The situation of Kingston is highly favourable, rising from the sea with sufficient acclivity to give it the com mand of the sea breezes, which blow regularly during the greatest part of the year, and likewise to have a view of the ships coming down the coast to the harbour of Port Royal, and up to the town. The heat of the night is tempered by a land wind. The plain on which it stands rises with a gradual ascent to the foot of the Liguanea Mountains, a dis tance of about six miles, and is covered with country resi dences of the admiral, and many of the inhabitants, and to wards the mountains with sugar estates.
A hill, called the Long 1,1131 Mountain, crosses this plain di agonally, beginning near Rock Port, and extending to near the Liguanea Mountains. Over this towers the first range of mountains in great grandeur, to the height of 5000 feet, and covered to the height of 4000 feet with coffee planta tions, villas, &c.; and above this range are seen the Blue The city being situated on a dry soil, is not incommoded by any stagnation of water, and it is thoroughly ventilated; hut the slope upon which it is placed is attended with one inconvenience, that it admits a free passage to torrents of rain, which descend the streets during the rainy season with such impetuosity, as to render them impassable for wheel carriages, and carrying accumulations of rubbish and mud to the wharves. It would be a great improvement to have the streets paved, and a cut made above the town, to prevent the torrents from pouring through the streets.
The thermometer, in the hottest part of the year, some times rises to and is seldom below Kingston is hotter by about 3° than Spanish Town, but is not so subject to storms of thunder.
The following return of imports and exports, from the 29th Sept. 1816, to the 29th Sept. 1817, laid before the House of Assembly on the lath of November 1817, will show the scale of importance in which Kingston stands as a sea port.
barrels flour ; 2863 barrels, 4064 bags, 1085 kegs, bread ; 1591 tierces, 396 barrels, 4476 bags, rice ; 19.827 bushels, 1243 bags, 7804 barrels, corn and corn meal ; 202 barrels, pease ; 1481 hogsheads, 5131 casks, 2553 boxes, 397 quintals, dry fish ; 289 tierces, 28, 757 barrels, 866 kegs, pickled fish ; 1,805314 staves and heading, 8.261006 shingles, 7.672387 feet of lumber ; 680 horses; 1998 mules; 202 asses ; 2808 cattle. No account
is here given of the beef, pork, and herrings, imported from Great Britain, Ireland, :mu North America. In 1816, 15, 070 barrels of herrings, and about the same quantity of beef and pork, as also dry goods, iron, and hardware, to a great amount ; wines, brandies, Ste. &c. In 1817, 16,915 gallons of brandy and gin were entered at the Custom House.
Tonnage, from 29th Sept. 1815, to 29th Sept. 1816.
North of the tropic—from Great Britain and Ireland 35,162 ; America 36 032. Within the Tropi( —from the Spanish Main and neighbouring islands, 20 803. droggers, 1889, trading under the free port act, 12 520 ; 93.138-1470 horses, 4735 mules, 438 asses, 3628 cattle imported.
KINGSTON-urox-HULL. See Hum.. KINGSTON-vrota-TrinatEs, is a town of England, in the county of Surly. It is situated 11 miles from West minster bridge, on the southern bank of the Thames, which is crossed by a wooden bridge to Hampton Wick. It con sists of two principal streets, and several smaller ones. It is upon the whole well built ; but the mixture of the mo dern and the ancient houses gives it an irregular appear- • ance. The church is spacious and handsome, and has a tower with eight bells. There is here a free school, found- : ed by Queen Elizabeth ; a charity school fn. 3 boys ; and an alms-house for 6 men and 6 women. to the market place is the town-hall, built by Queen Elizabeth. The Lent assizes for the county of Sunny are held here.
Kingston was either a royal residence or demesne so early as the union of the Saxon hcptarchy. Close to the i north side of the church is a large stone, on which, it is said, the Saxon kings were crowned. Ilere was formerly the chapel of St. Mary, on the same side, adorned with the figures of the different sovereigns that had been crowned at this place. It fell in 1730, and buried in its ruins the sexton, who was digging a grave, his daughter, and ano ther person. The sexton's daughter was dug out alive, at the end of eight hours, and succeeded her father. The bridge over the Thames is said, by Mr. Lysol), to be the most ancient on the river, except that of London ; and the corporation has a revenue for keeping it in repair. In 1811, the town and parish, including Ham, Hatch, and Hook, contained 716 houses, 738 families, and 4144 inha bitants.