BELFAST, a large flourishing town of Ireland, in the county of Antrim, and capital of the province of Ulster, situated at the mouth of the river Lagan, which separates it from the county of Down. The lower part of the town is not elevated more than six feet above high water mark at spring tides. Belfast lough, or the bay of Carrickfergus, which receives the river Lagan, is a spacious estuary, containing twen ty-four square miles, a great part of which is left dry every tide, which is the case likewise with Strangford lough, another great estuary, the nearest extremity of which is eight miles S. E.
Between Belfast and Lough Neagh, which is about -twelve miles west of it, there is a chain of mountains, the highest of which, called Devis, is about 1560 feet high. These mountains extend to the neighbour hood of the town, and are mostly covered with heath. Some of them, however, consist of very good loam to their summits, interspersed with veins of limestone. -About three miles north of the town stands the Cave Hill, so called from a number of caves in it formed .out of the solid rock, the largest of which is about thirty-two feet wide, and thirty.six lung ; this hill shelters the bay on the west, and being contrasted with the delightful plantations and elegant country -seats which extend almost from its base to the town, exhibits a most beautiful and picturesque view. The town is more ancient than is generally supposed ; the. parish is a vicarage, called Shankii, or the old church. There was formerly a castle at Belfast, the ruins of which are still to be seen. Its date is unknown ; but it is said to be very ancient, and seems to have been a .post of some importance, as it was twice taken and de stroyed by the Earl of Kildare, lord deputy, in 1503 and 1512. It was inhabited before Queen Elizabeth's .time, by Randolphus Lane, and granted by her, with a vast tract of adjoining lands, to the family of Smith, who forfeited their title in the reign of James I.
About the beginning of the seventeenth century, after the complete reduction of Ireland, Belfast be . came the property of Sir Arthur Chichester, after wards lord deputy and baron of Belfast, who exerted himself in the settlement of Ulster, and in whose fa - mily it still.remains. Through his influence it was made a borough in 1613, and sent two members to the Irish Parliament, and under the act of union returns one member to the Imperial legislature. An English gentleman, who travelled through part of Ireland in 1633, and whose journal is in the possession of Get. ral Vallancey, mentions, that Lord Chichester had a stately palace at Belfast, which was the glory and beauty of the town, and which" was his chief residence. Through the interest of this nobleman, also, the custom-house was removed from Carrickfergus to Belfast by the Earl of Staf ford in 1638, for which a compensation of £2000 was paid to the corporation of Carrickfergus. In 1648, Belfast was taken possession of by Colonel (afterwards the famous General) Monk, for the Parliament of England ; yet, so late as 1726, it appears to have been a small place of little conse quence. But situated in the centre of two populous, industrious, and intelligent counties, it is now become one of the most interesting objects in Ireland to the political economist. Its inhabitants are celebrated for their hospitality, taste, and public spirit ; and its mer chants have extended their commerce to every part of the trading world, except where exclusive privileges to chartered bodies mark the bounds of their extension.
The town is well built, mostly of brick, and the streets are broad, straight, and well lighted. The bridge over the Lagan is about 2560 feet long, with twenty one arches, eighteen of which are in Down, and three in Antrim ; the channel dividing the two counties running under the third arch. It was built about the time of the Revolution at the joint expense of both counties, and cost .12,000. With regard to size, Belfast is generally reckoned the fourth, and with respect to commerce it is the third, town in Ire land, being next to Dublin and Cork. Vessels of 200 tons, half loaded, used to come up to the quay, there being about ten feet water at spring tides ; but now the water is from nine to thirteen feet deep,'ac cording to the time of the moon, having been deepen ed by the exertions of the ballast corporation. Con venient docks have also been lately erected for build ing and repairing vessels. Those vessels that cannot come to thequays, lie at Cannoil pool, (the place of heaps of fish,) about three miles from the town, where there is secure anchorage fur large ships. The West Indian and American trade, before the late restric tions on commerce, was very considerable. Their chief exports are linen, butter, beef, pork, oatmeal, &c. The value of Irish goods exported from Belfast during the year 1809 amounted to £1,910,909, 5s., Of which linen formed the greatest part. In 1775, the gross customs amounted, according to Mr Young, only to £64,800, including the excise on tobacco and foreign spirits ; but ever since it has gradually increased, except during the year 1798, and in the year ending the 10th October 1809, amounted to £377,439, 16s. Hid. The excise of Belfast in 1796
was £9097, 13s. i but previous to the stop page on distilleries, it had risen to R22,165, 3s. 6d., exclusive of Carrickfergus and Templepatrick, which :walks are included in the same district. The duty on licences, in 1801, amounted to X'4309. Though the increase, as in other places, must be partly attri buted to the increase of duties, yet the extent of trade must also have been considerable. The popu lation in 1782 was about 13,105: At present (1810), it is estimated at :30,000 including Ballymacarret, the on the Down side of the Lagan. There were, in 1791, 695 looms, the greatest part of which were employed in the linen and cotton manufacture. There are also manufactories of glass, sugar, earthen ware, &c. The public buildings are not many. The white linen hall is large and commodious ; and the exchange, over which there is a good assembly room, is a hand some building, situated near the middle of the town. The foundation was laid in 1769: I t was erected at the expencc of the late Marquis of Donegal], and cost £4000. There is a barrack, healthfully situated, which contains about 800 men ; and near it has been lately erected an artillery barrack. The houses of public worship are ten ; an established church in Do negall street, a handsome structure, but rather small for the parish ; six dissenting meeting-houses, four of which are presbyterian ; a quaker meeting-house ; a methodist mecting-housc ; and a Roman catholic chapel. There are many charitable institutions ; the principal of which is called The Belfast Incorporate Charitable Society, or poor-house and infirmary, which was built by subscription and lotteries. The foundation was laid in 1771t It cost about £7000, and was incorporated by act of Parliament in 1774. It is a large commodious building, healthfully situated, in which about 300 of various ages are maintained and clothed, and the young educated. There are also a lying-in hospital, a fever hospital, a dispensary, a charity school for boarding girls, a day school for boys and girls, a Sunday school of great utility, and a school of industry for the blind ; none of them very extensive, but sufficiently so for such an industrious country. In the beginning of 1809, a house of in dustry was established, similar to the Hathburgh plan described by Mr Voght, for the purpose of abo lishing mendicity, and assisting the industrious poor, which promises to be of incalculable benefit to the town. In such a place as Belfast, many commercial institutions might be expected ; and, accordingly, we find a chamber of commerce, a ballast office cor poration, two insurance offices, a police committee, &c. &c. There is also a book society called The Belfist Society for promoting Knowledge, which pos sesses about 2000 volumes, a cabinet of minerals, and several philosophical instruments. There is another book society, under the title of The Belfast Society for acquiring Knowledge, nearly as extensive as the for mer. A Literary Society has also been lately esta blished, whose chief object is polite literature, science, and antiquities, fasciculi of which are occasionally published. There are a great many other societies similar to the above, but they are too numerous to be mentioned. An academy, for the education of the higher class in this town, was founded by the inhabi tants in 1786, and has been hitherto under the direc tions of a presbyterian minister ; but the advantages of it are not confined to any sect. In 1807, another academy was opened, which is under the direction, also, of one of the presbyterian ministers, and is well attended. The private schools are innumerable. But that which most entitles the inhabitants of Belfast to the gratitude of their countrymen is the Academi cal Institution, or New College, the foundation stone of which was laid on the of July 1810. A subscrip tion was opened in 1808, for the purpose of establish ing a college on the following extensive plan : Large schools are Ima be built and endowed for educating boys for every department of life ; and professorships arc to he founded in the following branches, viz. mathe matics, natural philosophy, logic, metaphysics, mo ral philosophy, belles lettres, chemistry, botany, and agriculture. A subscription of five guineas makes a proprietor ; twenty guineas qualifies one for holding the office of manager ; fifty for that of vice-presi dent. That of president continues for life, and has been vested in the Most Noble the Marquis of Do negal'. The fund for carrying this undertaking into effect, already amounts to 16,0001. which was solely collected by private subscription, and the sum is daily increasing. The proprietors have obtained a. a charter of incorporation, and the building is ad vancing with rapidity.
The proprietor of the soil is the Marquis of Do negal', a most indulgent landlord, and highly respect ed by his tenantry.
Belfast is. situated 80 miles north of Dublin, in West Long. 5° 49', and North Lat. 54° 43'. Varia tion of the needle in 1810, 28° 30' west. See Ar thur Young's Tour; Dr Beaufort's Memoir; Belfast .111onthly Magazine, &c. (G)