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THE

Scots Magazine,

AND

EDINBURGH LITERARY MISCELLANY, For FEBRUARY 1813.

Description of CULZEAN CASTLE.

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height, and had an opportunity of observing the various methods which were CULZEAN CASTLE, the seat of the employed for arresting its progress. Earl of Cassilis, is a very fine edi- Every exertion was shewn by the fice,built, in the castellated form, about great mass of individuals who were the year 1770. Its situation is very present at that awful scene. At commanding, upon the brink of a the same time, my duty to the public recke, which rises perpendicularly to compels me to state, through the methe height of 120 feet from the level dium of your Miscellany, that there of the sea. It enjoys an uncommon- was blame somewhere, and that the ly fine view over the firth of Clyde, success of these exertions did not corand the surrounding coasts and islands.: respond with the means which were The interior is finished in a style su- at command. In all the operations perior to any house then in Ayrshire, carried on, there appeared a want of and is every way calculated to repre- arrangement and judgement. The sent the dignity of the noble house to alarm was given with promptitude," which it belongs. and fire engines, to the number of fourteen, were speedily assembled. But, in the first place, there was a want of water; and when this was to a certain degree removed, much of it was lost, and great obstruction occasioned, by the manner in which it was conveyed to the engines. Instead of the people employed being formed into two lines, one of which carried the water, and the other brought back the empty buckets, a promiscuous crowd, of all ages, ran back and förward, confusedly obstructing and encumbering each other: the supply was thus very irregular. Again, it was

Observations suggested by the LATE
FIRE, in the HIGH STREET of EDIN-

BURGH.

(TO THE EDITOR.)

SIR, THE alarming and dreadful fire, which broke out in this city on the evening of the 14th instant, is an event which cannot but give rise to the most serious reflections. I was present while the conflagration was at its

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apparent to every person present, that only one or two of the engines had sufficient power to throw the water to such a height as to be capable of acting with any effect: from one in particular, it did not even reach the walls. Care should have been taken to supply, in the first place, the powerful and effective engines; on the contrary, the water being promiscuously distributed thro' the whole, a great proportion was rendered useless.

It cannot be denied, also, that there appeared a great want of knowledge and experience on the part of the firemen. Fire, we are happy to say, seldom commits such ravages in this city but the Insurance offices are not therefore dispensed from the obligation of providing men, duly qualified, to act their part on such an awful occasion. Of this deficiency, no stronger proof can be given, than that, at two o'clock in the morning, imagining the flames completely got under, they allowed a number of fire engines to go away, and also the military and Constables to return home. It soon appeared how completely they were deceived: at four, the fire broke out afresh; and, little assistance being at hand, raged with all its original fury; nor was it finally subdued till eight the following morning.

We trust that, in making these remarks, we shall not be suspected of a desire to throw blame upon any individual or class of men. Every one present, we are convineed, was actuated by no other desire than that of doing whatever seemed most effectual to stop the progress of this calamity. We only mean, from the experience

plugs should also be placed at convenient distances; and there should always be small pipes in readiness to fix upon the mouth of the plugholes. The best mode of conveying the water from these pipes, where the distance is small, and no obstacale in the way, is by wooden spouts : if otherwise, by a double row of buckets, as above recommended.

A mixture of mud, alum, or salt in the water, has been found to produce the best effects in quenching the flames. A supply of one or other of these substances might be kept constantly in readiness at a very moderate expense. The Magistrates, in order to animate the zeal of the people on such occasions, give a reward of 1s. to every person who should bring a bucket to the Council Chamber next day. This produced a bad effect; for when, at two o'clock, the fire was believed to be extinguished, most of those who had buckets carried them away; and when it broke out anew, there were few to be procured.

Thus, Sir, I have troubled you with a few remarks, not certainly with any wish to injure the feelings of individuals, but merely in the hope that they may be of some use to my fellow-citizens, and may, on a future emergency, point out the means of preventing those extensive ravages which have been committed on the present occasion.

I am, &c.

Edinburgh, 18th Feb. 1813.

Renfrew. EXTENT in square miles, in English acres, in Scots acres,...

CIVIS.

now afforded, to deduce the most ef- Statistical View of the County of ficacious means of providing hereafter against a similar emergency. The primary object is to secure, at once, an adequate supply of water. may be accomplished by a large leading pipe, through which a great body of that element may be instantly conveyed to the post of danger. Fire.

This

241

154,182

122,646

2,234

Horses,.......
Cattle, young and old, about 10,000
Sheep, about.......
10,000

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Registered ships and

vessels belonging to

Greenock and Port

Ships.

Tons.

private schools in
great towns, and
at private schools
in country parishes, 7,000
Scholars at parochial

schools

in the

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Salaries of schoolmas

ters of those paro

740

7740

chial schools.........£.266 4 5

Their other emolu

ments................£.440

Average income of
each parish school-

master,.................£.54

0 0

4 7

The live stock in the county of Renfrew is not precisely known, nor can its value be easily ascertained.

Glasgow,............. 538 67,859 The number of horses is taken from

the

the account of assessed taxes, but it is probable that it is considerably below the truth. The number of cattle and of sheep not having been given in the Statistical accounts of the county, even sums are here put down.

In calculating the number of inhabitants to every square mile, and the number of acres to each inhabitant, the seamen belonging to this county are taken into account. The result is, that the degree of population in the counties of Renfrew and Edinburgh is nearly equal; and these are the counties of Scotland by far the most populous in proportion to their extent. The calculation does not proceed on the supposition that the whole is to be confined to the lands in

cultivation, which would have given a far higher result, but is applied to the whole of the county, including

extensive uninhabited tracts.

The public revenue collected with-in the county has been stated in this report at £.1,162,301 To this. there may be added the sum arising from the distribution of stamps, and a further militia assessment of one

shilling in the pound on assessed taxes; so that the total revenue may be

stated at near one million and quarter per annum.

a.

The yearly revenues from toll bars have been stated in this report at £.10,300, but for the year commencing May 1812 there has been a considerable increase of revenue on the different roads. The toll on Inchinnan bridge has been let at £.1215; and, as there is now (1812) the prospect that the exemption in favour of mail coaches will be discontinued, the amount of tolls may be estima ted at £.16,000.

The sums expended on new roads, and other public works in Renfrewshire, during thel ast five years,

are;

Paisley canal,............ £,90,000 Ducks and harbour of

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The total value of the imports of duce, and of its agricultural produce, the county, of its manufactured proit is not easy to ascertain. The value of the grain imported may be accuof cotton yarn spun at the mills in rately determined. The present value

communications made by the gentlemen concerned in that manufacture. The results are given in a table.. But the amount in money, of the varisified and extended, and of a comous products of manufactures so divermerce of such magnitude, is almost impossible to be determined with any degree of precision.

this shire has been calculated from

The public, or established schools in great towns have been mentioned in this report. It must be observed that, not only in the great towns, but in almost every country parish, there are many schools besides the established or parochial school, and that the probable number of scholars may be

7000.

Memoirs of the Progress of Manufactures, Chemistry, Science, and the fine Arts.

A

NEW Mural Quadrant, of extraordinary precision, has been erect-. ed by Mr Pond, in the Observatory at Greenwich; and other new instruments are preparing, most of the cold

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