IRVINE, or I nwiNE, is a sea-port town and royal burgh on the west coast of Scotland, in the county of Ayr. It is situated on a rising wound on the north side of the mouth of the river Irvine, which runs into the Firth of Clyde..mcl consists of a broad street, running from south-east to north of a suburb on the south side of the river, inhabited by' seafaring people, and connected with the town by a gaud bridge, and of another suburb on the road leading to Ayr. The principal public buildings in Irvine are, the church, which has an elegant spire, and stands on a rising ground between the town and the river, and the town-hall, which is situated in the middle of the street. The harbour of Ir vine, formed by the estuary of the rivet-, is commodious, but will in a great degree be superseded by the new harbour at Troon. There is from nine to eleven feet of water on the bar at spring tides, which is increased to 16 feel in high storms, with a wind from the south or south-west. Several busses for the herring fishery formerly belonged to this port, but the coal trade is now the principal one, and is carried on -by a number of brigs, which export 24,000 tons of coals annually. The articles of import are,
iron, hemp, flax, wood, and grain. Besides the grain brought coastwise from Galloway, about 10,000 quarters have been imported in one year from Ireland. Its princi pal manufactures were those of carpets, muslins, silks, lawns, which were exported in considerable quantities. There is also at It vine a dockyard for shipbuilding, a large tannery, a rope-yard, and.a bleachfield. A public library was established in 1795.
It is not known at what time Irvine was erected into a royal burgh, but a charter from Alexander IL is ex tant, confirming the grants of other sovereigns. The ma gistrates have a good revenue arising from the customs, and from a large tract of land, which was rented at 5001. per annum. In the town of Irvine are branches of the Old Paisley Bank and the Ayr Bank. Irvine is 15 miles east from the Isle of Arran, and 61 from Edinburgh.
The following is the population abstract of the town and parish for 1811 :