In a gaol of the lord of the manor (Duke of Leeds) for the imprisonment of debtors, is preserved the gibbet axe, or, as it has been sometimes called, the "Maid of Halifax," a species of guillotine, in former times used for the execution of criminals. As Halifax Gibbet Law is a subject of some interest, we must find room for a brief account of it here.

From a very early period, the inhabitants not only of the hamlet of Halifax, but of the whole forest of Hardwick (including, it is supposed, rather more than the present parish of Halifax), possessed the power of criminal jurisdiction. The principle of what has been called Gibbet Law, is briefly this :— "If a felon were taken within their liberty, with goods stolen out or within the liberty of the said forest, either hand-habend, back-berand, or confessand, any commodity of the value of thirteenpence-halfpenny, he should, after three markets or meeting-days, within the town of Halifax, next after such his apprehension, and being condemned, be taken to the gibbet, and have his head cut off from his body." The felon, on being apprehended, was brought before the bailiff of the lord of the manor at Halifax, who summoned four frith-burghers from each of four several towns within the precincts of the liberty, to appear before him on a certain day, and examine into the truth of the charge. If the party accused was condemned, he was immediately executed, if it happened to be the principal market-day; otherwise, he was kept till then, being, meanwhile, on the lesser market-days, placed in the stocks, with the stolen goods on his back, or before him. The axe, which weighed about eight pounds, was fixed in a block of wood, and had a framework 15 feet high, with grooves to admit of its rapid descent. The axe was drawn up by a cord and pulley. Commentators differ as to the way in which the fatal instrument was set free; some holding that the cord was cut by the bailiff, others that it was pulled by all present, and others, again, that this was done by an animal, particularly if the condemned person had been guilty of stealing an ox, sheep, or horse, etc., in which case the animal itself was made to perform the duty. Executions were very numerous—a fact which may serve to account for the proverbial petition of thieves and vagabonds, "From Hell, Hull,* and Halifax, good Lord deliver us!" It is worth adding here, that it was the sight of one of these executions which induced the Earl of Morton, Regent of Scotland, to introduce the Maiden into his

* Hull was noted for the strictness of its police, which, with its walls and fortifications, made it a very unsafe place for thieves.

*

own country. It obtained that name from remaining for many years unused, till he at length suffered by it himself.

There are several eminent names connected, by birth or otherwise, with Halifax. Henry Briggs, an eminent_mathematician, was born here in 1556, and died at Oxford, where he was Savilian professor, in 1630. He was a friend of Napier, the inventor of logarithms, and published several learned and valuable mathematical works. At Haughend, in this parish, Archbishop Tillotson was born in 1630. His sermons and works in opposition to popery are classics in theological literature. He died in 1694. A statue of him stands in the chancel of Sowerby chapel. Sir Henry Saville, an accomplished scholar and author, was born at Bradley, in this parish, in 1549. He died at Eton in 1622.† Daniel Defoe, although not a native, was for some time a resident in Halifax. It is said that he composed "Robinson Crusoe" during his residence here. John Foster, author of "An Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance," and "Essays, in a Series of Letters," was born in this parish in 1770. He died in 1839.

The parish of Halifax is nearly as large as the whole county of Rutland, being 17 miles long and 11 broad, comprising an area of 124 square miles, or 79,200 acres. It contains quarries of slate and stone, and coal mines. Halifax is connected by railways with all parts of the kingdom.

* "Gentleman's Magazine," April, 1793. This curious instrument of execution may be seen in the Antiquarian Society's Museum, Edinburgh.

Sir Henry Saville's edition of the works of Chrysostom is a beautiful and valuable one, and very rare.

LEEDS.*

LEEDS, the largest and most flourishing town in Yorkshire, and the fifth in England in point of population and commercial activity, is situated on the Aire, in the north-east corner of the Clothing District, of which it is the capital. The conjectures of antiquarians as to the origin of its name are very vague and unsatisfactory; but, however that point may be settled, there can be no doubt that the town is of great antiquity. In 655, a bloody battle was fought in this neighbourhood, in which Penda, King of Mercia, was slain, and most of his army perished. A grant of land here was given by William the Conqueror to Ilbert de Lacy, a powerful noble, who also possessed the barony of Pontefract. A castle was built here, either by De Lacy or by one of his dependents. This castle makes some figure in history-having been besieged by King Stephen in 1139, and been for a brief period, in 1399, the prison of the unfortunate Richard II., but no vestiges of it now remain. Leeds pronounced for the Parliament in the troubles of the time of Charles I., and was the scene of one or two struggles between the opposing parties. During the great plague of 1665 this town suffered dreadfully; one-fifth of the entire population perished. There are no remarkable events in the subsequent history of Leeds. Its history is one of continued advancement in wealth and improvement, with occasional periods of commercial depression and distress. It is almost superfluous to add that Leeds, like all other great manufacturing towns, has uniformly exerted its influence in behalf of the leading measures of political progress in recent times. The history of the town records few popular tumults.

* HOTELS.-Great Northern, Samuel Kelly-Bed 2s., breakfast 2s., dinner 2s. to 3s. 6d., tea ls. 6d. Rose and Crown, J. Linley-Bed 2s. 6d., breakfast 2s. to 2s. 6d., dinner 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d., tea 2s., attendance 2s. Scarborough, J. B. Fleischman-Bed 1s. 6d., and 2s. 6d., breakfast 1s. 6d. and 2s., dinner 1s. 6d. and upwards, tea 1s. 6d. and 1s. 9d., attendance ls. and 1s. 6d. Griffin, Corn Exchange, Temperance.

Population in 1851, 172,270. Inhabited houses, 36,165. Members of Parliament, 2.

From London, 206 miles; from York, 36; from Hull, 51.

The town is well built. The aspect of its streets and shops sufficiently testifies to its immense commercial activity and material prosperity. Its public buildings are not generally of a kind to interest the tourist; though some of them are well worthy of examination.

The Town Hall, of which the foundation was laid in 1853, deserves to be noticed first, as the most imposing of the public edifices of Leeds. The style is that called the Roman Corinthian. The building forms a parallelogram of 250 feet by 200. It stands on an elevated platform, and is surrounded by Corinthian columns and pilasters, supporting an entablature and attic, rising altogether to about 65 feet in height. The large hall rises out of the centre of the building to a height from the ground, of 92 feet. The tower is 240 feet high, exclusive of the vane. The south and principal façade has a deeply recessed portico of ten columns, and is approached by a flight of twenty-five steps, 135 feet in length, with pedestals for sculpture. The Great Hall is perhaps the largest in England. The building was designed by Mr. Broderick of Hull, and cost upwards of £50,000.

CHURCHES. None of the churches of Leeds are of any antiquity. St. Peter's, the original parish church, a building of the time of Edward III., was taken down in 1838, and the present structure erected in its place. It is regarded as one of the best modern specimens of the later decorated style of architecture. The nave and chancel have been so planned as to present a clear vista of 160 feet. A tower rises from the north end of the transept, to the height of 130 feet. This church is justly regarded one of the chief architectural ornaments of Leeds. St. John's Church was built in 1634. Whitaker remarks that it "has all the gloom and all the obstructions of an ancient church, without one vestige of its dignity and grace." Trinity Church was erected in 1727. It is in a modified Grecian style. St. Paul's, built seventy years later, is also Grecian in its main features. There are several other churches. Dissent is strong in Leeds; and some of the places of worship built by various bodies display much taste.

The other PUBLIC BUILDINGS may be noticed very summarily. There is no lack of educational and charitable institutions. Among the former are an Industrial School, situated in Burmantofts, built in 1848 at a cost of £16,000, a fine building in the Elizabethan style, worth inspection; and a free Grammar School. Among the latter are hospitals,

dispensaries, infirmaries, almshouses, etc. The Markets and the Corn Exchange are respectable buildings. The Commercial Buildings, an excellent structure situated in Park Row, should not be overlooked. In the entrance hall, "'change" is held daily; and the structure contains, in addition to apartments and offices for business, a hotel, concert rooms, and other apartments. Leeds possesses a Philosophical and Literary Society, a Mechanic's Institute, and a Theatre.

The Cloth Halls form a very interesting spectacle on market days. The Coloured or Mixed Cloth Hall is near the Commercial Buildings, in the busiest centre of Leeds. It is a quadrangular brick building, 380 feet long by 200 broad, and contains nearly 2000 stalls, arranged in six streets, each of which has its own distinctive name. Each stall is about two feet in width, and is marked with the name of its occupant. The market days are Tuesday and Saturday. The tourist who may be in Leeds on either of these days would do well to pay a visit to the Cloth Hall; for besides the various fabrics here sold, the mode of traffic and the broad dialect of many of the clothiers and buyers, will be found to be novel and interesting. The cloth sold here has been dyed in the wool, and undergone all the operations except that of finishing. The White Cloth Hall is similar in style and arrangement to the hall just noticed. It is 300 feet long, and contains about 1200 stands in five streets. It opens as soon as the Coloured Cloth Hall closes, for the sale of cloth in an undyed state.

The extent of the manufactures of Leeds may be conceived from the following statistics, taken from the last census:Woollen manufactures employ 4706 males, and 2746 females; flax, 1405 females, and 870 males; iron, 1075 males; engines, 667; coal-miners, 667 males.

Before the days of railways, Leeds had communication, by means of canals, with both the eastern and western seas. It is now connected by railways with all parts of the kingdom.

This town, or its immediate neighbourhood, has been the birth place of a number of eminent men. David Hartley, author of "Observations on Man," was born at Armley, in this parish, in 1705, and died in 1757. Benjamin Wilson, the painter, was born here about 1720. Joseph Milner, the church historian, was born here in 1744, and died 1797. His brother Isaac was born here in 1751, and died 1820. (Originally a weaver, he became dean of Carlisle, and achieved some fame as a natural philosopher.) John Smeaton, the celebrated engineer, builder of Eddystone Lighthouse, was born in this neighbourhood in 1724, and died in 1792. Joseph Priestley,