ZETTEER, 



Birmingham, (War. ^.J a large and hand- 

 fome town, and a fplendid example of the blcflings 

 of inj^'nuity and indullry. The iron manufaflure 

 is fuppofed to have commenced here many ages 

 ago ; but it is not n-uch above a century fmce any 

 of the finer works were introduced. The progrefs 

 of the metallic arts during the eighteenth century, 

 chiefly in buckles, buttons, plated ware, and other 

 ornamental articles, and fire arms, has been afton- 

 ifhingly great. But they are fo various and ex- 

 tenfive, that even an enumeration of them would 

 exceed the limits of this work : and the reader 

 mull be referred to the hillory of the town, writ- 

 ten by Mr. Hutton, an old inhabitant. Birming- 

 ham, fituated in the center of England, has a na- 

 vigable communication, by canals and rivers, with 

 London, Friftol, Liverpool, and Hull, together 

 with all the intermediate and conuefted trading 

 parts of the kingdom. The induitry of the place 

 16 not interrupted by eleftion politics, and it is not 

 even a corporation. Mr. Hutton eftimates, appar- 

 ently upon good data, the fortunes of the principal 

 inhabitants of this great hive of indullry as follows. 

 3 poflVffing capitals of a^i 00,000 



7 - - - 50,000 



8 - - - 30,000 

 17 - - - 20,C0O 



174 from ^5, ooo to - 10,000 



209 proprietors of three millions and a half. 

 He eftimates the number of inhabitants in the year 

 1791 to be 73,653. 



15isH0p's AuKLAND, f Dur. E.J 3 well-bui'.t 

 town on the fouth bank of the Were, has manufac- 

 tures ofmnflin and other articles of cotton. 



Bishops Stortford, ( Htrt. E.) a town 

 fituated in a rich corn country, has a canal com- 

 municating with the River Lea, whereby corn, 

 malt, &c. are conveyed to London, and the coun- 

 try is fupplied with coal and other heavy articles. 



BisLEY, ( Glouc. E.) a town near Stroud, and 

 engaged in the fame branch of the woolen man- 

 ufacture. 



BLACX'BtjRN, ( Lan. E.) a thriving town, for- 

 merly the feat of the nianufaclure of the goods 

 known iu London by the name of Blackburn greys ; 

 but now, in confequence of the great increafe of 

 printing, the chief inanxifaftnre of the place is 

 calico, for which it has become famous. 



Blackness, Llnl. \,) a village on the Ihore 

 of the Forth with a fmall harbour. There is here 

 abundance of coal, and, in confequence of that 

 advantage, confiderable fait works. 



Blackney and Ci-ay, ( Norf. E.) two fmall 

 towns with a harbour between them in the mouth 

 of a rivulet called the Thyme. Many of the in- 

 habitants are fifhcrmen. They have iome foreign 

 trade and coafting, both chiefly iupported by the 

 corn and malt of the adjacen country. 



Blackwater-town, ,^Arm. I.J a thriving 

 village in the field of the linen manufafture. 



Blair GowRiE, Cf/-//>, "-.) an inland village, 

 the chief manufafture of which is brown linen. 



Blandford, (Dcrf. E.) a- handfome town or* 

 the River Stoiir, with manufaftures of thread and 

 ll.irt buttons. 



Blantyre, (Lan. S.J a village wlKrtin a cot- 

 ton mill has lately been crefted, which has doubled 

 the number of houfes and inhabitants, and erJiven- 

 ed the agriculture of the adjacent country. The 

 }.roprietors of the work have the praife of afling 

 as kind guardians to tiie orphan children bound 

 apprentices to them. 



Blarney, (Cork, I.J a village wherein fome 

 cotton goods are manufaftured. 



Blessington, {IVici. I.) an inland town at 

 the head of the Liffey, furrounded by manufa£l- 

 ures of linen and coarfe woolen goods. 



Blythe nook, {Northumh. E.) a town at the 

 mouth of a fmall river, called the Blythe, with a 

 confiderable (hare of the coatling and foreiga coal 

 trade. See Hartley. 



Booking. See Braintree. 



Bodmin, { Corn. .£.) a large town with a manufac- 

 ture of ferges, and fome bufinefs in wool combing. 



Bolton, [Lan. .E. ) a thriving town, tiie ori- 

 ginal feat of the cotton trade, of which it ftill re- 

 tains a large (hare, and of late the manufafturers 

 rival thofe of Glafgow in muflin, and alfo in orn- 

 amental and fancy articles. The goods are moft- 

 ly fold in Manchefter, with which there is a com- 

 munication by a canal. In the year 1773 Bolton 

 and Little Bolton contained 1,178 houfes and 

 5,339 inhabitants, about which time a traveler 

 called it Manchefter in miniature. The inhabitants 

 are now eftimated at 12,000. 



Borrowstov/nness, [Llnl. S.) a town on the 

 fouth ihore of the Forth, with a tide harbour hav- 

 ing 16 to 18 ftct water in fpring tides. Coal and 

 fait are the chief articles of the place, and the prin- 

 cipal exports. The imports are corn, timber, tal- 

 low, hemp, flax, flax-feed, &c. But n uch of this 

 trade has removed to Grangemouth for the con- 

 venience of the communication with the weft fide 

 of the country. About 25 fail belong to the 

 town, of which 12 trade to the Baltic and Hol- 

 land, and 6 to London ; and the others are em- 

 ployed iu coalUng and upon the canal. The Green- ■ 

 land fifhery, in which two fliips were employed, 

 has been given up. Tiiere is a manufafture of 

 earthen ware, made of clay, partly found in the 

 pkce, and partly brought from Devon-lhirc. Some 

 foap is made, and flax-dreffing employs fcveral 

 hands. There are 16 pans for boiling fait. 



Boston, [Line. E.) a large and well-built 

 town, fituated near the mouth of the River With- ■ 

 am, which makes its harbour, and carries barges 

 through the inland country as high a? Lincoln. 

 The . ort ttni carries on a ver)' confiderable foreign 

 and coafting trade, and has a number of good veflels. 



Boyle, {Rofc. /.) a town which has lately ob- 

 tained a very good trade in linen and yam. 



Bradford, [IVilt. E.) a large town, confifting 

 of good houfes moftly built ■• ith ftone, and con- 

 taining about 5,000 inhabitants. Some of the moft 

 capital clothiers in England refide here, and one- 

 4G 2 



