ago. A new one has been lately added of feven arches, with cif
cular holes between each to carry off the fuperfluous waters in tit
great floods. This bridge deviates from the original plan, which
was very elegant, and free from certain defedts that difgrace the
prefent.
The city of Glafgow, till very lately, was perfectly tantalized with
its river: the water was ihallow, the channel much too wide for the
ufual quantity of water that flowed down, and the navigation inter,
rupted by twelve remarkable Ihoals. The fecond inconveniency
continually increafed by the 'wearing away of the banks, caufed by
the prevalency of the South-Well winds that blow here, and oftei
with much violence, during more than half the year : thus what
is got in breadth, is loft in depth,; and ihoals are formed by
the lofs of water in the more contradted bed. Spring-tides do not
flow above three feet, or neap tides above one, at Broomy-law-tpy,
clofe to the town ; fo that in dry feafons lighters are detained there
for feveral weeks, or are prevented from arriving there, to the great
detriment o f the city.
T o remedy this evil, the-city called in feveraf engineers : at length
the plan propofed by my old friend, Mr. John Golburne, of Cbefieri,
that honeft and able engineer, was accepted, and he entered into contrail
with the magiftrates of Glafgow.’to-deepen the channel to feven
feet at the quay, even at neap-tides. He has made conliderable
progrefs.in the work, and has given, the Stipulated depth to within
four miles of the place. For a prefent relief he has deepened the
intermediate Ihoals, and particularly he has given at left four feet of
water immediately below the quay, in a lhoal called the Hurft, which
was above a quarter of a mile long, and had over it only eighteen
inches
inches of water. Before this improvement lighters of only thirty
tuns burden could reach the quay : at prefent vefiels o f feventy
lome there with eafe.
I Near the bridge is the large alms-houfe, a vail nailery, a ftone-
ware manufactory, and a great porter brewery, which fupplies
fime part of Ireland * : befides thefe are manufadtures o f lin-
nens, cambricks, lawns, fuftians, tapes, and flriped linnens ;
fugar-houfes and glafs-houfes, great roperies 5 vail manufadtures
of lhoes, boots and faddles, and all forts of horfe furniture:
alfo vail tanneries carried on under a company who have 60,000 /.
capital, chiefly for the ufe o f the colonifts, whofe bark is found
unfit for tanning. The magazine o f faddles, and other works
refpeiting. that bufinefs, is an amazing fight: all thefe are de-
ftined for America, no port equalling this for the conveniency
of fituation, and fpeedily fupplying that market. Within fight, on
the Renfrew fide, are collieries, and much coal is exported into Ireland,
and into America. '
■ The great import of this city is tobacco: the following ilate of T o b a c co
that trade, for the three laft years, exhibits its vail extent and importance
r
* Dublin is extremely capable of fupplying Ireland' with this liquor, but
as 1 am credibly informed, is almoli prohibited the attempt by a hard and
apolitical tax-
TRADE.
From