MIDDLETOWN (ante), a city in s. Connecticut, incorporated 1874; on the Connecti cut Valley railroad and the Boston and New York Air Line, at the terminus of a branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad; pop. '80, 11,731. It is a port of entry, adtuitting to the wharves vessels drawing 9 ft. of water. It is a stopping place for the New York and Hartford steamboats, daily, line. It is built on risiug ground, commanding a fine view of charming environs, and is situated on the w. batik of the Connecticut river, 31 m. above its mouth, directly s. of one of its small branches, and is, oue of the county seats of Middlesex county. It is regularly laid out, with wide streets. at right angles; buildinas principally of brick, and residences, particularly on the hills, having spacious ground's, tastefully ornamented. 3Iain street, in the mercantile quarter, is a wide and level thoroughfare, and High street contains the most fashionable resi dences. The streets are well shaded by trees. It contains a court-house, built of Port land freestone-, 6 hotels, 7 banks-4 national—with an aggregate capital of $969,300, and 3 institutions for savings, having $8,000,000 of deposits. It has a custom-house, 5 news
papers, 15 churches, and a public library. It is the seat of Berkeley divinity school (Episcopal). established in 1854, having a library of 14,000 vols.; also of the Wesleyan university (Methodist), organized 1831, having a library of 25,000 vols., a valuable cabinet, and fine telescope; and has excellent public schools. In the suburbs are the commodious buildin,gs of the state general hospital for the insane, and it has also the state industrial school for girls. In the vicinity are valuable tnineral deposits: feldspar, columbite (very rare), gold, silver, and an abandoned lead-mine opened in revolutionary times. It is 15 m. s. of Hartford and 24 tn. n.e. of New Haven, at au equal distance from New York and Boston. It is the center of an' important trade; has some ship building, and various manufactures—among them britannia ware, silver-plated ware, cotton goods, sewing-machines, rules, chisels, guns, screws, etc. Across the river is the t. of Portland, connected with it by an iron railway bridge of the Boston and New York Air Line.