to Dalkeith, and from the latter to Musselburgh-each of these for a distance of two miles and upwards. There are also cross roads which are turnpike, uniting these in different directions, besides parish roads, which in general are kept in good repair, and leave nothing to be desired in point of accommodation under this head. Besides coaches between Dalkeith and Edinburgh several times a-day, there are a number of others from Edinburgh to greater distances, such as Lauder, Dunse, Newcastle, &c. which pass daily on the same turnpike; and the Dalkeith Railway, which affords much more accommodation to the inhabitants in their intercourse with the metropolis, passes diagonally through it, giving opportunities for going and returning at least eight times a-day. The post office is in Dalkeith. Ecclesiastical State.-The church is nearly in the centre of the parish, and very conveniently situated for the parishioners, there being none more than one mile and three-quarters distant; while the great body of the inhabitants is within a circuit of a mile. It was built in 1742, (the site having been changed as already mentioned,) was reseated in 1819, is in excellent repair, and rendered comfortable in winter by a stove. It is seated for 450, allowing 18 inches to a sitting. The sittings are allocated among the heritors according to their respective valued rents, but it ought to be mentioned, that when built, the then proprietor of Edmonstone added an aisle solely at his expense, which, besides a gallery for the family, and a retiring room immediately behind, afforded accommodation beneath for the servants and immediate dependants, as well as collier population on his property. A gallery was also erected by the then Duke of Buccleuch, with the consent of the heritors for the Sheriffhall colliery, in addition to the share of the sittings effeiring to his property. It deserves to be recorded to the honour of the collier population at that period, that they appear to have been at the expense of fitting up the part of the area allotted to them, and in evidence of their right to the sittings, had tablets affixed on the walls, with the motto of their craft and the names of the parties inscribed, which exist to this day. Probably they had a part of the area thus given them as a compensation for what they enjoyed in the old church of Newton, in which, on application, as the records bear, to the heritors and kirk-session, (given in 4th April 1725), they obtained permission (2d May 1732) to erect a loft for themselves, "providing that the possessors and users of the said loft shall be obliged to keep the roof of the church above the said loft always in repair at their own charges," which hard, and, as it appears, unreasonable condition, was complied with, on their part. The manse was built in 1803, has had its accommodations recently increased, and is in good repair. It stands on the glebe, and is about half-a-mile east from the church, the reason of which is, that when both were removed from their former situation, the proprietor of Edmonstone, whose lands surrounded the old glebe, had none nearer to give in exchange. The glebe, including the site of the manse, garden, and offices, extends to somewhat more than seven acres of good land, which lets at L. 5 per acre. The great value of the glebe, however, arises from the coal under it, which, after a decision of the Court of Session had been obtained,* establishing the minister's right to the minerals, was sold for the sum of L.2500. From this there was deducted, by the authority of the Court, the expense of process, &c. amounting to L.193, 13s., and the balance of L. 2306, 7s. is heritably secured on lands belonging to John Wauchope, Esq. of Edmonstone, by whom the purchase was made in 1815, at 5 per cent. interest, for the benefit of the incumbent. It thus produces L. 115, 6s. 4d. yearly. The teinds are exhausted, and the stipend consists of Wheat, 25 bolls 2 firlots 1 peck 2 lippies. The average amount of the above for the last seven years, at the fiars prices, is L.147, 16s. 5d. There is also L. 53, 6s. 8d. Scots, or L.4, 8s. 10d. Sterling, for communion elements, and 100 merks, or L.5, 11s. 2d. of mortified money, making the average of the whole amount for these years to L. 273, 2s. 91d. List of Incumbents.-Allusion has already been made to Lawrence Watson and John Barbour, who, as readers, enjoyed the vicarage, there having been no clergyman ordained to the pastoral By this decision it is believed this point was finally and authoritatively settled. The interlocutor of the Court of Session, which is of date 3d June 1807, is as follows: -"Upon report of Lord Bannatyne, and having advised the mutual informations for the parties in these conjoined actions, the Lords, in the suspension, repel the reasons of suspension, and in the declarator, find that the minister has right to work the coal in question below his glebe, at the sight and under the direction of the heritors and the presbytery, and that the value and proceeds of the coal are also to be under their control and management, for behoof of the minister and his successors, and decern and declare in terms of the other declaratory conclusions of the pursuer's libel, and remit to the Lord Ordinary," &c. cure till Mr John Aird, the first minister, who was admitted 4th January 1614, and translated to Newbattle 28th September 1615. He was succeeded by Mr John Melville 1616, who died 25th October 1638. Mr Robert Carsane was ordained 24th September 1640, and collated to the benefice on a presentation from King Charles, 4th June 1641. His demise seems to have taken place in the beginning of 1673, and on 4th September of that year, the presbytery record bears that "Mr Archibald Douglas, minister at Cavers, Teviotdale, did show the presbytery that he had received a presentation from the Duke of Lauderdale to the church of Newton, and that upon his exhibiting of that presentation to the Bishop, he had granted him an edict, which edict Mr Malcom is ordained to serve and return endorsit." Institution followed on the 24th September, and on the 7th July 1681, he was once more translated to Newbattle. He was succeeded by Mr Robert Bannerman, who, in Nesbit's Peerage, is stated to have been younger brother to Mr G. Bannerman of Dunboig, second son of Elsick, solicitor to King Charles II. He was deprived at the Revolution, after which there was a long vacancy till 21st April 1696, when Mr John Shaw was admitted; but not finding himself comfortable, on account, it would seem, of the heritors withholding their countenance, he accepted a call to the parish of Leslie, and was transported thither in the end of 1698. Mr Thomas Moffat was ordained 24th September 1700, and met with a more encouraging reception, for the session record of 27th October following bears, that "the session met, and being constituted by prayer, thereafter my Lord Edmonstown and the Laird of Woollmetbeing then present, told that this being the first day of the session's meetings since Mr Thomas Moffat's admission to be minister in this parish, they were come to wait upon the session for the said Mr Moffat's encouragement, and the rest of the elders, to show that they were readie to strengthen their hands and to encourage them, and to concur with them in punishing of vice, and that they should do what was competent to them as heritors for the session's encouragement." Mr Moffat died 14th January 1743, and was succeeded by Mr David Gilchrist 19th July of the same year. On his death Dr Mein was transported from Athelstaneford, 12th October 1770, and served the cure till his death, 1795. He was a person of great worth, and has left a volume of sermons for the instruction of posterity. His literary acquirements procured his election to be Fellow of the Royal Society, Edinburgh. His character is still venerated by the few survivors who had an opportunity of knowing him; and a marble slab, with a suitable inscription, has been inserted in the wall of the church, by the side of the pulpit, as a tribute on the part of the parishioners to his memory. The late Dr Moodie of Inveresk was appointed in 1796, and, on his removal to Kelso, was succeeded by Mr Thomas Scott, who was translated in 1801 from Ballingry in Fife. On his demise the present incumbent was presented, 1826. According to a return made to the Parliamentary Commissioners appointed to inquire as to the deficiency of church accommodation, &c., in December 1835, and which was prepared with the greatest care, there were, out of a gross population of 1836, 1414 belonging to the Establishment, and 422 Dissenters of various denominations. In 1837, when the population had decreased to 1728, the respective numbers were 1365 Established Church, and 363 Dissenters, distributed as follows:-Relief, Dalkeith, 222; Do., Musselburgh, 9; Do., Edinburgh, 10. Associate Synod, Dalkeith, Mr Brown's, 78; Do., Mr Buchanan's, 2; Do., Musselburgh, 2; Do., Leith, 3; Do., Edinburgh, 15. Independents, Dalkeith, 5; Do., Portobello, 6. Methodists, 7. Cameronians, 1. Associate Synod Original Seceders, 3. In a note to the aforesaid document it is stated, in explanation, that where the head of a family is a Dissenter, all the children have been reckoned as such, though many of them, above twelve years of age, are in the habit of attending the Established Church. This rule has been followed even in cases where the mother is in communion with the latter, the father being a Dissenter, although the only religious instruction and pastoral superintendence the families receive are from the Establishment; and were these deducted, as perhaps in fairness they might and ought to be, the numbers above given would be considerably reduced. It will be seen, (it goes on to state,) that 129 sittings, at the utmost, are taken in dissenting places of worship, which corroborates this to the extent of showing that the families are not provided with accommodation, especially since of these 129 sittings, at least 41 are taken by individuals, leaving 88 for 381. The attendance on divine service in the Established church is generally good; but as whole pews are allocated to tenants who have not families to occupy them, and from which the population generally feel themselves to be excluded, the habit of church-go ing cannot exist with many, nor be formed by the young, since there is only 430 sittings in all for the 1365 at present ostensibly belonging to the Establishment, while there is a considerable proportion of them not available to the full extent, from their being particularly allocated, which, especially in reference to the young has long been felt as a grievance, since they cannot be encouraged to attend, lest those more advanced should be thereby excluded. The number of communicants on the roll in 1835 was 363, and in 1837, 343. The average number that has communicated of late years is about 325. During the last five years, 122 have been admitted for the first time. A parochial Association was formed in 1831 in support of the General Assembly's schemes for education and the propagation of the gospel in India, the only ones then in existence, and during the seven years that have since elapsed, L.232 have been collected for these objects. In 1835 another Association was formed, auxiliary to the Church Extension Scheme; and afterwards it embraced the Colonial Scheme. For the former there was collected in 1835, L.132, and for the two conjoined, in 1837, L.64. Education. There are one parochial, one unendowed, and two female schools supported by individual subscription. The parish schoolmaster has the maximum salary, and all the legal accommodations, with the exception of a small deficiency in the size of his garden, which is compensated by a certain quantity of oatmeal, at the fiars' prices annually, according to the provisions of the act of Parliament. He also has an annuity of L.5 for the coal under his garden, or rather for leave to drive a mine through it for the working of the coal, payable by Sir John Hope, Bart. of Pinkie, and L.8 per annum for the education of four boys, according to the terms of a mortification afterwards to be noticed. In a parliamentary return made in 1834, L.60 is given as the amount of fees, and L.37 as that of other emoluments, including, of course, the items before specified, and also the session clerk's salary and fees In all, the master's income is L.131, 4s. 4 d.,* with a dwelling-house, which is commodious, and garden, surrounded by an excellent wall. It may be mentioned, to the credit of the heritors, that the whole establishment of school and school-house is on the most liberal scale, and in addition, a spacious play-ground, provided L.50 has since been mortified by the late Mrs Laing of Newton, the interest to go to the schoolmaster, and the interest of L.50 more, deducting legacy duty, for the support of Sabbath schools. |