NEWCASTLE

town, seat (1786) of Northumberland county, New Brunswick, Canada. It lies 89 miles (143 km) northwest of Moncton. A port of entry opposite Chatham, near the mouth of the Miramichi River, it was founded in 1785 and was probably named for Thomas Pelham Holmes, Duke of Newcastle and British prime minister. The town developed with the lumber and allied trades, especially pulp and creosote. Newcastle's town hall, Old Manse Library, and The Enclosure (a park and historic site) were gifts from Lord Beaverbrook (William Maxwell Aitken), publisher and financier, who in the 1880s spent his boyhood in the town and chose his title to honour Beaver Brook Station, a settlement 9 miles (14 km) north. Inc. 1899. Pop. (1991) 5,711. city and port, New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Hunter River, 104 miles (168 km) by rail northeast of Sydney. Newcastle originated as the small Coal Harbour Penal Settlement in 1801 and developed as an outlet for coal (from the NewcastleCessnock field) and for farm produce of the fertile hinterland. The city's iron and steel industries, established in 1915 by the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, Ltd. (BHP), now rival its coal trade. Diversified industrialization followed, including metallurgy, engineering, shipbuilding, mineral sands mining (rutile and zircon), and major textiles. Proclaimed a municipality in 1859, Newcastle became a city in 1885. Its port facilities (based on North Harbour, the Basin, and Port Waratah) include a floating dock. The University of Newcastle (formerly Newcastle University College) was established in 1965. Newcastle's War Memorial Cultural Centre opened in 1958. The city was struck by a moderate-sized earthquake in 1989 that damaged some buildings. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 427,703. Irish An Caislen Nua town, Down district (established 1973), formerly in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies along Dundrum Bay, at the foot of Slieve Donard (2,796 feet ), which is the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains. The town is a popular seaside resort and tourist centre for exploring the adjacent mountains. Nearby Tollymore Forest Park (1,200 acres [486 hectares]) is a government forestry estate and includes 135 species of trees. Light engineering products are made in the town. The new castle, from which the town takes its name, was a Magennis (MacGinnis) stronghold, built in 1588. Pop. (1981) 6,246. town, northwestern KwaZulu/Natal province, South Africa. It lies at the foot of the Drakensberg mountains. The fourth British settlement in Natal, it was founded in 1864 as a regional trade centre. Fighting occurred in the vicinity during both the First Boer War (1881) and the South African War (18991902). Newcastle has long been known for its coal mining and steel production. The town is on the main road and rail lines between Durban and Johannesburg. Pop. (1985) 34,931.