Many of the great towns occupy some of our attention in separate articles, in respect to their industry and produce [AccralloTort ; ASHTON ; BLACKBURN; BOLTON; BURY; CLITILEROE ; LIVERPOOL ; ILLNCHESTER ; PRESTON]. Fleetwood stands at the mouth of the [estuary of the Wyre. The town, harbour, docks, warehouses, and pier were planned under the auspices of Sir llesketh Fleetwood, about the year 1830, on ground which before that time was little else than a rabbit-warren. It was expected that this port would attract a large amount of traffic to and from Belfast, Londonderry, Drogheda, and other Irish ports; and to and from Glasgow and Ardrossan ; but Liverpool still commands nearly all the Irish traffic. The port of Lancaster formerly had a considerable share of the West India trade, which is now in a great degree transferred to Liverpool ; but it still possesses a portion of foreign commerce, and a considerable coasting trade. The cotton manufacture was introduced not many years ago into the town and neigh bourhood, where it has considerably increased. At Leigh the townspeople are engaged in the manufacture of cambrics and fustians; there are collieries and stone quarries in the parish. Oldham has rapidly risen iu prosperity, mainly owing to its being in the neighbourhood of extensive coal mines, which give employment to a largo portion of its population, and to the great increase of cotton manufactures since the middle of the last century. The manu facture of fustians, cotton, and woollen and silk goods is very extensive ; and there are more hats produced here than in any other part of England. Prescot is celebrated for its manufactures of small files, and the move ments and other parts of watches. In ,Rochdale the manufactures are very important. In the time of Edward III. some Flemings intro duced the woollen manufacture into the town; it has continued to flourish, and now forms its staple commodity. Calico, cotton yarn,
and hats are also manufactured. Coal is dug, and slates, flagstone, and freestone are abundantly quarried in the parish ; and there are also iron-works. Bt. Helens has risen into importance chiefly by means of the large establishments of the British Plate Glass Company at Ravenhead, in the adjacent township of Sutton, and of the copper-works belonging to the proprietors of the Parys Mine, in Anglesea, who brought their ore here to be smelted. In Todmorden the inha bitants are engaged in the cotton and woollen manufactures, both of which have greatly in creased. The principal branches of industry in TV arrington, are cotton-spinning, the manu facture of flint glass and glass bottles, machi nery and mill-work, and many branches of iron manufactures. There are steam flour mills, tanyards, malt-houses, one or more paper-mills, and several breweries. Wigan from its situation on the Lancashire coal-field, has increased with the development of ma nufacturing industry. The manufactures of the place comprise linens, calico, checks, fustians, the spinning of cotton yarn, and other branches of the cotton manufacture.
In addition to the details under COTTON and FACTORIES, we give the following sta tistics of Lancashire factories in 1850. In that year there were in the county 1,235 cotton factories, 37 woollen and worsted factories, 9 flax factories, and 20 silk factories. In these factories were about 15,000,000 spindles, and about 185,000 power looms. The machi nery was moved by steam-power equiva lent to about 50,000 horse power, and by water power to the extent of 4,000 horse power. The persons employed at the 1,310 factories were about 240,000 in number, of whom 130,000 were females. Of the persons so employed, about 12,000 were children under 13 years of age.