art and industry, with fentiments very contrary to those of indifference, or of contempt. But, alas! fince the invention of artillery, the fashion of the fight (as the poet fays) has altered the whole theory of war: and thefe once mighty walls, which two hundred thousand befieging warriors could not make themselves masters of in the courfe of many months, half a dozen battering cannon, of thirty-two pound fhot, would drive to duft in a few hours. The use, therefore, of fortifying towns and cities with ftone walls, is now, in general, unavailing. Scarcely any fortification on earth is impregnable, if we except Malta, which engineers affure us is completely fo. That the gentlemen, who at prefent direct the affairs of the corporation, judge the existence of the town walls to be no longer neceffary, appears evident, as from time to time they are still diminishing them. Now a gate is pulled down, then the wall perforated by fome new paffage. At this moment workmen are busy in ftriking through a large paffage for carriages, half way between the Carpenter's Tower and where Pandon Gate once ftood. Such changes are incident to all human affairs! Omnia mutantur, et nos mutamur cum illis! All things change, and we are changed with them! HOUSES. In the year 1781, by the window-cefs books, it appears, that there were, in the four parishes of Newcastle, two thousand three hundred and eightynine houses; but it is to be confidered, that a great many of thefe were marked as "poor," and were not taken into this general account. G St. Total of the four parishes 2389 If this account was accurate, we may warrantably fay, that by the numerous buildings, all around the town, the number of houses is vaftly encreased in these twenty years past. POPULATION. In confequence of an act of parliament paffed in the feffion of 1801, for taking an exact enumeration of the inhabitants of Great Britain, the following returns have been made for Newcastle and Gatef head: 4635) Inhabited houfes 2598 2037 Of thefe, 15 are employed in huf bandry, and 9 are independent of trade. ST. ANDREW'S PARISH. 446-Occupied by 998 families. Males . Total 4460. 1771 2689 Of thefe, 847 are engaged in trade, 36 in agriculture, and 36 independent of trade. So that, according to these returns, the prefent population amounts only to the following numbers: PARISH OF GATESHEAD, INCLUDING THE YELL, OR COMMON. Inhabited houses 1037-Occupied by 2099 families. 3974 Females 4623 Employed in agriculture 90, and in trade 1679. The above returns of the population of Newcastle and Gateshead have excited univerfal furprise, the number of inhabitants, upwards of forty years ago, being reckoned at fifty thoufand; and it is well known the town has encreased in buildings, both useful and ornamental, above one-third within the laft twenty years. It is therefore manifeft, that there must have been fome great mistake either in the former calculations, or in the recent ones. No blame, we are certain, can attach to the refpectable gentlemen employed in making the enumeration: they could have no motive in deceiving the legislature refpecting the real population. It, then, there is an error in the grofs return, we are inclined to believe it originated with the people themselves; for, as the bustle of business in Newcastle puts it out of the power of the inhabitants to attend much to acts of parliament, and the lower class being unacquainted with the real intention in making this general furvey, a confider able able part of them erroneoufly imagined that it was to be followed up by a capitation-tax! Impreffed with this frightful idea, very many perfons are fuppofed to have given returns of at least one-third less than the actual number. Added to this, inmates, travellers, foldiers, and vaft numbers of fea-faring men, were generally omitted. Another argument, which ftrongly tends to prove the inaccuracy of the recent enumeration, is, that Newcastle has for many years paft ranked as the third or fourth town in England, both for wealth and commercial importance, and of courfe for population. Befides, fuch has been the influx of people from the interior, in these times of preffure, that it is with the utmoft difficulty dwelling-houses can be obtained, even at very advanced rents. These observations, we prefume, may juftify the former calculations of the population at fifty thou fand to have been founded in truth; and, for the above reasons, we may venture to ftate the real number of the inhabitants of Newcastle, with the populous borough of Gateshead, to be near fixty thousand. Dr. Hutton fays, that this great number of people is fupplied with all kinds of provifions from the very plentiful markets of the town; here being used annually, in his time, above 5,000 beeves, or oxen and cows, 10,000 calves, 143,000 sheep and lambs, with fwine, fish, poultry, eggs, butter, hams, bacon, &c. from the neighbouring counties in prodigious abundance. The market days for corn are Tuesday and Saturday. See his Survey of Newcastle. STREETS, |