The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

LANCASHTEK. 271
down, between Rinicorn, ou the Cheshire side, and Widiies, the estuary of the
Mersey has a width of 7,500 feet, but is nevertheless crossed by a magni-
ficent railway viaduct. Widnes is a town of e-\al odour, with chemical works,
soap factories, bone-manure works, and copper-smelting houses. Continuing our
journey, we soon obtain a sight of the small town of Garston, after which house
succeeds house in a continuous city, which is half hidden by the rigging of the
innumerable ships and steamers lying at anchor in the roadstead or crowding the
docks. This is LircrpooL
This powerful city has only risen into importance in recent times. It is not
even mentioned in the list of towns and villages in the Domesday Book.
Fig. 133.—LiTEKPooL.
Scale 1 : 300,000.
Tlie first reference to it occurs in the year 1172, when Henry II. was preparing
to invade Ireland, and embarked his troops in the estuary of the Mersey. In 1338,
when Edward III. made a general levy upon the vessels and sailors of his
kingdom, Liverpool was as yet of such small importance that out of a total of
) 00 vessels and 14,141 men it was called upon to furnish a solitary barge manned
by six mariners. Even as recently as 1571 the citizens of Liverpool, when
appealing to Queen Elizabeth to reduce their taxes, referred to their town as a
"poor decayed place."* About 1700 Liverpool Had hardly 5,000 inhabitants;
but the gradual silting up of the Dee, and consequent destruction of the port of
Chester, proved of advantage to Liverpool, whose merchants, about this period,
* Weale, " Public AVorliS of England."
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