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 BELA — BELFAST 193 There are no published accounts of Bela, excepting those of the 1898, Belfast became for assize purposes “ the county of Indian Government reports and gazetteers. This article is compiled from unpublished notes by the author and by Mr Wainwright, the city of Belfast,” with a high sheriff. of the Indian Survey Department. (x H H *) Public Buildings and Improvements.—Few cities in the Belcij a town of British India, administrative head- United Kingdom have been more extensively improved, quarters of the Partabgarh district of Oudh j a, railway bqualid districts have been removed and new thoroughfares station 80 miles from Benares. Population about 9000 • opened up. The finest of these—Royal Avenue—contains municipal income (1897-98), Rs.9610. It adjoins the the new post office and the Free Public Library (opened village of Partabgarh proper, and the civil station some- in 1888, and comprising a collection of over 30,000 volumes, times known as Andrewganj. It has a high school and as well as an art gallery and museum of antiquities). The three printing-presses, one of which issues a newspaper in Albert Bridge over the Lagan having collapsed, a new bridge was opened for traffic in 1890. The Campbell English and the vernacular. College, in the suburb of Belmont, was founded in 1892 in Belda. See Nigeria. of Mr H J ' - Campbell, who left f r the buildln and Belfast, a maritime city, county and parliamentary n i r ° g endowment£100,000 of a public school. In 1897 the citizens subscribed to borough, capital of the province of Ulster, Ireland, on the river Lagan, 101 miles N. of Dublin. It is the centre of found a new hospital to commemorate the Diamond an extensive railway system, which includes the Great ionnn™ A ^ ^ ^ n°W beinS erected ^ a COSt of Northern, the Belfast and Northern Counties, and the £200,000, will occupy the site of the old Linen Hall. Belfast and County Down Railways. Population 11881') In September 1899 the foundation stone of a Protestant cathedral to accommodate 3000 people was laid in ’ (1^91), 255,950, were males, Donegall Street, towards the erection of which the late and 137,191 females, dividedofaswhom follows118,759 among the different religions—Presbyterians, 87,234 ; Protestant Episcopa- countess of Shaftesbury bequeathed £7000. Several W 75,522 ^an Catholics, 67,378; Methodists, churches belonging to different denominations have also 13,747 ; and other denominations, 12,069. The following been built during the last few years, and the city now contains 121 places of worship. Six public parks and two table shows the degree of education in 1891 : theatres have been opened since 1878. The corporation has under, its control the gas and electric undertakings Percentage. four public bath establishments, free library and art Males. Females. Total. Roman Presby- Protes. gallery, a well-equipped fire organization, a model lodgingGath. terians. Epis. Metho dists. house for men, and a modern refuse destructor. The Read and write 87,673 95,407 183,080 72-8 86-8 79-5 87-3 Read only. . 8,019 15,111 23,130 12-8 tramway system, about 30 miles, is horse traction, but on 8-3 11-2 7-8 Illiterate. . 1,968 11,630 19,598 14-4 4-9 9-8 4-9 the expiry of the company’s lease the corporation will install In iSS! the percentage of illiterates among Roman electric traction.. A technical institution, estimated to cost £100,000, is in process of erection. An infectious Catholics was 20-8, among Presbyterians 6-3, among diseases hospital to accommodate 150 patients, also in Protestant Episcopalians 11-8, and among Methodists 5*2. In 1891 there were 30 superior schools with 2327 pupils progress, is to cost £45,000. The water-supply is under the control of the City and District Water Commissioners (Protestants 1769 and Roman Catholics 558), and 233 who were incorporated in 1840. Under the Main primary schools, with 36,123 pupils (Protestants 27,070 and Roman Catholics 9053). Under the powers of an Exten- Drainage Act of 1887 a comprehensive system was carried out, at a cost of £300,000, for intercepting the sewage Ct tllC area of tlie cit was fcav 189/, and the population iny 1901 considerably was 348,876.enlarged in which, formerly flowed into the Lagan, and at present decent History.—On the 27th April 1613 Belfast, then bacterial purification beds are being formed. Under a small town, was constituted a corporation by charter of recently-obtained powers water is brought a distance of 40 James I., to consist of a chief magistrate and twelve miles from the Mourne Mountains to a service reservoir Knockbreckan. The estimated cost of this undertaking burgesses and commonalty, with the right of sending two at is ovei £1,000,000. There are two other sources of members to Parliament. This charter was annulled by supply. James II., and a new one issued in 1688, but the original Administration.—Belfast is divided into four parliaone was restored in 1690 by William III. In conformity mentary divisions, north, south, east, and west, the t ie passin tJie Tain i constitution S Municipal Corporations Actand of number of registered electors in 1901 being respectively 1840 the of the corporation was changed made to consist of ten aldermen and thirty councillors 10,108, 8813, 14,903, 8230. The harbour and docks are under the style and title of “The Mayor, Aldermen, and managed by a board of Harbour Commissioners, elected by the ratepayers and the shipowners. The rateable value Burgesses of the Borough of Belfast.” In 1888 the rank of the city in 1901 was £1,196,051, and the total revenue of a city was by Royal Charter conferred upon Belfast with the incidental rank, liberties, privileges, and im- m 1900 was £429,000. Commerce and Shipping—By the Belfast Harbour Acts munities. In 1892 Queen Victoria conferred upon the mayor of the city for the time being the title of “ Lord the commissioners were empowered to borrow more than Mayor,” and upon the corporation the name and descrip- £2,500,000, in order to carry out several new works and tion of “The Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of the improvements in the port. Under the powers of these city of Belfast.” By the passing of the Belfast Corpora- Acts a new channel, called the Victoria Channel, several tion Act of 1896,. the boundary of the city was extended miles in length, was cut, leading in a direct line from and the corporation made to consist of fifteen aldermen the quays to the sea. This channel now affords 20 feet and forty-five councillors, and the number of wards was of water at low tide, and 28 feet at full tide, the width of the channel being 300 feet. The Alexandra Dock, increased from five to fifteen. By virtue of the Local is 852 feet long and 31 feet deep, was opened in Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, Belfast became a county which orough 1st April 1899. Letters patent issued 26th 1889, and the extensive improvements (including the York November 1866, granting a separate court of quarter Dock, where vessels carrying 10,000 tons can discharge sessions, comprising a court of record for the trial of civil in from four to six days) have been effected from time to actions; and by the Local Government (Ireland) Act, time, making the harbour one of the most commodious in the United Kingdom. Since 1891 the foreign trade of S. II. — 25