Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/500

 486 HARTFORD N. E. of New York, and 95 m. W. S. W. of Boston ; lat. 41 45' 59" N., Ion. 72 40' 45" W. The town extends 5 m. N. and S. and 3 m. E. and W., embracing about 16 sq. m. The city comprises 10 sq. m., and is about 3 m. long from N. to S., with an average breadth of 3 m., the width near the centre, however, being less than 2 m. It is intersected by Park river, which is spanned by 11 bridges, and is bound- ed W. by the N. and S. forks of that stream. A bridge across the Connecticut, 1,000 ft. long, connects it with East Hartford. The city is laid out with considerable regularity, part of the streets running nearly parallel to the river, and others crossing them E. and W. Main street, which extends from N. to S. through the principal portion of the city, is the great thoroughfare, and the seat of the principal re- tail trade. It is broad, and for more than a mile presents an almost unbroken range of brick and stone edifices. On this street are many of the principal public buildings and churches. State and Commerce streets are also the seats of a large and active business. Asylum street, extending W. to the railroad depot, is filled by large brick and freestone edifices, and is the seat of a very extensive and heavy business. In the outskirts are many tasteful and elegant residences ; and the city, as a whole, is exceedingly well built. The state house, erected in 1794, is a handsome Doric edifice containing the legislative apart- ments and several law courts. In the senate chamber is an original painting of Washington New State House at Hartford, Conn. by Stuart. On the E. side of the state house square a building is in course of construction for the accommodation of the post office, Uni- ted States courts, &c., to cost about $300,000. The city hall, in the Grecian style, the state arsenal, the opera house, and the Union rail- road depot, are among the finest of the other public edifices. The city park, embracing 46 acres, is beautifully situated in a bend of Park river, S. of the depot, and contains a fine bronze statue of Bishop Brownell and a statue of Gen. Putnam. Here the new state house, of marble, in the modern Gothic style, is in course of construction (1874). It is to be 300 ft. long by 200 ft. broad in the widest part, and 250 ft. high to the top of the dome, which is 87 ft. above the roof. Besides capacious chambers for the two houses of the legislature, it will contain rooms for the supreme court and the state library. It is to be completed in May, 1876, and will cost about $1,500,000. Besides the state house and city parks, there are two other public squares. Of the seven cemeteries, the most noteworthy is Cedar Hill in the S. W. part of the town, comprising 268 acres. The population of the town has been as follows: in 1790, 4,090; in 1800, 5,347; in 1810, 6,003; in 1820, 6,909; in 1830, 9,789; in 1840, 12,793; in 1850, 17,966; in 1860, 29,- 152; in 1870, 37,743, and of the city 37,180, of whom 10,817 were foreigners. The number of families was 7,427; of dwellings, 6,688. The Connecticut river is open from about the middle of March to the middle of December.