CONIC SECTIONS CONNECTICUT. 



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have even received some improvements from the first 

 named. 



CONIC SECTIONS. See Cone. 



CONJUGATION. See Verb, Grammar, Language. 



CONJUNCTION, in astronomy. See Aspect. 



CONNANICUT, or C ANONICUT ; an island be- 

 longing to the state of Rhode Island, in Narraganset 

 bay, on the west side of the island of Rhode island : 

 eight miles long, about one in average breadth. It is 

 a oeautiful island, of a fertile soil, producing good 

 crops of grass and grain. It contains the town of 

 Jamestown. On the south end, at a place called 

 Beaver Tail, there is a light -house. 



CONNAUGHT ; one of the four provinces of Ire- 

 land. It is bounded on the west by the Atlantic 

 Ocean, on the east by the river Shannon, on the north 

 by the Atlantic and part of Ulster, and on the south 

 by the province of Munster. It contains five coun- 

 ties, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo; 

 forty-two baronies, and 276 parishes, subject to the 

 control of the archdiocese of Tuam. The surface is 

 altogether mountainous, and the climate moist, 

 though healthy. Coals and turf are raised in great 

 abundance, and the number and magnitude of the 

 lakes afford easy modes of transportation. The coast 

 abounds with many spacious harbours. The inhabit- 

 ants are said to preserve much of their Milesian origin 

 to this day. Their religion is almost wholly Roman 

 Catholic. 



CONNECTICUT ; one of the United States of 

 America ; bounded N. by Massachusetts, E. by Rhode 

 Island, S. by Long Island sound, and W. by New 

 York; Ion. 71 20 7 to 73 15' W. ; lat. 41 to 42 2' 

 N. ; eighty-eight miles long, and about fifty-three in 

 average breadth ; square miles, 4828 ; population, in 

 1756, 130,611 ; in 1774, 197,365; in 1782, 209,150; 

 in 1790, 237,946; in 1800, 251,002; in 1810, 

 261,942 ; in 1820, 275,248 ; white males, 130,807, 

 white females, 136,374 ; free coloured persons, 7870; 

 slaves, 97 ; persons engaged in agriculture, 50,518 ; 

 in manufactures, 17,541 ; in commerce, 3581 ; militia, 

 in 1821, 22,100.* Hartford and New Haven are the 

 seats of the state government. The legislature holds 

 its sessions alternately in the two places. There are 

 five incorporated cities in Connecticut Hartford, 

 New Haven, Middletown, New London and Nor- 

 wich ; and three boroughs Bridgeport, Stonington 

 and Guilford. There are colleges at New Haven and 

 Hartford; and at the latter place, also, an asylum 

 for the education of the deaf and dumb. The state 

 has a fund, which, in 1821, amounted to 1,858,094 

 . dollars, the interest of which is appropriated to the 

 support of schools. In no part of the world are the 

 common and useful branches of education more gen- 

 erally understood. The inhabitants are distinguished 

 for their habits of industry and sobriety. The present 

 constitution was framed in 1818. The legislature, 

 styled the general assembly, is composed of a senate 

 of twelve members, and a house of representatives, 

 eighty towns sending each two representatives ; the 

 other towns founded since the charter of Charles II., 

 in 1662, send one each. The governor, lieutenant- 

 governor, senators, and representatives, are all cho- 

 sen annually in April. The general assembly has 

 one stated session in each year, on the first Wednes- 

 day in May, and such others as they judge necessary. 

 Judges of the supreme and superior courts hold their 

 offices during good behaviour, but become disquali- 

 fied at the age of seventy. No person is compelled 

 to join, or support, or to be classed or associated with 



* According to a recent account, Connecticut contains 

 41,416 bouses, 2,607,869 acres of land, 1397 mills, 1327 

 utores and shops, 4o2 distilleries, 1211 manufactories, 46 

 fisheries, 33,358 horses, asses, &c., 219,783 neat cattle 

 331,038 sheep, 5048 carriages, &c., 21,369 clocks. 



any congregation, church, or religious association; 

 jut every person may be compelled to pay his pro- 

 portion of the expenses of the society to which he 

 may belong ; yet he may separate himself from the 

 society by leaving a written notice of his wish with 

 the clerk of such society. 



The principal rivers are the Connecticut, Housat- 

 onic, Thames, Farmington, and Naugatuck. The 

 principal harbours are those of New London and 

 ^w Haven. The face of the country is greatly di- 

 versified by mountains, hills, and valleys. There are 

 aut few level tracts, and no considerable mountains. 

 The greatest elevation is a range of small mountains 

 on the west side of Connecticut river, being a con- 

 tinuation of the Green mountains. The hills are 

 generally of moderate size, and occur in quick sue 

 cession, presenting to the traveller an ever-varying 

 prospect. The soil is generally fertile, though inter- 

 mixed with portions that are comparatively thin and 

 barren, and the whole is well watered. It is gen. 

 rally in a state of good cultivation, resembling, in 

 many parts, a well-cultivated garden. The principal 

 productions are Indian corn, 176, wheat in many 

 parts, oats, barley, buck-wheat, flax in large quanti- 

 ses, some hemp, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, pease, 

 beans, &c. Orchards are very numerous, and cider 

 s made for exportation. The state is, however, gen 

 erally better adapted to grazing than to tillage ; and 

 its fine meadows and pastures enable the farmers to 

 feed great numbers of neat cattle, horses, and sheep. 

 The quantity of butter and cheese made annually is 

 great, and of well-known excellence. Beef and pork 

 of superior quality are also abundant. The state is 

 generally laid out in small farms, from 50 to 300 and 

 400 acres. It is intersected by numerous roads, 

 which are generally kept in good repair. Though 

 exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, and to sud- 

 den changes of temperature, the country is very 

 healthful. The north-west winds, which prevail dur- 

 ing the winter, are keen, but the serenity of the sky, 

 during the same season, makes amends, in some de- 

 gree, for the severity of the weather. In the maritime 

 towns, the weather is particularly variable, changing 

 as the wind blows from sea or land : in the inland 

 country, it is less so. The foreign trade of this state 

 is principally with the West Indies ; but its coasting 

 trade is the most considerable. Its exports consist 

 of beef, pork, cattle, horses, mules, butter, cheese, 

 maize, rye, flax-seed, fish, candles, and soap. Almost 

 all the produce of the western part of the state is 

 carried to New York. The manufacturing industry 

 of Connecticut is greater, in proportion to the popu- 

 lation, than that or any other state in the union, ex- 

 cept Rhode Island. The manufactures consist of 

 cotton and woollen goods, tin-ware, iron, gin, glass, 

 paper, snuff, powder, leather, shoes, clocks, buttons, 

 fire-arms, carriages, &c. Mines of different kinds 

 have been found in this state, but, in general, they 

 have not been wrought to any considerable extent, 

 with the exception of iron ore, which abounds in Sa- 

 lisbury and Kent, of an excellent quality, and is also 

 found in other places. There is a lead mine on the 

 Connecticut, two miles from Middletown, which was 

 wrought during the revolutionary war. Copper 

 mines have been discovered and opened in several 

 places, but, having proved unprofitable, they have 

 been neglected. Marble is found in Washington, 

 Milford, Brookfield, and New Milford ; porcelain clay 

 in New Milford and Cornwall ; black lead in New 

 Milford and Marlborough ; cobalt in Chatham ; and 

 excellent free-stone in Chatham, Haddam, and East 

 Hartford. There are several mineral springs, but 

 none of much note, except those of Stafford and Suf- 

 field. The one at Stafford is the most celebrated in 

 New England. 



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