MILFORD. 
370 
fouthward of Philadelphia. This little town, which con¬ 
tains about one hundred houfes, has been built, except 
one houfc, fmce the revolution. It is laid out with much 
talle, and is by no means difagreeable. The inhabitants 
are Epifcopalians, Quakers, and Methodifts. 
MIL'FORD, a town of Northampton county, Penn- 
fylvania, laid out on the north-weft fide of the Delaware, 
in an elevated fituation, at Well’s Ferry, 120 miles above 
Philadelphia. A paper-mill has been erefted here by a 
Mr. Biddis, who has difcovered the method of making 
paper and pafteboard by fubftituting a large proportion of 
faw-duft in the compofition. 
MIL'FORD, a town in the ftate of Maffachufetts : eight 
miles north-weft of Bofton. 
MIL'FORD, a town of the ftate of Connefticut : five 
miles fouth-weft of Newhaven. 
MIL'FORD, a town of Pennfylvania, on the Delaware: 
120 miles above Philadelphia. 
MIL'FORD (New), a towm of North America, in the 
province of Maine : ten miles north-weft of Wifcaffet. 
MIL'FORD (North), a town of the ftate of Connec¬ 
ticut : twelve miles north of Danbury, and 116 fouth- 
weft of Bofton. 
MIL'FORD HAR'BERSTON, or Mil'ford Hav'en, 
a lea-port town, in the parilh of Stanton, and county of 
Pembroke, South Wales, is of very modern origin, having 
been founded fmce the year 1790, 'and raifed to its pre- 
fent importance by the patriotic exertions of the Hon. 
Mr. Greville, nephew to the late fir William Hamilton, 
on whofe property itftands. Happening to be here with 
his uncle in 1784, .the penetrating and fcientific eye of 
Mr. Greville quickly perceived the many natural advan¬ 
tages which this fituation offered for a naval and com¬ 
mercial eftablilhment. He accordingly prevailed upon 
fir William to apply to parliament for an aft to enable 
him to Let out legal quays, eftablilh markets, conftruft 
docks, and in general to do every thing neceffary for in- 
furing the prolperity of the intended town. This objeft 
being effefted, the conduft of the undertaking w'as en¬ 
tirely committed to Mr. Greville, who immediately laid 
out the ground in allotments, according to a regular plan, 
and began his labours by the ereftion of a large inn or 
hotel. Numerous purchafers quickly appeared, lo that in 
lefs than ten years the town had made confiderable pro- 
grefs, and began to affurne an air of neatnefs and confe- 
quence. Since that period Milford has continued gra¬ 
dually increafing in extent and importance. Many im¬ 
provements have been made in the haven for the greater 
lafety and accommodation of the fliipping; and a dock¬ 
yard has been formed at the fuggeftion of lord Spencer, 
where leveral large veflels of war have been built, and 
others repaired. 
The fituation of this town is moft fingularly beautiful, 
being feated on a finall promontory, the fides of which de- 
fcend gently to the -water. The principal haven ftretches 
itfelf to the fouth, and prefents the appearance of a. fpa- 
cious lake. This harbour is one of the fafeft and moft 
commodious in the world, and contains fixfeen creeks, 
five bays, and thirteen roads, where upwards of a thou- 
fand.fail may ride in perfeft fecurity. The town at pre- 
fent confifts chiefly of three ftreets, with erodings, run¬ 
ning in a di reft ion from eaft to weft, and parallel with the 
Ihore of the haven. At the extremity of the lower row of 
houfes ftands the church, a handfome edifice, confifting of 
a nave, chancel, and two fide-aifles. Several of the win¬ 
dows in this church exhibit efcutcheons of painted glafs, 
difplaying the arms of Barlow, Hamilton, and Greville. 
In the chancel ftands an ancient vafe of red porphyry, 
brought from Egypt by the learned Dr. Pococke, and in¬ 
tended for the baptifinal font; but, that idea not coin¬ 
ciding with the religious feelings of,a confiderable part of 
the congregation, another of Derbyfliire marble was fixed 
oppofite to it for that purpofe. Near the vafe is placed a 
trunk of the mainmaft of the FOrient, the French admi¬ 
ral’s fiag-flup, which was blown up at the battle of the 
Nile. At a Ihort diftance eaftward from the church ftands 
the old chapel of St. Catharine, formerly dependant upon 
Stanton, the mother-church. It is a very ancient build¬ 
ing, having the nave vaulted into a pointed roof; and 
fince the ereftion of the new chapel has been converted 
into a powder-magazine. The market-houfe is a very 
neat ftrufture, as is likewife the cuftom-houfe ; the collec¬ 
tion for which takes in both fides of the haven from Mil- 
ford-town to the harbour’s mouth, and round the coaft 
of Bride’s Bay to St. David’s. Two batteries for the de¬ 
fence of the town and haven have been lately erefted, each 
mounting feven guns. 
Milford is now the regular port for the mails from 
England to Waterford, for the conveyance of which five 
packets are ftationed here, fo that a daily communication 
is thereby kept up with Ireland. The chief trade of the 
town is its South-Sea whale-filhery, which is carried on 
with great fuccefs by a colony of Quakers from the ifland 
of Nantucket, North America, who were invited to fettle 
here by Mr. Greville. They are, like moft of their bre¬ 
thren, an induftrious and w r ell-difpofed people, and have 
greatly contributed by their exertions to the proprefs of 
the new eftablilhment. There is, likewife, fome trade in 
wood and other ftores requiiite for the equipment or fup- 
ply of his majefty’s ftiips, or other veflels which may find 
it necefiary to put in here for repair or fafety. There are 
turn quays for the landing of goods, and extenfive ftore- 
houfes for their reception, under the management of efta- 
bliflied officers. Two markets are held in this town dur¬ 
ing the week, on Tuefday and Saturday; but there are 
no fairs. The family of Philips derive* from hence the 
title of baron. For the encouragement of the fcience of 
fhip-building, a boat-race was fome years ago eftablifned 
here under the aufpices of lord Cawdor and Mr. Greville. 
The prize for the winning-boat of the firft clafs of twenty 
feet keel, is a cup given by his lordfhip of the-value of 
twenty-five or thirty pounds; and there is befides an in¬ 
ferior prize for boats of a fecond clafs from fixteen to 
eighteen feet keel. 
The neighbourhood of Milford exhibits a well-inclofed 
and highly-cultivated country. Several elegant villas be¬ 
longing to the merchants of Milford contribute much to 
its beauty. The old town of Haking ftands on the weft 
fide of the influx, call Priory Pill. Near it is an elegant 
obfervatory built by Mr. Greville, and, with the mathe¬ 
matical fchool contiguous to it, placed under the direc¬ 
tion of Mr. Firminger, who was for eight years foie af- 
fiftant to Dr. Malkelyne. Here are likewife the ruin3^ of 
the priory from whence the inlet derives its name. This 
religious eftablilhment owed its foundation to Adam de 
Rupe, or de la Roche, who appears to have been a man of 
power and confequence in this diftrift. It was dedicated 
to St. Mary and St. Buddoch for monks of the order of 
Tyrone, who in time forlook that ftrift rule, and became 
Benediftines. A fmall portion of this edifice only now 
remains ; moft of the materials of which it was compofed 
having been carried off within the memory of man, to alfift 
in the ereftion of other buildings in the neighbourhood. 
On the eaftern fide of the Pill, or influx, ftands Caftle Pill, 
which was formerly a fortification for its protection. In 
the reign of queen Elizabeth it was reckoned among the 
belt caftles in Pembrokelhire ; and is mentioned, in 1644, 
as one of the ftrongeft polls w r hich the royalifts-maintained 
in this part of the country. From the mifeonduft of the 
garrifon, however, it was fubfequently taken, after a Ihort 
reiiftance, by a force apparently inadequate to the under¬ 
taking. 
The village of Stanton, which gives name to the parilh 
in which Milford is fituated, lies on the road between that 
town and Haverford-well. The church here was garri- 
foned during the civil wars by the troops of the parlia¬ 
ment, with the view of interrupting the communication, 
between Haverford-weft and the fort already mentioned. 
That part of the county lying beyond Milford Haven, 
and watered by two rivers, is inhabited by the delcen- 
3 dants 
