SOUTHPORT, a municipal borough of Lancashire, England, and a favourite seaside resort, is situated between the estuaries of the Mersey and the Ribble, 18 miles north of Liverpool, and is a terminal station of three railway systems. Its foreshore consists of a great expanse of firm, bright sands, to the radiation of heat from which is attributed the mildness of its winter climate. Its proximity to Liverpool, Manchester, and other large manufacturing towns has drawn to it a large resident population, and its visitors, in quest of health and pleasure, number many thousands annually. Its spacious streets, laid out at right angles to each* other, are bordered with trees and ornamental gardens. The promenade along the shore is two miles in length; in its centre is the pier, a mile long, down which tramcars are drawn by a stationary steam-engine. Other facilities for outdoor enjoyment are provided in Hesketh Park (presented to the town by the late Rev. Charles Hesketh, rector of North Meols, and one of the lords of the manor), the Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens, and the Winter Gardens. The last, laid out at a cost of £130,000, include a large conservatory, a fine enclosed promenade, a theatre, and an aquarium. There is also a glaciarium, or skating and curling hall, in which those amusements may be practised on real ice all the year round. The Victoria baths were erected in 1870 at an expenditure of <£50,000. The principal public buildings are the town-hall, the Cambridge hall (used for concerts &c.), and an extensive range of markets, erected in 1881 at a cost of £40,000. Among the benevolent institutions are a general infirmary, a convalescent hospital, a sanatorium for children, and a neuro-hydropathic hospital. Southport has also a free library and art gallery (the gift ...