WORCESTER, great central county of Massa chusetts, bounded by Chelshire county of New Hampshire N.W., Hillsborough county of New Hampshire N., Middlesex county of Massachusetts N.E. and E., Norfolk county of Massachusetts S.E., and Providence county of Rhode Island, and Windham of Connecticut N. This large county crosses the state from N. Lat. 42° 1' to 42° 42', and extends in Long. from 4° 44' to 5° 30', E. from W. C. The length a little exceeds 47 miles, from south to north. The eastern and western outlines are very irregular, of consequence the mean breadth difficult to determine, but is about 35 miles, and the area about 1650 square miles.
Worcester county of Massachusetts, is a true table land traversed nearly along the middle, and from south to north, by a chain of real though not very elevated mountains. From this central chain Chickapee river flows south-westward, INIiller's river north-west by west. The higher branch of Souhegan north, the north-eastern section, is drain ed to the north-east by the various branches of Nashua river. Blackstone or the higher constitu ents of Pawtucket, bears its waters south-eastward, towards Narragansett bay; and finally, from the south-western section flow the superior confluents of Quinebaug, or the north-eastern constituents of Thames river. The superior elevation of the cen tral plateau is around the town of Worcester, the county seat. For relative elevation of this county
with the Atlantic coast near Boston, and of Con necticut river at the mouth of Westfield river, see Table XV. page 270. art U. S. in this volume.
Worcester exceeds Rhode Island in superficial extent, and in 1830, the former sustained 84,355 inhabitants, or a small fraction above 51 to the square mile. In 1831, this county contained 67 post-offices. Worcester, the seat of justice of this county, stands on the comparatively elevated table land from which issue the higher fountains of Blackstone river, and from which a navigable canal is in progress to unite with Narragansett bay at Providence. This is considered as amongst the finest inland towns of New England, and is especi ally remarkable for extensive business in printing hooks. It possesses numerous other manufactories, one or more learned societies, several places of public worship, and in 1830 a population of 4173. N. Lat. 42° 16', Long. 5° 12' E. from W. C. Ele vation of the cultivated land in the vicinity exceed ing 550 feet above the Atlantic level. Distant 39 miles a little S. of W. from Boston, and 394 miles by post-road N. from W. C. DARBY.