Scotland > 1837 - Pigot and Co.'s national commercial directory for the whole of Scotland and of the Isle of Man

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DUMFRIES, &c.
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talents ; to the last, that great actor never forgot the
attention paid to him in early life in Dumfries. Theie
are three subscription reading and news rooms, sup-
plied with London and piovincial papers, magazines,
&c. (the principal one has an excellent hilliard table) ;
one library supported by subscription, and also a law
library. A conrsing club has two meetings during the
summer; races are held in October, and the Caledo-
nian Hunt once iu five years. As already observed, a
variety of ancient customs, formerly upheld in Dnm-
fries, aie now relinquished ; but one, called ' shooting
for the silver «un,' still exists, and is celebrated with
great enthusiasm. The silver gun, which is still pre-
served, derives great importance from being the gift of
James VI, of Scotland, who ordained it as a prize to
the best marksman among the incorporations of Duni-
fiies : the contest was by royal authority to take place
every year; but, from the gieat trouble and expense,
it has become a ' once in seven years' jubilee,* and the
birth-day of the reieining monarch is that invariably
chosen for the celebration : the last festival occurred
a few years ago; and, considering the clianges that
have operated within the ranks of the ancient corpo-
rations, it is a matter of considerable doubt whether
this usage of the olden time will ever be levived.
The commercial advantages of Dumfries have been
much increased by obtaining an act of parliament em-
powering a certain number of commissioners to be
annually appointed to conduct the shipping business
of the river, since which period great and important
Improvements have been effected : the dangerous sand-
banks in the Solvvay Frith have been rendered compa-
ratively snfe, by judiciously placing buoys in the Scotch
and Knglish channels; many permanent obstructions
have been removed; the river Nith has been confined
bysolid embankments and stone jetties; new cuts have
been made, where necessary; and at present most of
the vessels, which were formerly obliged to unload at
a considerable distance down the rirer, may discharge
their cargoes close to the town. The principal im-
ports are timber, hemp, tallow, coals, slate, iron, and
wine; the exports consist of wheat, barley, oats, po-
tatoes, wool, and freestone. Considerable business is
done in the manufacture of hosiery (lamb's wool to a
very great extent), bat-making, breweries, tan-yards,
and the glue manufactory ; the amount is not under
£100,000. sterling. Dumfries was for many years the
leading market for hare-skins in Scotland, and even
reuulated the price of home fur in England ; and it is
still looked to as the arbiter of prices. The trade of
the town and district is assisted by branches of the
♦Bank of Scotland,' the 'National Bank of Scotland,'
the 'Commercial Bank of Scotland,' and the 'Biitish
Linen Company.' The principal Inns are the • King's
Anns,' the ' George,' and the ' Commercial :' they are
all highly respectable establishments ; the latter at-
tracts notice from the circumstance of its having been
the temporary head-quarters of the Pretender, in 1745.
Three weekly newspapers are published, two of which
are issued on Tuesday, and the third on Friday ; their
names are, the ' Dumfries Courier,' the ' Dumfries
Times,' and the 'Dumfries Herald:' the 'Courier'
has existed twenty-seven years, the 'Times' upwards
of three, and the ' Herald' more than one year.
The municipal government is vested in a provost,
three bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, two town
clerks, and twelve councillors, to whom the entire
jurisdiction of the burgh is confided. Until a recent
period, the craftsmen were divided into seven corpo-
rations, with each a deacon chosen from their respec-
tive trades, who elected one of their own number to
be convener, and another to be general box-master;
all of whom formed what was termed a grand com-
mittee of the seven trades: these distinctions, however
(for distinctions of cons-iderable importance they were
in former times), were virtually abolished by the re-
form bill; some of the trades possessed considerable
property, which has since been publicly sold, and the
proceeds equitably divided among the respective par-
ties. Dumfries unites with Annan, Lockmaben, and
Sanquhar, in returning one member to parliament.
The PLACES OF WORSHIP consist of two churches
of the establishment; a relief thapel, two united se-
cessinnal, an episcopal, a Roman catholic, and a me-
thodist ; and a reformed presbyterian, or Cameronian
352
meeting-house, opened in 1832 : it was erected at an
expense of £750.; its site is well chosen, in an agree-
able part of the town. Opposite to this edifice is the
congiegational cliapel, opened in August 1834, and
built at the cost of £700. ; it is ttie property of a re-
spect;ible body of individuals, who, in common with
their brethren in England and Scotland, formerly as-
sumed the name of independents. St. Michael's, or
the parish church, claims peculiar notice, on account
of its cemetery, which contains numerous elegant and
curious monuments, many of them very ancient ; but
the most attractive is the fine mausoleum raised to the
memory of the Scotti>h bard, Burns. By the erection
of this monument it may be said that Scotland has
repaid the debt so long due lo the memory of him
of whose natural genius his countrymen may well he
proud ; but while as Scotsmen ihey justly exult that
It was reserved for their country to give birth to such
a poet, the hard fate of Burns while living, and the
comparative obscurity in which he closed bis days, 1
prove also that he was not sufficiently valued in life. ■
Burns died at Dumfries on the 21st July, 1796, aged
37 years, and his remains were deposited in the
church-yard of St. Michael's; but it was some time
before even a stone was placed over the sod that co-
vered the ashes of departed geiiins — and this was but
a plain memento, reared by a widow's affections, and
bedewed with a widow's tears. It was not until 1813
that any worthy or decisive plan was adopted ; and it
was then chiefly owing to the indefatigable perseve-
rance of William Grierson, Esq., of this town, that a
public meeting was convened, on the 6th of January,
1814, at which General Dunlbp, M.P., presided. A
public subscription was imintdiately commenced, the
amount of which soon proved that it only wanted a
spark to kindle into a flame the generous sentiment
of payins; due honour to the inspired talent of their
immortal countryman ; his late Mnjesiy, then Prince
Regent, graciously sent a donation of fifty guineas.
The design of the niatisoleum was furnished by Tbos.
F. Hunt, Esq., of London ; and a model by Peter Tur-
nerelli, Esq., was chosen for the marble sculpture to
be placed in the interior. The subject is happily taken
from words which occur iu the dedication of an early
edition of the bard's own poems to the noblemen and
gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt : — * The poetic ge-
nius of my country found me, as the pro.plietic bard
Elijah did Elisha, at the plough, and threw her in-
spiring mantle over me.' The foundation-stone was
laid 5;h June, 1815, and the body removed from the
place in which it was originally interred on the 19tli
September following. It is surrounded with handsome
iron palisades and evergreens, which add hiijhlytothe
melancholy beauty of its appearance. The whole ex-
pense amounted to about £1,500., and it certainly is
a cemetery worthy of Caledonia's inimitable bard—
' Where still that ftesh, that unforgotten name
Shall pay the arrear of monumental fame,
As oft the traveller, oft the poet, turns
To muse, and linger o'er the grave of Burns.'
With a desire to do further honimr to the memory of
Burns, a number of gentlemen have formed themselves
into a club, and meet annually to celebrate his natal
day. Of the family of the poet, three sons still sur-
vive : — Robert, the eldest, aged 50, who served twenty
years in the leeacy-duty department of the stamp-
office, Somerset-house, liondon, and who now lesides j
iu his native town on a retired allowance; William,
the second, stationed at Madras, is captain and assis-
tant commissary-general in the East India Company's
service; and James Glencairn Burns, also a captain
in the same service, and lately appointed superinten-
dent of Upper and Lower Cucher.
Charitable, educational and scientific in-
stitutions. — The Infirmary was founded in 1776, at
a period when very few charities, of a similar nature,
were in Britain ; and this is still the only one in the
South of Scotland. Medical advice and medicines are |
(gratuitously afforded to every applicant who is an oh- ;
ject of charity. It is supported by annual subscrip-
tions, legacies, donations, benefactions, &c. ;ind is un-
der the management of governors. There is also a
Lunatic Asylum connected with it. — The Poors' Hos-
pital is for the pur|)ose of supporting aged and indigent
poor, and destitute children, who are tauglil to read
and write. Ii is governed by the magistrates, town