STATEN (stien) ISLAND, N. Y., in the southeastern part of the State, is separated from Long Island by The Narrows and New York Bay, from Manhattan Island by New York Bay, from New Jersey by Kill Von Kull, Newark Bay, Arthur Kill and Staten Island Sound. Staten Island was discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609, and its first settlers were Dutch. It is about 14 miles long and five miles wide. The surface is somewhat hilly along the coast; in some parts there are bluffs. The is land constituted the county of Richmond and had a county government until 1898, when it became a part of New York City under the name of Borough of Richmond. It is chiefly a residential suburb of the Borough of Man hattan, but in the interior are farm lands, and there is considerable manufacturing. Fort Wadsworth, on the east coast, at the entrance to The Narrows, is one of the most important fortifications in the United States. The im proved road system of the island embraces over 200 miles of highways. The police force of New York City has headquarters, detective bureau and four police precincts on Staten Island. The city fire department also affords fire protection to all the larger places on the island. Education is well looked after through
out Staten Island, which has many good private schools, two large high schools, one in Saint George and the other in Tottenville, and 34 public schools. It has, therefore, become one of the favorite residential sections of New York City. The borough is divided into five wards; but the villages which were incorporated before the island became part of New York retain their Federal post-office organizations in dependent of the New York post office. Some of the largest post offices are at Port Richmond, New Brighton, Stapleton, Tompkinsville, Saint George, Tottenville and Rosebank. During the Revolutionary War Staten Island was occu pied by a large body of British soldiers, and their old fortifications form historic landmarks to-day. Pop. about 200,000. Consult Mershon, S. L., 'The Major and the Queen' New York 1915) ; 'Staten Island Illustrated' (New York 1911) ; 'Staten Island and Staten Islanders' (New York) ; 'Historical Guide of the City of New York' (New York).