WICK, a royal borough, situate on the bay of the same name, in the county of Caithness. It is distant from Inverness by Beauly and Tain 137½ miles. Wick is a town of considerable antiquity, and was erected into a royal borough in 1589. It stands in a low situation, and its streets are irregularly built and crowded together. Fever of a typhoid type is seldom absent, arising from the filthy state of the streets, shores, and houses, the putrescent effluvia which steam from the fish offals, and the over-crowded state of the houses, more particularly during the fishing season. The river Wick, which passes through the town, and divides it from Pulteneytown, tends in some degree to keep it clean. Contiguous to Wick are Louisburgh and Pulteneytown, which are both included in the parliamentary borough. The latter was commenced under the auspices of the British Fishery Society; and being built on higher ground, and well planned, is a regular and handsome addition to the original town. It is indeed three times larger, and in it are all the dwelling-houses of the better class of inhabitants. The public buildings are in good order, and well adapted for the purposes for which they were erected. The revenue of the borough is about L.75 a year, and its expenses are nearly the same. It is governed by a provost, two bailies, a treasurer, a dean of guild, and seven councillors. With Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Tain, and Kirkwall, it returns a member to parliament. The trade of Wick consists in the herrings, which are here cured and exported. The live-stock and grain trade are also carried on to a considerable extent; and, from the number of people assembled here from various quarters during the fishing season, an increased trade is then maintained for supplying their wants. The average number of boats employed in this fishery for the last ten years is about 900, and the average annual quantity of fish taken for the last twenty years is 88,500 barrels; but within a recent period the number of both has decreased. In 1829 the number of boats employed was 955; persons employed in all the branches, 11,780. In 1840 the number of boats employed was 765; persons 7882; barrels cured, 63,495, of which were exported 55,711. For a further account of the fisheries, see the article under that head in this work. In 1810 a harbour was completed for L.14,000; but, from the increase of the trade and herring fishery, it was found inadequate, and another having been commenced, was completed in 1831, at an expense of L.40,000; but unfortunately it is exposed to the swell of the sea. Besides the parish church, there are places of worship for the Seceders, Independents, Roman Catholics, and other five dissenting bodies. There are several rope-works, a distillery, a brewery, an iron-foundery, a gas-work, a ship-building yard, and various boat-building yards, in Wick and Pulteneytown. In the year 1840 the number of vessels belonging to the port was twenty-one, with a registered tonnage of 1154. The custom-duty collected in 1837 amounted to L.696, and in 1838 to L.1034. In 1831 the stationary population of the parish amounted to 9850; but during the fishing season it is increased by an influx of about 10,000 strangers.