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MASSACHUSETTS. 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



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Point imd the Bonth-'vrestem of the Elizabeth Islands, a chain of 16 

 ■mall islands which stretch in a north-western direction from an elbow 

 of Cape Cod Peninsula to its innermost comer. Buzzard's Bay, is 35 

 miles long, but it lessens in width from 10 miles to 1 mile. The 

 innermost comer is divided from Cape Cod Bay by an isthmus 5 miles 

 in width. This bay is very much indented by small but serviceable 

 bays on both shores ; it is shallow, especially towards its inner part, 

 yet vessels of considerable draught ascend to New Bedford, 16 or 17 

 miles from its entrance. The shores are low and sandy. On the east 

 of Buzzards Bay begins Cape Cod Peninsula, which first stretches 

 from the mainland, a little north of east, 3S miles, varying in width 

 from 3 to 20 miles : it then changes its direction to north and north- 

 west, for about 30 miles, with a mean width of 2^ miles, and termi- 

 nates in Cape Cod. The difference in the rise of the tide, south and 

 north of the peninsula, is remaifcable. In Buzzards Bay and in Nan- 

 tucVet Bay it rises from 8^ to 4 feet, and in Cape Cod Bay to 16 feet. 

 Cape Cod Peninsula incloses the southern portion of a large bay, 

 which is generally called HaaaachuBetta Bay, though that name is now 

 limited to the northern portion of it, and the southern, which is 

 inclosed by the peninsula, is called Barnstable Bay, or Cape Cod Bay. 

 This large bay extends northward to Cape Anne in the form of a 

 parallelogram, 55 miles long from Bouth-south.east to north-north- 

 west, and 26 miles in width. From Cape Cod to Cape Anne it is open 

 44 miles to the Atlantic. It contains the important harbours of 

 Plymouth, Boston, and Salem. North of Cape Anne the shores are 

 somewhat high and rocky. 



South of Cape Cod Peninsnla are the islands of Nantucket and 

 Martha's Vineyard. Nantucket is about 15 miles long, and 4 milea 

 wide, rises to a very moderate height, and is level. Its sandy soil is 

 almost entirely sterile, and the inhabitants live by fishing. It con- 

 stitutes, with some smaller islands adjoining it, a saparate oonnty, 

 liaving a population of 8452 in 1850. Martha's Vineyard is about 16 

 miles long and 8 miles in its greatest brsadth : the snrface is level 

 and the soil sandy, but productive in some places. Together with 

 some smaller islands lying near it, Martha's Vineyard constitutes 

 Duke's County, which in 1860 contained 4540 inhabitant*. The wide 

 1)ay which is inclosed by these islands on the south, and by Cape Cod 

 Peninsula on the north, is called Nantucket Bay. 



The surfiee of Cape Cod Peninsula consists of two inclined plains, 

 which attain some elevation where they meet Between Hyannas 

 Harbour and Barnstable, the highest level is about 80 feet above low- 

 water in Nantucket Bay ; bat on the isthmus which unites the penin- 

 sula to the continent, it is only 40 feet. The soil of this tract is 

 sandy and light, and of an inferior quality, but cultivated with great 

 industry. Much of this peninsula however is quite destitute of vege- 

 tation. The country along the western side of Buzzards Bay and the 

 shores of Mossachawtts Bay is similar in soil. At the back of this 

 level tract is a hilly region/ which in the north-eastem districts extends 

 nearly to the shores of the sea, and westward to the valley of the 

 Connecticut River. Its surface is agreeably diversified by hills and 

 depressions. The soil of the valleys is deep and strong, and cultivated 

 with much care. In this part some hills rise to a oonsidersible 

 elevation, the highest. Mount Wacfauset, attaining 2021 feet. Hills of 

 smaller elevation extend towards the Connecticut River, but they 

 approach the banks of the river only near Northampton and Hadley. 

 North and south of these places the Connecticut runs through a 

 valley from 8 to 3 miles wide, which is covered by an alluvium of 

 great fertility. West of it the country immediately rises into high 

 oilla, which gradually attain the elevation of mountains ; Berkshire, 

 the most western district of the state, being traversed from north to 

 south by two continuous ridges of the Oreen Mountains, called the 

 Hoosic and Taghkannuc ridges, whose more elevated parts are above 

 8000 feet high : the highest point is the Saddle Mountain 3600 feet 

 The valleys of this district have a very fertile soiL 



Bydrography, C'ommnnicatioru. — Massachusetts is in every part well 

 watered ; but the streams are valuable rather for agricultural purposes, 

 and as affording abundant mill-power than for navigation. The 

 western and mountainous region is traversed by the Houtatonie, 

 which rises near the north-western comer of the state, and traverses it 

 by a southern coarse of nearly 50 miles, when it enters Connecticut ; 

 it is a very rapid river and not navigable in Massachusetts. The 

 Cantltcticui enters Massachusetts from New Hampshire, and traverses 

 it by a coune of about 70 miles, including its namerons bends. By 

 means of short oanals carried round its falls it has been rendered navi- 

 gable for the whole of its course in Massachusetts. [Coswecticdt.] 

 No consiHerable river falls into Massachusetts Bay. Charht River, 

 which falls into Boston Harbour, though its whole course does not 

 exceed 30 miles, is navigable for about 8 miles for large boats, the 

 tide flowing up to Dedham. The Merrimac rises in New Hampshire 

 on the western declivities of the WMte Mountains, north of 44' N. lat, 

 and runs nearly due south, 60 miles, when it receives a branch from 

 Winnepiseigee Lake, and then runs for 52 miles 8outh.eouth-east, till 

 it is met by the Nashua River from the south-soath-west Below the 

 junction with the Nashua, the Mecrinuo turns east and then north- 

 east for about 40 miles, when it falls into the AtUntio after a course 

 of more than ISO miles. In its natural state the Merrimac opposed 

 great impediments to navigation, bat by means of short canals carried 

 round the lerenl fiJls and rapids, an tmintermpted navigation has 



been eflFected as far up the river as Concord in New Hampshire. The 

 tide ascends to Haverhill, 18 miles from its mouth. 



The state possesses several canals, but since the introduction of rail- 

 ways they are comparatively little employed for commercial purposes. 

 The waters of some of them have been rendered available for mill- 

 power. The following are the chief canals : there are numerous short 

 ones for improving the navigation of rivers, &c. The Middlesex Canal 

 begins at Charlestown opposite Boston, and terminates at Chelmsford 

 on the Merrimac ; the length is 27 miles. By it the covmtries on both 

 sides of the Merrimac are united with the town of Boston. The 

 Blackstone Canal extends from Worcester (which is about half way 

 between Boston and the Connecticut River) to Providence in Rhode 

 Island, 47 miles, of which 16 miles are in Rhode Island. The Hamp- 

 shire and Hampden Canal, 22 miles long, branches off from the 

 Connecticut River at Northampton, and unites with the Farmingtoa 

 Canal at the southern boundary-line of Massachusetts. 



Massachusetts was the first state in the Union to adopt the railway; 

 and the railway system is still morij complete than in any other state, 

 nearly every place of any importance being now brought into commu- 

 nication with the trading centres of this and the neighbouring states. 

 The whole length of railways in the state at the commencement of 

 1854 was about 1300 miles. Main lines extend through the state 

 from Boston through Worcester to Albany, and to Troy on the Hudson, 

 placing Massachusetts in connection with the great districts of the 

 lakes and the far west Others of equal importance extend from Boston 

 and Worcester through the manufacturing and commercial districts 

 into the states of New Hampshire and Maine. 



Otology, Mineralogy, <tc. — The Qreen Mountain districts of the 

 western part and the Alleghany districts of the eastern side of the 

 state, oomprise rocks of Igneous and Metamorphic formations, includ- 

 ing granite, porphyry, gneiss, slates, primitive marble, serpentine, &a. 

 Extending northwanl from the head of Narragansat Bay is a bed of 

 Upper Carboniferous strata, or coal measures, including a small basin 

 of anthracite coal, which extends into the eastern part of the state of 

 Rhode Island, and is regarded by geologists as " especially remarkable 

 for its geographical position, and the metamorphic phenomena to which 

 it has been subjected at the e|>och of the granitic and porpliyritio 

 emptions that gave birth to the chain of the Alleghany." The valley 

 of the Connecticut River where it crosses this state is occupied by 

 strata of new red-sandstone, with intruded copper trap. The penin- 

 sula of Cape Cod and the conn-cted islands are of tertiary formation. 

 Both miooene and pliocene strata have been identified in the islands 

 of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket 



Massachusetts is not rich in minerals, but abounds in valuable 

 building stones, the working of which forms an important branch of 

 the industry of the state. Iron is the mineral most worked. It is 

 found in varioas parts of the state in the form of bog-iron, and iron 

 pyrites, or snlphuret of iron. Anthracite coal is somewhat extensively 

 obtained west of the Taunton River. Lead mines are worked in tha 

 valley of the Connecticut. Plumbago, found at Worcester and Stock- 

 bridge, is employed in the manufacture of pencils and cmcibles. 

 Some copper is found in the Connecticut valley district. Veins of 

 fibrous gypsum, gypsum in masses, and salt-springs occur in the new 

 red-sandstone district. Kaolin, or porcelain clay, is abundant. Alum 

 is obtained from the white clay of Martha's Vineyard. The granite 

 of Massachusetts is of fine quality; it is largely quarried in many 

 parts of the state, but that obtained in Quiucy and its vicinity, being 

 in great request for public buildings, is exported to every Atlantic port 

 The gneiss also yields an exoeilent building stone. The primary lime- 

 stone of BerksUre affords a white marble, which admits of a fine 

 polish, and has been employed in the constmction of some of the best 

 known buildings in the Union. Serpentine, suitable for ornamental 

 building purposes, is quarried in Middlefield, Westfield, Newbury, and 

 elsewhere. Slate for roofing is obtained in several places. Peat, 

 available for fuel, occurs in many parts where wood is scarce. 



Climate ; Productioiu. — The climate of^assachusetts is less extreme 

 than that of the states lying immediately north of it ; yet it is much 

 colder in winter and warmer in summer than the southern districts of 

 Great Britain, though the difference of latitude amounts to about 9 de- 

 grees. The extremes of temperature are from 20" below to 100° above 

 zero. The annual mean temperature, as taken at the observatory of Har- 

 vard College, deduced from 12 years observations, is 47"24'' Fahr. The 

 winter commences about the middle of December and terminates 

 about the middle of March. During winter snow covers the ground 

 and the rivers are frozen hard enough to betu: loaded waggons. The 

 spring terminates in the middle of May. The summer is hot, and at 

 the solstice the thermometer frequently rises to 77° every day for a 

 month and more ; sometimes it attains in the night 100 ; it some- 

 times descends to 60°, whilst at noon it is 90°. The summer lasts 

 to the beginning of Octolwr, when the weather grows rapidly colder. 

 The prevalent winds are from the north-west and north. The north- 

 west wind prevails, except during the summer, when the wind blows 

 mostly from the south or south-west. The annual quantity of rain 

 amounts to more than 40 inches. 



As Massachusetts was eariy settled a greater portion of its surface 

 is cultivated than in most of the other stat-s, and agriculture has 

 been more improved. The farms generally average from 100 to 200 

 acres. The principal agricultural productions are maize, wheat, oats, 



