WICK, Caithness-shire, Scotland, a royal and parliamentary burgh, sea-port and market-town, and the chief town of the county, is situated on the Bay of Wick, 140 miles N.N.E. from Inverness by road, in 53° 24' N. lat., 3° 5' W. long. The population of the royal burgh in 1851 was 1514; of the parliamentary burgh, 6722. The town is governed by a provost and 14 councillors, two of whom are baffles; and unites with Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, and Tain in returning one member to the Imperial Parliament.
The town of Wick has increased considerably of late years. Pulteneytown, which is situated on the opposite side of the harbour, and is connected with Wick by a bridge, has been entirely built within the present century. Wick is the chief seat of the herring-fishery in the north of Scotland. In the harbour there are, during the season, usually from 1500 to 2000 boats. The town is lighted with gas and
well drained. It possesses the parish church, two Frce churches, and chapels for United Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Original Seceders, and Roman Catholics. There is an academy in Pulteuey town ; the parochial school is in Wick. There are a Free Church school, a savings bank, and a library. Rope- and sail-making aud the dressing of flagstone for pavements are carried on. There are exten sive docks at Pulteneytown. The vessels registered as belonging to Wick on December 31st 1854 were :—Under 50 tons 24, of 698 tons ; and above 50 tons 21, of 1876 tons. During the year 1851 there entered and cleared at the port as follows :—Inwards, 766 sailing vessels, tonnage 39,780, and 176 steam-vessels, tonnage 33,622; out wards, 910 sailing-vessels, tonnage 48,763; and 168 steam-vessels, tonnage 32,945.