229

ON RIGHT FROM LOND.

XC. LONDON TO MANCHESTER THROUGH BUXTON AND STOCKPORT.

182 Miles.

From

Manch.

From

London.

ON LEFT FROM LOND.

BUXTON is situated on the lower part of a deep valley surrounded by bleak hills and extensive tracks of moorland. The old town stands upon much higher ground than the new, and has the remains of a cross in the market-place. Buxton is celebrated for its waters, which annually attract from 12,000 to 14,000 visitors. They are of the calcareous class of mineral waters, and have long been celebrated for their medicinal virtues. Their temperature is lower than those of Bath, and they are more agreeable for bathing. They are administered intervery effinally to persons in whom the digestive organs are feeble, and are found cacious in the cure of gout and rheumatism. The Crescent at Buxton is an extensive and elegant structure, comprising two hotels, a library, an assemblyroom, &c. The stables, which are of very great extent, are built in a circular form, and have a covered ride 160 yards round. This immense pile of building was erected by the 5th Duke of Devonshire at a cost of L.120,000. Near the Crescent is the Old Hall, built in the reign of Elizabeth by the Earl of Shrewsbury, in whose custody Mary Queen of Scots was placed. Here are still shown the apartments which the unfortunate Queen occupied in one of her visits to Buxton. The public baths at Buxton are very numerous, and are fitted up with every attention to the convenience of the visitors. St. Ann's Well is remarkable, because, by means of a double pump, either hot or cold water may be obtained within a few inches of each other. The church at Buxton is an elegant edifice built in 1812 by the late (sixth) Duke of Devonshire. Here are also places of worship for Presbyterians, Independents, and Wesleyan Methodists. The public walks at Buxton are laid out with much taste, and the environs abound with

natural curiosities and romantic scenery. Half a mile distant is Poole's Hole, a cavern of considerable dimensions, containing among other curious objects an immense congelation, called the "Flitch of Bacon," and a large mass of stalactite called the "Queen of Scots Pillar," from having been visited by Mary during her sojourn at Buxton. Two miles from Buxton is the Diamond Hill, where the Buxton diamonds are found, close to which there is a tower built by the Duke of Devonshire. Four miles distant is Chee Tor, a huge mass of limestone, which rises above 300 feet perpendicular from the river Wye. There are various other places in the vicinity, which deserve a visit, such as Miller's Dale, Cresbrook, Monsal Dale, Ashford, Axe Edge, from which on a favourable day the mountains of North Wales may be seen, the Marvel Stone, &c. About five miles from Buxton, on the road to Castleton, is a spring called the "Ebbing and Flowing Well." Pop. of Buxton 1604.

MANCHESTER, as its name shows (Man-castra) was a Roman station, and is supposed to have taken its rise in the reign of Titus. Under the Saxons, it became the abode of a Thane. After the Norman Conquest, William gave the place to William of Poictou. The barony descended to the Gresleys, and the De la Warres, and at length the manorial rights became vested in the family of Moseley. In the civil wars, Manchester ranged itself on the side of the Parliament, and sustained a siege conducted by Lord Strange, afterwards Earl of Derby. Manchester was distinguished for its manufactures so early as the times of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. At first the woollen was its chief branch of trade; but since the middle of last century, cotton has taken the lead, and Manchester has now become the great centre of that manufacture. Of late, the spinning and weaving of silk have been introduced, and the printing and dyeing of silk are also extensively carried on in this city. The manufacture of machinery has risen to great importance and perfection in Manchester, and it has also manufactures of linen, small-wares, hats, umbrellas, &c. Its commerce is greatly aided by its communications with almost every part of England, by means of railways and canals. The district in which the city stands contains some of the best coal strata in England; a circumstance to which the place is indebted in no small degree for its prosperity. One of the most interesting buildings in Manchester is the collegiate church (now the cathedral), a noble Gothic building, containing several chapels and chantries, a richly ornamented choir, a number of monuments, &c. It was built in 1422. The reputed founder was Thomas Lord De la Warre, but several other persons assisted in building it. Considerable additions were made in the sixteenth century and many alterations and additions are of recent origin. Of the numerous chapels all but one are private property. The chapel of the Derby family is that which possesses the greatest share of historic interest. St Mary's chapel contains several interesting monuments of the family of the Chethams; and there is a marble statue of Humphry Chetham, erected by one who in early life was an inmate of Chetham's Hospital; and the Trafford chapel, in addition to the memorials of the ancient family from which it takes its name,

MANCHESTER.

possesses a very handsome monument to the memory of Dauntsey Hulme, Esq., a distinguished philanthropist. There is an Independent College in Manchester, and the Wesleyans have a College at Didsbury, four miles from Manchester. There are about 50 churches in Manchester, besides the cathedral; and a churchbuilding society has been formed to promote additional church accommodation. The Dissenters have also numerous places of worship, and Manchester has been long distinguished as possessing a greater dissenting population than most other towns in the kingdom. The ecclesiastical government of Manchester was formerly vested in the warden and four fellows of the collegiate church, but it has recently been erected into a bishoprick, and the collegiate church consequently elevated to the rank of a cathedral. The first bishop was consecrated in 1847. The free grammar-school of Manchester was founded in the early part of the fifteenth century by Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, and is very richly endowed, but is far from effecting the good which its splendid resources might produce. Chetham's Hospital, or the College, was originally founded by the De la Warres, in the reign of Henry VI. After the dissolution, it became the property of the Derby family, and was purchased from the celebrated Countess of Derby, in compliance with the will of Humphry Chetham, an eminent merchant, for the purpose of forming a Blue-coat hospital and library. This institution provides for the education and support of eighty poor children. The library consists of upwards of 25,000 volumes, and there is an annual provision for its augmentation. The inhabitants of the town are allowed free access to it under certain regulations. The educational institutions in Manchester were long defective both in number and quality, but great exertions have been, and are now making to extend the benefits of instruction to all classes of the community. One of the results of this commendable spirit is the Swinton School for poor children; a model of its kind. There are two Mechanics' Institutions in the town, several Lyceums, an institution called the Athenæum, a Literary and Philosophical Society, numerous charitable institutions, &c. The other public buildings worthy of notice are, the Exchange, the Infirmary, the Society of Arts or Royal Institution, the Town-Hall, the two Theatres, the new Museum of Natural History, the New Bailey Prison, the Chamber of Commerce, the Free Trade Hall, Free Library, Owen's College, &c &c. A Botanic Garden was formed here in 1830, and there are three Public Parks, the Peel, Phillips', and Queen's. There are six railways diverging from Manchester, which furnish the city with the greatest facilities for extending its trade-viz. the Liverpool and Manchester, the Manchester and Leeds, the Bolton and Bury, the Manchester and Birmingham, the Manchester and Sheffield, and the Manchester and Bowden lines. The immense mills, workshops, and foundries, well deserve a visit from the tourist. Manchester returns two M.P. Pop. 1851, 816,213. The Manchester races are held twice a-year at Lower Broughton.

Salford is separated from Manchester by the river Irwell. It is a large and populous town, returning one M.P. Here has been erected a monument to Sir R. Peel. Pop. 1851, 85,108.