BRISTOL. 



one (hilling per pound rent, and a port-duty on all goods 

 Z merian^dize^mponed. The ta. on honfcs .s con- 

 iidered too partial to be jull ; and the dnlies on articles im- 

 ported n.ay probably ad as a conlide.able proU.bU.on on fo- 

 «°.rvdTa./fr.quenting the port. T,me alone, however, 

 ^';:ir d:fcover th2 poliey' or impoliey of thus ra.hng the fum 

 neceirary for its aceomplimment. 1 he trade of th.. po t 

 has been ever nudi.atinfr from the 1™%°^ ,"'"'' it 

 I, J7, (when W.llian, of Malmftury >nakes fuch honou.able 

 n,ent,on of it) to the prelcnt time Every veffel o abosx 6= 

 ton. btnthen pays a certain wharfage ; and from the watei- 

 bailiffs' returns, it appears that, in . 745. '^ "" f J. 

 Oi81. iHs. "id : in .775- to upwards of 2000I. 1" W' 

 the privateer; fitted out from Bnllol, aceordmg to Banet, 

 exceeded in to.nasre, number of guns and men, the whole 

 royal navy of Great Uritam. In ,769, there were entered 

 invvard at the Cillom-houfe 42/ foreign llups, cxcluhve ol 

 I^ondoners, Coalleis, Sec. 



In 17S7 the entry at the cuftom houfe was as oUows : 

 ' ' Shii-.s. Tuns. !5l"i«. T.ms. 



Entered inviards — Brit. 416 48,125 Foreign, 69 li,ii2 

 Entered outwards-Brit. 3S2 46,7.9 Fore'gn, G6 10,445 



The following is a lill of ftips and vefl.ls belongmg to 

 this port in 1787 : 



Koicis" Trade. 



Iships I Tons. 



,528153,491 



CuJllci 



S^tpa. 

 30 



3078 



Men. 

 142 



IMhlng Vc-iTl-Is, &t 



,bip3. 1 ons. 



7 i 340 



Men. 

 30 



After this period the trade inereafed conhderably ; and 

 another computation Hates, that in 1788, -^ 4 (hips were 

 employed to Jamaica, 58 to the Leeward iflands, 37 to 

 Africa, 33 to Newfoundland, 50 to North America, and 

 -00 between Briftol, Ireland, France, Spain, London, 

 &c. amounting to 1392 ; befides X03 trows from 50 to 130 

 tons burthen, employed in the Severn and Wye trade. 

 But the commerce of Briftol received a fevere check during 

 the laft war ; and the prefent paralizcs the fpirit of adventure, 

 and the hand of induftrv. Should peace quickly return, 

 and the port be fini(hed, there can be little doubt but this 

 place will become more flourifhing than ever. 



Befides the foreign trade, Briftol has many very conGdera- 

 ble raanufaftures ; "and the cheapnefs of fuel, with the ready 

 conveyance to a market, renders this an advantageous 

 place for carrying on various trades. The brafs roUery 

 builnefs was begun here about 1 704. The manufaftory of 

 zinc out of calamine ftone, and the ore of zinc called black 

 Jack, was ellablilhed at Briftol in 1743, for which Mr. 

 Champion obtained a patent. Mr. Emerfon at Hanham 

 eftablidied works for making brafs, by expofing copper to 

 the fumes of calamine, and obtained the fineft brafs in the 

 world. VideWatfon's Chemillry. 



The glafs houfts of Briftol are not only numerous, bufc 

 great quantities of different glafs articles, and bottles, aae 

 annually made here. This trade is increafing, and it is faid 

 that more glafs is manufaftured at Briftol than at any other 

 place in England. Many large iron founderies are alfo 

 eftabhflied here, and a fteam-engine faftory is ereftcd for 

 boring cannon ; fmelting lead, and making of white and red 

 lead, are among the manufadories of this city. 



There are 20 fugar-houfes for the refining and manu- 

 fafture of fugars ; feveral large diftiUeries, which help to 

 fupply London ; and the exportation to foreign parts is very 

 confiderable. The manufafture of foap has long been an 

 article of great trade here ; for, in 1523, it fiipplied London 

 with the bell gray fpeckled (bap at id. per pound ; but 

 k is now IS. Large quantities are ftill fent to London, 



to moft parts of the kingdom, and to America. This 

 place was, at an early period, noted lor its woollen 

 trade. In i3Jy, we iind from Rymer, that the cloth 

 maiuifaaurc wns removed from Flanders, v.'hcn Briftol 

 was appointed a principal ftaple of wool, and many looms 

 were let up for weaving woollen cloths. In Henry V 1 1 Ith's 

 reign, it was full of "clothiers, weavers, and tuckers ; and 

 the magiftrates gave great encouragement to let up tiic 

 Colcliefter rug maiuifadory, and many fiims have at times 

 been left to the corporation in truft for the ufe of young 

 clothiers. This trade is not entirely taken away, as fome 

 woollen ftuffs, ferges, &c. are ftill made. The manufadure 

 of (ilk fringes, fail cloth, cottons, morocco-leather, Cvc. 

 muft not be omitted. Several potteries alio now rival thole 

 of Staftbrdfliire. 



Milihiry H'ljlory, Cajlle, &c.— It is highly probable, that 

 fo confpicuous and important a place early partook of the 

 difafters arifmg from the internal commotions of this 

 kingdom, and tlie evils arifing from foreign invafion. But 

 hUlory is filent, the records being loft till 915, when Stow 

 fays, a great navy of Danes failed up channel and infcfted 

 the weftern coails, landed in divci-s places, and took great 

 plunder ; at which time Briftol fuffered from the marauding 

 enemy. King Edward fon of Alfred, 911, according to 

 the Saxon annals, fent his army out of Mercia, and met them 

 in Weffex, where he fought and routed them. The battle 

 was deciftve, and the Danes were then fubjed to the Saxon 

 monarch. Edward went on to build towns and caftles ; and 

 amongft others he built that of Briftol, on the Mercian fide 

 of the river Avon. Camden, therefore, was evidently mif- 

 taken when he afferts that Robert Rufus, natural fon of 

 Henry I. was the founder of the caftle of Briftol. Turgot 

 mentions it as the work of Edward in 915, and fays, it 

 was " the goodlieft of five built on the banks of Avon ;" and 

 in 10S8, it is mentioned by Roger Hoveden as " Caftrain 

 fortifllmam :" and if it were fo llrong 20 years after the 

 conqueft, there cannot be a doubt, but it previonfly exifted 

 as a fortrefs for the defence of the city. Another decifive 

 proof of Camden's error is, that the caftle was held by- 

 Godfrey biftiop of Conftance, and Robert de Mowbray earl 

 of Northumberland, in a rebellion againft king William 

 Rufus in 108S ; before king Henry I. earl Robert's father, 

 was at man's eftate. This earl, though not the founder, cer- 

 tainly rebuilt fome parts, repaired others, and ereded a 

 palace and other offices. He alfo built a magnificent 

 tower, fcarctly equalled at that time in England, and 

 encompaffed the whole with ftroiig walls. Leland informs 

 us, that Robert built part of it, and that " the dungeon 

 tower was made of ftone brought out of Normandie by the 

 redde earl of Gloucefter." It was not till 1130, that earl 

 Robei't began to rebuild and improve the caftle ; which, 

 excluding the out-works, was 450 feet from eaft to weft, 

 and 300 feet from north to fouth. There were in it two 

 great courts, many towers, a church, and a magnificent 

 chapel. The king had alfo a palace within the walls. 

 The principal buildings ftood upon an area, covering ,; \ acres 

 of ground, cxcliifive of courts, yards, and other accommo- 

 dations for the officers and the garrifon. Leland informs 

 us, that the great tower ftood in the north weft part of the 

 caftle; and in his time, about 26'h of Henry VIII., tiie 

 whole was in a decayed ftate, and tending fait to ruin. In 

 the reign of John, the caftle was annexed to the crown ; 

 and here that monarch cruelly conlined theprincefs Eleanor, 

 (called the damfel of Brittany,) who, after forty years 

 miferable confinement, died here in 124;. In tl,'.- barons 

 wars, during the reign of Henry III., piince Edward his 

 fon fupplied the caftle with provifioiis, and lined the 

 X townlraen 



