MANCHESTER (Sax. Mameestre), a. city, municipal and parliamentary borough of Lancashire, and the great center of the cotton manufacture of the n.w. of England, stands on the Irwell, 32 m. an.e. of Liverpool, and 188 m. n.n.w. of London by railway. On the w. side of the Irwell is the borough of Salford, communicating with that of Man chester by means of 10 bridges, and considered as virtually a portion of the city.
By the census of 1871 the inhabitants of the parliamentary borough of Manchester were 383,843, and the increase from 1851 was 67,255. In the adjoining borough of Sal ford the pop. in 1871 was 124,805, the increase from 1851 having been 39.662. The area of the borough of Manchester is 9.9 sq.m.; of Salford, 7.9 sq.miles. Both boroughs were enfranchised by the reform bill of 1832, Manchester returning 2 members, and Sal ford one member, to parliament. The reform bill of 1867 g,ave Manchester 3, and Sal ford 2 members. Manchester was incorporated in 1838, and Salford in 1844. 3lauchester was made a bishopric in 1847, and received the title of city in 1853. Water for the sup ply of Manchester is collected on the Lancashire side of Blackstone Edge, at Woodbead, and conducted from a series of reservoirs through iron pipes, nearly 20 m., to the borough. The water-works, in which are invested about £3, i50,000, and the was-works, involving about £450,000, belong to the corporation. The manorial and market rights were also acquired by the corporation in 1845 for the sum of £200,000. There are 4 public markets in Manchester, and 2 in Salford, besides the cattle market. Smithfield market in Manchester is more than 4 acres in extent, and is entirely covered in. The market-tolls and rents of Manchester alone amount to .£35,000 per annum. The sale of ras makes a profit of some £44.000 per annum, which is devoted to improvements ia the oorougn. In 1845-46 a public subscription founded 3 parks of about 30 acres each, and the corporation has since acquired a fourth park pi about 60 acres. Manchestpr was also the first borough to take advantage of the free libraries' act, which allows an apprw priation of a penny in the pound on the local assessment for parks, libraries, and museums; and here also was established the first free lending library in England. Five branch lending libraries and a museum have since been established in Manchester, and one reference library, one branch lending library, and an excellent museum in Sal ford; so that, including the old college library founded by sir Humphrey Chcetham, 1662, the people of Manchester and Salford have the free use of upwards of 130,0003 volumes of ancient and modern literature, besides newspapers and peiiodicals.
The two boroughs have about 100 churches belonging to the establishment. The. cathedral, commonly called the old church, built 1422, is a very fine Gothic structure, and has latterly undergone a very extensive process of restoration in its original style. There are 17 Roman Catholic and 180 dissenting chapels, some of which, especially St. John's Catholic cathedral, the church of the Holy Name, and Cavendish independent chapel, are very beautiful specimens of modern Gothic architecture. There are 3 Jewish syna gogues, 4 German churches, and 1 Greek church. The principal public building,s for secular purposes are the town-hall, built at the cost of three-fourths of a million sterling, in Gothic; the royal infirmary, the royal exchange, the royal institution, all in the Grecian style; the free-trade hall, in composite; and the assize courts, in decorated Gothic. There is a home for 150 convalescents in the suburbs, founded by Robert Barnes, a former mayor of Manchester. Many of the warehouses of the merchants are palatial in appear ance, and the business transacted is quite in accordance with the magnitude of the build ings. The floor of the royal exchange contains about 5,170 square yards, and is yet thronged on market-day. Manchester has four private and five joint-stocK banks, besides branches of the bank of England and the national provincial bank. The celebrated Bridgewater canal connects Manch:ster with Liverpool, and access is also obtained for heavy barges by the rivers Irwell and Mersey. There is communication ty railway irb every direction, When the widening of Deanswate, Victoria street, and St. Mary's Gate took place, it caused the demolition of considerb-able property, and the site was sold by the corporation for f,288,960, or i56 per square yard. In Albert square a prince Albert memorial has been erected. A bronze statue of Richard Cobden stands in St. Ann's. square; and there is one of Cromwell (unveiled in 1875) at the foot of Victoria street. Manchester publishes 15 journals and newspapers, 5 of which are issued daily.