NEW MEXICO 



NEW ORLEANS 



roken rank's of mountains having in general 

 a north and Himth trend. In tin- northern central 

 part the Santa Fe, IMS Vegas, and Taos range* 

 form |uirt of tin- main axis of the llorky .Mmni- 

 tains, with a number of ]H-aks over I'J.uoO feet 

 high. Farther "out h, and east of the Rio (irandc, 

 re numerous liroken ranges; ntid \vi-si of the Hio 



(jraildc the Siena \l;nlie lie aliove tlie level of the 



mta( plateau) iii various ranges. These mountains 

 and the intervening moot are cut by deep carious. 

 In the north- west a number of chains cross the 

 Arizona houmlary, and the San Juan Mountains 

 enter the territory from Colorado. Among the 

 mountains, especially in the north-east, are many 

 parks' noteil for tlieir beauty and fertile soils. 

 The surface nicks belong mainly to the Cretaceous 

 period, with belts of Triassie formation. The moun- 

 tain-chains ami great part of the Sierra Madre 

 plateau are much older. There are many tracts of 

 metainorphic rock and lava overflows, some of 

 which appear to l>e of comparatively recent date. 



The precious metals are found in almost all parts 

 of the territory. Some of the most important 

 mines are in "the south-west near Silver City, 

 Deming, ami Lordsbnrg, others in the central 

 region in the vicinity of Socorro, and farther north 

 near Santa Fe. There are also valuable mines in 

 the San Juan country. Some of these mines were 

 rudely worked hv the early Spaniards, who com- 

 pelled the 1'uelilos to labour like slaves. In several 

 places old shafts have been discovered which were 

 filled bv the Indians when they successfully re- 

 volted from this tyranny. Copper and iron occur 

 in valuable deposits, ami near Santa Fe are the 

 famous tun|iioise mines. There are also fields of 

 Inith bituminous ami anthracite coal. Mineral and 

 hot spring* are numerous. 



The great mountain-divide causes the drainage 

 of New Mexico to (low south to the (lull' of Mexico, 

 and west to the Pacific Ocean. The Rio Grande 

 traverses the central part of the territory and 

 receives many tributaries. The Kio Fecos which 



i'oins it in Texas drains the south-eastern part, 

 n the north-east are streams which unite to form 

 the Canadian River, ami in the west are the head- 

 waters of the San Juan, Little Colorado, and (iila, 

 all affluents of the Colorado. In the river-valleys 

 the soil is fertile and produces excellent crops ; and 

 many acres in other sections may be successfully 

 cultivated by irrigation. The climate is healthful, 

 and on the whole remarkably uniform, and the 

 atmosphere is very pure and dry. The death-rate 

 from pulmonary diseases is the lowest in the 

 country. The rainy season occurs between the 

 middle of July and the middle of September, last- 

 ing alxmt a month. There are extensive forests on 

 the mountains, and in the hilly regions of the 

 western part of the territory, and on the pastoral 

 plains nutritious grasses which support great num- 

 bers of cattle and sheep. The yucca and cactus 

 are characteristic forms of vegetation, especially 

 in the Llano Kstacado. Stock-raising is one of the 

 leading industries. The flocks and herds need no 

 housing in the winter, but of late years more 

 attention has !MM>H given to improvement of the 

 breeds, and the stock, in-te.nl of roaming at will, is 

 often confined within enclosed ranges. 



Though one of the most recently settle.! portions 



of the Union, New Mexico was among tl arliest 



regions oecupi'-il by the white man, ami Santa Fe, 

 originally an Indian pueblo, claims the title of the 

 oldest town in the country. When the Spaniards 

 tirst visited this region they found a people living in 

 communities with substantial dwellings, and mark- 

 ing the decay of a civilisation which had Hourished 

 in previous centuries. In 1822 the people of New 

 Mexico, in common with the other inhabitants of 

 Mexico, of which it then formed a part, threw oil' 



the Spanish yoke. My the treaty of Cuadalnpe 

 Hidalgo in 1H48, after the war between Mexico 

 and the United States, part of the territory was 

 acquired by the latter nation. Additions \\.-ic 

 made by a later purchase from Mexico and by a 

 ceasion from Texas. The population still includes 

 alMiut lOO.OOO Mexicans, as well as nearly -40.0(10 

 Indians. The territory when originally organised 

 in 1830 included Arizona and parts of Colorado 

 and California. The construction of railroads, 

 begun in 1878, bad a marked inlluem-e in its 

 development There are now about 1400 miles of 

 railroad, connecting with either ocean and with 

 all parts of the I'nion. 



There are nineteen cnnntios in New Mexico, and 

 the principal cities and towns are Santa Fe^lhe 

 capital), Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Taos. and Socorro. 

 The common-school system was established by an 

 act of legislature in 1891; the board of education 

 consists of five members, including the governor of 

 the territory. Numerous institutions areconducted 

 under Roman Catholic auspices. There is a state 

 university at Albuquerque, an agricultural college 

 at Las Vegas, and a school of mines at Socorro. 

 Schools for the Indians arc largely attended. 



Newnham Colics*'. j" st ontide Cambridge, 

 but within ten minutes' walk of the centre of the 

 town, may l>e said to have commenced in 1871, 

 when the Newnham Hall Company opened a 

 house for five resident women students. The 

 numbers steadily increased, and in I.s7."> Newnhani 

 Hall was built, providing rooms for the principal, 

 a lecturer, and twenty six students. Scholarships 

 were given by the London Companies and pii\ate 

 friends, the library grew, a chemical laboratory 

 and gymnasium were added, and the whole 

 machinery of the college liecame more and more 

 complete till, in 1879, the Newnham Hall Com- 

 pany was amalgamated with the Association for 

 the Promotion ol the Higher Kducation of Women. 

 Additional land was acquired, and a second, and 

 finally a third hall was added. These three halls, 

 Old Hall, Sidgwick Hall, and Clough Hall, now 

 form Newnham College, where at the present time 

 147 students, under the charge of a principal, two 

 vice-principals, and live lecturers, receive instruc- 

 tion, putty by lectures delivered at Newnham, 

 partly by such" lectures of the university and col- 

 leges of the university as are open to them. In 

 the year 1881 the university of Cambridge opened 

 to students of Newnham and (liiion its tripos ami 

 previous exams., and in 1889, out of thirty-live 

 students of Newnham who entered for the tripos 

 exam., six took a first-class, sixteen a second class, 

 and nine a third-class; while in 1S!H) Miss Fawcett. 

 was placed alxive the senior wrangler. Careful 

 superintendence is here combined with a lor^c 

 amount of lilx-rty and responsibility. The greater 

 number of students work for tri|n>s and stay for 

 three or four years, but special courses of work 

 can be taken without examination. The fees are 

 7~> guineas a year. 



New Orleans, the commercial metropolis of 

 Louisiana, and t lie most important city of the south- 

 ern I'nitcd Stales, is situated 

 on both sides of the Mississippi 

 River the greater portion on 

 the east bank 107 miles from its mouth. Its corpo- 

 rate area is 187 sq. m., but a large portion of this 

 is market gardens, forest, and swamp, and only 

 4S si|. in. ore built over, fronting on the Mis- 

 sissijipi. and running back from half n mile to 

 3 miles. The city proper has a river frontage of 

 13 miles, and its 'western district, 'Algiers,' of I! 

 miles. The Mississippi makes two bends here, 

 giving the old city a crescent shaped front, whence 

 its former title, ''The Crescent City,' but it is 



c.,|.,ri,chi I8>1. 1W7, ml 

 1900 In thr T.S. l.\ J. K. 

 Llpplncoll Company. 



