a
favourite watering-place. Pop. (1901) 19,223. It stands on a fine
semicircular bay on the east coast of the island, at the common mouth of
two streams, the Awin-Dhoo and Awin-Glass, 62 m. W.N.W. of Fleetwood and
80 m. N.W. of Liverpool. The older streets are irregular and narrow, but
the town has greatly extended in modern times, with numerous terraces of
good dwelling-houses. A fine parade sweeps round the bay, which, from
Derby Castle on the north to Douglas Head on the south, has a circuit
exceeding 2 m. Low hills, penetrated by the valleys of the Dhoo and
Glass, encircle the town on the north, west and south, the southern spur
projecting seaward in the promontory of Douglas Head. The harbour, in
the river mouth, lies immediately north of this; vessels drawing 9 ft.
may enter it during neap tides, and those drawing 13 ft. during spring
tides. A castellated building, called the Tower of Refuge, erected in
1832, marks the dangerous Conister rocks, north of the harbour entrance.
The Battery pier protects the entrance on the south-west, and there is a
short pier (the Red pier) within the harbour, while the Victoria pier on
the north, at which passengers can land and embark at all heights of the
tide, was erected in 1872. There is regular daily communication with
Liverpool by the steamers of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and
during the season there are connexions with Fleetwood, Barrow, Dublin,
Belfast and Glasgow. Douglas is connected by electric tramway northward
with Laxey, the summit of the mountain of Snaefell and Ramsey, and
southward with Port Soderick, while the Isle of Man railway runs to Peel
in the west, and Castletown and Port Erin in the south-west. The town
has services of cable and horse trams. The various popular attractions
of Douglas include theatres, dancing halls, a race-course and two golf
links Howstrake and Quarter Bridge. The shore of the bay is of firm
sand (covered at high tide), and the sea-bathing is good. Among
buildings and institutions in Douglas may be mentioned the legislative
buildings (1893), the town hall (1899), the large free library, the
court house and the Isle of Man hospital. Castle Mona, erected in 1804
by John, 4th duke of Arrol and lord of Man, is transformed into an
hotel. St George's church, the oldest remaining in Douglas, dates from
1780. Douglas was incorporated in 1895, and is governed by a mayor, six
aldermen and eighteen councillors.

DOUGLAS, a village