278 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith
named themselves the ? Friends of the People,?
were alarming the authorities by threatening to
hold a national cqnvention in Edinburgh, and to
seize the Castle, the seamen in Leith seemed disposed
to complicate affairs by absolutely refusing
to go to sea unless they received a considerable
advance of wages. A meeting was held for the
purpose, if possible, of accommodating matters, and
it was attended by the Provost, the Sheriff, the two
Bailies of Leith, and a number of ship-masters and
merchants belonging to that place; and, after a
lengthened discussion, the following terms were
offered to the banded seamen of Leith, who were
then ? on strike : ?-
I. The voyage to London, instead of three
guineas as hitherto, to beA4 15s. in full of wages,
loading or unloading.
11. The voyage to Hull &3 in full.
111. To Newcastle 10s. in full.
IV. All other runs to be in proportion to the
above.
V, The monthly wages to beAz, instead of 30s. ;
the seamen to pay Greenwich money,.and be at
liberty to pay poor?s money to the Trinity Hospital
at option; but if omitting to pay, to derive no
benefit from the funds of that establishment.
. VI. The wives at home to get 10s. monthly out
of their husband?s wages.
VII. The latter to continue until the vessels are
discharged by the crews, and to be in full of all
demands.
These arrangements, having met with the warm
approbation of the merchants and shipmasters of
Leith, were presented to the seamen for acceptance,
and they were required and enjoined ? immediately
to return to their duty, and behave in the most
peaceable manner, with certification that ;f, after
this date, they should be found assembling in any
tumultuous manner, or stop or impede any person
whatever in the execution of his duty, they would
be prosecuted and punished in terms of law.?
The proffered terms proved agreeable to the seamen,
who at once returned to their duties, leaving
the magistrates free to deal with the ? Friends of
the People,? many of whom were arrested, and tried
before the Court of Justiciary.
In 1805 five vessels sailed for the whale fishery,
the largest number that had ever sailed from Leith
in one year.
In 1816 there arrived in the port two vessels,
each having a rather remarkable freight. They
were entirely laden with broken musket-barrels,
locks, sword-blades, and other warlike relics of
the memorable retreat from Moscow, all of which
were sent to the iron-works at Cramond, there to
be turned into ploughshares, harrows, spades, and
other implements for the tillage of the earth.
In the same year the Scots Magazim records
the pursuit of six smuggling luggers by one of the
king?s ships in the Roads, adding, ?? one of these
luggers is armed with sixteen guns, and is com.
manded by an authorised British subject, who has
expressed his determination not to be taken, and to
a revenue cutter he would be found a dangerous
enemy, though he would not stand long against a
king?s ship.?
In the year 1820 the Edinburgh or Leith Seaman?s
Friendly Society was instituted. The Ship
masters? Widows? Fund had been established fifteen
years before.
In 1849 the tonnage of the growing port of
Leith increased to 22,499.
The tonnage dues on vessels, and. shore dues,
outwards and inwards,amounted toA24,566 6s. I Id.
The aggregate revenue accruing to the docks was
Lzg,209 10s. IIBd, while the Custom House
returns for duties levied in the port was A566,312.
In 1881 we find the number and tonnage of vessels
arriving and sailing from Leith to stand thus :-
Sailing vessels arriving, 1,705, tonnage 262,871 ;
departing, 1,702, tonnage 259,143. Steam vessels
arriving, 2,695, tonnage 711,282 ; departing, 2,695,
tonnage 712,056.
The chief articles of export are coal and iron,
and the appliances for placing these on board ship
are of the most approved kind. In 1881 there were
127,207 tons of pig-iron shipped. The chief imports
are grain and flour; thus, 1,135,127 quarters of
grain and 238,313 bags of flour were landed at
Leith, and the importation of guano, wood, flax,
and hemp was very considerable, according to the
Scotsman for that year. Therevenue of the port
in 1881 was &37,491.
In 1880 the company owning the Arrow Line
put on a number of steamers direct between Leith .
and New York ; and the venture has been so successful
that now there is regular communication
between the former place and America every fortnight.
By the prosperity that has come with the new
docks, which we shall presently describe, Leith can
now boast of a population of 58,000 souls, being an
increase on the last decade of 13,000.
We have shown how, from small beginnings and
under many depressing influences, the shipping and
the tonnage of Leith has steadily increased, till the
traffic has become great indeed.
Now steam vessels, either from Leith or Granton,
ply to Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Amsterdam,
Bremerhaven, Copenhagen, Dantzig, Dunkirk,
Ghent, regularly ; to London, four times weekly ;
