New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-08
INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND.
BY ROBERT P. PORTER. MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.
SCOTCH AND ENGLISH MANUFACTURES.

IFRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUFEl
LIVERPOOL Eng. Dec 16-To-morrow night
start for Glasgow where begin my tour OF The lhuuS
trial regions of Great Britain. Take good map OF the
British Isles and glance at Scotland III the vcihl'y
of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Then draw WIN
pencil rectangle with one OF the four Angles AZ
Toward Point near Greenock and DumDartohl' INC
second at Dundee the third at AYR, and the fourtn
at dunbar and within this space are the nanuiac-
turing gions of Scotland This includes IN some
cases all and in others the most populous parts OF
the counties Of Perth, Fife, Stirling, Rentrew Ayr'
Lanark. Edinburgh Dumbarton, Kinross, Clack-
monpap and Linlithgow Within this rectange 10
an area of about four million acres, or one-ffth or
Scotland. and a population Of 100000 while the
remaining sixteen million acres boast population
of but 1.45O, 000-estimating the total population
according to the census of 1881 at 8, I00,ooo' IN
round figures. Undoubtedly the growth OF manu-
featuring I'm this section of Scotland be largely
traced to the coal fields which are almost entirely
within these lines. The Ayrshire coal field has
rinety-nine coal mines the coal field OF the CLYDE
BASIN with Glasgow as centre, no less than 3lO
mines further north nearly to Stirling the Clack-
mannan basin, with thrty-nine mines; then the
narrow basin running east along the banks OF the
Forth to Kilrenny with thrtyseven mines; Lothlans
coal fields running southwest from Edinburgh with
thirty mines and at the extreme southwest the
lower osrboniferous coal continuation of the Cum
berland region Nearly million tons of pig iron
were produced IN 1884, this region, mostly IN the
counties of Ayr and Lanark. Coatbridge, near
Glasgow is the centre of this iron trade, this town
and several others In IT'S immediate nelghborhood
having been practically created by the industry
Within limited 1t is said there are moro blast
furnaces, and greater output of iron than
are to be found in any other region OF the world
4 Z IL IL. rh.rat rIr
mining is carried on in Scotland located within
the imaginary lines I have designated, and only
fourteen places north and ten places south of them
The manufacture of textile goods both woollen,hax
| and cotton is carried on Mt 102 places many OF
which are yeryimportant) within the rectange, ana,
including Aberdeen In about fifty places north and
twenty-seven locations south Of the lines Inc pr-
ciple points TO be visited in this part OF Great Brit
am will therefore be the cities within what may be
called the industrial portion of Scotland compr1s-
| inx Glasgow with population of 5l10OO, winch
perhaps was never in q more fourishing condition
than it is at the present day yet side by side Win
its prosperous commerce and its seats of learning 1t
| can show as much misery and can point to as much
vice as any city of its size the Empire The growth
of the city the most interesting feature in its his
tory Half million of people fight the battle OF
life round the spot where ST. Mungo is supposed to
have pitched his tent For Bishop Raes one bridge
finished in I345) there are now five, and for the
sixteen smelling furnaces of 1880 there are now ten
times the number. Iron, COAL cotton, and
its dye of Turkey red, enter largely into
the causes of its prosperous industry.
Time-honored Edinburgh with 22S,00O inhah-
tants: Dundee, with its population OF $4,000,
where the linen factories and the ironworks have
inteuptedly fOurished since the Stuart: ceased to
trouble the land: the comparatively modern town
(, IoIs tfu Il ire i'm.
portant beetroot sugar interests; Paisley within
seven miles of Glasgow, with a worldwide renOwn
for it's manufactures Perth, the Fair City," with
80 OOO rich in antiquities, and now celebrated for
dve- works; DumbartOn. an important seat OF the
ship-b building interest, with $4,000 people; and
Stirling, celebrated in history, with populace at
the present time OF 10000.
Leaving Edinburgh and coming south, the next
places of industrial importance to visit VIII be the
principal towns of the great northern coal field OF
Durham and Northumberland. The cities OF tins
region are Newcastle, with 10000 inhabitants,
where coal was first worked IN 1860, aud around
which over fifty important collieries are located
Gateshead place Of considerable antiquity and
noted for grindstones; Sunderland near which are
some very deep mines; Durham, noted for wood,
water maids and mustard y; Stockton and Darling
ton where the first railroad laid; and that re-
pion of country along the estuary OF the Tees with
its centre at MiddlesboTough. which owes its great
importance to the expansion of iron manufacture
The remainder of Industrial England can be cas-
ily designated on the map by tracing with pencil
an imaginary South American continent, with Lam
cashire divided at the River Ribble, including
Preston and Burnley, and the northern boundary
line of the West Riding of Yorkshire, for it's north
ern boundary, and Tewkesbury, in Worcestershire.
for its Cape Horn, southern extremity for the
eastern boundary of this great manufacturing area
I shall take the River Trent, as far ms
Burton and then the eastern boundary line OF stat
fordshire and Worcestershire until we reach the
southen point at Tewkesbury for the western
boundary the coast TO Liverpool. and then the
River Weaver to a point just beyond Nantwich
from thence the western boundary of Stafordshife
as far as Bewdey, and from that point the severn
TO the southern extremity of Worcestershire. 1t
will at once be seen that ] have included in this
great manufacturing district South Lancashire, the
West Riding of Yorkshire. that part OF Derbyshre
and NottInghamshre west Of the Trent, the section
of Cheshire east of the Severn all Of StafrdshTe
and that part Of Worcestershire east OF the Severn
II includes the cotton the wOOen the lace the iTOn
the pottery and. indeed the principal manufactur-
ing region of the Empire, and embraces all the great
industrial towns. TO thoroughly study this part Of
England is the only road to the secret Of her wealth
and the only way of forecastng the probabilities Of
her continued progress; aud in prosecuting this
work what rich cluster OF great industrial centres
must be visited! Probably in no country can be
found in such narrow area as have described so
many cities famed throughout the globe for the
products of their workshops Beginning at the
north western corner Of cur imaginary CONT
nent with Preston, we find it noted in the seven
teenth century for " its checks and unbleached
grays y; Burnley is the place where Hargeaves, the
carpenter, invented the spinning jenny Burnley.
modern town with extensive cotton mills ChOrey.