WASHINGTON, southeastern county of Maine, bounded by Passamaquoddy bay S.E., Atlantic Ocean S., Hancock county in Maine S.W., Penob scot county N.W., and St Croix river separating it from the British province of New Brunswick E. It is difficult to estimate the true extent, as the county stretches indeffinitely to the northward, but the southern and settled parts occupy a surface ap proaching a square of 50 miles each side; area 2500 square miles. Extending in Lat. from 44° 23' to 45° 20' N., and in Long. from 8° 46' to the eastern side of Manan Island 9° 16' E. The slope shown by the course of the streams is southeast ward; the ocean coast excessively broken by bays and islands of the bays advancing from the west ward.
Dyer's bay separates Hancock from Washington. Pigeon Hill bay receives the small river Nanagua gus. Pleasant bay, a small river of the same name.
Englishman's bay is followed by Machias bay, the latter receiving Machias and East rivers. These bays, in a distance of 40 miles, penetrate the coun try from 10 to 12 miles, and such is the rapid de clivity, that, excessive as is the tide along the coast, the flow does not ascend the short rivers far above the head of the bays.
From :Machias bay the coast inflects from N.E. by E. to and in a distance of SO miles to the mouth of Eastport bay is unbroken by any inlet of consequence. Turning Quoddyhead, in the strait between Great Manan Island and the main shore, Eastport bay opens. This latter is an irregular sheet of water, extending its arms to 10 or 12 miles on every side. One of these arms reach into St
Andrew's bay, or the inner recess of Passamaquod dy bay. Into the head of St Andrew's bay is poured the much celebrated St Croix river, forming the northeastern boundary of the United States on the Atlantic Ocean. The mouth of this river being an important political point, it may be well to observe, geographically, that N. Lat. and Long. 10° E. from W. C., intersect in the southern side of St Andrew's bay, or the estuary of St Croix.
The features of Washington, Maine, are varied by the bays and small islands along the coast, and by internal lakes. At the foot or the lower falls of St Croix, the Schoodic river enters from the west. This stream is the outlet of a chain of lakes called the Schoodic lakes, extending into Penobscot coun ty, and almost touch the Pesadumkeag lakes of the Penobscot river, and thus almost insulate the in habited part of Washington county. Population in 1820 was 12,744; in 1830 it had risen to 21,294.
Machias, the seat of justice, stands on the point between Machias and East rivers, about 10 miles within the outer capes, by post road 143 miles a little N. of E. from Augusta, the capital of the state, and 745 miles N.E. by E. from W. C. It is about 25 miles S. \V. from Eastport. N. Lat. 43', Long. 67° 21' W. from London, and 9° 34' E. from W. C.