Preston is now one of the great seats of the cotton manufacture iu England. The manufacture of linen, which was formerly the staple trade of the place, is still of considerable extent. There are several Hand-loom weevers are numerous. There are several iron and brass-foundries and machine factories. Melting and brewing, tanning, and rope-making are carried on. The borough has an ancient fishery on the Ribble, which abounds with salmon, smelt, plaice, and eels. The river is navigable at spring-tides to within a quarter of a mile of the lower bridge for vessels drawing 12 feet of water. Preston is a free port, and there are bonding warehouses on the quay. Coal is brought in by the navigation of the Douglas River, which joins the Ribble eight miles below the town. The number and tonnage of vessels registered at the port of Preston ou December 31st 1853 were as follows :—Under 50 tons, 79 sailing-vessels of 3007 tons, and 6 steam-vessels of 145 tons ; above 50 tone, 42 sailing-vessels of 3929 tons, and 4 steam-vessels of 768 tons. During 1853 the entries at the port were :—Inwards, Bailing-vessels 610, tonusge 29,066; steam-vessels 72, tonnage 9270: outwards, sailing-vessels 595, tonnage 31,247 ; steam-vessels 8, tonnage 870. By the Lancaster Canal, Preston com
municates northward with Lancaster and Kendal, and southward with Morley, where the Leeds and Liverpool Canal connects the town with the great canal system of the manufacturing districts. By railways Preston has communication with all parts of the kingdom. Annual, general, and quarter sessions, a county court, and a court of chancery for Lancashire (alternately with Liverpool) are held in the town. Races are held annually in the Holmo, on the left bank of the river. A horse-fair, called Great Saturday, is held during the week ending the first Sunday after Epiphany ; a fair of three days begins March 27th, one of eight days May 26th, and one of five days November 7th. A festival called a Guild Merchant is held by the corporation every twentieth year for a week at the end of August or beginning of September. The markets are held in a spacious and well-paved square in the centre of the town. The Saturday market, which is the largest, is principally for corn ; those of Wednesday and Friday are for butter, vegetables, and fish.