ocean and Narragansett bay. The most important elevations are the Woonsocket hills in the northern, Mount Hope in the western, and Hopkin's hill in the central part of the state.

The principal rivers are the Blackstone and Patuxet, the former rising in Massachusetts, and crossing the north-eastern portion of Rhode Island, and both entering the Narragansett bay. The other rivers of the state, though small, are rapid, and afford valuable water powers. The Narragansett bay is a beautiful sheet of water, thirty miles long and twelve broad, and containing numerous picturesque islands. Block island, ten miles from the coast, is eight miles long, and from two to five miles broad.

The climate of Rhode Island resembles that of Connecticut. The soil of the state is not very fertile, more attention being given to grazing than to tilling. Some of the adjoining islands, however, are extremely productive. The chief productions are wheat, Indian corn, rye, oats, potatoes, buckwheat, beans, wool, butter, honey, wine, and flax.

Rhode Island is extensively engaged in manufactures. According to the manufacturing statistics of the year ending June 30, 1861, the capital invested amounted to twenty-three millions of dollars; value of the annual product, forty-seven millions five hundred thousand dollars. The commerce of Rhode Island is chiefly confined to the neighboring states. Her exports for the year 1861 amounted to two hundred and fifty-five thousand two hundred and ninety-seven dollars; imports, five hundred and forty-three thousand six hundred and fifty-two dollars.

Providence and Newport are the capitals and largest cities in the state. Other important towns are Southfield and Warwick.

PROVIDENCE,

The largest city and semi-capital of Rhode Island, and seat of justice of Providence county, is situated on both sides of an arm of the Narragansett bay, called Providence river, one hundred and seventy-five miles north-east of New York, and forty-three miles south-west of Boston. The ground on which the city is built is very uneven, and rises on the eastern side, in a single

instance, to a hight of two hundred and four feet. The greatest elevation on the western side is seventy-eight feet. In consequence of the irregularity of the surface, the city was laid off with little regard to beauty or neatness. Much has recently been done, however, to overcome the original defects, though the city is not, as yet, a pattern of beauty or elegance. Several bridges connect East and West Providence, one of which is over one hundred and forty feet wide.

Prominent among the public buildings is the Arcada, on the western side of the river, fronting on Broad street. This structure, two hundred and twenty-five feet long, eighty feet wide, and three stories high, is built of granite, and in richness and elegance surpasses every building in the city. "What Cheer" is the name applied to a beautiful freestone edifice in Market square. The other principal buildings are the custom house, erected at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, state house, a fine brick structure, and the market house on Market square, containing city government offices. The principal churches are Grace and First Congregational, gothic edifices of granite construction.

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Providence contains the Butler hospital for the insane, which is located on the right bank of the Seekonk river. It was established in 1844, and called the Rhode Island hospital, but in 1851 it received its present name from Cyrus Butler, Esq., who contributed forty thousand dollars to aid in the support of the institution. The Dexter asylum for the poor, one hundred and seventy feet long, and three stories high, is on the eastern bank of the river, in an enclosure of forty acres. The wall that encloses the building is ten feet high, and was constructed at a cost of twenty thousand dollars.

On an eminence on the same side of the river is the Brown university, established first at Warren, and removed to Providence in 1770. The Athenæum, a costly stone structure, founded in 1836, contains a free reading room, and a carefully selected library of twenty-seven thousand six hundred and ninety-five volumes. Near the centre of the city is a circular park or promenade, eighty feet wide, enclosing a delightful sheet of

water about one mile in circumference, which constitutes the head waters of Narragansett bay.

Providence formerly carried on a large foreign trade, but her commerce at the present time is chiefly domestic. The city contains fifty-two churches, ten newspaper offices, twenty-seven school buildings, forty-five banks, four steam fire engines, two manufactories of wood screws, two musket manufactories, and one hundred stationary steam engines, worked by three hundred and ten steam boilers. Population of the city in 1865, 55,000.

NEWPORT,

Semi-capital of Rhode Island, and seat of justice of Newport county, is on the western end of a large island of the same name as the state to which it belongs, in the Narragansett bay, twentyeight miles south-east of Providence.

Newport has one of the finest harbors in the union, and, up to the time of the revolutionary war, was second to none of the New England cities in commercial wealth. During that war her population was reduced more than one-half, and she has since never been able to regain her former standing. The site of the city is a beautiful rounded elevation, overlooking the harbor and bay, and commanding a varied and extensive prospect.

The most important public buildings are the state house, an imposing brick edifice, surmounted by a cupola, market house, and custom house. Among the churches may be mentioned the Synagogue and Friends' meeting house. The Redwood library, established in 1788, contains fifteen thousand volumes, and an apartment devoted to the fine arts.

Newport is a fashionable watering place, and during the summer months is much frequented by tourists, and made the home of wealthy gentlemen, who have established beautiful country seats in the vicinity. For those in quest of sea air and change of scenery, Newport presents unrivaled attractions. A large number of elegant and fashionable hotels have been erected for the accommodation of visitors. Of these the Bellevue house and Ocean house are the most important. The city contains fifteen churches, two newspaper publications, an academy, an excellent

system of public schools, ten banks, and manufactories of carriages, clocks, calicoes, muslins, etc. Population in 1860, 10,508.

In 1860, Rhode Island had one hundred and seventy-four thousand six hundred and twenty inhabitants, of which one hundred and seventy thousand six hundred and sixty-eight were white, and three thousand nine hundred and fifty-two colored. Rhode Island has fifty miles of railroad, three hundred and ten churches, one college, four hundred and twenty-six public schools, fifty-eight academies, three hundred and two libraries, and twenty-six newspaper publications.

The governor receives for his services one thousand dollars, and the lieutenant governor three hundred dollars per annum. The senate consists of thirty-one and the house of representatives of seventy-two members. In November, 1862, the state contained twenty-one savings banks, in which was deposited nine millions five hundred and sixty thousand four hundred and fortyone dollars.

CHAPTER II.

THE MIDDLE STATES.

NEW YORK.

New York, the largest of the Middle States, and the most important and populous of the United States, is bounded on the north by Canada; on the south by Pennsylvania and New Jersey; on the east by Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut; on the south-east by Long Island Sound; and on the west by Canada, Pennsylvania and Lake Erie. Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers, separate the state from Canada; Lake Champlain, from Vermont; and the Delaware river, from Pennsylvania. It lies between latitude 40° 30' and 45° N., and longitude 72° and 79° 55′ W. Greatest length

of the state from north to south, three hundred and eight miles; from east to west, including Long Island, three hundred and thirty-five miles; area, forty-seven thousand square miles, or thirty million and eight hundred thousand acres.

The eastern portion of the state is rugged and mountainous. The Highlands, formed by the Schooley mountains, the eastern ridge of the Alleghanies, are from five hundred to one thousand five hundred feet high. These elevations are continued across the south-eastern portion of the state, by the Taconic mountains, which take the name of Green mountains, in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Adirondacks, the most important group, are in the north-eastern part of the state, and border upon Lake Champlain. Mount Marcy has an altitude of five thousand four hundred and sixty-seven feet, and is the culminating point of the state. Mount Anthony, in the wild region of Lake Champlain, is five thousand feet high. The Catskill mountains extend from Catskill, on the Hudson, to Utica, on a branch of the Mohawk. These mountains abound with wild glens and beautiful water-falls, and are one of the greatest resorts for