By the constitution of the burgh, three distinct bodies are recognised, viz. the magistrates and town council, and the merchants and trades houses. The set, or constitution, having undergone some slight alterations by the conven tion of royal burghs in 1801, is now declared to be as fol lows : The affairs of the burgh shall be governed by a provost, and three bailies of the merchant rank, and two bailies of the trades rank; twelve councillors of the merchant, and eleven of the trades rank ; a master of works, who must be of the merchant rank ; and a trea surer of the merchant and trades rank alternately. These two officers are councillors ex The offices of the Gorbals bailie, and the bailie and depute bailie of the river, do not acid to the number of councillors, and, like the trea surer, are chosen from each of the ranks alternately. The dean of guild and convener of the trades' house, are coun cillors ex officio during the first year they are in office, af ter which they must be elected ordinary councillors. The lord provost, (who from courtesy is styled honourable) and the five bailies are charged with the executive, while the magistrates and council conduct the other public affairs of the community.
The provost, two senior merchant bailies, the senior trades bailie, the dean of guild, and the convener, are jus tices of the peace for the county ; the junior merchant and trades bailies exercise similar powers within the burgh. In 1720, the lord provost first began to wear a velvet court dress;'and in 1767, the provost and bailies, magistrates, dean of guild, and convener, first began to wear gold chains ; the bailies of the river and barony of Gorbals have also latterly worn gold chains. It is to be regretted, that the funds of this respectable corporation are not in a situa tion to warrant its managers to appropriate a sum to sup port the dignity of the chief magistrate, without affecting the progress of public improvements, which have been carried on for a number of years past with a spirit which does honour to the managers of the city. This burgh, of itself, does not return any representative to Parliament. The magistrates and council of the burghs of Glasgow, Rutherglen, Dumbarton, and Renfrew, elect one member among them : In the event of equality, each burgh takes the casting vote in rotation. Although the population of either of these conjoined burghs do not exceed one-forti eth part of Glasgow, they are equal in their political franchises.
The revenue of the burgh arises from various sources, but chiefly from what is called the common good. The following may be considered as the most productive, viz. an impost of two pennies Scots on the Scots pint of all ale or beer, brewed or sold within the city. This impost, which was first laid on in 1693, extended only over the burgh, has since been made to comm.,. ud the barony of Gorbals, and
the town of Port Glasgow. (For the history of these see LANARKSHIRE and Pox T Glasgow) Ladles and multers, these are certain dues paid on grain, meal, and fruit, &c. brought into the burgh ; dues on cattle killed within the burgle; dues from the public washing house and Iron; rents of markets, church seats, houses, mills, and mill lands, burgess entries, fens of land, and ground annuals, &c. amounting in whole, in the year ending 31st December 1 813, to 13,604/., 1 Is. 8d. The following may be considered as the particulars of the expenditure, viz. burgh assessment, criminal prosecutions, alimenting criminal prisoners, gen eral expellee of the prison and bridewell, expellee of church and civil establishment, ministers stipends and offi cers salaries, police etsablishment, repairs of heritable pro perty, and general improvements; the amount of all which, for some years past, has exceeded the revenue. This ex cess may be accounted for, by the extension of public im provements of late years, which have necessarily required an anticipation of the funds.
Exclusive of the above, which may he considered as the revenue and expenditure proper of the community, the ma gistrates and council are entrusted, in whole or in part, with the administration of the following funds, the parti culars being elsewhere narrated: Navigation of the river Clyde ; Assessment for the maintenance of the poor ; Statute labour conversion fund; Pontage of the bridges; and Police establishment.
It appears from ancient records, that those persons who bought and sold merchandise of any description in this burgh, considered themselves as a distinct class of citizens from those who manufactured the articles, and the claim of precedence often gave rise to dissensions among the burgesses. In the year 1604, when both parties became anxious for an amicable adjustment of their political dif ferences, they submitted their claims to the final decision of Sir George Elphinstone, who was then Provost, and to two of the ministers of the city. The arbiters, to use their own words, declare, that after great pains, long travailing, and mature deliberation, they, on the 6th of February 1605, pronounced their decreet, containing fifty-four articles, which is the letter of guildry. This decreet was imme diately confirmed by the magistrates and council, and in 1612 by an act of parliament, and has been, after a few slight alterations, acted upon ever since. By the letter of guildry, the Dean of Guild is president of his house, and from courtesy is stiled Lord Dean of Guild. lie takes precedence of the convener of the trades house in all places, and of the- provost and bullies at every meeting of, his house.