a sea port town of Dorsetshire in England, 148 miles from London. It lies near the sea, on the very borders of Devonshire, in a cavity between two rocky hills, which makes it difficult of access. It is about five furlongs long, and contains about 200 houses. As it lies on the declivity of a hill, the houses make a good show, one above another; and some of them are built of freestone, and covered with blue slate. The corporation consists of a mayor (who is justice of peace during his mayoralty and the year after, and in the third year both justice and coroner), a recorder, 15 capital burgesses, and a town clerk. This place had formerly a very flourishing trade to France, Spain, the Straits, Newfoundland, and the West Indies; during which, the customs amounted some years to 16,000l. But it stands on such a high steep rock, that the merchants are obliged to load and unload their goods at a place a quarter of a mile off, called the Cobb, originally built in the reign of Edward III., which costs a great sum to maintain, but forms such a harbour as perhaps is not to be equalled in the world, the ships being sheltered by a high thick stone wall, raised in the main sea a good way from the shore, broad enough for carriages and warehouses, and the customhouse officers have one upon it. The cellars of the low part of the town, near the sea, are however often overflowed by the spring tides 10 or 12 feet. There are guns planted for defence both of the Cobb and the town, the shore here being very proper for batteries. The customhouse stands on pillars, with the corn market under it. There is an alms-house in Church street, also Presbyterian and Anabaptist meeting-houses. The town hall is near Broad-street. The church stands at the east end of the town on a rising ground. The market here is Friday, and there are two fairs in the year. We read, that in 774, the Saxon king Kinwulf gave land hereabouts to the church of Sherborn, for the boiling of salt there to supply its necessities. At this place the duke of Monmouth landed in 1685. A few years ago above 2000l. worth of gold and silver coin of Char. I. and II. were discovered by some labourers.