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 JERSEY CITY 611 parade ground. The population in 1850, as returned in the census, was 6,856; in 'I860, 29,227; in 1870, 82,546, of whom 705 were colored and 31,835 foreigners, including 17,605 natives of Ireland, 7,151 of Germany, 4,008 of England, and 1,176 of Scotland. The number of families was 16,687; of dwellings, 9,867. The city is an outgrowth of New York, and has been built up by the overflow of its popu- lation ; but the extraordinary ratio of increase is partly due to the absorption of contiguous municipalities. The township of Van Vorst, which had 4,617 inhabitants in 1850, was an- nexed in 1851 ; the cities of Hudson and Ber- gen, with 7,229 and 7,429 inhabitants respec- tively in 1860, were merged in 1870 (before the census); and in 1872 the township of Greenville was annexed. The population of Greenville in 1870 was 2,789, so that the popu- lation at the last census of the city as at pres- ent constituted was 85,335. Jersey City is the terminus of the Morris canal and of six lines of railroad, viz. : the Erie, the Pennsylvania, the Central of New Jersey, the Northern New Jersey, the New Jersey Midland, and the New York and Newark. Besides these, the Morris and Essex division of the Dela- ware, Lackawanna, and Western railroad, which has its terminus at Hoboken, passes through the north part of the city. The ferry boats to New York are commodious and well appointed, and ply every few minutes through- out the day and night. Horse cars run to dif- ferent parts of the city and to Hoboken. Jer- sey City forms part of the New York customs district, and its commerce is not separately re- turned. It is one of the termini of the Cu- nard steamship line between the United States and Great Britain. The immense quantities of coal and iron brought by the canal and rail- roads create an important business. Manufac- turing is extensively carried on, the principal establishments being the United States watch company, large glass works, three crucible works, three steel works, zinc works, three boiler works, a machine shop, three founderies, a foundery and machine shop, three railroad re- pair and supply shops, locomotive works, two sugar refineries, three breweries, two planing mills, and manufactories of chains and spikes, medals, car springs, pottery, soap and candles, saleratus, castor and linseed oil, copper articles, drugs and chemicals, jewelry, fireworks, hy- drants %pd lathes, rubber, oakum, black lead and lead pencils, stove polish, &c. The cruci- bles made here are used exclusively in the mints of Europe as well as of this country. The business of slaughtering live stock for the New York market was formerly carried on very extensively at Communipaw, in the S. part of the city, bordering on New York bay ; but the stock yards have been removed, and an extensive abattoir, with stock yards, has been built in the N. part of the city near the river front, where cattle and sheep are slaugh- tered. This establishment was opened in the spring of 1874; it is connected by a branch with the Pennsylvania railroad, and drains into the river. Hogs are now only slaughtered on the Hackensack meadows beyond the city lim- its. Jersey City contains three national banks with an aggregate capital of $1,150,000, two state banks, eight savings banks, a trust com- pany with $200,000 capital, and four insu- rance companies. It is governed by a may- or and a board of 12 aldermen (two from each district), but the chief functions are exer- cised by the boards of police commissioners (five members), of public works (three), and of fire commissioners (five), chosen by the state legislature, and by the board of finance and taxation (five members), chosen by the board of aldermen. The county board of health has supervision of all contagious diseases. For police purposes the city is divided into five precincts, and the force consists of a chief of police, an inspector, 5 captains, 19 sergeants, and 155 men. The fire department has under its control 10 steam engines, three hand engines, five hook and ladder trucks, and a fire alarm telegraph, and the force consists of a chief en- gineer, an assistant, two district engineers, and 325 men, of whom 91 are permanently em- ployed and 234 required to respond at call. The streets are well paved and sewered, and the city is supplied with gas by two companies, which have a united capital of $1 ,050,000. The water works are at Belleville, on the Passaic river, 6 m. N. "W. of the city. The water is pumped into the receiving reservoir by five engines, whence it is brought in pipes to the distributing reservoir within the city ; another distributing reservoir is in course of construc- tion. These works also supply Hoboken. The assessed value of property in 1871 was $61,330,- 987; in 1872, $68,496,855; in 1873, $62,292,- 138, the decrease being due to the non-assess- ment of railroad property, which under recent laws is exempt. The estimated expenditures for the year ending Nov. 30, 1874, are $1,376,- 480, of which $317,000 ($185,000 for lamps and lights) is on account of the board of public works ; $60,000, of hospital, dispensaries, poor, &c. ; $265,000, of schools; $219,500, of police; $149,430, of fire department ; $228,000, of in- terest; the rest miscellaneous. The bonded debt, April 1, 1874, amounted to $13,082,775, including $422,000 held by the commissioners of the sinking fund, of which $5,286,500 con- sisted of assessment bonds, $4,530,300 of water bonds, and $3,265,975 of general debt. The principal charitable institutions are the city hospital, the home for aged women, and the children's home. There are two young men's Christian associations, a city mission and tract society, and numerous temperance societies, masonic and odd fellows' lodges, &c. The public schools are under the charge of a super- intendent, who is appointed by ths board of education, which consists of 12 members, two being elected from each aldermanic district. According to the report of the superintendent