Litchfield enquirer., 1855-09-06
Rides and Rambles in Father Land
CHATTER II. Liverpool and Manchester.

CHAPTER H.
 Liverpool and Manchester.
 Ma. HyATr.-Before leaving Liverpool for tour through the interior, am sure shall be pardoned few more words rela- tive to that great commercial mart The town dates its origin back of the Nofman Conquest. but assumed its present name about the year HOO. Twelve years later it received its first charter from Henry I. The place was nearly depopulated by the plague in l5aO, and again ;n 1851; and fifteen years subsequent to the last date, the inha- bitanss peti.ioned Queen Elizabeth for re. lief from subsidy, in which they style their place of residence, 1" Her Myests's poor decayed to,cn." Even so late as two hun dred years ago. Liverpool contained only about half dozen streets, and was deemed quite an unimportant town. During the commonwealth, it first acquired a claim to historical interest, from the circumstance Of its being besieged by Prince Rupert. nephew to Charles I. The town, after long con test, surrendered to the Prince; but was shortly after re-taken by the Parliamentary forces under Sir John Meldrum. In TOO. it contained about 5000 inhabitants; in 1900. the population had increased to about 7S,O00; and in 1851, the town proper num- bered 25S, ,346. The parliamentary borough of Liverpool (which includes four suburban townships in addition to the above,) has a population of 376,065. The municipal gov- vernment of the borough (for it has no ciiy charter as yet,) consists of mayor, forty eight councillors, who are elected by the burgesses. and sixteen aldermen, chosen by the council. Certain facts in the history of the borough indicate that its affairs were formerly conducted without the regard to forms and ceremonies which usually char. acterized the corporations of England. The records contain several orders directing the members of the council to be clothed decent Y while attending the meetings in their of icial capacity; yet, it appears that so re- gently as l737, George Norton. Esq, then mayor, being saddler, often took his sea, as President of the council with his leather apron on! It has been long the custom ,ha, when child is born to the mayor while in sfic., the town presents his lady with a saoer cradle. The wife of the mayor, Lit- tleials, received such an official present in 1852, which cost 5000.
 l am aware that American readers, gem erally, who are accustomed to see towns and cities spring into existence almost in the lapse of a single year, may find little to astonish them in the steady growth indi- cated by such facts as have here given. Yet must acknowledge myself to have been often surprised at the evidences of thrift and prosperity which met my eyes not only in Liverpool, but in almost every con- siderable town which visited in England. had imagined that the tide of emigration which has so long been setting from the old world toward the new, must have left an observable vacuum in its wake; but I slw nothing of it. Indeed, some of the in- land manufacturing towns may almost be said to have Tiyaled the cities of our west ern States in the rapidity with which they have increased in population and wealth.
 My stay in Liverpool on this occasion was limited to forty-eight hours; and of course my observations as to it's extent and resources must have been comparatively limited and superficial. Yet as l made myself exceedingly busy. and as l had no other object in view except to gra,ify a laudab;e curiosity to see and to learn, soon felt quite familiar with its more prominent features. Its polite policemen, dressed in neat uniform, thread all it's dingy streets. aud are ever ready to direct the wayfarer to any specified ohjec. or locality, and to give all other ncediul information. Little donkeys, carrying O. drawing enormous loads, meet you at every turn, and present striking contrast to the great team-hofses which move along the stferts like elephants, with slow and heavy tread. The sad and the ludicrous are often met with here, as in other large ciiies--and all sorts of expedients are resor.ed to for livelihood. In one place, man was playing flute. for the pennies he could pick up in another, a stout fellow stoed in the middle of the street, ,chisfl,ng variety of tunes, and then passing round his hat In still another place. a young man was fiddIing while venerable man of seventy five was dancing on the sidewalk for the amusement of a crowd of spectators. In the morning. 1t was not an.uncommon thing to see men on their way to the markets with heavy loads of produce on their backs or heads; in some instances, calves and sheep were thus carried to tho stall, from tie farms adjacent 10 the town.
 Rmt | have already linoered too long m