a municipal and parliamentary borough and market-town of England, county of Cornwall, on the S. side of Falmouth Harbour, 15 miles N.N.E. of Lizard Point, and 267 miles S.S.W. of London. It is governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, and in conjunction with Penryn, about 2 miles distant, returns 2 members to parliament. Pop. (1851) of town 4953; of the parliamentary borough of Falmouth and Penryn 13,656; registered electors 906. In the early part of the seventeenth century Falmouth consisted only of a few fishermen's huts, but soon after this Sir John Killigrew, having obtained the permission of James I., constructed a new quay and laid the foundation of the present town. Its subsequent prosperity was a consequence of the excellence of its harbour, and its proximity to Land's End. For about 150 years it was the port from which the mail packets for the Mediterranean, Spain, the West Indies, and South America, were despatched, but it is now for the most part superseded by Southampton. The harbour is one of the best refuges for shipping in England. Its entrance, between St Anthony's Head on the E. and Pendennis Castle on the W., is about a mile in width, and it thence stretches inland about five and a half miles. It has depth of water and excellent anchorage for the largest ships, and vessels of considerable burden can discharge their cargoes at the quay. The number of vessels registered as belonging to the port on 31st Dec. 1853 was 124 vessels of 8771 tons burden. The number that entered and cleared at the port during 1853 was as follows:—coasting trade, inwards, sailing vessels 710, tonnage 40,271; steam vessels 141, tonnage 29,447; outwards, sailing vessels 215, tonnage 9195; steam vessels 75, tonnage 7151: Colonial and foreign trade, sailing vessels, inwards, 161, tonnage 13,379; outwards, 147, tonnage 17,934. The exports include copper, tin, tin-plates, woollen goods, pitchards and other fish, &c., and a considerable coasting trade is carried on with London, Plymouth, Bristol, Dublin, &c. The town consists chiefly of a long but narrow street extending along the shore. It contains some fine public buildings, among which may be mentioned the Public Rooms, Polytechnic, town-hall, jail, and market-house. It has also a reading room, mechanics' institute, public baths, savings-bank, and dispensary. Market-days Tuesday and Saturday.