BRISTOL, an important maritime city in the w. of England, long. 2' 35' 28" w., lat. 51° 27' 6" n., upon the rivers Frame and Avon, and partly in the counties of Gloucester and Somerset, joined with the former for ecclesiastical and military purposes, but other wise a city and co. in itself. The ratable value in 1872 was 2851,048. The ancient portion of B. consists almost entirely of shops, warehouses, offices, manufactories, and other commercial buildings. The streets are, with few exceptions, narrow and irregu lar: but great improvements have been effected in them recently at a cost of half a million sterling, and there are many handsome shops, and other buildings of a superior character. Among the latter may be especially mentioned the banking-house of the West of England company, the assize court and guild ball, bank of England, general hospital, Colston hall, and Victoria rooms. A great central terminus has been erected for the various railways. The most remarkable modern structure, however, is the sus pension bridge over the Avon, at Clifton,which is 702 ft. in span, and 245 ft. above high water. Among the ancient buildings are the. church of St. Mary Bedeliffe, the cathe dral, and Temple church, remarkable for its leaning tower. Some remains still exist of the ancient castle and walls, traces of British encampments at Clifton and Leigh, and considerable Druidic vestiges at Stanton Drew. The modern portions of B., including Clifton, Cotham, Redland, etc., consist of handsome residences, in squares, terraces, crescents, and detached villas, and some creditable specimens of architecture in churches, chapels, assembly and club rooms. The population of B. proper was, in 1871, 62,662, and of the suburban districts, 141,378—total, 204,040, steadily increasing; total included in the municipal boundary, 182,552. The floating harbor and quays extend for more than a mile through the city, and are formed by embanking and locking the old courses of the rivers, which now flow through a new channel cut at a cost of about 26. 0,000. There were entered inwards with cargoes during the year 1876, 9041 vessels, with a ton nage of 1,090,106, engaged in the foreign and coasting trade. The clearances outwards show 4496 vessels and 628,170 tons. The customs duties on imports produced in the same year .€685,538, against £1,030,132 in 1872. The total value of the imports for 1876 was £7,279,147, against 27,057,036 in 1872. The chief trade is with Canada and the United States, West Indies and South America, Portugal, the Mediterranean, Russia, Mauritius, Turkey, France, and w. coast of Africa. The principal exports are iron, tin plate, copper and brass, coal, salt, and manufactured goods, to the annual value of about 2400,000. The manufactures are chiefly cotton goods, glass, refined sugar, earthenware, lead, chemicals, leather, and floor-cloths. The ship-building yards have the reputation of turning out excellent sea-going vessels. The Great Wextern, the pioneer of steam communication across the Atlantic, the G reat Britain, and the ill-fated Demerara, were built here. The railways terminating in Bristol are—the Great Western from the e.; the Midland from the n., with a branch to Bath; the Bristol and Exeter from the vv.;
the North Somerset from the s. ; the Great Western line communicating with South Wales, and short branches to Avonmouth and Portishead. B. returns two members to the house of commons; the number of electors was, in 1875, 22,124. The municipal government is vested in a mayor, 16 aldermen, and 48 town-councilors, a lord-lieutenant, and lord high steward. The police arrangements are efficient, and the city has a large jail which is about to be reconstructed on a new site. The benevolent institutions of B. are numerous and well supported. The most important are the infirmary, the general hospital, the blind asylum, orphan asylum, asylum for deaf mutes, alms-houses, reforma tories, etc., and the extraordinary Ashley Hill asylum, for 2050 orphans, built and main tained without any provision for meeting expenses, except the unsolicited contributions that happen to be sent to it. Among charitable institutions must also be reckoned the well-endowed Colston, city, and Red Maids schools, and other free schools. For the better classes, the educational establishments are Clifton college and the grammar school, and many proprietary and private schools; there are also a medical school, fine arts academy, and trade school. Of places of worship in B., 57 belong to the church of England, 29 to Wesleyan communities, 24 to Independents, and about 30 to other sects. The first records of the history of B, speak of it under the ancient British name of Caer oder; it then became a stronghold of the Romans; on their departure, was again occu pied by the Britons, until, in 584, the Saxons drove them out, and giving it the nameof Brightstowe or Bricstowe, made it a thriving place of trade—aboriginal slaves being a principal item in the commerce. It was sacked by the Danes. henry III. gave it the rights of a corporate town; Edward III., those of a city and county in itself. In 1247, the parishes of Radcliffe, Temple, and St. Thomas were added to Bristol. During the civil wars, it was alternately taken by royalists and parliamentarians, and by the latter the castle and fortifications were razed. It afterwards became the principal port for trade with the West Indies, and carried on a flourishing business in negro slaves. In 1793, the " bridge riots" occurred. In 1804 the docks were begun, and in 1809 they were opened to shipping. In 1831, the "reform bill riots" resulted in the destruction of the bishop's palace, custom-house, excise-office, jail, toll-houses, a number of private resi dences, and several lives. The 'bill itself, by the addition of Clifton, etc., gave the city its present municipal boundaries. Among the names of note identified with the history of B. are those of the Fitzhardinge family; William of Worcester; Canynge, the great merchant and restorer of Radcliffe church; Colston and Whitson, the merchants and philanthropists; Sebastian Cabot, the navigator, said to have anticipated the discovery of America by Columbus; the poets Southey and Chatterton; Lawrence and Baily, art ists; Sydney Smith, canon of Bristol cathedral; Robert Hall, Coleridge, and Hannah More; the Misses Porter; Dr. Prichard, Dr. Carpenter, and Miss Mary Carpenter,