the Punch Bowl.) The constables and their assistants were soon special drunk, and began to quarrel with each other; from words they soon went to blows. The house where we were, belonged to the clerk of the parish, whose son thinking me ill used, took my part. One of the constables took him by the collar, on which he wrested the staff out of the drunken constable's hand, and broke his head with it: the next day I was taken before a justice, and bound over to the quarter sessions, but I traversed, and had it tried at the assize ; from thence the cause was sent back to the quarter sessions, where it was given against me."

Notwithstanding that a large proportion of the working population were as yet somewhat rude in manner and rough in speech, many of them manifested, in common with the natives of most other parts of East Lancashire, considerable shrewdness and perseverance of mind, which was brought to bear with wonderful success in the promotion of the inventions which created the greatness of the cotton manufacture. A few particulars of the earliest cotton mill owners may be interesting: Mr. James Smethurst, the owner of Water street mill, was one of the Smethursts, of Bent, relatives of the Smethursts, of Stock brook; Mr. Joseph Milne, of Holebottom mill, was afterwards owner of Lower Sheepwashes mill, and was ancestor of Messrs. Milnes, now of Wallshaw and Primrose mills ; Mr. James Lees, of Wallshaw mill, was a highly enter- prising and spirited manufacturer, who rendered the concern of which he was the originator, one of the greatest in the district; he was of the family of Lees of Mumps, and was the father of Mrs. Jones, the lady of Joseph Jones, Esq., now the principal proprietor of Wallshaw mills. Mr. Lees, who raised himself from the extremest drudgery of the spinning room to the position of one of the most opulent inhabitants of the township, died January 28, 1822. Mr. John Lees, the owner of Acre mill, was of the family of the Leeses

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