knowledge of all kinds, with a more thoroughgoing search for truth and reality, with centuries more of accumulated experience, is it scholastic theology and metaphysics, or is it medieval art that appeals most strongly to the most cultured and civilized races? How many would care even to see the bulky folios of Aquinas, and Scotus, and Albertus, and Cardan, much less read them, compared with those who not merely look at but study profoundly, and even try to imitate the metal work, the pictures, the dress, the armour, the historical relics, the majolica or Palissy ware?

It is by the neglect of these subjects that literature and thought and education, and indirectly, even technology have become so one-sided. Education has been conducted as if all that mankind ought to care for was fiction and poetry, metaphysical speculation and theological deputation, the study of mere opinion, and the language expressing it. These could have been but the pastimes of the people, or the serious occupation of a few as at present, but not the life-long absorbing pursuits of the workers of the population, the producers, the agriculturists, the handicraftsmen, the artists. The survival of the medieval standards for measuring knowledge and education by is most remarkable. After serving their time when nothing else was to be had, a time when men had to go through a sore struggle, mental, religious, political, physical, to arrive at freedom of thought, investigation and belief, these old-fashioned instruments are still retained when there is so much of new available.

The persistent empiricism of the arts even comes down from these earlier times when there was no learning but that of books, when science had not begun and nature was ignored, when rule-of-thumb knowledge was all that the workman had to go by. The "practical man" still thinks that empiricism is the best guide, perhaps he would say the only one, and keeps off scientific insight as intrusive. He cannot, however, do so always; science sooner or later finds its way into the recesses of his methods, and either confirms them and simplifies them if true, or amends them or obliterates them if based on insufficient principles.

Hitherto the advance has been comparatively slow, because science itself has been of slow growth, and its effects are so restrained and demand such a minute and exact knowledge that it takes long to appeal direct to the mass of man

kind. A step or two may be made in a generation, and they who have made it are seldom able to see the new prospect opened up thereby. But the rate of progress has been accelerated of late years by the larger body of workers engaged in investigation, by the interest forced even on the most unobservant by the application of discovery to comfort and convenience, perhaps specially by the fact that is being borne in upon the more thoughtful that neglect of nature and natural laws is a defect in education, and is certain to be followed by incapacity to deal with nature in all the practical requirements of life.

The consideration, however, of this topic would result in a dissertation upon so called "Technical Education," and upon the relations of science and practice. That is not the theme of the series of papers now concluded, but it naturally grows out of them, and at various points throughout, the same questions have obtruded themselves upon our notice. Unavoidably in a survey of the literature one contrasts the past and present, one seeks for an explanation of the difference between the two and asks why there is apparently such a vast chasm between the books on natural history, on technical art, on medical practice of the previous times and the books now. The explanation must be sought for in the history of the arts, and sciences, and medicine, and natural history respectively, and then it will be found that there is no chasm to bridge over, but that by slow steps the old has yielded age after age, little by little to the new, that the progress has never ceased, though at any one point it may be almost imperceptible, that truth has been arrived at only after much labour by many workers, and that it is only when stages of knowledge separated by centuries are compared with each other that the advance is perceived, the assured advance which is the encouragement for the searcher ever to go on.

No. II.

NOTE AS TO JOHN JOHNSTON, OF CLATHRIE, PROVOST OF GLASGOW, 1685-86.

BY

ANDREW ROBERTS, F.S.A. Scot.

[Read at a Meeting of the Society, held on 16th January, 1890.]

IN October last, the remains of Miss Mary Walker, an old lady of 82 years, were laid in the High Church-yard, in a lair situated below and east of the Minister's aisle, opposite the old Barony Church, amongst her ancestors the Johnstons of Clathrie, from whom she was descended through a female. She was evidently the lady referred to by Dr. Gordon in Glasghu Facies, vol. 1, p. 452; and the papers I have here are the bundle of documents he mentions as being in her possession. The old lady certainly had a curious miscellany of information about old Glasgow families, and particularly those with whom she claimed relationship, which, if preserved, might have been of the greatest interest. As the little which Dr. Gordon says about her ancestor, Provost Johnston, is very imperfect and far from correct, I have ventured to lay the actual facts before you, in so far as I have been able to trace them, in the belief that they will be of some interest to the Members of the Society.

The earliest mention of the Johnstons of Clathrie which I have found deals with Archibald Johnstone, who was nominated by the Parliaments of 1644, 1646, 1648, and 1649 as a member of the Committee for War of the County of Dumfries, which clearly shows that he was a person of some consequence. They are said to have been a branch of the Westerhall family.

On 11th September, 1672, John Johnston of Clathrie obtained from King Charles II. a ratification of his lands of Nether Clathrie, in which he is described as of Clathrie, and Merchant Burgess of Glasgow. The description of the lands is All and Haill the lands of Nether Clauchrie and Knowehead, extending to ane twenty-two-shilling land of old extent or thereby with houses,

biggings, yards, parts, pertinents, pendicles and pertinents thereof whatsoever; and with the commontie and pasturage outfield and infield lands pertaining and belonging to the said lands; as also, All and Haill the two merk and halfmerk land, ten penny and half-penny land of old extent of the five-merk land of Auldgirth; and All and Haill the forty-penny land of Dunduff, with the manor place, houses, biggings, yards, orchyards, growing trees, fishing, and with the commonty and pasturage lying about and upon the Hill called Fairoch, and all other commonties, pasturages and pertinents of the said land lying within the Parish of Dalgarnoch and Shire of Dumfries. The lands were held during ward and non-entry at 20 merks yearly, a like sum for relief, and 100 merks for marriage. The Parish of Dalgarnoch was annexed to Closeburn Parish in 1697. The church was dedicated to St. Michael, and was granted to Holyrood during the reign of David I. In 1606 the teinds were valued at 9,000 merks.

The lands of Clathrie passed from the Johnston family about 1758, into the hands of Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, and now form part of the property of the Trustees of the late Mr. Douglas Baird of Closeburn. They extend to about 525 imperial acres, and in 1889 were let at a cumulo rental of some £400 per annum. Auldgirth, Dunduff, Knowehead, and another property called Lochfoot, came in 1758 into possession of Margaret Johnston, who was served heiress in special to her father, Thomas Johnston. In 1764, she, with consent of Hugh M'Cornock, her husband, granted a disposition of these lands in favour of Archibald Malcolm, writer in Dumfries, the consideration being "a certain "sum of money as the agreed price of the lands, teinds, and others after"disponed, wherewith we hold us well content and satisfied." In 1784 Archibald Malcolm sold these lands, under burden of his own liferent, to William Copland, of Colliston, for £2,478, in whose family the property has since remained. Little Dunduff belonged in 1506 to Sir William, 6th Baron of Drumlanrigg. The lands of Auldgirth are mentioned as early as the 13th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries they belonged to the Kirkpatrick family. In the latter part of the 17th century they came by purchase into possession of the Johnston family.

John Johnston is said to have been a Whig; and if he was so, he is probably the person of that name who was excepted in the Glasgow List

in the Act of Indemnity for a fine of £600 Scots.

He appears as a Bailie of Glasgow in 1674, 1677, and in 1680; and on 30th September, 1684, he was chosen Provost of Glasgow. In 1685 he was named as a Commissioner for Plantation of Kirks; and as early as 1668 he is, I presume, the John Johnston who was in that year the Preceptor of Hutcheson's Hospital.

On 6th October, 1685, he was continued in office by the Archbishop, and remained Provost until deprived of office in 1686; consequently he was amongst the last of the Provosts under the old system.

He was succeeded in his lands of Clathrie by his son John, who was served heir to his father, on 25th March, 1690.

He had another son, George, a merchant in Glasgow, who was admitted a Burgess and Guild Brother of Glasgow on 13th March, 1701, as lawful son of umquhil John Johnston; and he must have been of some consequence, for he was also a Burgess of Rutherglen on 31st March, 1712, and of Renfrew on 29th September, 1718. The Renfrew ticket bears that his composition is remitted for services done and to be done by him to the said burgh.

These tickets, which I show you, are worthy of notice, as having endorsed upon them the arms of Rutherglen and Renfrew in colours.

His son, Robert Johnston, mariner in Glasgow, married Mary Warden, and had a daughter, Mary, who was married to Robert Walker, merchant in Glasgow. Robert Walker was admitted Burgess on 13th October, 1786, as having married Mary Johnston, lawful daughter of Robert Johnston, mariner, eldest son of the deceased George Johnston, merchant, Burgess of Glasgow. This Robert Walker had a son, Robert, a spirit-dealer in the Bridgegate, who was admitted Burgess on 20th May, 1819, and the Mary Walker already mentioned was his last surviving child.

This George Johnston, younger son of the Provost, was proprietor of a house in the Bridgegate, which came through Mary Johnston to the Walker family. The house was No. 84-88, and was situated on the north side of the Bridgegate, midway between the Old and New Wynds. It was a long narrow strip of ground extending about 120 feet to the north, and having a frontage to the Bridgegate of about 26 feet. This property is in a disposition dated 21st March, 1648, granted by Janet Munro, relict of Mr. Archibald Glen, sometime Minister of Carmunnock, in favour of "Mr. Henry Blair, ane