FLINTSHIRE, a county of North Wales. It consists of a narrow tract of land, about twenty-eight miles in length, varying considerably in its breadth, in no part exceeding ten miles. The Irish Sea part ly bounds it on the, north ; the river Dee and a part of Cheshire on a part of the north and on the north east side, and the county of Denbigh on the south and west sides. A portion of the county is detach ed from the rest by the interposition of' a part of Denbighshire. It is divided into five hundreds, viz. Coleshill, Maylor, Mold, Prestatyn, and Rhyddlan. The extent in square miles is 309 or 197,760 acres. By the census of 1801, the number of inhabitants appeared to be 39,622 ; and by the last returns of 1811, they amounted to 48,100, or one person to four acres and a half of land. Flint, the county town, in which the election for the Member of Par liament is held, and in which the county jail stands, is a small place containing only 1433 The river Dee formerly washed the walls of its an cient castle, but has of late considerably receded, and it has now no means of carrying on commerce by sea, except in very small vessels ; and it is neces sary ,that those should be so constructed as to re main dry, during low water, without injury. It de rives some share of prosperity from having recently become a fashionable sea-bathing place resorted tO by the gentry of Cheshire, Shropshire, and some other adjoining districts. Mold, the town at which the assizes are held, has rapidly increased, owing, in some measure, to the establishment of very ex tensive mills for spinning cotton in its vicinity. The town, including the whole parish of which it forms a part, contains now a population of 4235 souls. The city of St Asaph is neither distinguished by its ex tent nor the beauty of its buildings, and contains only 1520 inhabitants. Its situation, on the side of a hill, the summit of which is crowned by the cathe dral,, and between the rivers Clwyd and Elwy, is very imposing, and strikes the traveller forcibly as he ap proaches it. Though the immediate vicinity of this city has a sterile appearance, yet the views near it in one direction over the enchanting vale of Clwyd, and in another over the diversified landscape which terminates with the ruins of the castle of Denbigh, present to the eye of those who have a taste for beautiful scenery a most delightful treat.
The diocese of St Asaph extends nearly over the whole of the county, and from several livings which are held in commendam by the bishop, is a very lu crative preferment. The Episcopal chair has, since the Reformation, been filled by many prelates of most distinguished character. Morgan was translat ed to this see in 1601, as a reward for his eminent acquirements as an oriental linguist.• He was em ployed in translating the sacred writings into the Welsh language, as well as in a part of the English edition commonly called " Queen Elizabeth's Bible." Dr Isaac Barrow, uncle to the celebrated mathema tician, was eminent for his munificence to the see, as well as for his profound learning. The pious Be veridge, for a few of his last years, was Bishop of St Asaph ; and the chair has been since filled by the amiable and learned Shipley, and the powerful and energetic Horsley. The cathedral has been of late much improved and beautified by the bounty of Bishop Bagot, and the liberal contributions of the nobility and gentry of the county. It was built about the year 1480, upon a foundation of much more ancient date; it is in length, from east to west, 179 feet, and in breadth, from north.to south, 188 feet. The most important place in this county, from its wealth, its population, and its continued increase, is the town of Holywell, deriving its name from the well of St Wenefrede, which, in the ages of creduli ty, was supposed to possess miraculous powers of healing, but has of late been applied to poses than. nurturing such superstitions. As are many Catholics m Flintshire, the belief in the miraculous power of this spring is not wholly extinct, nor have the pilgrimages to it altogether ceased. So late as 1805, a very zealous attempt was made to revive the credit of the Saint, and establish faith in the wonderful cures achieved by bathing in her well. A case was narrated, accompanied with cm.. tificates, and a challenge given. Wall who doubted. of the miracle, by an appeal to facts " as stubborn things ;" an appeal which, howevee it might confirm the faith of her votaries, had. no influence beyond that narrow circle. The number of inhabitants within the town of Holywell at the census in 1811 was 6394, and they have continued to increase front that period to the present time.