Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/255

PUKTSMOUTll. 213 PORTSMOUTH. 11, High-street, when on his way to the succour of Bochelle. During the civil wars Portsmouth was occu- pied by Waller for the parliament. Charles II. met his bride, Catharine of Braganza, and was married here in 1662. The fortifications and dockyards have been inspected by nearly every sovereign since the time of Charles, and by the sovereigns of the Holy Alliance in 1814. Napoleon embarked here on his way to St. Helena. The principal naval events connected with Portsmouth have been Anson's voyage round the world, 1710; Byng's execution, 1756; the loss of the Royal George, 1782; Howe's return, after his victory, June 1, 1791, when George III. visited the fleet; Lord St. Vincent's return after his victory, 1799 ; Nelson's last embarkation, Sept. 14, 1805 ; and Lord Exmouth's ex- pedition to Algiers, 1816. Portsea Island, on which Portsmouth stands, is separated from the main land by a narrow inlet at its northern extremity. Portsmouth harbour, which is on the W. side of it, is entered by a narrow creek at the S., defended by Southsea Castle and Monckton Fort. The narrowest part is at Ports- mouth Point, a little higher, where the width is only 220 yards. The basin of the harbour measures about 3 miles each way, and contains three channels, leading to Porchester, Fareham, and the N. of Portsea Island. The depth is sufficient to accommodate men-of-war of all sizes, even at low tide. The jurisdiction of the town of Portsmouth extends from Southampton Water over ths harbour, and also Langston harbour ; Spithead, St. Helen's Bay, in the Isle of Wight, as far E. as Ems- worth channel. The town of Portsmouth is quadran- gular in shape, covering about 1,100 acres. Host of the streets are narrow and mean looking, but well paved and lighted, and supplied with water from Portsdown Hill. The best houses and the chief public buildings are in the High-street. Portsea, which lies on the N. of Portsmouth, has been built within the last century on what was then called Portsmouth Common. Its present name was given to it by Act of Parliament in 1792, and the town was built entirely in consequence of the re- quirements of the navy during the American war. The ground on which it stands was granted by Queen Ethelfledu to Winchester College. Most of the streets are narrow, and budly built. Both towns are enclosed by fortifications, consisting of bastioned ramparts, sur- rounded i by a deep moat, which is crossed by draw- bridges. The ramparts, which are 1J mile in circum- ference, are planted with rows of elms, and form a pleasant walk. The Saluting Battery looks over Spit- head and the Isle of Wight. The ordinary garrison consists of three infantry regiments, but a thorough defence of the fortifications would require 20,000 men. The royal dockyard at Portsea covers a space of 120 acres, and is the largest in the kingdom. The frontage on the harbour is nearly three quarters of a mile. It contains stores of every requisite for the navy, factories for sails, ropes, and blocks, copper-sheathing foundry, anchor forge, wood and iron mills, joiners' shops, &c. A basin of 33,000 square yards, with four dry docks ; a double dock for frigates ; six building slips ; a basin for steamers, 3,000 feet iniength, opened by the Queen in 1S48 ; a graving-dock, and one or two other smaller ones. The dockyard also includes the Royal Naval Col- lege, and school of architecture, a chapel, guard and pay-houses, offices of the ordnance and engineers' ser- vices, an observatory, and the residences of the admiral and port admiral. Beyond the Common Hard, where timber is kept for seasoning, is the gun-wharf and ordnance stores, and an armoury for small arms used in the navy. The troops in garrison are distributed be- u theAnglesea, the Clarence, the Cambridge, and the Colewort barracks, used for troops of the line, and those in Broad-street for the artillery. There are also two barracks, the Tipner and Hilsea at Landport, for artil- lery, near the Lion Gate, Portsea. The principal public buildings in Portsmouth are the lieutenant-governor's house in High-street, the townhall, the county court, the convict prison near the dockyard, the new market- house, the custom-house at Point, the United Service VOL. III. club, the theatre, and the bridge over the Camber. The chief imports of Portsmouth are coal from the N. of England, cattle and sheep from the Isle of Wight and the W., corn, &c., from Ireland, eggs from France, and timber from the Baltic, and wine. The trade of the town is chiefly connected with the government establishments. Very many hands are employed in the manufacture of naval and military outfits. There are also several large breweries. The borough of Portsmouth is divided into six wards St. Thomas's, St. George's, St. John's, All Saints', St. Paul's, and St. Mary's. The first charter of incorporation was granted by Henry I. The local government is now administered by a mayor, 14 aldermen, 42 councillors, a recorder, coroner, &c., with the style of the " mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Portsmouth." Two members are returned by the borough to the House of Commons. The excise district, of which Portsmouth is the head, includes Portsmouth, Petersfield, Hambledon, Farn- ham, Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere, Midhurst, Petworth, Chichester, Havant, Fareham, Gosport, and Tichfield. The new County Court district includes the superior registries of Fareham, Portsea, Havant, and Alverstoke. Portsmouth is the headquarters of the S.W. military district. Courts of quarter sessions and daily petty sessions are held in the sessions-room over the gaol. Portsmouth is comprised within the deanery of Droxford, and the archdeac. and dioc. of Winchester. The livings are as follows : St. Thomas a Becket is a vie. * val. 555, in the patron, of Winches- ter College. The church was built by the Prior of Southwick in 1210, but only a small part of the original building remains. Its shape is cruciform, 110 feet in length, with a cupola and lantern 120 feet high, at the W. end, on the top of which is a gilt ship, 6 feet long, for a vane. It contains the tomb of the Duke of Buck- ingham, who was assassinated here in the reign of Charles I. ; and in the registry there is the entry of the marriage of Charles II. in 1662. St. Mary's is a cur., val. 30, in the patron, of the vicar. The chapel of the Domus Dei hospital, founded by Bishop de Rupibus in the reign of John, which stands on the Grand Parade, has been converted into a garrison chapel. St. Mary's, the parish church of Portsea, is a vie.,* val. 696, in the patron, of Winchester College. The tower dates from the time of Edward HI., but the remainder was rebuilt in 1847. The burial-ground covers 8 acres, and many of the crew of the Royal George are interred there. St. George's, val. 45, All Saints, val. 310, and Trinity, val. 300, are perpet. curs.,* in the patron, of the vicar. St. John's is a perpet. cur.,* val. 300, in the patron, of the pewholders. There is also a chapel in the dockyard. St. James's Landport, St. John's, St. Paul's, St. Luke's, St. Jude's, All Saints, St. Bartholomew's and St. James's, Mil- ton, are perpet. curs., varying in val. from 45 to 650. Other places of worship are numerous. The Roman Ca- tholics have one chapel, the Baptists eight, the Indepen- dents four, the Wesleyans three, and the Bible Christians, Unitarians, and Jews, one each. There is a free grammar school at Portsmouth, founded by Dr. Smith in 1732, the Benefit Society's at Portsea, a seamen's orphan school, nine National schools, one Roman Catholic, one at the workhouse, and more than 300 other schools of various descriptions, in addition to numerous Sun- day-schools. There is a theatre in Portsmouth, and rooms at Southsea, known as the King's Rooms. The old cemetery and the Portsmouth and Gosport hospital are at Mile End, Landport. There are at Portsea a dispensary, an eye and ear infirmary, a female peni- tentiary, and a poorhouse. The Bank of England has a branch at Portsmouth ; and there is also a savings- bank in the town. The only celebrated man who was a native of Portsmouth was Jonas Hanway, founder of the marine society. The newspapers published are the Portsmouth Times, the Hampshire Telegraph, South Hants Gazette, and the Hampshire Guardian. The duchy of Portsmouth was conferred by Charles II. on Louise de Querouaille, one of his mistresses, in 1673, but the title expired with her. The earldom was granted to K K