HILLSBOROUGH.    391

71, or 12 1-3 per cent, or nearly one in every eight lived till eighty
years of age and over. Number died with lung diseases, 166, or
281 per cent. Forty died in the town of Hopkinton, 10 over 80
years; 21 over 70 years and 27 over 50 years of age.

HILLSBOROUGH.

This is the largest and most important county in the State, in
wealth, population, and manufactures. The surface is varied, por-
tions being broken by hills and mountains On the Merrimack,
it is more level. There are no high mountains in the coun-
ty; the mountains in Lyndehorough, Greenfield, Peterborough,
Hancock and Francestown having the greatest altitude.

Rivers and Ponds. It is well watered by numerous streams, the
most important of which are the Merrimack River, passing through
the eastern part of the county, from north to south ; the Contoocock
River, running through the western section, from south to north ;
The Souhegan, passing through the southern portion, from east to
west; the Nashua, coming from Massachusetts, passing through part
of Hollis and Nashua; and the Piscataquog, in the northern sec-
tion, flowing from west to east. These rivers, together with their
tributaries, furnish good water privileges through the county. The
horse water power improved is 18,770, or nearly double that of any
county in the State. There is much good power which still re-
mains unimproved, in all sections of the county. A portion of
Massabesic Lake lies in the eastern section of the county, while
there are considerable ponds in Hancock, Hollis, Brookline, Fran-
cestown, and Amherst.

Boundaries. It contains thirty-one towns, ten of which were in-
corporated in the reign of George II., twelve, in the reign of
George III., and the remainder by the government of New-Hamp-
shire. It is bounded north by Merrimack County, east by Rock-
ingham County, south by Massachusetts, and west by Cheshire and
Sullivan Counties. Area of improved land, 287,451 acres. Incor-
porated March 19, 1771, and received its name from the Earl of
Hillsborough, one of the privy council of George III. Shire towns,
Amherst, Manchester, and Nashua. County Records, kept at
Nashua.

Agrlcidture. Much of the territory is well adapted to the various
crops usually raised in this section of the country. In proportion to
the number of acres cultivated, (with the exception of Grafton and