gow. ¢ouncillors, and, like the treasurer, are chosen from 
—* each of the ranks alternately. The dean of guild and 
convener of the trades’ house, are councillors ex officio 
during the first year they are in office, after which they 
must Be elected ordinary councillors. ‘The lord'provost 
__. (who from courtesy is stiled honourable) and the five 
bailies are with the executive, while the ma- 
ae tes and council conduct the other public affairs of 
ie community. ’ . 
' The provost, two senior merchant bailies, the senior 
trades bailie, the dean of guild, and the convener, are 
justices of the e for the county ; the junior merchant 
and tr Site xeeeles similar powers within the 
aistrates burgh. ‘In 1720, the lord provost first began to wear a 
an velvet court dress ; and in 1767, the provost and bailies, 
gold.magistrates, dean of guild, and convener, first began to 
$m —_wear gold chains ; the bailies of the river and barony of 
Gorbals have also latterly worn gold chains. Itis to be re- 
gretted, that the funds of this respectable corporation are 
not in a situation to warrant its managers to appropriate 
asum to support the dignity of the chief magistrate, with- 
out affecting the progress of public improvements, which 
have been carried on for a number of years past with 
a spirit which does honour to the managers of the city. 
‘ burgh, of itself, does not return any representative 
to Parliament. The i and council of the 
. » burghs of Glasgow, Rutherglen, Dumbarton, and Ren- 
_. frew, elect one member among them: In the event of 
uality, each burgh takes the casting vote in rotation. 
Al the population of either of these conjoined 
burghs do not exceed one-fortieth part of Glasgow, 
are equal in their political franchises. 
_ The revenue of the burgh arises from various sources, 
but chiefly from what is called the common good. The 
n- following may be considered as the most productive, 
the viz. an impost of two pennies Scots on the Scots pint 
_of all ale or beer, brewed or sold within the city. This 
im which was first laid on in 1693, extended only 
over the burgh, has since been made to af 
the barony of Gorbals, and the town of Port ‘ow. 
(For the history of these, see Lansrksuire and Port 
Glasgow.) Ladles and multers, these are certain dues 
' paid on grain, meal, and fruit, &c. brought into the 
burgh; dues on cattle killed within the burgh; dues from 
the public washing house and tron ; rents of markets, 
_ church seats, houses, mills, and mill lands, burgess 
entries, feus of land, and ground annuals, &c. amount- 
ing in whole in the year ending 31st December 
1813, to £13,604, 11s. 8d. The following may be con- 
sidered as the iculars of the expenditure, viz. burgh 
_assessment, criminal prosecutions, alimenting criminal 
eons pera expence of the prison and bridewell, 
_expence of church and civil establishment, ministers 
‘ ds and officers salaries, police establishment, repairs 
of heritable property, and general improvements ; the 
amount of which, for some years past, has exceed- 
ed the revenue. This excess may be accounted for, 
by the extension of public improvements of late years, 
aes have necessarily required an anticipation of the 
nds. 
I Exclusive of the above, which may be considered as 
Gmitted the revenue and expenditure proper of the communi- 
ema ty, the magistrates and council are entrusted, in whole 
¢. counci!, OF in part, with the administration of the following 
f funds, the particulars being elsewhere narrated :- 
Navigation of the river Clyde ; 
} , Assessment for the maintenance/of the poor ; . 
Statute labour conversion fand ; 
 Pontage of the bridges ; and. 
Police establishment. 
GLASGOW. 
291 
- It appears from ancient records, that those persons Glasgow: 
who bought and sold merchandise of any description "~~ 
in this burgh, considered themselves as a distinct class j14 traces 
of citizens from those who manufactured the articles, ranks. 
and the claim of precedence often gave rise to dissen~ 
sions among the burgesses. In the year 1604, when 
both parties became anxious for an amicable adjustment 
of their political differences, they submitted their claims 
to the final decision of Sir G Elphinstone, who 
was then Provost, and to two of the ministers of the 
city. The arbiters, to use their own words, declare, 
that after great pains, long travailing, and mature deli- 
beration, they, on the 6th of February 1605, pronoun- 
ced their decreet, containing fifty-four articles, which is 
the letter of guildry. This decreet was immediately 
confirmed.by the magistrates and council, and in 1612 
by an act of parliament, and has been, after'a few slight 
alterations, acted upon ever since. By the letter of 
guildry, the Dean of Guild is president of his house, 
and from courtesy is stiled. Dean of Guild. He 
takes precedence of the convener of the trades house in 
all places, and of the provost and bailies at every meet- 
ing of his house. ’ 
he merchants house consists of all the merchant Merchants’ 
burgesses who have matriculated, ‘that is,: who: have house. 
paid fee, now fixed at ten guineas, to the funds of the 
ouse. These members, however, have only the privi-« 
lege of attending one meeting in the course of the year, 
and of electing 24 members of the Dean of Guild’s 
council, which is made up as follows: the Dean names 
12 members, who may be either foreign or home tra- 
ders ; he then puts the whole of the remanent. mem- 
bers into 24 lists or leets, whereof 12 must be foreign, 
and 12 home traders.. The qualified members, at the 
meeting, elect one person from each leet, who, together 
with the dean, the provost, three merchant bailies, the 
collector, and the 12 persons nominated by the dean, 
compose the council, to whom the administration of the 
whole affairs of the house is entrusted throughout the 
year. The funds of this public body arise chiefly from 
rents, feus, ground annuals, interest, matriculation, and 
burgess entry money, donations, and mortifications. 
The convener is president of the trades house, and takes 
rose of the trades bailies, at all meetings of the 
ouse. The members ‘consist of the present and late 
convener, two trades bailies, the present and late collec- 
tor, the present and late deacons of the 14 incorpora- 
tions, and 26 assistants, nominated as-follows: the dea- 
cons of the hammermen, tailors, cordiners, and malt= 
men, nominate four of the members of their incorpora- 
tion ; the weavers two; the bakers, skinners, wrights, 
ra rs, fleshers, masons, gardeners, and barbers, one 
each ; the-dyers do not nominate any. ‘These members 
constitute the trades house, and to them its whole civil 
and political concerns are entrusted. 
The affairs of finance are placed under the exclusive 
management of the convener and deacons, and extraor- 
dinary members of, the house ; the latter.are the trades 
bailies, collector,‘and members who have passed the 
chair, or have been at any time in the magistracy. The 
funds of this public body » like the merchants house, 
arise chiefly. from rents, ground annuals, and feus from 
the lands of trades-town, interest, burgess entries, dona- 
tions and mortifications, 
A circuit court of justiciary, (anciently termed justice Court of 
in Ayre,) is held here in the months of April and Sep- justiciarr. . 
tember yearly, whierein all criminal cases, high treason 
excepted, are tried by a jury of 15 persons. The ju- 
risdiction of the circuit extends over the counties of 
Lanark, Renfrew, and Dumbarton. It has been custos 
Tradés’ 
house. 
