The government of the city of Chester assumed the form of a regular corporation as early as the reign of Henry III. The last charter in its favour was granted in 1676 by Charles II. According to this, the govern ment of the city is vested in a corporation, consisting of a mayor, recorder, 2 sheriffs, 24 aldermen, and 40 corn Mon councilmen. Of the latter two are leave-lookers, whose office it is to inform of all persons exercising trades within the city without being freemen. The two senior officers are murengers, or receivers of the murage duties for repairing the walls; and two are treasurers, who are usually next in succession to the mayor. There are like wise a sword and a mace-bearer, and various other infe rior officers. The exclusive power of election into their own body is assumed by the corporation, though the right of such election was, by the charter of Henry VII., vested in the freemen, citizens, who by their OWD un wise conduct have forfeited the privilege. This city has often been honoured with royal visits, and is remarkable for its perseverance in the cause of royalty when besieg ed by the parliament army in 1645, at which period the inhabitants of the garrison were exposed in the severest manner to all the calamities of the most distressing fa mine.
Chester is distinguished as a sort of provincial metro polis, many of the gentry of the neighbouring counties making it a place of occasional residence. Its poorer classes of inhabitants are chiefly occupied in the trades common to a great town inhabited by opulent families. The only manufacture of consequence is that of gloves, which are made in vast numbers, principally by women. Herc are also a small manufactory of tobacco pipes, iron foundries, snuff mills, and large establishments for ship building, which furnish additional employment. The lat ter business is carried on to great advantage, many ves sels from 100 to 500 tons being built yearly. These, in point of strength and beauty, are reckoned as complete and durable as those built in any other port in the king dom: the materials are entirely of British oak. Two manufactories for shot, and one for white and red lead, are likewise established here. The shot is exported to America in large quantities.
The maritime business of Chester chiefly consists of the Irish and coasting trades, with a small portion of trade to foreign parts. The quantities of linen cloth im ported from Ireland are very great ; and for the better accommodation of the merchants, a new hall was erect ed in the year 1778 : this is a handsome square brick building, inelosing a spacious area, and containing III shops. Besides linen, there are various other articles both of import and of export ; for an enumeration of which, see the article CHESHIRE. From the large
cheese warehouse on the river, vessels are laden with cargoes of this article for London. The limits of the port extend on the Cheshire side of the Dee as far as the end of Wirral, and on the Flintshire side to the mouth of the river Clyd ; yet, notwithstanding this, and for all the variety at the same time in the commercial objects here attended to, the number of ships belonging to the port is but small.
The port of Chester was much improved during the last century. The great breadth of the estuary of the Dec, and the comparative smallness of the body of wa ter flowing through it, rendered it liable to be choked up by the sand brought in with the tide ; and this gra dually took place to such a degree, that in the year 1674 vessels of 20 tons could scarcely reach the townk, while ships of burthen were obliged to lie 10 mi!es farther down below Neston. In that year, accordinglv, a plan was devised for the purpose of making a new channel for the river, and at the same time of recovering a large tract of land from the sea by embankment. In the year 1732, a company was established for the execution of this project, through whose exertions, though with much difficulty, and after many losses, a fine canal was made, with high banks, by which the river is confined, for the space of eight miles, with such a depth of water, as to allow vessels of 350 tons burthen to come up to the quays at common spring tides. The cross embank ments, made at the same tune, have preserved a con siderable quantity of land from the sea, and flourishing farms now occupy the space that was formerly bare sand, covered every tide by the water. Two ferries across the canal, or new river, preserve the communica tion with the opposite country of Wales.
The population of Chester, on an enumeration made in the year 1781, was found to be 14,860. Of this num ber 6339 were males, and 8521 females ; and, by various calculations drawn from the bills of mortality, the pro portional healthiness of the city appears to be considera bly greater than that of most other towns in England. This may possibly be owing to two causes independent of the salubrity of the air ; the situation, viz. of the build ings, on a dry sand-stone rock, and the far less propor tion of poor inhabitants than is usual in places whose chief support arises from manufactures. It has been remarked that in this city the number of births is equally disproportionate as that of deaths, to the amount of the existing population.