Market- Town.-There is no market-town in the parish. Stirling, distant about one mile from the village and parish church of St Ninians, is the market-town of the district; but many of the agriculturists in the eastern parts of the parish attend the weekly market of Falkirk; and the graziers frequently repair both to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Villages- Besides a considerable portion of the suburbs of Stirling, which is in this parish, we have the village of St Ninians, containing, according to the census of 1841, 1480 inhabitants. The chief trades carried on in it are nail-making and tanning of leather, with the manufacture of tartans and shawls to a less extent. Bannockburn, 1987 inhabitants, chiefly engaged in the manufacture of carpets, tartans, and shawls. This village has increased rapidly, within the last thirty or forty years. Cambusbaron, 428 inhabitants; trade, wool-spinning, tartan and shawl manufactures.

Means of Communication.- The villages of St Ninians and Bannockburn enjoy each the benefit of a receiving post-office; but the delivery, in both cases, is from the post-office in Stirling, by means of a daily runner. The great post road from Edinburgh to the north by Stirling, traverses the parish from its eastern boundary to its confines with Stirling, a distance of about six miles; whilst the Glasgow post-road to the same town passes through the parish from south to north, a distance of about four miles, joining the Edinburgh road at the village of St Ninians. The coaches from the north to Glasgow, by the way of Stirling, and from Stirling both to Glasgow and Edinburgh, all. pass through this parish by the roads just described. The road from Dunbarton to the ferry near Alva runs through this parish, for about twelve miles; and there is also an excellent road from Carron-bridge to Randieford, which, to the inhabitants in the higher parts of the parish, opens up tile way both to Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are numerous small bridges, but none of them deserving particular notice. A project is in agitation for a branch railway from Stirling, to join the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway near Falkirk, which, when executed, will traverse the eastern part of this parish. Almost all the lands in the parish are enclosed, the fences in the carses and low grounds consisting of thorn-hedges, and those in the uplands of dry stone dikes,-a small part of the higher moors are unenclosed.

Ecclesiastical State.-The following report was given in by the kirk session to the Religious Instruction Commissioners in 1837

"The parish church was built in 1750. It contains upwards of 1500 sittings, and has never been either altered or enlarged. The whole church, with the exception of a seat for the minister, and another for the elders, is divided among the heritors; and no seats are allotted, either for the poor, or for the inhabitants of the villages. More than 200 seats are behind the pulpit, in which it is difficult either to see or hear; while several of the best, belonging to non-resident heritors, are seldom if ever occupied. The real value of the church is thus greatly lessened to the parishioners; many of whom have to pay for their seats, and more would willingly do so, could they find suitable accommodation for them-selves and families."

From an early period it was found that one church and one minister were altogether inadequate for a parish so populous and extensive. An assistant minister, a place of worship at Buckieburn, and an abortive attempt for a new erection at Sauchenford, - so far as appears from the records,- were the only exertions made to remedy the evil, during the whole of the eighteenth century. There was a chapel at Buckieburn in 1697, which seems afterwards to have been pulled down. A contention arose among the people in the muirlands, whether their place of worship should be erected at Buckieburn or at Kirk o' Muir; and, during this time, the minister and assistant preached in the open air. At last, Buckieburn was fixed upon, and the present chapel was erected about the middle of the last century. It was thoroughly repaired and reseated about ten years ago. Much obscurity hangs over the institution of the assistant. A regular agreement for the support of one is entered into in Mr Gibson's time; but, instead of a new institution, they speak of an assistant as having been of old established in the parish. In 1746, Mr Mackie raised a considerable sum In London, as a fund from which the assistant should be paid The heritors got possession of this as poor's money in 1780; and, in 1785, the assistant was put upon the teinds of the parish.

A new church, containing 900 sittings, has been recently erected in Bannockburn, to which a minister has been ordained, and a territory or quoad sacra parish, containing 3176 inhabitants, has been set apart. He has a bond for L.80; but it is understood that the managers do not limit themselves to that sum. The stipend is raised from the seat-rents, which are moderate, and by the collections at the church doors.

To the eastward of Ba-burn another new church has also been erected at Plean, to which a quoad sacra parish, containing 885 inhabitants, has been allotted. A minister has been ordained, who has a bond for L.80 ; but, as he is in the receipt of a liberal salary as chaplain of Plean Hospital, he makes no demand upon his people. The collections at the church door are expended, partly in defraying expenses, and partly in relieving the poor.

Both these churches are well attended, and are of great benefit to the parish, - Ba-burn, by accommodating the dense population in its immediate vicinity, and Plean, in making provision for an extensive rural district, remote from any other place of worship. Still, as was stated in the report already alluded to, " the relief ,afforded is but partial either as to population or extent. The population of St Ninians is still upwards of 6000; and as the new erection at Ba-burn is only one mile and quarter from the parish church-as many of the inhabitants of the new parish are within a mile of St Ninians, and very few of them more than two miles distant, it can do little in removing the inconvenience arising from the farthest boundary being more than ten miles, from either place of worship.." Plean is between four and five miles from St. Ninians, and the nearest of its parishioners are three miles from the parish church; but it is in the same direction with Ba-burn; and whilst ample provision has been made for this district, the lower carses and the moorlands are as destitute as they were before. Buckieburn is five miles, to the south-west, and the parish extends as far down the carses in the opposite direction between St Ninians and Airth there are eight miles of highly cultivated carse lands,-thickly inhabited, in which no place of worship is to be found. At Damhead of Thuk, a mile from our north-eastern boundary, and midway between St Ninians and Airth a site has been fixed upon, and money subscribed, for the erection of a school-house and preaching station. Within a mile and a half of this place, there are above 500 souls, all of whom are more than two, and many of them three and four miles distant from any church or meeting-house. Were public worship regularly maintained at Damhead, and in the muirlands,-and at small expense this might be accomplished -the parish of St Ninians might be accounted too populous and extensive; but much would be done to remedy these evils, and the complaint so frequent, and so just, of distance from any place of worship, would in a great measure be removed.

The manse was built in 1809, and, though somewhat damp, is rather a comfortable house. The glebe contains four acres of arable land, which, along with the grass glebe, yields L. 30 of annual rent. The stipend is nineteen chalders, one-half meal and one-half barley. There is an assistant minister, for whom provision has been made out of the teinds, to the amount of L.50 per annum, which, by voluntary subscription through the parish, is raised to above L. 100 a year.

In 1788, the right of patronage was purchased by the parish, the price was upwards of L.600. Every head of a family in full communion with the establishment has a right to vote in the election of a minister. The right of presentation is now lodged with a committee of nine, consisting of three heritors, three elders, three heads of families. The members of this committee are chosen by the people, and hold their places for life, if they continue in full communion with the Establishment. The committee is obliged to present, in due time, whatever candidate is recommended by the majority of votes.

There is in St Ninians a Relief meeting-house, containing upwards of 1300 sittings, the minister of which has L. 190 of stipend; a manse and garden with one acre of ground. There is another meeting-house in Ba-burn connected with the United Secession; the minister has L.80 of stipend.

At all these places of worship, divine service is generally well attended, and a number of the parishioners, besides, are connected with the different congregations in Stirling. By a census taken by the kirk-session in 1834, it appears that 4428 individuals belonged to the Established Church, and that 4889 were connected with other denominations. Since that time, those connected with the Establishment have considerably increased. Previous to the new erections the number of communicants in the Establishment was about 1200. Still, nearly 1000 belong to the parish church, and as there are a goodly number at Plean, and a much larger number at Ba-burn, it is evident that a very considerable increase, both of hearers and communicants, has taken place since these churches were opened.

The new church at Ba-burn was opened in October 1838-that of Plean in March 1839; but at Plean, they had regular worship on Sabbath in a large room, at the cottage, for some time before.

Since the year 1774, there has been a regular assessment in the parish, and the collections at the church door have, of course, been trifling. Taking the two years before Bannockburn and Plean were separated from us, the collections were,

May	For the poor		For religious purposes
1837	L. 64 7 4		L.34 19 10
1838	L. 63 13 7		L. 12 12 3
The two years since they left us 1839	L. 55 16 7		L. 47 0 0
1840	L. 56 1 6		L. 63 5 0

Education.-There are 19 schools in the parish, of which one is parochial, with the legal accommodations; and three others are slenderly endowed, one by a mortification, and the other two by the bounty of a benevolent lady. The branches generally taught are reading, writing, and accounts. Besides these branches, Latin, Greek, French, geography, and mathematics, are taught in the parish school, where an assistant is kept. The salary is the maximum, and the school fees vary from 2s. 6d. to 7s. 6d. There are two or three places, in the remote parts of the parish, in great need of schools. The people are too few, and too poor, either to build a school-house or to support a teacher. Most parents are zealous for the education of their children; but a spirit of indifference is certainly increasing. This will be ascribed by some to the number of strangers who come amongst us to our public works-by others to the very low wages of many workmen, sinking their spirits, and rendering them careless about their children. But perhaps the most prolific source of the evil is the wages which the children at an early period can gain,-thus relieving the parents of their support, and rendering them too soon independent. The children of miners, nailers, sand spinners, are most exposed to this evil, nor can it be repaired by their attendance either at week-day evening or Sabbath evening schools.

Libraries-There are several libraries in the parish, some of them containing about 500 volumes. Those connected with particular congregations consist generally of religious publications. There are others which admit works of general literature.

Charitable Institutions - The late Francis Simpson, Esq. of East Plean, who died March 1831, nominated certain trustees, to whom he left, in lands and money, between L. 2000 and L. 3000 of annual income, for the benefit of indigent old men; sailors and soldiers to have a preference. The funds have already been increased, and will, ere long, be still farther augmented, by certain annuities and life rents, which fall to the institution. Mr Simpson had built a large and comfortable cottage, and the trustees, by suitable addition, at once completed the plan, and greatly increased the accommodation. In this asylum, there are at present thirty inmates, who are comfortably lodged, fed, and clothed, and to each of whom a little pocket-money also is allowed. Nor are their spiritual interests neglected. The trustees gave the ground on which the new church of Plean is built, and contributed most liberally to its erection. A portion of it is allotted for the accommodation of the old men. The Scriptures are read, and prayers offered up morning and evening in the asylum, whilst the chaplain is the ordained minister of the church, and takes the pastoral superintendence of an extensive surrounding district.

Poor and Parochial Funds.-The number of paupers on the regular poor's roll of the parish may average 140, - and the allowance to each varies from 2s. to 7s. 6d. per month, according to the degree of poverty of the parties. In addition to this, relief, to a considerable extent, both to those on the roll and others, is granted by the kirk-session out of funds at their disposal. The legal parochial assessment averages about L. 250 per annum, and mortified funds in the hands of the kirk-session yield L. 120 a-year of interest. There are very few cases in which the poor manifest a disposition to refrain from seeking parochial relief; nor do they appear to consider it as degrading. Sometimes a distinction is made between what is collected at the church door and what is contributed by the heritors. No reluctance is ever-expressed at receiving from the heritors,-the feeling seems to be that they give too little.

About fifty years ago, William Werdie, Esq. of Cambusbarron left L. 1120 to the kirk-session of St Ninians, the interest of which they are, on the 4th day of October, "to divide among the poorest inhabitants of St Ninians, not being common beggars." This has been thought to operate injuriously to the town; and a wish has often been expressed, that it were extended to the whole parish.

A few years before his death, Mr Simpson, the founder of Plean Asylum, at the desire of his son, gave L. 500 to the kirk-session of St Ninians, the interest of which they are requested "to divide among the poor as not to relieve the heritors from their bounden duty of supporting them."

Mr Greenock of Whitehouse left L. 500 to the kirk-session; L10 Of the interest of which is to be given to the schoolmaster of Cambusbarron. The rest of the interest is at the disposal of the session for pious uses; and it is generally expended in educating orphans or children, whose parents are either unable or unwilling to pay for their instruction, and in supplying them with bibles and Testaments.

The late Mr McGibbon of Greenyards left L 200; and Mrs Brotherstone of Touch, L. 50, to the poor, without any direction or restriction as to the mode in which it was to be employed.

Fairs.- An annual fair for cattle, held in June at Broxbrae, part of the field of Bannockburn, is fast sinking into insignificance. The annual fair held at the east end of Newmarket, in the neighbourhood of Bannockburn, is on the contrary rising into importance;- a large number of cattle, especially milk cows, and a large number of horses, are exposed for sale. This market is attended by dealers from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and all the country around.

Ale-houses.---We have few places in the parish deserving the name of inns, but our ale-houses and spirit shops are by far too numerous; and they are very injurious, both to the morals and temporal comfort of the people. To them may be traced a large portion of the crime, poverty, ignorance, and misery of the working classes of society.

Fuel -Coal is generally used in the lower parts of the parish for fuel; and along with this, a portion of peat is frequently made use of in the uplands. The coals are obtained at the different coal-works in our own neighbourhood.

June 1841.