OVER DARAVEN is a very flourishing t. of Lancashire, situated amid moorland hills, 3 m. s. of Blackburn, and 191 tn. u.w. of Manchester, with %Odell towns it is connected by the Lancashire and Yorkshire railNmy. It has risen into wealth principally by a trade with India and China in calicoes. At present, there are about 250,000 spindles and 15,000 looms. contained in upward of 40 mills and manufactories, at work in it. The " India mill," erected to contrail 100.000 spindles, is iu every respect one of the finest in the country. It is is first-class stone building in the Italian style, with engine-louse chimney etc., highly ornaimmted, is 100 ft. high, and covers an area of 31.000 sq. feet. The town also contains the most extensive paper-staining works in England, 5 paper manufactories, 1 calico-printing establishment, as well as works for the mean afar. bire of fire-bricks, tiles, and sanitary tubes, iron and brass founding, bleaching; machine and reed making. Coal-mines and stone quarries also find employment for a consider
able number of the inhabitants. The places of worship are-4 churches, 3 independent chapels; a Baptist, Wesleyan, Primitive, Methodist free church. and Roman Catholic. chapel. There are large and cominialions schools fir elemeittary education. The town possesses it covered market, public baths, and a valuable free library. The central stores of the industrial co-operative society, erected in 1807, at a cost of £10,000, contain a pt.blie hall to accommodate 1500 people. This society, which soon had over 2,000 mem bers, has several thriving branches It maintains science classes, and possesses an exten sive library, and well supplied news-rooms, free to members arid their families. Pop. '51. 11,702: '61, 16,492; '71, 21,278; and at the close of '75, the estimate was given at above 25,000.