. The earth and its inhabitants .. . I. Fromthis bridge the river is navigable for vessels of 150 tons burden. Warringtonhas iron and steel works, engineering factories, glass houses, and wire are enumerated amongst the articles made here. A few miles lower I LANCASHIEE. 271 down, between Runcorn, on the Cheshire side, and Widnes, the estuary of theMersey has a width of 7,500 feet, but is nevertheless crossed by a magni-ficent railway viaduct. Widnes is a town of evil odour, with chemical works,soap factories, bone-manure works, and copper-smelting houses. Continuing ourjourney, we
. The earth and its inhabitants .. . I. Fromthis bridge the river is navigable for vessels of 150 tons burden. Warringtonhas iron and steel works, engineering factories, glass houses, and wire are enumerated amongst the articles made here. A few miles lower I LANCASHIEE. 271 down, between Runcorn, on the Cheshire side, and Widnes, the estuary of theMersey has a width of 7,500 feet, but is nevertheless crossed by a magni-ficent railway viaduct. Widnes is a town of evil odour, with chemical works,soap factories, bone-manure works, and copper-smelting houses. Continuing ourjourney, we soon obtain a sight of the small town of Garston, after which housesucceeds house in a continuous city, which is half hidden by the rigging of theinnumerable ships and steamers lying at anchor in the roadstead or crowding thedocks. This is Luerpool. This powerful city has only risen into importance in recent times. It is noteven mentioned in the list of towns and villages in the Domesday Book. Fig. 133.— 1: 5 Miles. The first reference to it occurs in the year 1172, when Henry II. was preparingto invade Ireland, and embarked his troops in the estuary of the Mersey. In 1338,when Edward III. made a general levy upon the vessels and sailors of hiskingdom, Liverpool was as yet of such small importance that out of a total of700 vessels and 14,141 men it was called upon to furnish a solitary barge mannedby six mariners. Even as recently as 1571 the citizens of Liverpool, whenappealing to Queen Elizabeth to reduce their taxes, referred to their town as apoor decayed place.* About 1700 Liverpool had hardly 5,000 inhabitants;but the gradual silting up of the Dee, and consequent destruction of the port ofChester, proved of advantage to Liverpool, whose merchants, about this period, * Weale, Public Works of England. 272 THE BEITISH ISLES. began to grow rich, mainly from the profits derived from the slave trade. WhenFuseli, the artist, was called upon to admire t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
