Londonderry

Londonderry. 1. A maritime county of North Ireland, in the province of Ulster, on the North Atlantic, having Antrim on the E., Donegal on the W., Tyrone and Lough Neagh on the S. and S.W. It is 50 miles long by 40 wide, and contains 816 square miles, and has a coast-line of 30 miles, in parts lofty and rugged, in others low. The surface consists of river valleys, separated by tablelands, and rises in the S. to a height of 2,000 feet. Among the rivers are the Bann from Lough Neagh, which divides Londonderry from Antrim on the E., the Foyle in the W., and the Roe. About 37 per cent. of the surface is grass, and the chief productions of the arable portion are oats, potatoes, turnips, and flax. Linen is the staple manufacture, the fisheries are valuable, and iron is found in the bogs, and was formerly worked. Lead and copper also are found. Belonging originally to the O'Neils, the district was in the 17th century made over chiefly to London Companies, and managed by the Irish Society. The county returns two members to Parliament. The chief towns are Londonderry, Coleraine, and Limavady.

2. Londonderry, the capital of the county of the same name, is on a height, situated 3 miles from the mouth of the Foyle, 162 miles N.W. of Dublin, and 95 miles N.W. of Belfast. The town, which in great measure belongs to the London Companies, has a good harbour, and forms a place of call to some of the American liners, and has a good import, export, and coasting trade. The chief industries are the manufacture of shirts and underclothing, ship-building, distilling, and iron-founding. There is good salmon-fishing on the Foyle and in the lough. The city - the greater part of which is now outside the ancient walls - has a central square with four main streets diverging, and an iron bridge of 1,200 feet leads to the suburb Waterside on the right bank of the Foyle. Among the chief buildings are the Protestant cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral, the courthouse, guildhall, harbour office, custom-house, and banks. Londonderry is noted for its siege in 1689, and a column commemorates the Rev. G. Walker, its defender.