PORTSMOUTH, N. H., city, one of the county-seats of Rockingham County, on the Piscataqua River near its mouth, and on the Boston and Maine Railroad, 57 miles north of Boston. It was first settled in 1623 by a com pany under the direction of Fernando Gorges, and was under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts until 1679, when New Hampshire became a separate colony. It was incorporated as a town in 1653, when it received the name of Ports mouth, and became a city in 1849. It was the capital of the State for some time, and is now alternately with Concord the seat of the ses sions of the United States District Court of New Hampshire. It is built on a peninsula, and has an excellent harbor, deep, well shel tered and always free from ice; it is the only seaport in the State, yet has practically no foreign commerce, but a considerable coasting trade, particularly in coal. Over 1,000,000 tons of coal are shipped annually to Dover, Concord, Manchester and other inland cities. The harbor is protected by earthworks at Jaffrey's Point and Gerrish's Island. The manufactur ing establishments are important; they include boot and shoe factories, cotton mills and marble works, button works, tanneries, found ries, oil refineries, lumber yards. Shipbuilding was formerly an important industry, and small vessels are still built. The industrial output of the city is valued at $3,000,000 yearly. It has railroad and trolley connection with York Beach, Hampton Beach, and other popular summer resorts; and, in the summer, daily steamboat connection with the Isles of Shoals. It is a quiet city and old-fashioned in appear ance, containing many colonial houses of his toric interest; chief among these are the Went worth house, the Warner house, the Moffatt house, the Pierce mansion and the Langdon house. Other buildings of note are the Saint John's Church, the North Congregational Church, the Federal custom house, the Athe naeum, the Rockingham County courthouse, the Portsmouth Hospital, the three national banks, two savings banks and the trust company. The
latter has a library of over 25,000 volumes, and there is also a public library of 20,000 volumes. The, city contains a Home f or Indigent Women, a Home for Children and other charitable insti tutions. The navy yard, whith is officially known as the Portsmouth navy yard, is situated on an island of the Piscataqua (formerly known as Fernald's Island), within the limits of the township of Kittery, Me. It has large dry docks and in the days of wooden ships many were built here including the Ranger and the Kearsarge. For many years the historic frigate Constitution was kept at this navy yard, until taken to Charleston. In 1898 the Spanish prisoners from Cervera's fleet were brought here and given comfortable quarters on a small island connected with the navy yard island. The treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was negotiated at Portsmouth in the "Peace Build ing,D on Leavey's Island. There are three pub lic parks, Langdon, Haven and Goodwin. There is a statue of General Porter in Haven Park and a Soldiers and Sailors' Monument in 'Good win Park There is also a large public play ground. The city government is vested in a mayor, who holds office for a year, and a legislative council. The police commissioners are appointed by the State. The waterworks are under municipal management. Pop. 11,602. The city claims among her illustrious sons Gov. Bening Wentworth, his nephew, Gov. John Wentworth, Gov. John Langdon, Tobias Lear, the private secretary of George Washington, Benjamin P. Shillaber, James T. Fields, Thomas Bailey Aldrich and Gen. Fitz John Porter.