PEMBROKE, the principal town of Pembrokeshire, is delightfully situated on a navigable creek of Milford Ha ven, called Down Pool, over which there is an excellent bridge. It was formerly surrounded by a strong and lofty wall, which is still almost entire on the north side, where it is flanked by several bastions of considerable strength and thickness. In this wall there were three gates, on the north, cast, and west sides, and a postern on the south ; of these gates that on the north side is the only one now remaining. The town consists chiefly of one long street, which is wide and well built, extending from east to west on the ridge of a hill, and terminating at the west end in a steep precipice, on which the castle is situated. The public buildings are, a town-hall, a free grammar-school, two churches in the town, and one in the suburbs. The cliaches are of great antiquity, but they are no way remarkable for their architecture or inte rior decorations. The castle, though now in a ruinous state, has an air of uncommon grandeur and magnificence.
It was founded in 1092, by Arnulph de Montgomery, son to the Earl of Shrewsbury. In that early age it was con sidered as impregnable, and even so late as the 17th cen tury, it made a vigorous resistance to the Parliamentary forces, but was at length taken by Cromwell. In one of its apartments Henry VII. was born. In the rock under the castle there is a large natural cavern, noted for its fine echo; it is supposed to have once contained a spring which supplied the garrison with water, there being a staircase from the castle communicating with it. Pembroke is a borough town, and is governed by a mayor, two bailiffs, and common council ; and, along with Tenby and Whis ton, returns one member to Parliament, the right of elec tion being vested in the mayors, bailiffs, and burgesses of the three boroughs. There are no manufactories in the town, and its trade is trifling. The population is estima ted at 2415.