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40o 
fums, as quit-rent and feu-duty. It is reported that it 
received its firft charter about 1340, from the eari of Marr; 
but the raoft ancient charter now extant is dated nth 
December, 1562, and is granted by Robert, commendator 
of Dunfermline, with confent of the whole members of 
the convent. This charter narrates, “ that the title- 
deeds belonging to the borough were burnt by their 
enemies the Engiifh, after the fatal battle of Pinkie ; 
therefore they de novo grant, difpone, and confirm, to 
the prefent bailies, community, and inhabitants, of Muf- 
felburgh, and to their fucceffors,” &c. This charter is 
confirmed by various charters and a6ls of parliament. In 
1632, it was eredted into a royal borough by a charter 
under the great feal; but the magiftrates of Edinburgh 
found means to obtain a redudlion of that charter before 
the privy-council, on the 30th November of the fame year. 
It is governed by a town-council of eighteen members, 
ten of which are elected from Muffelburgh, and eight 
from Fifherrow. Out of thefe, two bailies and a treafurer 
are annually elected; there are alfo feven incorporated 
trades. The magiftrates are empowered to hold a court 
of record, and to grant in feoffments; and, upon the 
whole, it poffeffes all the privileges of a royal borough, 
except thofe of voting for the election of a member of 
parliament, and of fending a delegate to the convention 
of boroughs. 
The annual revenue is eftimated at fomewhat more 
than 1500I. arifing from the feu-duties paid by proprie¬ 
tors of houfes, from land and mills, and fhore-dues. 
Thefe laft have of late years confiderably increafed, in con- 
fequence of the great refort of fliipping with grain for the 
Clements-Well diftillery. It is not a little remarkable, 
that this town, though excellently fituated for the pur- 
pofe, carries on no extenfive manufacture. Some fmall 
manufactories, however, of cloths, foap, ftarch, and pot¬ 
tery, have been eftablifhed. In Fifherrow are fome falt- 
works, but all upon a very trifling fcale, their whole pro¬ 
duce being either fold to dealers in the neighbourhood, 
or carried by the women in creels to Edinburgh, where 
they generally difpofe of it, by crying it about the ftreets 
in the fame way as fifti are by fifh-women. Of the latter a 
great number likewife belong to this town, whoftill retain 
the fame character and manners which diftinguifhed them 
a century ago. They are the wives and daughters of 
frfhermen, who generally marry in their own caft, or tribe. 
On the days not occupied in carrying, their bufinefs is to 
gather baits for their hufbands, fathers, or brothers, and 
to bait their lines. In their dealings with the public, 
they ftill pertinacioufly retain the ancient practice of 
fmall traders, of demanding three times the fum they 
will take for their goods. This, however, is not the re- 
fult of a difhoneft principle, but merely of cuftorn ; for 
it is remarked by thofe who have ftudied their chara&er, 
that in all other tranfadlions they are ftridlly honeft ; and 
that, though fcandalous to a proverb in their language, 
they are neverthelefs virtuous and chafte in their perfons. 
From the active fhare thefe women have in the mainte¬ 
nance of their families, their fway in them, as might be 
fuppofed, is great. As their work is mafculine, fo are 
their fentiments and manners. Their ftrength is not in¬ 
ferior to that of their hufbands, nor are they lefs capable 
than they are of enduring fatigue, or the feverities of a 
northern climate. On holidays, their chief amufement is 
playing at golf, and on Shrove Tuefday there is always a 
handing match, at foot-ball, between the married and 
unmarried women, in which the former are generally 
the winners. This match ufually takes place on the 
links, or open downs, lying between Muffelburgh and the 
fhore, where are likewife held the annual fair, and the 
horfe-races. _ , 
Muffelburgh contains four places appropriated to pub¬ 
lic worfhip j the parifh-church, the epifcopal meeting- 
jjoufe, a burgher’s feceding meeting-houfe, and 3 church 
of relief. The duke of Buccleugh is patron of the efta- 
kjjihed church. Here is alfo an excellent grammar- 
M U S 
fchool, under the patronage of the magiftrates and towrv 
council, who allow the mafter a falary of 2SI. per annum, 
in addition to the fees he receives from his pupils, which 
in the aggregate are pretty confiderable. Several private 
feminaries in this town are likewife in high eftimation, 
and there are Sunday-fchools fupported by tlieduchefs of 
Buccleugh, and other charitable ladies, both in Muflel- 
burgh and Fifherrow. The market-day in the former is 
Friday, and in the latter Tuefday. 
In this town and its neighbourhood, many Roman 
remains have been difcovered at different times; which 
Chalmers, in his Caledonia, fays, “ fhew that the Romans 
had a poll: at Fifherrow, and a poft at Inverefk.” Some 
Roman coins, and an altar with this infcription, Apolloni 
Granio, were found in levelling the adjacent grounds fe- 
veral centuries ago j and, within thefe laft twenty years* 
the ruins of a Roman bath were laid open by the work¬ 
men employed to eredl a new parterre to the manfion of 
the proprietor of Tnverefk-villa. Similar ruins of hypa- 
caufta have been fince difcovered nearer to the fhore, be- 
fides many foundations of private houfes. 
The church of Inverefk has been lately rebuilt, and is 
faid to be one of the fineft parifh-churches in Scotland. 
The old flrudlure, however, was more interefting as an 
objedl of curiofity j its antiquity having been undoubt¬ 
edly very remote. At the eaft end of Muffelburgh for¬ 
merly flood the chapel of Loretto, a cell to the abbey of 
Dunfermline. Of this building there are very few re¬ 
mains, except one fmall apartment covered by an artificial 
mount in a garden of a villa ftill called the Loretto. It 
mull, however, have been an edifice of very confiderable 
extent, as the prefent tolbooth of Muffelburgh was 
wholly built from its materials. Near the eaft end of the 
town is the houfe in which the great Randolph earl of 
Murray died in 1332. Among the other remains of an¬ 
tiquity in this town, the bridge is the moil remarkable, 
being, according to Dr. Carlifle, molt probably a work of 
the Romans. The Scottifh army paffed over this bridge 
on the day of the fatal battle of Pinkie, which was fought 
near the houfe fo called, formerly the refidence of the 
Setons, earls of Dunfermline. Carberry-hill, immedi¬ 
ately adjoining to the fcene of action, was afterwards 
noted for the conference held by the unfortunate queen 
Mary with Kirkcaldy of Grange, which terminated in 
placing her perfon in the power of Morton and the con¬ 
federate lords, who, regardlefs of their renewed oaths of 
allegiance and fidelity, confined her a prifoner till file 
was enabled to effect her efcape from Lochleven-caftle. 
See the article Scotland. 
The fituation of the parifh of Inverefk is one of the 
moft beautiful in Scotland ; and fo celebrated is the vil¬ 
lage for its healthy climature, and the delightful profpedts 
it commands, that it was diftinguifhed of old by the name 
of the Montpellierof Scotland. Muffelburgh, as a fafhion- 
able fummer-retreat, however, is now comparatively aban¬ 
doned for Portobello, fituated between it and the metro¬ 
polis, where large and commodious baths have been lately 
eredled. The fcite of this now populous village, only a 
fews years ago was a defert and barren heath. Lat. 55. 
57. N. Ion. 3. 3. W. Chalmers's Caledonia. 
MUSSE'R, /! [from the Fr. verb.] A hiding-place; a 
term of hunting : 
We can find 
Your wildeft parts, your turnings and returns, 
Your traces, fquats, the mujfers forms and hoies 
You young men ule, if once our fageft wits 
Be fet a-hunting. Ram Alley. 
MUSSIDAN'. See MucidaS, p. 158. 
MUSS'IN, a town of the duchy of Warfaw; ten miles 
fouth of Pofen. 
MUSSIN'IA, J [dedicated by Willdenow to the ho¬ 
nour of the Ruffian count Muffin Putkin, who under¬ 
took an arduous expedition to the Caucafus in purluit of 
botany, and in which he difcovered many new plants.] 
In 
