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 92 MANCHESTER MANCHESTER (anc. Mancunium), the most important manufacturing city in Great Britain, situated in the S. E. corner of Lancashire, on both sides of the river Irwell, 162 m. N. N. W. of London, and 31 m. E. by N. of Liverpool. It consists of Manchester proper, including several suburbs on the E. bank of the Irwell, and the borough of Salford on the W. bank; pop. in 1871, 475,990, of whom 351,189 were in Manchester city, and 124,801 in Salford (ex- clusive of suburban districts not lying within the municipal limits). The two towns, although having distinct municipal governments, consti- tute in all other respects one city. They are connected by eight bridges, among which are the Victoria, of a single arch, and Blackfriars, of three arches, of stone ; the bridges of Strange- ways and Springfield Lane, of iron ; and the iron suspension bridge of Broughton. The streets are intersected by numerous canals, crossed by bridges, and are generally well paved and lighted ; but the site is low, and notwith- standing the recent improved drainage and the introduction of an abundant supply of pure water, Manchester is still one of the most unhealthy places in the kingdom, the annual death rate being about 3 -2 per cent. A portion of the place still presents an antiquated ap- pearance, but there are many handsome streets, such as Market street, Portland place, Grosve- nor square, Mosley street, George street, King street, Ardwick green, Salford crescent, &c. There are several handsome public parks and gardens, of which the most important are the botanical and horticultural gardens ; the Peel park, on the Irwell, with an area of 32 acres; Victoria park, between London and Oxford roads, a space of 140 acres, cov- ered with villas ; the Queen's park, Phillips park, and Alexandra park, opened in 1870. The buildings devoted to business and man- ufactures have gener- ally an imposing ap- pearance. A marked change has been made of late years in the architectural charac- ter of the city. New squares have been l:i-l '"it, new streets opened, and commer- cial buildings of a more ornamental ap- pearance have been erected. In Manches- T proper, in 1872, there were 168 places of worship, of which 8 were Baptist, 51 Church Kngland, 26 Independent, 45 Wesleyan and other Methodist, 12 Roman Catholic, 9 Pres- '>r. nan, and 5 Unitarian; including Salford the whole number exceeds 200. The parish' church, commenced by Lord Delaware in 1422, and since 1847, when Manchester became a bishopric, the cathedral, is a highly ornamented Gothic structure, 216 ft. long and 120ft. wide; but being built of a soft and mouldering stone, many repairs have been necessary, which give the structure a modern appearance; it has within a few years been restored at a great ex- pense, and a new tower has been added to re- place the old one, which was found incapable of restoration. There are several other hand- some churches, among which are St. George's, in the suburb of Hulme, and the Roman Cath- olic cathedral of St. John, in Salford. Trin- ity church in Salford, the oldest in the bor- ough f has a fine Gothic tower, and is interest- ing from the antique aspect of the interior. The old town hall, in King street, is in the Grecian style, and contains a hall 130 ft. long by 38 ft. wide, having its walls and dome cov- ered by allegorical frescoes ; but having become inadequate to the needs of the city, a new town hall, commenced in 1868, has been completed at a cost of 250,000. The new exchange is an Italian edifice, with a porch flanked by two towers, the great hall having a clear breadth of 120 ft. The corn exchange is an Ionic structure capable of holding 2,400 persons. The free-trade hall, somewhat irregular but large and effective, occupies the site of the old free-trade hall, and like it is noted in the his- tory of Manchester as the place of several im- portant political meetings. The new building, erected in 1856, occupies an area of 20,700 sq. ft.; it contains a hall 134 ft. long, 78 Eoyal Exchange, Manchester. wide, and 52 high, and will hold 5,000 per- sons. The Salford town hall is one of the handsomest buildings in the town. The new royal exchange has a handsome front with Corinthian columns; its great room is 207ft. long, 193 wide, and 80 high ; the roof is sup- ported by two rows of pillars, with a span of