GLASGOW. (ARTS AND MANUFACTURES.) 



4.73 



branch of industry. A tax was proposed to be laid 

 on the cotton manufacture, which would doubtless 

 have crushed it most materially, but from the 

 strenuous exertions of Mr Colquhoun. a merchant of 

 Glasgow, it was abandoned as impolitic. So early 

 as 1780, cotton factories had been erected at 

 Rothesay, Barrhead, Ballindalloch, &c. Shortly after- 

 wards a large spinning factory was erected at Lan- 

 ark, by Mr U. Dale, a Glasgow merchant, in which 

 concern Sir R. Arkwright held a share. The 

 mill was originally worked by the hand, but Mr 

 William Kelly of Glasgow, at that time residing at 

 Lanark, took out a patent in 1792 for driving it by 

 power. The progress of the cotton manufacture in 

 Scotland was so rapid, that, in 1789, thirty-nine fac- 

 tories had been erected, all moved by water power. 

 The number of spindles was estimated to be 312,000, 

 belonging chiefly to merchants of this city. In 1834, 

 there were 134 cotton mills in Scotland, nearly 100 

 of which belonged to Glasgow. In Lanarkshire 

 alone, there are seventy-four cotton mills, two 

 muslin, and two silk factories, driven by power equi- 

 valent in all to 2914 horses, 540 of which is derived 

 from water wheels, and the remainder from steam 

 engines. In these factories 17,949 persons are em- 

 ployed. The increase of the cotton trade in Glasgow, 

 may be estimated from the following statements of 

 the imports of cotton wool into the Clyde, for various 

 years : 



In 1775, there were imported 508 bags, or 137,160 Ibs. 



1790, .... 6,509 . . 1,757,504 



IS12, . . . 43,080 . . . bales. 



1824, . . . 54,708 ... 



1834, . . . 95,703 ... 



Or about one-fifth of all the cotton imported into Bri- 

 tain. The imports for 1824, and 1834, are given by 

 Dr Cleland, as the quantities imported for Scottish 

 manufacture; and as the quantity for Glasgow alone, 

 must be at least three-fourths of this, we may infer 

 that, during the year 1834, not less than 71,777 bales 

 were consumed by the manufacturers of this city. 



Since 1831, the spinning of Cashmere yarn has 

 been carried on here, and is spun of a quality equal 

 to lliat manufactured in France. In 1833, the spin- 

 ning of Merino yarn, was commenced here, and is 

 also carried on with success. Both of these species of 

 manufacture, were introduced by Captain C. S. Coch- 

 rane, of the royal navy, who brought them from Paris. 



Two power looms were brought to Glasgow in 

 1793, by Mr Lewis Robertson, of Dumblane. He 

 fitted them up in a cellar in Argyll Street, where 

 they were kept working for a considerable time. 

 They were at first driven by the hand, but subse- 

 quently they were driven by a large dog walking in 

 a drum. The nature of the construction of these 

 looms, was communicated to a bleacher at Milton, 

 and during the course of the following year, forty 

 power looms were erected at that place. In 1803, 

 Mr J. Monteith had 200 power looms at work, in 

 his spinning factory at Pollocshaws, about three miles 

 from Glasgow. Since that period the number of 

 power loom factories has been greatly increased, and 

 at present there are 15,127, and additional factories 

 are in the course of erection. Taking the average 

 produce of one power loom, to be fourteen yards per 

 day, the price of each yard 4i pence, and the number 

 of working days in a year to be 390, then the number 

 of yards produced by these looms in one year, will 

 be 63,533,400, the value of which may be estimated 

 at .1,191,251:5. There are besides about 32,000 

 Land-loom weavers employed by the manufacturers 

 of this city, in the fabrication of all the varieties of 

 j'lain and fancy cloth. Several improvements in 

 power loom weaving have been made at the factories 

 belonging to Glasgow companies. Tweels were first 

 wroitghtDy power at Dumbarton in 1809, and checks 



in the following year. Figured cloth was woven by 

 power about 1819, by Mr Perry of Glasgow, and at 

 a later period lappets were woven by Messrs Reid. 

 Since the latter end of 1832, tweeied cloth for furni- 

 ture mounting, coach lining, and other purposes, has 

 been woven in the power loom, by Messrs Sommer- 

 ville & Sons, at their factory on the south side of the 

 river opposite the public green. This cloth is taken 

 from the loom more beautiful in texture and having 

 a finer finish, than cloth of the same fabric woven in 

 the hand-loom and passed through the calender. 

 The invention of the ingenious mechanism by which 

 this is accomplished, is due to Mr John MacBryde, 

 manager of the above-mentioned establishment. Tam- 

 bouring by machinery, was first effected in this city, 

 and is still carried on here. The tambouring ma- 

 chine was the invention of Mr Duncan. Messrs 

 Robert and Duncan Wright, two brothers, invented 

 a machine in 1831, for making what are called bnds, 

 which, when attached to the cloth, give it all the 

 appearance of having been sewed by the needle 

 in the ordinary way. These buds are sent from Glas- 

 gow to all parts of the kingdom, and from the beauty 

 and endless variety of patterns into which they may be 

 formed, they are at present in great demand. With 

 this article, one woman will embroider as much cloth 

 in one day, as can be done in the ordinary way by 

 fifteen. 



An extensive bleaching work was established in 

 1730, at Campvere, by Mr John Gray. In 1762, 

 Mr McGregor introduced the Irish method of bleach- 

 ing, and, in 1787, he commenced bleaching by chlo- 

 rine liquor, under the direction of James Watt. This 

 is the first place in Britain, where chlorine was em- 

 ployed in bleaching. In 1799, Mr Tennent, of this 

 city, took out a patent for the manufacture of bleach- 

 ing powder or chloride of lime and Glasgow still 

 continues to be distinguished for making this impor- 

 tant article. In 1785, the dyeing of turkey red, was 

 commenced for the first time in Britain, by Mr G. 

 Macintosh, under the direction of M. Papillon, and the 

 greater portion of the calico printers in Britain were 

 supplied with iron liquor about the same period by 

 Mr W. M'Aslan of Tradeston. The discharging of 

 turkey red on the formation of Bandana handker- 

 chiefs was commenced in 1802, for the first time in 

 Europe, by MessrsHenry Monteith & Co. of Glasgow, 

 and their establishment is the largest of the kind in 

 the world. At present there are upwards of forty 

 calico printing establishments belonging to Glasgow. 



In concluding this necessarily brief view of the arts 

 and manufactures of Glasgow, it will be observed, that 

 as this city was the first place where mechanics' in- 

 stitutions were established, so also was it the place 

 where many important movements in art and science 

 originated. Here James Watt made his first model 

 of the steam engine ; and here the first steam boat 

 of Europe began to ply. Here the manufacture of 

 inkles, of waterproof cloth ; the machinery for tam- 

 bouring, sewing, and the power looms were first 

 brought to work with success, or received their great- 

 est improvements ; here also the chloride of lime was 

 first manufactured, and here bandana discharging, 

 turkey-red dyeing, and bleaching by chlorine, were 

 first brought into practice. 



Population. The works of Dr Cleland furnish 

 abundant data regarding the population of Glasgow. 

 In the year 1560 he estimates it at 4,500; in 1610, 

 at 7,644 ; in 1660, 14,678; in 1688, 11,948 ; in 1708, 

 12,7 b'G; in 1712, 13,832 ; in 1740, 17,034; in 1755, 

 23,546 ; in 1763, 28,300. The following includes 

 the suburb parishes of the Barony and Gorbals : In 

 1780, 42,832 ; in 1785, 45,889 ; in 1791, 66,578 ; in 

 1801, the first government census, 77,385 ; in 1811 

 100,749; in 1821, 147,043; in 1831,202,426. 



