DEATH OF MR. THOMAS ASHTON.
393
twenty shillings—under Wellington's act of 1828, you could not have imported it under a duty of thirty-three shillings and eightpence—give my bill, therefore, a fair trial. When the price rises from 49s. 11d. to 73s. you may then import it at a shilling duty, instead of the six shillings duty Lord John Russell asks for at that advanced price."
In August, the cause of free trade lost a zenlous and influential friend by the death of Mr. Thomas Ashton, of Hyde. The following is from the League of the 30th of that month:—
With sincere sorrow we have to notice the death of Thomas Ashton, Esq. of Hyde, widely known and respected as a merchant and manufacturer; warialy admired and fondly loved by a wide circle of acquaintance, for his amiable disposition, his energetic talent, and his untiring beneficence. In him, the cotton trade has lost one of its brightest ornaments—the League one of its best friends and the general cause of humanity, one whose personal exertions and pecuniary contributions were ever ready to support the exertions made for the benefit of the community, Mr. Ashton possessed, in a remarkable degree, those qualities of mind which characterize the inhabitants of Lancashire; his head was clear god his heart was warm. By the force of native talent, industry and integrity, he raised himself from a comparatively humble position to the possession of great wealth: by his enlightened philanthropy and judicious management, he rendered this wealth a source of comfort and happiness to all around him. The comforts of the operatives he employed were as dear to him as his own: he successfully laboured to train his workpeople in habits of order, industry, and strict morality; and he rendered Hyde a model of comfort, of neatness, and of social happiness. He lived with his people like one of the ancient patriarchs: they revered him as a father, and confided in him as a friend. In the manufacturing circles, Mr. Ashton was regarded as one of the greatest authorities on all matters connected with the cotton-trade: his opinions were known to be the result of strong common sense, never biassed by self-interest. His name was well-known on the Continent, for no intelligent traveller ever visited Lancashire who did not seek to profit by his practical intelligence. To all inquirers his house and heart were open; and no one ever left his door who did not carry away an affectionate remembrance of the generous hospitality he had received, and a reverence for the character of one whose whole
