BRISTOL, a city of England, and inferior to
none, except London, for wealth, trade, and number
of inhabitants. Bristol is a corruption of Brightflow, as
it was called by the Saxons. It is thought to have
stood anciently altogether on the west or Somersetshire
side of the Avon, before the bridge was built; but af-
ter that, it came to be partly in Somersetshire, and
partly in Gloucestershire, until it was made a county of
itself, though even before that, in the parliament rolls,
it was always placed in Somersetshire. At present, the
east side is by much the largest and most populous.
It had anciently a castle, built by Robert earl of Glou-
cester, natural son to Henry I. which was demolished
by Cromwell; and the ground is now laid out into
streets. The corporation consists of a mayor; recorder;
twelve aldermen, of whom the recorder is one; two
sheriffs; and twenty-eight common-council men. The
recorder is generally a sergeant at law, and sits as judge
in capital and all other criminal causes. The mayor, to
support his dignity, and defray his extraordinary ex-
pense, is entitled to certain fees from ships, which
long ago amounted to 500 or 600l. Besides the cathe-
dral, which was anciently the church of the Augustine
monastery, there are 18 parish churches. Here are dif-
ferents of all denominations, of whom the quakers are
very respectable both for their wealth and numbers.
When Henry VIII. dissolved the monastery, he applied
its revenues to the maintenance of a bishop, dean, six
prebendaries, and other officers. Of the parish churches,
St Mary Ratcliff is reckoned one of the finest, not only
here, but in the whole kingdom. In this church, be-
sides two monuments of the founder William Cannings,
who had been five times mayor of this city, one in the
habit of a magistrate, and another in that of a priest
(for in his latter days he took orders), there is one of
Sir William Penn, father to the famous quaker. The
old bridge over the Avon consisted of four broad arches,
with houses on both sides like those formerly on Lon-
don bridge; but this has been lately pulled down, and
another erected in its place. No carts or waggons are
admitted into Bristol, for fear of damaging the vaults
and gutters made under ground for carrying the filth
of the city into the river. Queen's-square, in this city,
is larger than any in London, except Lincoln's-inn-
fields, and has in the centre an equestrian statue of
king William III. All the gates of the city remain en-
tire, and a part of the walls; the rest were razed in
the reign of William Rufus. It is almost as broad as
long, about seven miles in circumference, and contains
about 95,000 inhabitants. Of the hospitals, the chief
are, 1. That called Queen Elizabeth's, in which 100
boys are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and navig-
ation; six of whom, when they go out, have 10l. and
the rest 8l. 8s. to bind them apprentices: the master
is allowed 450l. a-year for the maintenance of the
boys. 2. Colston's hospital; in which 100 boys are
maintained for seven years, and taught and apprenticed,
as in queen Elizabeth's. 3. Another founded by the
same gentleman in 1691, for 12 men and 12 women,
with an allowance of 3s. per week, and 24 sacks of coals
in the year. This charity cost the founder 25,000l.
4. Another founded partly by Mr Colston, and partly
by the merchants, in which 18 men on account of the
merchants, and 12 men and women on account of Mr
Colston, are maintained. 5. An infirmary, which was
opened in 1736 for the sick, lame, and distressed poor
of the city, which is maintained by subscription, be-
sides 5000l. bequeathed to it by John Eldridge, Esq;
formerly comptroller of the customs at this port. There
are, besides these, a bridewell, several alms-houses, and
charity-schools. There is also a guildhall for the fes-
tions and assizes; the mayor's and sheriffs courts; a
council-house, where the mayor and aldermen meet
every day, except Sundays, to administer justice; a
handsome new exchange, with three entrances, about
two thirds as large as that in London; and a key half
a mile in length, the most commodious in England for
shipping and landing goods, for which purpose it is
provided with several cranes. In College-green is a
stately high cross, with the effigies of several kings
round it. In Winch-street is a guard-house, with bar-
racks for soldiers. As to the trade of this city, it was
computed many years ago to be much greater in pro-
portion, especially to America and the West Indies,
than that of London. Fifty sail, some of them ships of
considerable burden, have arrived here at one time, or
very near one another, from the West Indies. For this
trade, and that to Ireland, it is much better situated
than London, besides the great advantages it possesses
of an inland navigation by the Wye and Severn. Their
trade extends to the Baltic, Norway, Holland, Ham-
burgh, Guinea, and the Streights. The largest ships
are discharged at Hungroad, four miles below the city,
and the goods are brought to the key by lighters.
For building, equipping, and repairing ships, there are
docks, yards, rope-walks, and ship-wrights. Here are
some considerable woollen manufactures; and no less
than 15 glass-houses, for which Kingwood and Mendip
furnish the coals. The city companies are 13: 1. The
merchant adventurers. 2. The merchant tailors. 3. The
mercers. 4. The soap-boilers. 5. The tobaccoists.
6. The butchers. 7. The barbers. 8. The tylers. 9. The
holliers, who are the sled-men. 10. Shoemakers. 11.
Coopers. 12. Bakers. 13. Smiths. For supplying the
city with water there are six public conduits; and
handsome hackney-coaches may be hired at very rea-
sonable rates, but they do not ply in the streets. There
are also stage-coaches, which set out every day for
Bath, London, and other places. A mile below the
city, close by the river, is the hot well, whose waters
are specific for the diabetes, and good in phthistical,
scorbutic, and inflammatory disorders. Hither is a
great resort in the summer of invalids, as well as other
company; for whose accommodation and entertainment
there is a pump-room, ball-room, coffee-house, with
taverns, and a great number of elegant lodging-houses,
both below on a level with the well, and above in the
delightful village of Clifton, which is situated on the
brow of a hill, from whence there are downs extending
several miles, where the company ride out for exercise.
Nothing can be more pure and salutary than the air of
these downs, which afford a variety of the most roman-
tic and agreeable prospects, comprehending Kingroad,
with the ships at anchor, the mouth of the Severn, and
the mountains of Wales. In the rocks above the well are
found
found those six-cornered stones called Bristol stones; but they are not so plentiful now as in Camden's days, when, he says, whole bushels might have been easily gathered. In this city is a theatre, where plays are acted almost every night during the recesses of the comedians from the metropolis. There are two annual fairs, to which the concourse is so great, that the neighbouring inns have filled 100 beds a-piece with their guests. In the winter season there is an assembly every Thursday for the gayer part of the citizens of both sexes. About half way betwixt Bristol and Bath, at a place called Warmsly, a company of Bristol merchants have erected a noble manufacture of pins and other brass utensils, which employs a great number of hands, including above 200 children of both sexes from seven to twelve or thirteen years of age. All the different operations of melting, splitting, drawing, hammering, turning, &c. are performed by wheels worked with water, which is raised by two fire-engines of a very curious mechanism. The city of Bristol gives the title of earl to the family of Hervey. It is worth observing, that whoever marries a citizen's daughter becomes free of the city.
New Bristol, the capital of the county of Bucks in Pennsylvania, situated on the river Delaware, about 20 miles north of Philadelphia, in W. Long. 75°. N. Lat. 40. 45.
Bristol Water. Of the four principal warm waters naturally produced in England this is the least so. As the Bath waters are proper where the secretions are defective, so the Bristol water is of service where they exceed the requirements of health. The Bath water warms; the Bristol cools. Bath water helps the stomach, intestines, and nerves; the Bristol favours the lungs, kidneys, and bladder. Except a jaundice attend, the Bristol water may be of use in dropsies by its drying and diuretic qualities. Dr Wynter asserts, that there is no iron in the Bristol water; and that its mineral contents are chalk, lapis calcarius, and calaminaris. Five gallons of this water, after evaporation, afforded only 3 iiii. and gr. ii. of a mineral-like substance. The diseases in which this water is useful are internal hemorrhages, immoderate menses, internal inflammations, spitting blood, dysentery, purulent ulcers of the viscera, consumption, dropsy, scurvy with heat, stone, gravel, strangury, habitual gout, atrophy, a slow fever, scrofula, gleets, and a diabetes, in which last it is a specific, and may be drank as freely as the thirst requires it. The hotter months are the best for using it. The Bristol and Matlock waters are of exactly the same qualities.
Doctors Mead and Lane first established the reputation of Bristol waters in diseases of the kidneys and bladder.