and lifted the weight that was hung to the piston rod, thus showing him he was right in the idea of a separate condenser, and that his invention was complete.

This experiment, and those that preceded it, were done in a workshop off King Street, Glasgow. In answer to my question about the site of this shop, Mr. Watt said, "It was in a little court, north end of the Beef Market, the house projects into the court; I think a carrier occupies it at present." I think this was in the year 1813 or '14. My brother and I went next morning and saw the house; a large door had been made in the end of it, to make it into a carthouse, and a carrier was loading his cart in it at the time. I think it stood where Millar's Place is, just in front of what was the Inn door, as it was but a few yards from the north-east corner of the market, in a north-east direction.

The nature of much of our conversation was not of an antiquarian cast, and may be passed over. But I will take the liberty to lay before you the following:

When speaking of his being at Bo'ness, he said, "When there, I took charge of the Schoolyard engine, that I might get a practical knowledge of a working engine." My late brother had learned from an old man, who had been a workman at Dr. Roebuck's coalworks when Mr. Watt was there, that Mr. Watt erected a small engine on a pit they called Taylor's Pit. "He," the workman, "could not say what kind of an engine it was, but it was the fastest going one ever he saw." From its small size, and from being placed in a small timber house, the colliers called it "the box-bed." We thought this was likely to be the first of his patent ones made by himself, and took this opportunity of mentioning this to him. He said he erected that engine, but he did not wish to venture on a patent one till he had a little more experience. He made her on Newcomon's plan, but he had got all the parts of one, with his own improvements, nearly finished when his connection with Doctor Roebuck was brought to a close. We found he had done a little in telescope making, and understood the subject well. He mentioned a curious experiment that a son-in-law of Mr. Harrison's was going on with, viz., to produce a speculum by turning with a machine that cut so fine that it left a polish. He had little hope that it could be done. In the year 1815 he sent us, as a mark of his regard, a brace and bits, and some drills. I have brought his letter to show you, as it shows the slow rate at which goods were carried at that time.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE GLASGOW ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

NO. II.

A FEW BRIEF NOTICES OF THE OLD TOLBOOTH AT

THE CROSS OF GLASGOW, REMOVED IN 1814, &c.:

BY

GABRIEL NEIL, Esq.

[Read at a Meeting of the Society held at Glasgow on 2nd November, 1857.]

ONE of the objects proposed by this Society is the illustration of such remarkable buildings or edifices, whether of a public or private kind, as were formerly to be found, or may yet exist, within the boundaries of the City. It is the intention of the present Paper to give a few brief notices of one of those buildings which for nearly two centuries prominently figured in the annals of Glasgow-namely, The Old Jail or Tolbooth at the Cross, removed in 1814,-a building which, for its architectural style and massiveness, adorned that part of the city where it was situated, and which, in importance, with its iron grated windows, frowned upon the lieges as a "terror to evil doers." In whatever other light it may have been regarded by the industrious well-regulated classes of the community in those days, it would at least have this consolatory effect upon their minds, that under the protection of law and authority, they had the chance of enjoying their persons and property unmolested, and their hearths in peace and safety.

Society, whether living together in greater or smaller masɛes, has been always subject to crime and insubordination. Glasgow, in proportion to the amount of her population, formed no exception to this rule; and it may be inferred that, from the earliest date of her history, she must have had some public place of confinement for her offenders, and the administration of justice. It is said to be stated in old documents that before the Reformation there stood at the north-east corner of the Trongate a building named the "Prætorium," which seems to have included within its walls a town hall or court-house, and prison. Though not farther mentioned by our historians, I

think there can be no doubt that it occupied the same site at the Cross as the Tolbooth under consideration, and was the immediate predecessor of the latter. So far as opportunities have occurred for investigation, there does not appear any information as to the dimensions, arrangements, and external appearance of this ancient Prætorium or prison, but as early as 1573 and downwards, we have instances of meetings held there-as of, "The Heid Court eftir Zule of the burcht and citie of Glasgow, haldin in the Tolbuithe thairof be ane noble and michtie Lord, Robert Lord Boyde, prouest; George Elphinstoun, Archibald Lyoun, and James Flemyng, bailies of ye samyn;" so that it may be presumed to have contained a Court House or Council Room, and with sufficient accommodation for the wants of the times. Also, in "Discharge and Exoneratioun" of the City Treasurer for the year 1578, we find such entries as-"Item, gevin to Dauid Kaye for the pryce of the knok, and upsettin of hir in the Tolbuithe," &c., jc. lib. (£8 6s. 8d. stg.). "Item, gevin to the maister of work, and debursit be him upon the biggin of the foir work of the Tolbuithe (which had probably, through age, become dilapidated), and settin up of the bell, and grathin (grating) of the Tolbuithe in this symmer, as the particular compt maid thairupon beris, extends to the sowme of jel. lib., ij. s. viii. d." (£12 10s. 2d. stg.). We have thus two additional features of this building, in its having been furnished with a clock and bell. As some evidence in an essential matter connected with the proper security of a prison, there are numerous entries in another account of the Town's Treasurer, as, "for ane plank of aik (oak), to be ane breid (board) to the Tolbuithe dur" (door), with its concomitants, "plenchor naillis, irne ringis, cruikis, great naillis, ane ladder to gang up to the bell," &c., all of which in cost in our days would certainly be looked upon as extremely moderate. From several other entries in the Records for repairs, the Magistrates had likely been a good deal bothered with the imperfect machinery (or "ganging graith," as it is termed) of their "knok," and we have their successors in office, as regular time-keeping gentlemen, passing the following minute on 22d January, 1610:-"The qlk. day George Smythe, the rewller of the Tolbuithe knok, has bund him to the toun to rewll (wind up and maintain in order) the said knok for all the dayis of his lyftime, for the soume of twintie pundis money (£1 13s. 4d. stg.) yeirlie, to be payit, at the terms following, viz., ten pundis at Candlemes, and other ten pund-at Lambnes, during his thankfull service." It appears, moreover, that with a praiseworthy economy

B

the street flat of the prison had "buithis," or shops. This building, then, upon the whole, embracing a court-house, prison, bell, and clock, with its "moyne" and "orlage" (dial), and doubtless a small steeple, must be viewed, as having possessed all the external qualifications requisite, to uphold the character of a royal burgh. In our eyes it may be esteemed as mean, and as little better than a lock-up house in one of our present police establishments; but there should be taken along with our comparison, the inferiority of a considerable portion of the structures at that early time in Glasgow, represented by historians, "as covered with turf, heather, and straw thatch," and the population not exceeding four to five thousand souls.

Notwithstanding all the authorities could do for this fabric, it is likely to have become partially ruinous on their hands, or at least insecure; and, perhaps, along with the awakening desire of seeing something more ornamental, they had turned their attention to such an acquisition. The increasing commercial prosperity of the burgh, and the feuds which had often occurred between the merchants' and trades' ranks as to precedency, &c., disquieting the members of the whole body and commonweal of the city, may also in some degree have contributed to warrant the measure, by an extension of the municipal power and dignity. Accordingly, in the quaint language of the period, "after ripe advisements and mature deliberation," we find that " on 14th May, 1625, the Council remitted to the Dean of Guild, Deacon Convener, and Master of Works, to provide stones for the new erection, and agree with workmen to dress them from the quarry"-and by the following minute, dated on 11th February, 1626:-"The said day it is concludit that the Provest and Bailies deill with Jon Boyd, and Patrik Colquhoun anent the doun taking of the Tolbuithe, and to see what can be gotten doun of three hundreth marks (£16 13s. 4d. sterling), as thai have alreddie offerit to tak doun the saime for the said soume, and also to deill with John Neill, knock maker, to make ane new knock, and to try (judge of) the pryce, and als to deill with the tenants of the buithis under the Tolbuithe that thai may remove." And, farther, among these preparations, on 8th April, 1626, “The said day Gabriel Smythe, undertook to scherp the haill masoune irnes during the time of the building of the Tolbuithe and stipel thairof, qll (until) the work be endit, for fourtie pundis money (£3 6s. 8d. sterling), namely xx. lib. on hand, and xx. lib. when the wark is endit, and in cais he be a loser he referres himself to thair will," &c.

Arrangements having now apparently been completed, on "15th May, 1626, the said day the grund-stane (or foundation stone) of the Tolbuithe of Glasgow was laid." In calling the attention of the members of the Society to this memorable fact, it may be worth while to introduce a note of the late Mr. M'Vean to his edition of M'Ure's History of Glasgow:-"Our historians (says he) differ very much in their accounts of the time when the Jail was built. Brown, Denholm, Wade, and our author (M'Ure), give 1636; our late historians give 1603 as the date. This last date is evidently erroneous; the initials of Charles I. are still to be seen on the steeple. Monteith gives 1626 as the date of the inscription, and the act in favour of Glasgow in 1633, mentions "what great and sumptuous charges, cair, and expensis they haue beine at laitlie in building of ane Tolbuithe." From the evidence of the Minute given above, there can be no longer any doubt as to the date of its foundation, viz., in 1626, the second year of the reign of Charles I., James Inglis being then Provost; Patrick Bell, James Stewart, and William Neilson, Bailies.

Considering the magnitude of the undertaking, the work must have proceeded with great expedition. About seventeen months after the laying of the foundation stone the fabric had been ready to receive some of its decorations, as the City Treasurer is instructed, on "20th October, 1627, to pay to Valentine Jenking the soume of thrittie pundis (£2 10s. stg.) for gilting the kok and thanes, and culloring of the same yallow, with the glob and standart, and stanes above the steiple head." Also in the Treasurer's account, anno 1629, Item, for gelting of the horolage brodis and palmes (hands of the dial) to Valentine Jenking, vi. lib. xiii. s. iiii. d." (£0 11s. 1d. stg.), and to the same artist for seemingly again "gelting the kok," which had probably been double gilt, to resist the weather and promote its brilliancy; as also for "gelting the Thrystell and Croune and Scheptor above the Kingis armes, and to gelt the Tounes armes above the enterie to the gevil of the Tolbuithe." The former clock, which had put the authorities to so much trouble, appears to have been discarded, and they had been exceedingly well pleased with the new one, as "Item, to Jon Jaffra, smith, for forging the knok mair than was promeist him, xxxiii. lib. vii. s.” (£2 15s. 7d. stg.), and "Item, to James Read, wrycht, becaus he poyntit the stiple weill, v. lib. vi. s." (£0 8s. 10d. stg.). These outlays, though not of the heaviest and most important kind, evince the great pains which had been bestowed to render the building worthy of all concerned.