Divisions, Towns, &c.—Wigtonabire is divided into 17 parishes. The county returns one member to the Imperial Parliament ; and one member is returned by the Wigton district of burghs, consisting of Stranraer, Wigton, and Whithorn in Wigtou county, and New Gal loway in Kirkcudbrightshire. There are three royal burghs in the county, Whitborn, Wigton, and Stranraer. Wrerost we have already described. The others, with the more important villages in the county, we notice here :— Seranraer, population 5738 in 1851, about 30 miles W. by N. from Wigton, is a considerable sea-port town and royal and parliamentary burgh, situated at the head of Locbrynn Bay. Stranraer was made a royal burgh in 1617. The town consists chiefly of three streets, which run parallel to the shore; many of the houses are well built The town-house is a neat structure. Besides the parish church there are three chapels for United Presbyterians, end one each for the Free Church, Reformed Presbyterians, Original Seceders, and Roman Catho lics; a parochial school, two subscription libraries, and a public reading room. Lochryan Bay forms a spacious and well-sheltered harbour. Tanning is carried on, and hand-loom weaving for Glasgow manu facturers employs some of the inhabitants. The number and tonnage of vessels registered at the port on December 31st, 1854, were as follows :—Under 50 tone 28, tonnage 848; above 50 tons 6, tonnage 633. During 1854 there entered the port 172 sailing-vessels, tonnage 8388, and 251 steam-vessels, tonnage 29,740; and there cleared 134 sailing-vessels of 3996 tons, and 255 steam-ve=sels of 30,507 tons.
irldahorn, population 1652 in 1851, is a royal and parliamentary burgh and small sea-port, in the parish of Whither's', 11 miles S. from Wigton. The town consists principally of one long street, intersected by a rivulet. In the main street stands the town-house and jail. In the churchyard are remains of the priory of Whitborn. A Norman arch is nearly entire, and is regarded as a good specimen of its class of architecture. The parish church is a plain building. Tim Free Chnrch, United, and Reformed Presbyterians have places of worship. The port of Whithorn Is subordinate to 'Wigton. Whithorn is men tioned at an early date in the ecclesiastical annals of Scotland. About the 12th century a priory for monks of the Prernonetmtenaian order was erected by Fergus, lord of Galloway. The relics of St. Ninian collected in the original building attracted for a long period pilgrims from all parts of Scotland and from countries beyond sea. The bishopric of Galloway, or Whithorn, was one of the oldest in Scotland.
Dreams population about 300 in 1851, in the parish of Kirkmaiden, the most southerly parish of Scotland, is about 5 miles N.W. from the Mull of Galloway. In the bay of Drumore there is good anchor age. In the harbour is a small quay. Drumore Castle is an ancient edifice, belonging to the Earl of Stair. Garliaton, population about 760, about 8 miles S. by R from Wigton, has a good harbour, which was improved some years since. At high tide it contains about 20 feet depth of water. Some ship-building is carried on. Garlieston is a member of the port of Wigton. There is here a chapel for Inde pendents. Gknluce, population about 1000, near the mouth of the river Luce, has a parish church, rebuilt in 1815, a Free and a United Presbyterian church, a Parochial and a Free Church school, a Parish and a Free Church library, and a caving', bank. The oyster fishery employs about 40 boats. At Stairhaven, or the Crow'e Nest, there is a harbour for email vessels. Of the Abbey of Luce, founded in 1190,
there are some remains. Eirkcolm, population about 420, is a small village on the west shore of Lochryan. Many of the females are engaged in embroidering muslin for Glasgow and Ayr manufacturers. There is here a Free church. Kirkcowan, population about 660, on the left bank of the Tart Water, about 10 miles N.W. from Wigton, has some woollen manufactures, and in the vicinity arc stone quarries. Newton-Stewart, population 2599, is a burgh of barony, on the right bank of the river Cree, about 10 miles N. by W. from Wigton. The town is lighted with gas. The curing of bacon is carried on to a con siderable extent. There are a parish church and a Free church, cud chapels for United Presbyterians, Reformed Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. There aro a Parochial school, the Dangles academy, an endowed institution, Lady Galloway's Industrial and Infant schools, and the Newton-Stewart and Nlinigaff young men's mutual improve ment society. Lead-mines afford some employment. There is a neat town-hall. Portpatrick, population 1038, a sea-port town on the Irish Channel, possesses a convenient and sheltered harbour. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing, or in other maritime pursuits. There are a pariah church and a Free church. Since the govern ment mail-packets ceased to have their station here, l'ortpntrick has declined.
history, Antiquities, ttc.—Wigtonshire formed it part of the ancient province of OLLLOWAY. Some Saxon remains exist, and relies of the earlier Celtics Inhabitants aro occasionally discovered. The remains of an ancient wall or rampart, called the Deil'a Dike., which commences at Locbrysn, and is believed to have terminated near !lowness in Cumberland. where the great Wall of Hadrian commenced, is sup rneal by Chalmers to have been the work of the Britons after the departure of the Roman armies. There were monasteries at Whit horn, 1Vteroit, Glenluss, and Soulseat. Several ancient castles are over the county, among which may he mentioned Dunakey Castle, singularly placed on the verge of a precipice, above the sea, about a tulle S. from l'ortpatrick ; and Castle Kennedy, the ancient seat of the family of Cassilis, in the parish of Inch. The abbey of Ulenluce is at the present day a mere remnant of what it once was. Of objects of antiquarian interest the most curious is the atone circle called the Standing Stones of Torrhouse, in the parish of Wigton : the atones are 19 erect blocks of granite, which form a circle, with several stones standing at a little distance to the south and east. Two cairns occur in the same neighbourhood. There are a few other unim portant prehistoric and Roman remains.
&aliases : Religions Worship and Ed ucation.—Accordiag to the Returns ef the Comma for 1851 it appears that there were then in the county 52 placed of worship, of which 18 belonged to the Established Church, 14 to the Free Church, 10 to the United Presbyterian Church, 4 to the Reformed Presbyterian Church, 4 to Roman Catholics, and I each to Episcopalians and Independents. For 50 of the places of worship the number of sittings was estimated at 22,293. The number of Sabbath schools in the county was 51, of which 14 belonged to the Established Church, 14 to the United Presbyterian Church, and 12 to the Free Church. The total number of Sabbath scholars was 3402. Of Day schools there were 101, of which 59 were public schools with 4076 scholars, and 42 were private schools with 1452 scholars.