PORTSMOUTH, a parish and sea-port and borough and market-town, having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred of Portsdown, Portsdown division of the county of SOUTHAMPTON, 18 miles (S. E. by E.) from Southampton, and 72 (S. W.) from London, containing, exclusively of that part of the parish of Portsea which is within its jurisdiction, 7269 inhabitants. This place, which is one of the principal naval and military stations of the British empire, derives its name from its sittiation at the mouth of a capacious harbour on the southern coast. In 501, a body of Saxons, under the command of Port, a German chieftain, and his two sons Biedda and Maegla, landed on this part of the coast, and, after a severe conflict with the Britons, succeeded in gaining possession of the surrounding country. They arc supposed to have founded the ancient town of Portchcster, so called from the name of their leader, about three miles to the north-; north-west, from which, .on the contraction of the harbour by the retiring of the sea, the inhabitants removed to Portsea island, on the south-west side of which they erected the present town. Alfred having fitted out a fleet of nine ships at this port, after an obstinate engagement, defeated the Danes, who infested the coasts of Hampshire and Dorsetshire, and caused many of them to be hanged along the coast, in order to deter their countrymen. Harold equipped a large fleet at this port, with a view of intercepting the armament of William, on its way from Normandy, for the conquest of the coxintry; and after the death of William Rufus, Robert, Duke of Normandy, landed here with his forces, to take possession of the throne. Henry, who had raised an army to support his own claim to the crown, also assembled his forces here, where, after the two armies had lain for some time, an accommodation took place, and Robert returned to Normandy. At this place Henry III. collected a numerous army for the invasion of France, but the enterprise was abandoned, in consequence of the. treachery of his ally, the Duke of Bretagne: the same monarch established a guild merchant here, in 1256. In 1377, the French attacked and burnt a considerable part of the town, but were compelled to retire to their ships with considerable loss. Edward IV., for the greater security of the harbour, erected two towers commanding the entrance, and made additions to the fortifications of the town, which consisted only of a single wall, strengthened at the angles with bastions. According to Leland, Henry VII. established seven extensive breweries for supplying the troops in the time of war; and Henry VIII. erected Southsea castle, at the south-west extremity of the Isle of Portsea. In 1544, a powerful French fleet anchored off St. Helen's, having on board a large military force for the invasion of England. The English army, under the command of the Duke of Suffolk, assembled at Portsmouth, and the British fleet, com- "manded by Viscount Lisle, the Lord High Admiral, after an .obstinate engagement, repulsed the enemy with considerable loss; at the'commencement of the action, the Mary Rose, the largest British ship next to the admiral's, by some unknown accident, foundered between the fleets, and sunk, when the commander, and his crew of six hundred men, perished. Edward VI. passed a night at Southsea castle, and reviewed the fortifications, ordering, for the greater security of the harbour, two towers to be erected, with an immense iron chain extending from one to the other, across the mouth of the harbour, which, on the French fleet in the American war appearing off Plymouth, was raised, so as to prevent the vessels entering. During the reign of Elizabeth the fortifications were greatly strengthened, and the signals now used on the approach of any vessels were established. In the reign of Charles I., John Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who had arrived at Portsmouth to superintend the movements of the fleet and army assembled there for the invasion of France, was assassinated by Felton, a disappointed officer, who had served under him at the Isle of Rlie", and the spot, in the High-street, then an inn called the Spotted Dog, is still pointed out. Felton was soon after hanged at Tyburn, and gibbeted on Southsea common. Soon after the commencement of the parliamentary war, a party of Cromwell's soldiers surprised Southsea castle, of which they took possession, and the town itself subsequently fell into the hands of the parliamentarians'. After the Restoration, the nuptials of Charles II. with Catherine of Portugal were solemnized in the chapel of the garrison; and James II., while Lord High Admiral, frequently visited Portsmouth, but previously to his abdication of the government, he imprisoned the officers of the garrison for refusing to admit his Irish troops. In 1789, the Royal George, of one hundred and ten guns, and one thousand two hundred men, commanded by Admiral Kempenfelt, while under the process of careening at Spit-, head, lunfortuuately sank, and the admiral, and more than two-thirds of the crew, perished: many of her guns, and a considerable portion of her stores, have, by the use of the diving-bell, been recovered, but all attempts to raise her have hitherto failed; the spot where she lies is marked by a red buoy attached to the wreekl George III. frequently visited this port, and, in 1814, the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV., remained here for several days with the allied sovereigns. The town, which is about a mile and a half in circuit, is divided into- two nearly equal parts, by the principal street, and intersected by numerous others in every direction; it is well paved, lighted with gas by a company established in 1821, and supplied by two companies, incorporated by act of parliament, with excellent water from Portsea isle, and, from springs at the foot of Portsdown Hill. The house of the governor, at the upper end of the grand parade, originally the Domus Dei founded by Peter de Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester, retains but few vestiges of its. monastic character; it has undergone repeated alterations, for adaptation to its present use, and is become a splendid modern mansion, having been the residence of his late Majesty, on his visit to the town. The residences of the port-admiral, and of the lieutenant- governor, are elegant and commodious buildings; the former, situated in the High-street, has been recently improved at the expense of government. A Philosophical Society was established in 1818; it has a convenient theatre, in which lectures are delivered weekly, from October till March, and a good museum, containing more than nine thousand specimens in natural history; a handsome building is now being erected for its use in St.Mary-street. A mechanics' institution was founded in 1825, and is, under good regulations, numerously attended. The theatre, a handsome and wellarranged building, is opened during the season; and concerts and assemblies are held in a suite of rooms elegantly fitted up, and well adapted to the purpose. The various gateways leading into the town, through its gigantic fortifications, which surround it in a semicircular form, are remarkable for the justness and variety of their architectural character; that erected by James II. is an elegant specimen of the Corinthian order, that of St. Thomas is Doric, and that of George III. in the rustic character. The ramparts, which are in parts ornamented with timber, afford extensive and beautiful prospects; and the view of the town from Portsdown hill, combining an infinite variety of objects of the deepest interest and stately grandeur, is strikingly magnificent. The fortifications, which are the most complete in Europe, combine beauty with strength, and, exclusively of those which immediately surround the town, consist of numerous and extensive outworks; the entrance to the harbour is defended by Brockhurst fort on the one side, and the fortifications of the town on the other. Southsea castle having suffered considerable damage from an accidental explosion, was rebuilt in 1814, and contains a garrison of two hundred men, with wellmounted batteries of heavy ordnance. Fort Monkton is a regular fort, of prodigious strength, defended with thirty-two pieces of heavy ordnance, and numerous redoubts; these two forts, built by Edward VI., also serve to defend the mouth of the harbour j on the east and west sides of which, along the coast, are various strong fortifications, of which Cumberland fort, erected in 1S20, and commanding the approach to Langston harbour, is mounted with one hundred pieces of heavy ordnance, and contains accommodations for four thousand troops. At Hilsea, about four miles on the London road, is a strong military fortress, with extensive outworks, and a double draw-bridge. Within the town are four guardhouses; and near the. principal entrance gate are Coleworth barracks, being numerous extensive ranges of buildings, with a parade ground; the garrison includes three regiments of infantry, a division of the royal marines, with detachments of artillery and engineers; over the magazine a semaphore was erected, in 1823, by means of which signals may be transmitted to the Admiralty in London, in the space of three minutes. The naval department is under the control of the portadmiral, and the garrison is under the command of a lieutenant-governor. The port extends from the opening of Southampton water, on the west, to the town of Emsworth on the east, including Langston, St. Helen's, and Portsmouth harbours, and Spithead. The custom-house, a neat and commodious building, was erected in 1785, and is under the direction of a collector, comptroller, surveyor, or searcher, and warehouse-keeper for bonded goods. In the port watchhouse are kept the boats of the revenue officers, and from this place all vessels entering the harbour are hailed; the preventive stations are at Southsea castle, Cumberland fort, Hayling island, Stokes bay, and Hill head. The harbour is unrivalled for capaciousness, security, and depth of water; it is about two hundred and fifty yards broad at the mouth, and expanding into an open and broad lake, extends for severa1 miles to the north, affording secure and capacious shelter to ships of the largest burden; its security is greatly increased by the Isle of Wight, which forms a natural breakwater, and by the inland elevations, which afford additional protection. From the western side of the, entrance is the sand bank called the Spit, at the head of which a ship of war is always stationed; this bank is about three miles in length, but is not perceptible above water; the roadstead, called from this circumstance Spithead, is marked out by buoys fixed at regular intervals. The foreign trade consists chiefly in the importation of timber from the Baltic, and eggs from France; the coasting trade is very extensive, and in time of war the influx of merchant ships is very great: the principal bran oh of manufacture carried on is rope-making. The port is the general rendezvous where all ships either homeward or outward bound take convoy, and frequently seven hundred merchantmen have sailed at one time from Spithead. Packetboats sail daily for the Isle of Wight and Southampton, and steam-vessels ply regularly between this port and Plymouth and Havre. The ferry to Gosport is under the regulations of an act of parliament, the fares differing according to the state of the weather. The market days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: the fairs are, July 10th, which, by charter of Richard I., continues fourteen days, and July 26th, a well-frequented fair on Portsdown Hill, which continues three days. The civil government, by a succession of charters, of which the last was conferred by Charles I., is vested in a mayor, twelve aldermen, and an indefinite number of burgesses, assisted by a recorder, town clerk, chamberlain, harbour-master, Serjeants at mace, and subordinate officers. The mayor is elected by the aldermen and burgesses; the former fill up vacancies in their own body, and elect the burgesses. The mayor, the late mayor, and three aldermen chosen for that purpose, are justices of the peace. The corporation hold courts of quarter-session for all offences not capital: a court of record, on Tuesday in every week, for the recovery of debts to any amount; and a court leet, at which the constables and other officers are appointed. The town hall is a large and commodious building in the centre of the High-street, with an open, area underneath for the use of the market, the space for holding which, within the last five years, has been considerably curtailed; it was repaired and considerably enlarged in 1796. The borough gaol, completed in 1809, at an expense of & 18,000, is a large range of building, including court-rooms .for the business of the sessions, a cbuncilchamber, and a bridewell, well arranged for the classification of prisoners; the prison is about to be enlarged. The borough first exercised the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward I., since which time it has regularly returned two members to parliament: the right of election is vested in the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, of whom the number is about forty-five, thirteen only being resident: the mayor is the returning officer; and the principal parliamentary influence belongs to the family of Carter. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Winchester, rated in the king's books at £6. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Warden and Fellows of Winchester College. The church, dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, is a venerable and spacious cruciform structure in the early English style of architecture, with a tower surmounted by a cupola, one hundred and twenty feet high, forming an excellent landmark: the inter!or is handsomely arranged; the cenotaph of the Duke of Buckingham, in which his heart is enshrined, forms the principal ornament of the altar-piece. The garrison chapel, once appertaining to the monastery of Domus Dei, has been thoroughly repaired, for the use of the officers and soldiers of the garrison: the communion cloth exhibits a view of Lisbon, and the plate was presented by Queen Anne. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, and Unitarians, a Roman Catholic chapel, and a synagogue. The free grammar school was founded, in 1732, by Dr. Smith, a physician of the town, who bequeathed for its support the farm of East Standon, in the Isle of Wight: there are fifty boys, natives of Portsmouth, who receive a gratuitous education in the classics; the head master, who is allowed to take boarders, is appointed by the Dean and Canons of Christ Church, Oxford. The National and Lancasterian schools, in which, in conjunction with Portsea, not less than seven thousand children are instructed, are supported by subscription; and there are Sunday schools in connexion with the established church and the dissenting congregations. There are various charitable bequests for distribution among the poor. On the summit of Portsdown Hill, and fronting the harbour, is a beautiful stone pillar, erected to the memory of Lord Nelson, by those who fought under his command in the memorable battle of Trafalgar, which forms a most interesting object, whether viewed from the sea or the land. Jonas Hanway, the philanthropist, was born here in 1712; he died in 1786. Portsmouth gives the title of earl to the family of Wallop.