BOSTON

the capital of Ma achusetts, and the largest city in New England, lies 210 miles n.e. from New York, 300 8.8.E. Montreal, 300 N.E. Philadelphia, 432 N. Washington; Ion. 71° W 9" w.; lat. 42' 21' 23" N. Pop. in 1800, 24,937; in 1860, 177,812; in 1870, 250,526; It is situated at the bottom of Ma achusetts Bay, at the mouth of Charles Baver. stands principflklly on a small peninsula of elevated ground, 2} miles in length, and 1 in breadth, and connected with the continent by a narrow neck land, and by seven bridges. It is divided into five districts: Boston, South B^ton, East Boston, Highland, and Dor chester. It has a capacious harbour, of sufficient depth of water for the largest ships war to enter saxely and lie at anchor, protected from storms by a great number of islands, on several which are fortifications. The bridges, with few exceptions, are of wood. That which leads from Boston to Cambridge is 8483 feet in length, and is supported by 180 piers. The Western Aiwnue, so called, leading acro the bay, from the western part of the city Boxbury, is 8000 feet in length, and is formed solid earth, supported on each side by walls of stone. It serves the double purpose of a bridge and a dam, by means of which and a cro dam two large basins are formed, one of which is filled at every flood-tide, and the otiter is emptied at every ebb, whereby perpetual water-power is a:«ated for driving xmlls and machinery. This dam was built at a act exceeding £135,000. The streets are mostly narrow and irregular, and some of them are crooked, the older parts of the town, but in the newer part are many fine spacious streets. Great improvements have been made, within a few years, in the general appearance of the dty, by the widening and repaving of streets, the erection of new and elegant bt^din^ and the embellishment of the public grounds. The principal public square is the Common, which with the MaU, a gravelled walk which surrounds it, covers a surface of about 50 acres. is a handsome piece of ground, has a sloping and undulating surface, is partly shaded with elms, and surrounded by some of the most elegant buildings the city. The wharfs are, in general, spacious, and afford ample accommodation to shipping, and storehouses for merchandise. Long Wharf is 1800 feet in length; Central Wharf, 1380 feet long and 150 wide. The wharfs and many of the streets have been made by raising the ground formerly covered by the tide. A great part of the buildings are brick, four stories in height; but many of them are of granite. The principal public buildings are the state-house, which is of brick, situated on the highest part of the dty, and commanding a view of the country and bay for many miles round; the county court-house, which is of stone; Faneuil Hall, called from Peter Faneuil, a dtbsen of Boston, who presented the hall to the dty in 1742, in which town -meetings and public a emblies for political discu ions are held, and famous historically as the place in which the Americans were roused by their orators to resistance against the British, hence sometimes called the Cradle of Liberty; the dty-hall or old State-house, now used as public offices; the splendid granite custom-house, of Gredan architecture; the merchants* exchange, the institute for the blind, the Ma achusetts general hospital, and the Fanenil-hall market; more than 130 places of wonhip, many of them handsome and imposing structures, among which the new Catholic Cathecbal is one the most splendid buildings of the kind in the United States; numerous school-houses, several of them regarded as models of their kind; a house of indwitry. a house of correction, a county jail, a music hall containing an organ remarkable for the beauty of its tone, and six theatres. There are three grades of pubUc schools — ^primary, grammar, and high schools. There were in 1869, 305 primary, 27 grammar, and 4 high schools. Besides these there were 10 evening schools for adult persons. The expense of supporting the schools in It the same year was $1,013,240 (£202,648). The sdiools are managed by a committee, consbting of is the mayor, the president of the common council, and of six persons from each ward. The prindpal literary institution in the vicinity. Harvard University, founded in 1638, is situated at Cambridge, 3 mUes from the city. The library has 184,000 vols. The medical branch of this institution is established in Boston, of where the profe ors reside. The Boston Athenaeum of has two hu^ buildings; one containing a library, and the other a picture-gallery, a hall for pubUc lectures, and other rooms for sdentific purposes. The library consists of about 100,000 vols, lliere are many literazy, sdentific, and diaritable sodeties in to Boston. Among the former are the American Acaof demy of Arts and Sdences, the Historical Sodety, the Ma adiusetts Medical Sodety, the Mechanics' Institution, under whose patronage courses of lectures for mechanics are delivered annually without charge, and the Female College. Among the latter a are Humane Society; the Boston Dispensary, by which the poor are furnished with medical attendance and medicine free of expense; the female asylum, for the maintenance of female orphans; the boys' in asylum, and several others. A prominent feature in Boston is the number of good libraries. Besides those already mentioned, there' is the PubUc Library, founded in 1852, which already contains 160,000 vols.; the State Lilnwy, virith 29,000 vols.; and others. The pursuits of the inhabitants are in a great measure mercantile. They carry on an extensive foreign trade, and own many ships, which are employed not only in the importing, exporting, and It coasting trade, but in trade between foreign markets. They are also largely engaged in the fisheries. is Boston ia Uie third commensal town in the United in States. The number of ve els entered from foreign ports in 1870 was 3115; the number deared, 2148; the numbw entered coastwise, 6650; deared, 5602. Many kinds of manufactures are carried on here, one of the prindpal being that of boots and shoes. The capital uts of Boston are also the prindpal proprietors in the joint-stock manufacturing companies estabof lished in Lowell, Waltham, and other towns in Ma achusetts and some of the neighbouring states. Although Bdston may be regarded as the cradle of the.^on eric an newspaper pre , since the first American newspaper, the Newsletter, was set up here in 1704, the newspapers of Boston do not at pre so sent occupy a very high rank among those of the United States. On t^ other hand the book-trade of the city is important, and some of the periodicals are conducted with great ability, and are extensivdy circulated. Among these are the North American Be view, and sevend other important serials. Boston was founded in 1630 by some English emigrants, and was called by them at first Tri mountain, from the three heights on which the first settlements were made. It received its present name in honour of an English dergyman, John Cotton, who was a native of ^ston in Lincoln shire, and emigrated ta this city. In the American War of Independence, Boston, which had already placed itself among the of foremost in resisting the mother country, played an important part. The first dedsive steps were taken here; and in the neighbourhood the battle of Bunker's Hill was fought July 17, 1755. Boston also toolc a prominent position in the moyement which was directed towards the abolition of slavery. On the evening of the 10th of November, 1872, a great fire broke out in the city, which raged for about twenty hours, and laid 60 or 70 acres of the dty in ashes. As the burned district was in the busine quarter, there were but few dwelling-houses or important public buildings consumed. Among the distinguished men to whom Boston has given birth may be mentioned Benjamin Franklin, who was bom here Jan. 17, 1706. 308