BOSTON. 



BOSWORTH. 



63 



metropolitan district Boston may be considered as extending nina 

 miles around the Exchange, within which bounds the population iu 

 1850 was 269,874. All the citizens are free, the constitution of the 

 state having declared that ' all men are born free and equal," which 

 declaration was decided by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts iu 

 17 S3, to be equivalent to the abolition of slavery. The city is 

 governed by a mayor, 8 aldermen, and 48 common councillors. The 

 General Court of Massachusetts meets at Boston twice a year, and 

 the Supreme Courts of Judicature for the state are held there. The 

 city has a court styled the police court for the city of Boston, con- 

 sisting of three justices, and there is a municipal court consisting of 

 one judge, who has cognisance of all crimes not capital committed 

 within the city and the county of Suffolk. The judges of the police 

 court hold a justices' court every Wednesday and Saturday. 



Boston Bay or harbour is formed by numerous small islands, on 

 one of which at the entrance is a lighthouse 65 feet high, with a 

 revolving light. The harbour extends 14 miles from Point Alderton 

 to Medford, and from Chelsea to Uingham is at least 8 miles wide, 

 covering an area of 75 square miles. There is in general sufficient 

 depth of water within the bay at all times of the tide to enable the 

 largest vessels to reach the wharfs and docks, of which there are iu 

 all about 200. Contiguous to the wharfs and docks are extensive 

 ranges of warehouses four or five stones high, and from 50 to 80 feet 

 in bread' li. Vessels lie here in perfect safety, from whatever quarter 

 the wind may blow. The entrance to the harbour is so narrow as 

 scarcely to admit two ships abreast ; it is defended by Fort Inde- 

 pendence on Castle Island, and Fort Warren or the Citadel on 

 Governor's Island. For the protection of the external harbour there 

 is a strong fortress on St. George's Island. Boston is the second 

 commercial city of the United States. It has 32 banks. Its trade is 

 very extensive both with foreign countries and with the southern 

 states of the Union, to which it sends large supplies of salted meat 

 and cured fish, as well as domestic and European manufactures, 

 receiving, iu return cotton, rice, tobacco, staves, and flour. It has 

 also a considerable trade with the western states. The tonnage of 

 vessels belonging to the port amounted in 1841 to 227,608 tons, iu 

 1842 to 193,502 tons, in 1850 to 320,687 tons, in 1851 to 343,308 

 tons. The aggregate burden of the ships built at the port in 1849-50 

 was 23,480 tons. The arrivals from foreign ports during 1850 

 included 2879 ships of 478,859 tons, and the foreign clearance* 

 "f 437,780 tons. In 1849 the value of imports amounted 

 to above five millions of pounds sterling: the exports were under 

 Hi. .us. The imports consist chiefly of woollen, cotton, linen, 



1 k manufactures, sugar, coffee, indigo, grain, flour, pork, hMe,, 

 hemp, anthracite, and lead. The exports consist of fish and fish 



Jted meat, ice, soap, candles, paper, cordage, hardware, and 

 furniture, with a small quantity of the cotton manufactures of the 

 country. Besides the foreign trade there is a very large local and 

 coasting trade. In the coasting trade 6100 vessels arrived at Boston 

 in I -. I'J, exclusive of sloops and schooners bringing wood, stone, and 

 sundries which are not entered at the custom-house. Lines of packets 

 ply to all the seaboard cities. There is a considerable trade with 

 California. Several large steam-vessels form a regular line of com- 

 munication between Boston and Great Britain, stopping at Halifax, 

 and performing the voyage in some instances in about ten days. 

 Boston has an abundant supply of water from Cochituate Lake, 



i ly called Long Pond, about 20 miles from the Exchange. The 

 aqueduct wag opened in 1849. An elliptical brick conduit, 6 feet 4 

 inches by 5 feet, conveys the water to Brookline, more than 14$ miles, 

 where is a pond of 22 acres, containing 100,000,000 gallons. Two 



1 pipes, 30 inches in diameter, convey the water across Charlen 

 A large reservoir is on Beacon Hill, and another on Mount 



iugton in South Boston. Cochituate Lake extends over an area 



19 acres, and hint a depth in some places of 70 feet ; its elevation 



feet above tide-water in Boston harbour. It will be observed 



>re that iu case of fires (which on account of the numerous 



wooden building! are far from unfrequent in Boston) the water needs 



no forcing. The fire-bells in the different words of the city are elec- 



y connected and strike simultaneously the number of the ward 

 where a fire has broken out, so tliat the firemen know where their 

 services are required. 



Boston is generally regarded as the literary metropolis of the 

 United State*. Its literary, scientific, and educational institutions are 



I such as few cities of its size, even in the Old World, can equal. 

 Besides the Atheneum, already named, with ita library, the Massa- 



to Historical Society, the Boston Library Society, and the 

 Colombian Library, have each good collections of books. The various 

 public libraries of Boston include an aggregate of about 150,000 



IBS. A noble library has just been founded in Boston by Mr. 



Bates , one of the eminent firm of Baring Brothers, and a 



Massachusetts. The Lowell Institute, founded by a Mr. 



iy iu 1836, provides for the delivery of 



on science and art. The lectures, 



whir! in the winter months from October 



.'i^'himl Mu.-"iiin M one of the moat extensive 



lea 11 Gallery of Fine Arts, an 



Academy of ArtH and Sciences, a Mechanics Institution, a Society of 

 Natural Iliatory, founded in 1830, which lias small but well-arranged 



collections, and other similar establishments, which are iu general 

 liberally supported. An interesting feature of the environs of Boston 

 is the cemetery at Mount Auburn, opened hi 1831, and occupying 

 an area of 118 acres, laid out with considerable attention to the 

 beautiful and picturesque in appearance. The cemetery contains 

 numerous fine monuments, many of which are of marble. An elegant 

 chapel has been erected in the grounds. 



The public charitable and benevolent institutions of the city are 

 numerous. Besides the Massachusetts General Hospital, already 

 named, we may mention the Hospital for the Insane, and the House 

 of Industry. The Institution for the Education of the Blind, estab- 

 lished in 1833, is perhaps one of the best of its kind in the world. 

 Besides being taught various branches of learning, the pupils are 

 trained to industrial occupations, by which they may be enabled to 

 procure the means of support for themselves in after life. The 

 institution possesses a printing-press, at which have been printed, with 

 the assistance of the pupils, several works in raised characters for the 

 use of blind persons. 



Great attention is paid to the education of the young in the state 

 of Massachusetts, aud particularly in Boston. The number of primary 

 schools in the city is 41 ; of more advanced schools, 23. The school- 

 houses are built and maintained, and the salaries of teachers, with nil 

 other expenses, are defrayed as a regular branch of the public expen- 

 diture, so that the schools are free to all. In the Primary schools of 

 Boston in 1850 there were 11,376 scholars; in the Grammar schools, 

 9154 ; and in other schools, 471. The public Latin school, originally 

 established in Boston by the first settlers in 1635, within five yruin 

 after their landing, is considered as preparatory to the university, ami 

 has about 200 scholars under five teachers. The public High school, 

 which provides instruction in French, mathematics, and other studies 

 preparatory to a commercial career, is under the care of four teachers, 

 and is attended by about 200 pupils. The head master of the Latin 

 school and the head master of the High school receive each 2400 

 dollars, or about 5001. a year, being only 100 dollars a year less than 

 the salary of the governor of the state. A normal school for girU 

 has about 200 pupils, and qualifies every year nearly 100 teachers for 

 schools attended by young children. 



Harvard University, founded in 1638, the best endowed institution 

 of the kind in America, is at Cambridge, 3 miles north-north-west from 

 Boston. This college in 1851 had 20 instructors, 6342 alumni, and 

 293 students. The library contained 84,200 volumes. The Divinity 

 school of the Congregational Unitarian body at Harvard University, 

 commenced in 1816, had 2 professors and 23 students in 1849-50 ; the 

 library contained 3000 volumes. The Law school had 3 professors 

 and 98 students. The Medical school, founded in 1782, had 6 profes- 

 sors and 117 students. 



The first Anglo-American newspaper, entitled ' The Boston News 

 Letter," was published hi this city on the 24th of April 1704; it con- 

 tinued to be published during seventy-four years, and for fifteen years 

 of that period was the only newspaper printed in the English colonies 

 in America. The second of these papers in point of time was like- 

 wise printed in Boston. The third Boston paper, first published in 

 1721, was printed by James the brother of Benjamin Franklin, in 

 whose name the publication was for some time carried on, iu conse- 

 quence of some difficulties in which James Franklin was involvea 

 with the government. Some of the earliest writings of Franklin were 

 given to the world in the columns of this paper, which was called 

 ' The New England Courant." The number of newspapers printed 

 in Boston in the present month (November 1853) is stated to bo 

 13 daily; 13 semi- weekly; and 67 weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly. 

 The first daily paper was published in 1813. 



Numerous periodical works are published in Boston. Among these 

 may be mentioned ' The North American lleview ' (quarterly), and 

 ' The American Almanac and Companion," a valuable work commenced 

 in 1829, and conducted on the model of the ' British Almanac and 

 Companion." The principal English periodical works are regularly 

 reprinted in Boston. 



Various warlike establishments of the United States government 

 are located in Boston harbour. Besides the fortresses mentioned 

 above there are here an arsenal, an extensive navy yard, a dry dock, 

 ropewalks, depots of cannon, arms, and naval stores, and hospitals for 

 sick and infirm seamen. 



The Massachusetts state prison, which is said to be well regulated, 

 is situated in Charlestown. Only male convicts are received into this 

 building. It appears that the profits derived from the labour of the 

 convicts are sufficient to provide for the expenses of the establishment, 

 and to leave a balance of profits. 



BOSWORTH (commonly called MARKET-BOSWORTH, to dis- 

 tinguish it from Husband s Bosworth, in the hundred of Gartree), 

 Leicestershire, a market-town and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, iu 

 the parish of Market-Bosworth and hundred of Sparkenhoe, is situated 

 in 52 38' N. lat., 1" 21' \V. long. ; distant 13 miles W. from Leicester, 

 mid 10(J miles N.\V. l.y N'. from London: the population of the 

 township in 1851 was 1058. The living is a rectory in the archdea- 

 conry of Leicester and diocese of Peterborough. Market-Bosworth 

 Poor-Law Union contains 31 parishes and townships, with an area of 

 44,891 acres, and a population in 1851 of 13,516. 



The town of Bosworth is pleasantly situated upon an eminence, in 



