ELIZ'ABETH. \ city and county-seat of Union County. N. J.. 12 miles southwest of New York and 4 miles southwest of Newark; on both sides of the Elizabeth River and on Newark Bay and Staten Island Sound; reached by the New Jersey Central and Pennsylvania railroads, the latter of which traverses the principal section of the city on an immense viaduct of earth and masonry (Nap: New Jersey. D 2). A portion of the city bordering on Staten Sound is known as Elizabethport. Elizabeth is the sub urban home of many New York business men, is laid out with broad and well-graded streets. and has .several small parks and many hand some residences. The port is accessible to small vessels. and receives large quantities of eoai and iroll brought by rail from the Pennsyl vania mines for reshipment. The principal indus trial establishments are sewing-machine works. pump-works, foundries. chemical-works, and a ship-yard. The city has many. points of historical interest. H was settled in 1664 by a
company Irtun Long Island, and was called Elizabethtown. the May 26, 11WS, the first Gen eral Assembly of New Jersey convened here. It was the capital of the Colony from 1755-57. Dur ing the Ilevolution it suffered greatly. It was chartered as the 'Borough of Elizabeth' in 1789, and was incorporated as a town in 1796. It was chartered as a city ill 1855. but is governed by a Is63, which provides for a mayor. elected every two years, and a unicameral city council. Of the IHUllicipal officials, the excise commissioners arc elected by the council; the board 1 If health and sinking fund eommissioners It the executive and emin•il: and the hoard of edneation by the people. The annual income of the city is about i.-N80,000: animal exiPenditure, 770.100. Population. in i S90. 37.761; in 1(100, 52.130. consult Hatfield. Histopy of Elizabe th York. 1868).