1st Edition
Industrial Britain Under the Regency The Diaries of Escher, Bodmer, May and de Gallois 1814-18
In this book W. O. Henderson has brought together in English translation the journals of four foreign visitors who travelled in England and Scotland in the years immediately following the Napoleonic wars, in a way which may be regarded as a sequel to his recent book on J. C. Fischer’s diaries of industrial Britain.
Two of the travellers whose journals are included in this volume were Swiss industrialists. Hans Caspar Escher was both a professional architect and the founder of the famous engineering firm of Esther Wyss of Zürich, Bodmer, also of Zürich, lived in England for many years and was recognised as an inventor of genius. The other accounts of industrial Britain in the Regency era are a report by the Prussian Factory Commissioner May and a short survey of the Newcastle upon Tyne colliery railways by the French government engineer Louis de Gallois. The four diaries show how informed foreign visitors were impressed by the way in which Britain had survived the perils of Napoleon’s Continental System and was now forging ahead to consolidate her position as the workshop of the world. This book was first published in 1968.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS… xi
I FOREIGN REPORTS ON INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN… 1
{ensp}1. INTRODUCTION… 1
{ensp}2. HANS CASPAR ESCHER… 2
{ensp}3. JOHANN GEORG BODMER… 7
{ensp}4. JOHANN GEORG MAY… 16
{ensp}5. LOUIS DE GALLOIS… 18
II ESCHER’S LETTERS FROM ENGLAND, 1814… 27
{ensp}1. Calais, July 31 27
{ensp}2. Dover, August 2 … 28
{ensp}3. London, August 5… 30
{ensp}4. London, August 11… 32
{ensp}5. Manchester, August 15… 33
{ensp}6. Manchester, August 20… 34
{ensp}7. Liverpool, August 23 … 35
{ensp}8. Glasgow, August 30… 36
{ensp}9. Glasgow, September 7… 39
10. Glasgow, September 11… 41
11. Edinburgh, September 18… 43
12. Sunderland, September 22… 46
13. Manchester, October 1… 48
14. Manchester, October 4… 49
15. Manchester, October 10… 50
16. Manchester, October 15… 51
17. Manchester, October 18… 52
18. London, November 1… 53
19. Dover, November 17… 5
20. Calais, November 18… 56
21. Postscript I … 56
London … 56
Glasgow, August 31… 57
Glasgow, September 12… 6
Glasgow, September 13… 62
Edinburgh… 63
22. Postscript II… 64.
(i) Glasgow… 64
(ii) Edinburgh… 6
(iii) Newcastle and Sunderland… 66
(iv) York… 67
III BODMER’S DIARY 1816–1817… 73
{ensp}1. London, October 22–November 5, 1816… 73
{ensp}2. Birmingham, November 6–November 30, 1816… 80
{ensp}3. Liverpool, December 1–December 7, 1816… 94
{ensp}4. Manchester and District, December 8–December 24, 1816… 98
{ensp}5. Scotland, December 25, 1816–January, 1817… 104
{ensp}6. From Newcastle upon Tyne to London, January 4–January 24, 1817… 108
{ensp}7. London, January 24–February 14, 1817… 116
Appendix: List of drawings made by Bodmer during his visit to England… 128
IV REPORT ON A JOURNEY TO ENGLAND BY FACTORY COMMISSIONER J, G. MAY IN 1814… 131
{ensp}1. WOOLLEN CLOTH… 131
{ensp}2. COTTON… 136
{ensp}3. LINEN… 138
{ensp}4. SILK … 142
{ensp}5. HOSIERY… 142
{ensp}6. DYEWORKS, PRINTING AND BLEACHING WORKS… 144
{ensp}7. HATS… 146
{ensp}8. PAPER… 147
{ensp}9. TANNING… 147
10. BREWERIES… 148
11. DISTILLERIES… 149
12. POTTERY… 149
13. GLASS… 150
14. IRON AND STEEL PRODUCTS… 152
15. PLATED MANUFACTURE… 154
16. BRASS AND LEAD… 155
17. METAL BUTTONS AND NEEDLES… 157
18. ENGINEERING… 158
19. STEAM ENGINES… 159
20. HYDRAULIC POWER… 161
21. GAS LIGHTING… 162
22. FACTORY BUILDINGS … 163
23. PATENTS… 164
24. THE CUSTOM HOUSE AND THE LONDON DOCKS… 164
25. THE SOCIETY OF ARTS … 165
26. CONCLUSION… 166
V REPORT BY LOUIS DE GALLOIS ON ENGLISH RAILWAYS, 1818… 171
{ensp}1. DE GALLOISS REPORT… 171
{ensp}2. APPENDIX… 177
{ensp}3. CONCLUSION… 181
Biography
Henderson, W.O.
