CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



raised in the northern coal-field in 1872, giving 

 direct employment to about 80,000 persons. 

 Until recently, very little iron was smelted on 

 the Tyne, but since the discovery of the Cleveland 

 ironstone, the manufacture has increased pro- 

 digiously. The make in 1872 was about 800,000 

 tons. On the Tyne the yearly produce of steel is 

 3000 tons. Large quantities of lead from the 

 tnines of Alston Moor and Weardale are brought 

 to Newcastle for shipment. Here, too, the silver 

 is extracted, and the lead is rolled into sheets and 

 pipes, or converted into shot, litharge, red and 

 white lead. Copper, too, to the value of ^200,000 

 is annually got from the copper pyrites used at 

 the chemical works of the Tyne. At Newcastle, 

 locomotive and engineering establishments are 

 found upon a great scale. The ordnance works 

 of Sir William Armstrong at Elswick, a western 

 suburb, are well known. 



Bristol is an important maritime city in the 

 -west of England (long. 2 35' 28" W., lat 51 27' 

 -6" N.), upon the rivers Frome and Avon, partly in 

 Gloucestershire, and partly in Somersetshire. It 

 is joined to the former for ecclesiastical and 

 military purposes, but otherwise it is a city and 

 county in itself. The population of Bristol proper 

 was, in 1871,62,662, and of the suburban districts, 

 141,378 ; total, 204,040, steadily increasing ; total 

 in municipal boundary, (1881) 206,876. It returns 

 four members to the House of Commons. It has 

 extensive manufactures of shoes, of chocolate, and 

 of soap. The town ranks fourth amongst English 

 sea-ports in respect of the customs-duties received. 

 There were entered in 1880, 9412 vessels, of 

 1,083,886 tons ; cleared, 9408 vessels of 1,215,082 

 tons. In 187 2, the total entrances were 9 1 03 vessels, 

 and 1,025,264 tons. The clearances outward for 

 the same year shew 4618 vessels, and 538,209 tons. 

 "The custom-duties on imports produced ,1,026,5 J 6. 

 The chief trade is with Canada and the United 

 States, West Indies, and South America, Portugal, 

 the Mediterranean, Russia, Mauritius, Turkey, 

 France, and west coast of Africa. The annual 

 value of exports is about ,400,000. The old part 

 of Bristol consists almost wholly of shops, ware- 

 houses, and other commercial buildings. The 

 streets are, with few exceptions, narrow and 

 irregular, but great improvements have recently 

 been effected. The modern portions of Bristol 

 .are almost wholly suburban ; Clifton, Cotham, and 

 Redland are the principal ones. They consist of 

 fiandsome residences, in squares, terraces, cres- 

 >cents, and detached villas. At Clifton there is a 

 remarkable suspension-bridge over the Avon, 702 

 tfeet in span, and 245 feet above high-water. 

 These suburbs of Bristol, with their breezy down, 

 fertile and prettily wooded neighbourhood, are very 

 attractive as places of summer residence ; but in 

 winter or spring they are, for the most part, un- 

 rsheltered from the high and cold winds which 

 often prevail during these seasons over the district. 

 When they blow, the residents call the weather 

 they produce Channel weather ; thus apparently 

 .attributing the obnoxious character of the wind to 

 the influence of the Bristol Channel. 



The first records of the history of Bristol speak 

 of it under the ancient British name of Caer-oder. 

 It became a stronghold of the Romans, on whose 

 departure it was again occupied by the Britons. 

 In 584 they were driven out by the Saxons, who 

 igave it the name of Brightstowe or Bricstowe, 



236 



making it a thriving place of trade aboriginal 

 slaves being a principal item in the commerce. 

 It was sacked by the Danes. During the civil 

 wars it was alternately taken by the Royalists 

 and by the Parliamentarians; by the latter, 

 the castle and fortifications were raised. It 

 afterwards became the principal port for trade 

 with the West Indies, carrying on a flourish- 

 ing business in negro slaves. In 1793, the 

 ' Bridge Riots' occurred. In 1804 the docks were 

 begun, and in 1809 they were opened to shipping. 

 In 1831, the 'Reform Bill Riots ' resulted in the 

 destruction of the Bishop's Palace, Custom-house, 

 and other public buildings, besides a number of 

 private residences. The bill, by the addition of 

 Clifton, &c. gave the city its present municipal 

 boundaries. Among the names of note identified 

 with the history of Bristol are those of William 

 of Worcester, Sebastian Cabot the navigator (said 

 to have anticipated the discovery of America by 

 Columbus), Chatterton the poet, Lawrence and 

 Baily, artists, Robert Hall, Hannah More, and 

 Sydney Smith. 



Oxford, an ancient and famous city, and seat 

 of learning, the chief town in the county of Oxford, 

 is situated on the north-east bank of the Isis, a 

 tributary of the Thames, a little above the point 

 where it is met by the Cherwell. Both streams 

 are crossed by numerous bridges. Latitude of 

 the city, 51 45' 55" N., long. i 15' 29" W., 55 

 miles from London. Population in 1881, 40,837. 

 Oxford is on an undulating site, is surrounded by 

 rich and wooded meadows, and presents to the 

 eye of the visitor, on approaching it, a scene 

 of great architectural magnificence, spires, and 

 towers, and domes rising as thickly as chimney- 

 stalks in the manufacturing towns of Lancashire or 

 Yorkshire. The western half of the town is the 

 most uninteresting ; and it is unfortunate that the 

 railway stations are placed here, as travellers on 

 arriving are thus first introduced to the meanest 

 parts of the city. The county courts and jail, 

 and the remains of the castle from which the Em- 

 press Maud escaped, will be observed in passing. 

 There is one good street ia this part namely, 

 Beaumont Street, built on the site of the ancient 

 Beaumont Palace, where Richard I. was born. 

 At the end of this street is Worcester College. 

 In St Aldate's Street is Christ Church College, 

 the entrance tower of which contains the great 

 bell, ' Tom of Oxford,' weighing upwards of 17,000 

 Ibs. The other colleges and important build- 

 ings connected with the university lie back from 

 the principal streets. Though there is nothing 

 remarkable about their architecture, regarded indi- 

 vidually, yet the number of the structures, and 

 variety of their style, form an imposing and 

 effective whole ; the effect being greatly strength- 

 ened by the interspersion of gardens, meadows, 

 and venerable trees. Christ Church is celebrated 

 for its magnificent hall, picture-gallery, and library, 

 as well as for its extensive grounds ; its chapel, 

 the cathedral church of Oxford, is Norman in 

 style. It is smaller, and less beautiful, than many 

 other English cathedrals. Merton College is 

 situated a little to the south of the High Street 

 It retains the original chapel, and part of the 

 other buildings erected by Walter de Merton in 

 the 1 3th century. Magdalen College retains its 

 celebrated cloister and tower of the I5th century, 

 and the buildings there are more ample than 





