PAISLEY, a V:W11 01 Scotland, in Renfrewshire, scarce ly 3 miles W. of Renfrew, about 16 SE. of Green ock, and little more than 7 of Glasgow. Paisley is, at this day, the third town of Scotland in magnitude and population. Its houses, and those of the suburbs connect ed with it, although arranged in comparatively few streets, are spread over a tract of ground, the length of which, from east to west, is about two miles, while its breadth, from north to south, is scarcely less than seven furlongs. The main street of the town holds a sinuous course, from east to west, receiving from the former quarter the great Glasgow road, losing itself on the latter, in the road by Beith to the north A ryshire coast towns, and varying as it proceeds westward, its name, from Gauze Street, succes sively, to Old Smith Hills, the Cross, High, Town-head, Well-meadow, New Sand-holes, and Broomlands, Streets; names all borne by the principal line of street, within the limits of what may in strictness he denominated the town. Another long street line commences, also, as respects the town only, on the south ; and, under the names of Cause way side, St. Mirran's and Moss, Streets; St. James's Place, and Love Street ; crossing the other line at the quadrangular area called distinctively the Cross, merges in the road leading to Inchinnan Bridges. South of High Street, and almost parallel with it, extends, to the length of about six furlongs, a spacious, well-built, and now al most completed street, named George Street ; parallel in direction Nvith'which, but yet farther south, is Canal Street, of which much remains to be built. Of the space be tween the main street and Canal Street, much is laid out in streets; two of which, New Street and Storey Street, are closely built and fully inhabited ; while others, as Bar clay Street, Barr Street, &c. are but just risen,.or now rising. These all lie west of Causeway-side Street, to the east of which are also divers streets very compactly built. North of the main line again there is but little building, with the exception of a few short streets, branching from it pretty far towards the west; of the buildings upon Oak shaw Brae, and of about a dozen regularly disposed streets and lanes, built, about forty years ago, on the lands of Snandoun, whence, as some think, a baronial title is de rived to the heir-apparent of these realms. Snandoun' (vulgarly Sneddon) Street, is, with its neighbour streets and lanes, built on the margin of the river White Cart, which, entering Paisley on the south-east, makes three bold curves, in the general direction of north-west, and then flows northward in an almost perfectly straight line ; till, on getting clear of the buildings, it begins to grow devious again. In the town, it is crossed by three stone bridges, respectively called the Old Bridge, the New Bridge, and the Abbey Bridge. On the eastern side of this stream is the New Town of Paisley, consisting, be sides Gauze Street and Old Smith Hill's Street, of about fifteen others, several of them pretty long, closely built, and populous; although it is but about forty years since this important addition to Paisley was planned by James, eighth Earl of Abercorn. To this nobleman the lands,
which were chiefly those occupied by the gardens and out-buildings of the great monastic establishment that gave to Paisley its ancient distinction, had come, as par cel of the lordship of Paisley, acquired by his Lordship, fifteen years before, from the Earl of Dundonald, to whom the said lordship of Paisley had descended from William, first Earl of Dundonald. The term New Town is cur rently applied to the streets built on these lands, and that part of the town of Paisley which lies east of the river, but the other part is not so generally called the Old Town, as " The But gh." Although not many parts of either can be said to be ill-built, yet Paisley cannot as yet cope in elegance of appearance with the other larger towns of Scotland. To this day, numerous rows and single specimens of low thatched houses, give a singular rusticity of aspect to even some of the leading streets, especially in the Burgh, out of the main street. But every year witnesses the replacing of mean by lofty and substantial tenements ; in the trading streets, especially. Much of High Street, and of Moss Street, the next principal one, has been renewed in this way. It is also in contemplation to open up three new streets in the head of the town ; the chief of them to run north ward from the Cross, in front of the recently erected Cas tle. On the site of the late Town House, a very hand some pile of building, comprising shops and an inn, has been recently completed. On the northern edge of the town, a new street is in progress at this moment; and, on the eastern side, another has just been opened. Near the former of the two, a square and several ktreets are laid out, and in part let on building leases These belong to per sons whom trade has enriched ; but, while Paisley was yet inconsiderable, there were in it a few mansions, the pro perty and frequent residence of noble families. One or two of these wholly or in part remain. Than Garthland Place, at the entrance of the town from Glasgow, few more elegant rows, composed whoily of domestic edifices, could be pointed to. Gauze Street, in the New Town, is neat and spacious.* liancIsume and even splendid houses are not scantily intermingled with the ordinary habitations within the Burgh, the skirts of which arc graced by not a few pretty little dwellings of the villa character. The pavement is for the most part superior; but the flagged causeways are provokingly narrow, and the lighting, ex cept in the chief streets, renders the inhabitants in gene ral anxiously desirous that a plan for introducing gas into the town should take effect. That water for culinary pur poses must be purchased from carts, which bring it'from a distance, is singular in so large a town.