120 DROITWICH.

the borough was contested for the first tune since 1711, and then J. Barneby, Esq., a Conservative, was returned, who made way in 1837 for Mr. (now Sir John) Pakington, who has stuck to the little place ever since, despite the invitations he has received from larger and more important constituencies. And yet the borough of Droitwich is Liberal to the back-bone! The Corporation is thoroughly Liberal, and so is the town, and there are great Whig landlords in the Parliamentary borough; BO that some day a Liberal Member must unquestionably be planted here, but not probably during the public life of Sir John, who has made the place his own by a long course of usefulness and distinguished services.

East Worcestershire has also its battle-field on the plains of the saline borough, and many a " wordy warfare " on the hustings and many a jolly speech over the dinner table at the old " George" has it been my lot to hear.

I have said that the Corporation is Liberal in politics. Under the Municipal Act all Liberals were at first elected, and E. B. Penrice (of a very ancient family in this borough, almost as old as the Aliens) had the honour of being the first Mayor, an office which he held for three successive years, and at length a rule was granted by the Queen's Bench calling on him to show why he had held that post so long. On the proceedings being abandoned, Mr. Fenrice resigned, and Alderman Tombs was elected hi his place.

Allusion has been made to the foul condition of the streets here, in which respect the traditionary character of the town is still well supported. Durtwich is the name given to it, whether designedly or otherwise I cannot say, in a work published in 1791, and Dirfwich it still most assuredly remains, though not without a prospect of change. The authorities, it seems, were afraid to adopt the Health of Towns or Local Government Acts, in consequence of the difficulty of the manufactories here consuming their own smoke; and had that been rendered compulsory upon them it was thought the salt manufacturers must have shut up