Old Reminiscences of Glasgow and the West of Scotland Volume 3 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ...of this city, as his fathers were before him. They amassed great wealth in Glasgow in the Virginia tobacco trade, strange to say, long before the first American war broke out, which led to the inde-, pendence of America in the days of Washington. It has been ascertained from undoubted evidence that in 1772 upwards of 90,000 hogsheads of tobacco were imported into Great Britain from America, and of these Glasgow received more than the half, viz., 49,000 hogsheads. The ' lion's share came into the hands of the renowned firm of 1 Messrs. Alex. Speirs & Co., who get 6,035 hogsheads; the next on the list was the equally renowned firm of '' John Glassford & Co., who got 4,500 hogsheads; and the last on the list of the renowned 48 tobacco lords in Glasgow, for that was the exact number of them at the period stated, was Mr James Baird, senr., who is set down for eight hogsheads. The tobacco trade at that time in Glasgow seems to have been infinitely better than the calico trade, nor is it extravagant to say that it perhaps inspired the natives with as much gusto as the seeking for gold in Australia and California, and other parts of the 1 world has done in later times. Be that as it may, the Speirs family honourably derived their wealth; and although a quid of tobacco is not exactly the thing we have relished at any period of our career, we are glad to mention that the Speirs of Elderslie, like some of the nobles of England deriving their wealth and titles from j mercantile pursuits, have not neglected the city of their I habitation in earliest times, for they have left some sub stantial proofs of their munificence to be attested in the I Merchants' House of Glasgow--a house endowed with many noble deeds by princely...