638 
W H I 
That event did not prevent him, however, after the over¬ 
throw of Buonaparte’s government, from blaming the con¬ 
duct of the Congress, and exposing the ambitious views of 
some of the sovereigns, particularly in respect to Saxony. 
On the return of the emperor from his exile in the island 
of Elba, the member for Bedford strongly and emphatically 
censured the declaration of the allies, more especially that 
part of it which seemed to recommend the detestable princi¬ 
ple of assassination. He also loudly insisted both on the im¬ 
policy and injustice of a new war, on the ground that the 
executive power of the enemy was not vested in the hands of 
any one particular person. But above all things he pro¬ 
tested against the forcible restoration of the Bourbons by a 
foreign force, and the assumed right of dictating a govern¬ 
ment to France. Yet he most cordially joined in a vote of 
national gratitude to the duke of Wellington, for the me¬ 
morable victory at Waterloo, although he at the same time 
boldly avowed that events had not altered his sentiments in 
respect to the pretended justice of the original contest.” 
In the variety of his personal and domestic concerns, 
in his attendance on parliamentary duties, and in his efforts 
for establishing and promoting institutions of public utility, 
and more especially such as pertained to the instruction of 
the poor, Mr. Whitbread was assiduous and indefatigable; 
and whilst he was overwhelmed by a multiplicity of occu¬ 
pations, he voluntarily undertook a more Herculean labour 
than any other, which was the arrangement of the perplexed 
concerns of Drurv-lane theatre. With every'moment of his 
time thus occupied, and his mental powers unremittingly ex¬ 
erted, it is no wonder that his health should decline, and that 
his mind itself, though naturally vigorous and ardent, should 
be impaired by excess and intenseness of application. The 
consequence that might have been apprehended, unhappily 
occurred on Thursday, July 6, 1815. He destroyed himself 
with a razor. 
WHITBURN, a parish of England, county of Durham; 
3 miles north-by-west of Sunderland. 
WHITBY, a seaport and market town of England, in the 
North Riding of Yorkshire. It stands on tvro opposite de¬ 
clivities, one [facing the east, and the other the west, on the 
banks of the river Esk, which forms the harbour, and di¬ 
vides the town into two nearly equal parts, connected by a 
draw-bridge, so constructed as to admit ships of 500 tons 
burden to pass. It is very closely and irregularly built: but 
the houses of the opulent inhabitants are spacious and ele¬ 
gant. Here are few public buildings that are worthy of no¬ 
tice. Among these are two public schools, one for boys and 
another for girls, conducted on the British plan. A large 
and handsome building for both schools, calculated to ac¬ 
commodate 500 children, lias recently been erected by sub¬ 
scription. The parochial church is seated near the verge of 
the cliff, on the eastern side of the town, a little to the north¬ 
west of the abbey, and is approached from the town by an 
ascent of 190 stone steps, which renders it of difficult access 
to the old and infirm. The architecture of this church was 
originally Gothic ; but it has undergone many modern alter¬ 
ations, and now retains little of its ancient form. 
Whitby is an ancient town, and owes its origin to a fa¬ 
mous abbey, founded here in the 7th century, by Oswy, 
king of Northumberland. It was afterwards burnt by the 
Danes, but was rebuilt with great splendour after the con¬ 
quest, and continued till the general dissolution of those es¬ 
tablishments. Of this abbey, nothing now remains but the ruins 
of the church, which was formerly 100 yards in length, and 
24 in breadth, exclusive of the transepts, which extended 12 
yards further on each side. This venerable ruiu stands in a 
commanding situation, on a high cliff, on the east side of 
the town, which it overlooks. About the beginning of the 
commonwealth, the population amounted to nearly 2000; 
and the whole marine belonging to the port was about 20 
small vessels, manned with 120 or 130 seamen, and all em¬ 
ployed in the coasting trade. At the restoration of Charles 
II. in 16G0, the number of inhabitants was increased to 
nearly 3000, and that of the ships to about 30; an increase 
which may be ascribed to the alum-works at Saltwick. In 
W H I 
the year 1690, the number of inhabitants in Whitby was 
nearly 4000; and 60 ships of 80 tons burden belonged to 
the port. It was now resolved to improve the harbour, 
which was greatly exposed to the violence of the waves; and 
in pursuance of two acts of parliament, obtained, one in 
1702, and the other in 1723, the east pier was built, ex¬ 
tending from the eastern cliff above 200 yards westerly, to 
the channel of the river Esk. This was a great security to 
the port, as it restrained the violence of the sea in north¬ 
easterly storms. Whitby carries on at present a great trade in 
coals; it also exports various articles of provision, tallow; 
&c.; and the alum-works in the neighbourhood employ a 
great number of hands. The immense mountains of alum 
rock, and the interior works, with all the apparatus for pre¬ 
paring alum, are well worthy of observation. This town has 
suffered much from the ocean, particularly in 1787, when a 
strong new built quay, supporting a pile of buildings 80 feet 
above the level of the sea, was destroyed, and the venerable 
old church, belonging to its ancient convent, standing on a 
cliff about 30 yards distant, was near sharing the same fate. 
On the east side of the mouth of the harbour are cliffs nearly 
perpendicular, some of them 180 feet above the level of the 
sea. The shore on that side consists of a smooth flat rock, 
resembling slate, called by the inhabitants the Scarr. It is 
overspread in some places with large loose stones. The 
neighbourhood of Whitby abounds with natural curiosities; 
and the various petrifactions almost everywhere found in the 
alum rocks, have long excited wonder, and puzzled philoso¬ 
phy. Here are found an incredible variety of petrified shells, 
with pieces of wood, bones of fishes, &c. Several highly in¬ 
teresting specimens of the large marine animal called pro- 
teosaurus, or ichthyosaurus, have recently been discovered 
in the aluminous schist, or alum rock. The population taken 
in 1821, amounts to 10,275; 48 miles north-north-east of 
York, and 247 north-by-west of London. 
WHITBY, a village of England, in Cheshire, near Ches¬ 
ter. 
WHITCHESTER, a township of England, in Northum¬ 
berland; 9 miles west-north-west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
WHITCHURCH, a borough and market town of En¬ 
gland, in Shropshire, is seated on an eminence, at the top of 
which stands the church, commanding an extensive view of 
the distant country. It is a handsome modern building, of 
the Tuscan order, erected by act of parliament in 1722, on 
the site of an old structure. The whole is built of freestone ; 
and at the west end is a square tower, 108 feet in height, sur¬ 
mounted by battlements. The inside of the church is hand¬ 
somely fitted up, and contains a fine altar-piece, and two 
ancient effigies, removed from the old church. One of these 
represents John Talbot, the first earl of Shrewsbury, who was 
called the English Achilles, and is described by Shakespeare, 
in his play of Henry VI., as a formidable and terrific cha¬ 
racter. Here is an excellent free school, with houses for the 
master and usher. Market on Friday. Fairs on Whit-Monday, 
and on the 28th October; 20 miles north of Shrewsbury, 
and 161 north-west of London. Population 5332. 
WHITCHURCH, a market town and borough of Eng¬ 
land, in the county of Southampton. It is pleasantly situ¬ 
ated on a small stream, famous, and much resorted to, for 
trout fishing. The town consists chiefly of one street, which of 
late has been much enlarged and improved. It sends two 
members to parliament, chosen by the freeholders of lands and 
tenements. The number of voters is about 70. Market on 
Friday* chiefly done by samples; and four annual fairs ; 24 
miles north-east of Salisbury, and 58 west-by-soulh of Lon¬ 
don. Population 818. 
WHITCHURCH, a parish of England, in Buckingham¬ 
shire ; 4| miles north-by-west of Aylesbury. Population 
714.—2. A parish in Devonshire ; 1 mile south-east of Ta¬ 
vistock. Population 595.■—3. A parish in Herefordshire ; 
6j miles south-west of Ross. Population 745.—4. A pa¬ 
rish in Oxfordshire; 6| miles west of Reading, Berkshire. 
Population 540.—5. A hamlet in the parish of Henstridge, 
Somersetshire.—6. A parish in Warwickshire : 4f miles 
south-south-east of Stratford-upon-Avon.—7. A township 
of 
