G REE NOCK. 



r>57 



which the privilege of bonding tobacco was extended 

 to Glasgow, 450,42.3; and in 1834, 482, US- 

 Its principal imports are sugar, rum, coffee, cotton, 

 timber, ashes, grain, &c., from tlie West and East 

 Indies, North and South America, and the Mediter- 

 ranean. It also carries on an extensive coasting 

 trade with the Western Highlands and Ireland, 

 which, however, has somewhat declined since the 

 introduction of steam boats opened a direct com- 

 munication between these places and Glasgow. The 

 curing and exporting of herring forms an important 

 branch of the trade of Greenock, being to the extent 

 of about 20,000 barrels annually. The Greenland 

 whale-fishing trade was formerly prosecuted by the 

 merchants of Greenock, but has of late years been 

 abandoned. The following tables exhibit the imports 

 i! ml exports of Greenock for the years 1830 to 1835, 

 inclusive, also tlie number of vessels and amount 

 of tonnage belonging to the port, with the value of 

 tlie British goods exported to foreign parts. 



Account of the Number of Registered Vessels, Sfc. 



Account of the Number and Tonnage of Vtitels Entered In- 

 ward* and Clroicd Outwards, to Foreign Parts and Coast- 

 wise, in t/te years ending 5th January, 1830 to 1835, inclusive, 

 ficith Cargoes). 



Account of the Value of British Goods Exported to 

 Foreign parts. 



In the year ending 5th January, 1831 

 .. " 1832 



1833 

 ... 1834 



1835 



1,493,405 

 1,662,251 

 1,452,334 

 1,459,086 

 1,376,526 



The chief manufactures of Greenock are connected 

 with its shipping. Ship-building is carried on here to a 

 great extent, and some of the finest vessels which 

 sail the seas, have been launched from this port. 

 The building yard of Messrs. John Scott & Sons is 

 allowed to be the most complete in Britain, excepting 

 those which belong to the crown. A great number 

 of vessels have been launched from this yard, and 

 amongst others the Caledonian, of 650 tons, being 

 the largest ship ever built in Scotland. The building 

 yard of Messrs. Robert Steele & Co., is also an 

 extensive one. From it was launched, in 1826, the 

 United Kingdom, the largest and most splendid 

 steam vessel that had then been built in this country. 

 The other building yards of Greenock are those of 

 Messrs. R. & A. Carsewell, Messrs. William Simons 

 & Co., and Messrs. M'Millan and Hunter. Small- 

 l)oat building forms a separate branch of carpentry 

 in Greenock, and those of Mr Thomas Nicol have 

 been long famed for their excellence. 



Sugar-refining forms another prominent branch 

 of the manufacture of Greenock. There are eight 

 sugar houses at present in operation three others 

 have, in the mean time, given up working. For this 

 business the situation of the place is favourable, as 



the, raw material is brought here direct from the 

 colonies, without the drawback of land carriage. 



There is another business carried on here on an 

 extensive scale, but which has no connexion with 

 the shipping of tlie town. This is the manufacture 

 of straw hats from native straw, which are said to 

 equal those of Leghorn. The straw is sent to Ork- 

 ney, where it is plaited ; then returned to Greenofk, 

 and made into, hats. About 2000 females are em- 

 ployed in Orkney plaiting the straw, and from 200 

 to 300 in Greenock, forming the hats. Messrs. 

 James and Andrew Muir have received premiums 

 from the Society of Arts, and the Highland Society 

 of Scotland, for establishing this ingenious manufac- 

 ture, which furnishes an appropriate employment 

 to a large portion of tlie female community. 



Besides the above, Greenock possesses two large 

 foundries, from which machinery of all descriptions is 

 exported to every quarter of the world ; two chain- 

 cable works ; three extensive, and two smaller, rope 

 works ; two sail-cloth manufactories ; one large flax 

 spinning mill ; an extensive paper mill ; several soap 

 and candle works ; four large grain mills ; a flint 

 mill ; a flint glass manufactory ; a bottle work ; a dis- 

 tillery ; two large breweries, and several tan works. 



Of late years, a series of waterfalls have been 

 formed along the heights behind the town, which, 

 from their excellent adaptation for driving mills, 

 promise to increase materially the manufactories of 

 Greenock. The town having long suffered from a 

 deficiency of water for household purposes, it oc- 

 curred to Mr Thorn of Rothesay, that by turning the 

 source of a rivulet called the Shaws water, and other 

 streams in the hills behind, and constructing reservoirs 

 and aqueducts, Greenock might not only be plenti- 

 fully supplied with water, but a power might be ob- 

 tained to impel machinery to an extent equal to 

 what is impelled by steam in and about Glasgow. 

 He accordingly, in 1824, drew out a report to that 

 purpose, hi which the scheme appeared so practi- 

 cable, that a company was immediately formed, and 

 incorporated by act of parliament, under the name 

 of "The Shaws Water Company," with a capital of 

 31,000. The work was commenced by forming 

 an artificial lake or reservoir in the bosom of the 

 hills, capable of containing, along .with smaller 

 basins, 300,000,000 cubical feet of water, into which 

 tlie Shaws water and other small mountain streams 

 were made to discharge themselves, and construct- 

 ing aqueducts to conduct the water towards the 

 town in such a way as, upon a descent of 512 feet, 

 should impel a variety of water mills, yielding a 

 power equal to that of 8234 horses working eight 

 hours a day. The scheme succeeded even beyond 

 expectation ; for not only is the town now liberally 

 supplied with water, but already a paper mill, a flax 

 spinning mill, a foundry, a charcoal work, two ex- 

 tensive flour mills, a large sugar house, a rice mill, 

 and a woollen factory, are set agoing by this inge- 

 nious contrivance. The supply of the water, too, 

 is regulated with precision by various self-acting 

 sluices, invented by Mr Thorn. As this magnificent 

 yet simple work forms a highly interesting example 

 of ingenuity beneficially applied, and, if more gen- 

 erally known, may be introduced in other places, 

 whether of the new or old continent, with similar 

 success, we make no apology for extracting from 

 the Greenock Advertiser newspaper, the following ac- 

 count of its first opening on the 16th of April, 1827 : 



" The 16th of April, 1827, will long remain a memorable 

 day in the aunals of Greenock. Rapid as wan its advance 

 from the obscurity of a Ashing village to the considera- 

 tion which belongs to the first seaport in Scotland, we 

 trust it is destined from this day to exhibit a still more 

 rapid progress as a manufacturing town, for which it haa 

 acquired facilities it did not before possess and, we may 



