SAINT JOHN'S (ante), a city in s.e. Newfoundland, 2,000 m. from Liverpool, 1,640 m. from Valentia, Ireland, 900 m. from Quebec, 540 m. from Halifax, Nova Scotia, 65 m. n. of cape Race, 18 m. s. of cape St. Francis. 1,665 m. w. of Galway (the shortest distance between any American and European sea-port); pop. '71. 92,553. At the entrance to the harbor are the narrows, 360 fathoms across outside, 220 yards at the narrowest, measuring from Chain rock to Pancake rock. On the n. side of the narrows is a cliff of sandstone and slate rock, 300 ft. high, and above that towers Signal hill, MO ft. above the level of the sea. On the s. side of the narrows there is a hill 650 ft. high, on which is a light-house called fort Amherst. There were formerly batteries posted on these bills, while it was a garrisoned town. At the narrows there are 12 fathoms of water in the channel, which, however, will admit of the passage of only one vessel at a time. Inside the narrows the harbor widens and expands toward the s.w. It has.90 ft. of water in the center, accessible to vessels of the deepeSt draught, there being no per ceptible tide to interfere. The city is built principally on the n. side of the harbor, on sloping ground admirably situated. The n. and s. sides are connected by a causeway and bridges. The principal street is more than a mile in length, on which the buildings are All of brick or stone, wooden buildings not having been allowed there since the fire of 1846; on other streets the law does not apply. It has substantially built stores, ware houses, and wharves. Cape Spear and fort Amherst lights give guidance to vessels entering the harbor, and in addition 2 red lights are shown from sunset to sunrise on points further back., It has a dry-dock capable of raising vessels of 600 tons, and a marine railway. The average number of vessels entering annually is 1200, having a burden of 250,000 tons, clearances 724, tonnage 195,392. At the foot of the ridge of steep hills on the s. side of the harbor which extend at the same altitude for miles into the interior, are the steam seal-oil factories and store-houses. The Roman Catholic
cathedral stands on the top of the hill above the city 225 ff above the sea, erected at a Cost of $800,000. There is also an Episcopal cathedral costing $120,000. The water sup ply is brought 6 m. from Twenty-mile pond. It is lighted by gas, has 3 banks, and an efficient police force. , It is the seat of St. Bonaventure college, and a theological institu tion for training missionaries, under the direction of the church of England; and has 10 churches and several convents. It has academies under the supervision of differetit denominations; 19 life,-fire, and marine insurance companies, agricultural, horticultural, and fishermen's societies, and many benevolent and charitable organizations. It has a medical society incorporated 1867, the St. John's atheneum, having a library of 5,000 vols., and the library of the St. Joseph's Catholic institute. It has 12 newspapers. Among the conspicuous public buildings are the government-house, the residence of the governor, costing $240,000, the house of assembly, the lunatic asylum 4 m. from the city, the public hospital, market-house, and court-house. It is the seat of government of the island. The city is governed by the legislature. It is a station of the Allan line of European steamers, fortnightly in all months but February, March, and April, when they run monthly. Regular fortnightly lines of steamers ply bete een this place and the principal ports on the coast. It receives the bulk of the imports of the colony, and has an important trade in clothing, fishermen's and hunter's outfits, and provisions. Its capitalists are mostly non-resident. The manufactures are principally ship-bread baked by machinery, nets, iron, boots and shoes, furniture, etc. It has distilleries, block factories,' oil refineries, breweries, and tanneries. .Business connected with the fisheries absorbs general attention; employing steamboats in the place of sailing vessels, export ing seal, cod, oil. Most of the oil is manufactured in the city.