Memorials of the lineage, early life, education and development of the genius of James Watt

JAMES WATT. 19
of his calling. Thomas Watt, however, was a man of sagacity and
foresight. A survey of the state of the Royal Burghs of Scotland at
that time — and to them belonged by statute the exclusive privilege of
"foreign trade," — must have satisfied him that general decay and
commercial inactivity was the characteristic of nearly all of them, and
that they afforded httle promise of immediate improvement. On the
other hand, it was as evident that a vigorous movement was begin-
ning to be made, by seaports which hitherto had been debarred from
the enjoyment of foreign traffic, with the view of securing to them-
selves some portion of these benefits ; and that foremost among
these were the little towns along the River Clyde, whose multiplying
harbours and growing enterprise were already opening up facilities
for commerce of every kind, unequalled in any other estuary of the
North.
One of these was the little Burgh of Barony of Crawfordsdyke. 1
It was situated in the Barony of Cartsburn, the lands of which bor-
dered the left bank of the Clyde, about twenty miles below the city of
Glasgow. According to George Crawford, the historian of Renfrew-
shire, it was erected by King Charles II. into a corporation, by charter
in favour of Thomas Crawford of Cartsburn, dated 16th July 1669.
It does not appear that Thomas Crawford granted any charter hold-
ing of himself, in favour of the feuars and inhabitants of the burgh
thus created ; consequently the administration of the law, so far as
competent to the superior of the barony, and the management of
whatever funds might be raised in the burgh, were intrusted to a
Bailie appointed by the superior, and removable at pleasure by him. 2
The name, Crawfordsdyke, given to the town, was, in all probability,
1 A Burgh of Barony, in legal language, is a 2 Robertson, in his Continuation of Crawford
corporation, consisting of the iuhabitants of a and Semple's History of Renfrewshire, assigns an
determinate tract of ground, within the barony earlier date to this charter of erection. His words
erected by the King, and subject to the govern- are, " The town of Crawfordsdyke, or Cartsdyke
ment of magistrates. as it is called, which was originally at a consider-