Annual Report of the Council. 303 



Canal Bill, Adamson was the chief actor, but finding himself 

 less successful in dealing with the financial difficulties he 

 retired, leaving it to others to carry out the work. In the 

 course of a few years this great monument to the ability and 

 energy of Mr. Adamson will be completed, and it is matter 

 of the deepest regret that he should not have been spared 

 to see the accomplishment of the great work. 



Mr. Adamson took an active share in the work of the 

 leading technical societies, at the meetings of which he was 

 a regular attendant and frequent speaker. In 1877 ne 

 w as elected a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers. 

 In 1888, the Iron and Steel Institute gave expression to 

 their high opinion of his merits by electing him their 

 President, and in the same year he was presented with the 

 Bessemer Gold Medal . of that body. He was elected a 

 member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society in 1881, under the Presidency of Mr. Binney. 



Mr. Adamson died on January 13th, 1890, after a 

 lingering illness, at his residence, the Towers, Didsbury, 

 near Manchester. 



Mr. Andrew Knowles died suddenly at his residence, 

 Swinton Old Hall, on March 12th, 1890, being then in his 

 sixtieth year. He occupied a foremost position in connection 

 with the coal trade, being chairman and managing director 

 of the great colliery company known as Messrs. Andrew 

 Knowles and Sons, Limited, for a period of sixteen years, 

 that is, from the formation of the Company until his death. 

 Though a Justice of the Peace for Lancashire, his activity 

 was mainly commercial, and he took little or no part in 

 public affairs, beyond giving liberal financial aid to religious 

 and social movements in the district where his life was 

 spent. He was elected a member of the Society in 1862, 

 under the presidency of Mr. Binney. Though he read no 

 papers before the Society he was a generous donor to its 

 funds, amongst other contributions being one of ^100 to 

 T 



