The Lying-in Charity appears to have been established about 1802. More than 4,281 patients have been admit ted since the 5th April 1802, and the number of children born 4,314. The Hull Penitentiary was opened in July 1811. More than 100 females have been ad mitted, and a great proportion of these have been re stored to their friends. The Hull and Sculcoates Dis pensary has been recently established, and a Humane So ciety, for the recovery of persons apparently dead, was founded in 1800.
The Grammar School of Hull was founded and en dowed in 1436 by John Alcock, Bishop of Ely. The School Room is esteemed one of the best in England. The Vicar's School is a free institution, founded in 1734 by William Mason, vicar of the parish, and the father of the poet, for the education of 60 scholars. Coggan's Charity School educates 20 poor female children. Besides these, there are subscription schools in Salthouse Lane, which originated in 1786. They consist of two day schools for girls, each containing 30, and four Sunday schools for boys. The buildings are capacious, and no fewer than 250 boys and 150 girls are educated here on Bell and Lancas ter's system.
The other public buildings at Ilull are, the citadel, the exchange, the custom-house, the theatre, the gaol, the Hull subscription library, The citadel, intended for the defence of the harbour and town, is situated on the east bank of the river. The ancient castle, called the Magazine, is a •mere storehouse for arms and am munition. A battery of 21 guns faces the Ilumber, and toe embrasures on the mounds are well furnished with cannon. The citadel is surrounded with a ditch palisa doed in the middle. The garrison generally consists of a few companies of invalids. The exchange was opened on the t st of January 1794. It is a brick building, on a most substantial plan, with a spacious flagged area in front of it. The public subscription news room is above the ex change. The customhouse is a spacious and handsome building, situated in White Friar Gate. The theatre, erected in 18i9, is a large building ia Ilumber Street. The present gaol, which contains very healthful accommo dations, was erected in consequence of an act of parliament passed in 1789. The Hull subscription library was insti tuted Dec. 6, 1775 ; and the foundation stone of the pre sent building in Parliament Street was laid on the 21st of June 1800. The library possesses a spacious reading room, which is open to the subscribers every day. The collection of modern books is excellent, and the number of subscribers is nearly 500.
The avenue from the market-place to the Humber was widened some time ago, by removing the guildhall, on the site of which the most elegant and well ventilated shambles were erected in 1806. The east end of Trinity church is thus exposed to the market-place, in the centre of which is a beautiful equestrian statue of King William III. erected in 1734 lay subscription, and executed by Mr Sheemaker.
Hull may be considered as one of the first commercial towns ip the united kingdom. It carries on a great inter course with the Baltic, and sends an immense number of ships annually to the whale fishery.
The wet dock, which was originally intended to receive all the ships engaged in the trade of Hull, was begun in virtue of an act of parliament passed in 1774. The founda
tion stone was laid on the 19th Oct. 1775, and the whole was completed in four years instead of seven, as required by the act. Government gave a grant of the ground, and of 15,0001. It occupies the place where the walls and ramparts once stood, and it enters immediately from the liter Hull, about 300 yards from its mouth. It is 700 yards long, 85 wide, 22 deep, and is capable of con taining 130 vessels of 300 tons. Including the wharfs and quays, it covers an area of 13 acres, the area of the dock being 48,188 square yards, and that of the quay 17,479. The subscribers are incorporated under the title of the " Dock Company at Kingston-upon-Hull." The number of shares was originally 120 ; but acts were passed in 1802 and 1805, empowering the Company to raise them to 180. The money arising from this increase in the num ber of shares, amounting to 82,3901., was appropriated to the construction of another wet dock, called the Humber Dock.
The foundation stone of the Humber Dock was laid on the 13th April 1807, and it was completed in 1809, at the expellee of 220,0001. The area of the dock is 7 acres and 18 perches, and,that of the road and wharfs is 3 acres and '..',3 perches, amounting in all to 10 acres 1 rood and 11 perches. It ovens into the Humber by a lock, which will admit a fifty gun ship, and which is crossed by an iron bridge. By extending the dock a little farther to the north, to the extremity of White Friar Gate, the old `own may be completely insulated. Hull possesses also several dry docks for repairing vessels. The following Table, sheaving the amount of the customs in different years, will exhibit a correct view of the progress of the trade of hull: The following Table exhibits the state of the Greenland fishery, from 1806 to 1811 inclusive: The inland trade of [lull exceeds that of any other Eng lish port. in the year 1792, merchandise, stores, coals, &c. to the value of 5,156,9981., were conveyed to and from the Aire and Calder navigation alone.
The following Table contains the number of ships that entered inwards and cleared outwards, from 1804 to 1810, inclusive.
Various manufactures are carried on in Hull. One of the principal is, the expressing and refining oil from lint seed, and preparing the residue for feeding cattle. Many of the mills for this purpose, and for grinding corn, are from about 80 to 100 feet high, and contain excellent ma chinery. The other manufactories are, an iron foundery, a large soap-work, two sugar-houses, several white lead manufactories, several breweries, and several ropeworks and shipbuilders yards.
The civil authority of the county of Kingston-upon Hull, which includes a district of more than 18 miles, com prehending the villages of Hessle, Anlaby, Kirk Ella, West Ella, Swanland, and North Ferriby, is vested in the corporation, consisting of the mayor, the recorder, the she riff, two chamberlains, and twelve aldermen. The town sends two members to parliament, who are elected by the burgesses.
The following is an abstract of the population returns for the town of Hull in 1811 : See the Guide to Hull, published by Mr Craggs, who has favoured us with the proof sheets of it before it was published ; Tick hill's History of Hull ; and the Beauties of England and Wales, vol. xvi. p. 447-537.