Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/396

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388 CHESTER riages and wagons, 14 of brick, 5 of cotton goods, 6 of hubs and wagon material, 13 of iron, 1 of nails and spikes, 8 of iron castings, 19 of lime, 5 of machinery, 26 of paper, 10 of woollen goods, 7 wool-carding and cloth-dressing es- tablishments, 99 flour mills, 6 tanneries, and 23 s:iw mills. Capital, West Chester. II. A N. county of South Carolina, bounded E. by the Catawba, and W. by Broad river ; area, 570 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 18,805, of whom 12,- 513 were colored. The surface is uneven, but the soil is fertile. The Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta, and the King's Mountain rail- roads traverse it. The chief productions in 1870 were 32,210 bushels of wheat, 169,379 of Indian corn, 22,496 of oats, 13,464 of sweet potatoes, and 7,042 bales of cotton. There were 1,292 horses, 1,781 mules and asses, 2,550 milch cows, 2,085 other cattle, 1,933 sheep, and 6,856 swine. Capital, Chesterville. CHESTER, a city of Delaware co., Penn., situated on the Delaware river and on the Philadelphia and Wilmington railroad, 10 m. S. W. of Philadelphia ; pop. in 1870, 9,485. It is the oldest town in the state, having been settled by the Swedes in 1643, and was origi- nally called Upland. The provisional assem- bly was held here under the government of William Penn in 1682. It was the county seat of Chester co. until Delaware co. was organ- ized in 1789. In 1871 there were 23 schools, of which 2 were high schools, 26 teachers, and 465 male and 464 female pupils in attendance. Three weekly newspapers are published. CHESTER, an episcopal city, port, and parlia- mentary and municipal borough of England, cap- ital of Cheshire, and a county in itself, situated on the Dee, 17 m. S. S. E. of Liverpool, and 164 m. N. W. of London ; pop. in 1871, 35,- 701. It was a Roman station called Deva or Deva Castra; was known to the Britons as Caer Lleonvawr, and by the Saxons was styled Legancester or Legecester. It stands on a high rock, nearly encompassed by the Dee, and is surrounded by walla and towers, the substructure of which is probably Roman, while the upper portion dates from the time of Edward I. These walls are in excellent preser- vation, and are thought to be the most perfect remains of ancient fortification in England. They are from 5 to 8 ft. thick, and on their summit is a walk with parapets, from which may be obtained extensive and beautiful views. The space which they enclose is a parallelo- gram, planned like the Roman camps, with a gateway in the middle of each side, and two main streets intersecting at right angles in the centre of the town. These are remarkable for being sunk far below the lowest inhabited por- tions of the houses, and below the footways, which are within piazzas called rows. The latter consist of broad paved walks underneath the second floors of the houses, with balustrades in front, and shops on the inner side. There are stairways at intervals leading down to the road. The side streets run at right angles. A supply of water is obtained from the Dee. The town contains many curious wooden dwelling houses of venerable age, perhaps the most inte- resting of which is Stanley house, a very ancient Watergate Row, Chester. three-gabled building, ornamented with elabo- rate carving. It is now occupied by the Ches- ter archroological society. A round tower con- nected with the city walls bears an inscription stating that from its summit King Charles be- held the defeat of his army on Rowton Moor in 1645. In Bridge street are a Roman hypo- caustum and sweating chamber in remarkably Stanley House, Chester. good preservation. The castle, originally built by Hugh Lupus, earl of Chester, and governor of the province under William the Conqueror, i has been almost wholly reconstructed in mod-