a town and cape of the isle of Anglesea in Wales, and in the Irish channel, where people usually embark for Dublin, there being three packet-boats that sail for that city every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, wind and weather permitting. It is 270 miles from London, and has a very convenient harbour for the northern trade, when taken short by contrary winds. It is situated near the extremity of the isle, and is joined to the north-west part of it by a stone bridge of one arch. It has a small market on Saturdays. The parish is about five or six miles long, and two or three broad, bounded nearly by the sea. The church stands above the harbour, within an old quadrangular fortification, with a bastion at each corner built about 450. On a mountain near it is another old fortification called Turris Munimentum, which Holyhead, which is an old stone wall without mortar, and in its centre is a small turret, and contains a well of water. Holyhead was frequently formerly visited by Irish rovers, and was defended as a place of consequence. There are several remains of old fortifications and Druidical antiquities in its neighbourhood, as well as chapels of religious worship. The parish church of Holyhead was built in the reign of Edward III. and is in the form of a crofs, with a porch and steeple very antique. There was an old chapel near the church, now converted into a school-house. A salt-houfe was erected on an island in the harbour in Queen Anne's reign, but it is now in ruins. The town is little more than a fishing town, rendered considerable by being the place of passage to Ireland. It has three good inns. The passage hence to Ireland is in general about twelve hours. There is no fresh water here except from rain, nor any bread sold but what comes from Ireland. A bath and assembly-room were erected here in 1770. Under the mountains that overhang the town is a large cavern in the rock, supported by natural pillars, called the Parliament-houfe, acceffible only by boats, and the tide runs into it. If this harbour was properly repaired, and ware-houfes built, it would be very convenient for the Irish to import fuch of their goods as pay English duty, it being but a few hours sail from Dublin. Besides, the Dublin merchants might come over with the packets to fee their goods landed. The commodities are, butter, cheefe, bacon, wild-fowl, lobfiers, crabs, oysters, razor-fish, shrimps, herrings, cod-fish, whiting, whiting-pollacks, cole-fish, sea-tenchles, turbots, foles, flounders, rays, and plenty of other fish. On the rocks the herb grows of which they make kelp, a fixed salt ufed in making glafs, and in alum works. In the neighbourhood there is a large vein of white fullers earth and another of yellow, which might be ufeul to fullers. On the ifle of Skerries, nine miles to the north, is a light-houfe, which may be feen 24 miles off. Large flocks of puffins are often feen here; they all come in one night, and depart in the fame manner.

Holy-Island, a small island lying on the coast of England, 10 miles south-east of Berwick, in Northumberland. Bede calls it a semi-island, being, as he obferves, twice an island and twice continent in one day: for at the flowing of the tide, it is encompassed by water; and at the ebb, there is an almost dry paflage, both for horses and carriages, to and from the main land; from which, if measured on a straight line, it is diftant about two miles eastward; but on account of some quickfands paflengers are obliged to make fo many de- tours, that the length of way is nearly doubled. The water over these flats at spring-tides is only feven feet deep.—This island was by the Britons called Inis Me-dicante; also Lindisfarne, from the small rivulet of Iindi or Landia, which here runs into the fea, and the Celtic word fahren or "recels;" and on account of its being the habitation of fome of the firft monks in this country, it afterwards obtained its prefent name of Holy-island. It measures from eaf to west about two miles and a quarter, and its breadth from north to south is scarcely a mile and a half. At the north-west part there runs out a spit of land of about a mile in length. The monastery is fited at the southernmost extremity; and at a small diftance north of it stands the village. On this island there is plenty of fish and fowl; but the air and foil are bad. There is not a tree on the ifland. The village, which stands on a rifing ground, confifts but of a few scattered houfes, chiefly inhabited by fishermen; and it has two inns. The north and east coasts are formed of perpendicular rocks, the other fides fink by gradual flopes to the fands. There is a commodious harbour, defended by a block house; which laft was furprifed and taken in 1715, but was soon invefted and retaken.

Holy-island, though really part of Northumberland, belongs to Durham; and all civil difputes muft be determined by the juftices of that county.—It was a very ancient epifcopal feat. Aidan the firft bishop, after presiding in it 14 years, died and was buried here, A.D. 651. Finan, his succellor, built a wooden church, thatched with reeds, but before the end of the century covered with lead by Bishop Eadbert. St Cuthbert, who from a poor shepherd became monk of Melros 15 years, was prior here 12 more, when he retired to one of the barren Farn rocks, from whence he was called to this fee, which he held only two years, and returned to his retirement, where he died, and was buried at the eafth end of his oratory, where his ftone cofin is still flown. His body was found fresh 11 years after his death. Lindisfarne was ruined by the Danes, A.D. 793, when the monks carried his body about for seven years, and at laft settled at Chester-le-Street, whither the fee was tranflated, and where it continued many years. On a fecond deftruction of the monastery by the Danes they were removing to Ripon, but ftopped by a miracle at Durham, where the faint continued till the reformation, when his body was found entire, and privately buried in a wooden cofin, as fome pretend, near the clock, but more probably in the ground under where his fhrine stood. The entrochi found among the rocks at Lindisfarne are called St Cuthbert's beads, and pretended to be made by him in the night. Eighteen bishops sat here till the removal of the fee to Chester, which had eight more till the removal to Durham, A.D. 995. Lindisfarne became a cell to that Benedictine monastery, valued at 48l. per ann. The north and south walls of the church are flanding, much inclined; part of the west end remains, but the eafth is down. The columns of the nave are of four different forts, 12 feet high and 5 feet diameter, maffy and richer than thoſe of Durham; the bafes and capitals plain, ſupporting circular arches. Over each arch are large windows in pairs, ſeparated by a flout column, and over theſe are ſmaller fingle windows. In the north and south walls are ſome pointed arches. The length of the body is 138 feet, breadth 18 feet, and with the two aisles 36 feet; but it may be doubted whether there ever was a tranfept. One arch of the centre tower remains adorned, as is its entrance from the nave, with Saxon zigzag. Somewhat to the eafth is the base of a crofs, and to the weſt the prefent parish-church.