DANIELL, William (1769-1837)
Greenock, on the Clyde

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William Daniell image supplied by the National Library of Scotland for use in the LEMA Project.

[Plate 16]

Greenock

"Proceeding along the Firth, in a north-easterly direction, a considerable change of scene speedily occurred. The throng of masts, with the bustle and stir occasioned by the arrival and departure of vessels, indicated the approach to a populous and busy sea-port. The VIEW OF GREENOCK FROM THE CLYDE, here given, comprehends that town and harbour, with the hills that bound the level tract of land on which they are situated. Near the base of those hills are seen some elegant houses of recent erection, which agreeably denote the increasing prosperity of the place. In this respect, a town subsisting entirely on commerce has decidedly the advantage over one whose commerce arises from its manufactures. The latter must necessarily contain a large proportion of habitations for the labouring classes, which add rather to its extent than its beauty, while the former acquires in every accession to its magnitude a greater degree of splendour and elegance. In the instance of Liverpool and Manchester, not to mention others, this difference is strikingly apparent.

The trade of Greenock was originally carried on by the Glasgow merchants, to whom almost all the vessels of this port belonged; but the inhabitants gradually became possessed of capitals, and are now the principal ship-owners. The imports consist chiefly of West India produce, together with wine and grain; but almost every article of foreign growth or fabric finds its way hither: the exports are the goods manufactured in the populous country bordering on the Clyde. The town of Greenock, together with the adjacent village of Crawford's-dyke, or Car's-dyke, may be about a mile in extent, and their joint population is estimated at twenty thousand inhabitants. The principal street contains many good houses; the best are the new buildings at the two extremities. The streets to the westward are spacious and regularly built; it is here that the wealthier class of the community in general reside. One of the most elegant structures is the New Inn or Tontine, which stands eastward of the space formed by the crossing of the main streets in the centre of the town. The subscriptions for erecting it were filled up in the course of two days to the amount of ten thousand pounds, a circumstance which sufficiently exemplifies the opulence as well as the public spirit of the place.

In the streets of this town a stranger cannot fail to be surprised by the frequency with which he hears the Gaelic tongue spoken. For this peculiarity the following reasons have been assigned. The great changes which have been taking place for the last half century in the Western Highlands, particularly the formation of large farms by the suppression of small ones, have induced the inhabitants to emigrate in considerable numbers. Many of them have resorted to Greenock, either as their most eligible place of settlement, or as the best outlet to a more remote emigration. It is natural that they should retain with fondness their native idiom, associated as it is with all their recollections of family, of kindred, and of the domestic endearments of early life. It serves them as a token of cognizance among strangers in the remotest regions; it is in effect the key-note of their sympathies; and here, on the threshold of their mountain-home, its characteristic forms of expression seem perfectly congenial with the current of their thoughts and feelings. There is something impressive in the reflection that the language of the ancient Celts, having survived the vicissitudes which threatened its extinction, should be preserved among their descendants in a state of society so perfectly different from that in which it originated, and to the usages of which it seems almost exclusively to apply. It is understood and spoken, not only by the lower orders in this flourishing town, but also by some of its most considerable and prosperous citizens.

The outer harbour or road of Greenock is confined by a sandbank, commencing near Dumbarton, and terminating a little below the town. At the tail of this bank there is spacious and good anchorage for ships of any burthen that navigate the Clyde. The inner harbour contains docks for the accommodation of vessels discharging or receiving cargoes; and there are yards for ship-building, which is carried on here to considerable extent. Three miles further up the Firth is situated Port Glasgow, the commerce of which is similar to that of Greenock, but on a much inferior scale. Several improvements of recent date, however, attest the rising importance of the place; extensive warehouses have been erected for the merchants; and large ponds have been constructed for the reception of imported timber..."

[Extract from Daniell, William. A Voyage Round the Coast of Scotland and the Adjacent Isles 1815-1822.]

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