Leith

Leith, the fifth largest town in Scotland, an important seaport, and a municipal and parliamentary burgh, stands on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, at the mouth of the Water of Leith, 2 miles N. of Edinburgh (q.v.), with which it is now connected by a continuous line of street. It is even less attractive than most seaport towns; still, great improvements have been effected since 1877, and some of the public buildings are not bad. Among them are the court-house or town-hall (1827), custom-house (1812), exchange, corn exchange (1862), Trinity House (1816), hospital (1850), Sailors' Home (1883-84), and St James's Episcopal Church (1862-69), by Sir G. G. Scott, with a spire 180 feet high. Leith Fort (1779) is now the artillery headquarters in Scotland. The harbour-works have cost upwards of a million sterling. They comprise five docks, constructed between 1801 and 1881, with an area of 43 acres, besides a sixth (1892-1901), with an area of 60 acres; seven graving-docks; and two piers, 1177 and 1041 yards long. The foreign, colonial, and coasting trade of the port is great and increasing. In 1896, 4282 ships with an aggregate tonnage of 1,556,917 tons entered, and 4038 ships of 1,544,050 tons cleared. The imports (corn, chemicals, sugar, woollen and linen yarn, timber, fruits, &c.) have an annual value of more than £8,000,000; the exports (coal, iron, cotton goods, &c.) of about £3,000,000. There is regular steamboat communication with London, the north of Scotland, several continental ports, and New York. Shipbuilding has of recent years become a large and important industry; and extensive employment is also afforded by large flour-mills, sugar-refineries, distilleries, breweries, engineer-works, sawmills, rope-works, chemical works, &c. Leith was constituted a parliamentary burgh in 1833, and with Portobello and Musselburgh returns one member. Its nine months' siege by the Protestants (1559-60), the surprise of its citadel by the Jacobites (1715), and royal visits innumerable are the chief events in its history. Home, the author of Douglas, was a native; John Logan was a minister; and Robert Nicoll is buried here. Pop. (1841) 26,026; (1881) 59,485; (1891) 68,707. See works by A. Campbell (1827), D. H. Robertson (1851), J. Martine (1888), and J. C. Irons (1898); see also EDINBURGH.