by the. corpo- 

 ration. Since then they have been defrayed by the pa. 

 rishioners at large, and a rate in the nature of a county-rate 



