Forts. Castle Garden, or Castle Clin- Battle Fields. Kip's and Turtle Bay. BOUNDARIES. North by Westchester county; East by Westchester county and Long Island; South by Long Island and the waters of New York bay; and West by New Jersey. Its territory extends to low water mark on the Jersey side of the Hudson, as well as to the same point on the Long Island side of the East river, and the Westchester side of the Harlaem. SURFACE. The lower part of the county, though originally rough and broken, has been graded and levelled, and now rises gradually, from the shores of the Hudson and East rivers, towards the centre of the city. The upper part is still hilly, and has extensive marshes. RIVERS. The East river, or strait, and the Hudson, or North river, wash its eastern and western shores, affording fine anchorage, and sufficient depth of water, to permit the largest • The numbers refer to the wards. ships to come up to the wharves. The Harlaem river is a narrow strait, connecting by means of Spuyten Duyvel creek, East river with the Hudson. Several small streams water the upper portions of the county, but none of them are of sufficient size to be worthy of notice. The original name of the island was • Manhattan, a word of doubtful etymology, but of late years, it has been known by the name of New York Island. BAYS. The upper, or New York bay, proper, is one of the finest harbors in the world, affording anchorage ground sufficient for the navies of the world. The lower bay, or harbor, is also spacious, but not so completely land locked as the upper. It furnishes, however, convenient and secure anchorage ground. Kip's and Turtle bays, on the east, and Striker's bay, on the west side of the island, are small inlets, only worthy ofnotice, for their historic interest. ISLANDS. Randall's, Barn, and Blackwell's islands, in the East river, and Governor's, Bedlow's, and Ellis', in the harbor, with some smaller islands, belong to the county. On Governor's island are Fort Columbus, and Castle William; on Bedlow's, Fort Wood. There are also other fortifications, on Long Island and Staten Island, intended, like these, for the defence of the harbor. CLIMATE. The climate of New York county is, from its situation, more equable than that of the inland counties, generally. The sea breezes waft a refreshing coolness, over the heated streets in summer, and temper the intense cold of the wintry blasts. In healthfulness, it occupies a very high rank, among the great cities of the world. Its ratio of deaths, to the population, is less than that of any of the large cities of Europe. GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The rocks of this county, with the exception of a small section at the extreme north, are primitive. Granite characterizes the river banks, and huge boulders of it lie scattered over the surface. Dolomite, (a species of marble), bog iron ore, and oxide of manganese, are the principal minerals, applicable to use in the arts. Among those interesting to the mineralogist, may be enumerated fine specimens of tremolite, pyroxene, mica, tourmaline, serpentine and amianthus. Some specimens of pyrites, epidote, lamellar feldspar, stilbite, garnet, staurotide, graphite, &c., have also been met with. Marble is abundant, and extensively quarried, in the northern part of the island. SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is generally fertile, but too costly to be devoted to agricultural purposes. Gardens, of considerable extent, are cultivated, in the upper part of the island. The island was originally well wooded, but most of the timber is now cut off. Oak, pine, hemlock and chestnut, were the principal forest trees. PURSUITS. Manufacturing is the pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants of the county. The articles manufactured are nu merous, and amounted, in 1845, as nearly as can be ascertained, to between eighteen and twenty millions of dollars, giving employment to more than sixty thousand persons. Commerce. In commerce, this county surpasses every other city or county on the continent, and is the second city in the world, in commercial importance. In 1845, the registered, licensed and enrolled shipping of the county, amounted to 550,359 tons. The shipping, entered the same year, amounted to over one million tons, and the clearances, to about the same amount. This commerce is extended to every part of the globe. Not only do the ships of this port visit the various ports of our own country, and Europe, but their sails flutter in the breezes of China, and Japan; their flag is known on the coasts of Arabia, Persia and India, and their trade sought by the swarthy sons of Africa and New Holland, and by the natives of the unnumbered isles, that gem the wide expanse of the Pacific. Wherever there is an opportunity for traffic, there the American flag is the first unfurled. Directly, or indirectly, this commerce furnishes the means of support, to many thousands of her own citizens, and also to millions in other counties and states. The great system of internal navigation, so nobly begun and carried on by the state, has also brought immense wealth into the city. The amount of produce brought to the Hudson, from all the canals, in 1845, the greater part of which came to New York, was over forty-five millions of dollars, and the amount, which was cleared from the Hudson river, the same year, (most of which was from New York), was over fifty-five millions, making a total internal trade, of about one hundred millions of dollars per annum. Agriculture is not an object of great attention. Horticulture furnishes employment to a considerable number of persons, in the upper part of the island. EDUCATION. The common school system of the city of New York has been already described. (See page 124.) It only remains to say, that more liberal and ample provision, for furnishing a thorough education, even to the most indigent, is nowhere made. The child of the poorest emigrant may obtain, free of expense, if he chooses, as full instruction in the sciences, as the son of the wealthiest citizen in the city. In addition to the common schools, there are twenty-eight incorporated schools and academies in the county, seventeen of which are female seminaries. These are well conducted, and attended by large numbers. There are also several hundred private and select schools, attended, it is estimated, by more than 20,000 pupils. There are two colleges in the city; viz: 1. Columbia College, founded in 1754, and amply endowed. It has a president and ten professors, 104 students, and a library of 14,000 volumes. The grammar school, connected with it, has between 200 and 300 pupils. The college edifices are located at the foot of Park place. 2. The University of the city of New York, located on Washington square. The university edifice is of white marble, in the collegiate Gothic style, and is one of the finest buildings in the city. Its cost was nearly $300,000. It has a president, and eleven professors, 143 students, and a valuable library. Connected with it, is a large and flourishing grammar school. A medical department is connected with the university. It is in a prosperous condition, and occupies a fine granite building, formerly known as the Stuyvesant Institute. This department has seven professors, 407 students, and a valuable museum. Besides these, there are several professional schools in the city. The College of Physicians and Surgeons, in Crosby street, was founded in 1807, and has always maintained a high rank, among the medical schools of our country. It has seven professors, 279 students, and an extensive and valuable museum and library. The College of Pharmacy is a recent institution, designed for the education of apothecaries. The General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, occupies two elegant gothic buildings, of stone, in the upper part of the city, has five professors, seventy students, and a library of 7300 volumes. It was founded in 1819. The Union Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, situated in University Place, was founded in 1836, has six professors, 112 students, and a library of over 16,000 volumes. RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodist Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Roman Catholics, Methodists not Episcopal, Jews, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Universalists, Friends, Unitarians, New Jerusalem Church, Christians and Moravians. Number of churches 217, of clergymen 282. HISTORY. The leading facts, connected with the settlement of New York, or New Amsterdam, as the city was called by the Dutch, have been already stated, in the general historical sketch. From the time of its discovery, in 1609, by Henry Hudson, up to the year 1625, no permanent settlement of emigrants seems to have been made. Companies of adventurers had visited Manhattan Island, erected trading houses, for carrying on the traffic in furs with the natives, and when their objects were accomplished, had returned to Holland. A few, perhaps, fond of this roving life, had remained, and acquired that knowledge of the Indian character, which ena bled them, more successfully, to secure his peltries. None, however, settled as colonists, or procured, from its native proprietors, a title to the soil, except for the erection of their trading houses. In 1614, the Governor of Virginia, Sir Thomas Dale, in order to keep the restless spirits of his colony employed, fitted out an expedition under Captain Argall, against the French settlement at Acadia, (now Nova Scotia.) Returning from his cruise, Argall entered the bay of New York, and compelled the few. Dutch traders, whom he found there, to swear fealty to the English crown. After the formation of the Dutch West India Company, they took immediate measures for establishing a permanent colony, at this important post. Under their fostering care, bouweries, or farms, were soon taken up, and a substantial fort being erected, the rude dwellings of the settlers began to cluster around it. Under the administration of Minuit, it prospered and increased in population and importance. The intemperance and quarrelsome tempers of the next two Governors, Van Twiller and Kieft, brought serious evils upon the infant settlement. The injustice of the latter to the Indians, having roused their enmity, had well nigh exterminated it, in 1643 and 44. Wretchedness and want stared the colonists in the face, and but for the vigor and energy of Governor Stuyvesant's administration, they would perhaps have abandoned the settlement. In 1642, the Stadt Huys, or city Hall, was erected. It was built of stone, and was taken down in 1700. The same year, the first church, (Dutch Reformed,) was erected in the fort. In 1653, the city of New Amsterdam was incorporated, by the States General of the Netherlands, and its officers were elected by the people. In 1653, it was rumored that the New England colonists intended to attack New Amsterdam: measures were consequently taken to put the city in a state of defence; and during that, and the succeeding year, a palisade of boards about twelve feet in height was erected, and an embankment of earth thrown up against it. Fond of their ease, however, the good citizens did not maintain their fortifications, in such perfection, as to make them of any great avail, against an invading foe. In 1655, Governor Stuyvesant, with the greater part of the inhabitants of the city, capable of bearing arms, engaged in the expedition against the Swedes, on the south, or Delaware river. While they were absent on this expedition, the city was invaded by the Indians, several of the bouweries plundered, and a few killed. The Indians, however, did not venture within the city walls. In 1656, it was laid out into streets, and then contained 120 houses, and 1000 inhabitants. In 1664, hearing of the approach of the English fleet, Governor Stuyvesant summoned the citizens of New Amsterdam, to aid him in repelling the threatened invasion, but his arbitrary sway had produced so much disaffection, that they were not averse to any change, which promised to increase their civil and religious privileges. They consequently made but little preparation for the defence of the city, and when Col. Nicolls demanded its surrender, offering favorable terms of capitulation, they insisted upon a compliance with them. In vain Governor Stuyvesant remonstrated, threatened and refused to sign the treaty of capitulation; the sturdy burghers were bent on submission to English rule, and he was, at length, compelled, though with the utmost reluctance, to affix his signature to the instrument. As has been already stated, (see |