Page:The Grand junction railway companion to Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham; (IA grandjunctionrai00free).pdf/179

Rh the assaults of the Civil Wars in 1462, the country about it haring been laid waste by the Earl of Derby, who, however, after a spirited assault and several days' seigesiege [sic], was unable to take the town, and obliged to retire. Manchester has now two Members of Parliament, and Salford (which may be considered as part of Manchester) one; the former sent a Member to Parliament (Charles Worsley, Esq.) in the time of Cromwell. We have but little of the early history of Manchester to record. In 1715, the "Young Chevalier" entered the town, and put up at what is now called the Palace Inn. Manchester was early distinguished for the prevalence of Jacobinical principles, and if the "Majesty of the people" now predominates, we may assert that the same feeling is merely diverted into another channel.

The principal markets of Manchester are held on Tuesday and Saturday (for Market-places, see page 174); they are, however, pretty well supplied every day in the week. Its fairs are on Whit Monday, Oct. 1st and 17th, for horses, cattle, &c., &c. The municipal government of the town is vested in a Borough-reeve and two Constables. The chief duties of the Borough-reeve is, to preside over public meetings, to attend to the distribution of money arising from bequests, &c. The business of the police is attended to by the constables; and there is a Stipendiary Magistrate appointed to administer criminal justice, who has a salary of £1,000 per annum. He sits every day but Sunday. We now proceed to give a hasty sketch of the town, in which,