The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-02 00:00:00

MR. BRIGHT AT ROCHDALE.

On Saturday afternoon Mr,-Bright laid the corner
stone of a new Town-hall attochdale. The borough
was incorporated about eleven years ago, and has
hitherto been without any better accommodation
for its municipal departments than is afforded by
some inconvenient offices erected for the use of the
commissioners who previously governed the town.
The new erection is to be one of considerable archi%
tectural pretension, and is estimated to cost £60,000,
including the land, of which the area covered is
more than 16,000 square yards. The building will
be in the English style prevalent towards the end of
the 14th century, free use being made of the mul-
lioned windows of many lights, square-headed, for
such offices as may be called domestic. At one of the
angles a clock tower will rise to the height of 150 ft.
Besides a great hall for public meetings or other as-
semblies, there will be accommodation for a commer-
cial exchange, for the magistrates' court, the borough
police, the town council, and the whole executive of
the borough Corporation. The architect is Mr.
Crosland, of Leeds. The site faces the River Roach,
which intersects the town, and it has a background
planted with shrubs, and sloping upwards to the
parish church and vicarage.
As appeared from the remarks made by several of
the gentlemen who took part in the ceremonies of the
day, the occasion had been seized by the local
authorities and inhabitants to offer their distin-
guished townsman, Mr. Bright, a proof of their
neighbourly regard and esteem. The day was ob-
served as a close holiday, and notwithstanding the
weather was wet in the forenoon, an immense ga-
thering of people accompanied Mr. Bright from his
residence ,in a lengthy procession, comprising the
local magistrates, aldermen, councilors, officials,
deputations from co-operative societies, and friendly
societies with their banners. Every spot near
the site which could possibly afford a view of the
congregation of persons assisting at the ceremonial
was covered with spectators, and so urgent was the
desire to have the scene photographed, with the
mayor in a sufficiently pictorial attitude as he opened
the proceeding,s with a speech, that he was made to
pause in the midst of his remarks, when the artist
had got his apparatus adjusted, in order that the
worshipful figure might be taken without distor-
Alr. Bright was.revivgd .with _great cheering
on his arrival at the site.t2'
After introductory speeches from the mayor (Mr.
S. Stott), and the town clerk (Mr. Z. Mellor), Mr.
Bright went through the usual formalities with a
silver trowel, presented to him by Mr. Alderman G.
L. Ashworth, on behalf of the Corporation.
Mr. BRIGHT said—Mr. Mayor, members of the
Corporation, and fellow-townsmen,—I feel it, I
hardly need tell you, a great honour that your Cor-
poration, representing, as I have reason to believe
the Corporation does, the general sentiments of the
town, that I have been invited to take so prominent
a part in the interesting event and transaction of the
day. I am—we all are—in this unfortunate pre,.
dicament, that I believe, however costly and grand
the structure, it is scarcely posiible to make of the
laying of the foundation or corner-stone anything
like a very impressive ceremony. But there must
be something in the whole matter or it would not
have been possible to have called together so many
thousands of the industrious and intelligent popula-
tion of the town. The event of this day is one which
will be markedin the history of our town, because we
shall, as it were, lay, I was going to say we shall be-
gin the beginning, but that does not appear a very
happy phrase—(laughter)--of a building which in
every respect, I believe, will be to the credit of the
population. The site of the building is fortunate,
for it is within a few yards of the very centre
of the borough. The objects of the building, as you
know, are for the transaction of the business of the
borough, for the seat of the corporation, of our mu-
nicipal authorities, for the impartial administration
of justice, for the holding of an exchange, for ad-
ministering the affairs of your gasworks and your
waterworks, which are soon to be in the possession
of the town; "and last, but not- least, for the pur-
pose of providiugfor thetown a grand hall, in which
the free men in Rochdale, in all time to come, may
discuss those great questions which belong specially
to national freedom. I believe the building itself, of
its style, will be one of thefinesterected in England
during our time, audit will be a monument tofuture
ages—to many ages I hope it may be--of the libe-
rality of the inhabitants of Rochdale in 1866, and of
the courage of your corporate authorities, and a
proof of your faith in the future of your town, and of
its great and growing industry. I hope, we all hope
—I speak but the sentiments of every heart here—
I hope that when the building is completed, it may
do credit to the architect, that it may have been
profitable to the contractors, and that it may have
been reared without serious accident to the industri-
ous and skilful men under whose hands it will grow
from day to day. And we hope further that as years
and generations pass over it, it may more and more
be an object, not of interest only, but of loving
affection on the part of the population of this
borough ; and that they may regard it—as the na-
tion and all who visit your town will regard it—as
a proof that there was some greatness in the popu-
lation whichlsee assembled before me to-day. Well,
it is long sine I attempted to speak in the open air.
I have no right to do it now. I suppose that about
4 o'clock some of us will be expected to say something
in:the public hall. lam only sorry that that hall is
so small that but few can be there to hear whatever
may be said, but I must ask you, notwithstanding,
to pardon me if I do not proceed with observations
with which my my heart at this moment is full, if
my physical force would permit me to give utter-
ance to them. But, in conclusion, I must say this,
that from the bottom of my heart I think the autho-
rities of this town and the people,—certainly if they
are not all here those who are here must represent
the whole population of this town,—l say I thank
you that you have permitted me in any way to be
associated with the great event of to-day. I trust
that henceforth our children and our children's chil-
dren may look with pride upon the grand building
which is about to grow beneath your eyes, and
that they may never have occasion to think that
we pasted the bounds of our duty or of a reason-
able expenditure in the great act of municipal
power which we are met to-day to commence. Ac-
cept, then, briefly and iu a word, my thanks for
your kindness. Although, as my friend Mr. Ash-