people who are unfit for harder labour. It has been attempted to take salmon with a draw-net at a place opposite the little village of Monrieth; but the plan does not succeed well, and can only be practised in fine weather, and for a few days at a time during the spring tides. The coast is too rocky for fishing in this way, at least to any extent.

Wages.-Men-servants by the half-year, with victuals, L.5 or guineas; women-servants from L.2 to L. 2, 10s.; harvest wages for men from L. 2 to L. 2, 5s., for women about L. 1, 10s. The day's wages is 1s. 4d. in summer, and Is. 2d. in winter; day's wages in harvest about 2s. without victuals.

V.-PAROCHIAL ECONOMY.

Means of Communication.—I have already mentioned the introduction of steam navigation as one of our very recent improvements. Since I commenced writing this report, I understand that the principal land proprietors in the county have made an arrangement with Government for a mail-coach to run from Newtonstewart by Wigton, Garliestown, Whithorn, Port-William, and Glenluce, to Stranraer. This road passes through the parish of Glasserton ; entering this parish about half a mile from the burgh of Whithorn, it continues in it to the village of Monrieth, within two miles of PortWilliam, which is eight miles from Whithorn. Hitherto, Newtonstewart was the nearest point at which the mail could be reached, which is twenty-two miles from the church of Glasserton. This arrangement, therefore, may be considered as a great advantage to this part of the country.

Villages, &c.—This parish contains no towns, and only one village. The nearest market-town is Whithorn. There is no public or private associations of any description, and neither trade nor manufactures. It is entirely an agricultural parish; and the few mechanics which belong to it are dependent on or connected with agriculture, such as smiths, joiners, shoemakers, tailors; but weavers have nearly vanished, and the inhabitants chiefly depend upon the manufactures of other places for their clothing. Spinning and knitting, which formerly was the employment of old and infirm women, is no longer practised. Indeed, that class have been the greatest sufferers from the introduction of machinery, for it has taken from them the only employment which they had strength to perform, and their sole means of subsistence.

Ecclesiastical State.-The church stands at the distance of about 600 yards north of Glasserton House. It is surrounded

with wood. It is nearly in the centre of Glasserton pleasuregrounds, which Mr Stewart of Physgill, the present proprietor, has greatly enlarged. The lawn or park in which the church stands is exceedingly beautiful, and the most extensive of any in this part of the country, containing upwards of 150 acres of the richest pasture ground, ornamented with plantations, as well as an immense number of single trees scattered over its whole surface, tastefully and judiciously arranged, so as to produce the finest effect in passing along the approaches to Glasserton. Many of the single trees were transplanted on Sir Henry Steuart's plan.

The church was built in the year 1732, exactly in the same style in which all country churches were built about that period. It is still strong and substantial both in walls and roof, but too small for the increasing population; for at present it contains only about 270 sittings in the under part of the church. The galleries are private property, belonging to the family of Physgill and Glasserton; each of these estates having a gallery, but they both belong to the same family. The heritors, however, have agreed to make an addition, by adding an aisle to the old church and at the end of the aisle, is to be erected a handsome tower, 68 feet in height. The work is contracted for, materials provided, and on the 19th May 1836, the tradesmen commenced building.* The old church also is to be seated anew, and otherwise repaired. There have been no free sittings in the church hitherto, but it is proposed that some part of the addition shall be free.

:

The church is much nearer the east than the west end of the parish. The parish appears to have been formed by the junction of two parishes, Glasserton and Kirkmaiden. But there are no documents to show at what time this annexation had taken place. A part of the walls of Kirkmaiden church still remain pretty entire. It is situated near the sea shore, not far from Monrieth. It lies close to the bottom of the Heughs, or rather it is embosomed in a kind of recess formed by these steep hills. The road to it winds down the brow of the hill, and at last ends in a flight of steps leading into the church-yard. The slope of the surrounding hill is covered with young wood. Altogether it is scarcely possible to conceive that a church could be placed in a more romantic situation. It is indeed a beautiful sequestered spot, but never could have been a convenient situation for a church, for it lies in a corner where even

The addition and repairs here alluded to have since been completed: and the church now contains 400 sittings.

now the population is small, and must have been much smaller in those times, when it was frequented as a place of worship. It is still used as burial ground by some of the old residenters in this parish; and Sir William Maxwell's family, though not residing in the parish, have their burial-place within the walls of the old church of Kirkmaiden.

The attendance on public worship in this parish is regular, notwithstanding of many disadvantages, such as the length of the parish, the church not being in the centre. Besides, there is no village near it, and the population in the neighbourhood is small, as the greater part of Glasserton estate is in pasture ground. A very handsome house and stable has been built by Mr Stewart of Physgill, at the church gate, entirely for the accommodation of the parish,—which certainly has removed many of the inconveniences to which we allude. More accommodation at times would, no doubt, be desirable.

The manse was built in 1818, is commodious, substantial, and in good repair. The glebe contains about 15 Scotch acres, and might, perhaps, be valued at L. 20 a-year. The minister's stipend averages about L. 190. The original valuation being mostly in money, it is subject to no great variation. The teinds are exhausted by the present stipend.

Dissenters have changed their tactics very much lately. In my younger days, they were proud to be considered, or rather to consider themselves, the chosen few. Now, there is no possibility of satisfying them with numbers. They are determined to be considered as the many, and that distinction, which they were formerly so proud of, they are now extremely desirous should be conferred upon the Established Church. And as I should be sorry to disturb them, even in their dreams, I shall refrain from saying how few they are, though truth will not permit me to say that they are many. But, what is far more to the purpose, the Dissenting families which are old residenters in the parish are both prudent and respectable; they maintain their own opinions, and worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, without giving the least offence to any of their neighbours. We have no voluntaries, at least as far as I know; but it is really difficult to speak with precision, from the fact of the farm-servants, bound-workers, and day-labourers being in a state of continual fluctuation; they change from parish to parish so frequently, that

a clergyman has not the means of knowing their religious tenets

and their speculative opinions.

There is an excellent school-house and school

Education. master's house. The schoolmaster's salary is the maximum, that is, L. 34 a-year. The school fees may amount to L. 25 a-year. The school-house is not at the church, but two miles west, upon the road leading to Monrieth and Port-William. It stands nearly in the centre of the parish, but certainly not in the middle of the population, for a circle drawn round it with the radius of a mile would not contain many houses.

There is another school in the north-west end of the parish, at Ravenstone, to which there is annexed, besides the school-fees, a salary of L. 15 per annum,-L. 10 of which are contributed by Mrs Stewart of Physgill, and L. 5 by Mrs Hathorn of Castlewigg, who also joined in a general subscription for erecting the school-house and schoolmaster's house. These are built on the property of the Earl of Stair, who granted the ground rent-free for that purpose.

Education at these schools costs from 2s. to 3s. a quarter for reading, writing, and arithmetic. The children of the poor are taught free at the parish school, at the recommendation of the heritors and kirk-session. And when applications of this kind are so numerous, that the session consider them too burdensome to the schoolmaster, they pay him from the poor's funds, at a lower rate than the usual wages; and not unfrequently poor children are sent to school at the expense of charitable individuals in the neighbourhood. Altogether, the means of instruction are perfectly accessible to the poorest individuals; and there is no such thing to be found in this parish as children of six or seven years of age who cannot read. The population, however, is too thinly scattered to admit of infant schools, consequently, their first instructions are received from their parents at home, chiefly from their mother; and then, whenever they have strength enough to travel two or three miles, they are sent to school. The people are perfectly alive to the advantages of education, and make every effort to have their children suitably instructed.

Schoolmasters sometimes complain of the difficulties of collecting their fees; but I believe there is less foundation for this complaint than is generally believed. I have known many who are exceedingly poor, that would rather want some of their own necessary sustenance than have their children's education neglected;

and they consider school wages as a debt of honour, which they would pay, though they had nothing left, or though other debts should not be discharged. I must, however, admit, that these honourable feelings were more general thirty years ago than they are now. The habit of receiving assistance diminishes exertion; and the habit of receiving charity destroys the spirit of independence.

Poor. The number of poor in this parish is not great, varying perhaps from 15 to 20; but not more than a half of these are supported entirely from the church funds. Some of them receive from 5s. to 10s. per quarter; and their other wants are supplied by their own industry, or the aid and assistance of their relatives, and the private charity of their neighbours. But though the number of poor is not great, and the allowance for their support very little, yet the demand upon the poor funds exceeds the supply, and requires to be eked out by a voluntary contribution of L. 13 per annum from the heritors. This is rendered necessary at present by having on our list two helpless idiots, and an individual who was born without either legs or arms, now about twentytwo years of age, and in perfect health. In such extraordinary cases as these we have recourse to the heritors. The collections at the church on Sundays may amount to L. 20 or L. 25 yearly; interest of money belonging to the funds to about L. 6; and fines, proclamations, and mortcloth-money may come to L. 6 or L. 8 more. This is the whole of our revenue, which cannot afford much to every one, and, indeed, would be no very extravagant aliment for a single individual; and yet these poor people are contented and wonderfully happy. But still the tendency of pauperism here, as almost everywhere else, is to increase. The poor list has been nearly doubled since I came to this parish in 1813; and the collections more than doubled.

Drawn up 1836, Revised December 1838.