a town at the western extremity of the county of Devon, on the southern shore of England, 216 miles by road, and 247 by railway (via Bristol and Exeter) from the metropolis. It is situated at the head of the sound of the same name, and on the small river Plym, from which circumstance the prefix of its name is undoubtedly derived. It is a place which has grown to its present importance from the natural advantages of maritime access, and the capability of defence arising from local circumstances, which have been extended by liberal expenditure under the direction of men of the most scientific attainments.

The entrance to the harbour, or more properly harbours, of Plymouth, is not without its dangers, consisting of rocks and shoals. Of the former are the Mevstone, the Shagstone, and the Renny; and of the latter the Tinker, the Shoreel, the Knap, and the Panther; but their position is so well known, and so accurately pointed out by buoys, that in all but the most tempestuous and foggy weather they are easily avoided. The first object deserving notice in the water-access to Plymouth is that part called the Sound, a most capacious anchoring place, capable of affording shelter and protection to 100 sail of the line. The Sound has been rendered secure by that prodigious display of human labour known by the name of the Breakwater. As a full and scientific description of that work has been given in a former volume (see vol. vi., p. 306), we refer to it; only adding, that since the trial of the storms of 1816 and 1817, the strength as well as the utility of the work has been proved by a storm which took place on the 23d of November 1824, when the whole southern coast of England was beset with wreck and desolation. The tide then rose to the frightful height of 26 feet 2 inches, whilst the mean rise of the water at spring-tides is usually only 18 feet. The greater part of the surface of the Breakwater was on that occasion completely overturned, and huge stones of from two to five tons each were carried from the outer and deposited on the inner slope. It need scarcely be remarked, that those liabilities to injury to which such a work as the breakwater is subject whilst in progress, will not exist in an equal degree when the work is completed. Thus, in a hurricane of January 1828 not a single stone of the finished part of the work was removed from its position. (See Breakwater.)

Within the breakwater there are many indentations, the mouths of which terminate in the Sound, and form excellent harbours, some of them adapted for the largest class of ships. The easternmost of these inlets is at first called Catwater, and extends to the Lake of Saltram, being crossed by the Lary Bridge, an elegant work, erected between the years 1824 and 1827, about 500 feet in length. The small river Plym rises in the Dartmoor Mountains, and empties itself into the Lake of Saltram. The next to Catwater is a capacious harbour, called Sutton Pool, which is capable of receiving a thousand sail. It is used chiefly by the largest class of merchant ships, and by the steam-packets; and it has several yards for repairing or building merchant vessels. The next harbour is called Mill Bay; it is chiefly used for commercial purposes, and has some good quays, some ship-building yards, and good moorings for steamboats. Beyond that, at the extreme west, which separates it from Cornwall, is that indentation which is of the most importance to the British navy. It is the harbour of Hamoaze, one of the finest in the world. It is open to the full force of the tide, but receives the stores of fresh water which fall into it from the rivers Tavy, Tamar, Lynher, and St Germain. It is the place where the men-of-war in ordinary are moored; and on its border are the extensive dock-yard, the gun-wharf, and the powder-magazine, which, with other objects, will hereafter be noticed. In Hamoaze, the admiral commanding the port has his flag displayed on his ship; and when surrounded, as he commonly is, by a hundred sail of vessels, a most impressive spectacle is presented to view afloat, whilst the picturesque objects on the shore tend to increase the effect.

Within the breakwater is Drake's or St Nicholas' Island. It is surrounded with rocks, has a strong castle and other fortifications, and is provided with furnaces for heating balls, and with other means of defence. It is of great importance, as commanding the entrance into Hamoaze, Catwater, and the other harbours.

Little is known of Plymouth prior to the time of the Norman conquest, when it was called South Town or Sutton, although under the Saxon dynasty it was called Tamereworth. In the reign of Edward I. it was called Sutton Prior and Sutton Valletort, the northern parts being built on the lands of the prior of Plympton, and the southern parts on the estates of the Valletorts. At that period it was chiefly inhabited by fishermen. Under the fostering care of the priors the place made considerable advances, and the more appropriate name of Plym-mouth was given to it. The growing prosperity of the town excited the jealousy of France; and in 1339 a force from thence landed, and attempted to burn it. They succeeded in burning a portion, but were ultimately repulsed, with the loss of 500 men, by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, aided by a number of "knights and men of the countrie." A similar attempt was made in 1377, but with no great result; and after each, the fortifications were extended and strengthened. In 1335 the Black Prince embarked from Plymouth for France, and Plymouth. On his return to England he landed here with his prisoner, King John of France, who had been captured at the famous battle of Cressy. At the threatened invasion of England by the Spanish Armada, Plymouth was not behind the neighbouring maritime towns in providing for the defence of the kingdom, as we learn it contributed to the fleet "seven ships and one fly-boat." During the civil war between Charles I. and the Parliament, Plymouth was held by the troops of the latter party, who, though besieged, and almost reduced by famine, resisted for three years every effort of the royalists. After the restoration the citadel was erected; and in the reign of William III., the dockyard and the naval arsenal were established towards the west, upon the eastern shore of Hamoaze. Since that time it has gone on increasing; but the greatest progress has been made during the present century, in which it has assumed a new character, in the intelligence and wealth of the inhabitants, as well as in the architectural style of its buildings both public and private. The buildings collectively called Plymouth are comprehended in three divisions, now known, the first by that name, the second by that of Stonehouse, and the third by that of Devonport. The name of the last was, till August 1824, Plymouth Dock, when, on an application from the inhabitants, the present name was given by royal authority.

The population of the three ports, at the respective decennial enumerations, has been as follows:

| Port | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | |--------|------|------|------|------|------|------| | Plymouth | 16,019 | 29,803 | 21,591 | 31,089 | 36,557 | 52,221 | | Stonehouse | 3,407 | 5,174 | 6,043 | 9,571 | 9,711 | 11,979 | | Devonport | 23,747 | 30,083 | 33,578 | 34,883 | 33,820 | 38,189 | | Total | 43,194 | 56,060 | 61,212 | 75,534 | 80,058 | 102,389 |

Plymouth was incorporated a borough by Henry VI. in the year 1439, and by that charter, and subsequent alterations of a trifling nature, was governed till 1845, when, by the law made to reform municipal corporations, it was divided into six wards, each choosing six councillors, who elect twelve aldermen, one of whom is appointed mayor. The borough returns two members to the House of Commons. The town is in the hundred of Roborough, and consists of two parishes, which are within the deanery of Plympton and the archdeaconry of Totness, in the diocese of Exeter. The church of the parish of St Andrews is interesting to the admirers of ancient architecture. It formerly belonged to a monastery; and many alterations having been made since its erection in 1440, various styles are exhibited in the building, which thus as a whole appears incongruous; and though handsome in parts, it wants, as regards the body of the church, that altitude which is the most essential ingredient of Gothic architecture. It consists of a nave of considerable dimensions, with aisles, and a chancel of great extent. The windows are mostly of the pointed style, and the tower, containing a fine peal of eight bells, must be admitted to be of good general proportions, and it is crowned by a pinnacled compartment of remarkable beauty.

The church of the other parish is known by the name of Charles church, probably in remembrance of the second king of that name, who divided the borough of Plymouth into two parishes, and erected this edifice. The tower and spire have an agreeable outline, but otherwise the exterior of the building can only be described as in the debased Gothic style of a degenerate period. Each of these churches has a chapel attached to it under the respective clergymen, which together contain sittings for 2700 persons. The populousness of the town has rendered the erection of several other churches imperative. The principal of the new buildings is dedicated to St James, and was erected in 1854-5, from a design by Mr St Aubyn.

The several sects of Methodists, Baptists, Independents, Plymouth Quakers, Roman Catholics, Unitarians, and Jews have their respective places of religious worship; but the first mentioned have by far the most numerous body of adherents. The Hoe or Howe at Plymouth is an eminence on the south side of the town. It is a healthy and pleasing promenade, stretching from Catwater to Mill Bay, on the eastern extremity of which is built the principal defence of this most important place, called the Citadel. The entrance to this work, on the side of the town, is through two gateways of a bad specimen of architecture. The buildings consist of houses for the governor and other officers, of barracks, an hospital, a magazine, an armory, and a chapel. The fortification consists of three regular and two irregular bastions, the curtains of the regular bastions being strengthened by two ravelins and horn-works; on the east, north, and west sides are a deep ditch, counterscarp, and covered way, palisadoed, and the parapets are pierced for 120 cannon. The lower fort is connected with the citadel, and is chiefly intended to defend the Sound.

Amongst the public buildings of Plymouth, the most imposing is a noble pile, which comprehends the Royal Hotel, the assembly-rooms, and the theatre. The foundation was laid in September 1811, and the building was completed in 1818. The front is in the Ionic style, and nearly 100 yards in length. The expense of the erection, amounting to £60,000, was defrayed partly by the corporation and partly by the institution of a tontine. The theatre is large, and is constructed with not less regard to the safety than to the accommodation of the audience.

The Athenaeum is a fine building, erected by the Philosophical Institution, and completed in the year 1819. The portico exhibits four columns appropriate to the character of a building devoted to literature and art. The general style of the architecture is Doric, blended with the Grecian. In connection with the institution is a public library, which now contains a vast and well-selected collection of books.

The custom-house, erected at the commencement of the present century, is worthy of the town, and convenient for its commerce. It exhibits a front of granite, suitable, solid, and well proportioned. The interior is well arranged for business. On the ground floor are the offices of the principal surveyor, the tide-surveyor, the landing-waiter, the searchers, and others. A granite staircase leads to the long room, which is 54 feet in length, 26 in width, and 22 in height. This building was completed in 1820, at an expense of £8,000.

The Royal Baths is an elegant pile of building between Plymouth and Stonehouse. It is furnished with hot and cold baths of fresh or of sea water, of hot air, of sulphur, and of vapour. Within it has a pump-room, where a medicinal water is supplied from a spring, which is chiefly composed of nitrates of soda, of magnesia, and of lime, combined with small proportions of salphate and carbonate of lime, and a very minute portion of carbonate of iron. It is one of the best arranged institutions of its kind in England; and belongs to a joint-stock company, incorporated by charter in 1828.

An edifice was commenced in 1835 for an hospital and dispensary for South Devon and East Cornwall. At present the central part only is erected; but in the original plan it was contemplated to erect two wings, as soon as sufficient funds could be obtained for the purpose. These would double the capacity of the building as to beds, and supply other conveniences. There are in the centre part a theatre for operations and lectures, and wards for forty beds, with appropriate rooms for nurses and other attendants. Few towns have advanced so much within the last fifty years, in respect to its public buildings, as Plymouth. That advance is still progressive; and amongst the new erections may be noticed the town-hall, the gaol, the Botanical Plymouth Society's hall, the mechanics' institute, and the free public library. In the first-named building is a fine portrait of the Prince Regent by Hoppner; and the latter has lately been augmented by the erection of a museum in the Ionic style, and which is well stored with curiosities. It bears the name of the Cottonian Museum, from the founder—Cotton, Esq., F.R.S., of Plymouth. With all the improvements here noticed, it must be observed that the principal thoroughfares are irregular in their disposition, and that the most bustling street is the narrowest of the town; and though there are excellent shops of every description, some of them exhibiting fronts of chaste architectural character, yet they are incongruously to be seen among houses of very antique date and style. The northern part of the town consists of small but neat houses; but the best masses of buildings are at the west end, and they are chiefly occupied by persons in the legal, medical, or other professions.

The sanitary state of Plymouth has lately been much discussed. In 1853, in a report published by the General Board of Health, it was stated to be one of the most unhealthy towns in the kingdom; and the want of proper sewerage and drainage, combined with the impure and defective water supply, and the uncleanly state of many of the dwellings, especially those of the lower classes, have rendered the place pestilential; but lately some measures have been taken in order to stay these evils, and there is reason to hope that in the course of a few years the town will be restored to its former position as one of the most healthy in the southern part of the kingdom. The market for fish is very remarkable, both for the variety, the excellence, and the cheapness of that description of food. The market-days are Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; and the market-place is spacious, comprising nearly 3 acres.

The maritime commerce of Plymouth is extensive. A great trade in timber is carried on with the Baltic, with America, and the Mediterranean; and there is a direct intercourse with the East and West Indies and Mauritius, which secures a good supply of tropical commodities. It is a bonding port for many articles, and especially for tobacco. There are also large importations of timber, hemp, tallow, and other articles, for the use of the dock-yard. The coasting trade is carried on principally with London, Newcastle, Newport in Monmouthshire, and Bristol. Great quantities of manganese are shipped to Scotland, lead to Bristol, and some wool to Hull. The docks have lately been extended at an immense cost. A great curiosity is the iron floating pier, 300 feet long and 40 feet wide. The amount of duty received at the custom-house during the past year (1857) considerably exceeded £100,000. The number of sailing-vessels registered at Plymouth, December 31, 1857, was 425, tonnage 47,441; of steam-vessels 9, tonnage 332. In 1857 there entered 3333 sailing-vessels, tonnage 268,311; and 527 steam-vessels, tonnage 178,695; and there cleared 1771 sailing-vessels, tonnage 135,279; and 567 steam-vessels, tonnage 159,373. Besides these, there are more than fifty decked boats, called travelers, employed in the extensive sea fishery, the produce of which is sent to Exeter, Bath, and even to London. The building and repairing of ships give occupation to some hundreds of persons.

Plymouth was in 1834 constituted a stannary town. The neighbouring tin and other mines are numerous and productive. The vicinity also abounds in quarries of granite, slate, and marble; the latter being highly esteemed for its veining and susceptibility of polish. The export of granite and the other stone is much facilitated by the tram-railway, 24 miles in length, which extends from the interior of Dartmoor to the quays of Catwater and Sutton Pool harbours. By the same means coal, lime, and manure are conveyed from the port to the interior. This railroad was executed by a joint-stock company formed in the year 1818, and was completed in 1820. The exchange for the merchants, Plymouth, erected in 1813, is near the custom-house; and amongst other institutions, it has a chamber of commerce, a marine insurance office, a steam-packet office, the oil-gas company's office, and an appropriate reading-room.

Plymouth abounds with benevolent institutions, both of ancient and modern foundation. The workhouse, which is a corporate establishment, founded by several acts of Parliament, provides for a great number of paupers of both sexes and of all ages. Charles's alms-houses, founded by Charles II., Joy's alms-houses, the Household of Faith, the new alms-houses, the Mendicity Society, the Female Benevolent Society, and some others, are supported either by bequests, or by voluntary contributions, or by annual subscriptions. Most of the places of worship have schools attached to them; and there are a few endowed schools, and one grammar-school, from whose funds exhibitions are given to students at Oxford. Besides the hospital already noticed, there is a large public dispensary, and an infirmary for diseases of the eye. There is a medical society, with a professional library for the members of the healing art, embracing the entire field of medical literature. In 1815 a law library was established, the members of which consist exclusively of barristers and attorneys. The books are open for reference to any subscriber to the general library, to whose collection they have been recently united. The amusements of Plymouth are the stage, music, balls, annual races, and, what is more appropriate to the situation, regatta or marine races, in which the assistance of the Naval Yacht Club is afforded.

Stonehouse, the centre town of the group, received the name from Joel de Stonehouse, the lord of this domain in the reign of Henry III., before which it was called Hipperton. It has now descended to the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, who, by granting leases on liberal terms, has assisted in that great increase of the town which the state of the population at the present time shows. These leases are granted on lives, renewable for ever at a fixed fine, and subject to an annual conventional rent. The town is joined with Plymouth by a thoroughfare street, and it occupies nearly the same level. The southern part is most on the increase, and is almost entirely occupied by genteel families, chiefly those of naval and military officers, and other persons holding situations under the government; but some other parts consist of small ill-built houses, which are occupied for the most part by the dock-yard artisans.

Stonehouse was constituted a township by the Reform Act, and exercises the elective franchise in connection with the borough of Devonport. It is divided into two wards, the east and the west, by the line of Brownlow Street. It is under the jurisdiction of a bench of magistrates. The poor are under the management of a governor, visitors, and guardians, in a workhouse; attached to which is a prison for vagrants and petty offenders, who are detained till they can be removed by the orders of the magistrates. The chief trade by water is in coals and timber; and the vessels discharge their cargoes on quays in the Pool, in which are accommodations for building ships.

The buildings devoted to public worship in connection with the Established Church are two ancient chapels dedicated to St George and St Paul, and two modern edifices, besides a chapel in connection with the Royal Naval Hospital, and which is open to the public. The Roman Catholics, Independents, both kinds of Methodists, the Baptists, Wesleyans, and others, have also places of worship; and most of them have schools for the instruction of those attending their respective public services.

An object that strikes every one in passing from Plymouth into Stonehouse is the establishment of the United Gas Company, at Mill Bay, by which the three towns in a direct line of nearly 4 miles are supplied with light. The edifices belonging to the government are the most prominent objects in Stonehouse. One of these, the Marine Barracks, is on the western shore of Mill Bay, where there is a convenient landing-place. The buildings form an oblong square, in front of which are the apartments for the privates, whilst those of the officers are on the two sides. On the west side are the entrance-gate and a newly-erected guard-house. These barracks are handsomely and regularly built, have an hospital, and accommodate about 1000 men. The mess apartments are spacious and well furnished; and the officers have a very good library.

The Royal Naval Hospital is situated in the north-east part of Stonehouse. This important institution for the reception of sick and wounded marines and seamen was founded in 1762. It occupies a rising ground, and the area of the whole is about 24 acres, of which 13 are formed into a delightful place of exercise-ground for the convalescent patients. It consists of ten buildings, surrounding an extensive quadrangle, each containing six wards calculated to receive sixteen patients; but in cases of emergency the number can be extended to twenty. Thus as many as 1200 patients can be accommodated at one time. The superior officer is of the rank of post-captain in the navy, and has under him two lieutenants. The other officers are a physician, a surgeon, a steward, a dispenser, four hospital mates, several extra mates, and a chaplain.

The most remarkable object at Stonehouse is one only finished during the last reign, and hence bearing the name of the Royal William Victualling-Yard. It is situated close to the shore, upon which a most extensive marine terrace has been constructed, 50 feet broad, and nearly 1500 feet in length. It is entered from the land side by a magnificent gateway, under an arch surmounted by a statue of William IV., and two lateral ways. The whole of the building is of beautiful granite; and the shafts of the columns forming the internal avenue are each of one stone 36 feet high. After passing the gateway on the left are the neat granite-fronted residences of the two principal resident officers. On the right is the baking establishment, comprising a quadrangular range of buildings 250 by 200 feet, inclosing an architectural chimney-shaft of granite 150 feet in height. Further on is the Melville quadrangle, 240 feet square, with its rusticated granite archway (28 feet high), and the clock-chamber, of the same material, making together an elevation of 95 feet, and forming a magnificent centre-piece 61 feet in width. Opposite to this is the basin, 250 by 200 feet in extent, surrounded by quays of granite, save where an iron swing-bridge vaults over an opening of 45 feet into Stonehouse Pool. Answering the great bake-house, on the opposite of the basin, is the brew-house, similar in dimensions and in external character to the former, and having a corresponding chimney-shaft. Passing onwards in a direct line from the entrance, the irregular quadrangle of the cooperage is on the left, and beyond that the Clarence stores, which run along the quay of that name, 340 feet. There is also a reservoir for fresh water, elevated above most of the buildings, being 50 feet in height, neatly finished with granite and an iron railing, which contains 7000 tons. The Melville quadrangle includes the offices of the establishment, and, with the Clarence stores, are used as depôts for wet and dry provisions, and for slops for the seamen. In the brew-house a steam-engine is used in the operation of grinding malt, in mashing, and pumping. Two similar engines are employed in the bake-house, where there are twenty-five pair of millstones, affording the means of grinding a thousand bushels of meal in ten hours. In the same period flour is converted in the bake-house into ship biscuit, to the extent of 2450 lbs. weight. The entire premises of this establishment occupy an extent of about 13 acres, of which one-half has been recovered from the sea, and the remainder excavated from the rock, the stone taken from which has been made use of to build a strong Plymouth wall to defend the whole against the sea. The cost of this enormous establishment was above £1,500,000.

Devonport, the third town of the group, is divided from Stonehouse by an arm of the sea, or inlet, over which there is now a bridge. It is in the parish of Stoke Damerel; and the ground on which it stands is for the most part the property of the St Aubyn family, whose steward holds a court-leet and a court-baron annually at Michaelmas, when a jury is sworn in, to prevent nuisances, and to appoint and swear in constables. Having been constituted a borough by the Reform Act, it now returns two members to Parliament; but the right of voting for them is also extended to the householders of Stonehouse. The town is locally governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, and thirty-six councillors. It has also a bench of justices independent of the magistracy of Plymouth and Stonehouse.

The town of Devonport is supplied with water by a company established by act of Parliament 33 George III., which, by means of pipes, have brought from the Dartmoor Hills a stream of water which winds amongst the hills for thirty-seven miles, when it reaches a reservoir on the higher part of the town, whence it is distributed to the several streets and houses. The streets of the town are clean, and the whole has an appearance of great neatness; and two or three of these streets are of very handsome architecture. Several of the public buildings, though upon a small scale, are distinguished for the classical elegance of their architectural designs. The town-hall is distinguished by a Doric portico, in which the depth of the pronaos, and the elevation of the entrance-door upon a second internal landing, are features exciting great admiration. The columns are 27 feet 6 inches in height, and the lower diameters 5 feet 6 inches. The hall is 75 feet in length, 40 feet in width, and 31 feet in height. On the walls are portraits of Georges I., II., III., also of William IV., and of Queens Charlotte and Caroline. Within the building are cells for prisoners, offices for parochial purposes, and apartments occupied by the mechanics' institute. The library is an elegant erection, executed in 1823. The celebrated Denon, on seeing the design for this façade, pronounced it the best attempt to appropriate Egyptian architecture to domestic purposes that had ever come under his notice. The institution is designated the Civil and Military Library. It has a news-room, committee-room, and spacious library, already containing between 6000 and 7000 volumes, constantly augmenting; and besides, it possesses a comprehensive and valuable collection of minerals, presented by Sir John St Aubyn.

When the name of Devonport was given to this town, a column was erected to commemorate the grant, which now forms one of its chief architectural ornaments. This noble monument is of Devonshire granite, fluted, and of Doric proportions; measuring 65 feet 4 inches from the bottom of the shaft to the top of the capital, and making, with its inferior and crowning pedestals, a total altitude of 101 feet. Its height above the street, including the rock on which it stands, is 124 feet. A staircase of 140 steps leads to the gallery, the prospect from which will well repay the labour of ascending to it. Its cost of erection was £2750.

The church of Stoke Damerel, the mother church of this very populous parish, being small, several chapels of ease have been erected. The principal of these is St Mary's, a neat structure of brick and stone, in the middle-pointed style of architecture, erected in 1851, from a design by St Aubyn; it presents a picturesque appearance; and consists of nave and chancel, with aisles, porch, and tower; above the tower rises a handsome spire to the height of 122 feet. The interior length of the edifice is about 110 feet. Mount Zion chapel, belonging to the Calvinists, Plymouth, exhibits an ingenious adaptation of Mohammedan architecture to Christian purposes. Though it has a strange, it has also a picturesque appearance; and the interior is capacious and commodious. St Aubyn's chapel is distinguished by its stone spire. It was built by subscription, under an act of Parliament, in 1771. St John's chapel was built in the same way, eight years later, at a cost of £7700. The arrangement of the interior is curiously amphitheatrical. The roof embraces a clear span of 70 feet, the length of the chapel being 90 feet. Besides these episcopal chapels, a large one was built in the dock-yard by government in 1821. It was chiefly intended for the accommodation of the officers, civil, naval, and military, together with the operatives and soldiers belonging to the yard; but it is also open to the public. Besides the established churches, the Calvinist and Arminian Methodists, and the Independents and Baptists, have their places of worship, as well as the smaller sects of the Moravians and the Unitarians.

The government-house, on Mount Wise, near the grand parade, commands a southern view of much beauty. It contains every accommodation for carrying on the military government, and for the family of the governor. The front extends 200 feet. A large brass cannon, at the principal entrance, was taken from the Turks in the engagement of the Dardanelles. The port-admiral's house is near to it, on the north-west side, and comprises all the offices for the transaction of naval business, except that of courts-martial, which are always held on board the flag-ship in Hamoaze. At a short distance from it, on the top of the hill, is the semaphore, by which a constant communication is maintained between the office and the flag-ship, and which forms the first of a chain of telegraphs communicating with the Admiralty in London. The parade with its martial pomp and music, and Mount Wise with its charming walks and prospects, form a great source of pleasure to the inhabitants. To these may be added Richmond Walk, at the foot of Mount Wise, which leads to the public baths constructed at the joint expense of the navy and ordnance departments, and to the king's stairs, erected for access to the shore in 1820.

The most important object in Plymouth and its vicinity is the dock-yard. In the eighth volume of this work, under the article Dock-Yards, is a general description of this establishment, to which the reader is referred. To what is there stated we may add, that the whole dock-yard extends over 75 acres of land, of which about one-sixth is the property of the crown, and the remainder of Sir John St Aubyn, under a lease for twenty-one years, renewable every seven years with a fine of £534 4s. 6d., and an annual ground-rent of thirty shillings per acre.

The operations carried on within the yard give employment to upwards of 2000 men in time of peace, and the number of individuals depending on it for subsistence exceeds 7000. The chapel of the dock-yard is a fine building, the foundation of which was laid in 1814. The interior is elegantly fitted up. It is 100 feet in length and 75 in breadth, and has a tower with a set of bells. The erection is said to have cost £24,000. In the year 1834 a police force was established as a civil guard to the dock-yard, consisting of a director, three inspectors, three sergeants, and forty constables.

The gun-wharf is an important part of this naval arsenal, on the north side of the dock-yard. It covers five acres of land. It contains storehouses filled with the various instruments of destruction; vast quantities of muskets, pistols, and cutlasses are deposited in chests or arranged in racks, or on the walls in the form of stars, circles, and crescents. Near these storehouses is the blacksmith's shop, and other buildings used as depositories for gun-carriages and the implements of the field-train. The intervals between the different edifices are occupied by piles of ordnance belonging to the ships in the harbour, with their respective names painted on the cannon. There are also large quantities of shot arrayed in pyramidal heaps, marked with the number contained in each pile. The vast portion of stores seen here, together with the armory, form a sight worthy of attention.

Visitors, who are not foreigners, are permitted to inspect the whole of the dock-yard premises; they are, however, always accompanied by a constable. Foreigners must obtain an order for admission from the Admiralty.

a seaport of the United States of North America, state of Massachusetts, on Plymouth Bay, 35 miles S.E. of Boston. It is built chiefly of wood, and entirely in modern style, there being not a single antique building to remind the visitor that this is the oldest town of New England. The Pilgrim's Hall is a plain massive granite building, erected in 1824 by the Pilgrim Society, who meet annually here to commemorate the arrival here of the 101 pilgrim fathers, as they are called, in the Mayflower, December 22, 1620. In the hall there are several historical paintings and a cabinet of curiosities; and in front of the building is placed a part of the rock on which the emigrants first set foot. Some of the churches are handsome; and one occupies the site of that originally built by the pilgrims. Plymouth contains county buildings, banks, newspaper offices, cotton factories, &c. The inhabitants are largely engaged in the fisheries. The total tonnage of the port, June 30, 1852, was 3368 registered, and 9365 enrolled and licensed; the latter including 2538 tons employed in the coasting trade, 5169 in cod-fishing, and 1495 in mackerel-fishing. Pop. (1850) 6024.