| Description | After almost a week in Manchester they are about to travel elsewhere. Manchester is a wonderful place, 'its wealth, energy, and religious feeling, its huge system of self government so elaborate and thorough as to leave apparently very little for the general government to do...'. He thinks that everything is utilitarian, however, lacking the higher departments of science, while exhibitions of pictures rest on their financial value. Edward [Hardcastle] is absorbed with local politics, troubled by his own position as a possible nominee for the Conservatives in Manchester. William thinks that Edward is too uncertain of his position to make introductions for William. He discusses the 'church question', with 50,000 new voters determined to stand for the English church and resistant to the disestablishment of the Irish Protestant Church. He thinks imposing the English Church in Ireland was unjustifiable and its correction late, noting the distribution of church revenues, and citing the opinion of Canon McNeile. William continues on the level of tithes being levied on land and the Report of the Commissioners [on the Revenues and Condition of the established Church (Ireland)] accomplishes part of what William has argued. William has been looking into the municipal constitution of Manchester and is surprised, both at how much work is thrown onto corporations, and how much is accomplished. He thinks a more centralised system would improve matters, however, removing 'party contests'. He gives his and Emma's movements and visits, ending with a return to Collingwood on 2nd October. Their plans were upset by Joseph Hardcastle not being able to receive them earlier and they have given up the Morlands. |