Climate, Soil, and Agriculture.—The hilly parts of the county on the west and south are chiefly devoted to pasture. Scarcely more than half the surface of the county is under cultivation, and this part is on the north and north-east, and in the centre, where the soil is moat fertile. The best modes of cultivation are generally adopted. Owing to the demand for meat, vegetables, milk, butter, &c., by tho large populations of Greenock, Paisley, and Glasgow, a large part of the cultivated land is meadow-land or garden-ground. Dairy farming is very extensively practised. Farms vary in size from 50 to 300 acres. The buildings are generally good.
Dirizions, Towns, &c.—There are 16 parishes in the county, reckon ing Paisley and Greenock each as one ; and portions of three others, Beith, Duulop, and Govan, which are partly in Lanarkshire or Ayr shire. There are six towns—RenfreW, GREENOCK, PAISLEY, Port Glasgow, BARIMEAD, and Pollockshaws.
a royal burgh, and the county town, though not so large as some of the villages in the county, lies on the left bank of the Clyde, about 6 miles W.N.W. from Glasgow : population of the royal burgh 2722 in 1851; of the parliamentary burgh, 2977. Tho Stuart family had their earliest known patrimonial inheritance in this parish. Renfrew became a royal burgh by grant from Robert III. in 1396. The town is governed by a provost, two bailies, and nine councillors ; and unites with Dumbarton, Kihnarnock, Port Glasgow, and Ruther glen, in returning a member to the Imperial Parliament. A canal about half a mile long affords a communication from the town to the river Clyde. The church is a cruciform structure. There are a Free church, town-house, small jail, and au endowed burgh school. Muslin weaving employs about 600 persons, half in weaving, the rest (either women or children) in winding or drawing. Many females are employed in clipping, tambouring, and flowering. There is a blench-field. :Several collieries are in the pariah; and on the left bank of the Clyde are a ship-building yard, and a work for the manufacture of iron knees for ships, boilers, &c. A weekly market is held on Saturday.
Port Glasgow, population 69S6 in 1851, a parliamentary burgh and lea-port, is situated on the left bank of the Clyde, about 14 miles W.N.W. from Glasgow, and 4 miles E.S.E. from Greenock. The town is governed by a provost, two bellies, and six councillors; and unites with Dumbarton, Kilmarnock, Renfrew, and Rutherglen in the return of a member to the Imperial Parliament. The magistrates of Dum barton refused to make that place a sea-port for the city of Glasgow ; in consequence of which the magistrates of Glasgow in 1663 bought a piece of ground, and obtained a grant from the crown constituting Port Glasgow, the then intended harbour, a free port. Port Glasgow increased in importance for some years, until the rise of Greenock and the improvements on the river Clyde destroyed its prosperity. The town is well built and clean, is lighted with gas, and possesses a hand some pariah church, a Free church, a chapel of ease, and a chapel for United Presbyterians. The harbour is almost entirely devoted to vessels trading between the Clyde and North America. The vessels belonging to the port on December 31st 1853 were-54 sailiag-vessels of 6269 tons, and 13 steam-vessels of 2195 tons aggregate burden. During 1853 there entered the port 127 vessels of 44,231 tons, and cleared 48 vessels of 33,334 tons aggregate burden. There are a large canvass and rope manufactory, several large sugar-refineries, and an iron ship-building establishment The town possesses two reading rooms, a town library, two parochial schools, and an endowed school. Adjoining the town is Newark Castle, built in the 17th century, now half ruinous.
Pollee:oho= population 60S6, on the White Cart Water, 3 miles S.W. from Glasgow, was erected in 1814 into a burgh of barony ; it is governed by a provost, a bailie, and six councillors. There is a station of the Glasgow and Barrhead railway at Pollockshaws. The town, which consists of one long winding street, with some small branch streets, has been somewhat improved, and new houses have been built of late years. It has an old town-house with • tower and clock. There are the parish church, a chapel of ease, two Free churches, chapels for United Presbyterians, Original Seceders, and Roman Catholics, with several schools and benefit societies. The town depends on the cotton manufacture • spinning, bleaching, and printing are actively carried on. Coal and stone are procured in various parts of the pariah.
The following places we notice here, with the population of each in 1851 :- Basby, a thriving village on the White Cart Water, is partly in LANARCIWIRE, under which county it has been noticed. Engtelliorn, population of the pariah 2524, a burgh of regality, 9 miles S. from Ghtegow, is a neat village, lighted with gas, and consisting of two rows of home. 200 yards apart ; the intermediate space, through which a rivulet flows, Is partly planted with trees, and partly occupied by a large cotton-mill and a public green. Many of the inhabitants are
employed in the cotton-mill, and there are a number of handloom weavers. Besides the pariah church there are a United Presbyterian and a Reformed Presbyterian church. Mersa, is a small village, between Paisley and Johnstone, inhabited chiefly by handloom weaver,. It is interesting chiefly from its having been for centuries Iii the Wal lace family. In it is a tree known as Wallace's Oak,' from a tradition that Sir William Wallace was concealed in it for some time. Gourock, a small burgh of barony on the Frith of Clyde, 3 miles below Greenock, population of Innerkip parish 3013. Its Inhabitants are chiefly fisher men. The town is much resorted to as a bathing-place. It has a chapel of rase and a United Presbyterian church. Johnstone, 3 miles W. from Paisley, population 5872, owes its existence to the cotton manu facture. It contains a chapel of rase, a Free church, and two chapels for United Presbyterians ; • library, a news-room, and a mechanics institute. Several cotton-mille,briarfoondriee, iron-foundries, machine manufactories, and a gas-work are hi the town and its vicinity. Kil barehan, population 2467, about 2 miles W. from Johnstone, is inhabited chiefly by weavers. It contains the parish church and a chapel for United Presbyterians. There are two other thriving villages in Kn. barohan pariah, called the Bridge of Weir and Linwood. Langside, a small village about 3 miles S. from Glasgow, is chiefly remarkable as having been the scene of the battle of Langside, from which Queen Mary after her defeat fled to England. Lochwinnoch, population 2271, on the western bank of Castle Semple Loch, is a large village. Cotton spinning Is the chief branch of Industry, but muslin-weaving and the manufacture of Angola shawls and other fabric. are carried on. There are a largo parish church, a Free church, and a chapel for United Presbyterians; parochial and other schools; and a library. Jfearns, population of the pariah 3704, a small village, 7 mike S. by IV. from Oleagovr, on the old Kilmarnock road, oontaine the small pariah church and a well-attended parish schooL About a mile N.W. from Meanie Kirk is the larger village of Newtown Mearns, on the new Glasgow and Kilmarnock road ; it is a burgh of barony, and had a population of 800 In 1851. It °owlets of one winding street, with a new and neat United'Preebyterian church. In the neighbourhood are a print-field and bleach-fleld. Newtown Meares has the right to hold a weekly market and two annual fairs, but the market has long been discon tinued. Nrilsters, population 2075, a village 9 tulles S.W. from Glasgow, possesses several cotton-mills, print-field; and bleach-fields; freestone and whinstone are quarried, and coal is wrought in the pariah. The church of Neilaton contains some remains of ancient gothic architec ture. Therraliebank, a village 4 miles S.S.W. from Glasgow, extends along the highway in detached lines of houses, some of which are new and well built. It is lighted with gas, and has a United Presbyterian place of worship, a large school, an extensive cotton-mill, a bleach-field and print-field, and a small iron-foundry.
History, Antiquities, &c.—The civil history of the county is that of Paisley and Renfrew, the only two places of any importance in the early period of national history. The rise of Paisley as a manufac turing town, and of Greenock as a sea-port, comprises the modern history of the shire. The church of Renfrew contains some curious monuments, and about eight miles west by north from Renfrew is Barochan Cross, a stone monument of mediaeval times. There are a few ruinous towers of the feudal period, as Barr and Flliaton castles, near Lochwinnoch ; and Polnoon, near Eaglesharn.
Statistics ; Religious Worship and Education. — Accordiog to the Returns of the Census of 1851 there were theu 133 places of worship in the county, of which 36 belonged to the Established Church, 30 to the Free Church, 21 to the United Presbyterian Church, 7 to Inde pendents, 7 to Baptists, 7 to Roman Catholics, 6 to Methodists, and 4 to Mormon; The total number of sittings for 128 places of worship was 82,514. Of Sabbath schools there were 216, of which 62 were connected with the Free Church, 52 with the Established Church, 43 with the United Presbyterian Church, and 10 with the Roman Catholic Church. The total number of scholars was 20,830. Of day schools there were 208, of which 105 were publio with 10,355 scholars, and 103 were private with 5943 scholars. There were 37 evening schools for adults with 1330 scholars. There were 25 literary and scientific institutes in tho county, with 3788 members, and 39,433 volumes in the libraries belonging to them. In 1353 tho county possessed one nevi ogs bank at Paisley. The amount owing to depositors on November 20th 1853 was 59,6021. 10s. 4d.