Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/343

This page needs to be proofread.

NEWPORT NEW SOUTH WALES 331 shire, England, on the right bank of the river Usk, about 5 m. from its mouth, and 20 m. S. W. of Monmouth; pop. in 1871, 27,069. It is largely engaged in ship building, and has several iron founderies, nail works, and manu- factories of anchors, chain cables, &c. There is a dock capable of admitting large vessels. In 1872 there entered the port 2,573 Brit- ish vessels, tonnage 279,159, and 363 foreign vessels, tonnage 91,429; cleared, 8,110 Brit- ish vessels, tonnage 718,063, and 566 foreign vessels, tonnage 179,868. The imports of for- eign and colonial merchandise were valued at 362,245, the exports at 2,233,770 ; the gross amount of customs duties was 51,374. The town is connected with Gloucester and Cardiff by railway, and with Pontypool by railway and the Monmouthshire canal. Of the castle of Newport, which is supposed to have been built by the earl of Gloucester, a son of Henry I., only a square tower and a part of the great hall remain. In 1839 it was the scene of the chartist insurrection for which John Frost and others were found guilty of high treason and transported for life. II. A municipal and par- liamentary borough of Hampshire, England, in the isle of Wight, on the left bank of the river Medina, which is navigable for small vessels, 18 m. S. S. E. of Southampton; pop. in 1871, 8,522. Lace and agricultural implements are manufactured. NEWPORT, Christopher, one of the founders of the colony at Jamestown, Va. He commanded the three vessels which carried out in 1606 the first settlers of that colony, and was one of the council appointed by the king for governing the province. After visiting Powhatan with Capt. John Smith and others, he returned to England in June, 1607. He came back the next year with supplies and 120 emigrants, chiefly goldsmiths and gentlemen, "packed hither," says Smith, "by their friends to es- cape ill destinies." As their object was gold, " there was no talk, no hope, no work, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold ;" and some yellow mica having been discovered near the present site of Richmond, Newport filled his vessels with it under the impression that it was gold, and carried it to England. He sub- sequently returned to Virginia in the fleet con- veying Lord Delaware and the new charter to the colony, but was wrecked in the Bermudas, where they built a vessel with which they reached their destination. Newport's "Dis- coveries in America" was first published in vol. iv. of ArcJicBologia Americana, in 1860. NEW PROVIDENCE, one of the Bahama isl- ands, near the centre of the group, and con- taining Nassau, the seat of government ; pop. about 9,000. It is 17 m. long from E. to W., and 7 m. broad. It was colonized by the Eng- lish in 1629, and twice taken from them by the Spaniards, but finally restored at the peace of 1783. It is more hilly than most of the other islands of the group, has some fertile land, and produces good fruits. NEW ROSS, a parliamentary borough of Ire- land, partly in Wexf ord and partly in Kilkenny county, on the Barrow, 2 m. below its junc- tion with the Nore, 73 m. S. S. W. of Dublin ; pop. in 1871, 6,738. The river, which admits vessels of 600 tons to discharge at the quay at all times of the tide, and those of 800 at high springs, is crossed by an iron bridge, with a draw. The town has a fever hospital, dispen- sary and lying-in hospital, union workhouse, and barracks. Above and below the town is an important salmon fishery, in which more than 800 men are employed. NEWRY, a parliamentary borough and river port of Ireland, on the borders of the counties of Down and Armagh, on the Newry water and canal and the Dublin and Belfast junction railway, 34 m. S. W. of Belfast, and 57 m. N. of Dublin ; pop. in 1871, 14,181. There are two Roman Catholic churches, one of which is the cathedral of St. Patrick, Dromore, two con- vents, and several Protestant churches. The chief manufactures are linen, cotton, iron, beer, and cordage; and there are numerous mills, distilleries, and potteries. Extensive water works have recently been erected. The town exports large quantities of butter, grain, and cattle. Its principal trade is with Liverpool and Glasgow, but it has also some foreign com- merce. The river, which is here crossed by four stone bridges, admits vessels of 600 tons to the town and of 1,000 tons 6 m. below. The imports in 1872 were valued at 368,835, and the exports at 20,180. NEW SOUTH WALES, a British colony occu- pying the S. E. part of Australia, stretching along the S. Pacific ocean from Cape Howe to Point Danger, bounded N. by the colony of Queensland, E. by the Pacific, S. by the colony of Victoria, and W. by the interior territory of the colony of South Australia. It extends between lat. 28 and 37 30' S., and Ion. 141 and 154 E. Its greatest length, E. and W., is about 780 m. ; greatest breadth, N. and S., 620 m. The area, according to an official statement, is 323,437 sq. m. ; according to a planimetric cal- culation, believed to be more correct, 308,560. The population according to the census of April 2, 1871, was 503,981 ; on Jan. 1, 1873, it was officially computed at 539,190. The colony of Queensland, extending from lat. 26 to 30 S., was formerly the Moreton Bay dis- trict of New South Wales, and was separated from the latter colony in June, 1859. In 1873 New South Wales was divided into 118 coun- ties, of which 20, which have been settled a long time, are called the old counties; the others, called the new counties, are principally in the interior. The coast line presents in general bold perpendicular cliffs of sandstone, occasionally interrupted by low sandy beaches, some of which stretch a considerable distance inland, and appear to have been covered by the sea at no very remote period. There are numerous indentations along the shore, some of which form excellent harbors. The most