MAS'SACHU'SETTS. A North Atlantic State of the Amerivan Colon. belonging to the New England group. Except the eastern part, which expands along the ocean front. setts resembles generally. a parallelogram and lies approximately between latitudes 42' and 42' 43' N. It is hounded on the north by the States of Vermont and New Hampshire, on the west by New York. on the south by Connecticut and Ithode Island and the Ocean, and on the east by the Atlantic. Its greatest length is 1St miles; the distance from Cape Ann due west to the New York State line, 138 miles; the extreme width is miles, and the average width in the west 47:34 miles. The total area is 8315 square miles, of which the water surface amounts to 275 square miles. The irregular coast line gives an ocean frontage of nearly 300 miles, excluding the shore lines of the islands and lesser inlets. There arc three great hays: Cape Cod Bay, Alassachn setts Bay, and Buzzard's Bay.
Toeoultarov. The western half of the State has as its distinguishing features the mountain ranges which traverse its western section, the minor valleys between. the general slope eastward to the Connecticut River, and the corresponding ward slope from the opposite side. The eastern section is a rolling and hilly country with a gentle slope to the ocean. From Vermont. the Green Mountains, as a part of the Appalachians. con tinue southward into :Massachusetts, where they lie in two distinct ranges. Those stretch south ward across the whole width of the State, cover ing Berkshire County (whence the naille Berk shire Hills). The 'Taconic range follows the Western border on the boundary line. and east of this range and parallel with it extend the Hoosac Mountains. The Taconic range attains an extreme elevation of 3335 feet in Greylock or Saddle Mountain, near the northern boun dary—the highest elevation in Massachusetts. The altitude falls away slightly to the south, Where Mount Washington or Everett, in the southwest corner of the State, rises to a height of 2624 feet. The Iloosac range has a somewhat regular altitude of 1200 to 1600 feet. reaching its maximum in Spruce 11i11-2588 feet. The Hou satonic Valley has an elevation of 1100 feet at its northern end and falls to sou in, the south. East, of these ranges to the Connecticut the slope is southeast, and is deeply cut by rivers. In the Connecticut Valley the trap ridges, so conspicu ous in the State of Connecticut from Long Island Sound up. are retire-pitted in the centre of the State by Mount Tom, with an altitude of 1214 feet, and Mount Holyoke, 955 feet. wide') rise as isolated peaks above the surrounding low coun try. The country on the eastern side of the Connecticut River is a dissected plateau, with an elevation of about 1100 feet at the middle of the State, the. surface sloping gradually eastward. Upon the old Cretaceous base level, which forms the top of most of the hills, some older hills stand out as monad wicks, the most conspicuous of which is \Va.
chusett Mountain. 21(18 feet in height. In the eastern section the country is gm•nerally level or undulating. This low. sandy land continues sfaitheastward into the Cape Cthl ex tending in time form of an arm bent at the elbow for a distance of 63 miles. 35 miles eastward and a nearly equal distance northward, curv ing slightly westward at the extremity. Near this southern projection of the State lie ninny islands similar in distracter to the Cape Cod peninsula: Martha's Vineyard, the sixteen Eliza. beth Islands, and Nantucket Island. IlvtinotatAmi y. The rivers of Slassat'hnset Is are numerous, hut unimportant for purposes of navigation. The Connecticut traverses the State from north to south. It varies in width from 150 feet to 1000 feet, but its (low is broken Icy falls at various points. On its western side it receives the Deerfield and Westfield. and from the east, River and the Chicopee. Though navi gable for small craft, it is ehietly important for its water power. Between the Taconic and the lloosac mountains flow north and south, respect ively. the Iluosac and Housatonic rivers, the for mer discharging into the Hudson, the latter into Long island Sound. The valleys of the Con necticut and its branches and the Housatonic are noted for their pieturesque scenery. De scending from New llampshire, the Merrimac flows for thirty-five miles through the northeast ern corner of the State, discharging into the At lantic. It is navigable for small craft as far as llaverhill, 15 miles from its mouth, but is val uable especially for its water power. Other rivers important also chiefly for their water power are the Concord. emptying into the Merrimac at Lowell ; the Charles, discharging into Massachu setts Bay at. Boston; and the Blackstone and the Taunton, flowing south into Narragansett Bay. The courses of the rivers are marked by broad Teaches and sudden declines, instead of uniform gradients. Numerous small glacial lakes are scat tered over the State, especially near Cape Cod. Excellent harbors occur at Boston, Lynn, Alarble head, Salem, and Gloucester, and at the mouth of the Merrimac. Boston Harbor is the most impor tant harbor in the State. it has been protected against sanding up by drumlins and pocket beaches, formed outside the harbor, which act as guards to its entrance. South of Boston the in lets are all of the 'hook spit' type, a prominent feature along this part of the coast; but only the harbor of Provincetown is deep enough to accommodate the largest ocean ships. Buzzard's Bay, the third largest indentation of the State, extends thirty miles inland to the west of Cape Cod, and contains New Bedford and Wareham harbors. The former is one of the most important havens in the State.