liberty to build a harbour at Leith was obtained by the inhabitants of that burgh, and a monastic institution, called the Preceptory of St Anthony, was formed in the parish of South Leith, "south of the Water of Leith." The last of the family of Logan was somehow implicated in the mysterious affair of the Gowrie conspiracy, a circumstance which was only discovered after his death. His estates were confiscated, and Restalrig passed into the hands of Lord Balmerino, Secretary to James VI., with whose descendants it remained, along with the patronage of the parish church, till both were forfeited by the treason of the last Lord Balmerino in 1745. This noble family had their residence in Leith; and one of them, Lord Couper, was a member of the kirk-session of the parish.

At the Restoration, the church of Restalrig shared the general fate of the Catholic establishments. The first assembly of the reformed church, which met in Edinburgh in 1560, ordered it to be "razed and utterly casten down and destroyed, as a monument of idolatry." It was accordingly unroofed, and nothing left but the external walls. In this condition it remained for centuries, till the year 1836, when, by the exertions of a few zealous individuals, aided by the Church Extension Committee, a sum was raised by subscription, and the edifice was completely restored and renovated, after a plan gratuitously furnished by W. Burn, Esq. architect. It now forms a preaching station, where occasional worship is performed by the ministers of Leith, for the benefit of the surrounding population. The ancient burying-ground of the parish still remains attached to this church, and is kept in good order through the instrumentality of a Society of very ancient institution in the parish, called the "Friendly Society of Restalrig," who, besides taking the management of the cemetery, contribute to the relief of the poor of the vicinity, and support a school for the education of children. It was by the zeal of this society, and the exertions of its secretary, Andrew Scott, Esq. W. S., that the renovation of the ancient church was effected.

Parish of South Leith.-The precise date of the erection of the present church of South Leith cannot be ascertained, but it is probable that it was built about the year 1490. A village had gradually here sprung up antecedent to this period, the rudiments of the future burgh; and as the principal proportion of the inhabitants of the parish resided in this quarter, instead of at Easter Restalrig, the original position of the parish church, the probabi

lity is that the church at Leith was erected so as at once to transfer the parish church to this quarter, or at all events to constitute it a chapel of ease. In a charter of James III. dated 1490, his Majesty confirms a charter which one Peter Falconer had granted to a chaplain and his successors, for celebrating divine worship at the altar of St Peter in the church at Leith, which is therein called a "new church," dedicated to the Virgin Mary. "Nova ecclesia Beatæ Mariæ in Leith."

In 1556, some time before the Reformation, it evidently appears that this church had been constituted the parish church, for the parson had ceased to reside at Easter Restalrig, and had feued the glebe and manse, as well as the church lands belonging to the parsonage.

At the Reformation, the first General Assembly, by an act dated 1st December 1560, finds, "that the ministry of the word and sacraments of God and assemblie of the people of the haill parochin of Restalrig be within the kirk of Leith." But even previous to this, the kirk of Leith was recognised as the proper parochial institution; for one of the ministers of that assembly was " Mr David Lindsay for Leith." The statute of 1609, c. 25, narrates that the Legislature, "understanding that the kirk of Restalrig is ruynous, and that the kirk of Leith has bene the place of the convening of the parochiners of Restalrig the space of fyftie zeirs past, as alsua that it is most comodious pairt, in respect that the toun of Leith is the greatest part of the said parochin, whilk kirk not withstanding has never yet been erectit in ane paroch kirk." The act then declares "the said kirk of Leith to be ane paroch kirk, and ordains the same to be repute, and called heirafter the paroch kirk of Leith, and all the inhabitants of Restalrig to resort thereto as unto thair paroch kirk, as they have done in tymes past; and that the benefice of Restalrig, parsonage hairof, gleib and manse pertaining hairto, shall be always desponit to the minister serving the cure at the said kirk of Leith in all time coming; and that the said kirk of Restalrig be suppressed and extinct from henceforth and for ever."

The central part and middle aisles of the present church, with the steeple, appear to have constituted the original erection, while the side buildings seem to have been afterwards added. The choir at the east end was demolished at the Reformation.

It is a collegiate charge. The right of presenting the first minister is vested in the Crown; but the second presentation belongs

to the magistrates, the kirk-session, and the corporations. A small part of the stipend of the second minister was paid by the city of Edinburgh, in terms of the act granting two pennies on the pint of ale. The residue is paid by the corporations of shipmasters, traffickers, maltmen, and trades, most of whom received their seals of cause" for the weal and uphold of the altar of St John and chaplain of the same." The trades collected a part of their proportion of the stipend from the meal-dealers, and the traffickers used to levy a part of their proportion from all the inhabitants, (the meal-dealers excepted,) who were not members of any corporation. All of the corporations, except the barbers, have a right to parts of the parish church of South Leith, which they let, and the rents received are understood by them to be for payment of the stipend. No part of the stipend is paid by the corporation of barbers. The "corporations" appear, from an early period of the church records, to have taken charge of the repairs and upholding of the fabric. In times of Popery, each of the trades had their altar and chaplain, whom they maintained out of their funds. The property and management of the church is vested in the kirk-session. In 1836, it was observed that the steeple was falling from its perpendicular, and on inspection by competent architects, it was found necessary to take it down. A thorough repair of the whole church was also decided upon by the presbytery, which, however, was delayed for some time, in consequence of a law plea with the heritors, who objected to assess themselves for repairs, on the plea that the church and its maintenance belonged to the "incorporations." This plea, however, was not sustained. An assessment, being the estimated amount of repairs, of L.2870, on the landward and burgh proprietors, was raised, and with this sum the church has been completely repaired. The church is capable of accommodating from 1300 to 1500 persons. The parish of South Leith includes that portion of the burgh to the south of the river, with part of Leith Walk and the village of Jock's Lodge.

St John's Church was built as a chapel of ease in 1773, and in 1834 was erected into a quoad sacra parish. The population of both parishes in 1841 amounted to 19,776.

The stipend of the first charge consists of 250 cwts. of meal; 143 quarters 6 bushels barley; L.33, 18s. 4d. money; a glebe, yielding L.80, and L.80 in lieu of manse. The stipend of the second charge is L.247 without glebe or manse.

There is a charitable fund, of which the kirk-session has the

administration, arising from a grant of certain lands, and the right of levying certain duties which appertained to the "hospital," or "mansion of St Anthony." The object of the Charity is to give relief to the widows and poor of the trades' corporations.

North Leith Parish.-We first hear of North Leith in 1493, when Robert Ballantyne, Abbot of Holyrood, resolved to build a chapel for the accommodation of the increasing inhabitants of this district. A church was built at the north end of the bridge across the Water of Leith, and dedicated to St Ninian, the patron saint of Galloway. The charter of foundation was confirmed by James IV. in 1493. At the Reformation the inhabitants of North Leith purchased the chapel of St Ninian's, the chaplain's house, and the tithes of certain lands and houses, and of the fish brought into the harbour, as a maintenance for their minister. North Leith was erected into a parish by Act of Parliament in 1609. The parishioners are the patrons, and the funds and management are vested in the kirk-session. The population in 1841 was 8492.

The stipend was at first 800 merks; in 1666 it was augmented out of St Cuthbert's parish funds, to 1200 merks, with parsonage and glebe of four acres. The old church was abandoned and a

new one erected in 1814. The new edifice is a large building in the Grecian style, with a portico and spire, the latter ornamented with several ranges of Doric and Ionic columns, and 158 feet in height. This church cost L.12,000, and is capable of accommodating 1768 persons.

The stipend arising from feus of property was in 1832, L.611, 17s.; in 1833, L. 540, 11s. 4d.; in 1834, L. 500, 9s. This includes an allowance of L.60 for a manse.

St Thomas' Church is situated on the eminence called Sheriff Brae, and was built and endowed by John Gladstone, Esq. of Fasque, a native of Leith.

There are four congregations connected with the Free Church, viz. St John's, South Leith; Mariners' Church; Newhaven Church; North Leith Free Church.

There are also three chapels belonging to the United Associate Synod, one in North Leith and one in Kirkgate, and a third in the Links. One Relief Chapel, an Episcopalian Chapel, and an Independent.

Schools. At an early period, a school was endowed with funds which came into the possession of the kirk session of South Leith, and two masters with salaries were appointed. An old building

opposite the Trinity House, called King James's Hospital, was converted into a school-house. This institution with its funds seems to have fallen to decay; for we find that, in 1805, a new school house, called the High School, was built by subscription, and placed under the direction of trustees, consisting of the magistrates, the ministers, and the heads of the corporations. By a clause of the Municipal Bill of 1827, it it enacted, that it shall and may be lawful to the commissioners "to pay the salaries of schoolmasters in the high school of Leith, should the funds pertaining to the said school, as applicable to the purposes of the said school, be inadequate to such purposes." An application having, in the year 1831, been made for a small salary in terms of this clause, it was refused on the ground that there were no funds which could be so appropriated. Subsequently, salaries have been obtained for two of the teachers from Dr Bell's trustees. There are in this institution classes for English, the classics, writing and arithmetic, French and drawing. The number of pupils has varied from 250 to 150. The fees are, per quarter, classics, 13s., English, 7s. 6d.; writing, 7s. 6d.; arithmetic, 7s. 6d.

Bell's School. By a deed of Dr Andrew Bell of Madras, executed in the year 1831, the sums of L.4896 three per cents., and L.4895 bank annuities, were left in trust to the corporation of magistrates and masters of Leith, for the erection and maintenance of a school or schools on the Madras system in the burgh. Accordingly, a piece of ground was purchased, and a handsome and commodious school-house was erected in Great Junction Street, where about 700 pupils are educated according to the system of the founder, and under the superintendence of a teacher appointed by the trustees.

The Poor. The poor are under the management of the kirksessions of North and South Leith. The funds for their relief consist of an assessment of 1s. 1d. on the rentals of land and houses, one-half payable by the landlords and one-half by the tenants of houses, together with the church collections and a few other charitable funds. There are no work-houses, and their relief is all out-door. The allowances to families vary from 4s. to 3s. and 2s. per week. The children are boarded out at 2s. per week.

Charitable Institutions.—There is a society for the Relief of the Destitute Sick; the Humane Society, and Dispensary for the relief of casual disease; a Female School of Industry, and a Boy's Cha