686 



BRISTOL. 



venient, but latterly they have born greatly improved. 

 The entire city and sul>url>s extend DMT a surface ol 

 1500 acres, and occupy a circumference of seven 

 miles, and are continually increasing. The num 

 ancient streets are narrow, with lofty houses of wood 

 and plaster, the fronts of which formerly projected to 

 the exclusion of light and air ; but of late years most 

 of these have been widened and improved, and more 

 particularly the avenues to the bridges. The build- 

 ings in the more modern parts of the town are ele- 

 gant and spacious, and Kingsdown and St Michael's 

 hill on the north, Park street and Berkeley square 

 on the west, and Redcliff hill on the south, are 

 covered with handsome houses, which are chiefly in- 

 habited by the gentry and mercantile classes. But 

 for a long time the principal inhabitants have been 

 moving towards Clifton ; which, in point of fact, is 

 now become the " west end of the town." 



The quay and harbour of Bristol may be deemed 

 objects not only of great local but national interest. 

 The former is an uninterrupted wharf of hewn stone, 

 upwards of a mile in length, extending along the 

 inner shores of the Frome and Avon. Although, 

 owing to the depth and rapidity of the Avon, vessels 

 of 1000 tons burden could always reach the quay at 

 spring tides, they frequently sustained damage by be- 

 ing aground at low water, and were delayed by the 

 necessity of waiting for spring tides to get out again. 

 To remedy these inconveniences a floating harbour 

 was completed in 1809, by damming up the bed of 

 the Avon and Frome, so far as the hot wells, and 

 cutting a new channel for the Avon from near Tot- 

 terdown to Rownham Ferry. This is supposed to 

 have cost half a million sterling, but it has been 

 amply rewarded, as it formed a harbour capable of 

 accommodating 1000 vessels, which are not only kept 

 afloat, but are enabled to proceed to sea at any time. 

 On changing the course of the Avon two handsome 

 cast-iron bridges were, erected over the new channel, 

 the respective arches of which are 200 feet in height. 

 The wet docks here are very extensive, and the 

 dimensions of the merchants' floating dock are said to 

 exceed those at Portsmouth and Plymouth. A mile 

 below the city, on the banks of the Avon, is the 

 celebrated Hotwell, the waters of which are reckoned 

 so salutary in consumptive, scorbutic, and inflamma- 

 tory disorders. The reputation of this spring has 

 long rendered the vicinity the resort of invalids during 

 the summer, and gradually produced the usual ac- 

 commodation appertaining to places of a similar 

 description. It is determined by scientific analysis 

 that the mineral contents of the Bristol waters are 

 like those of Matlock, and the principal components 

 are, an uncommon quantity of carbonic acid gas and 

 fixed air; and a portion of magnesia in various 

 combinations with the muriatic, vitriolic, and carbonic 

 acids. Its temperature at the pump is between 72 

 and 73 of Fahrenheit. The spring rises near the 

 bottom of the cliff, ten feet below water- mark, and 

 gushes so plenteously from an aperture in the solid 

 rock, as to discharge sixty gallons in a minute. At the 

 time of the earthquake in Lisbon, in 1755, the water of 

 the spring became red and turbid, the tide of the Avon 

 flowed back, and the water in the vicinity turned 

 black, and was unfit for use for a fortnight. 



Bristol contains seventeen parishes and eighteen 

 churches. Several of the churches are handsome 

 structures, but they are all exceeded by that of St 

 Mary Redcliffe, which is deemed one of the most 

 beautiful in England. It was begun in 1294, by 

 Simon de Burton, mayor of Bristol, but not com- 

 pleted until 1376. It was much damaged, and the 

 steeple thrown down by lightning, which damage was 

 repaired by William Canynge, or Canning, five times 

 mayor of Bristol, whose name stands so conspicu u ii 1 ' 



the Cliatterton controversy. It is built in the form ct 

 a cross, having a nave raised above the aisles in the 

 manner of a cathedral. The western door is the 

 principal entrance, but there are porches to the 

 northern and southern sides of the church, the in- 

 terior of the former of which is extremely beautiful. 

 It was over this porch that the muniment room was 

 situated, in which Cliatterton, whose fattier was sex- 

 ton of the church, pretended to find the poems, which 

 he attributed to Rowley. The lightness and symmetry 

 of the interior are universally admired, and the altar- 

 piece is decorated with Scriptural pieces, -by Tresham 

 and Hogarth. 1 1 ere are monuments to the memory of 

 William Canynge, the restorer of this beautiful edifice, 

 and of Admiral Sir William Penn, father of the cele- 

 brated founder of Pennsylvania. The establishments 

 for gratuitous education are very numerous, includ- 

 ing a city grammar school for the instruction of the 

 sons of citizens in Latin and Greek, which has been 

 endowed with several exhibitions ; the endowed 

 college-school, founded by Henry VIII. ; the gram- 

 mar-school of queen Elizabeth, which educates 100 

 boys, all of whom, on leaving, receive a sum to assist 

 to bind them apprentices. An hospital, founded by 

 Robert Colston, merchant, in 1708, has also a school 

 annexed, in which 100 boys are educated, maintained 

 seven years, and then apprenticed. There are 

 several minor endowed schools, for children of both 

 sexes, besides a great number of more modern origin, 

 which are supported by subscription ; including na- 

 tional, Lancasteriau, adult, Sunday, and every de- 

 scription of charily schools. The donations and be- 

 quests to the poor, both in and out of the gift of the 

 corporation, possibly exceed in number and amount 

 those of every place in England, except London. 

 The charities and establishments for relief of poverty, 

 disease, and destitution, are in due proportion. Here, 

 is a public library of considerable magnitude, and a 

 philosophical and literary institution, which pos- 

 sesses a theatre and valuable museum of natural 

 history, with mineralogical and geological specimens. 

 Public lectures are occasionally given here, and 

 valuable papers read from time to time. 



Bristol, until eclipsed by Liverpool, was the prin- 



pal port on the western coast of England. Its 

 leading branch of foreign commerce is witli the West 

 Indies, which it supplies with every sort of article 

 necessary to the black and white population ; and 

 receives back vast quantities of rum, cotton, sugar, 

 and other West India produce in return. Sugar is 

 the most important article, the refining of which was 

 one of the chief manufacturing processes of this city. 

 It has also considerable trade with the north and 

 south of "Europe, especially Spain and Portugal'; from 

 the former of which, it imports wool for the fine-cloth 

 manufacturers of the west of England, and from the 

 latter, wine very largely. A considerable mercantile 

 intercourse is also kept up with the ports of the Me- 

 diterranean, the Baltic, and the British North Ameri- 

 can colonies. The trade with the United States is for 

 ;he most part confined to tobacco and turpentine. 

 Bristol has attempted very little trade with the East 

 Indies hitherto, not above three or four cargoes hav- 

 ng been imported direct here since its opening. The 

 trade with the new South American states is more 

 irosperous, and seems likely to increase. With Ire- 

 and the dealings are very considerable ; but they 

 lave not augmented agreeably to the expectations 

 brmed from the recent lowering of the port dues. 

 In the year ending January 6. 1829, there were 369 

 British and 63 foreign vessels entered inwards, besides 

 930 Irish, and 5295 other coasting vessels. The 

 customs' revenue of Bristol exceeds a million annual- 

 y. The branches of manufactures are numerous; 

 one of the principal of which is that of every descrip- 



