SCARBOROUGH, a sea port and market town of England, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The town is beautifully situated in the recess of a fine bay, and rises from the shore in the form of an amphi theatre. The old or upper town consists of two or three small streets, intersected by. others of the same kind; and the new or lower town contains many hand some and well-built houses, several of which are ap propriated for lodging houses. The new buildings on the cliff have a particularly fine situation, with a fine terrace in front raised about 100 feet above the sands.
Although Scarborough had once four churches, yet St. Mary's is now the only church in the town. It is a large and spacious building, containing several mar ble monuments. There arc here chapels for the Bap tists, Independents, Quakers, Methodists, and Roman Catholics. Scarborough has also a theatre and as sembly-room, which in summer are open on alter nate evenings. The charitable institutions are St. Thomas's hospital for aged and infirm persons; an amicable society, which educates and clothes 70 boys and girls; a seaman's hospital, a spinning school, and a school on the Lancasterian principle.
Scarborough was in former times defended by an ancient castle, situated on a stupendous rock, rising 300 feet above the level of the sea, which washes it on the north and south-east sides of its base. The site of the castle occupies about fifteen acres, and it is entered on the west side, which is lofty and precipi tous, by a gateway, within which are the remains of an outwork. On the inside of this is a bridge over.a deep ditch, which leads to the keep tower, which is a lofty square building, with an embattled parapet. The
walls are twelve feet thick. A great deal of the for tress has fallen to ruins, and a considerable part of it was taken down to make room for barracks and a battery of twelve pounders for the defence of the harbour.
The harbour is large, commodious, and of easy ac cess, and admits ships of large burden. It is pro tected by a large pier, stretching into the sea with a long semicircular sweep. The foundation is 60 feet broad, the top 42 feet, and the height 40 feet. Some of the stones weighed from 20 to 36 tons. The ship ping of this port is estimated at 30,000 tons. The principal exports are corn, butter, hams, and salt fish; and its imports are coals, timber, deals, hemp, flax, iron, brandy, Geneva wine, groceries, &c. The dry ing and pickling of cod fish occupies a great number of hands. There is also a great manufactory of sail cloth in the town.
Scarborough owes its present prosperity chiefly to the mineral spa which attracts a great number of visi ters. It was discovered so early as 1620, and is cele brated for its cure of chronic and cutaneous diseases The following is an analysis of the two wells.
The corporation consists of two bailiffs, two coro• tiers, four chamberlains, and thirty-six common coun cillors. It sends two members to parliament. Popu lation in 1821, 8533 ; number of houses 1830. See Hinderwell's Ifist. and .dntiq. of Scarborough, 4to. York, 1798; Beauties of England and IVales, vol. xvi. 347 ; Phil. Trans. No. 85 ; and Elliot on Mineral Waters, p. 187.