20 PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH. two hundred and eleven members. The progress of the Society in other respects than in numbers was marked by the building, in 1823-4, of Jersey Street Chapel, which, right through and beyond the first period of our history, was the well-known centre of our work in Manchester. The superintendent at the time was Thomas Sugden, whose name disappears from the stations in 1824. He was not, however, lost to the Connexion, but settled down in Manchester, and made himself useful in various ways. "Thomas Sugden, confectioner, Manchester," was one of the original signatories of the Deed Poll, who took their seats, for the first time, at the Conference of 1832. Ralph Waller (the brother of Samuel Waller), cotton-spinner, Mellor, near Manchester, was another of these original members ; and when, by the death of George Taylor, the first vacancy occurred on the Deed Poll, the Bradford Conference elected Stephen ^ Longdin, of Manchester, to the office. Stephen Longdin's election to this office, together with the fact that his portrait is to be found amongst those of the early Presidents of Conference, along with the very few laymen, such as George Hanford, Joseph Bailey, and Thomas Bateman, who are credited with having attained to that unusual distinction, proves that at the time of his election to the chair in 1849, he was widely known as a Connexional man. Born in 1795, he survived until 1878; and, as early as 1824, he had become a useful class leader, and was giving proof of the possession of unusual preaching ability and of special aptitude for the administration of affairs, all which made him, through a long course of years, a leading figure in Manchester <strong>Primitive</strong> Methodism. OLD JERSEY STREET CHAPEL, MANCHESTER. The opening services of Jersey Street Chapel, in which Hugh Bourne took part, were held in the early part of 1824. The building was spacious; the gallery alone having accommodation for five hundred " people. Unfortunately the attendance at the subsequent services was not so large as had been anticipated. The interest on the heavy mortgage and the costs of maintenance pressed seriously on the limited resources of the Society, and in the end it was felt that the liabilities were too heavy to be carried. The trustees, therefore, determined on an alteration of the building. A floor was inserted across the well of the gallery, and in the lower portion of the building dwelling-houses were constructed, the rents of which materially helped the trustees to carry the financial burden. After these alterations the public religious services were well attended, and several persons who attained distinction in public life became regular hearers. Alderman Walton Smith, Mr. Joseph Nail, Councillor
THE PERIOD OF CIRCUIT PREDOMINANCE AND ENTERPRISE. 21 1 1SANP50N.TURNER1 ' PRESIDENTS OF CONFERENCE UNTIL 1849, AS FAR AS RECORDED.
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