aforementioned that Burton-on-Trent in general, and the great firm of Bass are in their present flourishing condition. In the words of Shakespeare, “He was a man; take him for all in all we shall not look upon his like again.” Beginning as traveller to the firm, he was not long ere {66} he became its chief director. He was untiring in business, a man possessing the broadest views of men and things, a bit crotchety on occasion, but possessed of “that most excellent gift of charity,” in boundless supplies. Amongst his other benefactions was the building and endowment of St. Paul’s, Burton, and the gift of recreation grounds, a free library, and swimming-baths to the adjacent town of Derby. He also built and endowed another church on his own estate, at Rangemore; and his hand was never out of his cash-pocket when he could aid in a good work. He represented Derby, in the Liberal interest, from 1848 to 1883, and was a tower of strength to that party, albeit possessed of nothing like bigoted opinions. On the contrary, it was his custom through life, like Hal o’ the Wynd in _The Fair Maid of Perth_, to “fight for his own hand.” And as an instance of his energy and grit, it may be mentioned that after voting in the House of Commons for Mr. Gladstone’s Irish Church Disestablishment Bill—the division on which did not take place till 2 A.M.—he travelled by the “newspaper train” at 5 A.M. from Euston to Rugeley in order to hunt with Mr. Hugo Meynell Ingram’s hounds, later in the morning, changing his clothes on the way down. The meet was at Brereton Hayes, close to Cunnock Chase, and I well remember greeting him that morning, and receiving for a reply: “Thank you, I’m pretty well for an old ’un.” He was over seventy (I think) at the time. That was three decades ago; and since then the trade of Bass has increased enormously. {67} For the annual holiday of the staff I should be afraid to state from memory how many special trains are required to convey the great hive of workers to Brighton, and other far-distant watering-places, and back to Burton again. In short, it would be hard to find a spot in the inhabited world in which the name of Bass is not known and respected.