The Express.
London, England, 1846-12-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 10, 1846.

A WALK AMONGST THE WORKERS AT

WORSLEY.

This is a neat village, about eight miles west by
egksben
ionyf-warat h,
to
oeußnrlr.
ia.ntneed Duke
IlToehfy et,w runs
south from Manchester. A canal, one of the earliest under-
o
antovilditt tgehae
collieries
deerfearnestolf
thf Beaririodgenuglhewngaththther,
present owner of the property is that
noble as...°n" the Earl of Ellesmere, who, having a
wutslkinthalltese
parti.lit7 fog the place-u well be may-has. expended, and
as still expendire.. large sums in various improvements.
There is an air (it fft-ltneg and comfort about the place
which is seldom observ.7bise in the lame ie :he rurw
districts of Lancashire. sll the better sort of houses here,
with the mill, the Trost-el:lee, and the hotel, are white-
washed, whilst the dwellings of the labourers, though not
so embellished, exhibit an appeareatte of cleanly comma to
which the warmth of a clear red cast fire is no small
addition during this season of anew and hoary cold
weather. The Earl of Ellesmere is a very extensive
employer, as will be seen, and what is of Mill greater conse-
quence, he is one of the best in England. A servant here,
who has become crippled or disabled by age from performing
his wonted task is never dimissed, the hand of kindness fol-
lows him, sustaining and comforting to his last hour. A
very extensive yard, with workshops, office., and sheds, on
the bank of the canal, and the left of the road as we enter the
place from Manchester, contains the working establishment
of the Earl of Ellesmere at this place. It is like a little
oulony, and nearly every article which is wanted in the vari-
ous operations of the Bridgewster trust is here manufac-
tured. The establishment consists of a superintendent and
three clerks, with a foreman to each separate branch of
operation. There are seventeen millwrights and engineers,
earning from 3s. 4d. to 4s. 6d. per day ; eleven blacksmiths,
earning from 33.6 d. toes.; with four strikers or hammer-men,
at '2B. 6d. each ; two furgemen at frs. a day ; three tilers at
3s. 6d. ; two shoes, at 3a. 6d. ; four verticle and circular
sawyers, at 3s. 10s. ; six joiners, at 3s. 10d. ; twenty-nine
boat-builders, at 3s. Bd. per day ; eight wheelwrights,
at 3s. 4d. ; two couplers, at 3s. 101.; six carpen-
ten, at 3s. 6d. ; one engine tenter, at 3s. 4d.; four sail-
makers, at Is. 4d. ; four masons, at 38. Bd. ; six brick-
setters, at 3s. 6d.; flee painters, at 35. 4d. ; twenty-eight
carters and labourers, at 2s. to 2s. 6d. per day; eight pit
sawyers, working by the piece; two nailer', also earning ac-
cording to the work done; twelve oakum pickers, old men
and boys, earning from 6d, to Gd. per day; one captain of
a lighter, which runs on any occasion betwixt Worsley and
Manchester, said captain also being aged and an old servant,
2s. per day; one boiler-maker, 4s. 6d. per day; one time-
keeper, also an old servant, ls. per day ; and eighteen coke-
burners, who burn at Is. 3d. a ton, and will average about
3s. Gd. a-day each.
Near the yard, in a snug losking building, are the post-
office, and a reading-room for the workmen, the latter open
from nine in the morning to nine at night. It is a very con-
venient and comfortable room, neatly furnished with chairs,
benches, and tables. Against the walls hung a few prints in
frames, one a war scene, of Waterloo, as I thought; the others
plans and sections of machinery. The floor seas covered with a
clean oil-cloth; in the grate was a bright red coal-tire, which
made the place feel homely warm, whilst the tables were
covered with newspapers and periodicals, on the whole
rather fairly selected with respect to their religious and poli-
tical tendencies. The subscribers pay two shillings a year
only for all these conveniences, and whilst I was there, I was
gratified, it being the hour of noon, by seeing several young
men enter, take each a publication, draw their seats towards
the fire, and sit down to spend the intervening half hour
before they returned to work. I expressed my satisfaction at
such instance of the utility of the establishment, and was
further informed by them that the room was well attended
they also expressed a full appreciation of the benefits which
they derived from the institution When this property first
came into posse.sion of the present noble owner, drunken-
ness was very prevalent amongst the workmen, and was
too often countenanced by the foreman and overlookers.
A change for the better has, however, been, with some diffi-
culty and much perseverance, effected in the habits of both
classes; those who could not be reclaimed from drunkenness
have been discharged, and their places supplied by others of
more self-commend ; at present sobriety is the common rule
of all, and intemperance is the comparatively rare exception.
Several other praiseworthy and useful Institutions have
been carried into effect by the Earl of Ellesmere and his
amiable lady. A clothing fund has been established, and
the workmen and their wives are encouraged to lay by a sum
per week or per month, which is placed in the common fund
and laid out for them once a year in articles of bedding or
clothing, which aro divided to them, in proportion to their
respective savings, and at the wholesale cost price. This
division took place about a month ago under the immediate
direction of Lady Ellesmere and her daughtirs. There is
also a Ravings bank amongst the workmen, to which
Lady E. adds five per cent., at the year's end, on all
then withdrawn, and 10 per cent. on all sums, which are
then transferred to the savings bank at Manchester. These
kind and beneficent aids cannot fail to create a feeling
of respect and attachment on the part of the working
men and their families towards their benefactors ;
and such a feeling was displayed in 1812, wt ea the
chartists of Eccles, Patricroft, and ott et places, visited
Worsley and endeavoured to persuade the working men
there to turn-out and join their trumpery strike against nil
labour. Not a man at Worsiey could they move from his
post, and all they got by their visit was an expression of
contempt from those they tried to seduce into a course of
folly and peril.
On the bill above the works is a building of recent erec-
tion and tasteful style, which contains infant and juvenile
schools for boys and girls: 150 children attend the infant
school ; about 90 attend the boys' juvenile school, and
76 the girls' school. It is the rule here that the
oldest child of a family attending any of these schools
shall pay lid. per week, and the other children of
the same family, a penny per week each. The money so
received is paid into the hands of a person appointed to re-
ceive it, and the salaries of the teachers and their assistants
are paid by the same gentleman on behalf of the Earl of
Ellesmere. The course of instruction is the same as at
Walkden Moor, namely, reading, writing, grammar, goo.
graphy, drawing, and the rudiments of music for the boys,
and the same fur the girls, with sewing and knitting in addi-
tion ; the infants receive the usual infantile instruction.
The church, which is in the course of erection, and suf-
ficiently finished to admit of service being performed in it,
stands on a fine piece of elevated ground called the Cross-
field, in consequence of being intersected by several foot-
paths. The style of architecture of this striking and almost
unique structure is of the time of Edward 1f T. The roof out-
side is covered with large scene° slate, from the Delabow
quarries in Cornwall, and the rolls covering the vertical points
of the slabs being of the same material, give it much the ap-
pearance of lead, and add to the durability of the building.
The extreme base of the tower is thirty feet on each square;
the height is seventy-five feet, with pinnacles and flying
buttresses springing from each angle ; the spire, from the
bottom to the top of the finial, will be 105 feet. The arch
of the west door leading into the church, through the tower,
is a beautiful design. Above it is a handsome three-light
window, with bold and delicate tracery. The arch between
the tower and nave is lofty and decorated with mouldings
and splays well executed. There is also a fine arch between
the chancel and nave; it is richly and deeply moulded,
springing from caps tastefully carved, and crowning a corbel
shaft, supported by two well-executed heads, one supposed to
be that of St. Mark, the patron saint ; the other that of St.
Peter. The interior of the church consists of a nave and
south aisle, a chancel, and a private chapel on the south of
the chancel. On the right of our entrance are five arches,
springing from four pillars, and two half-pillare, the
details of each pillar being of a different pattern
hem the others; they are crowned with caps, richly
carved with foliage and heads; the side is lighted
by four windows to the south, and one in the
west, of two bays each. The chapel is divided
by a screen at the end of the south aisle, over which is
another richly moulded arch. At the entrance of the chapel
are two windows looking south; the window east of the
chapel is of three lights, with tracery in the head, of a forte
denoting the equilateral triangle, in reference to the Trinity;
the ease form is preserved in most of the other traceries,
whilst in some there is a blunted square, in reference to the
four Evangelists. The chapel is divided from the chancel
by two open arches deeply moulded, supported by a small
pillar in the centre, with a moulded cap and base, the hood-
mould terminated on the chapel side by some good foliage,
with the crest of the Bridgewater family, and the initials
F. E. On the chancel side the hood-mould is terminated by
a dove, in representation of the Holy Spirit. On the north
side of the chancel are three windows of twobays each, with
mouldings and tracery. On the east is a dof five
lights, with mouldings and tracery as before, but at present
the whole of the windows throughout the church, with the
exception of that of the chapel and the east window,
are glued with " Powell's glass," which is cast 1
in moulds of various patterns and tasteful designs.
The chancel is ascended by two steps, and two more lead to
the altar; the table is placed on another platform six inches
above the last level of the floor, which is formed of encaustic
tiles of rich design. The floor of the chapel is also tessellated,
and the alleys are laid with brown and blue tiles. On the j
south of the altar are two seats of stone, and on the same side l
are six stalls; on the north are seats, in keeping with the
style of the church, for singers,• the chapel, also, is fitted
with oaken benches or seats. The pulpit is of an hexagonal
form, and richly carved, one of the pullets representing the
Birth of Our Saviour; another, the Offering of the Wise
Men. The reading-desk is in keeping with the pulpit. The
seats of the church are all open benches, with carved ends,
and the whole of the seats are of English oak. The roof is
of the same durable material, and there is neither a screw nor
a nail in it; it is richly moulded and foliated, with cups at
the intersections, and carved figures will probably be placed
at the ends of the hammer-beams. The font is of chaste
design and workmanship, and is of Caen stone; the
canopy is of oak, and in keeping with the font.
At the south door is a neat little porch, with
oak roof and rich mouldings ; the door is of oak, '
and displays some elaborate iron work. The clear ,
story windows are of circular tom and varied design, and
on the north side piers and arches are built into the wall, so
as to allow the addition of e north aisle whenever such may
be required. The architect of this singular, and yet
grace-
ful-looking little church, is Mr. Scott, of London, and t
designs are carried, out under the superintendence of
Mr.
WOrdeptl4, the seat of the Earl of Ellesmere, stands at
a short distance south by west of the church : it is a large
and noble structure of stone, with turrets and pinnacles, and
commanding an extensive view of the borders of Cheshire and
Lancashire. It stands on ground much lower than the
church, on the slope of the same hill in fact, and it strikes
me that a better site might have been chosen. The road
passes very near to it, which inconvenience might have been
obviated, had a more elevated situation been chosen.

X. L. M,

IRELAND.
DUBLIN, DEC. 8.
The general topic of tliseamion and speculation to-day is
the commissies of grace to fatale all differences between the
two parties--a ty.tter of mere magnitude than aapears at
first sight. The OW Ireland part;
on the character and independence. of the new men intro-
duced into the commits:ion, and int,.k forward
_,_, to a happy,
reposes with confidence
solution. The Young IreLnd section '""7l,,,c°nr complain
that no voice had been given to them in the °—
sentatives at the board of reference. They approv..
^f the
men, but would wish to have been consulted in the chciBE- I
The commissioners will have a delicate and difficult task.
It is expected the report will appear in a week or ten days.
I am informed, that before Mr. O'Connell's amicable prone.
sition had been made, very powerful :2fluences were at
wa:r. is I,sconcile himself and Smith O'Brien. A distin-
guished occlesiastb: was the mediator. The result of his in-
terference will soon appear,
The Repeal Association has submitted a report on the em-
ployment of the labouring classes, involving a great number
of questions, and varying in practical importance. The
reclamation of waste lands, as a mode of relief, is a topic
which now occupies the public mind, and your readers may
with to know how the association seeks to give practical
effect to the proposition. Where employment on works of a
public character is insufficient for the relief of the popula
tion, the Board of Works is to be empowered to take pos-
session of waste lands, paying the owners the full value, to
be determined by a competent tribunal. The lands to be
selected if possible within the barony where employment is
required. On taking possession, the board to be authorised
to transfer married labourers and their families from any dis-
trict, either at the expense of the district in which they previ-
ously resided, or of the landlord whose tenant, they had been.
A separate sum is also to be allowed for their maintenance for
• short period, chargeable on the barony or the landlord.
As to the terms of the settlement, the settler should occupy
the land rent-free for two years. His rent should then com-
mence for the improved portion, graduating with the im-
provements effected. limey to be advanced from time to
time for out-offices, &c. Twenty acres to be the minimum
allotment to each tenant, which he should be bound to
reclaim, so as to complete the whole within fifteen years.
And when the whole has been brought into cultivation, he
is to be entitled in all cases to a lease of thirty-one years at a
valuation, with a right of renewal. When the government
is owner in fee, the land should be set up to auction anon
after the tenant has obtained a lease, giving to the occupier
the right of pr. -emption ; and to check undue influence, no
tenant of the government is to enjoy the electoral franchise.
The cost of the settlement is the next consideration. A
labourer, it is supposed, could be located on waste land, and
placed in a position to maintain his family for about 401.
Of this the barony or landlord would contribute fa., and
should the government advance the rest, the total expense
and probable profit are then estimated. The aggregate cost
of the purchase of one and a half million of acres, and the
settlement of 75,000 families, is estimated at about five and a
half millions sterling, calculated at 31 per cent. interest.
Tke first year's rent is supposed to accrue at the end of the
fourth, and to be for the three preceding ye..rs thirty shillings
per farm; for the fourth and fifth, two, and the sixth and
seventh, three pounds. At the end of the seventh an ad-
vance of three quarters of a million to be amide to the tenants,
which would make the total capital 5,750,000/. sterling,
bearing interest. From the eighth to the eleventh years, in-
clusive, the rent to be four, and for the twelfth five pounds
per farm. At the end of the twelfth year there will be found
a balance in favour of the lend, to the credit of the interest
account, after applying the rents to pay the interest and
arrears. The baronial debt should then be paid off, which
can be done in two years, by raising the rent to 61. per farm,
leaving a large credit over the interest available for further
advances to the tenantry and paying off the capital. This
may be done in a greater or lesser number of years, according
to the amount of the advances and the increased rental. At
the end of 28 years, the whole rental of the one and a
half million of acres may be estimated at 750,0001., or an
average of ten shillings per acre. Such is the reclamation
scheme, on a limited scale, proposed by the Repeal Associa-
tion, and adopted from the calculations of Mr. Griffiths,
which embraced the entire waste, but improvable surface of
Ireland.
The Drainage Act has failed to confer that benefit on the
landed proprietors, which the application of one million
sterling was calculated to effect. At a baronial sessions in
Clare en Friday last, the defects of the law are very concisely
but clearly pointed out, and embodied in a resolution, sug-
gesting that the assents of landed proprietors should be pre-
sumed if their dissents were not recorded, and that the
Board of Works should be authorised to execute the drain-
age of any particular district, if within a certain specified
time the 'dissents of one-half the proprietors on amount of
property were not declared. This suggestion cuts at the
root of the defect in the Drainage Act. l:nder the circum-
stances in which the counties are placed, the government is
requested to make the necessary advances at the reduced
rate of 31 per cent. interest.
The IVaterford Fr eeman states, on what it considers
" good authority," that the Queen will visit Ireland next
summer. In corroboration of this gratifying intelligence,
the 'Viceregal-lodge is said to be undergoing extensive alter-
ations. Some slight repairs of the ordinary kind are in
progress, but wholly unconnected with the Queen's visit.
Henry Chester, Esq., has been appointed high sheriff of
Drogheda.
A society has been founded in Cork, to improve the social
condition of the working classes in Ireland. A preliminary
meeting was held on Saturday, at which letters were read
from Sir It. Musgrave, Sir J. Anderson, Sir Denham Nor-
reyn, M.P., Mr. Poulett Scrope ; Dr. Carlisle, of London ;
Rey. Dr. Nolan, of Manchester; and promising their sup-
pert and co-operation. A provisional committee has been
formed.

REJECTION OP A GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR RY THE
KILLARNEY RELIEF COMMITTEE. When destitution
first developed itself in Killarney, in the harvest of this year,
a number of gentlemen associated themselves under the de-
signation of a relief committee; they entered into large sub.
seriptions, purchased food, which they retailed at a price
considerably under the current market rates to such as had
procured tickets from any of the members intimating that
they were proper objects for relief. When the regular com-
mittees came to be constituted, Lord Kenmore, as
Lieutenant of Kerry, appointed by the usual forma-
liCes this preconatructed committee; but as this body
refused to be bound by the instructions issued
by the Treasury or the Executive, the Government, as well
to cause uniformity of action as to upheld its views of political
economy, sent an officer (Capt. Reid) to Killarney, to re-
present to the Relief Committee that they mu-t not expect
the government to sanction their abnormal proceedings,
but that they must submit to the general regulations, or
cease to be recognised as a Relief Committee, and it was
intimated to them that the interference with the markets
indicated above could not be approved. The question of
compliance was discussed at the meeting of the committee
on Wednesday last, and the committee, with entire una-
nimity expressed an opinion that it could not, in the face of
markets exorbitawly high, discontinue the practice of selling
to the labourers food under cost price, especially when the
wages of labour was utterly disproportioned to the price of
food.—Capt. Reid, in answer to an appeal to him from one
of the committee, whether the government intended to con-
trol them in the sale of food, replied that he could not answer
that ; hut he thought that if the committee showed good
cause for selling the food at a certain price it might be per-
omitted—This answer was considered unsatisfactory, and the
following resolution was passed.—Proposed by Arthur L.
Bounden, Esq., and seconded by Denis S. Lawlor, Esq.—
Resolved—
That we do receive with perfect respect the instructions for Relief
Committees handed to our chairman by Captain Reid. But that we
adhere to the principles and instructions received and acted on during
the administration of Sir Robert Peel as regards our funds. and most
respeetfully refuse to allow the principles of the Treasury minute of
the 3 tat August to regulate same se toe price of food and of wage.,
particularly believing that the poor cannot afford high prices for tae
former, or inadequate wages for the latter; and believing that the
admission of Captain Reid would sanction our future proceedings,
being guided by the mid minutes, we hereby refuse recognising
Captain Reid, and acting wider instructions which we cannot
approve.
Thus the committee is at issue with the government : it
remains to be seen what course the government will take.
The Cork Examiner says, of the importation of Indian
corn:—" Since our last we have had some arrivals of this
grain. The Champion from Leghorn, the l'omona from
Portsmouth, the Wizard from Terceira, the Neptune from
Viana, and the Fisherman from Naples, have brought
opportune supplies to this port. The entire of the cargoes
of the first four has already gone into manufacturers' hands,
thus giving a seasonable addition to the stocks of the
article, which, as we stated in our last, were run very low
indeed."