the chief town of Essex, is pleasantly situated upon an eminence, gradually rising on the south side of the river Colne. It is the ancient Colonia Camulodunum, from which word, Colonia, both the town and the river Colne received their names. The Saxons called it Colneceaster. That it flourished under the Romans, several buildings full of their bricks, and innumerable quantities of coin dug in and about it, fully evince. In the year 1763, a curious tessellated or mosaic pavement was found in a garden three feet under the surface of the earth. The emperor Constantine the Great was born here, his mother Helen being daughter of Cool, governor or king of this district under the Romans. She is said to have found out the cross of Christ at Jerusalem; and on that account The walls of the town are still tolerably entire on the south, east, and west sides, but much decayed on the north side; they are generally about nine feet thick. By a statute of Henry VIII., this town was made the see of a suffragan bishop.

This town is the most noted in England for making of baize; it is also of special note for candying the eringo roots, and for oysters.

In the conclusion of the civil war 1648, this town sustained a severe siege of 10 weeks; and the besieged making a very gallant defense, it was changed into a blockade, wherein the garrison and inhabitants suffered the utmost extremity of hunger, being reduced to the necessity of eating horse-flesh, dogs, and cats, and were at last obliged to surrender at discretion, when their two valiant chief officers, Sir Charles Lucas, and Sir George Lisle, were shot under the castle walls in cold blood. Colchester is a borough by prescription, and under that right sends two members to parliament, all their charters being silent on that head. The charter was renewed in 1763. The town is now governed by a mayor, recorder, 12 aldermen, 18 assistants, 18 common-council men. Quarter sessions are held here four times in the year.

The famous abbey gate of St John is still standing, and allowed to be a surprising, curious, and beautiful piece of Gothic architecture, great numbers of persons coming from distant places to see it. It was built, together with the abbey, in 1097; and Gudo, steward to King William Rufus, laid the first stone.

St Ann's chapel, standing at the east end of the town, is valuable in the esteem of antiquaries as a building of great note in the early days of Christianity, and made no small figure in history many centuries past. It is still pretty entire. St Botolph's priory was founded by Ernulfus, in the reign of Henry I., in the year 1110. It was demolished in the wars of Charles I., by the parliament army under Sir Thomas Fairfax. The ruins still exhibit a beautiful sketch of ancient masonry, much admired by the lovers of antiquities. The castle is still pretty entire, and is a magnificent structure, in which great improvements have of late been made. Here is an excellent and valuable library.

The markets, which are on Wednesday and Saturday, are very well supplied with all kinds of provisions. There are no fewer than six different meeting-houses in this town. Colchester is 51 miles from London, and 22 ENE of Chelmsford. It had 16 parish churches, in and out of the walls, only 12 of which are now used, the rest being damaged at the siege in 1648. E. Long. 1° O. N. Lat. 51° 55'.