JERSEY CITY (ante) stands upon a peninsula once known as Paulus Hook, and used for farming purposes for 150 years before the beginning of the present century. In 1802 it contained but 13 inhabitants, living in a single house. In 1804 the legislature of New Jersey granted a charter to the "associates of the Jersey company," who laid out the place into blocks and streets. Commercially considered, it was from the begin ning a dependency of New York, though belonging to another state. In 1820 it had gained so much in population and business that it was incorporated as "the city of Jersey"—a name which is rather an attestation of the commercial aspirations than of the good taste of the corporators. In 1838 it was reincorporated under the name of "Jersey City." It is bounded on the u. by North Bergen, West Hoboken, and lloboken; s. by Bayonne; w. by Newark bay, Hackensack river, and Penhorn creek; and e. by the Hudson river, which separates it from New York. Its length from n. to s. is about 5 m.; its width from e. to w. about 3 miles. It is for the most part regularly laid out, the streets being wide and crossing each other at right angles. It is the county seat of Hudson co., and its chief public buildings are the city hall, the county court-house and jail, and a commodious market. There arc many handsome residences, numerous substantial business structures, excellent school buildings, and a number of tine churches. There are tour small public squares, two of them provided with fountains and adorned with trees, another divided by intersecting streets, and the fourth used for military parades. The increase of population from 29.227 in 1860 to 82,546 in 1870 is accounted for in part by the annexation of the cities of Hudson and Bergen, each of which con tained more than 7,000 inhabitants. In 1872 the township of Greenville was also annexed, with a population of 2,789.. In 1870 the number of families in the city was 16.687; of dwellings, 9,867. Of the total population, 31,835 were of foreign birth, 17,565 being natives of Ireland, 7,151 of Germany, 4,008 of England, and 1176 of Scotland. The Morris canal, which connects the waters of the Delaware with those of the Hudson, has its terminus here. Five lines of railway also approach New York at this point, viz.: time Erie, the Pennsylvania, the Central of New Jersey, the Northern New Jersey, the New Jersey Midland, and the New York and Newark. Commodious and well-appointed steam ferry-boats ply constantly, day and night, between Jersey City and New York, and the work of constructing a tunnel under the Hudson between the two cities has already been begun. The projectors of this enterprise are confident of its complete suc
cess. Horse-cars ply between the different sections of Jersey City, and connect it also with Hoboken, West Hoboken, and Bayonne. The city is not a port of entry but a part of the New York customs district, so that its commerce is not separately returned. The Cunard line of English ocean steamers has its place Of landing for both passengers mid freight at this point, and the immense quantities of coal and iron brought hither by the canal and the railroads create a large business. The manufacturing interests of time city are extensive and important. The principal establishments 'are the United States xvateli manufactory. extensive glass works. crucible works, steel works, zinc works, boiler works, machine-shops, foundries, railroad repair and supply shops, locomotive works, sugar breweries, planing-mills, manufactories of chains and spikes, medals, car-springs, pottery, soap and candles, saleratus, castor and linseed oils, copper articles, jewelry, fireworks, and chemicals, lead pencils, etc. The business of slaughtering animals for the New York market is carried on in the northern part of the city, near the river front, where an abattoir and stock-yards have been provided for the purpose. Jersey City contains 3 national banks, with a capital of $1,150,000, 2 state and 8 savings banks, 4 insurance companies, and a trust company with $200,000 capital. The streets are well paved and sewercd and lighted with gas, and the city is supplied with water from the Passaic river. The arrangements for extinguishing fires are of the most improved kind. The assessed value of property in 1873 was $62,202,138. "The bonded debt in 1874 amounted to over $13,000,000. The public schools are well man aged and of a high character. The number of children of school age (5 to 18 years) in 1873 was 30,758; enrolled in day-schools, 16,762; average attendance, 8,320; number of teachers, 250. of whom 232 were women; value of school property, $674,416. The num ber of private schools was 30, with 5,973 pupils. The principal charitable institutions are the city hospital, the home for aged women, and the children's home. There are 2 daily and 3 weekly newspapers-2 of the latter German. The number of churches is 60, and the principal denominations are Baptists, Congregationalists,_Episeopalians, Metho dists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and Universalists. Pop. '80, 120,728.