SUFFOLK, a county in the state of New York, comprising the eastern part of Long Island, bounded by Queen's county W.; Long Island sound N.; and the Atlantic Ocean northeast and east. ' Length from W. to E. 80 miles. The width varies from one to near eighteen miles, but is at a mean of about eight; area 640 square miles. Extending in lat. from 40' 25' to 25' N.; and in long. from 33' to 5° 8' E. from W. C. The general range of this part of Long Island is from NNE. to SSW., and composed of a ridge ex tending in a similar direction with the island, and a slope falling from the ridge towards the Atlantic Ocean. The ridge rises rather abruptly from Long Island Sound, to from one hundred to in some places three hundred feet elevation. The eastern declivity near the base of the ridge also falls rather rapidly, and thence slopes by a more gradual descent to the level of tide water. This plain is followed by a chain of shallow and narrow sounds, which are again suc ceeded by a series of low, long, and narrow sand islets. The sounds are from two or three miles to a quarter of a mile wide, and in no place admitting vessels of more than two or three feet draught. The eastern ex tremity of the island and county is broken into two long points, with an intervening intricate bay. The southern promontory is terminated by Mortaug Point, and the northern by Oyster Pond Point. The north ern, and relatively to the continent, the interior penin sula is about 30 miles long, and is evidently a con tinuation of the central ridge, and is continued in Plumb Island, Gull Island, Fisher's Island, and Stonington Point, outside the bay of Pawcatuck. On
the whole the surface of Suffolk county on Long island may be regarded as level. Soil rather sterile; and much of it wooded with pine timber. The cli mate is, however, more mild and agreeable than that of the continent opposite; and such are the other advantages of position, that as early as 1820 the dis tributive population was 38 to the square mile, nearly the whole county having an aggregate of 24,272.
Though along the Atlantic side of the island the depth of water and want of harbors is very unfavour able for shipping, that is not so much the case on the eastern and western sides,. The gulf which penetrates between Mortaug and Oyster Pond points, called Gardner's to the eastward, and Peconic bay still far ther down the island, affords, beside some of lesser note, the haven and town of Sagg Harbor. This is in deed a very prosperous port of entry, and had in 1820 about 150 dwelling houses, 6000 tons of shipping, two extensive rope walks, three salt works, and 1296 in habitants. N. lat. 41°; long. 4' 38' E. of W. C. By post road 108 miles a little N. of E. from the city of New York, and 26 miles a little W. of S. from New London in Connecticut: Beside Sagg Harbour, and Suffolk, the seat of justice, there are thirty other post offices in Suffolk county.