is a lighthouse, 345 feet above the sea) 33° 51', E. Long. 151° 18'. It is 15 miles in length, and has several arms and creeks stretching into the land. The anchorage is everywhere good and well sheltered. On the south shore, about 6 miles from the entrance, stands Sydney.ISLE OF, a peninsula and parish of England, in the county of Dorset, is joined to the land by Chesil Bank, which is a narrow ridge of clay covered with shingles, about 10 miles in length. The isle itself is about 4 miles in length by 2 in breadth; and it terminates in a rocky promontory called the Bill of Portland, on which stand two lighthouses,—the one 130, and the other 197 feet above the sea, N. Lat. 50° 3', W. Long. 2° 26'. It consists of oolitic limestone, and slopes gradually from a height of 490 feet to within 30 feet of the sea. Portland Isle is approached from the land by a wooden bridge 600 feet long. It contains the castle of Portland, built by Henry VIII. in 1520; the Bow and Arrow Castle, a rudely-built tower, said to have been erected by William Rufus; a convict prison, erected in 1849; and several small villages. There are also here extensive quarries of Portland stone, with which many of the public edifices in the kingdom have been built. A harbour of refuge is in process of being constructed at Portland by means of a breakwater from the north end of the isle, partly inclosing Portland road. It is intended to be 2500 yards long, and to extend to a distance of 13 miles from Weymouth pier, thus sheltering from the S.E. an area of 2107 acres at low-water; while Chesil Bank forms a natural breakwater on the S.W. The work was begun August 11, 1847, and up to March 31, 1857, it had been extended to a length of 5145 feet by the deposition of 2,667,905 tons of Portland stone. The sum expended, from the beginning of the works up to March 31, 1857, was L.627,585. Pop. of the parish of Portland (1851), 5195.

a seaport-town of the United States of North America, in the state of Maine, stands on the W. shore of Casco Bay, 60 miles S.S.W. of Augusta, and 105 N.E. of Boston, N. Lat. 43° 4', W. Long. 70° 46'. It is built on what was originally an island, but is now connected with the continent by a neck of land only a few yards wide. It is about 3 miles in length from E. to W., and terminates at the E. in Munjoy, and at the W. in Bramhall's Hill, the former 156 and the latter 171 feet above the sea. Between these two eminences there is an elevated ridge, along which runs the principal street of the town. A broad street lined with wharves extends along the edge of the water for about 2 miles, and is intended to be continued round the whole peninsula. The houses of Portland, which are for the most part of brick, are regularly built, and many of the streets are very elegant. The beauty of the town is also much enhanced by the many shady trees which grow in different parts of it. Of these there are, it is calculated, no fewer than 3000 in all. One of the most conspicuous edifices is the custom-house, which is three storeys high, surmounted by a dome 75 feet above the ground, and adorned in front with a portico of eight fine columns. The city-hall and court-house are both handsome buildings. There are in all 26 churches in Portland belonging to various sects, and most of them built of wood. The number of schools in the town and neighbourhood is 25, with 57 teachers and an average attendance of 3600 pupils; and the sum devoted to the purposes of education in 1852-3 was L.4272. Portland has several scientific and literary associations, the chief of which are the Society of Natural History, numbering about 275 members, and possessing an excellent museum; and the Athenæum, which has a library of 8000 volumes. The town contains 6 banks and 11 newspaper offices. The manufactories of Portland comprehend a large sugar establishment, covering 14 acres of ground, and employing about 200 hands; the Portland Company, for the manufacture of locomotive steam-engines, railway carriages, and all kinds of machinery. The latter was established in 1847, employed in 1854 about 325 hands, and had built up to that date 90 railway locomotives, besides steam-boat engines and other pieces of machinery. Ship-building is another branch of industry extensively carried on at Portland. The number of vessels built in the district during the year 1854 was 40, tonnage 30,195. The total shipping of the port, June 30, 1852, was 77,575 tons registered, and 28,403 tons enrolled and licensed. In that year there entered the port from foreign countries 384 vessels, tonnage 57,610; and there cleared for foreign countries 443 vessels, tonnage 69,893. The commerce of Portland is extensive and rapidly increasing. The total value of the exports in 1854 was L.627,985; and of the imports, L.650,970. The harbour of Portland is very good. It is easy of access, not being obstructed by any bar, and it is safe and well sheltered. Vessels of the largest size can enter or leave the harbour at all states of the tide; and there are numerous wharves and piers accessible for vessels drawing from 18 to 28 feet. Portland is connected by railway with Boston, and the other great cities of the United States on the one hand, and with Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto on the other. It has therefore a very advantageous position for commercial purposes; and to this position it owes not a little of its advancement and prosperity. The total amount of real and personal estate at Portland in 1857 was valued at L.4,661,180. Pop. (1850) 20,819; (1855) 27,090.