ALBANY, (ante), the capital of New York, on the w. bank of the Hudson river, 145 m. n. of NewYork city, in lat. 42' 39' 49' n., and long. 73° 44' 33' w.; pop. '80, 90,713. It was oceuped by the Dutch as a trading-post with the Indians in 1614. Fort Orange was erected in 1623. The settlement was first called Beverwyck, and afterwards Williamstadt. In 1664 it received the name of A. in honor of the duke of York and Albany. It was incorporated as a city in 1686, and became the capital of the state in 1797. In 1806 the corner-stone of the capitol was laid. This building will be removed when the new capi tol, the corner-stone of which was laid in 1871, is finished. The new capitol, built of granite, is 390 ft. by 290, covering more than three acres. It will be one of the largest and most expensive buildings of the kind in the country. The other public buildings belong ing to the state are the state library, containing more than 90,000 volumes and various interesting revolutionary relics; the state hall, accommodating certain departments of the government; the geological hall, containing extensive collections in geology and natural history; and the state normal school. A. has connections with the e. by the Albany and Boston and the Troy and Boston railroads; with the n. and Canada by the Rensselaer and Saratoga; with the w. and s. by the Harlem, Hudson River, and New York Central, and with the s.w. by the Albany and Susquehanna railroads. It has water communi cation with the n. by the Champlain canal, with the w. by the Erie canal, and with the s. by the Hudson river. There are two bridges over the Hudson, built by the Hudson River and New York Central railroads. A. is supplied with water in part from an artificial lake a
few miles w. of the city, and in part with water pumped from the Hudson. The city has a well organized system of public schools, with a well equipped high school at the head. The A. academy is one of the oldest and best academies in the state, and has a building of rare architectural beauty. The normal school, established in 1844, has sent out more than 2000 graduates. The medical college, organized in 1839, has had connected with it 4492 students, of whom 1455 have graduated (1880). The law school was established in 1851, and has been well attended. The Dudley observatory, dedicated in 1856, has a 13-inch equatorial instrument, a meridian circle, numerous meteorological instruments, and a remarkable calculating and printing engine. Both the medical and law schools, at first independent institutions, now in connection with Union college, constitute.Union uni versity. There are forty-seven places of worship: Presbyterian, 9; Roman Catliolie, 7'; Methodist, 6; Baptist, 6; Episcopal, 5; Lutheran, 4; Reformed, 4; Jewish, 3; Friends', 1; Congregational, 1; Universalist, 1. There are two public hospitals. The peniten tiary has always been self-supporting. On the w. side of the city there is a beantiful pub lic park containing 250 acres. The cemetery, 4 m. distant from the city, contains 230 acres. From its numerous railway and water connections A. has become the center of a large amount of business, of which the most important branches are the stove manfac ture and the lumber trade.