1797] 
point of view. The town feems to 
{pread its wings to a great extent every 
way, and the churches, and other build- 
ings bear a modern afpect. 
Lereps, from being, an inconfiderable 
town, has, by the manufaéture and fale 
of broad cloths, increafed its fize, wealth, 
and population, to a wonderful extent. 
It is now fuppofed to contain 32,000 In- 
habitants ; and houfes, nay, whole addi- 
tional ftreets, are building every year. 
‘The prefent war, has, indeed, caufed a 
ftagnation in mafonry; the woollen 
trade, however, feems to continue very 
flourithing. ‘The ftreets in the old parts 
of the town, are narrow; but thofe oc- 
cupied by merchants, manufacturers, and 
fupericr trade{men, are broad and {pa- 
cious. The houfes in that latter fitu- 
ation, are uniform and elegant, and fo 
clean, even on the outfide, that not a 
{peck can be feen upon the broad foot 
pavement. Indeed, in a confiderable 
portion of Leeds, the inhabitants enjoy 
at once, the focial pleafures of the town, 
and the fine air and cheerful profpects 
of the country ; the modern houles being 
either built in a line, with an open view 
to the fields, or in large fquares, the 
areas of which are covered with grafs 
and fhrubs, and kept in the neatett 
order, The town, taken generally, is 
kept clean, every ftreet having a flagged 
walk on each fide. The buildings are 
chiefly brick, and covered in with white 
flate. 
Cloth is expofed for fale on Tuefdays 
and Saturdays, an hour and half each 
day ; and the merchants are not al. 
lowed to buy, nor even to look at cloth, 
except at thefe appointed hours. ‘The 
_ times of fale begin and end by the ringing 
of a bell ; and if a merchant is found in 
the hall after the bell has ceafed, he for- 
- feivs five fhillings. There are two cloth 
halls, the one for coloured, and the other 
for white cloth; but the coloured cloth 
hall is the principal; it contains ftands 
for 1670 people, who may there expofe 
two or three pieces each, and is gene- 
rally full. Upon the whole, the trade 
and manufaéture of this town, in its 
effect, if one may conjecture from ex- 
ternal appearances, feems almoft equal 
in lucrative produce to a Peruvian 
mine. 
A fort of crow coal is got near Leeds. 
The canal joins the river Air here, 
which is navigable for {mall craft till 
it enters the Humber, whence an eafy 
paflage is had to Hull. By the fame 
route fmall veffels from London can 
havigate to Leeds. 
MontuLty Mac, No, XIV. 
I did not find in 
Tour of England.—Leeds. 123 
Leeds that narrow-minded jealoufy 
which I had met with at Bradford, re- 
lative to the public expences, &c. of 
the place; the gentlemen of this town, 
who had the care and direétion of thefe 
affairs, were ready and even folicitous to 
give me every neceffary information. 
To the treafurer, in particular, Mr. 8. 
GAawTHROP, and his worthy family, 
I owe great obligations, for the many 
civilities I received from them, duting 
my ftay in Leeds. 
The poor of the town are well fed 
and taken care of ; indeed, they, as well 
as the people at large, are happy in 
having a worthy and very honeit man 
for governor of the workhoufe, a Mr, 
Linfley, who was formerly a manufac- 
turer in this town. His temper and 
difpofition, as well as thofe of his wife, 
feem peculiarly adapted for their charge ; 
mildnefs, and attention to the complaints 
of the meaneft, joined with firmnefs of 
manner, gain the love and refpeét of 
thofe who are fo unfortunate as to come 
under their eare. [- am at the fame 
time convinced, by his open manner of 
fhowing me the books, that he tranfaéts 
the bufinefs of the town with reétitude 
and economy. 
Almoft every operation in the manu- 
fa€ture of broad cloths, in and near this 
town, is now performed by machinery ; 
by which the manufacturers are enabled 
to fell their cloth confiderably cheaper 
than formerly. ‘This occafions very few 
hands to be wanted in the firft flages of 
the manufaéture, particularly in carding 
or {cribbling the wool, and {pinning it. 
That circumftance, on the fff intro- 
duétion of machinery, deprived great 
numbers of people of work in that way ; 
and fome unreafonable murmurs are ftill 
made -againft the ufe of machinery in 
general, under the unfounded notion of 
its being injurious to the poor. 
[ Yo be continued. | 
To the Ediior of tbe Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
A™MONGST your many learned and 
ingenious correfpondents, I hope 
fome one will be found obliging enough 
to inform me,. through the medium of | 
your Mifcellany, of the mode the Romans 
had of executing the primary rules of 
arithmetic, anterior to the intreduG@tion 
of the Arabic numeral characters 
amongft them. A knowledge of arith- 
metic, I apprehend, they muft have 
had,«fince fo many inftances remain of 
their acquaintance with mechanical pow- 
ers, which are {carcely afcertainable with- 
ued ous 





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