Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/255

 CONNECTICUT 251 population. The number of deaths was 8,895, or 1 to every 60*5 of population ; ratio of males to females, 109*9 to 100. Of the total number of deaths, 2,012 resulted from zymotic diseases, 1,088 from diseases of the nervous organs, 1,913 of the respirative, 322 of the circulative, and 389 of the digestive. The face of the country is diversified by hills and valleys, which inter- sect the state from N. to S. and present beau- tiful and constantly varying scenery. The sur- face is rugged ; the several ranges of moun- tains, or rather hills, which traverse the state, are continuations of those found in the states lying northward. The most westerly of these ranges is the Housatonic, which is rather a succession of hills than a continuous range. The Green mountain range, extending from Vermont and Massachusetts, terminates 2 m. N. W. of New Haven. Between this range and the Connecticut river is the Mt. Tom range, terminating at East Rock, a short distance N. E. of New Haven. The Blue hills of South- ington, a part of this range, are 1,000 ft. high, and are said to be the most elevated land in the state. A fourth range on the E. side of the Con- necticut terminates at East Haven. Three ex- tensive valleys extend N. and S. across the state, viz. : the Housatonic in the west, the Connecticut in the centre, and the Quinebaug in the east, all of which contain much fine agricultural land. The valley of the Connec- ticut varies in width from 10 to 16 m. Con- necticut has about 100 m. of seacoast on Long Island sound, from the mouth of the Pawca- tuck river on the southeast to the mouth of the Byram on the south Avest. The sound is 140 m. long and 24 m. wide in its broadest part, and is navigable by the largest ships. The coast is indented by numerous bays which afford excel- lent harbors, the chief of which are at New Lon- don, New Haven, Stonington, Bridgeport, and Saybrook. The first named, capacious, deep, and not liable to be frozen over in winter, is one of the finest harbors in the country. There are other convenient harbors at Mystic, Nian- tic, Clinton, Guilford, Sachem's Head, Bran- ford, Milford, Black Rock, Southport, Sauga- tuck, Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich. Most of the state is drained by three principal rivers, with their branches: the Connecticut in the central, the Housatonic in the western, and the Thames in the eastern part. Besides these, there are various small streams of limit- ed extent, which flow into Long Island sound. Of these the Quinepiack, which rises between Farmington and New Britain and empties into New Haven harbor, is the largest, and the only one which extends half across the state. The Connecticut, the longest river in New England, has a southerly course as far as Middletown, where turning abruptly it flows S. E. to its mouth at Saybrook on Long Island sound. With its branches it drains the central part of the state, including all of Hartford co. except Southington and the S. E. part of Farmington, all of Middlesex co. except Killingworth, the western part of Tolland and the N. E. part of Litchfield co. Vessels drawing 8 ft. of water can ascend to Hartford, 50 m. from the mouth. The only considerable tributary of the Connec- ticut in the state is the Farmington or Tunxis river. This stream has a singular course. Rising in the highlands of Berkshire, Mass., it runs S. E. to the centre of Farmington, then turns N. in a sluggish stream with little fall 15 m. to Tariffville, where it turns S. E., breaks through the trap mountains, and flows into the Connec- ticut at Windsor. The natural outlet of this river is New Haven harbor ; and at a trifling expense the stream might be turned into the Quinepiack river, as a considerable part of its waters were carried to New Haven by the Farmington canal. The E. part of the state is watered by the Thames and its affluents. Its head waters rise in Massachusetts, and its basin embraces all of Windham, most of Tolland, and nearly the whole of New London counties. It takes the name of the Thames at the junction of the Yantic with the Quinebaug at Norwich, to which place or to Allyn's Point it is naviga- ble for steamboats .and small vessels ; and from its mouth to New London it forms the best har- bor in the state. In the view of the first set- tlers, the locality corresponded so well with London in facilities for commerce, that they named the river the Thames and the place New London, looking to a future city, which was in fact the first incorporated in the state. Above Norwich the waters of the Thames take different names. The Shetucket unites with the Quinebaug in the upper part of that town, and the two streams which unite and form the Shetucket are the Willimantic and Hop rivers. Corresponding with the Thames in the eastern is the Housatonic in the western part of the state, which with its main branch, the Nauga- tuck, and their branches, waters all of Litch- field co. except the N. E. towns, the W. half of New Haven co., and the N. and E. part of Fair- field co. The Housatonic is navigable for small vessels to its junction with the Naugatuck at Derby. The whole northern and the larger part of the state is wholly drained by the three large rivers above mentioned. Numer- ous small streams fall directly into Long Island sound, the largest into New Haven harbor. Some of these afford water power for manufac- turing purposes ; and the broad mouths of most of them form numerous harbors along the coast. Considering the general course of the moun- tainous ranges through the state, bearing to the W. of S., there is something peculiar in the S. E. bearing of the principal streams. There is a marked correspondence in the courses of the Housatonic from New Milford to Derby, the Farmington from its entrance into the state to Farmington, and the Willimantic and Shetucket to their entrance into the Thames, and especially the Connecticut from Middle- town into the sound, through an unnatural bed of primitive formation. Several ranges of trap rock pass through the central valley of Con-