146
M a g i s t r a t e s .
M e r c h a n t s
h o u s e ..
D e a n o f G u i l d .
T h e lord provoft, three bailies, a dean- o f gu ild, a deacon convener, I
a treafurer, and twenty-five council-men, compofe-t-he firft. It muft I
be obferved that the dean- o f gu ild is chofen annually, and can con. I
tinue in office bu t two years. T h e fecond confifts o f thirty-fix I
merchants, annually eledted, with the provoft and three bailies, by I
virtue o f their office, which, make the whole body forty. T h e deans I
o f guild is head o f this houfe,. who,, in conjundtion with his council,; I
four merchants, and four tradefmen (o f which- the preceding dean if I
to be one) holds a court every Ihurfd ay, where the parties only are I
admitted to plead, all lawyers being excluded. H e and his council I
have power to ju d g e and decree in all addons refpedting trade be-1
tween merchant and merchant •, and thofe who refufe to fubmit ta I
their decifions are liable to a fine o f five pounds. T h e fame officer I
and. his council, with- the mailer o f w ork, can determine all diiputes I
about boundaries, and no proceedings-in building.ffiall„be flopped,. 1
except by. him-; but the plaintiff muff lodge a fufficient fum in his. I
hands to fatisfy the defendant,, in cafe the firft ffiould lay a,ground- I
lefs-complaint: and, to prevent-delay,., the dean -and his affiftantt I
are to meet, on-, the fpot within twenty-four hours.; and to prevent ■
frivolous difputes,. ffiould the plaintiff be found not to have been ag-1
grieved, he is fined- in twenty fhillings,; and the damage fuftained I
by the delay : but again, ffiould he. imagine, himfelf wronged by I
the- decifi'on, he has. power (after lodging forty ihillings -in-the I
hands- of- the- dean) of, appealing to the great council , o f the city,; I
and.in- cafe- they.-alfo.decide againft him, the fum is- forfeited aid I
applied as the dean.ffiall think, fit.. T h e fame, magiftrate is-alfoi,J- 1
fee th at no encroachments are made, on the-public ftreets : he can ■
order any old houfes to- he pulled down that, appear dangerous*!
and I think, has alfo power in feme places, o f difpofing of, to the
beft bidder, the ground o f any houfes which the owner fuffers to lie
[in ruins for three years, without attempting to rebuild. Befides
[ thefe affairs, he fuperintends the weights and meafures; punifhes
[and fines tranfgreffors ; fines all unqualified perfons who ufurp the
[privileges o f freemen -, admits burgelles : the fines to aliens is 10 0 1.
i Scotch: and finally he and his council may levy a tax on the gu ild-
f.brethren (not exceeding the above-mentioned fum at a time) fo r the
¡-maintenance o f the wives and children o f decayed brethren: the
[money to be diftributed at the difcretion o f the dean, his council
[and the deacon convener.
t The third body is the trades-houfe : this confifts o f fifty-fix, o f T rades-house.
(which the deacon convener is the head : there are fourteen incor-
fporated trades, each o f which has a deacon, who has a right to
I nominate a certain number o f his trade, fo as to form the houfe :
(thefe manage a large ftock , maintain a great number o f poor,
(and determine difputes between the trades. In this place may be
[mentioned, that the merchants hofpital, founded by the merchantg
(o f Ghfgow in j6 o i , has a large capital to fupport the poor : that
(the town’s hofpital contains four hundred indigent, and is fupported
[b y the magiftrates and town-council, the merchants houfe, the
(trades houfe, and the k irk feffions. Hutchinfon’s holpital, founded
I ¡n 1642 by two brothers o f that name, has a fund o f twelve thoufand
I pounds: the town-council a revenue o f fix thoufand pounds per
f annum.
The old bridge over the Clyde confifts o f eight arches, and was
(twill by William R e a , biihop o f this fee, about four hundred years
U 2 ago.
B r id g e s ,