[The following passage from the Chambers Gazetteer of Scotland appears on page 477. — George P. Landow.]
The Philosophical Society
This is an association of gentlemen, which was formed in 1802, having for its object the general diffusion of knowledge, by the frequent discussion of philosophical subjects, as well as the exhibition of models for the improvement of machinery. The society is provided with a library; and each member, on entrance, pays three guineas, and half a guinea yearly.
The Philosophical Society
The objects of this respectable association of gentlemen are the same as those of the Bannatyne Club of Edinburgh, or the Roxburghe Club of London, namely, the re-printing for -private use, valuable and scarce old books, or the printing for the first time, in the same manner, curious and rare manuscripts, illustrative of the history, the literature, or the antiquities of Scotland. The number of members is seventy-five. The club takes its name from Sir Richard Maitland of Lefhington, an officer of state during the minority of James VI- and a person who, like Bannatyne, did much service to Scottish literature, by compiling nearly all the poetry of the nation then in existence.
The Literary Society
The Literary Society of Glasgow consists chiefly of the professors, and the clergymen of the city and neighbourhood. It was begun about the middle of last century.and some of its most distinguished members have been Doctors Adam Smith, Trail, and Reid, and Mr. John Miller, Professor of Law. The society now seldom meets.
The Literary and Commercial Society
This association was formed about the beginning of the present century, and is composed of a number of gentlemen, who meet weekly for objects similar to the foregoing, the only difference being, that commercial topics are often the subject of disquisition. This association has long been considered by the general body of the middle and upper classes of the city, as one of the most respectable societies which it contains, for whatever purpose; and admission to it has been held to be a desirable distinction, independently of the information or improvement an attendance on its meetings was calculated to procure. Since its institution it has numbered among its members many individuals of note in the world of letters, and we are told in the "Sketch" of the association by its talented historian Mr. Atkinson, that during the twenty-four years in which records have been preserved, two hundred essays have been read in the society, some of them by men at the summit of literary or scientific eminence. The society has its meetings in the Black Bull Inn.
Other Associations
There are other associations of a refined and useful nature in the town, as the Dilletanti Society; the branch of the Society for Diffusing Usefeful Knowledge, &c.
Bibliography
Chambers, Robert. The Gazetterr of Scotland. Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1838. Internet Archive online version digitized with funding from National Library of Scotland. Web. 30 September 2018.
Last modified 30 September 2018