B R I S T O L. 
According to a furvey made in r736, the city was in 
circumference four miles and a half on the Glouccflerlhire, 
and two miles and a half on the Somerfetfhire, tide; in 
all., feven miles. Since that, its houfes have been increafed 
more than a fourth part. The number of houfes in the 
city itfelf is 13,000; and of inhabitants, 72,000. The 
f'uSurbs in both counties are very large and populous; 
that without Lawford’s-gate confiding of thirty dreets well 
peopled. The environs for about a mile round are very 
populous. The whole collection of buildings, including the 
out-paridies of St. James, and St. Philip and Jacob ; the pa- 
rifhes of St. George, Bedminder, and Clifton, and the Hot- 
well, are computed to contain upwards of 100,000 fouls. 
The government of Bridol is adminidered by a mayor, 
who is a great officer, and before the American war had 
1500I. to fupport the dignity of his office ; his (alary is 
now fixed at ioool. twelve aldermen; two dieriffs, each of 
whom is allowed 400I. during his office; twenty-eight 
common-council, town-clerk, deputy town-clerk, cham¬ 
berlain, vice-chamberlain, clerks of the court of cOnfcience, 
under-lhcriff, fword-bearer, &c. There are other officers 
fubjeCt to the corporation ; eight ferjeants at mace, two 
coroners, criers of th? courts, w ater-bailiffs, quay-maders, 
common-crier, clerks of the markets, exchange-keeper, 
and a city-marflial, all of whom have their proper gowns 
and dreffes, and precede the corporation in their procef- 
fions. The city is divided into twelve wards ; each of 
which has an aldermaq, one chief condable, and twelve 
others; 9 night-condable, watchmen, &c. The mayor, 
burgefies, and commonalty, of the city of Bridol, are con- 
fervators of the river Avon, from above the bridge there 
to King-road, and down the Severn to the two iflands 
called Holmes ; and the mayor and judices of the faid 
city, may make rules and orders for preferving the river, 
and regulating pilots, maders of dtips, &c. Alfo for the 
government of their markets: and the dreets are to be 
kept clean and paved; and lamps or lights hung out at 
night. Sfat. 11 and 12 Will. Ill. c. 23.—No perfon (hall 
act as a broker in the city of Bridol, till admitted and li- 
eenfed by the mayor and aldermen, &c. on pain of for¬ 
feiting 500I. and thole who employ any fuch, to forfeit 
50I.—By the dat. 22 Geo. II. c. 20. the dat. 11 and 12 
Will. III. is rendered more effectual fo far as it relates 
to the paving and lighting the dreets ; and divers regu¬ 
lations are made in relation to the hackney-coachmen, hal- 
liers, draymen, and carters, and the markets ; and fellers 
of hay and draw, within the city, and the liberties thereof. 
One of the judges who go the wedern circuit, comes in 
the autumn of every year to Bridol, to hear and deter¬ 
mine, at the Guildhall, law-fuits intirely refpeCling civil 
caufes, arifing in Bridol as a city and county ; alfo, the 
mayor, recorder, and aldermen, hold an affize or general 
gaol delivery of oyer and terminer in the fame hall once in 
every year, mod commonly in March, for the trial of ca¬ 
pital od'ences committed in the jurifdiction of the city and 
county of Bridol either by land or water. And the mayor 
and aldermen hold a quarter-feflions for the trying lefs 
criminal caufes; likewife a court of requeds is held every 
Monday for the recovery of fmall debts. Beddes thefe, 
the two (heriffs hold a pie-poudre court every year in au¬ 
tumn, under the piazza in a dreet called the Old-market. 
Here are upwards of thirty other incorporations, of which 
the foc.iety of merchant-venturers is the mod relpeClable ; 
confiding of fome of the principal gentlemen of the city 
and environs, and of the neighbouring nobility, generally 
of the prime minider, or one of the fecretaries of date; 
and it has been honoured by the names of fome of the 
royal families. Notwithdanding its name, it is not merely 
a trading fociety, but formed for the promotion of the 
trade, commerce, and improvement, of the city, and air 
ways aCls in conjunction with the corporation in carrying 
on thefe great ends. The merchant-taylors, mercers, See. 
are conliderable bodies of people, and maintain various 
charities. 
Among the public buildings, we .may reckon the ex¬ 
41 1 
change in Corn-dr.eet, which cod 50,000!, It was opened 
in 1743, and is edeemed the completed of its kind in Eu¬ 
rope. Its front is no feet, depth 148, and is made capa¬ 
ble of containing 1440 perfons, The place for the mer¬ 
chants is a peridile of the Corinthian order, eighty feet in 
breadth, and ninety in length. The whole building, infid? 
and out, is of done. The places between the capitals of 
the columns and piladers in the front are filled with fef- 
toons, which reprefent Great Britain and the four quar¬ 
ters of the world, with the chief products and manufac¬ 
tures of every country. Before the Exchange, and on the 
Tolzey, are fome of the old brafs pillars, uied for tranfad¬ 
ing budnefs before the exchange was built. The pod- 
office is an elegant and convenient done ftripSIure, at the 
wed end of the exchange. Its annual revenue is upwards 
of io,oool. The eouncil-houfe was built in 1701, and is 
a good done building, with niches in the front. From the 
dreet we enter a public hall, in which the mayor, or two 
or three of the aldermen, attend every day from twelve 
to three, to adminider judipe to the crowds who refort to 
it ; and here the courts of conlcience and of common- 
council are held. 'Flic guildhall, in Broad-dreet, is an 
ancient Gothic building; and has in the middle of the* 
front a datue of Charles II. on the fouth dde of the datue 
are the windows of the hall; and on the north,, the great 
Gothic window of St. George’s chapel, in which the mayor 
is chofen. Here are held the general gaol-delivery, court 
of niji prius, of quarter-feffions,. the (heriffs courts, and 
elections of members. The cudom-houfe in Queen’s- 
fquare is a noble building, with a piazza of the Ionic or¬ 
der in the front. The long-room, where the budnefs is 
done, is inferior in fize to few rooms in the,kingdom. 
The adembly-room in Princefs-dreet is about ninety 
feet long. It is of done; has a magnificent front, a rudic 
bafem.ent, fupporting double pillars of the Corinthian or¬ 
der, crowned by an open pediment, under which is this 
infeription: “ Curas Cithara to/lit.'” It is conducted by a 
mader of the ceremonies, didinCt from the Hot-wells. 
The theatre in King-dreet is about the dimendons of the 
old houfe in Drury-lane, perhaps lefs; but is a perfeft 
model of elegance and convenience : the internal part round 
the pit is lemicircular; and Bridol had the honour of 
leading this fafhion in England. The carvings, gildings, 
&c. which are very dimple and correct, have a good edect. 
Plays are aCted only in the fummer, by the king’s fervants 
from both houfes in London. 
The city library in King-dreet is a handfome done' 
building, with literary emblems in the front. It contains 
a copious and excellent collection of the bed ancient and 
modern authors. It is reduced to a fydein, and is conti¬ 
nually augmenting, by a large number of annual fubferi- 
bers for purchaling new publications. It has a librarian, 
'who is always a clergyman. 
The merchants-hall is a very c.apacious druCture of 
done, inclofed by a grand iron pallifade, and has a curious 
front. It condds of a fuite of magnificent rooms, and is • 
one of the fird halls in England. The coopers-hall, in 
King-dreet, has a very fuperb front, with four noble co¬ 
lumns of the Corinthian order, an attic dory, and lofty 
pediment. Merchant-taylors-hall, Broad-dreet, is a free- 
itone building, near feventy feet long, and breadth pro¬ 
portionable. In the great iquare called Queen’s, is a fine 
equedrian datue of William III. by the famous Rv(brack. 
King’s-fquare is fpacious and pleafant; St. James’s, Brunf- N 
wick, Somerfet, and Doury, fquares, are all well built 
and handfome. 
Bridol is a biihop’s fee, being one of the fix ereCfed by 
Henry VIII. out or the fpoils of the monaderies and reli¬ 
gious houfes which that monarch diffolved. The cathe¬ 
dral church was the church of the abbey of St. Augudin 
in Bridol, founded by Robert Fitzharding, (on to a king 
of Denmark, once a citizen here, by him fi 1 led with cations 
regular in the year H48. During a great part of queen 
Elizabeth’s reign, it was held in commendam by the bilhop 
of Gioucelter. This diocefe was formed chiefly out of 
