BELKNAP.    385

year, twenty-five weeks; value of school houses and lots, $ 238,375 ;
annual amount appropriated for school purposes, $ 54,327.80 ; av-
erage amount to each scholar, $ 8.08.

Railroads. With the exception of Strafford, nearly every town
in the county is visited by railroad cars. The Boston and Maine
runs from Durham to Berwick in Maine ; Great Falls and Conway,
from Maine line to Wakefield; Cocheco, from Dover to New Dur-
ham ; and Portsmouth and Dover Railroad, from Piscataqua River
to Dover city; Nashua and Rochester, from Lee to Rochester.
Total length of railroads in the county is about 79 miles.

Miscellaneous. Total population of the county, 30,243—males,
14,448, females, 15,795; foreign, 3,885’,* colored, 44. Criminals
convicted—white, native, 125, foreign, 180; paupers—native, 195,
foreign, 95 ; expense for the year, $ 18,973. Whole number of
deaths for the year 1870, 307 ;—males, 151, females, 153 ; number
died at eighty years of age and over, 26 or 81 per cent.; number
died with lung disease, 67, or 22 per cent.

BELKNAP.

This county was originally a part of Strafford county, and was
incorporated December 22,1840. The surface is broken by moun-
tains, hills, valleys and lakes, producing some beautiful scenery.
The soil is good, and is well adapted to grazing, and the various
kinds of productions, common to the latitude. Gilmanton Moun-
tain is the principal elevation.

Lakes, Bays and Rivers. The north-eastern portion of the coun-
ty is watered bv Winnipiseogee Lake, and Alton Bay, an arm of
the lake extending about six miles into Alton. Winnipiseogee
River is the principal stream, and furnishes some of the best water
power in the State. The horse water power is 2,899.

Boundaries. North by Carroll County and Lake Winnipiseo-
gee, east by Strafford County, south-west by Merrimack County,
and west by Grafton County. Area, of improved land, 155,421
acres.

Towns. There are eleven towns, of which two were incorporated
in the reign of George I., two in the reign of George III., and seven
by the State government.

The county was named in honor of Dr. Belknap, the Historian
of New-Hampshire. Shire town, Gilford.

Agriculture. There are annually raised 20,000 bushels of wheat.