The principal roads are those leading from Glasgow to Edinburgh ; from Glasgow to Carlisle ; from thence to Greenock, Ayr, Paisley, Lanark, Muirkirk, and Stirling ; and from Edinburgh, by Hamilton, into Ayrshire; from the same city, by Biggar, to Leadhills, Sze.; and from Lanark to Edinburgh. From the great resort to the city of Glasgow, the tolls upon such of the roads in this county as lead thither, let annually at a great rent. These in the im mediate neighbourhood, in 1815, yielded L.20,000 Sterling; and one in particular, the Gallowgate toll, let at no less a sum than L.5630 Sterling, being nearly L.100 more than the rent of the preceding year.
The chief bridges in the county are upon the Clyde. In the upper part of the river, are the bridges over Little Clyde ; and at Elvanfoot, along which the great mad leads lrom Glasgow to Carlisle. Farther clown are Wolf Clyde bridge and Thankerton bridge. Hyndford bridge, two miles from Lanark, crosses the river where it is 140 feet in breadth, and is a very beautiful structure, built about 40 years ago. The old bridge of Lanark was erected about the end of the 18th comity. It has three very fine semi circular arches, and hod lately a gateway, but which is now removed. Garion bridge is situated nearly half way be twixt Lanark and Hamilton. It is the latest structure on the Clyde, and was opened 12th January, 1818, for the ac commodation of the public. Hamilton bridge was built in 1780. From a sudden inundation of the Clyde, part of it gave way, and fell into the river about five years ago, and it has never yet been repaired. Bothwell bridge is an an cient structure, famous for a skirmish in the reign of Charles II. between the covenanters and the king's army, in which the former were defeated with great slaughter. Rutherglen bridge, near that town, was built in the year 1776. The old bridge of Glasgow. This is the most an cient structure, it is believed, on the river, having been erected by Bishop Rae in 1345. It consisted of eight arches. Two of these, on the north side, have for many years been built up. One of its arches fell in 1671, and was again rebuilt : it was also since widened and repaired. Eastward from this bridge, is a very handsome wooden bridge erected its 1803, Lad placed in the situation of a stone bridge founded in 1794 ; but which, before it was completed, was swept away by an inundation. The New or Jamaica-street bridge is the lowest on the Clyde. It was founded in 1767, and opened for carriages in 1772. The aqueduct bridge across the Kelvin, and along which the great canal is carried, is a very strong and beautiful structure, about three miles north-west from Glasgow. It is the largest in Britain, being 275 feet in length, and 68 feet in height above the river Kelvin. It cost the Canal
Company L.9058, and was founded in the year 1787. Ex cepting an old Roman bridge over the South Calder, the most ancient bridge upon the other rivers of tne county is perhaps Avon bridge, near Hamilton. It was built pre vious to the middle of the 16th century. The old bridge of Partick, over the Kelvin below Glasgow, is likewise of some antiquity, having been founded about the year 1577 ; and great part of it erected at the expence of Crawford of Jot dan Hill, whose arms are still to be seen on the west side.
A reference having been made to Lanarkshire in the ar ticle GLASGOW, in this work, for an account of the Gov bals, in that county, the following short historical sketch and description of that barony is in consequence inserted here.
The barony of Gorbals, including the populous villages of Hutcheson town, Larieston, and Tradestown, is situated on the south bank of the Cly de, immediately opposite to the city of Glasgow. The lands of Gorbals appear anciently to have belonged to the see of Glasgow, with the exception of a certain space towards the eastern boundary, which, in the 13th century, was the property (together with the grounds upon which the Bridgegate of Glasgow is built) of Lady Campbell of Lochow. That lady having erected an hospital for lepers upon her lands near Gorbals, named St. Ninian's Croft, she assigned the revenues thereof, to gether with the feu duties of Bridgegate, for its support, and which were collected as late as the year 1634.
Upon the erection of the barony and regality of Glas gow by James II. in 1450, the lands of Gorbals were in cluded in that jurisdiction ; and, immediately after the Reformation, they were feued out by Archbishop Boyd to George Elplinston, merchant in Glasgow, whose son Sir' George Eiphinston, Lord Justice-Cie' k, obtained a charter of confirmation from James VI. in 1611 of the grant of the archbishop ; and by which enarter these lands were dis joined from the barony of Glasgow, and erected into a se parate barony and regality with the usual powers arid pri vileges. Sir George Elphinstoh having become insolvent, the property was attached by his creditors, and sold by them to Robert Douglas, Lord Viscount Belhaven ; who, dying without issue, was succeeded in his estates by Sir Robert Douglas, of Blackerston, by whom the barony of Gorbals was sold in 1617 to the magistrates and town-coun cil of Glasgow, the Trades' House, and Hutcheson's Hos pital ; the latter having purchased one half of the property at the price of L.40,666. 13s. 4d. Scots, and the other half being equally divided betwixt the magistrates and the Trades' House. In virtue of this disposition, the magis trates of Glasgow became vested in the superiority and right of regality, which they still retain.