Descriptive account of the principal towns in Scotland

195
be said to have been the first attempt to abridge A-
grieultural manual labour, by machinery ; was the in-
vention of Andrew Rodger, a farmer in this parish, in
the year 1737> and at that period met with great op-
position, as setting aside the good old ivay ! what
would our grand-fathers have said, had they seen the
country covered with Thrashing- Mills !
The celebrated Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld^
the Scottish Poet, and translator of Virgil, was Rector
of Hawick. He died in London of the plague, in 1522.
The weekly market day is Thursday, and four an-
nual fairs are held here, viz. on the 17th day of May,
17th of July, 21st of September, and the 8th day of
November. A Cattle Tryst is held on the third
Tuesday in October, to which immense numbers of
Black Cattle are brought for sale, in passing from
Falkirk Tryst, to Carlisle and Newcastle Fairs.
Population of the Town and parish, by the census of
1801, was 2798.
1811, 3&88.
1821, 4387.