LENNON WYLIE

I. CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR (not online) II. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN AND TRADE (this page) III. BELFAST STREET DIRECTORY (streets) (A to L) (M to Z) IV. BALLYMACARRETT DIRECTORY V. ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY (names) VI. PROFESSIONS AND TRADES DIRECTORY (not online) VII. COUNTRY RESIDENTS VIII. LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, etc. (not online) IX. PROVINCE OF ULSTER DIRECTORY --- VILLAGE DIRECTORY Vol. I. BELFAST: JAMES ALEXANDER HENDERSON, PUBLISHER, NEWS-LETTER OFFICE 1852 TO THE READER In presenting to the public "The Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory," the Publisher has to return his sincere thanks for the ready support afforded him, and for the kind assistance of those to whom he looked for information. Every exertion has been used to secure completeness and accuracy, and it is hoped the Work will be found to be a perfect Directory for Belfast and the principal towns in the Province of Ulster. Still, the Publisher has to crave indulgence for such errors and imperfections as are commonly incident to a first issue. He offers the present volume rather as an instalment of what he aspires to undertake, than as am average specimen of the series which it commences. In the compilation of the Work every attention has been paid to the convenience of those for whose use the Directory is intended. In order to facilitate the progress of strangers and others through the Town, a Map of Belfast, which will be found to embrace all the recent improvements of the town, has, at considerable expense, been specially prepared for the Directory. It is the intention of the Publisher, replying on the patronage and support of the Inhabitants of Belfast, to issue the Directory periodically, with such alterations and improvements as may be necessary, until the Work shall become a standard book of reference for Belfast and the North of Ireland. C News-Letter Office, Belfast, 27th May 1852. The Publisher requests that any Alterations or Corrections wished for by Subscribers or Purchasers, in future publications of the Directory, may be forwarded to the Office, 10 Bridge Street, Belfast
GENERAL INDEX
Alphabetical Directory Ballymacarrett Belfast (historical sketch) Borough of Belfast Anacreontic society Antrim militia staff Brown Street schools Bank of Ireland Belfast Academy Belfast Banking Company Belfast Savings Bank Belfast and Ballymena rail Belfast and Co. Down rail Chamber of Commerce Committees, Town Council Corporation Custom House Coaches, cars, etc. Coast Guard office Chemico-agricul. society Christ Church schools Charitable society Constabulary officers Consistorial Court County Court House Commercial Club Commercial Buildings Classical harmonist society Deaf and Dumb institution Donegall Street National school Destitute sick society District military staff Essayists' club Freemasons' club Fine Arts Association General Assembly's college General Hospital Government school of design Harbour Commissioners Harbour Officers Houses of public worship Inland Revenue office Jews' society auxiliary Ladies' clothing society Library and society for promoting knowledge Ladies' industrial school Lying-in-hospital Literary society Local Marine Board Lagan navigation company Luggage porters Lunatic asylum Magdalen asylum Medical society Medical benevolent fund society Magistrates Manor Court Masonic lodges of Belfast Master Mariners' association Markets and Fairs New jail Natural history society Northern Banking company Northern Sun. school association Officers of health Odd-fellows' societies Public weigh-house Provincial Bank Poor-law Union Public baths & wash houses Parochial Schools Petty Sessions Police Office Post Office Provincial Masonic g. Lodge (Grand?) Provident Building Societies Quarter sessions Queen's College Queen's College Literary and Scientific Institute Royal Academical Institution Royal Botanic Society Royal Flax Society Rifle Club Seaman's Friend Society Society for prevention of cruelty to animals St. George's Church Schools St. Malachy's Seminary St. Patrick's Orphan Society Social Inquiry Society Singing Classes Ship-Owners' Association Steamers Total Abstinence Association Trustees sick, etc., seamen Town Mission Union Club Ulster Female Penitentiary Ulster Banking Company Ulster Railway Union Dispensaries Water Commissioners Working Classes' Association Calendar Conveyances Railway Time Mail and Stage Coaches Country Residents Professions and Trades Academies & Public Schools Accountants Aerated Water Makers Agents Agricultural Implement Makers Alabaster Manufacturers Apothecaries & Surgeons Architects Artists Asphalte & Felt Manufacturers Assurance Offices Attorneys Auctioneers Auctioneers & Brokers Baby Linen Warehouses Bakers Banks Barristers-at-Law Basket Makers Baths Bell Hangers Bleachers Block, pump & mast makers Bobbin Manufacturers Book Binders Book Sellers & Stationers Book Agents Boot & Shoe Shops Brass Founders & Gas Fitters Brewers Brick & Tile Makers Bricklayers (Masters) Brush Makers Builders & Carpenters Butchers Butter Merchants Button Blue Manufacturers Cabinet Makers Canvass Manufacturers Carpenters Carpet & Damask Warerooms Carriers' Quarters Carvers, Gilders, etc. Cheese mongers Chemists, manufacturing Chimney Sweepers China & Glass Warehouses Civil Engineers Clock & Watch Makers Clothes Dealers Clothes Renovators Clothiers Coach Factories Coach Offices Coal Merchants Commission merchants, etc. Confectioners Consuls & Vice-Consuls Copper & Tinplate workers Coopers Cork Cutters Cotton Spinners	Cotton Yarn Merchants Cutlers, etc. Damask Manufacturers Dentists Designers Distillers Dress Makers Druggists & Chemists Drysalters Dyers Earthenware & Glass Dealers Electrical Manufacturer Emigration Agents Engravers & Lithographers Farriers Feather Merchants File Cutters Fish (dried) Merchants Fishmongers Flax & Tow Merchants Flax Spinners Flour Merchants Fruiterers Furniture Brokers Furriers Gingham Manufacturers Glass Manufacturers Glue Manufacturers Grain Merchants Grocers (retail) Grocers (wholesale) Gun & Pistol Manufacturers Haberdashers Hackle & Gill Makers Hairdressers Harbour Master Hardware Dealers Hardware Merchants Hatters, etc. Hide Merchants Horse Dealers Horse Shoers & farriers Hosiers & Glovers Hotels, etc. House, rent & land agents Insurance Agents Insurance Companies' Offices Iron & Brass Founders Iron & Tinplate Merchants Iron Works Iron Mongers Jewellers & Opticians Last and boot tree makers Leather & hide merchants Lime Burners Linen and cotton printers Linen & Damask Warehouses Linen Manufacturers, etc. Linen Ornament Makers Linen Thread Manufacturers Linen Yarn Merchants Livery Stable Keepers Lloyd's Agent & Surveyor Looking Glass Maker Machine Makers Maltsters Marble & Stone Cutters Masters in Chancery Mattress Makers Matting Manufactory Merchants Mill Banding Manufactory Millers Milliners & Dress Makers Music Sellers Muslin Gas Singers (??) Muslin Manufacturers Nail Manufacturers News Agents Newspapers Nautical Instrument Makers Notaries Public Nursery & Seedsmen Nurse Tenders Oil Merchants Painters & Glaziers Paper Makers & Merchants Patent Saw Mills Pawnbrokers Pipe Makers Picture Frame Makers Physicians & Surgeons Piano-forte makers Plasterers (masters) Plumbers, etc. Posting Establishments Post Offices Potteries Poulterers Printers Provision Dealers Provision Merchants Publishers Railway Companies Reading Rooms & Libraries Rectifying Distillers Reed Makers Restaurants Room Paper Warehouses Rope & Twine Makers Saddlers & Harness Makers Saloons Salt Merchants Saw Makers & Sharpers Servants' Registry Offices Ship Brokers Ship Builders Ship Chandlers Ship Owners Shirt Makers Shuttle Makers Silk Manufacturers Silk Mercers Sizing Factories Soap and Candle Makers Soda Ash Manufacturers Solicitors & Attorneys Spirit Dealers Starch Manufacturers Stationers Stay & Corset Makers Steam Packet Agents Stock & Share Brokers Straw Bonnet Makers Tailors Tanners & Curriers Taverns & Coffee Houses Teachers Tea Merchants, wholesale Timber Merchants Tobacco & Snuff Dealers Toy Shops Trimming Warehouses Umbrella Makers Undertakers Universal Parcels Office Upholsterers Venetian Blind Makers Veterinary Surgeons Watch Glass Manufacturers Whip & Thong Makers Whitesmiths Woollen Warehouses Printed Calico Warehouses Wholesale Wine Merchants Wire Cloth Manufacture Woollen Drapers Street Directory Village Directory Ardoyne, Ballysillan, etc. Dundonald Dunmurry Greencastle Holywood Newtownbreda The Knock Whitehouse Whiteabbey
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF STREETS WITH INDEX
Abbey Street, Peter's Hill Abbotsford Place, York Street Academy Street, Donegall Street Academy Court, 33 Academy Street Adelaide Place Agnes' Place, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Albert Place, Donegall Pass Albert Square, Donegall Quay Albert Street, Durham Street Albert Street Place, Albert Street Albion Lane, Donegall Pass Albion Place, Botanic Road Alexander Street, Frederick Street Alexander Street South, Peter's Hill Alfred Street, Upper Arthur Street Allen's Court, Peter's Hill Anderson's Court, Shankhill (Shankill) Anderson's Court, Millfield Alton Street, Old Lodge Road Ann Street Annette Street, Verner Street Antrim Place, Antrim Road Antrim Road Apsley Place, Donegall Pass Ardmoulin Place, Falls Road Arnon Street, Trinity Street Arthur Lane, Upper Arthur Street Arthur Place, Arthur Street Arthur Square, Corn Market Arthur Street, Arthur Square Arthur Street Upper, Arthur Street Artillery Street, North Queen Street Ashmore Street, Conway Street Ashley Place, Ballymacarrett Aughton Terrace, Donegall Pass Back Lane, Prince's Street Bairn's Court, Curtis Street Ballynafeigh, Ormeau Road Balmer's Court, Verner Street Bank Lane, Castle Place Barnes' Court, Peter's Hill Barker's Court, Pilot Street Barrack Street, Mill Street Bath Place, Falls Road Beattie's Entry, Mill Street Bedford Street, Donegall Square South Bell's Lane, Smithfield Belvidere Place, Great Victoria Street Berryhill Court, Little Donegall Street Berry Street, Hercules Street Birch Street, Little Donegall Street Black's Place, Hercules Street Blakely's Lane, Tomb Street Bogan's Row, Falls Road Bond Street, Cromac Street Bond Street New, Eliza Street Botanic Garden, Malone Road Botanic Road, Great Victoria Street Botanic View, Botanic Road Bolton Street, Verner Street Boundary Court, Boundary Street Boundary Street, Falls Road Boyd's Court Boyd's Court, Nile Street Boyd Street, Peter's Hill Bradbury Place, Botanic Road Bradford's Entry, Millfield Bradford Square, Tomb Street Bradford Street, Dock Street Breadalbane Place, Great Victoria Street Bridge End Bridge End, Ballymacarrett Bridge Street, High Street Bridge Street Place, Bridge Street Brougham Street, York Street Brown's Entry, Barrack Street Brown's Row, Academy Street Brown's Square, Peter's Hill Brown Street, Millfield Brunswick Lane, Henry Square Brunswick Street, Howard Street Burn's Court, Mill Street Byrne's Lane, Lower Lagan Street Caddell's Entry, High Street Cahoon's Court, Brown Square Calendar Street, Castle Lane California Street, Old Lodge Road Cambridge Street, York Road Camden Terrace, Botanic Road Campbell's Buildings, Peter's Hill Campbell's Buildings, Conway Street Campbell's Buildings Campbell's Court, Carrick Hill Campbell's Place. Old Lodge Road Campbell Street ditto Canning Street, York Road Cargill Street, Townsend Street Caroline Street, Great George's Street Carrick Hill, North Street Carr's Row, Old Malone Road The Castle, Castle Buildings Castle Buildings, Castle Place Castle Buildings, Donegall Place Castle Chambers, Castle Place Castle Court, ditto Castle Lane, Donegall Place Castle Market, Calendar Street Castle Place. High Street Castle Street, Castle Place Catherine Street, Henrietta Street Catherine Street North, Little May Street Catherine Court, Catherine Street Caxton Street, Robert Street Chapel Lane, Mill Street Chapel Lane, Ballymacarrett Charlemont Street, Berry Street Charles Street, Union Street Charlotte Street, Donegall Pass Charters' Buildings, Falls Road Chichester Lane, Albert Square Chichester Street, Donegall Square East Chichester Street Lower Church Lane, High Street Church Lane Upper Church Street, Donegall Street Clarence Place, Alfred Street Clarendon Place ditto Clarendon Dock Clark's Lane, Great Patrick Street Cliftonville, New Lodge Road Coates' Street, Townsend Street Cole's Alley, Church Lane College Court, College Square North College Place North, ditto College Square East College Square North, King Street College Street, College Square East College Street South, Howard Street Collingwood Street, Earl Street Commercial Buildings Commercial Court, Donegall Street Conley's Court, Millfield Conlon Street, Old Lodge Road Conway Street, Falls Road Cooney's Court, Ann Street Corn Market, Castle Place Coronation Place, Little York Street Corporation Square, Great George's Street Corporation Street, Victoria Street Corporation Street Colton Court, Waring Street Court Street, New Court House Covent Garden, Little Patrick Street Cranstone Place, Antrim Road Crawford Street, Welsh Street Crescent, Lower, Malone Road Crescent, Upper, Malone Road Cromac Road, Cromac Bridge Cromac Street, Great Edward Street Crown Entry, High Street Crumlin Place, Crumlin Road Crumlin Terrace, ditto Crumlin Road, Antrim Road Cuddy's Row, New Lodge Road Culbert's Court, Little York Street Cullingtree Street, Durham Street Cullingtree Place, Cullingtree Street Cumberland Place, Donegall Pass Cunningham's Court, Mill Street Curells' Place, Townsend Street Curell's Row, Townsend Street Curtis Street, York Street Damside, Millfield Davidson's Court, Durham Street Dayton Place, Townsend Street Devis Street, Barrack Street (Divis) Dock Lane, Dock Street Dock Street, York Street Dominick Street, Bolton Street Donaldson's Court, Barrack Street Donegall Lane, Donegall Street Donegall Pass, Cromac Road Donegall Place, Castle Place Donegall Place Buildings Donegall Quay Donegall Square East Donegall Square North Donegall Square South Donegall Square West Donegall Street Donegall Street Little, John Street Donegall Street Place. Donegall Street Downshire Place, Great Victoria Street Drake's Lane, Union Place Drummond's Court, Carrick Hill Dublin Bridge, Old Malone Road Duffin's Court, Winetavern Street Duffy's Place, Boundary Street Durham Court, Durham Street Durham Place, off Durham Street Durham Street, Barrack Street Durham Street New, Townsend Street Dyet's Entry, Barrack Street Eagleson Place, Antrim Road Earl Lane, Earl Street Earl Street, York Street East Street, Verner Street Economy Place, Henry Street Edward Street, Robert Street Edward Street Great, Victoria Street Edward Street Little, Edward Street Eglinton Street, Crumlin Road Eliza Court, Eliza Street Eliza Place, Eliza Street Eliza Street, Cromac Street Ellen's Court, Nile Street Elliott's Court, Donegall Street Erskine's Court, Donegall Street Fairy Place, Old Lodge Road Faloon's Court, Fleet Street Falls Court, Falls Road Falls Court, Durham Street Falls Road, Townsend Street Ferguson's Court, Smithfield First Street, Falls Road Fisherwick Place Fitzwilliam Street, Malone Road Fleet Street, York Street Fleming's Place, Old Lodge Road Forcade's Entry, Berry Street Fountain Lane, Donegall Place Fountain Place, Old Dublin Road Fountain Street, Castle Street Fountainville, Old Malone Road Fowl Market, St. George's Market Fox's Row, Durham Street Francis Street, Smithfield Franklin Place, Linenhall Street Frederick Lane, Frederick Street Frederick Place, Frederick Street Frederick Street, York Street Friendly Street, Welsh Street Fulton's Entry, Hercules Street Gable Street, Boundary Street Galway Court, Galway Street Galway Street, Durham Street Gamble Street, Tomb Street Garden Place, Cromac Road Gardner Street, Peter's Hill Garmoyle Street, Corporation Street Gavin's Buildings, Shankhill Road (Shankill) George's Court, Frederick Street George's Lane, Montgomery Street George's Street, Great George's Street, Little Gibb's Court, Alexander Street Glasshouse Street, Boyd Street Glenfield Place, Ormeau Road Glengall Place, Great Victoria Street Glengall Street, Great Victoria Street Glentilt Place, Old Lodge Road Gloucester Street, Great Edward Street Gooseberry Corner, Ballymacarrett Gordon Street, Hill Street Grace Street, Hamilton Street Graham's Entry, High Street Grattan Court, Grattan Street Grattan Place, Grattan Street Grattan Street, Gordon Street Greenland Street, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Green Street, Corporation Street Green's Court, Green Street Gregg's Lane, West Street Grove Street, North Queen Street Hagan's Court, Grattan Street Hamill Court, Hamill Street Hamill Street, Barrack Street Hamilton Court, High Street Hamilton Place, Stephen Street Hamilton's Place, Boundary Street Hamilton Street, Cromac Street Hammond's Court, Corn Market Hanna's Court, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Hanna's Lane, Peter's Hill Hardinge Street, North Queen Street Harmony Place, Dublin Road Harper's Court, Curtis Street Henrietta Street, Cromac Street Henry Place, Antrim Road Henry Square, Green Street Henry Street, Corporation Street Hercules Place, Castle Place Hercules Street, Hercules Place Herdman's Buildings High Street, Castle Place Hill Street, Waring Street Holme's Court, Verner Street Hope's Court, Millfield Hope Street, Breadalbane Place Hopeton Place, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Houston's Lane, Seymour Street	Howard Street, Donegall Square South Howard Street North, Falls Road Howard Street South, Cromac Road Hudson's Court, Hudson's Entry Hudson's Entry, North Street Hudson's Row, New Lodge Road Hutchinson Street, Stanley Street Improvement Place, Lancaster Street Ingram Place, Donegall Pass Institution Place, Lettuce Hill Jacobson's Court, Mill Street James' Court, Carrick Hill James' Place, Nelson Street James' Street South, Howard Street Johnny's Entry, Talbot Street Johnston's Buildings Johnston's Court, Great Edward Street Johnston's Court, Millfield John Street, Donegall Street Joy's Court, Joy's Entry Joy's Entry, High Street Joy's Place, Dublin Bridge Joy Street, Montgomery Street Keenan's Court, Millfield Kennedy's Court, North Street Kennedy's Entry, Devis Street (Divis) Kennedy's Place, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Kennedy's Row, Smithfield Kent Street Lower, John Street Kent Street Upper, Union Street Killen Street, College Street King's Court, Lancaster Street King Street, Mill Street King Street Court, King Street King Street North, Brown Street Lagan Street, Cromac Street Lagan Street Upper, Lagan Street Lagan Village, Ballymacarrett Lancaster Street, York Street Law's Lane, North Street Leadbetter Place Leeds Street, Cullingtree Street Legg's lane, High Street Lemon's Court, Smithfield Lemon's Lane, Great Edward Street Letitia Street, Wilson Street Lettuce Hill, Barrack Street Lewis's Court, Brown Square Liddy's Court, Little Donegall Street Lilliput, Old Carrickfergus Road Lindsay's Place, Cromac Road Linen Hall Linen Hall Street Linfield & Linfield Road Lisburn Road, Malone Long Lane, Church Street Lynas's Lane, Great Patrick Street Magee's Lane, Great George's Street Malone Place. Malone Road Malone Road Lower, Blackstaff Malone Road, Old Market Street, May's Market Marlborough Street, Princes's Street Marquis Street, Mill Street Marshall's Lane, Lynas's Lane Mary's Place, North Queen Street Mary's Market, Townsend Street Mary Street, Park Street Massey's Court, Durham Street Mawhinney's Court Maxwell's Row, Sandy Row May Street, Clarence Place May Street Little, Cromac Street Meadow Lane, Meadow Street Meadow Street, York Street Meek's Court, Barrack Street Meeting-house Lane, William Street Melbourne Court, Melbourne Street Melbourne Street, Brown Street Michael Street, Little George's Street Millar's Lane, Berry Street Millfield, Mill Street Mill Street, Castle Street Millview Place, Townsend Street Mitchel's Entry, High Street Mitchell Street, Gardiner Street Moffet Street, Henry Street Molyneaux Street, Little George's Street Montgomery Street, Chichester Street Moore's Place, Lower Malone Morrison's Place, Pound Street Morrow's Entry, Hill Street Mountcharles, Old Malone Road Mount Pottinger, Ballymacarrett Mountview Terrace Mullan's Lane, Trafalgar Street Murphy's Lane, Verner Street Murphy Street, Verner Street Murray's Terrace, College Square Mustard Street, John Street McAdam's Court, Carrick Hill McAllen's Place, Shankhill (Shankill) McAuley's Place, McAuley Street McAuley Street, Cromac Street McClean's Entry, Marquis Street McClelland's Lane, Peter's Hill McClennaghan's Court, Mill Street McCrory's Row, Ballymacarrett McCully's Gate, Peter's Hill McDowell's Court, Durham Street McKibbin's Court, North Street McLarnon's Buildings McMaster's Row, Durham Street McMillan's Place, Falls Road McTier's Court, North Street Napier's Place Neeson's Court, Mill Street Nelson's Buildings Nelson Court, Nelson Street Nelson Street, Great Patrick Street New Court, Tomb Street New Lodge Place, Lodge Road New Lodge Road, North Queen Street New Road, Ballymacarrett New Row, Berry Street Nile Street, Nelson Street North Ann Street, Corporation Street North Boundary Street North Howard Street Northburn Place, Old Lodge Road Northburn Street, Old Lodge Road North Queen Street, Carrick Hill North Queen Street Place North Street, Bridge Street O'Haggarty Street, Boundary Street Old Lodge Place, Old Lodge Road Old Lodge Road, Peter's Hill Ormeau Place, Ormeau Road Ormeau Road, Cromac Road Ormeau Street, Newtownbreda Road Ormond Market, Patrick Street Orr's Entry, High Street Oxford Street, May Street Pakenham Place Park Street, Stanhope Street Patrick Lane, Patrick Street Patrick Street, York Street Patrick Street Little, York Street Patterson's Place Patterson's Place, Donegall Square Peel's Place, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Peter's Hill, North Street Pilot Street, Corporation Street Plunkett's Court, Carrick Hill Plunkett's Place, Antrim Road Police Place, William Street South Police Square, Victoria Street Poplar Court, Gratton Street Portland Place, Portland Street Portland Street, St. George's Street Portview, Ballymacarrett Posnett's Place, Donegall Pass Pound Street, Barrack Street Pottinger's Entry, High Street Pottinger's Place, Ballymacarrett Prince's Court, Prince's Street Prince's Dock Prince's Street, Queen's Square Prospect Terrace Queen's College, Malone Road Queen's Island Queen's Quay, Ballymacarrett Queen's Square, High Street Queen Street, Castle Street Queen Street Upper, Wellington Place Quigley's Court, Cromac Street Quinn's Entry, High Street Raphael Court, Raphael Street Raphael Street, Cromac Street Renwick Place, Malone Road Riley's Place, Cromac Street Ritchie's Place, North Street River Street, Welsh Street Robert Court, Mustard Street Robert Street, Hill Street Rochfort Place, College Court Roundhill, Ballymacarrett Roseann Place, Old Carrick Road Rosemary Street, Bridge Street Rose Street, Falls Road Round Entry, North Street Royal Terrace, Lisburn Road Roy's Court, Roy Street Roy Street, Stanfield Street Russell Street, Cromac Street Sackville Place, Sackville Street Sackville Street, Townsend Street Salter's Court, Barrack Street Saltpan Row, Ballymacarrett Samuel Street, Winetavern Street Sarah Street, Frederick Street Seaview Place, Ballymacarrett Second Street, North Howard Street Seymour Lane, Seymour Street Seymour Street, Chichester Street Shankhill Road, Townsend Street (Shankill) Sheals' Entry, Carrick Hill Shipboy Street, Nelson Street Ship Street, York Street Ship Street Back, Ship Street Ship Street Little, Dock Street Short Strand, Ballymacarrett Skipper Street, High Street Sir Henry's Buildings Smithfield, Berry Street Smith Street, Lagan Street Southwell Street, Henry Street Spamount, Old Carrick Road Spencer Street Stanfield Court, Stanfield Street Stanfield Street, Verner Street Stanhope Street, Old Lodge Road Stanley Lane, Little York Street Stanley Place, Little York Street Stanley Street, Albert Street St. Ann's Buildings, Donegall Street Staunton Street, Verner Street Steam Mill Lane, Gamble Street Stephen Street, Little Donegall Street Store Lane, Queen's Square Stormont Court, Durham Street Suffern's Entry, North Street Sugar House Entry, High Street Sussex Place, Alfred Street Sussex Street, York Street Talbot Court, Grattan Street Talbot Street, Donegall Street Tanner's Court, Millfield Taylor's Row, Carrick Hill Tea Lane, Lower Malone Telfair's Entry, Ann Street Third Street, Fall's Road Thomas Court, George's Lane Thomas Street, Lancaster Street Thomas Street North, York Street Thompson's Entry, Millfield Tomb Street, Waring Street Torren's Row, Hercules Street Torren's Market, Hercules Street Townsend Place, Townsend Street Townsend Street, Shankhill Road (Shankill) Trafalgar Street, Corporation Street Trinity Street, Antrim Road Union Place, Lancaster Street Union Street, Donegall Street Unity Street, Trinity Street University Square Upton Street, Wall Street Valentine Street, Henry Street Vere Street, York Street Verner's Lane, Verner Street Verner Street, Cromac Street Victoria Court, off Durham Street Victoria Place, Victoria Street Victoria Street, Corporation Street Victoria Street Great, Glengall Place Victoria Street Little Victoria Terrace, Old Malone Road Walker's Lane, Frederick Street Wall Street, Carrick Hill Waring Street Waring Street Place, Waring Street Warehouse Lane, Waring Street Washington Street, Frederick Street Waugh's Court, North Street Wellington Court, Wellington Street Wellington Place, Donegall Square Wellington Square, Falls Road Wellington Street, Fisherwick Place Wellwood Place, Great Victoria Street Welsh Street, Lagan Street Wesley Lane, Wesley Street Wesley Place, Botanic Road (no Wesley Street?) West Street, Smithfield Wheeler's Place, Ballymacarrett William's Lane, Green Street William's Place, Wellwood Place William's Row, Little George's Street William Street, Church Street William Street South, Arthur Square Wills' Place, May's Fields Wilson Street, Millfield Windsor Place, Great Victoria Street Winecellar Entry, High Street Winetavern Street, North Street Woodstock Place, Ballymacarrett York Lane, York Street York Road, York Street York Street, Donegall Street York Street Little, Great Patrick Street
BELFAST ~~~~~~~ HISTORICAL RETROSPECT The first historical notice of Belfast occurs in the records of the twelfth century. About the middle of that period, we find that a fort existed in this locality, which was destroyed in the year 1178, by the celebrated John de Courcy, to whom a grant of the entire province of Ulster had been made by Henry the Second. From that period, little is known of the place, or the changes it underwent, until the invasion of the celebrated Edward Bruce, in 1315, at which time we learn that Belfast was a "good town and stronghold," the ancient fort having given place to a substantial castle. It appears that the English and the native Ulster Chieftains hale alternate possession of the town and castle, during a lengthened series of sanguinary conflicts, until the year 1575, when a large tract of territory, including the Castle of Belfast, which had been several times, during the civil wars, destroyed and re-built, was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Thomas Smith on certain conditions. These conditions not having been fulfilled, the entire estate of the English was granted in 1612, to the Lord Deputy Chichester, then newly created a Baron, his heirs, etc., lords of the castle and manor, and authorised the borough to send two members to Parliament. The first Sovereign was Thomas Vesey, Esq., and the first Parliamentary representatives were Sir John Blennerhasset, Baron of the Exchequer, and George Trevallion, Esquire. The population of Belfast and its vicinity, which was a distinct territory at this period, mainly consisted of English and Scotch settlers, according to the policy of James I., who resolved, wisely, to plant his Irish possessions with colonists from Great Britain. The town itself was still as exceedingly insignificant place, consisting only of the castle, a Church, and a collection of houses, known by the name of "the village." But under the new government it rapidly began to enlarge itself; and, from this era, symptoms of its future prosperity and importance began to manifest themselves. In the year 1637, Belfast obtained, by purchase, from the Corporation of Carrickfergus, the right of importing commodities, at one-third of the duties payable at other places, and it thus became a port of considerable trade. Even in the midst of the alarms and misfortunes to which the inhabitants were subjected during the war between Charles I and the Parliament, and the rage of sectarian strife, which reached even this remote quarter of English rule, the commerce of Belfast continued slowly but steadily to increase, so much so that, in the period from 1683 to 1686, we find that 67 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 3,307 tons, belonged to the port. Previously, the military defences of the town had been much strengthened by Charles I., who granted £1,000 to the then governor, Colonel Chichester, newly created Earl of Donegall, for that purpose. Belfast, during the civil war, was thrice in the hands of the Parliamentarians, and it was under the protectorate of Cromwell that it made its first and most rapid strides towards social and commercial importance. The charter was renewed in 1688 by James II., the number of burgesses being raised to thirty-five. The policy of James was, however, so distasteful to the inhabitants generally, that they declared for the Prince of Orange immediately on his arrival. It was not, however, until after the reduction of James's adherents, by the Duke of Schomberg, that Belfast could be properly described as under the sway of the new monarch. On the 14th of June, 1690, King William the Third visited Belfast, where he remained for five nights, lodging in the house of Sir William Franklin, which stood on the present site of the Donegall Arms Hotel. It was during this visit that his Majesty authorised the grant of £1,200 a-year, to the Presbyterian ministers of Ulster, who had suffered greatly in his cause, and this was the origin of the Regium Donum. It was in 1642 that the first Presbytery had been held in Carrickfergus, and in 1645, that the first Presbyterian congregation was established in Belfast. Though the trade of the town and port had greatly increased for some time previous to the Revolution settlement, the town itself was extremely insignificant. The houses were thatched; goods were exposed for sale chiefly in the open streets, and there was no public buildings save the Castle, the Church, the Market house, and the "Long Bridge," which had been just finished. Nevertheless, the population was becoming numerous, and soon began to prove how much they appreciated the blessings of peace and good government. The progress of the town from this period until the time when Belfast became one of the most flourishing and prosperous communities in the island, will be chiefly noted by the history of each of its present institutions under their distinctive heads. During the reign of Queen Anne and the two first monarchs of the House of Hanover, the inhabitants were distinguished not more for their love of the arts of peaceful industry, that for their loyal attachment to the throne. The last remnant of the semi-barbarous period, through the mists of which we have to look for fragmentary notices of the early origin and progress of the town - the celebrated castle of Belfast - was destroyed by fire in 1708, the three daughters of the then Earl of Donegall having perished in the conflagration. Volunteer corps were formed for the first time in the period rendered memorable by the menaced invasion of the Pretender, and these corps were effectually organised in 1760, when the French Admiral, Thurot, landed at Carrickfergus, and reduced the garrison there, as a preparatory step to the intended capture of Belfast. The Volunteers were again enrolled in 1779, on the rumour of another French invasion; and in the course of a few years, the movement being general throughout the country, they presented a well disciplined force of 5,000 men, exercising a political influence, which was at last considered so hostile to the English Government, that it was thought necessary to extinguish the corps in 1793. Notwithstanding the proclamations of the Government, the military organisation survived, and was directed to the vain effort of securing independence of English rule. Arrests and penalties were alike unavailing, and, in 1795, seventy-two associations of "United Irishmen" were represented at a meeting in Belfast, held with the view of completing arrangements for action. The news of another French invasion revived the spirit of loyalty in 1798, and, when the rebellion of that year broke out, the yeomanry of Belfast and the adjoining counties were found on the side of the Government troops at Antrim and Ballynahinch. After the passing of the Act of Union, the Municipal Government of Belfast was materially altered by the appointment of Police Commissioners and "Life Commissioners," in conjunction with the former Corporation; these new local bodies being invested, the former with the levying of taxes for public expenses, and the latter with powers for regulating the paving, lighting and cleansing of the town. The first Sovereign, under the new order of things, was John Brown, Esq., and, under this local Government, the borough continued until the passing of the Municipal Act of 1841, in conformity with which, the Corporation now consists of a Mayor, ten Aldermen, and thirty Town Councillors. The first Mayor of Belfast, was George Dunbar, Esq. Various other public bodies were incorporated at different times - such as the Harbour Commissioners, the Water Commissioners, etc., under whose management, in conjunction with the Town Council, the borough and port progressed to such a degree of prosperity, that Belfast has, at length, earned the acknowledged title of the commercial metropolis of Ireland. SITE, EXTENT, POPULATION, ETC. Belfast, properly so called, is situate in the Barony of Upper Belfast, in the County of Antrim; but the large suburb of Ballymacarrett, which is only separated from the town by the river Lagan, forms a portion of the County Down. The whole comprises an area of 1,872 acres, of which 576 acres are occupied by Ballymacarrett. Of this area, 1,542 acres are within the Municipal boundary, and 330 without. The parish of Belfast, otherwise called Shankhill (Shankill), in which the borough is included, lies chiefly in the Barony of Upper Belfast and partly in the Barony of Lower Belfast. It is nine miles and a quarter long, by five in breadth, and contains, according to the Ordnance survey, 19,559 stature acres - exclusive of the borough, 18,263 acres. The town is 80 Irish miles distant from Dublin, in lat. 54 deg. 36 min. 8.5 sec. North, and long. 5 deg. 55 min. 53.7 sec. West. It stands at the mouth of the Lagan, where that river expands into the Belfast Lough. For the purposes of commerce, it is most commodiously situated, all the natural impediments to the navigation of the harbour and lough having been recently removed by the energy and industry of the inhabitants. The site of the town is low, a great portion of it consisting of land reclaimed from the sea, and few parts being more than six feet above high water mark; owing to which cause, the streets in the neighbourhood of the river are occasionally inundated, the fall not being sufficient to carry off the floods which descent, in rainy weather, from the hills in the vicinity. Except, however, during the prevalence of epidemics, the town is considered healthy, and, when the sanitary regulations, now contemplated and partly in operation, are completed, few manufacturing centres in United Kingdom will, probably, be found more generally free from the noxious influences which induce disease. The scenery of the suburbs and adjacent districts is not surpassed in picturesqueness by the environs of any other Irish town. From every elevated point a series of splendid prospects may be obtained. The harbour commands a noble view down the Lough, which is twelve miles in length by five in width, bounded on the Northern shore by a range of basaltic mountains, one of which, Cave Hill, is broken on its South-Eastern face into abrupt precipes, and, over-looking the town at a distance of only three miles, forms a grand and peculiar feature in the landscape. The opposite, or County Down shore, rises gently from the level of the Lough in swelling uplands, whose wavy outline well contrasts with the sterner aspect of the Antrim Hills. On both sides the eye rests with pleasure upon a succession of handsome villas, richly wooded slopes, well cultivated farms, and smiling towns. Westward and Southward, the view is equally striking. The valley of the Lagan, a broad and fertile tract, expands as far as the eye can reach along the base of a verdant and graceful range of mountains, of considerable elevation, with undulating outline. In every direction, the aspect of the suburban districts combines the charms of rural beauty and elegant retirement, with the enlivening evidences of manufacturing industry. The river Lagan, which separates the counties of Antrim and Down, is crossed by three bridges, and several boat ferries. The Queen's Bridge, built on the site of the old Long Bridge, is a massive granite structure, with five arches. It was opened for public traffic in 1844. The population of Belfast in 1834 amounted to 60,813, of which 10,388 were members of the Established Church; 23,576 Presbyterians; 19,712 of the Roman Catholic persuasion; and 1137 of other persuasion. In 1841, the population, within the municipal boundary, was 70,447; without, 4,861; total, 75,308, of which 68,611 were in Antrim, and 6,697 in Down; the total of inhabited houses being 10,906, averaging 6.9 persons to a house. Since the year 1834, there is no record of the proportions belonging to the different religious denominations. According to the census of 1851, the population is 99,660, including Ballymacarrett; the increase between 1841 and 1851 being no less than 24,352, a larger increase than that exhibited by any other town in Ireland within the same period, numerically, though the rate of increase in the town of Galway has been higher. This population of 99,660, consists of 46,443 males and 53,217 females. The total number of families is 20,553. The total number of families is 20,553. The number of houses on the 31st of March, 1851, the date at which the census was taken, was 15,100, of which 12,965 were inhabited, 1,050 uninhabited, and 85 in process of building. The increase of inhabited houses since 1841, is 3,059, being at the rate of 28 per cent. The decrease of uninhabited houses, during the same period, has been 856, being at the rate of 44 per cent. The increase of houses in progress of building since 1841 has been 22, being at the rate of 34 per cent. Both in the census of 1841 and in that of 1851, Belfast is exhibited as a separate district. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS The total number of places of worship in Belfast is forty-eight; the prevailing denominations are those of the Established, Presbyterians, Wesleyan, and Roman Catholic Churches. The Established Church possesses ten religious edifices, viz.:- St. Anne's (the Parish Church), St. George's Christ Church, Magdalen Church, Shankhill Church (Shankill), Trinity Church, Malone Chapel of Ease, St. Paul's Church, Ballymacarrett, and the Military Chapel , Infantry Barracks. A new Episcopal Church (St. John's), is about to be erected near Oxford Street. There are twenty-one Presbyterian Churches, of which there are, in connection with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the following, viz.:- Rosemary Street, Fisherwick Place, May Street, Donegall Street, Linenhall Street, York Street, Alfred Street, Alfred Place, Townsend Street, Great George's Street, College Square, Ballymacarrett, Malone, Berry Street, Bethel Chapel, and Crumlin Road. In connection with the Unitarian body, the following:- First Unitarian, Second Unitarian (both in Rosemary Street), and Third Unitarian in York Street; in connection with the Covenanters, the following:- Dublin Road (Eastern Reformed), and College Square South (Reformed Presbyterian). There are seven houses of worship in connection with the Methodist Societies, viz.:- Donegall (Wesleyan), York Street (New Connexion), Frederick Street (Wesleyan), Ballymacarrett (Wesleyan), Wesley Place Wesleyan, Donegall Place (Primitive, and Melbourne Street. The Roman Catholic Chapels are four, viz.:- St. Mary's, St. Patrick's, St. Malachy's and the Ballymacarrett Chapel. The Society of Friends have one Chapel, in Frederick Street; the Independents one, in Donegall Street; the Baptists one, in Academy Street; and the Latter-Day Saints, or Mormonites, one, in King Street. There are, besides, two Wesleyan Chapels about to be built - one in Shankhill (Shankill), and the other to accommodate the dense manufacturing population on the Falls Road. The former is to be in connexion with the Frederick Street Congregation, and the latter with Donegall Square East Church. Almost every one of the leading congregations in the town, of whatever persuasion, has a Sabbath School, and many of them a daily school, in connexion with its place of public worship. The greater number of the religious edifices are handsome structures, some of them built in a style of considerable architectural taste. St. Anne's Church, in Donegall Street, erected in 1778, has a fine Doric Portico, Ionic tower, and Corinthian steeple. Trinity Church, near the Antrim Road, built in 1843, at private expense, is a handsome Gothic structure, with an exceedingly graceful octagonal spire. St. George's Church, in High Street, erected in 1812, possesses one of the finest Corinthian tetrastyle porticoes in Ireland - the gift of Dr. Alexander, then bishop of the diocese, and formerly the chief ornament of the palace of Ballyscullion, built by the celebrated Earl of Bristol, when Bishop of Derry. The Church of the First Presbyterian Congregation in connexion with the General Assembly, in Rosemary Street, is a noble edifice, with a grand Doric portico, reached by twenty steps, and finished in the interior in a style of costly magnificence. The Fisherwick Place Presbyterian Church, opened in 1827, boasts of an elegant portico of four Ionic columns, with capitals imitated from the temple of Ilyssus. It was erected by Mr. Millar, a native architect, at a cost of £10,000. The May Street Presbyterian Church, opened in 1829, has a recessed Ionic portico, with two massive fluted columns and four pilasters; it is of large dimensions, and its interior is very elegantly designed and decorated. Christ Church possesses a massive cut stone front, with an Ionic portico of two pillars surmounted by an entablature. The Wesleyan Church, Donegall Square East, is an exceedingly handsome edifice, the facade consisting almost entirely of a hexastyle Corinthian portico. The interior is light, cheerful, and finished with great attention to elegance and convenience. St. Malachy's Chapel, in McClean's field, is a large brick buildings, in the Tudor style, cruciform in shape, with several turrets surmounting the gables, and decorated in the interior with an exquisite and elaborate traceried ceiling. The newly erected Church of St. Paul's, in York Street, is a Gothic structure, in the early style, with lancet windows, cut stone belfry, and crocket finials. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Perhaps no town in the empire can boast of a greater number of educational establishments, in proportion to its size, than Belfast. They may be enumerated, according to their dates, as follows:- The Belfast Academy, the Royal Academical Institution, the Brown Street Schools, the Lancasterian or Ragged Schools, the National Schools, the Ulster Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, the Educational and Industrial School, the Queen's College, and the Government School of Design. The Belfast Academy - the first important seminary established in the town, was founded in 1786. It early obtained a high reputation, from the ability with which it was conducted under its successive principals, and is still regarded as one of the best seminaries for classical and mercantile education in the kingdom. The success of this academy first suggested the plan of the Royal Academical Institution. The Royal Academical Institution was founded by voluntary subscription in 1810, when the proprietors became incorporated by Act of Parliament, and received a public grant of £1,500 per annum, increased, in 1834 to £3,500. A medical school was added in 1836. It originally included two schools, one for the education of pupils intended for the learned professors, and the other for instructions in the ordinary branches of education. Lectureships were included in the foundation to the number of seven, each professor receiving a salary of £150, besides two professorships of divinity with a salary of £100 a-year each. The government of the Institution consisted of a president, four vice-presidents, twenty managers, and eight visitors. For a long period of years the Royal Academical Institution continued to afford instruction to the students of the Orthodox Presbyterian bodies of Ulster, until the General Assembly ceased to be connected with it; and, in 1849, the collegiate department was dissolved and transferred to the Queen's College. The schools, however, still occupy the main portion of the building, and continue in a state of great efficiency, under six masters. The building is a large plain edifice of brick, pointed with stone-work, fronting the noble area of College Square on the South side. The Brown Street Sunday, Daily and Infant School was founded in 1812. It forms a commodious edifice, in which about 500 children of both sexes are instructed in the ordinary branches of a mercantile education, for the small sum of one penny per week for each pupil. The female schools are superintended by a committee of ladies. To this establishment, Belfast is indebted for the rescue of a large portion of its poorer population from vice and vice and ignorance, and their introduction to the means of acquiring respectability and competence. The Lancasterian School, in Frederick Street, was founded in 1811, for the instruction of the labouring classes. A few years since, a Female Industrial School, for the instruction of poor girls in needle-work and embroidery, was established in the building, supported partly by voluntary contributions, and partly by the proceeds of the work executed. The institution now feeds, clothes and educates ninety poor girls, fitting them for domestic servants and other useful avocations. Here, also, is a "ragged" school, the first of the kind established in Ireland. The Ulster Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind was opened in 1845, at the cost of £11,000, by voluntary subscription, having originated in a previous establishment situated in College Street, carried on upon a much smaller scale. It is capable of affording the blessings of religious and secular instruction to one hundred pupils. The Institution is under the management of a committee of the subscribers, a principal and male and female assistants. The building is a superb structure in the Elizabethian style, situated in Malone, and occupying a considerable area. The Queen's College was opened in October, 1849. It is a fundamental principle of the establishment that the religious opinions of the students shall not be in any way interfered with by the professors. The number of matriculated students at the opening was 108. The building is one of the finest in Ulster. It occupies a noble site on the Botanic Road, in the centre of elegantly laid-out grounds, neighbouring the Botanic Garden. The cost of the structure was nearly £30,000. It is an edifice in the Tudor style of architecture, with a facade in front of 600 feet in length. The material is a bright red brick, profusely ornamented with cut-stone. It consists of a lofty entrance tower, in the basement storey of which is the Hall, two slightly recessed ranges of building on either side, and two wings, extending backwards to a considerable depth, and forming the Northern and Southern faces of the edifice. In the rere, the extremities of the wings are connected together by the cloisters or ambulatories, the whole forming a square massive pile. The examination hall is an exceedingly large and lofty room, being eighty feet in length, by forty in width, and forty in height. The North wing contains the lecture-rooms, laboratory, etc., and the Southern, the apartments of the President and Professors. Its government consists of a President, Vice-President, thirteen Professors in the faculty of arts, which includes engineering and agriculture; five in the faculty of medicine; and two in the faculty of law. There are four Deans of Residences. a Registrar, a Librarian, and a Bursar. The College is endowed with thirty scholarships of £24; eleven of £20; four of £15; and ten senior scholarships of £40 each. The Queen's College, Belfast, as those of Cork and Galway, is constituted a College of the Queen's University in Ireland, and its Professors are considered Professors of that University. The Government School of Design occupies the Northern wing of the Academical Institution. It is supported partly by a Government endowment, and partly by local aid. It gives instruction to pupils of both sexes in the arts of design and decoration, with a special view to the improvement to the staple manufactures of the country. The school was opened in 1850. It is under the management of a general committee, and is in connexion with the Parent School of Design in Somerset House, London. There are twenty-eight National Schools in the town and vicinity of Belfast, besides a considerable number of schools under the patronage of the Church Education Society. A male and female school is attached to the institution of the Belfast Charitable Society, to the Union Workhouse, and to the Infantry Barracks. LITERARY AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS Amongst the literary and scientific institutions now existing in Belfast, the first place must be given to the Natural History and Philosophical Society, which holds its meetings in the Museum, a neat building situate in College Square North. This Society was the first of its kind established in Ireland. A paper is read twice a month by each member in rotation, and, during the winter, a monthly lecture is given, which is open to friends of the members. The Museum contains a fine collection, scarcely inferior to that of the Royal Dublin Society, or of the Trinity College Museum. It has latterly been much enriched by the contributions of Sir James E. Tennent, M.P., one of the most distinguished members of the Society. It is open to the public, at a moderate charge, every day except Sunday. The Belfast Society for the Promotion of Knowledge, holds its meetings in the White Linen Hall, and possesses a library containing upwards of 10,000 volumes. There are also several minor literary societies connected with the greater educational establishments, and a Society called the Essayist Club, which meets once a month, for the reading and discussion of original papers by the members. The Belfast Working Classes' Association meets in temporary apartments in the Castle Chambers, where there is a news-room and the nucleus of a library. This Society has it in contemplation to found an Athenaeum for Belfast. The Belfast Medical Society meets once a month in the General Hospital, in the library of which building there is a valuable collection of books for the use of the members. The Anacreontic Society, instituted for the cultivation of vocal and instrumental music, holds its meetings in the Music Hall, a spacious building in May Street. The members meet once a week, and, in the winter, give a series of concerts to the public. At a short distance from the town, in the vicinity of Queen's College, are the Gardens of the Royal Botanical and Horticultural Society, the grounds of which are of considerable extent, tastefully laid out, and containing a noble range of conservatories, and a large collection of native and exotic plants. Several times in the course of each year, there are exhibitions of plants and flowers in the Garden, at which prizes for successful competition are awarded. In December 1851, was founded a Social Inquiry Society, on the plan of the Statistical Society of Dublin, the members of which hold their meetings in the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce. The Royal Society for the Promotion and Improvement of the growth of Flax in Ireland, was established by a number of gentlemen connected with the flax trade in Belfast, in the year 1841, with the view of introducing a better system of handling flax in its growth and preparation, and to increase the quantity grown to the amount required for the British and Irish linen trade. The Society has latterly directed its attention chiefly to the provinces of Leinster, Munster and Connaught. It keeps up a staff of agriculturists, who are trained in Belgium, in the most approved system of management, and who are sent to give instructions to all parts of Ireland, where there are farming societies or landed proprietors subscribing to its funds. The Lord Lieutenant has, during the last four years, annually placed a sum of £1,000 at the disposal of the Society, in aid of its operations in the South and West. The Queen and Prince Albert are patrons of the Society. The Lord Lieutenant vice-patron, and the Marquis of Downshire its president. The Chemico-Agricultural Society of Ulster, instituted for the dissemination of practical knowledge on the connection of chemistry with agriculture, and for the analysis of soils and manures, etc., meets every Friday. The President is the Marquis of Downshire, and the chemist, who is its principal practical officer, and to whose labours its success from the commencement is mainly attributable, is Professor Hodges, M.D. To forward the views of this Society, a laboratory has been opened, where analyses and experiments are made, advice given, and pupils instructed. Arrangements are in progress for an appropriate museum and library. The newspapers published in Belfast are the following:- The News-Letter, published continuously since A.D. 1737 (three times a week); the Commercial Chronicle (three times a week); the Northern Whig (three times a week); the Banner of Ulster (twice a week); the Mercury (three times a week); the Vindicator, Mercantile Register, and Ulster General Advertiser (once a week). In the winter of 1850, an Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts was founded, and its first exhibition of paintings and sculpture was opened with so much success, that these is reason to believe it will be a permanent Institution. There are several news-rooms - viz., the Commercial News-room, in the Commercial Buildings; the Linen Hall News-room, in the White Linen Hall; the People's News-room, 17 Castle Place; and others of a minor character. A public news-room, on a large scale and liberal terms, is about to be established in the magnificent hall of the newly erected Corn Exchange, Victoria Street. The monetary institutions of Belfast are the following :- The Belfast Banking Company, whose establishment, a beautiful structure in the Italian Palatial style, occupies the site of the Old Exchange, at the foot of Donegall Street; the Northern Banking Company, who have recently erected a magnificent Bank of cut Portland stone in the Ionic style, in Victoria Street, the most costly structure in the town, proportionally to its size; the Bank of Ireland, Donegall Place; the Ulster Banking Company, Waring Street; the Provincial Banking Company, Donegall Street; and the Belfast Savings' Bank, King Street. The principal poor-relief institutions are those of the Belfast Charitable Society, and the Union Workhouse. The Charitable Society was incorporated by Act of Parliament, in 1774. Its Poorhouse and Infirmary constitute a handsome structure, ornamented with a turret and spire, on the Antrim Road, at the head of Donegall Street. It provides in-door relief to decayed persons of both sexes, besides many children who are instructed in useful avocations, and afterwards apprenticed out to the trading community. It originally derived its main support from annual subscriptions, but having, by its Act, obtained special privileges, grants of ground, etc., the proceeds therefrom, with the interest of bequests, render it nearly independent of the contributions of the public. The Union Workhouse was opened in 1841, but has since been nearly doubled in extent by the addition of new buildings for in-door relief, schools, and a large infirmary with 600 beds. It supports the great mass of the pauperism of the district. The Union comprises twelve electoral districts, for which there are twenty-two elected, and twelve ex-officio guardians. Besides these establishments, there is a Destitute Sick Society, a Clothing Society, a Ladies' Connaught Relief Society, a Girls' Industrial School, the Ulster Female Penitentiary (established 1831), and the Magdalen Asylum, founded in 1842, in connexion with which is an Episcopal Chapel, supporting a chaplaincy, in Donegall Pass. The following are the principal benevolent associations:- The Association for Discountenancing Vice, the Auxiliary Bible Society, the Auxiliary to the Hibernian School Society, the Auxiliary to the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, and the Seamen's Friend Society. HARBOUR AND QUAYS The Harbour of Belfast was originally a creek of the river Lagan, in the entrance to the stream now arched over in High Street, and was under no regular government. In 1637, the Earl of Stafford, having purchased from the Corporation of Carrickfergus the privilege of receiving to their use one-third of all the custom duties imported into that town, with other trading monopolies, the trade of Belfast for the first time became important, and in 1729, by Act of Parliament, a separate Corporation was appointed for the conservancy of the Harbour, whose powers were increased by the 25th George III. chap. 64. The artificial fords were soon after removed, and the river deepened. In 1791 a platform for graving was made, and one graving dock was opened in 1800, and another in 1826. Up to 1829, however, very little beyond this had been done for the improvement of the Harbour, notwithstanding the increasing trade of the port, partly because the proprietors of the town and all the property in its vicinity - the Donegall family - themselves wished to form the Harbour, and were, therefore, reluctant to lease any ground for the purpose to the Ballast Corporation; and partly because the question was taken up and held in suspense by the Government for several years. The Government, however, having abandoned the undertaking, and the Corporation being left to their own resources, the latter obtained copies of all reports and estimates in possession of the Government, and, in addition called in the services of several eminent engineers. Amongst these were Messrs. Walker & Burges, whose plan having met with the approbation of all parties interested, was adopted by the Harbour Corporation, and an amended Act, obtained in August 1831, at length gave the necessary powers to carry into effect the improvement of the port. The old winding channel, always tedious of navigation, was superseded in 1840, by the first portion of a new channel, which was then completed to the extent of one mile, extending from Prince's Dock to below the Mile-end water. In 1841, another bill was obtained, for the purpose of completing this improvement, and under its provisions the New Cut was continued (with a short interval yet unfinished) to Garmoyle, by an embanked channel, which was opened on the 10th of July, 1849. The new channel has nine feet of water at low tides, thus enabling steamers and large sailing vessels to come up to the quays at neap tides, and vessels drawing eighteen feet of water, at spring tides. Within the last few years the most extensive improvements have been made in the quayage of the port, which now consists of two splendid quays, extending on either side of the river from Queen's Bridge to the Mile-water, and two capacious docks, called respectively the Prince's (formerly Dunbar's) and the Clarendon Docks. The former is reserved for foreign shipping. The latter was opened in September, 1850, by his Excellency the Earl of Clarendon, during a visit to the town. On the North, or Antrim side of the river, the quays are exclusively reserved for steamers and vessels in the foreign trade. These are flanked by extensive stores, offices, etc., and a range of handsome sheds. On the opposite side there are a coal exchange, and offices and yards, for the accommodation of the coal merchants; and the quay itself is reserved for colliers and coasting vessels. Opposite the Eastern extremity of the Southern, or Queen's Quay, is Queen's Island, upon which has been erected a Patent Slip, which gives accommodation to vessels of 1,000 tons register, whilst undergoing repairs. Adjoining the ship-building ground of Messrs. A. McLaine and Sons, there is a second Patent Slip, for vessels under 400 tons register. The island is neatly planted and laid out with promenades, for the recreation of the public. There is a Battery at the Eastern extremity; and nearly in the centre was erected, in the summer of 1851, an elegant structure of glass and wood, for the purpose of annual bazaars, or fetes, in aid of the General Hospital. The cost of the recent improvements of the port amounted to £405,519, raised in loans, on the security of the harbour dues. Several ship-building yards occupy a large space in the vicinity of the docks. A screw-pile light-house, connected with which is a pilot establishment, stands near the embouchure of the river; it rises thirty feet above high water, and exhibits a fixed red light. There is a second light-house, besides beacons. There are thirty-nine pilots belonging to the harbour. The present Custom House is an old unsightly building, quite inadequate to the wants of the port; but it is to be replaced by a handsome and commodious structure. It may be mentioned here that, during the progress of the Harbour Improvements of Belfast, in deepening the river, the steam dredges then in use for that purpose turned up, in the course of those operations, some of the stones from which it is stated Belfast originally derived its name, Beala-fearsad, "The Town of the Ford." Mr. McWilliams, who has at present the charge of the Harbour Commissioners' machinery on Queen's Island, discovered that those stones were worn upon the upper surface, and that the causeway, or ford, has been about 40 feet in width. It was protected from the action of the influx and efflux of the tide by piles at either side, the removal of which, in the course of the Harbour Improvements, was a matter of very considerable difficulty, and one which, before the cause was discovered, very considerably injured the machinery of the river deepening apparatus. We are not aware that the whole of these remarkable relics have been preserved, but we believe that the antiquarian can have access to some of them, on making inquiry in the proper quarter. In 1786, the total number of ships that entered the port of Belfast amounted to 772 vessels, with a tonnage of 34, 287 tons, and a tonnage revenue of £1,553; in 1850, the number of vessels entering the port was 4,490, with a tonnage of 624,223 tons, and a revenue of £29,012. At the close of the year 1851, the number of vessels registered as belonging to the port was 448, with an aggregate tonnage of 74,540 tons, of which, in the foreign trade, were 137 vessels, with a tonnage of 57,996 tons, and in the coasting trade, 311 vessels, with a tonnage of 16,544 tons. During the year 1851, 17 vessels, with a registered tonnage of 10,506 tons, were added to the foreign-trade shipping; and, during the same period, 22 vessels, registered at 1,544 tons, were added to those engaged in the coasting trade. The aggregate tonnage of the steamers trading between Belfast and England and Scotland, amounts to 7,298 tons. The total number of vessels which entered the harbour in 1851 was 5,016. The aggregate tonnage was 650,938: viz., steamers, 309, 783; foreign vessels, 84,716; cross-Channel and coasters, 244,830; Irish Channel, 13,609. The harbour rates on goods, in 1851, amounted to £8,330 9s. 10d., being an increase of £868 12s. 8d. over 1850. The tonnage dues in 1851 amounted to £10,735, being an increase of £422 over 1850. The quayage dues in 1851 amounted to £2,670 14s., being an increase of £326. 12s. over 1850. The ballast dues in 1851 amounted to £2,670 14s., being an increase of £500 18s. over 1850. The quantity of coals delivered at the quays in 1851 was 295,513 tons, being an increase of nearly 42,000 tons over 1850 - a fair test by which to form an opinion as to the increased manufacturing industry and general comfort of the community. The customs duties paid at the port of Belfast, for each of the last three years, ending 5th Jan., amounted, for 1849, to £346,426 16s. 2d.; for 1850, to £362,990 12s. 2d.; for 1851, to £369,415 12s. 1d. The increase of the year ending 5th January, 1852, over that ending 5th January, 1851, is, therefore, £6,424 19s. 11d.; and over the year preceding, £22,988 16s. 11d. The commerce of Belfast is greater than that of any other port in Ireland. It ranks next to that of Leith. The principal exports consist of corn, meal and flour, cured provisions, linen yarn, feathers, flax and tow, cotton manufacturers, linen cloth, green and tanned hides, horses, eggs, etc. The chief articles of export, however, are the various linen fabrics, value £3,320,000; muslins and other cotton manufacturers, £1,400,000; cured provisions, £400,000; flax and tow (unmanufactured), £40,000; and the total value of the general exports amounts to about £5,600,000. By much the largest proportion of the exports of Belfast are transferred, for re-shipment, to Liverpool, London, Greenock, etc., forming in value, perhaps, almost one-half of the entire value of exports from the first of those ports, thus establishing the character of Belfast as the chief commercial port of Ireland. The chief imports are timber, grain, flax, flaxseed, sugar, barilla, fruit, etc. With the West Indian colonies of Great Britain the direct trade of the port is considerable, but principally with Demerara, Barbadoes, and Antigua. In the trade to these ports a large amount of the tonnage registered at Belfast is regularly engaged, in addition to chartered vessels. By far the largest proportion of the Colonial produce imported into Belfast is first landed at Liverpool, Greenock, or other ports, and conveyed across Channel by steamers. An import trade from the East to this port, after having been in abeyance for a very considerable period, was re-opened about the year 1844, through the agency of an enterprising merchant of the town, to whom was consigned the first cargo of tea, directly imported, that has ever landed in Ireland. The bottom in which this cargo was brought to our shores had been chartered in China for the purpose. The commerce of Belfast with the Eastern possessions of Britain, as also with China, is steadily increasing, and, as late as last year, vessels owned by Belfast merchants are recorded in Lloyd's Register as engaged in the regular trade between ports in the East - as Bombay, Calcutta, Hong-Kong, Shanghae, Singapore, etc. - and British ports. Indeed a very large amount of the tonnage registered as belonging to the port of Belfast is not engaged in its own trade. A number of the largest ships belonging to the port have never entered he harbour, but are engaged either in the cotton-carrying, the East India, or the African trades. The general interests of Trade and Commerce are attended to by the Chamber of Commerce, a voluntary association formed in 1783. Its business is now transacted in suitable rooms in Waring Street. This association has, of late years, proved of essential advantage to the mercantile interests of the town, and it numbers in its body the great proportion of the respectable merchants and traders. The amount of Postage collected in the town of Belfast was, in 1842, £4,588; in 1851, it was £7,246. The Stamp Duties received in the Belfast collection were, in 1846, £22,021; in 1850, they amounted to £26,991. The Inland Revenue collected in the Belfast district amounted, in 1850, to £206,278. STEAM NAVIGATION Shortly after the introduction of Steam Navigation upon the Clyde some enterprising gentleman in Glasgow conceived that a cross0channel trade might, probably, prove remunerative, and speculation pointed out as the first point, the nearest commercial port of Ireland, to wit, Belfast. The only trade between those two ports, now so important in the annals of British commerce, was at that time conducted by casual vessels, the freight ships being, in general, those which, having discharged cargoes of coals, afterwards accepted an occasional freight. The passenger trade to Scotland or England was, generally, conducted by means of vessels trading between Donaghadee and Portpatrick, or Parkgate, in Cheshire. About the year 1819, after Steam Navigation had been tested upon the Clyde, and when the capability of steamers for cross channel, or deep sea navigation, had been proved, the merchants of Glasgow, always foremost in matters of judicious enterprise, started a small steamer, with the object of plying between two ports whose interests were so closely connected. The vessel chosen by them for this purpose was one which, in the present age of improvement, would be considered very small indeed, and quite insufficient for the object intended. She was named the Clydesdale, a small boat of about 100 tons, forty horse-power, flush-decked, and with far less shelter from a shower, or from the sea spray, than at present is to be had in a canvas tent - no bridge, no suitable convenience, in short, of any kind. The Clydesdale ran for two or three years, when she was replaced by another steamer, not larger or more elegant, named the Rob Roy. The Clydesdale was afterwards burned, during a voyage between the Clyde and Belfast, and her helmsman, by name Cochrane, had a pension awarded him by public subscription in Scotland, in recognition of his gallantry in holding by the wheel whilst the vessel was on fire under his feet. The Rob Roy was supplanted by the George Canning and the Britannia, worse boats than even the two former ones. The next vessel on the line was the Eclipse; and, shortly after, competition having commenced, the Swift, a Leith and London smack, converted into a steamer, was put into this trade by a rival company. The history of this competition is curious. It was carried on with very considerable spirit for some months; at last one of the vessels advertised that its rate of passage to Glasgow would be only 3d. Immediately upon this, the opposition steamer announced that it would carry passengers to Glasgow for nothing. It was then considered that the opposition was at an end. However, the morning previous to the departure of the next steamer on the other side, it was announced that the vessel would not only take deck passengers for nothing, but that, in order to enable them to proceed on their voyage comfortable, they would each be furnished with a pint of strong beer! The first steamer, however, which took cargo from Belfast to Glasgow, was the Aimwell, a small vessel not more than 100 tons burthen, and 40 horse-power. The Aimwell performed her voyages very unsatisfactorily to the Belfast merchants, inasmuch as, instead of being accomplished within the 12 hours, they were generally protracted to what would now be considered an extraordinary time, namely, 24 hours, if not, as sometimes happened, 36 hours. The present daily communication is eight hours from Greenock. In 1826, the Messrs. Langtrys & Herdman (then Langtry & Co.) opened a line of steam communication from this port to Liverpool. Their first steamer, the Chieftain, was built at Port-Glasgow. She was a double-decked vessel of imposing appearance, with very tall masts, and rigged like an East Indiaman. On her arrival here, in 1826, thousands flocked to the quay to inspect her. The same firm have since then kept on the line a regular supply of first-class steamers, these being the Corsair - a favourite vessel - in 1827; Falcon, 1835; Reindeer, 1838; Sea-King, 1845; and Blenheim, 1848, which steamer at present runs regularly on the line. About 1830, the importance of Belfast, as a commercial port became acknowledged by the Dublin Steam Packet Company, in consequence of which, they placed one of their vessels to ply once a week between Belfast and Liverpool. Previously to this, the only direct communication between Belfast and Liverpool was that afforded by the steamer of Messrs. Langtry & Co., until the year 1835. It is now proposed to establish a new company, for the purpose of having daily steam communication with Liverpool, under the immediate and sole control of the Belfast merchants, and steps have been already taken for carrying out the necessary arrangements. In the year 1829, a trade was established between Belfast and London, with the provision that the vessels were to call at Plymouth, Devonport and Dublin. The merchants of Belfast contracted with Messrs. Fawcett & Co., of Liverpool, for a steamer of 200 horse-power and 500 tons burden, to be suited for the navigation between this port and London. This vessel, the Erin, was launched, and plied for two years. She did not turn out very well, proving a watery vessel. The Erin left London in the middle of June, 1844, on her last voyage, and was seen off Ilfracombe, drifting into the bay, and next morning struck on Lundy Island, where she was totally lost, with all hands. No other steamer replaced the Erin on this line. The next experiment in the opening of a trade between the two ports, was in that of screw-propelled steamers; previously, however, there had been a line of sailing vessels which made regular passages, calling occasionally at Whitehaven. Two screw steamers commenced plying in 1849. The first of these was built in the Thames, and having turned out very well, the system of screw-propulsion having been tested to advantage, and the trade between Belfast and London offering a reasonable investment for capital, the keel of a ship of considerable tonnage was laid down at Dumbarton, on a slip belonging to Messrs. Denny, Brothers, the builders of several steamers which have acquired a high reputation. There are now thirty-two steamers regularly plying between this port and London, Liverpool, Fleetwood, Glasgow, Ardrossan, Morecambe, Whitehaven, Dublin, and Londonderry. THE CORPORATION, ETC. The Borough of Belfast is governed by a Corporation, elected by the five wards - St. Anne's, Dock, Smithfield, St. George's and Cromac - each Ward returning two Aldermen and six Councillors; from the former a Mayor is annually chosen. The Corporation have recently effected the most salutary and extensive improvements in the town, under various acts of Parliament, which have enabled them to build new and handsome streets, purchase the sites and lots of the markets, and otherwise promote the convenience and prosperity of the inhabitants. There are twelve principal markets, viz., May's Market, for the daily sale of grain and meal; George's Market, for butcher's meat, poultry, eggs, butter, cheese, etc., on Tuesdays and Fridays; the Flax and fruit Market, daily; the Bogwood, Turf, and Grass Market, daily; the Cattle Market, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; the Pork Market, daily; the Butter Market, daily; the Smithfield Market, miscellaneous produce, daily; the Potato Market, daily; Castle Market, fruit, vegetable, butchers' meat, etc., daily; Ormond Market, for similar sales, daily; the retail Fish Market, daily; and the Monthly Cattle and Horse Fair, on the first Wednesday of each month. The income arising from the tolls of these markets is increasing yearly, and is expected soon to form a considerable fund for Corporation purposes. The present Town-hall is a mean and inconvenient structure; but it is in contemplation to erect a new Town-hall, in a commanding site, and on a scale of great magnificence, which, if constructed according to the model of the Corporation architect. already completed, will be by far the noblest public building in the town. The paving, lighting, and cleansing of the town are vested in a Police Committee, chosen by the Town Council under a special act; the average annual expenditure being £9,000. WATER COMMISSIONERS The supply of pipe water, which is obtained from three capacious reservoirs, situate about one mile North of the town, is under a Board of Water Commissioners, incorporated in 1840, and elected by the ratepayers. The grounds belonging to the Commissioners are situated near the Antrim Road, and are most beautifully laid out for the recreation of the respectable inhabitants. The view from the walk surrounding the principal sheet of water is unrivalled, comprehending the hills of the County Down, and an extensive view of the Lough down the channel. The Commercial Buildings, erected by subscription, at a cost of £20,000, in 1820, are situate in front of the Southern extremity of Donegall Street, at the angle of Bridge Street and Waring Street. The building is of granite, and presents a fine, imposing appearance. It is adorned in front with eight Ionic pillars, supported on a broad cornice above the windows of the lower storey, the principal portion of which is occupied by a subscription News Room, which is furnished with a valuable collection of maps, charts, etc. In this room, the merchants meet on ;Change at two o'clock, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Above the News Room, on the upper floor, is the Assembly Room, a beautiful apartment, usually devoted to public meetings, exhibitions, etc. The roof and sides of this chamber are enriched with the most sumptuous decorations, coloured in imitation of the rarer marbles. The Corn merchants of Belfast have recently formed themselves into an association, for the greater facility of business, and by private subscriptions have erected a Corn Exchange, situate in Victoria Street. This building is a chaste and elegant edifice, of cut stone, with an open balustrade in front, and a range of handsome shops in the basement storey. The Exchange occupies a large and elaborately decorated hall on the first floor, lighted by the side windows and a range of roof lights. It is contemplated to establish a public News Room in connexion with the Corn Exchange. Amongst the public buildings about to be erected in Belfast is an extensive and suitable range of offices, to contain the Customs, Inland Revenue, and Post Office departments, the premises now devoted to these purposes being altogether unsuited to the respectability, and inadequate to the wants, of the town. BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS The Belfast General Hospital, the most extensive and important institution of its kind in Ulster, originated in a General Dispensary, which was founded in the year 1792, by voluntary subscriptions. In the year 1798, a project for establishing an hospital for fever cases, in connexion with the dispensary, was undertaken and accomplished; but it was not until 1815 that the first stone of the present Hospital was laid by the then Marquis of Donegall, the charity having become fully acknowledged as one of the necessary institutions of the town. The Hospital was completed and opened in 1817, and immediately gave accommodation to 212 intern patients. A medical school and chemical lectures were established in connection with it. In 1846, consequent upon the erection of the new Fever Hospital in Malone, the General Dispensary, hitherto connected with the Hospital, was placed under separate management, and the institution formally received the title of "The Belfast General Hospital," to be under the management of a president, vice-presidents, life governors, and a committee. The building, which is the principal ornament of that portion of the town in which it stands (Frederick Street), is 160 feet in length in front. It is surrounded by a considerable area, both in front and rere; it is flanked on the one side by the Dispensary rooms, and on the other by the Committee room and porter lodge. At the eastern wall runs a long shed, originally used for fever cases, and kept now as a reserve ward. The Hospital has, during recent years, received considerable aid from the public, through the proceeds of annual fetes. The District Lunatic Asylum, for the Counties of Antrim and Down, and the County of the Town of Carrickfergus, is situate near the Falls Road, within a mile of the town. It is a handsome and commodious edifice with extensive grounds attached. It was opened in 1820. The number of patients is generally about 150. The Lying-in-Hospital, a square building on the Antrim Road, was opened for the accommodation of poor women in 1830, at the cost of £1,200. It is supported by voluntary contributions, and is under the direction of a committee of benevolent ladies. It affords relief to an annual average of 191 patients. COUNTY GAOL AND COURT-HOUSE