YORK, NEW, the chief city of the state of New York, and the most populous and commercial town in the United States. It is situate on York Island, at the confluence of Hudson and East rivers, in Lat. 40° 42' 45" N. and 74° 4' W. Long. from Greenwich: or 14' t5" E. from the city of Washington.
The island is essentially primitive, and consists mainly of one formation, gneis. It is about four teen and a-half miles long from N. to S., and vary ing in breadth from half a mile to nearly two miles, comprehending about twenty-one and a-half square miles. The limits of the city and county are the same, and the only legal sub-divisions are the wards, at present fifteen in number. It is se parated on the north from the continental part of the state by Hxrlaein river; from New Jersey on the west by the river Hudson; from Staten Island on the south by the bay or harbour; and by the East river from Long Island.
The city of New York was originally settled by the Dutch, in 1614, and its progress has been, since the revolutionary war, rapid beyond prece dent, in numbers, wealth, commerce and improve ments.
According to the researches of a writert on American antiquities, Henry Hudson arrived at the Island of Manhatten (York Island), called by the natives Manhadoes on the 4th of September 1609, then occupied by a ferocious tribe of Indians; he navigated as high as Albany, and on his return to Holland transferred his right of discovery to the Dutch, who afterwards granted it to their West India Company. The latter, the next year, sent ships to Manhatten, to trade with the natives. In 1614 a fort was built by the Dutch at the south west extremity of the island, and another, called fort Aurania, Orange, where Albany now stands, which was settled before the city of New Amster dam (New York); the latter was most probably not permanently occupied until the year 1619. From this period it remained in possession of the Dutch until the conquest of the colony by the Eng lish in 1664. A few years after, it was granted by Charles II. to his brother James, Duke of York and Albany, and the two principal, indeed the only cities at that time in the colony, were called after his title.
The earliest authentic record extant of the population of this city, is of the date of 1656, when several new streets were laid out, and a plan of the town sent to the city of Amsterdam, for the examination and approval of the directors of the West India Trading Company. At that time the
village by the name of New Amsterdam contained only one hundred and twenty houses, of the hum blest description, and one thousand inhabitants, in cluding the garrison. Several rough engravings of the city, illustrative of its appearance at about this time, and for one hundred years after, are pre served among the records of the New York Histo rical Society. In 1686 the first charter was granted, which was renewed in 1730 with new privileges.
Averaging somewhat more than a tenth part of the entire population of the state.
The most compact part of the city is at its southern extremity, whence it extends on the north side along the course of the Hudson river, about two and three-quarters of a mile, and along the East river, from the southwest angle of the bat tery, three miles; its circuit about eight and a-half miles. The ancient irregularity of the city has been materially corrected by recent improvements; the upper or northern parts have been laid out with systematic regularity. Many of the streets are spacious, running in right lines, and inter sected by others at right angles; in short, the whole of the upper portion of the city is laid out in this manner, and though the spirit of improvement has been active, and at a tremendous expense here, to reduce the site of New York to an entire level, there is a gentle ascent from Hudson and East rivers, and a commanding view of the city is af forded. The most distinguished streets are Broad way, commencing at the Battery, and running north by east nearly three miles, Greenwich street, Wall street, Pearl street, South street, Canal street, Grand street, the Bowery, East Broadway, acc. &o.c. Beside the Battery, a delightful promenade at the lowest or southern portion of the city, there are several open squares which serve the important purposes of ventilation and health, as the Park, Hudson square, Washington square, Hamilton square, Lafayette Place, Union Place, Clinton square. The approach towards the city on the north, has also been made more advantageous by several new roads, denominated avenues, agreeably to a plan of the late Gouverneur Morris and De Witt Clinton.