Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/114

GLASGOW. 106 GLASGOW. community, from the highest to the lowest class, and there are very many resident private teachers in every part of the town for music, dancing, drawing, languages ; in fact, for all the accomplishments and requirements of a refined and liberal education. The Athensaum in In gram-street is an establishment of a mixed character, consisting of a library, a reading-room, and rooms for educational classes and lectures. The library contains upwards of 8,000 volumes, and admittance to the reading- room is gained by an annual subscription of 1 Is., while the payment at the Exchange reading-room is 2 10s., and that at the Tontine 1 5s. annually. There is, however, now a plan under the consideration of the town council which will no doubt sooner or later come into operation, for the establishment of a free public library. It is in contemplation to organise all the chief literary societies of the city by means of a central union, and by this federalisatiou to establish a public museum and library where readers are to be admitted somewhat upon the principle of the British Museum, and where high class lectures are to be given annually, on a plan similar to that which is carried out at the Royal Institution in London. The principal club in Glasgow is the Western, which is at the junction of Buchanan- street and St. Vincent-street. Beyond the Western club is St. George's church, from which runs West George- street, and parallel with it Regent-street, Bath-street, and Sauchiehall-street, all leading to the newer and more magnificent sites of the city. The eastern portion of the last named street is called Cathcart-street, and opposite to the end of it the parliamentary road runs eastward, and after passing by the city parish poor- house, or town hospital, connects this portion of the city with those previously described as lying in the neigh- bourhood of the cathedral and St. Rollox. Returning along Sauchiehall-street, which is a magnificent thoroughfare 60 feet wide, consisting of fashionable shops and spacious dwelling houses, on the right rises a high piece of ground called Garnet Hill, built over with commodious streets and houses, principally the residences of private families, and affording a view to the N. of the Forth and Clyde canal, and Port Dundas, and in the further distance of the peaks of the Perth- shire and Argyleshire mountains. Continuing our course still westward, we notice Woodside-crescent, Claremont- terrace, and many other splendid terraces, squares, and crescents, which have been already mentioned as the residences of the wealthiest classes of the citizens. Adjoining the western portion of these magnificent ranges of buildings, some of which are as elegant as they are substantial, and possess all the latest improvements of modern architecture, is the estate of Kelvin-grove, on which, owing to its picturesque situation and scenery, has been tastefully laid out a public park and pro- menade. To the N., on the banks of the Kelvin, and skirted by the Great Western road, is the Botanic Gar- den, to the S. of which are the observatory and the resi- dence of the professor of astronomy. The professor of botany and his pupils have free access to the garden at all times of the year ; and it is also thrown open to the public during the week of Glasgow fair. Still farther on, along the Great Western road, and at a distance of about 3 miles from the city, is the Gartnavel lunatic asylum, which was founded in 1842, and cost the sum of close upon 80,000. Its management and internal arrangements are admirable, and both pauper and private patients are admitted to partake of its benefits. To the S. is Partick, which, although it is a post town and burgh of barony in itself, has been so united to Glasgow by the Sandy- ford extension, that it may be now regarded as almost forming part of the city itself [see PAHTICK]. It stands at the confluence of the Kelvin and the Clyde, which from, this point up to Glasgow Green, presents an appearance of _ ceaseless enterprise and activity. It is, indeed, to this noble river that Glasgow is, in a great measure, indebted for her national importance; and before describ- ing its various capacities, it may be observed that it is crossed by five bridges, which connect the northern and southern sides of the city at various points between the Broomielaw, or quay, and the Green. The uppermo of these is at the bottom of the Salt Market. It leads 1 Crown-street on the opposite side of the river, and called Hutcheson's bridge. The second, at the botton of Stockwell-street, was in olden times the only mei of communication between the northern and souther: banks of the river. It was built circa 1345-50, and remained pretty nearly in its original state till 1776. In that year, and again in 1821, additions and altera- tions were made in it, but it became so insecure, that in 1850 it was found necessary to replace it by a new bridge. The present structure, which is called the Victoria bridge, consists of five arches, the centre of which has a span of 80 feet, with a rise of 10 feet 6 inches. Its length is about 445 feet, and the width of its roadway is 60 feet. It is built of remarkably strong white sandstone faced with Kingston granite, and was erected at a cost of 40,000. The third bridge connects Maxwell-street on the northern with Port- land-street on the soiithern bank. It is an iron sus- pension bridge, for the use of foot passengers only, and as the funds necessary for its erection were princi- pally supplied by a private individual, a toll of a far- thing a head is taken from those who cross it. But by an Act of Parliament it is to be toll free as soon as a sufficient sum shall have been collected to defray its original cost. The fourth, or lowest bridge, lies at the foot of Jamaica-street, and is called the Broomielaw, or Glasgow Bridge. It has seven arches, is 560 feet long, has a roadway of 60 feet in with, and was built at a cost of 37,000. A charge is made at all the Glasgow bridges for vehicles, horses, and live-stock passing over them, but they are all, with the exception of the Max- well-street bridge, free to pedestrians. Besides these bridges, there is a foot-passenger bridge at the Higher Green, near the Royal Humane Society's receiving house. This was built for the accommodation of the operatives residing in the N.E. portion of the city, who are em- ployed in the numerous mills, print works, and factories which stand on the south-eastern, orGorbals side. The Clyde at Glasgow was originally a narrow channel, with scarcely depth enough for even small boats to navigate it. In 1566 the first attempt was made to deepen it, and clear the stream of some of its obstruc- tions, and this was to a certain extent effected ; but the work proceeded so slowly, that in 1662 the town council, finding how important it was that shipping should be able to come as near the city as possible, purchased some laud about 18 miles down the river, and there laid out quays, a harbour, and a graving dock. This place, called Port Glasgow, is still in use for shipping, but as it was found to be inconvenient on account of its distance, a quay was built in 1688 at the Broomielaw for the purpose of landing goods which were brought up the river in small flat-bottomed boats for which alone it was navigable from Port Glasgow. At length, in 1758, upon the report of John Smeaton, the celebrated engineer, an act was passed for improving the river ; but nothing of any importance was effected till 1775, when it was deepened sufficient to allow vessels drawing nearly 7 feet of water to be moored off the Broomielaw. From this time till 1812 the naviga- tion up to Glasgow remained much in the same state, but in that year it received a great impetus in conse- quence of the placing on the river of the first steam vessel which had ever been constructed. Whatever may be the claims of others to have been the originators of the idea of propulsion by steam, certain it is that Henry Bell, a native of Torphichen, in Linlithgowshire, was the first who brought it into any practical use for the purposes of navigation. In January, 1812, ]'"11 constructed a steam vessel 40 feet in length, and with an engine of three-horse power, which was capable of ascending the river against wind and tide at the rate of about 6 miles an hour. From that time up to the present, methods taken for improving the navigation have been carried on in an unremitting and highly scientific manner ; and the consequence is, that ships of nearly 2,000 tons are able to lie in the harbour, and at