Bury Botanical and Entomological Society. 393 



which circumstance will account for the lateness of this com- 

 munication. In your Notes and Reflections during a Tour 

 through France (Vol. V. p. 123.), in comparing the state of 

 the lower orders of the people in France with those of Eng- 

 land, you remark, " for ignorance, and the necessity of con- 

 tinual hard labour, both of parents and children, seldom allow 

 the English mechanics to have more than two ideas, getting 

 and expending ; " and further, in your desire for the future 

 welfare of the French cotton manufacturers, you express a 

 hope that they will be prevented " from falling into that 

 dreadful state of degradation which is, or was till lately, 

 characteristic of the Lancashire operative manufacturer." In 

 this last assertion I am particularly interested. What your 

 ideas of our " dreadful state of degradation " may be, I can- 

 not positively say : had you used the word destitution instead 

 of degradation, you would have been more correct *, at least 

 as far as my observation extends ; and, unhappily for me, that 

 observation is practically confined to a part of this county, 

 being a Lancashire operative manufacturer myself. If to be 

 half-employed, half-paid, and half-fed, constitute " dreadful 

 degradation," I can sincerely assure you we are now dread-* 

 fully degraded indeed. 



As for our " ignorance," I don't think we are more igno- 

 rant than any other class of His Majesty's subjects. The 

 intricate paths of science are seldom sought for by any man, 

 whatever his station in life may be, except he thinks that they 

 will lead him to some post of pecuniary gratification ; and 

 even amongst us you might find some instances of devotedness 

 to literature and science. It is no uncommon circumstance in 

 this neighbourhood for a gardener to ask a weaver the names 

 of plants ; botany being a favourite pursuit amongst us, and 

 botanical meetings frequent and well attended. But I will 

 give you an account of some of our societies. 



In 1820, a society, entitled the " Prestwich Botanical So- 

 ciety," was formed, which holds its meetings on the second 

 Monday in each month, for the purpose of raising a fund 

 (towards which each member pays 6d. a month) for the ex-r 

 hibition of specimens of plants, and for the exchange of books. 

 The members have never been numerous, always varying 

 between twelve and twenty, but seem much attached to the 

 subject, They possess about &0l. worth of books, without ever 



* We agree that it would; and are sorry to have used such an ungracious 

 epithet. At the time of writing we had in our mind's eye the condition of 

 the agricultural labourer, ignorant, starved, and reduced to poaching and 

 thieving, with no prospect but the poor-house or a prison. Whatever we 

 have said or may say on this subject, our object is the good of the parties ; 

 not to hurt their feelings. — Cond* 



