generally aceeded to the wishes of the operatives. At this time the cotton trade was extremely depressed, and in a memorial which the manufacturers addressed to the government in July, 1815, they made the startling assertion that upon an average of the preceding five years, the losses in the business had exceeded the profits, They also added that whilst the trade had been stationery in this country during the previous seven years, the cotton manufactories on the continent had increased five-fold in the same period. The average annual import of cotton during the preceding six years had been 86,066,464 lbs. In 1806 the import amounted to 58,176,283 lbs.

The annual rush-bearing of 1815 was memorable for the uncommon zeal with which rustic sports and pastimes were revived. The festivities on the occasion were so unusual in amount that 73 head of horned cattle, exclusive of sheep, &c., were consumed in the town and vicinity in the course of a single week.

It appears by a plan of the town taken in 1816, that there was not a solitary house in Royton street, with the exception of a few, each at its termini, and of Mr. Rowland's mansion, and that is not adjacent to the road; there were no houses whatever betwixt Royton street and Bent grange, nor any from Royton street to Cheapside. The portion of the town to the west of Bankside and Lower Bent was not then erected; and the land from George street to School croft, and all along the south side of Union street consisted chiefly of gardens. The various streets now existing from Lord street to Horsedge were not erected for several years afterwards ; and in Bow street, Rhodes bank, and Rhodes field the houses were "few and far between." The state of Greenacres moor at that period, as compared with the present, is still more striking. The whole range of buildings from Rhodes field to Wallshaw mills, and from Wallshaw gravel pits to Workhouse croft had then no

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