Here are four hospitals; one of them, St. Giles’s, founded originally for the entertainment of strangers, was, by Henry VIII. appropriated to the poor of the city; and here are maintained 80 poor men and women, who are all cloathed in grey, and must be sixty years old. There is another for 16 poor men and eight women, whose livery is purple. The boys and girls hospital contain 30 of each, and the boys are from hence put out apprentices. Here are besides 12 charity schools, where 300 boys and 150 girls are taught, cloathed and supplied with books. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, steward, two sheriffs, 24 aldermen, and 60 common council-men; with a town-clerk, sword-bearer, &c. The mayor, who is always chosen by the freemen on May-day, out of two aldermen, whom they then return to the court, is sworn into his office with great pomp, on the Tuesday before Midsummer eve. He is, during his year, a justice of the peace, and of the quorum, (as are also the recorder and steward) within the city and its liberties; and after his mayoralty, he is justice of the peace for life. Two silver maces are always borne before the mayor, gilt and finely chased. The sheriffs are also annually elected, one by the aldermen, the other by the freemen, on the last Tuesday in August, and sworn September 29. The common council are chosen in Mid-lent. The sheriffs are obliged by their charter to present the king with twelve herring pies yearly, on the 23d of October, this city being possessed of the manor of Carlton, whose lord holds it by that tenure. The worsted manufacture, for which this city has long been famous, and in which even children earn their bread, was first brought over by the Flemings, in the reign of Edward III. and afterwards very much improved by the Dutch, who fled from the duke of Alva’s persecution, and being settled here by queen Elizabeth, taught the inhabitants to make says, baize, serges, shalloons, &c. in which they carry on a vast trade, both at home and abroad, and weave camblets, druggets, crapes, and other stuffs, of which it is said this city vends to the value of 200,000l. a year. The weavers here employ spinners all the country round; and also use many thousand packs of yarn spun in other counties. By a late calculation, from the number of looms at work in this city only, it appeared that there were no less than one hundred thousand people employed in their manufactures of wool, silk, &c. in and about the town, including those employed in spinning the yarn used for such goods as are made in the city. The inhabitants are generally so employed in their manufactures within doors, that this appears a melancholy place, except on Sundays and public days, when the streets swarm with them.