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descending, doeth what nothing less than one hundred pounds can effect."

Before going further, I will give my explanation of these two inventions-the 98th means that he has discovered a way to use the pressure of the atmosphere, as a first mover; in the 99th he applies it to act on a piston whose area is equal to lift an hundred pounds by the pressure of the atmosphere. He would have a model of the air buried with him. The 100th says, "Upon so potent a help as these two last-mentioned inventions, a Water-works is by many years experience and labour so advantageously by me contrived, that a child's force bringeth up an hundred feet high an incredible quantity of water, even two feet diameter, so naturally that the work will not be heard in the next room, and with great ease and geometrical symmetry, that though it work day and night from one end of the year to the other, it will not require forty shillings' reparation to the whole engine, nor hinder one day's work, and I may boldly call it the most stupendous work in the whole world, not only with little charge to drain all sorts of mines, and furnish cities with water, though never so high seated, as well as keep them sweet running through several streets, and so performing the work of scavengers, as well as furnishing the inhabitants with water for their private uses, and to furnish rivers with sufficient to maintain and make them portable from town to town, and for the bettering of lands all the way it runs; with many more advantageous, and yet greater effects of profit, admiration, and consequence; so that, deservedly, I deem this invention to crown my labours," &c.

You will allow that this last, composed of the other two, is a complete description of Newcomon's engine, and he anticipates all that was done with it until Mr. Watt's time.

I may mention that this engine (one of those alluded to by the Marquis) was seen at work by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, who visited this country in 1665, and published a journal of what he saw. The engine is described by him in it. In a translation of it, dated 28th May, 1699, he speaks of two engines. This one draws the water, his other forced it. He says, this last is in the 68th invention-that is the forcing one.

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 masses, 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. 2. 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.

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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.

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