art and industry, with sentiments very contrary to those of indifference, or of contempt. But, alas! fince the invention of artillery, the fashion of the fight (as the poet says) has altered the whole theory of war: and these once mighty walls, which two hundred thousand befieging warriors could not make themselves masters of in the course of many months, half a dozen battering cannon, of thirty-two pound shot, would drive to dust in a few hours. The use, therefore, of fortifying towns and cities with stone walls, is now, in general, unavailing. Scarcely any fortification on earth is impregnable, if we except Malta, which engineers affure us is completely so. That the gentlemen, who at present direct the affairs of the corporation, judge the existence of the town walls to be no longer necessary, appears evident, as from time to time they are still diminishing them. Now a gate is pulled down, then the wall perforated by some new passage. At this moment workmen are busy in striking through a large passage for carriages, half way between the Carpenter's Tower and where Pandon Gate once stood. 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-cess 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 these were marked as "poor," and were not taken into this general account.

If this account was accurate, we may warrantably say, that by the numerous buildings, all around the town, the number of houses is vastly encreased in these twenty years past.

POPULATION.

In consequence of an act of parliament passed in the session of 1801, for taking an exact enumeration of the inhabitants of Great Britain, the following returns have been made for Newcastle and Gatefhead:

2037 Of these, 15 are employed in huf2598

4635

bandry, and 9 are independent of trade.

1771 Of thefe, 847 are engaged in trade, 2689 36 in agriculture, and 36 inde

4460.

pendent of trade.

So that, according to these returns, the present

population amounts only to the following numbers :

PARISH OF GATESHEAD,

INCLUDING THE FELL, OR COMMON.

Inhabited houses 1037-Occupied by 2099 families.
Uninhabited houses

64

The above returns of the population of Newcastle and Gateshead have excited universal surprise, the number of inhabitants, upwards of forty years ago, being reckoned at fifty thousand; and it is well known the town has encreased in buildings, both ufeful and ornamental, above one-third within the last twenty years.

It is therefore manifest, that there must have been some great mistake either in the former calculations, or in the recent ones. No blame, we are certain, can attach to the respectable gentlemen employed in making the enumeration: they could have no motive in deceiving the legislature respecting the real population. If, then, there is an error in the gross 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 confiderable able part of them erroneoufly imagined that it was to be followed up by a capitation-tax! Impressed with this frightful idea, very many persons are supposed to have given returns of at least one-third less than the actual number. Added to this, inmates, travellers, foldiers, and vast numbers of fea-faring men, were generally omitted.

Another argument, which strongly tends to prove the inaccuracy of the recent enumeration, is, that Newcastle has for many years past ranked as the third or fourth town in England, both for wealth and commercial importance, and of course for population. Befides, such has been the influx of people from the interior, in these times of preffure, that it is with the utmost difficulty dwelling-houses can be obtained, even at very advanced rents.

These observations, we presume, may justify the former calculations of the population at fifty thou sand to have been founded in truth; and, for the above reasons, we may venture to state the real number of the inhabitants of Newcastle, with the populous borough of Gateshead, to be near fixty thoufand.

Dr. Hutton says, that this great number of people is supplied with all kinds of provisions 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 swine, 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,