in 1871, 39,415. It was incorporated in 1853, and en-
franchised in 1867. It dates from 1829, when its site
was occupied by a solitary farmhouse, representing the
ancient priory of St Hilda; in that year its erection as
a port for the shipment of coal was suggested by tbe
construction of the Stockton and Darlington Ry., which
would bring the great coal fields of Durham into
easy access. The first ship was freighted with coal at
Middlesbrough in June 1831. Originally founded as a
coal-exporting port, Middlesbrough quickly became,
with the discovery of the mineral riches of the Cleve-
land district, the principal seat of the English iron
trade. This trade dates from 1840, when the works of
Messrs Bolckow & Yaughan were established on the
banks of the Tees. There are now numerous blast fur-
naces and large iron and steel works; there are also
shipbuilding yards, chemical works, potteries, and a salt
trade. The docks were opened in 1842 ; in 1872 they
were extended from 9 to 12 ac., with 1700 ft. of quays,
and accommodation for vessels of 3000 tons. (For ship-
ping statistics, see Appendix.) The town is well laid
out, and has many handsome public buildings ; the sta-
tion on the North-Eastern Ry. is one of the finest in the
north of England; a park, of 72 ac., was presented to
the town by Mr H. AY. E. Bolckow, the first mayor and
the first member of the borough. Middlesbrough returns
1 member to Parliament; its parliamentary limits were
extended in 1885.

Mlddlesceugh with Braithwaite, township, Carlisle
St Mary and Hesket in the Forest pars., Cumberland,

10 miles S. of Carlisle, 2092 ac., pop. 145.

Middlesex, south-midland co. of England, bounded
N. by Herts, E. by Essex, AY. by Bucks, and S. by the
river Thames, which separates the county from Surrey;
greatest length, NE. to SAY., 24 miles; greatest breadth,

N. to S., 18 miles; area, 181,317 ac.; pop. 2,920,485.
Excepting Rutland, this is the smallest of the English
counties; but as it contains the greater part of London,
its population is second only to Lancashire, which has
the highest position in point of numbers. It is the
metropolitan county of England. The appearance of
the country is generally flat, with slight elevations
on the Herts border and in the N. suburbs of London.
The Thames, and its affluents the Colne, Lea, and
Brent, are the only rivers, although there are several
smaller streams in the co. Middlesex is likewise tra-
versed by the Grand Junction, Paddington, and Regent
Canals, also hy the New River, an artificial watercourse
constructed in the reign of James I. in connection with
the water supply of the metropolis. The London clay
forms the greater part of the soil, so that it is generally
poor for farming operations except in some places on
the banks of the Thames. Farming is carried on with
much spirit, and with scientific attention. (For agri-
cultural statistics, see Appendix.) A large number of
market-gardens, in connection with the metropolitan
supplies are to be found in the co. The co. comprises
6 hundreds, 222 pars., the pari. bors. of London City
(2 members, and London University, 1 member),
Bethnal Green (2 members), Chelsea (1), Finsbury (3),
Fulham (1), Hackney (3), Hammersmith (1), Hamp-
stead (1), Islington (4), Kensington (2), Marylebone (2),
Paddington (2), St Pancras (4), Shoreditch (2), Tower
Hamlets (7), and AYestminster (3). It is mostly in the
diocese of London. For Parliamentary purposes the
co. is divided into 7 divisions, viz., Enfield, Tottenham,
Hornsey, Harrow, Ealing, Brentford, and Uxbridge f
each division returning 1 member; the representation
of Middlesex was increased from 2 to 7 members in 1885.

Middleshaw, hamlet, near AYater of Milk, Dumfries-
shire, 4% miles S. of Lockerbie.

Middlesinoor, eccl. dist. and vil., Kirkby Malzeard
par., E. div. AYest-Riding Yorkshire—dist., pop. 514;
vil., 8% miles NW. of Pateley Bridge; P.O.

Middlestone, township and vil., Auckland St Andrew
par., Durham, 3 miles NE. of Bishop Auckland, 893ac.,
pop. 1733; P.O. at Middlestone Moor; has coal mines.

Middlestown, eccl. dist. and vil., Thornhill par., S.
div. AYest-Riding Yorkshire—dist., pop. 2993; vil., 3
miles SE. of Dewsbury; P.O.

Middlctliird.—bar., S. co. Tipperary, 113,641 ac.,
pop. 19,036.—2. Middlctliird, bar., E. co. AYaterford,
44,609 ac., pop. 11,302.

Gazetteer of the British Isles, Statistical and Topographical, by John Bartholomew, F.R.G.S.

Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1887. Public domain image from Gedcomindex.com