ith thatch. The whole value of the land on which the town is
built, is said to have been worth only 5L. in fee simple.[19] "Ulster,"
said Sir John Davies, "is a very desert or wilderness; the inhabitants
thereof having for the most part no certain habitation in any towns or
villages." In 1659, Belfast contained only 600 inhabitants:
Carrickfergus was more important, and had 1312 inhabitants. But about
1660, the Long Bridge over the Lagan was built, and prosperity began to
dawn upon the little town. It was situated at the head of a navigable
lough, and formed an outlet for the manufacturing products of the
inland country. Ships of any burden, however, could not come near the
town. The cargoes, down even to a recent date, had to be discharged
into lighters at Garmoyle. Streams of water made their way to the
Lough through the mud banks; and a rivulet ran through what is now
known as the High Street.

The population gradually increased. In 1788 Belfast had 12,000
inhabitants. But it was not until after the Union with Great Britain
that the town made so great a stride. At the beginning of the present
century it had about 20,000 inhabitants. At every successive census,
the progress made was extraordinary, until now the population of
Belfast amounts to over 225,000. There is scarcely an instance of so
large a rate of increase in the British Islands, save in the
exceptional case of Middlesborough, which was the result of the opening
out of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, and the discovery of
ironstone in the hills of Cleveland in Yorkshire. Dundee and Barrow
are supposed to present the next most rapid increases of population.

The increase of shipping has also been equally great. Ships from other
ports frequented the Lough for purposes of trade; but in course of time
the Belfast merchants supplied themselves with ships of their own. In
1791 one William Ritchie, a sturdy North Briton, brought with him from
Glasgow ten men and a quantity of shipbuilding materials. He gradually
increased the number of his workmen, and proceeded to build a few
sloops. He reclaimed some land from the sea, and made a shipyard and
graving dock on what was known as Corporation Ground. In November 1800
the new graving dock, near the bridge, was opened for the reception of
vessels. It was capable of receiving three vessels of 200 tons each!
In 1807 a vessel of 400 tons burthen was launched from Mr. Ritchie's
shipyard, when a grea