History and Progress. 7 



the great manufacturing and commercial centre of Ireland, 

 Belfast occupies the unique position of being the most 

 progressive city in the country — possibly in the United 

 Kingdom. In 1757 it contained only 1,779 houses, mostly 

 straw-thatched, and a population of 8,549, which has gone 

 on increasing until it amounts to 348,965, according to the 

 census of 1901; the area of the town, however, having been 

 largely increased so as to include all the suburbs. It is 

 still considerably below Dublin, if that city had included 

 within its area a proportionate amount of the surrounding 

 districts. As it is, Belfast occupies the eighth place among 

 the cities of the United Kingdom. 



At the banquti't given in Belfast to the late Lord Dufferin 

 on his return from his last great diplomatic mission, his 

 lordship said: "To a resident, the rate of progress which 

 has taken place in Belfast during the last few years must 

 have appeared very rapid ; to one who, like myself, revisits 

 the city after a considerable lapse of time, tlie change is 

 simply marvellous ; and well may we all be proud that a 

 place which was of comparatively small account, and was 

 certainly not a county town, should now rank as a great 

 commercial city of the United Kingdom." 



In 1600 Belfast boasted of but five streets, composed of 

 thatched houses irregularly built and badly lighted, giving little 

 indication of the size it was destined to attain in the present 

 day. The few streets which formed the nucleus of the old 

 town are fast disappearing under the march of city altera- 

 tions ; scarce one now remains of the quaint old houses of 

 the days when the merchant lived over his place of business ; 

 wider streets are taking their place, with large buildings in 

 all the leading thoroughfares. Vast areas are occupied by 

 streets of workmen's dwellings in certain districts, while the 

 residences of the merchants and gentry are mostly in the 

 suburbs. 



As to the early history of the town little can be said. The 

 place is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters as 

 the scene of a battle, in a.d. 660, between the Ulidians and 

 Cruithni, which took place at the Ford or Fearsat, which 

 was the name given to the place from the sandbank at the 

 mouth of the little river which flows through Belfast, now 



