town, the capital of the county of the same name, twenty-one miles from London, on the river Lea. It is supposed to have been a town as early as the time of the Britons. The Saxon kings held their court at this place; and Alfred, to check the irruptions of the Danes, constructed a castle, the remains of which are still to be seen. It is a corporate town, governed by a mayor or high steward, a recorder, and nine aldermen, and two members are returned to parliament. Christ Hospital in London has here a branch of its establishment, in which 400 boys and sixty girls are educated. There are two parish churches, and several places of worship for the different dissenters from the establishment. The assizes and sessions being held here, brings some trade to the town; and there is a good market on Saturday, at which much corn, especially barley, is sold. The chief trade consists in converting barley into malt for the great breweries in the metropolis. The inhabitants amounted in 1801 to 3360, in 1811 to 3900, in 1821 to 4265, and in 1831 to 5247.