St, a city of Scotland, in the county of Fife, pleasantly situated on a rocky promontory, nearly fifty feet above the level of the sea, in a spacious bay of the German Ocean, into which flow the river Eden, the small rivulet of Kinness, and several other streams. It was formerly a place of much greater extent and importance. At present it is about a mile and a half in circuit, and consists of three leading streets, intersected by a considerable number of smaller streets and lanes. The principal street is well built, is straight and broad, and of late years its appearance, as well as that of the city generally, has been much improved. Several new streets and terraces have been recently formed towards the west, and many elegant and commodious houses erected. The streets are either substantially paved or macadamised, and are furnished throughout with foot-pavement of a superior description; so that, perhaps, no town in Scotland presents a neater or more cleanly appearance. The view of the city, with its many towers and turrets, from the rising ground on the south, or from the level plain on the west, is highly beautiful and picturesque. St Andrews is now much frequented as a summer residence, the principal attractions, in addition to its salubrious air and pleasant walks, being sea-bathing, and the favourite game of golf, of which it may be considered the headquarters in Scotland. The baths have been lately enlarged and greatly improved, and afford every accommodation for cold and warm bathing. St Andrews contains many interesting memorials of antiquity. Of the splendid cathedral, which was founded by Bishop Arnold in 1159, and attained to its highest magnificence in 1318, parts of the east and west ends, and of the south side, are all that now remain. The length of this edifice from east to west was 358 feet within the walls; that of the transept 180 feet. This whole pile of building, which it took 160 years to complete, was in June 1559 demolished in a single day by the iconoclastic fury of the Reformers. About 40 yards to the south-east is the chapel of St Regulus, the tower of which is a lofty square prism, the side of the base being 20 feet, and the height 108. The walls of the chapel to the east of the tower, which was the principal one, still remain; but of a small chapel to the west, which appears to have formerly existed, there is now no trace. The arches of the windows and doors are round, and the figure of some of them is more than half of the circle, which is an undoubted proof of their antiquity. The history of this ancient structure, which was undoubtedly a place of Culdee worship, is involved in great obscurity. The majority of antiquaries assign its erection to a date prior to the ninth century, while some carry it back to the latter part of the fourth century.

The Priory, which was founded by Robert, bishop of St Andrews, during the reign of Alexander I. in 1120, was of great extent, and richly endowed. The prior had precedence of all abbots and priors, and on festival days had a right to wear a mitre and all episcopal ornaments. The wall of the precinct is all that now remains to mark the vast extent of this edifice. This magnificent wall, which surrounded the cathedral and adjacent ecclesiastical edifices, was built by Prior John Hepburn, and was begun about 1516. It is nearly a mile in circuit, about 20 feet in height, and about 4 in breadth.

Part of the top of the great altar towards the east end of the cathedral was discovered half a century ago, in consequence of an excavation made in the hope of finding concealed treasure. At a much more recent period, the soil, which had for ages been permitted to accumulate, having been removed, part of the pavement was laid open, and several shafts of two rows of pillars parallel to each other, by which it is supposed that galleries in the inside of the walls had been supported. The other religious houses were, that of the Dominicans, founded in 1274 by Bishop Wishart; another of Observantines, founded by Bishop Kennedy, and finished by his successor Patrick Graham in 1478; and, according to some, the Carmelites had a fourth. Immediately above the harbour stood the collegiate church of Kirk- heugh, originally founded by Constantine III., who, retiring from the world, became here a Culdee. From its having been first built on a rock, it was styled Ecclesia Sancta Marie de Ripe.

On the north-east side of the city are the remains of the castle, on a rock overlooking the sea. This fortress was founded about the year 1200, by Roger, one of the bishops of St Andrews, and was repaired towards the end of the fourteenth century by Bishop Trail, who died in it in 1401. He was buried near the high altar of the cathedral, with this singular epitaph:

Hic fuit ecclesia directa columna, fenestra Lacida, thuribulum redolens, campana sonora.

The castle was the residence of Cardinal Beaton, who, after the cruel execution of the celebrated reformer George Wishart in front of it, was afraid of the fury of the people; and his knowledge of this, joined to his apprehension of an invasion from England, induced him to strengthen the for- tifications, with a view of rendering the castle impregnable. In this fortress he was surprised and assassinated by Nor- man Lesley, aided by fifteen others. Early in the morning of May 29, 1546, they seized on the gate of the castle, which had been left open for the workmen who were finish- ing the fortifications; and having placed sentinels at the door of the cardinal's apartment, they awakened his nume- rous domestics one by one, and, turning them out of the castle, without violence, tumult, or injury to any other per- son, inflicted on Beaton the death he justly merited. The conspirators were immediately besieged in this castle by the regent, Earl of Arran; and although their strength consisted of only 150 men, they resisted his efforts for five months, owing more to the unskillfulness of the attack than the strength of the place; for in 1547 the castle was reduced and demolished, and its picturesque ruins serve as a land- mark to mariners. The entrance to the castle, and the window out of which it is said Cardinal Beaton leaned to witness the cruel martyrdom of George Wishart, are still pointed out.

The parish church, situated in South Street, is a spacious structure, 162 feet in length by 63 in breadth, and is large enough to accommodate 2500 persons. It contains a lofty monument of white and black marble, erected in honour of Archbishop Sharpe, who, in revenge for his oppressive conduct, was murdered by some of the exasperated reform- ers of that day. On this monument is a piece of sculpture representing the tragic scene of the murder. In North Street stands the college church, which belongs to the united college of St Salvator and St Leonard. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop Kennedy, and contains a beau- tiful tomb of its founder, who died in 1466; which is a fine specimen of the Gothic architecture of that period. About the year 1683, on opening this tomb, six highly ornamented silver maces were discovered, which had been concealed there in times of trouble; three of which are still preserved in the university, and three were sent to the other univer- sities of Scotland. On the top of one of them is represented our Saviour; around are angels with the instruments of his passion.

St Mary's church, also connected with the Establishment, was erected in 1839. It is a plain but neat building, and seated for about 630 persons.

The Episcopal chapel, the Free church, and the United Presbyterian church, are situated in North Street, and are elegant and commodious structures. The Congregation- alists and Baptists have also places of worship in the city.

In the United College are shown some silver arrows, with large silver plates affixed to them, on which are inscribed the arms and names of those who were victorious in the annual competitions of archery, which were regularly held until within these few years. Golf is now the reigning game. That sport, and foot-ball, were formerly prohibited by an act of parliament passed in the reign of James II. in 1457, as interfering too much with the acquisition of dexterity in archery, an accomplishment in those days of much conse- quence to the safety of the state. The statute has been long obsolete, and the inhabitants, and the students who attend the university, have full permission to enjoy this elegant amusement.

The celebrated university of this city was founded in 1411 by Bishop Wardlaw. It consisted formerly of three colleges. 1. St Salvator's was founded in 1458 by Bishop Kennedy. This was a handsome building, with a court or quadrangle, 230 feet long by 150 wide, and a gateway sur- mounted by a spire 156 feet high. On one side was the church; on another the library; the third contained apart- ments for students; the fourth was unfinished. 2. St Leo- nard's College was founded by Prior Hepburn in 1512. This is now united with the last, and the buildings have been sold, and converted into private houses. 3. New or St Mary's College was established by Archbishop Hamilton in 1552. This is said to have been the site of a celebrated school long before the establishment even of the University, where several eminent clergymen taught gratis the sciences and languages; but it was called the New College, because of its late erection into a college by the archbishop. The buildings of this college have been substantially repaired, and with great taste.

The United College was constituted in 1747 by the union of St Leonard's and St Salvator's, and occupies the site of the latter. The buildings connected with this college being in a state of great decay, a grant was made by government for erecting a new structure, which is now completed, and is in a high degree elegant and commodious. It is beauti- fully situated, overlooking the bay of St Andrews and the opposite coast of Angusshire, with the Sidlaw and Gram- pian hills in the distant north. It is enclosed on three sides by a high wall, and on the south by the College chapel. In front is a spacious area or quadrangle, 215 feet long by 160 feet wide, and behind is a garden neatly laid out in walks and planted with suitable shrubs. A cloister has been erected on the north side of the chapel, as a place of shelter and retirement for the students. Besides ample accommo- dation for the various classes, the new structure contains a large hall for general meetings of the students, and other academic purposes, and a Museum of Natural History and Antiquities. This museum is connected with the St An- drews Literary and Philosophical Society, which took its rise in 1838, and is principally composed of the professors of the University, and gentlemen resident in the city, who take an interest in the advancement of literature and science. There is also a valuable Anatomical Museum in the College.

The university, which is composed of the members of the United College and St Mary's College, is governed by a chancellor,—an office which it was originally intended should be permanently exercised by the Archbishop of St Andrews. Subsequent to the Revolution, the chancellor has been elected by the two principals and the professors of both colleges.

The rector is the next great officer, to whose care are committed the privileges, discipline, and statutes of the university. The colleges have their principals, and profes- sors of different sciences, who are indefatigable in their attention to the instruction and the morals of the students. The place possesses, in its retired situation, its pure and salubrious air, its extensive grounds for exercise, and its excellent and cheap accommodation for students, very great advantages for the education of youth. In the United Col- lege are taught the languages, philosophy, and the sciences.

St Mary's, which stands in a different part of the town, is reserved exclusively for theology. The classes and discipline of the two colleges are quite distinct, each having its respective principal and professors. They have a common library, containing nearly 60,000 volumes, and which was formerly entitled to a copy of all new books entered in Stationers' Hall; but, by an act of parliament passed in the year 1837, that right was abolished, and in lieu of it the library receives from the treasury the sum of L630 annually for the purchase of books. By judicious management it is believed that this arrangement will prove more beneficial to the institution than the privilege it formerly enjoyed.

Eighty-six bursaries or endowments belong to the university, and are conferred on the students. Of these 65 belong to the United, and 21 to the New College. The foundation bursaries in the United College, 20 in number, are disposed of by comparative trial; the remaining bursaries are at the disposal of private patrons.

The Madras College was established in the year 1833, by the late Dr Andrew Bell, a native of St Andrews, and inventor of the monitorial system of education which bears his name, who bequeathed the magnificent sum of L50,000, in three per cent. stock, for its establishment. The building stands on the site of the Blackfriars' monastery. The system of education pursued comprises the classics, the English and other modern languages, writing, arithmetic, mathematics, and drawing. The fees being low, and in many cases not exacted, the institution has been very successful, the number of scholars averaging of late years about a thousand. Dr Bell also left a fund, which yields an annual revenue of upwards of L300, to be expended on permanent improvements of the city, and educational and religious purposes.

The trade of St Andrews was once very considerable. So late as the reign of Charles I. it had thirty or forty trading vessels, and carried on a considerable herring and white fishery, by means of busses, in deep water, which had for ages been a most profitable branch of commerce, and a source of wealth. During the troubles which followed the death of this monarch, this whole coast, and St Andrews in particular, became a scene of murder and rapine; and every town suffered in proportion to its magnitude and opulence. St Andrews was required to pay a contribution of L1,000, which the inhabitants, after being plundered, were not able to raise; a composition of L500 was accepted, which was raised by a loan at interest, and has remained a burden upon the corporation, it is believed, ever since.

The harbour of St Andrews is artificial, and is guarded by piers. It has been greatly improved within these few years, and is now pretty safe and commodious; but it is difficult of access, having a narrow entrance, and being exposed to the east winds, which raise a heavy sea on the coast. There is a light on the pier-head, showing green to the west, red to the south-east, and white to the north-east. A turret-light has also been recently erected on the north wall of the cathedral, which, from its elevated position, is of great service to vessels approaching the harbour at night. The shore of the bay is low; and, in the storms of winter, vessels are liable to be driven on it and lost.

St Andrews had a manufactory of sail-cloth to some extent, but it is now discontinued. The game of golf being much practised here, there is a manufactory of golf-balls, which, after supplying the home consumption, used to send about 9000 annually to other parts; but the recent introduction of gutta-percha balls has greatly diminished this source of industry. The shipping of the port consists of a few vessels, which are employed in the coasting trade. St Andrews is a royal burgh, and unites with Cupar, Easter and Wester Anstruther, Pittenweem, Crail, and Kilrenny, in returning a member to parliament. The town-council consists of 29 members, including the provost and four bailies. The number of registered voters in 1853 was upwards of 237, and the amount of poor-rates L1,290.

According to early traditions, St Andrews owes its origin to a Greek monk, Regulus, who, having been warned in a vision to visit Albion, was shipwrecked in the bay about the end of the fourth century. He was hospitably received by the king, who eventually was influenced to establish here the first Christian priests of the country, called Culdee. He also directed that the cross of St Andrew should become the badge of the country. In 818, after the conquest of the Picts, he removed the episcopal see to St Andrews, and the bishop was styled maximus Scotiarum episcopus. In 1474 it was erected into an archbishopric by Sextus IV. at the intercession of James III. In 1606 the priory was suppressed; and in 1617 the power of election was transferred to eight bishops, the principal of St Leonard's College, the archdeacon, the vicars of St Andrews, Leuchars, and Cupar. This see contained the greater part of Fife, with a part of the counties of Perth, Forfar, and Kincardine, and a great number of parishes, churches, and chapels in other dioceses.

The town of St Andrews was erected into a royal burgh by David I. in the year 1140, and its privileges afterwards confirmed. The charter of Malcolm IV., written on a small bit of parchment, is preserved in the tolbooth. Here also are kept the silver keys of the city, which, according to traditionary usage, are to be delivered up to the sovereign on occasion of a royal visit. In this place, likewise, is to be seen the enormous axe with which, in 1646, Sir Robert Spotswood and other distinguished loyalists were beheaded. The town underwent a siege in 1337, at which time it was possessed by the English and other partisans of Baliol; but the loyalists, under the Earls of March and Fife, made themselves masters of it in three weeks, by the help of their battering machines.

St Andrews is nine miles east of Cupar, and 39 N.E. of Edinburgh, and is connected with the Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee railway by a branch line to Leuchars. The population of the parliamentary burgh, according to the census of 1851, was 5084; and of the parish 6716. Long. 2.50. W. Lat. 56.19. 33. N. The History of St Andrews, by the Rev. C. J. Lyon, contains a detailed account of the city, of its ecclesiastical antiquities, and of the university.