STREETS ALPHABETICALLY

( A ) ( B ) ( C ) ( D ) ( E ) ( F ) ( G ) ( H ) ( I & J) ( K ) ( L ) ( M ) ( N ) ( O ) ( P ) ( Q ) ( R ) ( S ) ( T ) ( U ) ( V ) ( W ) ( Y )

1861-62 Belfast Street Directory

Adverts

James Rutherford, painter decorator & Room paperer, manufacturer, 10, Donegall Place, Belfast.
McNeilly Brothers, Watch & Clockmakers, jewelers, 4, Donegall Place, Belfast.
William Dale, Auctioneer, valuator, general commission agent, 6 Waring Street, Belfast.
John Kelly, Brush, comb, trunk and portmanteau, 24 Bridge Street, Belfast.

The Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory for 1861-62

Vol V

(Published at the News Letter Office)

contains

I. Town and Trade of Belfast
II. Belfast Street Directory
III. Ballymacarrett Directory
IV. Alphabetical Directory
V. Professions and Trades Directory
VI. Local Institutions, Societies etc.,
VII Country Residents and Villages
VIII. Counties in Ulster
IX. Provincial Towns

TO THE READER

The fifth volume of the "Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory" is now presented to the public, in the hope that the work will be found useful as a guide to the increasing town of Belfast, and the counties and principal towns in the Province of Ulster.

News Letter Office Belfast April 1861

Alterations or corrections for next volume of the directory forwarded to the office. No 25 Donegall Street, Belfast, will meet with attention.

GENERAL INDEX

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF STREETS

INDEX TO PROVINCIAL DIRECTORY

ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS

ULSTER CHAMBERS

THE NORTH EAST BAR

SUMMER ASSIZES 1861

BELFAST

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Belfast, the capital of Ulster, which justly merits the appellation or the commercial metropolis of Ireland, and is appropriately described as at once the Liverpool and Manchester of this portion of the United Kingdom, although noticed in the old histories and topographies of the country as existing so far back as the middle of the twelfth century, is, practically speaking, and regarding only the causes of its
present extent and population, of comparatively recent date. Its name is derived wither from the Celtic words, Beol fearsaid, signifying
" the mouth of a ford " or "Beol, a mouth" and fearsaid "pools of water". The former is the most probable origin, as an ancient ford, the
site of which was opposite Queen's Square, has been proved to have existed, remains of it having been found during the progress of the harbour improvements, several years since, The first castle of Belfast was probably built by Sir John de Courcey, shortly subsequent to 1178. The last castle was erected by Sir Arthur Chichester, Lord Deputy of Ireland (afterwards Baron Chichester of Belfast) early in the seventeenth century; and was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1708, when the three Ladies Chichester, daughters of the third Earl of Donegall, perished in the conflagration. Although, long after the time of De Courcey, Belfast certainly held no rank higher than that of a mere fishing hamlet, in 1316, when sacked by Edward Bruce, brother of the great Robert, it was, according to authentic records, one of many "very good towns and strongholds which he wasted" The history of the place, from that period until the commencement of the past century, is rather subject for the pen of the antiquarian and annalist than for the compiler of a work of immediate reference. The principal incidents necessary to particularize here, with a view to the proper understanding of the present relations of the town, are the following - The grant, in 1604, to Sir Arthur Chichester, of the town, manor and castle of Belfast, with much of the adjacent territory, forfeited by the O'Neills of Clandeboye, and the introduction of great numbers of English and Scotch settlers; the grant, in 1613, by James I., of a charter, constituting Belfast a municipality, consisting of a sovereign, twelve burgesses, and a commonalty, and authorising the town to send two members to Parliament; the purchase by Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, Lord Deputy, in 1637, from the corporation of Carrickfergus, of the right of importing certain commodities, at one-third of the duties payable at other places, which gave the first stimulus to the trade of the port the grant by James II., in 1688, of a new municipal charter, by which the number of burgesses was raised to thirty five; the visit of William III. to the town in 1690, followed by the first grant of "Regium Donum" to the Presbyterian clergy of Ulster; the formation of Volunteer corps, in 1715, 1745, 1760 (the date of Thurot's landing at Kilroot, near Carrickfergus), and 1778, for the better defense of the country; the alteration of the local government, after the Union, by the appointment of Police Commissioners and "Life Commissioners", in conjunction with the previous Corporation, by which the former of the new local bodies was invested with the power for the levying of taxes for public expenses, and the latter with powers for regulating the paving, watching, lighting and cleansing of the town; the change which ensued on the passing of the first Municipal Act of 1841, in conformity with which the Corporation now consists of a Mayor, ten Aldermen, and thirty Town Councillors; and the formation, at different periods, during the interval embraced by the time in which these civic changes occurred, of a Board of Harbour Commissioners, a Board of Water Commissioners, and various other public bodies and institutions, such as the rapidly increasing requirements of the Borough rendered necessary.

SITE EXTENT POPULATION &c

Belfast, which since 1850, has been the County Town of Antrim, is situated in the Barony of Upper Belfast, County Antrim; but the Parliamentary Borough also includes the large suburb of Ballymacarrett, in County Down, from which the town is separated by the river Lagan. The extension, in 1854, of the Borough boundary, made a very large addition to the area it formerly comprised. According to the old boundary, there were in County Antrim 966 acres, in County Down, 576, and in the town but without the borough, in County Antrim, 330 acres, making a total of 1872 acres. In the new boundary there is an area in County Antrim of 4,364 acres, and in County Down of 1,422 acres, making a total of 5,786 acres, exclusive of the river Lagan, and the slob and water of a portion of Belfast Lough. The increase of the Borough boundary amounts to 3,914 acres. The parish of Belfast, otherwise called Shankill, in which the County Antrim section of the borough is included, lies chiefly in the Barony of Upper Belfast, and partly in that of the Lower Belfast. It is nine and a quarter miles long, by five in breadth, and contains 19,559 statute acres. The town is 80 Irish miles distant from Dublin, in lat. 54 deg. 36m. 8 sec. N., and long. 5 deg. 55m. 53 W. Belfast is situated at the mouth of the Lagan, which bounds it on the S.E. and flows immediately into Belfast Lough, which is about twelve miles in length, and five in extreme breadth, gradually narrowing as it approaches the town. The Lagan, which separates the Counties of Antrim and Down, is crossed by three bridges and several ferries. The Queen's Bridge, built principally of the granite of the Newry mountains, on the site of the old Long Bridge (erected 1682-6), which had twenty one arches, and was 840 feet in length, is an elegant structure. It was opened for traffic in 1844, and cost £27,000. The town occupies a commodious position for the purpose of commerce; but the site is low, the greater portion being only a few feet above high water level. Nevertheless, on account of its geographical advantages, it is the healthiest manufacturing town in the kingdom. The mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees, being about one deg. above that of London, and one degree under that of Torquay and the Isle of Wight. The average annual fall of rain is 34.96 inches ( yeah right ), that of Dublin being 30.87 inches, and of Cork 40.20 inches. The country around Belfast is extremely beautiful. The Lough stretches on one side, and the fine and elevated ranges of hills which bound it, and partly encircle the town, present much variety, their slopes thickly studded with the villas of the gentry and merchants. Luxuriant plantations, extensive parks, well cultivated fields, handsome villages, and a great provincial metropolis, occupy the immediate shores of the bay; green hills, chequered with woodland and hedgerows, form a rich and most picturesque perspective on the Downshire side. On that of Antrim, the romantic cliffs and bold frontier lines of the basaltic mountains, from the Cave Hill, on the North, to Collin, on the West, impart to the scenery a peculiarly attractive feature. The town exhibits a picture of increasing improvement, which every man of taste and liberal education must contemplate with emotions of pride and exultation - the man of letters, the merchant, and the artizan, mutually engaged in the grand work of extending the domains of knowledge, developing the resources of industry, and carrying out projects of philanthropy. The leading streets of Belfast are wide and regularly built; the town contains a large number of public edifices; and in magnificence its shops and warehouses will bear a favourable comparison with those of any similar city in the British Islands. Its busy and bustling aspect is universally remarked by strangers; and the independence of public character, the integrity, and the enterprise of its inhabitants, are widely known and appreciated, The Tidal Harbour Commissioners (1846) describe Belfast as " the first town in Ireland in enterprise and commercial prosperity" The population of Belfast in 1757 was 8,549; in 1782, 13,105; in 1791, 18,320; in 1807, 22,095; in 1813, 27,832; in 1821, 37,117; in 1834, Established Church, 16,388; Presbyterians, 23,576; Roman Catholics, 19,712; other persuasions, 1,137. Total 60,813. In 1841 the population was 75,308. The population of Belfast and Ballymacarrett, exclusive of the extended portion of the Municipality Boundary, was, at the date of the census of 1851, 100,300, showing an increase over the census of 1841 of no less than 24,992. The  population, however, still advances in so rapid a ratio that it is now generally estimated at from 145,000 to 150,000. The inhabitants of Belfast, in the course of a century, have increased more than fifteen fold. The proportionate increase has been greater than that of any other town in the United Kingdom, Liverpool excepted. Belfast contains fifty five places of public worship, consisting of the following:- Established Church, 10; Presbyterian 20; Methodists 10; Covenanting 2; Independent 1; Evangelical Union 1; Primitive Secession 1; Unitarian 3; Baptist 1; Friends 1; Roman Catholic 5:

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

These, enumerated according to the dates of their establishment, are - The Belfast Academy, the Royal Academical Institution, the Brown Street Schools, the Ladies' Industrial (formerly the Lancasterian) School, the Ulster Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, the National Schools, the Queen's College, the General Assembly's College, and the Model School of the National Board, opened in 1857. The Belfast Academy was founded in 1780, and still maintains its early high character as a classical and mercantile seminary. The Royal Academical Institution was founded in 1810, by a voluntary subscription of £26,000, 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 possessed seven professional chairs, with a salary of £150 each, and two divinity professorships, with a salary of £100 a year each. For a long period the Orthodox Presbyterian bodies availed themselves of its educational curriculum; but the connection ceased some time before the collegiate department was finally dissolved and transferred to the Queen's College. The building, which is situated in College Square West, is now occupied only by the preparatory classical and commercial schools, which are efficiently conducted under seven masters and one mistress. The Brown Street Sunday and Daily School Society was founded in 1810. In the Sunday schools, instruction is given to about 200 pupils; in the daily schools, upwards of 500 children of both sexes are instructed in the ordinary branches of an English and mercantile education for the nominal charge of 1d. per week for each pupil. The female school is superintended by a committee of ladies. There is also as infant school, and an evening school, for adults - attendance about 150. This institution has conferred inestimable benefits upon the town, by rescuing a large number of the children of the poor from vice and ignorance, and securing to them the means of acquiring respectability and competence. The Lancasterian School, in Frederick Street, was founded in 1811, for the instruction of the children of the labouring classes. A female industrial school has been for some years established in the building, for the gratuitous instruction of poor girls in needlework and embroidery; and here also the first "Ragged School" established in Ireland was opened. The Ulster Society for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind was established in 1831, and the present Institution was opened in 1845. It cost £11,000, raised by voluntary contributions. It is under the  management of a committee of the subscribers, a principal, and male and female assistants. This building which fronts the Dublin Road, a little beyond the Union Workhouse, is a beautiful structure in the Tudor Style. The Queen's College was opened in October 1849. Its government consists of a president, vice president, 13 professors of arts, 5 of medicine, and 2 of law, 4 deans of residences, a registrar, a librarian, and a bursar. The College is endowed with 30 scholarships of £24 each, 11 of £20, 4 of £15, and 10 senior scholarships of £40 each. The building is from a design of Charles Lanyon, Esq., C.E., and is the most attractive in Belfast or its vicinity. It occupies a well chosen site on the Botanic Road, and is in the Tudor style of architecture. The cost of its erection was £30,000. The General Assembly's College - a very elegant and spacious structure, in a classic style of architecture, occupying a site at the extremity of University Square and facing the Botanic Road - was opened by Dr. Merle D'Aubigne, of Geneva, in 1853, for the instruction of the theological students of the Assembly. It is presided over by the president and the other members of the Assembly's Theological faculty, who are endowed by the Government with salaries of £250 a year each.  The institution was erected wholly by the voluntary contributions of the Presbyterian body, in accordance with the Assembly's resolutions, agreed to at Cookstown in 1844; and its management is entirely under the Assembly's control. The Commissioners of National Education in Ireland having decided upon establishing a District Model School in Belfast, ground was taken for the erection of a suitable building for that purpose on the Falls Road. The structure was completed and opened in May 1857. The building is of large dimensions. The style of its architecture id the Tudor and Elizabethan combined, and the material used is chiefly a fine red brick, the architraves of the windows, &c., being of the best Caen stone. The principal facade is 127 feet in length, and the extreme width of the edifice is 117 feet. The front is a beautiful specimen of the styles named. It consists of two stories, separated by a double string course moulding. Each of the wings is lighted by twelve windows, finished with a very neat Elizabethan gable. Between these wings is the central front, which is enriched, on the second story, with a  superb bay window, of the oriel kind, and the whole is surmounted by a gable resembling a pediment, above which rises a peculiarly handsome tower and cupola. The front and sides of the building almost enclose a large open court, which affords light and ventilation to the interior. The principal apartments are occupied as a boys' school, a girls' school, and an infant school. These are on the ground floor, and their respective dimensions are the following:- Boys; school, 82 feet by 30; girls' school, the same; infant school, 60 feet by 30. In connection with each of these schools there are large playgrounds. The boys' playground is a fine space, 110 feet wide by 80 feet in breadth; the girls', 87 feet by 80; and the infants', 100 feet by 54. In each of these playgrounds a series of sheds are erected, under which, in wet weather, the pupils may have healthy exercise. On the second story is a large school room for an adult evening class, and the building also contains a laboratory and apparatus for practical instruction, the illustration of lectures, &c. The class rooms, and the apartments for the master and mistress and other officers, are in the front of the building, on the lower floor; and a stone staircase conducts to the corridors and apartments in the upper part of the building. The utmost attention has been paid to the proper ventilation of the rooms and to the  sewerage. The height of the first story is 18 feet, and that of the upper story 15 feet. The interior roof of the building is of open timber work. The building was erected from a design of Frederick Daly, Esq., architect to the Commissioners of National Education. The external decorations are only sparingly applied, but in correct taste. The structure forms a conspicuous ornament to the rapidly improving portion of the town in which it is situate. The average attendance at the various schools is upwards of 1,100. There are, besides this principal seminary, upwards of 30 other National Schools in the town and neighbourhood of Belfast. Numerous schools under the patronage of the Church Education Society also exist, and are largely attended and efficiently conducted. 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

There are numerous Literary, Scientific, Musical, and other Societies, for the purpose of mutual improvement in Belfast. The Natural History and Philosophical Society (formed 1821) holds its meetings in the Museum, a neat building in College Square North, built in 1830, and its members are distinguished for their high attainments in philosophical, scientific, and antiquarian research. The museum is one of the best in Ireland, and is open to the public at a very moderate charge. The Belfast Society for the Promotion of Knowledge holds its meetings in the White Linen Hall, and possesses a public library of upwards of 14,000 volumes, and a nearly complete file of the Belfast News Letter from its first issue in 1737. The other public Libraries are in the  Queen's College and the Presbyterian College and also by young men who are members of associations in connection with the Presbyterian and other congregations. The Belfast Working Classes' Association (formed in 1845) meets at 16 Donegall Street, where there are a news room and a library of about 3,000 volumes. To members of the working classes the terms are 2s. 6d. per annum; to the others, 4s. Visitors to the news room , one penny each. The Belfast Medical Society (established in 1822) meets monthly in the General Hospital, where they have a fine library, containing upwards of 2,000 volumes. The Belfast branch of the Medical Benevolent Fund Society of Ireland was established in 1843, and embraces the Counties of Antrim and Down. Its object is to create a fund by donations and subscriptions, for the relief of medical men, under severe and urgent distress; and to relieve the widow or family of a professional man, who may have been deprived of the support and protection of a husband or parent. The Society meet quarterly in the library room of the Belfast Medical Society at the General Hospital. The Belfast Ophthalmic Institution (opened 1844) supported by voluntary subscriptions, affords gratuitous relief to poor persons suffering under diseases of the eye and ear, and has afforded relief in a vast number of cases. The Belfast Clinical and Pathological Society, founded in 1853, for the cultivation of practical pathology, diagnosis, and therapeutics, has a large and increasing list of members, a useful museum, and a valuable collection of medical and surgical records. There are two Musical Societies. The Anacreontic, which is the oldest, given its private rehearsals and public concerts in its own building, the Music Hall, a handsome Doric edifice in May Street. The Belfast Classical Harmonists' Society was established for the express purpose of disseminating a taste for vocal music, of a refined description among the general community. It meets in the Victoria Hall, and gives occasional public concerts. It has a large number of members. The Ulster Hall Company have now in course of erection, in Bedford Street, a splendid and spacious building, intended to provide accommodation for audiences numbering from 2,000 to 3,000 persons, and suited, as well for concerts on a large scale as for exhibitions of art, public dinners, balls, meetings for legitimate purposes, &c. In connection with the Queen's College there is also a Choral Society, founded in 1858, for the purpose of cultivating classical vocal music. The Chemico-Agricultural Society of Ulster is an association instituted for the improvement of soils, through the agency of scientific analyses, &c. Its patron is the Marquis of Downshire, and its practical officer Professor Hodges MD. It possesses a laboratory, and holds stated meetings, the transactions of which are regularly given to the public. The North East Agricultural Association of Ireland was founded in 1855. Its operations extend to the Counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh and Monaghan; they also include the County of the Town of Carrickfergus. President, the Marquis of Downshire. There are twelve Newspapers in Belfast, of which the oldest is the News Letter, established AD 1737, and since then published continuously; daily since July 1855. The other papers, in the order of their establishment, are - the Belfast Mercantile Journal, established in 1807, as "Taggart's Mercantile List" published every Tuesday; the Northern Whig (daily); Banner of Ulster (three times a week); Ulster General Advertiser (Saturday); Mercury (daily); Morning News (three times a week); Belfast Weekly News (Saturday); Weekly Northern Whig (Saturday); Weekly Press (Saturday). There are four public News rooms in the town, viz:- The Commercial News room, Commercial Buildings; the Linen Hall News room; the Working Classes Association, Donegall Street; and the Catholic Institute, Hercules Place. There is also a News room connected with the Young Men's Presbyterian Association, Donegall Street; and one in the Coal Exchange, Queen's Quay.

POOR RELIEF AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS

The principal Poor Relief and Charitable Institutions are, the Union Workhouse, opened in 1841; the Belfast Charitable Society, incorporated in 1774, provides in-door relief to 103 decayed persons of both sexes, besides 88 poor children, whom it also educates, in a spacious and comfortable building in North Queen Street; the Destitute Sick Society; the Ladies' Clothing Society; the Ladies' Connaught Relief Society; the Girls' Industrial Schools; the Ulster Female Penitentiary; and the Magdalene Asylum, in connection with an Episcopal Chapel, which supports a chaplaincy. The other Benevolent Institutions are the following:- The General Hospital (which originated in a General Dispensary, founded in 1792 by voluntary subscription) has in connection with it a medical school &c., and is under the management of a president, vice presidents, life governors, and a committee. It is wholly, but inadequately supported by public contributions. The District Lunatic Asylum, for the Counties of Antrim and Down, and the County of the Town of Carrickfergus, is capable of accommodating about 340 patients - it was opened in 1829. The Lying-in-Hospital was opened in 1830; it affords relief to an average of 190 poor patients annually. It is under the management of a committee of ladies, and is supported by voluntary contributions. Mrs. Wilson's Bequest for Widows; office, 12b Bridge Street. This fund was established in 1855 by Mrs. Margt. Wilson of London, formerly of Belfast, having left the sum of £30,000, to be invested in the Three-per-Cent. Consolidated Annuities, to be paid, at the rate of seven shillings per week, to widows of sober, honest life, being upwards of sixty years of age, and who have been residents in Belfast, of the county of Antrim, for two years. The pensioners are selected by the following trustees, appointed under the will of the legatee:- J. Gemmill Esq., 128 Westbourne Terrace, Hyde Park, London; M. Suffern Esq., Howard Street, Belfast; Geo. Orr Wilson Esq., Thornhill, Belfast; Sir William Gillilan Johnson, D.L., JP., College Square North, Belfast; Gordon Augustus Thomson, Esq., Bedeque House, Belfast. There are likewise local charitable auxiliaries to various religious associations, a Seaman's Friend Society, two Town Missions, Sanitary Officers, under the control of the Corporation besides District Dispensaries, in convenient situations for the relief of the sick poor. 

NEW PUBLIC OFFICES &c.

The new Custom House, which is one of the largest public buildings in Belfast, occupies a considerable area between Queen's Square and Albert Square - a site obtained by extensive clearances and other improvements, previously effected in that part of the town. For many years the want of proper accommodation for the Custom House, Post Office, Excise Office, and other Government business of Belfast, was severely felt, the buildings used for those purposes being small in size and mean in aspect. At length the increasing prosperity and business of the town demanded that suitable public offices should be erected, and it was decided to purchase the site above mentioned, and thereupon to erect a large and handsome edifice, sufficient to afford ample accommodation for various public services - including a Custom House, a Post Office, as Inland Revenue Office, a Stamp Office, an Income Tax Office, a Government Emigration office, and an office for the Local Marine Board. The building was commenced towards the close of 1854, and was finished in 1857. It is constructed entirely of the finest Glasgow freestone, elegantly dressed, and the general style is the Italian of Palladio. The edifice occupies three sides of a quadrangle, with a large courtyard inside, and standing upon the top of a terrace, is approached from all sides by flights of steps. It consists, besides the basement, of two stories, the upper one pierced by a range of windows with neat pediments, and the lower with arched windows, doorways, &c. in rusticated work. The principal front faces the river, and the main portion of this part of the edifice is used as the Custom House. The wings facing Queen's Square include the Post Office and the Local Marine Office. In the opposite wing are the Inland Revenue Office Stamp Office, &c. The "Long Room" of the Custom House is 70 feet in length by 30 in width and 25 in height. The courtyard in the interior of the building, and which affords access to the principal offices, &c., from the rear, is a handsome area, elevated above the surrounding level by a stone plateau seven feet in height, and approached by a flight of steps. It is 112 feet in width, The basement story of the structure is wholly occupied by vaults for bonded stores. The decorations of the edifice are few. The grand entrance, in the center of the river front, is embellished with three bold arches, supported by massive columns, and surmounted by a classic Grecian pediment. In the spandrels of the arches are four sculptured figures, designed by Samuel Lynn Esq., of London, and executed by the Messrs. Fitzpatrick, of Wellington Place, Belfast, representing Manufacture, Peace, Commerce and Industry. The tympanum of the pediment is filled with an emblematic design of Britannia, supported on one side by Neptune, and on the other by Mercury. A nearly similar style is carried out in the decorated entrance, leading to the main building from the court yard, in which the pediment is charged with two shields, bearing respectively the Royal arms and those of the town of Belfast. Two Russian guns, taken during the Crimean war at Sebastopol - both 46 pounders, and bearing inscriptions in Russian characters - presented to the town as trophies, are now mounted in a commanding position, upon the front esplanade of this fine suite of public buildings - for ornament alone, of course. The length of the building is in front about 200 feet, its width about 116 feet and including the platform on which it stands, it is 50 feet in height. It was erected from the design of Messrs. Lanyon & Lynn, architects; and Messrs. D. & J. Fulton, of Belfast, were the builders.

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, & c.

The borough of Belfast returns two members to the Imperial Parliament. It is governed by a Corporation elected by the ratepayers of the five wards - St. Anne's, Dock, Smithfield, St' George's and Cromac - each ward returning two Aldermen and six Councillors. A Mayor is annually elected. The practical business of the municipality is transacted by committees annually chosen by the Council. The Corporation have entire control over the markets, of which there are twelve. The paving, lighting, watching and cleansing of the borough are vested in a Police Committee, under a special Act. The supply of water, which is principally obtained from springs a short distance South, and three large reservoirs to the North of the town, is under the direction of a Board of Water Commissioners, incorporated in 1840, and elected by the ratepayers. There are several associations of the mercantile body, exclusive of the trading companies, the most extensive of these being the subscribers to the Commercial Buildings - a fine structure, adapted, among other purposes, for that of an Exchange, erected in 1820 by a subscription of £20,000, in shares, where the merchants meet for mutual intercourses. It includes a News room, which is very spacious. The corn merchants meet in a beautiful edifice in Victoria Street (the Corn Exchange) erected by private subscription. The general mercantile interests of the community are taken care of by the Chamber of Commerce, a voluntary association, formed in 1783, but of late years, revived in activity and greatly increased in numbers, and now productive of the most important benefits to the local trade and general interest of the inhabitants. The Chamber holds its meetings at the office, 36 Waring Street. The coal merchants have an exchange on Queen's Quay.

THE PORT AND HARBOUR

The harbour of Belfast, originally a mere creek of the river Lagan, has become, by successive improvements and extensions, one of the finest in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1839, large vessels had frequently to lie in the port of Garmoyle, two and a half miles from the town, to disload portions of their cargoes, but subsequently to 1840 a new channel was formed having nine feet of water at low water, and 21 feet at high water, which has proved a great convenience to large steamers and other vessels frequenting the port. Within the last three years, the process of deepening the natural and artificial channels by steam dredging has been so successfully prosecuted, that there is now from Garmoyle to the Queen's Bridge a depth of eleven feet at low water and twenty three feet at high water of average spring tides, admitting vessels of 1,500 tons register to moor at the discharging berths. The improvements of the port, which are under the management of the Harbour Commissioners, established by statute in 1831, and elected by the ratepayers, are of very great extent, having already cost about £450,000 sterling, raised by local loans on the security of the harbour dues. The quays extend in a continuous line from the Queen's Bridge, on one side of the river, to the commencement of the new channel; and on the other, the Antrim side, to the mouth of the Mile-water. The quays and tidal docks were originally private property, but have been purchased by the Harbour Board. Formerly, nearly all vessels discharged on the North side, which is now reserved chiefly for steamers and ships in the foreign trade; colliers and vessels in the coasting trade being accommodated on the South side, called Queen's Quay, where there are a Coal Exchange and coal factors' offices and yards. There are two tidal docks - Prince's and the Clarendon - which are reserved for foreign shipping; but an Act of Parliament was obtained in 1854, empowering the Commissioners to construct a third and more extensive dock, with adjacent basins, a Marine School and People's Park, on an extensive space of unreclaimed ground on the South of the river. In forming the new channels, three islands have been formed; the largest, named Queen's Island, has been planted and laid out in public walks, lawns, parterres, ornamental ponds, &c.; and a tasteful building of iron and glass erected on it, "in commemoration of her Majesty's visit to Belfast" (August 13, 1849). This has been converted into a conservatory, which is kept in excellent order, and open to the public at a very trifling charge for admission. The building also includes a beautiful fountain, an aviary, and a photographic gallery. On the Queen's Island are also the iron ship-building works of Mr. E.J. Harland - the most extensive in Ireland - where some of the largest and finest screw steamers in the British mercantile navy have been constructed. There are two light-houses and several beacons on and near the islands. The Pilot establishment has three masters, thirty branch pilots, two mates, and four boys. They have a commodious station-house to seaward of the Twin Islands, erected on a platform resting on a series of Mitchell's screw-piles. The offices of the Harbour Commissioners are contained in an elegant edifice, finished in the Spring of 1854, from a design by George Smith Esq., C.E. The building is in the Italian style of architecture, entirely constructed of polished freestone, with a chaste clock tower. It stands on a well selected site, the principal front facing Corporation Square. The most important branch of the commerce of the port is the cross-channel trade. A large fleet of steamers ply regularly between Belfast and London, Plymouth, Bristol, Liverpool, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Whitehaven, Glasgow, Ardrossan, Stranraer, Silloth (near Carlisle), Dublin, Londonderry, &c. There is also as extensive trade with British North America, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, France, Holland, and Belgium, and latterly some traffic with the East Indies and China. The direct trade with the United States and the West Indies, formerly extensive, has greatly fallen off, while the merchandise from those parts of the world is imported in vast quantities from the other side of the Channel. The following is a comparison of the tonnage entering the port for the years named :-

This table exhibits a most gratifying ratio of increase. In 1786, the total amount of tonnage that entered the port was only 34,287 tons, yielding a harbour revenue of £1,553. At the close of the year 1857, the number of vessels registered as belonging to the port was 466, with an aggregate tonnage of 48,467 tons, and in the coasting trade, 365 vessels, with a tonnage of 24,332 tons. At the close of 1860, there were registered 73 vessels and 39,746 tons in the foreign, and 367 vessels and 23,901 tons in the coasting trade. In 1860, 64 steamers, with an aggregate of 15,613 tons, were engaged in the trade of the port. Two iron vessels, of 952 and 1,800 tons register, were launched; and three iron screw steamers - one of 2,500 and two of 3,000 tons admeasurement - and a wooden vessel of about 600 tons, are now ( March 1861 ) building.  In 1860, there was an increase over 1859 of 1,280 vessels and 100,075 tons entering the port, 18,127 tons being in the foreign trade. The balance of harbour income, after payment of the ordinary expenditure and interest, was £7,017 9s. 4d., being an excess of £2,662 16s. 8d. over 1859. The customs duties of the port for the year ending 31st December 1860, were £383,416 19s. 1d. The amount of postage, stamp duties, and inland revenue collected in Belfast, is considerably greater than in any city in Ireland, exclusive of Dublin. The inland trade by water is carried on by the Lagan Navigation, which connects the town with Lough Neagh, and by the Ulster Canal, which connects Lough Neagh with Upper and Lower Lough Erne.

MISCELLANEOUS

The County Jail, built on the model of the Government New Model Prison, at Pentonville, near London, and capable of containing 300 prisoners, stands on the Crumlin Road, opposite to which is the County Court-house, a splendid building in the Roman Corinthian style of architecture, opened in the Summer of 1850, when the Assizes were transferred to this town from Carrickfergus. Both buildings were erected from designs by Charles Lanyon Esq., C.E., County Surveyor. In addition to the Assizes, Quarter Sessions are held in the New Court-house, and daily Petty Sessions in the Old Court-house, Howard Street. The Police Office occupies a part of the Town Hall buildings, Police Square. There are extensive barracks for Infantry, and a small barrack for Cavalry. The garrison usually consists of a troop of horse and a depot battalion of infantry. Belfast is the head quarters of the Constabulary for the County, comprising the stations pf Belfast, Lisburn and Whitewell. Fairs are held on the first Wednesday in each month, and the principal market is on Friday. The Theatre is in Arthur Street; and in a delightful situation in the Western outskirt of the town is the Royal Botanic Garden, comprising 17 acres, and in which is erected one of the most handsome conservatories in Ireland.

RAILWAYS &c

There are three Railways, the principal termini of which are in Belfast, viz :- The Ulster Railway, from Belfast to Monaghan; the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, with branches to Carrickfergus, Randalstown and Cookstown ( the line is in connection with that joining Ballymena with Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush); and the Belfast and County Down Railway, Belfast to Downpatrick, with branches to Holywood and Ballynahinch, and a branch to Donaghadee, in course of construction. The termini of these Railways are elegant structures. A short private railway from the Cavehill conveys limestone from the quarries to a depot on the York Road.

BANKS

TRADE, MANUFACTURES &c

The principal manufactures in Belfast, and its vicinity are those connected with the linen yarn, linen, cotton, sewed muslin, iron founding and ship building trades. The linen trade, being the staple manufacture of Ulster, is very extensively carried on in all its branches in Belfast, and its vicinity; and as the statistics of this manufacture for all Ireland are, to a large degree, identical with those of the Belfast district, we state them as follows :- In 1853, according to the Mercantile Journal, there were 88 factories, with 580,684 spindles, 218 power looms, and 1,105 in preparation, making a total of 1,323. During 1853 six new spinning mills were established. The increase in the number of mills has since been steady; while that of power looms, principally for weaving linens and union fabrics, has been remarkable. Both in flax spinning and weaving, Belfast has fully kept pace with its rivals in England and Scotland. The Linen-hall, which was erected in 1785, at a cost of £10,000, for the accommodation of the Belfast linen merchants, is an extensive building, forming a quadrangle, which occupies the center of the area of Donegall Square. It is the seat of an immense traffic, distributing the blessings of industry to upwards of half a million of inhabitants of the Northern province. In the Brown Linen-hall, situate in Donegall Street, considerable quantities of brown linens are sold on Fridays. The imports and exports of linen and linen yarn and thread, during the years 1859 and 1860 were as follows :-

The damask manufacture is pursued with much spirit and success, at the celebrated Royal Damask Factory, Ardoyne, and is also carried on at the Hopeton Factory, Shankill Road. Outside Belfast, the widely known works of Messrs. Coulson, at Lisburn (the first establishment in Ireland) are in full operation. The manufacture of damasks and diapers has likewise been introduced in an enterprising manner at Lurgan, Waringstown, Dromore &c. The manufacture of linen thread is largely and profitably conducted at Lisburn, Gilford &c. We have now to speak of the cotton trade in Belfast and its environs. In 1853 there were 111,264 spindles employed in the town and its neighbourhood, being an increase upon the previous year of about 15,000. Of these 111,264 spindles, 34,360 were occupied in spinning the finer qualities; 30,000 medium, and 37,904 coarse yarns. There are now but two cotton spinning mills at work in Belfast and its vicinity - namely, those of Messrs. Lepper, Lodge; and Mr. Maurice L. Coates, Springfield. Power loom weaving of cottons in the town, and hand loom weaving in the rural districts, are, however, on the increase. The following were the imports and exports of cotton goods for the years 1859 and 1860 :- 

The sewed muslin trade of Belfast is next in importance to the linen trade. It employs about half a million persons in Ireland, principally females; and in this branch alone nearly £1,500,000 is annually paid by a large number of firms established in the town, having country agents, and by Scotch houses with agencies in Ulster. In the plain muslin trade, throughout the province, the annual expenditure in wages is nearly half a million sterling. 500,000 looms were at work in this country in 1853, providing the material for this important trade. The building of iron vessels was commenced, for the first time in Ireland, by Messrs. Coates & Young, of Belfast, more than a quarter of a century since, and they constructed several fine steamers and other craft. The business however, was established in a more extensive scale in 1853, by Messrs. R. Hickson & CO., on the Queen's Island. This company was succeeded in 1858 by the present proprietor, Mr. E J Harland, who is doing a most prosperous trade, and has upwards of 1,400 persons employed. On the Western bank of the river, Messrs. A. McLaine & Sons have an extensive yard for building wooden vessels, and a patent slip for executing repairs. The Harbour Commissioners own two graving docks and a patent slip for the latter purpose. The slip, which takes on ships exceeding 1,000 tons register, has the assistance of steam power. Additional accommodation in graving docks, as well as in floating docks, is much required. The magnitude of the manufactures of all kinds conducted in Belfast, and the extensive use of steam power render, the Coal trade one of great importance in the locality. The following table shows the imports for the years named :-

The present consumption of coals may be put down at one thousand two hundred tons per day, for manufacturing and household purposes. The timber trade of Belfast yields a profitable return to the merchants engaged in it. The following table shows the imports of 1859 and 1860 :- 

The total annual value of Belfast imports and exports now exceeds £17,000,000.

BELFAST STREET DIRECTORY;

containing

THE NAMES OF OCCUPIERS OF TENEMENTS

rated at and above six pounds

STREETS - ALPHABETICALLY

( A )

( A ) ( B ) ( C ) ( D ) ( E ) ( F ) ( G ) ( H ) ( I & J) ( K ) ( L ) ( M ) ( N ) ( O ) ( P ) ( Q ) ( R ) ( S ) ( T ) ( U ) ( V ) ( W ) ( Y )