GEOGRAPHY, TRAVEL, ARCHITECTURE 549 



earthernware, etc., are among the more impor- Niagara Falls. The Niagara River, 

 tant products. Large numbers of the sea-board which flows from Lake Erie north into Lake 

 population are employed in the deep-sea fisheries. Ontario, is about thirty-six miles in length; 

 New York City, the commercial metrop- its descent from the level of one lake to that 

 olis of the New World, occupies the whole of of the other is about 334 feet. At the foot of 

 the island of Manhattan lying between Hudson Grand Island, which reaches within one and 

 East rivers, in the southeast corner of the one-half miles of the falls, the river is contracted 

 of New York, and large contiguous areas, to a width of two and one-half miles, and gn>\\> 

 the total area being 327 square miles. The narrower as it proceeds. By this, and by the 

 er City comprises the boroughs of Man- descent in the channel, which is about 'sixty 

 hat tan. Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Rich- feet in the mile, are produced the swift currents 

 mond. Manhattan, or the city proper, is eight- | known as the rapids, in which the river, not- 

 een miles from the Atlantic, with which it is withstanding its great depth, is perpetually 

 : i.y New York Bay. The harbor of white with foam. At the falls, which are t well- 

 York, forming the inner portion of its bay, i ty-two miles from Lake Erie, the river is divided 

 e of the safest and finest commercial natural by an island called Goat Island; but the largest 

 La-ins known, is strongly fortified, and has portion of the water is sent down by the Cana- 

 light houses at its respective entrances. Man- dian side. On this side is the grander cataract, 

 n Island is separated from the mainland which has been named the Horseshoe Fall, and 

 ite by the Harlem River and Spuyten which is about 600 yards in width and 154 feet 

 vel Creek.* Built on a long, narrow, and high. The water rushes over with such force 

 y undulating spit of land, New York, | that it is thrown about fifty feet from the foot 

 rom seaward, presents little that is of the cliff. The separation caused by Goat 

 striking or picturesque to the eye of the spec- Island leaves a large wall of rock between the 

 tator. The city, as seen internally, is char- Canadian and American falls, the latter being 

 acterized by all those salient features of space, again divided by an islet at a short distance 

 development, and architectural attraction, which from Goat Island. This fall is from eight to 

 unite in giving it its metropolitan rank. Broad- ten feet higher than the Horseshoe, but only 

 chief street, and one of the finest about 220 yards wide. The river is crossed by 

 thoroughfares in the world, extends the whole a suspension bridge, and by a ferry about 200 

 length of the city for a distance of six miles, or 300 yards below the falls, where it is 1,200 

 and is lined throughout, on either side, by hand- yards wide. A stratum of rock runs across the 

 some stores and houses. The principal of the direct course of the river, three or four miles 

 'een public squares and parks of New York below, which, after forming a vast circular 

 rural Park, a magnificently and pictur- basin, with an almost impassable whirlpool, is 

 esquely laid-out demesne of 843 acres. Among forced away at right angles to its old channel, 

 the most noticeable buildings are the city hall, The total energy of the falls is calculated at 

 >ck exchange, customhouse, post- 16,000,000 horsepower, and the work of utiliz- 

 office. I'nited States sub-treasury building, the ing this power is the beginning of the nnt 

 an Catholic cathedral of St. Patrick, and j stupendous engineering feat ever undertaken. 

 Trinity and other churches, without particular- j On April 15, 1895, the first large dynamo was 

 i/inir the numerous splendid theaters, hotels, j run at full speed, 250 revolutions per minute, 

 itals, colleges, etc., which serve to com- and proved quite satisfactory. On July l>t. 

 the requirements of a large and wealthy the first electric power transmitted for commer- 

 urhan center. As a manufacturing place, New cial purposes, 4,000 horsepower, was sent to 

 York cirries on various and important indus- an aluminum factory a mile distant. Various 

 embracing the chief articles of fabrication other developments were afterward reported in 

 use required by civilized life. Commor- rapid succession. On January 17, 1896, the 

 ri.tlly. its trade is only surpassed by that of Niagara Falls Power Company accepted a grant 

 Ion and Liverpool; it constitutes the main for the transmission of electric power for hiiht- 

 American emporium and is the entrepot of a ing and power purposes to Buffalo. 

 vast and yearly increasing export and import Nile (Latin, Nilus), a large and celebrated 

 New York, too, besides being the finan- river of Africa, formed l>y the continence of 

 locus of the Union, is the port at which the two branches, the Bahr-el-A/rek. or " Blue 

 hulk of iminiirr:irit> into the United States River" (often called the " Blue Nile " .. and the 

 arrive. After the discovery of the island of Bahr-el-Abiad, or "\\liite River" f \\ hite 

 Manhattan by Hudson in 1609, the Dutch per- Nile"). The first -mentioned arm rise* in A 



:itly settled upon it in 1623, and gave it sinia. and taking a northerly COUI-M- through the 



the name of New Amsterdam. In Ki(i|. it was Lake of Dembea, joins the Hahr-el-Abtad at 



-session of by the KnulMi, who re- Khartoum, after l^ine in some places broken 



christened it l.y its present name. In 1>7:<. ! by cataracts. The real sources of the Nile 



i Mitch retook the city, ami. narnin uiitil recently. supjMVM-d to he in Lakes Victoria 



Id it for a year, when it reverted to Nyanza and All>er overed by the 



tlieir immediate predecessors. In 177(i. during Knirhsh explorer (Jrant and Sp. lutie. 



i the Revolution, New York was occu- 1872, however, intelligence received from 



by British troops from August ; 26th till Livingstone, the famous African explorer, stated 

 - nee that period it arrived within ISO miles of the 



esx-d in sj/,.. wealth, and population, till Chambesi Hi had reason to be- 



it lia> l.ecome the iecood city in tin- world. Heve lav ' 



> (1908), I After the union of the two branches at Khar- 



