Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-05-25
coRnrsroSpEN,E or iuE rrrr rnIsS.
Letters from England.
NO. MN.
MANCHESTER, April 81, 1855.

c Impaniuu, " Visit Manchester 80
What can a tourist say Of Manchester .
There is nothing in it for car or eye hut .
sounds and sights of Industry. Nay, hardly |
so much as that, for these cotton lords are as
Jealous Of their mills and warehouses as
noblcmcn are OF their parks and halls, With .
out letters to prorrictors, it is almost useless |
to apply for admission TO the large establish |
mcnts. So tho stranger must content him
self with looking on the dngy cstcriors, and
to the click of machinery ms he
passes through mile after mile of dark, mar
row crooked streets. havnt seen a town in
England 50 unin,iting to visitor as Man
chcstcr-cScept it be Birmingh one
the manufacturing metropolis, the other the
great iron emporium of England Il might
almost say of the world. Both are almost
entirely built of dingy brick and wrapped in
an all penetrating atmosphere of coal smoke
neither will detain the traveller long Ivy any
attractions of architecture or antiquity.
The country in the midst of which Man
chester Is situated is hardly English. 1t is
as fiat and unintercsting as the level portions
of Lower Canada. have repeatedly set my
face toward the country in different directions
IN the hope of finding some of those pleasant
by roads through fields and wood, some Of
those pretty glmpses of sccncry-thosc "bits
Of English" which have found in other
parts. But go far as will, everything is on
the same dead level. and those tall black
chimncys always stand up in the back
ground.
Manchester has long been the stronghold
OF all sorts of heresics Tho /" Manchester
riots in Castlercaghs time, the furious de
monstrations made during the discussion Of
Parliamentary Reform, the " Anti-Corn-
Law. league, - and the Chartist tumults. were
all genuine outbursts Of its noble rage
Manchester politics are radical in the cx-
trNo'. Whrr nozzle lord wishes to express
in the s;rpnsrs. terms his well-hrcd con-
tempt for anything democratic he contrivcs
to associate it with the " Manchester party"
and when a cotton lord makes a speech in the
Free Trade Hall, you may he sure of some
thing close upon the sc0ndaIum m0gnnfum.
Manchester always sends liberals to Parlia-
ment Her present members are men Of no
meaner fame than John Bright and Miner
Gibson, the former notorious Just now for
his TRADES against the war, the latter the
great champion Of the Society for the abo-
lition of taxes on knowledge" and both, in
connection with Mr. Golden, famous for their
cxcrtions against the Corn-laws These three
men form team known in the political
-v,id Ms - ,oOucn. Drignt. ''i'',o,. o., -
whose backs the Times so loves to lash, that
in parliamentary rccesse. and whenever
there is dearth of other matter, Golden,
Bright and Gibson are sure to be whipped
through series of leaders However once
heard Mr.. Golden say that he didn't believe
/ there were three mon in England who had
thicker skins Mr.. Bright is capital
stump orator. have heard him bring down
the - bray of Exeter Hall" when a real live
earl could not start q grtnt. lie is one Of
those fat well-condi toned men, whose very
look speaks ofbread- and butter, cold tongue
and those nice things which people cannot
think Of without being good humored. lie
has a plain, homcly, business way of talking
but all he says comes out with plumpnes'
and an JUNCTION which gives it kind o
grace. Mr.. Golden talks like clear headed
man master of his subjects and though he il
no orator, he talks so like man who lovci
his friend that it is pleasure to hear him
Miner Gibson is not good speaker, but he
handles facts well and can make q very stub
born argument. His speech for the repea
of the advertisement tax during the las
session of Parliament, as it is reported il
- IIausard's debates is the most convincin.
in the volume.
Socialism could formerly muster consid
cradle force in Manchester The socialist
had large hall where they used to congrc
gate in masses on Sundays for political dis
cussions. 1t is a gratifying fact that tn
Hall has recently been converted into
reading room, IN conncxion with which is
large library free to all classes.
Manchester has three colleges Owen
college. the Lancashire Independents col
lege, both of which are empowered to Sen,
students to the University of London fo
degrees, and Chetham college which provide
for the education of hundred poor children
from six to fourteen years of age. larg
free library is also attached to Chetham col
lege. | am told that there is no place IL
Eng land where there are more ample char
ties for the education OF the working classes
for the instruction Of the deaf, dumb, an,
blind and for the medical treatment of thu
poor The most imposing buildings in Man
chester nre its noble lnfrmary, where from
two to three thousand patients are treated
yearly, and its Asylum in which $50 deaf
dumb, and blind children are instructed an,
provided for.
The churches Of Manchester are mcstl,
built Of stone and many of them are yer!
beautiful. The Cathedral is fine old build
inS of the fifteenth century in the ornament
ed Gothic style. Manchester has not long
been city what is now the cathedral wa'
formerly a collegiate church like West
minister abbey, Perhaps some of your read
crs may not know that in England no place
can he u city except it be the seat of Bishop
When have said that the river lrwcll sepa
rates Manchester from the large borough OF
Stafford, and that the two contain population
bordering on four hundred thousand | shall
leave this city of spindlcs and radicals, anc
make my way to the quiet, aristocratic, old
city OF York,
Your chronicler,
griffin.