The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-16
JERSEY A CENTURY AGO
What an Old Book Says Of
Jersey City, Trenton and
Other Cities Of the State.

In a little Newark bookshop a copy of
Morse's Gazetteer" was found the other
day. 1t imports to exhibit in alphabet
cal order a c~ompendious account of the
States, provinces, counties, cities, towns,
villages, rivers, bays, mountains, forts,
Indian tribes etc., on the American
continent and it's appendant islands, par
ticulsrly the West Indies. This book was
the work of Jedidiah Morse, D. D., of
Charleston, Mass, IN 179H, SO that its in
formation is alYnoSt d years
old. The information it contains is
quaint beyond expression, and it really
gives one an excellent idea of how this
country has grown during the present
century, for the comparison between
then" and now" is in ones mind con
stantiy as he reads. Listen TO hat
it has to say concerning New Jersey
THE number of inhabitants is 1874, 1879,
of whom II, 423 are slaves. All varieties
of soil, from the worst to the best kind,
may be found here. The land in the
the farmers feed great numbers of cat
tie for New York and Philadelphia mar
l1ets. The cider made here is said to be
the best in the world" Think of it.
Jersey was known to the outside only
through the excellence of its cider.
Times have changed very much, and
beer has taken the place of the ancient
Places OF LEARNING.
I'm conclusion the Gazetteer says
There are academies at Freehold, Tren-
ton, Hackensack, Orangedale, Elizabeth
town, Burlington and Newark; and gram
mar schools at Springfield, Morristown,
Bordentown and Amboy." -Four gram
MAJ schools in the entire State. 1t is
worth remembering, too, that New Jef-
sey at the close of the last century had
about $1,000 less inhabitants than Newark
has today.
There were in Jersey in 1898 but thirty
n--4L ~ a. Rl~@ yvN-@ fhA no ~ of
postage in force shortly after the Revo-
luton and set down in the old books
For single letters, any c~atance not eX-
ceeding 80 miles, 6 cents; over 30 and
under 60, 8 cents; over 60 and under 100,
10 cents; over 100 and under $50, 12H
cents, over 200 and under $50, II cents;
over go and under $50, 20 cents; over
$50 and under 45o, % cents; over $50, rs
cents.
It is odd to notice that in it's descrip-
ton of towns and cities which in our
day are held famous as much for the
part they played in the war of the Rev
~olution, scarcely any mention Is made Of
their connection with the late war"
Quite a little space is given to Trenton,
of W~ashington's crossing of the Della
ware. The account is as follows:
"Trenton is one of the largest towns in
New Jersey and the metropolis of the
with Lamberton, which joins it OH the
south, contains between 200 and 300
houses and about 1000 Inhabitants; Here
the Legislature stately meets, the Su-
| preme Court sits, and most of the pub
lie offices are kept. The Inhabitants
have lately erected a handsome Court
gon at each end over which is a balils-
trade. Here are also a church for Epis-
copalians, one for the Presbyterians, one
for Methodists, and a Quaker meeting
house. In the neighborhood of this
pleasant town are a number of gentle
| mems sosts. finely situated on the banks
of the Delaware. and ornamented with
PRINCETON COLLEGE.
The Information given concerning
Princeton is worthy of notice. Nassau
produced a great number of eminent
| Scholars, is very pleasantly situated in
the compact part of this town. Here are
about eighty brick dwelling houses ana
a brick Presbyterian church. The col
lege edifce is a handsome stone building
of 1S0y54 feet, four stories high, and
stands on an elevated and healthful spot
and commands an extensive and de-
ightful prospect The establishment in
1896 consisted of a president, who is also
professor of moral philosophy, theology,
natural and revealed; a professor of
mathematics, natural philosophy and
| astronomy; a professor of chymestry
chemistry, and two tutors. The num-
| Der of students is from seventy. to ninety
beides the grammar school. The annual
income of the college at present, by fees
of the students and otherwise, is about
S5,0U0 a year lSeVefal OIL the professors
| now receive each nearly as much as the
entire. income of the college in '9S1. IT
| has besides funds in possession, through
| the extraordinary libcrality of Mr..
| James Leslie, of New York, and Mrs.
| Esther Richards. of Railway, to the
amount of $40, 900 for the education of a
poor and pious youth for the ministry
Of the gospel, and the reversion of an
| estate in Philadelphia for the same pur-
| pose of between $1,000 and $1,500 per an
| mum; a legacy of the late Mr.. Hugh
Hodge, a man of eminent piety. which
is to come to the college at the death OF
| a very worthy and aged widow"
The book also contains more or less
favorable mention of Newark, Paulus
Hook and Bergen, (now Jersey City,,
| Elizabethtown, Orangedale, Brunswick,
| and Railway"