F 124 .G79 Copy 1 NEW YORK. ^^^f^^l^^^lh^^^ PHILADELPHIA : J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 1891. 'I NEW YORK. \ ->vw._x ^ n: ^ -a.-sv-.- ^ 1^ 2- vV PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPAJSY. 1891. VteK- Copyright, 1891, by J. B. Ltppincott Company. I ISTEREOTYPEBSancFRINTERSI II F 1-2 y NEW YORK. New York, the * empire state' of the American Union, is the twenty-fifth in area and the first in popu- lation. It h'es between 45° and 40° 29' 40" N. lat, and (including Long Island) between 71° 51' and 79° 47' 25" W. long. It is somewhat triangular in shape, and has a very irregular outline. Its boundary line measures 1420 miles, of which 879 miles, or nearly two-thirds of the entire length, lie along the shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence River, and Lake Champlain. The remain- ing portions of the boundary are formed by arbitrary straight lines. Area, 49,170 sq. m., or almost that of England. Long Island is the largest, and Manhattan, containing the most populous part of New York City, the most important of the many islands. The surface structure of New York is remarkably diversified, and presents many contrasts of elevation. The state is traversed by numerous chains of moun- tains and hills, among which lie beautiful valleys. There is also much rolling land, and there are several extensive plains. The greatest elevations are in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the state, but nearly A NEW YORK. the whole of the south-eastern part is hilly or moun- tainous. From this highland region the land slopes gradually, and declines in a series of terraces, north and west toward Lake Ontario. The most level portions are those bordering that lake and the St Lawrence River. The mountainous region in the east is cut by the gap of the Mohawk River. The narrow valley of this stream, once traversed by a mighty river which drained the great Ontario basin, joins at right angles the deep depression in which are Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Hudson River. Both of these valleys pass directly through the Appalachian system of mountains, and divide the state into three distinct sections. The mountains are also disposed in three groups. The Adirondacks (highest point, Mount Marcy, 5400 feet), in the north- eastern part of the state, are completely isolated by the valleys of Lake Champlain and the Mohawk River from all other parts of the Appalachian system. South of the Mohawk valley are the Catskills with various associated groups, such as the Helderberg and the Shawangunk Mountains, covering an area of about 500 sq. m. The Shawangunk Mountains are continuous with the Blue or Kittatinny Mountains of Pennsylvania. The Taconic range of New England enters the state still farther south, and passes south- westerly into New Jersey. This range is cut by the Hudson River, and forms the celebrated Highlands. The geology of New York is peculiarly interesting and comprehensive. With the exception of the Jurassic formations and a few others closely related in time with the Jura-Trias, its rocks exhibit deposits of NEW YORK. 5 nearly every period, from the primitive Archaean rocks to the Tertiary and recent alluvium. Briefly and super- ficially classified, the outcropping rocks are disposed as follows : In the north-eastern part of the state, with the Adirondacks as a centre, is a somewhat circular area of Archaean formation. Along the eastern side of the Hudson River and near its mouth, the Archaean rocks again appear, and are continuous with the primi- tive formations of New England. Nearly surrounding the Adirondack region is a belt of Silurian rocks, which extends southward along the western shore of the Hudson, and westward, bordering upon Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. North of the Adirondacks is a belt of Cambrian rocks, and south and west of the Silurian belt the greater part of the formation belongs to the Devonian age, with traces of Carboniferous deposits, but no true coal-measures. There are in the state some extensive iron-mines, deposits of lead, copper, zinc, and other valuable minerals, and an abundance of building-stones. The salt-springs, es- pecially those of the Onondaga salt group, are of great value. There are also valuable petroleum springs, and mineral and medicinal springs — the most noted are those at Saratoga, Ballston, Sharon, Richfield, Avon, and New Lebanon. The most important river belonging entirely to the state is the Hudson (q.v.). The Oswego, draining a chain of lakes in the central part of the state, the Black, and the Genesee are affluents of Lake Ontario; the St Lawrence forms part of the northern boundary; the Niagara connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, and thj Delaware, the Susquehanna, and the Allegany 5 NEW YORK. rise within and drain the southern portions of the state. New York lies mainly in the lake region of North America. The eastern part of Lake Erie, one-half of Lake Ontario, and one-half of Lake Champlain are controlled by the state. Among the numerous lakes of north-eastern New York, Lake George and the Adirondack lakes are the most noted. There are three groups of picturesque lakes in central New York. The mountains, rivers, and lakes of New York make it famous for its scenery. Of this, one of the most notable features is the number of waterfalls, among which the mighty Niagara is of course pre- eminent. Other beautiful falls are the Falls of the Genesee (q.v.), Trenton Falls, the Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills, and those of Cohoes, Ticonderoga, and at Watkins Glen. The average temperature of New York is about 47° F., with a range of over ioo°. The climate is thus subject to extremes, but is very healthful. Al- though the surface is so diversified, most of the soil is arable, and much of it is fertile. More than one- half the area of the state is under cultivation. The usual farm products are raised in abundance. In the lake valleys there are many vineyards. Hops and tobacco are also important crops. In the vicinity of New York and the other large cities market-gardening is a profitable occupation, and the highland regions yield excellent milk, butter, and cheese. But manu- facturing is the leading industry, and in the value of its manufactured products New York is the foremost state of the Union. Moreover, its geographical po- NEW YORK. y sition and its natural avenues of communication with other parts of the country, together with the system of canals and railroads, make it the leading com- mercial state. There are several canals, of which the Erie (see Canal) is the most important. New York is the centre towards which nearly all the great rail- roads of the country tend, and within the state there are nearly 7800 miles of railway. Previous to the coming of the whites the territory now known as New York was occupied by the Iroquois (q.v.) Indians. Almost simultaneously, in 1609, Samuel Champlain discovered the lake which bears his name, and Henry Hudson explored the Hudson River as far as the present site of Albany. A few years later settlements were made by the Dutch, but they were looked upon as intruders by the English, who in 1664 forced them to surrender their city of New Amsterdam, which had grown up on Manhattan Island. The name was then changed to New York, and, with the exception of a short period in 1673, the city remained in the possession of the English till the war of the revolution. As in the other colonies, the early settlers endured many vicissitudes, and were at different times engaged in conflicts with the Indians. In the struggle for independence, in the war of 18 12, and in the civil war New York played a prominent part. The physical structure of the state has made it a most important factor in the development of the nation, and in population, wealth, and political in- fluence it has always held the pre-eminence. With her great material prosperity New York has not neglected the education of her people. There is 8 NEW YORK. no more complete school system in the country. It includes more than 11,000 school districts. There are eisfht normal schools in the state, and the normal college at New York City, beside many private schools and academies; and there are nearly thirty colleges, universities, and schools of higher learning, not including theological seminaries and professional schools. Politically the state is divided into sixty counties ; it returns the largest number (34) of members to congress. No other state has so many large cities and thriving, enterprising towns. New York City is the centre of a thickly populated district, which is second only to London in the number of its people and the importance of its commercial interests. The other most important cities are Albany (the capital), Brooklyn, Buffalo, Rochester, Troy, Syracuse, Utica, Oswego, Kingston, Elmira, Poughkeepsie, Auburn, Cohoes, Newburgh, Yonkers, Long Island City, Bing- hamton, Schenectady, Lockport, Rome, Ogdensburg, Watertown, Hudson, and Dunkirk. Pop. (1800) 589,051; (1850) 3,097.394; (»88o) 5,082,871; (1890) 5.981.934- niS^ °^ CONGRESS PHI 014 107 788 "''' %