LONDONDERRY

LONDONDERRY, the capital of the above county, stands on the W. side of the River Foyle, near to its junction with the lough, spreading itself over the summit and sides of a hill which here projects into the river, and which was once covered with oak trees, whence the place derived the name of Derry Calgach, "the eminence covered with oaks," which it still partially retains. "The situation of Londonderry is," says Inglis, "the finest of any town or city in Ireland. Indeed, with the exception of Edinburgh, I do not know any town in the United Kingdom so well situated as Londonderry." Its monastery first drew inhabitants hither. The town was entirely ecclesiastical, consisting almost exclusively of churches and the dwellings of the clergy and their dependents. The English government, after having been baffled in several attempts to plant a garrison here during the war against the Earl of Tyrone, at length succeeded, in 1600, in gaining possession of the place, and securing it against any efforts of the Irish to dislodge them. It was surrounded with a substantial wall, strengthened with bastions, and had four main streets diverging at right angles from a point on the summit of the hill, now called the Diamond, to a gate at the other extremity of each. The strength of these fortifications was tested in the subsequent wars of 1642 and 1688, in each of which the town maintained a successful stand against its besiegers. After a lapse of more than two centuries, the walls still retain, in most parts, their original form and character. The external ditch, indeed, has disappeared. The gates have been rebuilt in a more elegant style of architecture, and two new ones have been added. One bastion has been removed to make way for a butter-market, and another has been appropriated as the site of a pillar commemorative of the military services of the Rev. George Walker during the memorable siege which lasted 105 days; it commenced on the 18th of April 1689, and was raised on the 1st of August following. The cathedral stands within the walls, on the most elevated portion of the hill of Derry. It consists of a nave, divided into a central and lateral aisle, separated by pointed arches. There are four Presbyterian, one Independent, and two Methodist meeting-houses; there are also two Roman Catholic chapels and a large Roman Catholic cathedral. The corporation hall stands in the centre of the Diamond. It is surrounded by a colonnade, with embattled parapet; and the same kind of military ornament surrounds its roof. The other public buildings are,—the court-house, the lunatic asylum, the poor-house, the gaol, the custom-house, the linen-hall, the public library and news-room, the barrack, and the magazine. The bridge is the peculiar boast of Derry. It is built of wood, and extends in length 1068 feet by a breadth of 40. A turning bridge, near the centre, admits a free navigation to vessels going up the river. Walker's Testimonial is a pillar of the Roman Doric order—erected in 1828 by public subscription—surmounted by a statue of that celebrated individual, represented as dressed in canonicals, and armed with the Bible and the sword. Its height is 82 feet including its base; the statue is 9 feet high.

The municipal jurisdiction extends over a space of 3 miles in every direction from the centre of the city. The

government is vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors. The income of the corporation, amounting to L.12,000 per annum, arises from tolls on the bridges, tolls on the market, rents of land and shambles, and tonnage and quayage.

The progress of commerce may be estimated from the custom-house receipts at different periods:—

The shipping of the port of Derry in 1760 consisted of 67 sail, of from 30 to 350 tons. At the conclusion of the last century, the tonnage registered at the port was about 3000, which has since increased to upwards of 25,000 tons. In 1855, 1224 vessels, of 214,990 tons, entered inwards; and 759 vessels, of 171,448 tons, cleared outwards.

The population of the city in 1841 was 15,196; and in 1851, 19,399. (II. 8—9.)