one of the United States of North America, bounded on the N. by Massachusetts, W. by New York, S. by Long Island Sound, and E. by Rhode Island. It lies between 41° and 42° 2' N. Lat., and between 71° 40' and 73° 43' W. Long.; is 90 miles in length from E. to W., and from 60 to 70 miles in breadth from N. to S., and has an area of about 4750 square miles.

Its coast is deeply indented by numerous bays and creeks, affording excellent harbours. Of these harbours the best is that of New London, which is spacious, deep, and not liable to be frozen over in winter; next in importance are those of New Haven, Stonington, and Bridgeport. The surface of the state is much diversified by hills and valleys. None of the hills attain an elevation of more than 1000 feet. The principal ranges are spurs of those of Massachusetts, and extend in a southerly direction towards the coast. The Housatonic range enters the state on the N.W., and extends along the Housatonic river to the coast. The Green mountain range terminates at West Rock, 2 miles N.W. of New Haven. Between this and the Connecticut river is the Mount Tom range, which terminates at East Rock a little N.E. by New Haven. On the E. side of the Connecticut is a fourth range which crosses the river at Chatham, and terminates at East Haven.

The state is watered by numerous rivers and streams. Few of the rivers are navigable for more than a short distance from their mouths. The principal is the Connecticut, which rises on the N. border of New Hampshire, and after a course of about 400 miles falls into Long Island Sound between Saybrook and Lyme. Its general direction is S. by W., separating New Hampshire from Vermont, and afterwards passing through the western part of Massachusetts and the central part of Connecticut. Below Middleton it turns to the S.S.E., and continues in that direction to its mouth. It is navigable to Middleton, 30 miles from the sea, for vessels drawing 10 feet, and to Hartford, 20 miles higher, for vessels drawing 8 feet of water. The canals and other improvements recently made to overcome the rapids and falls, have rendered it navigable for small boats as far Connecticut as Well's River, 250 miles above Hartford. The principal tributary of the Connecticut in this state is the Tunxis or Farmington, which rises in the E. slope of the Green mountains in Massachusetts, and flows southward to Farmington, where it abruptly changes its course to the N. On breaking through the trap range of the Talcott mountains, it again takes a southerly direction, and falls into the Connecticut opposite East Windsor. The Housatonic rises in the western part of Massachusetts and enters this state near its N.W. corner, after which it has a S. and S.E. course to the Sound. Its entrance is obstructed by a bar, but there is a sloop navigation for 12 miles. The Thames, formed by the junction of the Quinnebong, Shetucket, and Yantic rivers near Norwich, falls into the Sound at New London.

The mineral wealth of Connecticut is considerable. Iron ore of excellent quality is found abundantly in various parts. The copper mines of Bristol and Plymouth are said to be the most profitable in the United States. According to Professor Silliman, the Bristol vein extends in a southerly direction for more than 30 miles, and if fully worked is capable of affording employment to 30,000 miners. The Plymouth mines are considered to be equally rich. Copper is also found at Granby. Fine marbles of different kinds are abundant, and extensive quarries of freestone exist in the mountain regions, and furnish an excellent building material. Zinc, cobalt, manganese, and plumbago, are also found; and the mineral waters of Stafford have long been celebrated.

The soil for the most part is fertile, but is in general considered to be better suited for grazing than for grain. Some of the river valleys, however, produce very fine crops. The principal valley is that of the Connecticut, a rich agricultural district, varying in breadth from 10 to 16 miles, and extending northward from Middleton for about 30 miles in this state. It has a strong argillaceous loam, varying in different parts from a hard stiff clay to a light sandy loam. The valleys of the Quinnebong and Housatonic are also of great fertility. In the eastern part of the state the prevailing soil is excellent for grasses; in the western are many fertile districts. The north-western is more cold and sterile, but contains some good grazing districts. The farms are chiefly small; and most of the farmers follow some manufacturing occupation during a part of the year. In 1850 there were 22,445 farms, consisting of 1,768,178 acres of improved, and 615,701 acres of unimproved land in the state. The chief productions are wheat, oats, rye, maize, barley, potatoes, peas, beans, tobacco, maple sugar, flax, and wine.

The country is healthy, notwithstanding its being exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, and also to sudden changes of temperature. In winter keen north-west winds prevail; but the serenity of the sky and the dryness of the atmosphere during the same season compensate in some degree for the severity of the weather. Upon the coast, in particular, the wind is exceedingly variable, but the inland country is less subject to this vicissitude.

The following table shows the decennial increase of the population since 1790:

| Year | Whites | Free Colored | Slaves | Total | |------|--------|-------------|-------|-------| | 1790 | 226,681 | 2901 | 2759 | 238,441 | | 1800 | 344,721 | 5339 | 951 | 251,062 | | 1810 | 355,279 | 5423 | 310 | 262,042 | | 1820 | 367,161 | 7944 | 97 | 267,202 | | 1830 | 389,603 | 8047 | 23 | 297,875 | | 1840 | 391,856 | 8105 | 17 | 399,978 | | 1850 | [Males...179,884] | [Females 183,215] | 3829 | 376,792 |

The federal population in 1850 was 370,792, returning 4 members to the house of representatives. The present constitution was framed in 1818, and superseded the previous form of government under the charter granted in 1662 by Charles II. The legislature meets annually on the first Monday of May, alternately at Hartford and New Haven.

The governor exercises the chief executive power, and has Connecti- power to grant reprieves, except in cases of impeachment, but not pardons: he may also veto a bill, but a majority of both houses may pass it again, after which it becomes law.

The judiciary consists of a supreme court, a superior court, county courts, &c. The supreme court consists of a chief and four associate justices, and meets annually in each county. The superior court is held by one judge of the superior court every half year, in each county. County courts are held three times a-year in the several counties by a judge elected annually by the legislature. In 1850 there were 734 churches in the state, with ac- commodation for 307,299 persons. Of these 114 were Baptist churches, 252 Congregational, 101 Episcopal, and 185 Methodist. There were 1656 public schools, with 1787 teachers, and 71,269 pupils; 202 academies and other schools, with 329 teachers, and 6996 pupils; and 4 colleges, with 66 teachers and 738 pupils. This state has a school fund, derived in 1795 from the sale of some lands situated in the north-eastern part of Ohio. The proceeds of this sale constituted a fund, the annual income of which was ap- propriated to the support of common schools. This fund is now estimated to be of the value of $2,049,482; and the dividends from it for the year ending March 1852 amounted to $132,792. The number of common school societies in 1851 was 217; of school districts 1632; and of children between 4 and 16 years of age 94,852. The legislature in 1849 appropriated $10,000 for the establishment of a state normal school. The principal of the normal school is ex officio superintendent of common schools. The number of pupils is limited to 220, to be selected one from each school society; tuition free. The number of pupils in 1850 was 154. Connected with the normal school are Schools of Practice, containing (in 1851) 400 pupils organized into three grades. In 1851 a state reform school was established "for the instruction, employment, and reformation of juvenile offenders." Boys under 16 years of age, convicted of offences punishable by imprisonment, may, at the discretion of the court, be sent to this school, to be kept disciplined, instructed, &c., until they shall either be reformed and dis- charged, or bound out to service by the trustees, or remanded to prison as incorrigible. Yale college at New Haven is one of the oldest, most richly endowed, and most extensively useful institutions of learning in the United States. It was founded in 1701 by the gentleman whose name it bears, and in 1850 had 432 students in the academical depart- ment, 38 in theology, 26 in law, 38 in medicine, and 21 in philosophy and the arts. Trinity college at Hartford is an Episcopal institution, founded in 1824; and in 1850 had 9 professors and 66 students. The Wesleyan university at Middleton was founded in 1831, and in 1850 had 8 profes- sors and 125 students. There is also a theological institu- tion at Hartford in connection with the Congregationalists, having, in 1850, 3 instructors and 17 students. The re- treat for the insane, opened in 1824, at Hartford, contained at 1st April 1851, 157 patients; and during the subsequent year 158 patients were admitted, and 134 discharged, leav- ing at 1st April 1852, 181 patients in the retreat. The American asylum for the deaf and dumb, also at Hartford, was the first institution of the kind in the states, and has been well endowed by individual, state, and federal bounties. The number of pupils, who must on admission be between 8 and 25 years of age, for year ending 1st May 1852, was 207, of whom 118 were males, and 89 females. The state prison at Wethersfield contained, at 1st March 1851, 158 convicts. They receive instruction in the rudiments of learning; and there is a small library for their use. The receipts for the year were $15,083, and the expenditure $10,901. The state in 1850 had 42 public libraries with 38,609 vols.; 4 school libraries, with 6039 vols.; 107 Sun- day-school libraries, with 38,445 vols.; 8 college libraries, with 82,600 vols.; and 3 church libraries, with 625 vols.; being in all 142 libraries, with 165,318 vols. The total number of newspapers and periodicals published in the state in 1850 was 51, of which 30 were political, and 21 religious, scientific, &c.

The manufacturing establishments in the state, producing annually to the value of £5000 and upwards, amounted in 1850 to £3913; of these 128 were cotton factories, 149 woollen mills, and 91 engaged in the manufacture of iron-work.

The remainder include establishments for the manufacture of various kinds of hardware, cutlery, fire-arms, gunpowder, paper, boots, shoes, &c. A considerable part of the manufacturing industry is carried on in small shops not noticed in the census, but which, it is calculated, add one-third to the apparent extent of the manufacturing interest of the state. The foreign commerce is comparatively small. The exports for year ending 30th June 1851 amounted to £434,078, and the imports to £432,994. In the same year 35 vessels of 3414 tons were built in the state. The amount of shipping owned in 1850 was 113,085 tons, of which 31,025 tons were employed in foreign commerce, 11,483 tons in the whale fishery, 5249 in cod fishing, 571 in mackerel fishing, and the remainder chiefly in the coasting trade. The roads are numerous and well kept. In 1853, 591 miles of railway were completed, and 106 miles in course of construction. The total revenue of the state for year ending 31st March 1852, including £26,266 balance of last year, was £176,456, and the expenditure £137,326; the state debt, chiefly contingent, was £91,212.

Connecticut River. See preceding article.