Churches.—The strongest denomina tions in the State are the Roman Cath olic, Methodist Episcopal, Regular Bap tist, Prostestant Episcopal, Reformed Jewish, Congregational, Lutheran Gen eral Council, and Lutheran Synodical Conference.
Railways.--The total railway mileage of the State in 1919 wa, about 8,500. The roads having the longest mileage are the New York Central, the Erie, the Delaware and Hudson, and the Le high Valley.
Finances.—The assessed value of real and personal property in the State in 1919 was $12,758,021,934. The direct taxes levied in that year amounted to $13,523,503. The ordinary receipts amounted to $80,408,634, and the ordi nary expenditures to $78,941,313. The excess receipts over the expenditures was $1,492,232.
Charities and Corrections. — Among the most important charitable and cor rectional institutions in the State are the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Bath, Boys' Reformatory at Elmira, House of Refuge at Randalls Island, Institution for Feeble-Minded at Syracuse, Craig Colony for Epileptics at Sonyea, Refor matory for Women at Bedford Hills. The total cost for the support of chari table and correctional institutions in the State is about $3,000,000 annually.
State Government —The governor is elected for a term of two years, and re ceives a salary of $10,000 per annum. Legislative sessions are held annually, commencing on the first Wednesday in January, and the length of the session is unlimited. The Legislature has 51 mem bers in the Senate and 150 in the House. There are 43 Representatives in Con gress. In 1920 the governor was a Demo crat, and the Legislature Republican.
History.--The first explorations of New York were made by Champlain and Henry Hudson in 1609, Champlain coming down from Canada, as far as the lake which bears his name, and Hud son, discovering New York Bay, and sail ing up the Hudson river. The region surrounding the Hudson was claimed by the Dutch who called the place New Netherlands, sending out numerous col onists, who explored the country along the Hudson and Long Island Sound, and founded trading posts at Fort Orange (now Albany), and at New Amsterdam, on Manhattan Island, the latter the present city of New York. The Dutch settlements were invaded by the English from Connecticut, and by the Swedes in Delaware. The E. glish claimed New Netherlands as part of Virginia, priorly discovered by Cabot, and Charles II., in 1664, granted a charter of all the lands lying between the Hudson and the Dela ware to his brother, the Duke of York.
In August of the the same year the whole country passed into the possession of the English, who gave the name of New York to New Amsterdam, and that of Albany to Fort Orange. When the Duke of York ascended the English throne as James II., the government became an appendage to the crown, and was ad ministered by viceroys bearing the title of governor. In 1684 Governor Dongan concluded an offensive and defensive treaty with the Indians; and from that time forward the English became their allies and fast friends. The peace of Ryswick in 1697, terminating the war between England and France, Count Frontenac, the French governor of Can ada at the time, directed his force against the Five Nations. This pro ceeding was frustrated by the English governor of the province, who supported the Indians. The great conflict between England and France to decide the sov ereignty of America broke out in 1754. In 1756, the French destroyed Oswego; and, in the following year, Fort William Henry capitulated to the French, when the English garrison was massacred by the Indian allies of the victors. In 1758 General Abercrombie was defeated at Ticonderoga, and Colonel Bradstreet took Fort Frontenac. In 1759 Niagara sur rendered to General Prideaux and Sir William Johnson, and Ticonderoga and Crown Point were abandoned, leaving no French troops within the limits of the colony. In 1775 the Revolutionary War broke out, and in February, 1776, an American force took possession of New York City, which they held till the de feat at Long Island in August. In 1783 New York City was evacuated by the British. The first constitution of the State was adopted in 1777, and was suc cessively revised in 1801, 1821, 1846, 1877. In 1788 New York adopted the Federal Constitution. The National Gov ernment was first located in New York City, which was the State capital till 1797. During the War of 1812 impor tant events took place on the N. boun dary, along Lake Ontario, the Niagara river, and on Lake Champlain. Slavery was abolished in 1817. Steamboat nav igation was begun on the Hudson in 1807, and in 1825 the Erie Canal was completed from the Lakes to the Hudson. New York took an active part in the Civil War, supplying large numbers of troops to the army. Since the close of the war rapid steps of progress have been made, and the State has attained a position which gives it a fair claim to the title of Empire State.