The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-23
Elihu Burritt on the WBlack COuntry.v y

Elihu Burritt on the "BlaCk Country"
Elihu Buiritt has just published in England a
new DO *, called "Walks in the Black Country
and Its Green Border-Land,n y of which the Lon
con T. EcGmn6r says:-"The greater part of this
Yoh m appears to have been written in the first
in anca as report to the Department OF state
az Washington, from the American consulate at
Birmingham. Mr. Burritt, the consul for that
district, afterwards introduced some more
interesting details respecting the scenery,
public buildings, and historical associations
of the Black Country and its surroundings, in
order to make 1t more readable to persons not
deeply interested in the facts, figures and sta
tistics of manufactures and trade contained
therein. The author has thus worked up
pleasant volume, OF necessity somewhat desul-
tory, but illuminated throughout by his fasei-
"T6e hrst few chapters treat of the political
and social history OF Birmine nam, Of its great
men of science inventors, re CORNERS, and art
lists; of its institutions and public buildings; OF
the rise and progress OF Its Mechanical and
manufacturing industries, and more important
establishments. We are afterwards introduced
to the chiet towns and centres OF industry OF
the ueighborhood, including the principal iron
manufactures glass works, and the like. The
later chapters, devoted to the Green Border
Iand' which surrounds these centres OF trade
and commerce, aud in:ludes within il the
famous historical names OF Kenilworth and
Coventry OF LiChfeld, and Strattord. ou-AVon,
will be found the most interesting portion OF
the volume by the general reader. An extract
from tie Introductory pages will afford
favorable specimen OF MIR. Burrtts picturesque
style;--
by night, cannot be matched Tor vast and varied
production by any oJber space of equal radius
on the surface OF the globe. 1t Is section of
Titanic industry, kept in murky persplration by
a sturdy set OF TUbal Gains and Nulcaus, week
in week out, and oiteu seven days to the week.
Indeed, The Sunday evening halo 1t wears when
the church bells are ringing TO service on
winter nights. gloHs 'redder than the moon,'
pts lsn ha mo q m no
clouds above the roaring furnaces. 1t is little
dual world of itself, only 10 be gauged perpen-
dicularly. Tue better half, 1t may be, faces the
sun; but the richer halt, averted thence, looks
by gaslight towards the central fires. If that
subterranean half could be for an hour inverted
TO the sun; II its inky vaults aud tOrtuOus
pathways, and all its black-rooied chambers
could be but once laid open to the light
OF day, the spectacle would be a worlds won
der, esDecally If il were uncovered when all
the thousands OF the subterranean rOadmaEers,
or the btgrimed armies OF pickmen, were
bending to their work. What a ueighinE OF the
nit horses would come up out or those deep
coal CTateTs at the sight and sense of the sun
liphtl What black and dripping forests of
timber would be disclosed, brought from all the
wild, wooded lands OF Norway, Sweden, and
!. Canada, 10 prop up the rough vaults and sus-
tain the eNcayated acres undermined by the
pick =
y "'The Black Country is beautifully
fran ed by a green buIdeIlaUd; aud that border
is IiCh and redoleut win two beautiful weallhs
the sweet lie o, natures hapIlrst springs aud
summers, and the hive and romance Of Eug-
lands happiest industries, Piaut, in magma
ton, one foot OF your compass at the Town Hall
in rmiDgham, and with the other sweep a cir
Gle oil twenty miles radius, and you will have
The Black Country" with all its industries in
q green velvet binding inwrOught or tapestried
with historical scenes and carly Fairgrounds Of
brilliant imagination and poetiCai fiction, Just
pass the gaugiug-rod Of mechanical enterprise
tBrough the volume from Coventry TO Kidder-
minister and see what specimens of hand-
craft it will bring out and show, like q
string of beads OF infinite variety of tint
iGg and texture. See what wares intervene
between the two opposite cXLremities-betweeu
the ribbons OF Coventry and the carpets OF
KiddeIminster; or between the salt oars of
DrotWich and the iron bars of WOlyCrhamp.
Then let the history-miner run his rod through
and see what gems he will bring out between
LiChGeld Cathedral and Bakers Church at
KiddeImiuster, or between Stratford- su-A Won
and KcnilWorth or Warwick Castle. Let him
notice what manner Of men have lived within
tins circuit, ana what manner of mark their
lives and thoughts made upon it and upon the
wide circumference of the world. Then let him
travel from rim to rim OF the district, and study
its physical conformation aud its natural
sceneries, and he will recognise their symmetry
with the histories ana industries with which it
teems,'n