Hammersmith

Hammersmith, a metropolitan and parliamentary borough of the county of London. A suspension bridge was opened here in 1827, and a new one by Prince Albert Victor in 1887. The borough returns one member. Formerly a detached village, Hammersmith is now a large town. Pop. of the metropolitan borough (1901) 112,239 ; of the parliamentary borough (1901) 111,970.

Hamoaze

Hamoaze. See Plymouth.

Hamoon

Hamoon. See Seistan (Lake of).

Hampden House

Hampden House, Bucks, among the Chilterns, 4 miles S. by W. of Wendover, was the home of John Hampden, who is buried in the church here.

Hampstead

Hampstead, a metropolitan and parliamentary borough of the county of London, is finely situated on a range of hills. It was formerly famous for its medicinal springs, and is still a favourite place of residence and of holiday resort among Londoners. On the summit of the hill (430 feet), above the village, is the Heath, which affords extensive and pleasant prospects of the surrounding country. A house on the Heath, formerly called the Upper Flask Inn, and now a private residence, was the place of resort of the Kit-Cat Club, at which Steele, Addison, Richardson, Walpole, and others used to assemble. Hampstead is associated with many names in literature and art, as those of Pope, Gay, Johnson, Aken-side, Joanna Baillie, Byron, Constable, Romney, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Leigh Hunt, Landseer, and Sir W. Besant. Pop., met. bor. (1901) 81,942 ; parl. bor. (one member) 82,329. See works by W. Howitt (1869), Lobley (1889), and Baines (1890).

Hampton

Hampton, a village of Middlesex, on the Thames, 15 miles SW. of London. In the vicinity are many fine mansions and beautiful villas, including Garrick's villa. Pop. 6822.

Hampton

Hampton, a bathing-resort of Virginia, gives name to Hampton Roads, a channel between Chesapeake Bay and the James River estuary. Pop. 3684.

Hanau

Hanau, a town in the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau, at the confluence of the Kinzig and Main, 13 miles E. by N. of Frankfort. It is divided into the Old Town (1393) and the New Town; the latter was founded in 1597 by Protestant refugees from the Low Countries, who introduced the woollen and silk manufactures, which still flourish. Hanau stands pre-eminent in Germany for its jewellery and gold and silver wares. It also manufactures carpets, chocolate, leather, cards, paper, hats, etc. Here the brothers Grimm were born. In the neighbourhood is the watering-place of Wilhelmsbad. Near the town, in 1813, Napoleon defeated the Austrians and Bavarians. Population, 31,000.

Handsworth

Handsworth, a NW. suburb of Birmingham.

Hang-chow

Hang-chow, a city of China, the gate of the great imperial canal, on the left bank of the Tsien-tang, where it enters the Bay of Hang-chow, 110 miles SW. of Shanghai. It was the capital of the Sung empire before its overthrow by the Mongols, and was a splendid city when visited by Marco Polo early in the 14th century. It still has many magnificent temples, is a principal seat of the silk manufacture, and of gold and silver work, and is noted for the beauty of its surroundings. Several thousands of candidates assemble here every year for the public examinations. The river is subject to a dangerous bore or eagre. Previous to the Taiping rebellion, the city had some 2,000,000 inhabitants; but it was then (1861) laid in ruins, and its pop. is now estimated at from 500,000 to 800,000.