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bushels; salt, 24,267,hhds; coal,
1,75S tons, &c. The principal ex-
ports are lumber, fish, beef, pork,
pot and pearl ashes, hay, pota?
toes; &c.
The population has advanced in
a similar ratio; in 1790 it was 2,-
210; 1800,3,704; 1810,7,169; 1820,
8,521; 1830,12,601; 1834,13,289;
and in 1837, 15,637y exclusive of
foreigners.
Portland was connected with Fal-
mouth until 1786, and commonly
went by the name of Falmouth
Neck. In that year it was incorpo-
rated and received its present name.
In 1832 a charter for a city was ob-
tained, and a government, consisting
of a mayor, seven aldermen and
twenty-one common councilmen
was duly organized under it in
April, of the same year.
There are in the city 16 houses
of public worship, many of which
are very-elegant. .There is also in
the city a beautiful court house, a
spacious city hall, and a substantial
stone jail. An athenaeum was
founded here in 1826, embracing a
large reading room and library 5 the
library at this time contains-b.etween
3,000 and 4,000 volumes of well se-
lected books.
The public press is as flourishing
in Portland as in other parts of the
United States. There were pub-
lished in that city, in 1837,3 daily
papers, 2 tri-weekly, 1 semi-week-
ly and 12 weekly, embracing alb
the subjects of politics, literature,
agriculture, religion and morals.
Portland is 110 miles N. N. E.
from Boston, 54 S. W. from Au-
gusta, and 554 from. Washington.
Lat. 43° 39' 26" N., Ion. 70° 20'
30" W.
It is pleasantly situated between
Fore or Casco river, and Back cove.
The location is calculated to exhib-
it the city very favorably on ap-
proaching it from the sea, as the
buildings rise between two hills in
the form of an amphitheatre. On
the site of old fort Sumner is an. |
observatory about 70 feet in height,
commanding a delightful view of
the city, the harbor, the islands in
Casco bay; and, extending north-
west to the elevated peaks of the
White mountains.
The access to Portland by sea is
easy, its harbor spacious and
safe, and rarely obstructed by ice.
It has a water communication with
the country to a distance of nearly
50 miles, by the Cumberland and
Oxford Canal, which was finished
in 1830; and it is the nearest sea-
board market for the rich and beau-
tiful country on the upper waters
of Connecticut .river, through the
Franconia and White mountain pass-
es; and with the White mountains
over a level road to Lancaster in
N. H.
The’rail-road from Boston will
soon reach this place, and a rail-road
from Portland to the upper waters
of the Connecticut is in contempla-
tion.
There are numerous resources
in the interior not yet brought into
activity, which will give t<? this
place continually increasing import-
ance, 'Und reward' the exertions of
its intelligent and enterprising in-
habitants.
Portsmouth, N. H.,
Rockingham co., is the principal
town in the state, and the only sea-
port which it contains. It is situa-
ted in N. lat. 43° 4' 54", W. Ion.
70° 45'. Portsmouth is built on a
beautiful peninsula, on the south
side of the river; and, as seen from
the towers of the steeples, the riv-
er, harbor, points, islands and adja-
cent country, presents a delightful
assemblage of objects. In many
parts of the town are beautiful gar-
dens. It was settled under the aus-
pices of Sir Ferdinando Gorges
and Capt. John Mason, in 1623, and
was incorporated by charter in 1633.
That part of it which lies round
Church hill, extending N. and W.,
was originally called Strawberry |
