time to come.' But we know that these cases were the exception, for as late as 1798, the minister of the East Parish reports that the number of those who have entirely separated themselves from the Church is by no means great, and that in going along the town at nine o'clock on Sabbath evening, family worship, accompanied by singing of psalms, could be heard from every house, and from all the boats in the harbour, or anchored along the quays.

There was no Parish School in the town, but the Magistrates supported, by contributions, various public schools, while other schools were conducted by the churches, some by private enterprise, and others by well-known philanthropists, such

Alan Ker, and at a later day, Thomas Fairrie. Greenock also seems to have been a pioneer of free education, as in the first quarter of the 19th century, we

find a free school in Ann Street, supported by voluntary contributions, and educating six hundred children. When Lord Eldon presented a petition to the House of Lords signed by five thousand inhabitants of the town against Catholic emancipation, he remarked, "that this was a proof of education in Scotland, and in particular of Greenock, that in a petition so numerously signed, the signatures were all well written, and only three marks." Sunday Schools were started in Greenock in the closing years of the 18th century, about the same time as that in which the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland saw fit to issue a pastoral letter warning their people against giving countenance to religious societies, missionary associations, itinerant preachers and Sabbath Schools, which, it was alleged, were conducted by ignorant persons, altogether unfit for such an important charge, notorously disaffected to

the civil authorities of the country, and frequently taking the liberty of censuring the character, or the doctrine, of the minister of the Parish. Those in Greenock who were bold enough to engage in the work of Sunday School teaching, were summoned before the Sheriff in Paisley-there being no resident Sheriff Substitute here till 1815-to explain their conduct and to take the oath of allegiance to His Most Gracious Majesty King George the Third! Our local rulers, however, seemed to have entertained no dread of the new movement, for in 1788 we find the entry in the Minutes of the Town Council of two guineas, and two years later five guineas, as having been paid from the town funds to a Mr. Sage as an encouragement to him to give attention to his Sunday School,

V.-Jts Corporate Life.

Having thus surveyed the life of our forefathers, so far as affecting their individual relations, we now take a brief glance at the corporate life of the community. The town was originally incorporated into a Burgh of Barony by Charter from Sir John Shaw, and its privileges were further defined and extended by several later charters, extending down to the middle of the 18th century. The management of affairs was vested in nine persons--two Bailies, six Councillors, and a Treasurer-who were elected annually by the feuars and sub-feuars whose titles were duly completed according to law. The election lasted six days, and the electors had not only the nomination of their rulers,

but their votes also designated those whom they desired to be Bailies and Treasurer. Such a democratic constitution was almost completely unknown in any part of the country, as the other Town Councils were mostly close and secret corporations, entirely self-elected, and without any popular control or oversight. Our genial townsman, John Galt (born 1779-died 1839), thus satirises the usual mode of election prevalent in his day. "I remember," he says, "that the Town Council, the Lord Eglinton that then was, then being Provost, took in the late Thomas Bowet to be a Councillor. As Thomas not being versed in election matters, yet minding to please his Lordship, for, like the rest of the Council, he had always a proper veneration for those in power, he, as I was saying, consulted Joseph Boyd, weaver, who was then Dean of Guild, as to the way of voting, whereupon Joseph, who was a discreet man,

K