UNTIL the beginning of the present century Bradford may be described as a place of no importance, though supplied by nature with every requisite to make it what it has now become, a town of the first magnitude. It is situated in the West Biding of Yorkshire, bordering on the Craven district, so well known for its wild and beautiful scenery; is a parliamentary borough and market town, and lies in a valley following the course of the Beck, which runs out into Aire- dale. Its position is admirably adapted to the successful carrying on of the manufactures for which it is so famed, the numerous streams which descend from the hills surrounding the town, feeding the Bradford Beck, a tributary of the Aire; in addition to this, numerous beds of coal exist in the neighbourhood.

Thus there were two agents, water and fuel, only waiting for the advent of machinery and steam to make Bradford what it now is, one of the chief industrial centres of England.

Little is known of Bradford prior to the Roman conquest, but some slight evidence of Roman occupation has been found in the neighbourhood. In the time of William I. brief mention is made of the Manor of Bradford which, with a large tract of surrounding country, he gave to Ilbert de Lacy in return for services rendered at the battle of Hast- ings. Considerable progress was made under the Lacys, a charter for a market to be held every Thursday being granted, in addition to which a manor court was held for the recovery of small debts, and to obtain redress for local grievances.

This court continued in existence until 1867, when all manor courts were abolished by the County Court Act.

At the beginning of the 14th century we find the population did not exceed 650, and the manor was granted to the Earl of Lancaster, the Lacy family having become extinct. Eventually it became the property of the Crown, and was let by Charles I. to the Corporation of London for a yearly rental of 351. The property was afterwards sold to some local gentlemen, and having passed through various hands came into the Marsden family; from them it was con- veyed in 1795 to Mr. Benjamin Kawson, of Bolton-in-the-Moors, whose daughter, Miss Elizabeth Rawson, of Nidd Hall, near Knaresborough, is the present lady of the manor. The town seems to have been little affected during the disturbed times of the 15th, 16th, and 17th cen- turies. Only twice do the inhabitants, who were in favour of the Parliament, appear to have been attacked by the Royalist troops, when the town after a rude fashion was fortified and endured a siege, the church tower being hung round with woolsacks to protect it. In the second attack, the first having been repelled and the Royalists beaten back, the defence of the town was entrusted to Sir Thomas Fairfax, but he was defeated and his wife taken prisoner. The effect of the civil war was severely felt by the inhabitants, the greater part of a century passing away before the town began to recover itself.

Bradford has long been considered the chief seat of the worsted trade. So far back as the commencement of the 14th century there existed a fulling mill, showing that the manufacture of cloth was even then carried on. The improvement in this industry was supposed to have been due to the settlement in Bradford of colonies of Flemings who were persuaded by Edward III., and subsequently by Henry VII., to come over and settle in England. The civil war brought a long period of depression, and it was near the close of the 18th century before any advance or improvement was made in the trade. In 1773 a Piece Hall was erected to accommodate the merchants and traders who began to assemble on the market days, and the following year the Bradford canal was constructed in connection with the Leeds and Liverpool canals, affording communication with all the ports on the east and west coast of the kingdom, and lines of railway connect the town with all parts of the country. About the same time a greater impetus was given to trade by the manufacture of worsted being transplanted to a great extent from Norwich to Bradford. The population in the next twenty years nearly doubled itself, and in 1798 the first worsted mill was erected. With the introduction of steam and machinery an immense in- crease in trade was obtained. Capitalists came to the assistance of the native manufacturers, and mills began to multiply to an extraordinary extent, much to the discontent of the hand loom weavers and spinners. The trade of the town too expanded with rapid strides, and the population, which in 1800 was only 13,000, rose in 1871 to 146,000, and since then has increased at the rate of 70 per cent. Several millions of pounds of home-grown wool are exported annually, and a large quantity of colonial wool is imported and consumed. Celebrations in honour of Bishop Blaize, the patron saint of the wool-combers, used to be held every seventh year in the town; the last great celebration was in 1825.

Of late years Bradford has become less dependent than formerly upon one trade, others having secured an important foot- ing in the district. The making of machinery, principally for exportation, constitutes one of the chief industries, and extensive stone quarries exist in the neighbourhood which provide stone for the extensive building operations con- tinually in progress, large quantities are also supplied to all parts of the country and abroad.

No expense has been spared in widen- ing the thoroughfares, which formerly were narrow and irregular, and in erect- ing public buildings worthy of the town.

Bradford is essentially modern, and the only building possessed of any antiquity is the parish church, which was built in 1450. Market Street is the finest thoroughfare, and the only one that is level in its entire length. In this street are to be found the Town Hall, the Ex- change, and the Mechanics' Institute.

The Town Hall was erected in 1872-3 at an expense of 100,000?. The clock tower is 200ft. high with a bell tower above it.

In the tower one of the handsomest clocks in the kingdom has been fitted, and chimes equal to any in the world have been provided. St. George's Hall, built in 1849, contains one of the largest rooms in any public building in the kingdom. It is 152 feet long, 76 feet wide, and 60 feet in height, and seats 3,328 persons. The Exchange was built in 1864 at a cost of 40,OOOZ., to take the place of the old Piece Hall, which was quite inadequate for the wants of the mercantile community. The Bradford Chamber of Commerce have their offices in this building. The first Temperance Society in England was established in Bradford in 1830, and seven years after the first Temperance Hall was erected.

The Grammar School is really the oldest institution in the town, having been founded by Edward III., and endowed by Charles II., who granted it a charter of incorporation, the school being subse- quently called the Free Grammar School of King Charles II. at Bradford. The annual income of the school is now 500Z., and is under the management of a govern- ing body numbering from twelve to six- teen persons. In 1873 Mr. Henry Brown gave 6000Z. to create scholarships for the school, and the sum of 500Z. was given by Mr. Forster for a similar purpose.

The school has also the privilege of send- ing candidates for exhibitions under the will of Lady Elizabeth Hastings, made in 1739, so that five scholars out of eight principal schools in Yorkshire, of which Bradford is one, should be entitled to exhibitions at Queen's College, Oxford.

The present building was opened by the Rt. Hon. W. E. Forster in July, 1873, having cost 8000Z. All the other build- ings are in keeping with the importance of the town, which is crowded with immense manufacturing establishments, warehouses and extensive mills, covering large areas of ground and of great height.

Among the numerous charitable institu- tions supported by the town of Bradford, the claims of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION, which is entirely sup- ported by voluntary contributions, have not been overlooked. The inhabitants were first reminded of their direct interest in everything connected with the welfare of the sailor upon whom they depend for the enormous expansion of their numer- ous industries, by a communication the Society received in 1865 from Mr. Chas. Semon, the then mayor, who wrote to say that he and eleven other gentlemen of that town had succeeded in raising 42 51 to pay the cost of a Life-boat to be pre- sented to the Institution, and named the Bradford. With the consent of the Board of Trade, Ramsgate Life-boat Station, which is under the management of the Harbour Authorities, was appropriated to the town of Bradford, and the Life- boat was forwarded to her station the following year.

In 1877 when going out to the assist- ance of a distressed vessel the Life-boat was run into by the steam-tug which always accompanied her on her expedi- tions, and permanently disabled. Im- mediately the residents of Bradford were informed of the accident which had occurred to the Life-boat, they organized a subscription to defray the cost of a new boat, and in a short time they raised the full amount of 718?., which they remitted to the Parent Institution. A tablet re- cording the services of the old Life-boat was forwarded by the Parent Institution to the Bradford Branch to be placed in a public building in the town. No boat, except that stationed at Caister, on the Norfolk coast, is more distinguished in the annals of life-saving than the one stationed at Ramsgate. Placed in the best position for operation on the Good- win Sands, one of the most fatal to wrecks, aided at all times by two power- ful steam-tugs, and being in communica- tion with the lightships by carefully pre-arranged signals, no time is ever lost in getting out to sea. The services of this Life-boat have been graphically described by the Rev. John Gilmore, the late vicar of Ramsgate, and in one of his narratives he adds a postcript addressed to the good people of Bradford with reference to their gift, and describes her behaviour in glowing terms on the first occasion her services were required, which was the Sunday following the boat's arrival at Ramsgate. Having explained in a thrilling manner peculiar to him the conditions under which the service was performed, he goes on to say : " She be- haved nobly, and a noble boat all declared her to be; and as I gratefully watched the scene, one not foreign to Sabbath thoughts and the Gospel message, efforts to save the perishing from the storm- tossed and fast-breaking wreck, and bear them to a haven of peace, I could not help feeling it to be a matter of little wonder that so many of the English- hearted inhabitants of our inland towns, as they realise the nobleness and mercy of Life-boat work, should determine to have their lot in the great and stirring cause, and do all they can to plant and sustain Life-boats on our coasts, saying to our brave sailors—and saying it with no misplaced confidence—here for the sake of the perishing we provide you with the means for their rescue, and to your stout hands and stout hearts under God's providence we leave the rest." The first Life-boat was instrumental in saving 344 lives and 19 vessels, repre- senting much valuable property, between the years 3866 and 1877, and the second Life-boat between 1877 and the present time has saved 362 lives and 24 vessels, making a grand total of 706 lives saved and 43 vessels. The Rt. Hon. W. E. Forster, M.P., succeeded the Mayor, Mr. Chas. Semon, as President of the Bradford | Branch, whose Chairman is Fredk. Priest- man, Esq., and the post of Hon. Secretary was until recently ably held by Mr. J. A. Godwin, who, we regret to announce, has recently resigned. His successor is Mr. J. W. TURNER, of Cheapside, Bradford.