PANORAMA OF MANCHESTER. 539 



wur a childt!" and we have an intention of giving new vigour to 

 Miss Sheridan's Comic Offering of next year by an infusion of a few 

 Bolton " bites." So determined is the spirit of wit in the natives of 

 Manchester, that it breaks out upon the most solemn occasions, and 

 its works are visible in the most sacred edifices. The Collegiate 

 Church, we are told, is a fine pile of building, but, like most of our 

 ecclesiastical structures, somewhat marred by numerous alterations 

 and additions, little in unison with each other, or with the style of 

 the original building. Many of the stalls are embellished by carving, 

 and it is here the genius loci shews itself. " The seventh stall/ 7 says 

 Mr. Everett, p. J6, " is inscribed Archidasculus, as being appro- 

 priated to the head master of the grammar-school, and is most 

 grotesquely ornamented, as if in contrast with the supposed austerity 

 of his profession. On the centre of the under part of the seat is seen 

 a fox, decamping with a goose on his back, while a woman, with a 

 child clinging to her petticoat, appears at the door of a cottage, as if 

 for the purpose of crying ' stop thief !' In the circle on the right 

 hand is an old fox, in a sitting posture, with a large birch rod over 

 his shoulder, apparently teaching two young cubs to read, and on the 

 left-hand side is another old fox in the same attitude, intently occu- 

 pied in reading." Then " the thirteenth stall has a boar standing on 

 his hind-legs, and playing on bag-pipes, while four young pigs are 

 dancing in a trough to his music." How exquisite is the wit, and 

 how appropriate are the situations selected for these works of 

 art, and what powerful provocations they must be to devotional 

 feelings ! 



Lest our readers should suppose that the spirit of fancy is defunct 

 or less vigorous at the present time than in by-gone ages, an occur- 

 rence connected with this same carved work will best illustrate. The 

 interior of the church a few years ago was undergoing some repair 

 and beautifying. The " factionaires" for the time being were deter- 

 mined on doing their duty, anxiously looked out to see that all was 

 right, when the brilliant idea struck one of them of painting the 

 cornice, which was crowded with carvings of saints, angels, and 

 fiends. And here his fancy was roused into play, and he caused the 

 " frighted group" to be painted, some like soldiers, with red coats 

 and white gaiters, and some like one thing, and some like another ; 

 and to crown all, lest such a benefactor to the fine arts should go to 

 his tomb unrecorded, he had his name and the date of his exploit 

 inscribed in large characters near his handiwork 



" Tempora mutantur sed non mutamur in illis." 



If there be little in Manchester, therefore, to delight the lover of 

 architectural and pictorial excellence, there is a great deal to interest 

 the politician, and the observer of mankind. It can admit of no 

 question but that when the era arrives in which mechanism and 

 human labour are brought into actual collision, Manchester will be 

 the theatre of great events of events which will probably com- 

 pletely change the face of society. Many men think such a col- 

 lision to be remote, or possibly not likely to happen. The history 

 of mechanism, brief as it is, and its effects upon production, con- 



