JERSEY, New, one of the thirteen original states of the American union, is bounded on the north and northeast by New York, on the east and south-east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south-west by Delaware Bay, and on the west by Pennsylvania. The extreme length directly' from north to south is one hundred and seventy miles, the mean breadth is about forty-six miles, and the whole state contains an area of 7820 square miles.

The surface of the country presents every variety, but three marked divisions maybe particularised; first, a sandy or marine section; secondly, a hilly or middle section; and, thirdly, a mountainous section. The first occupies . nearly one half of the area of the state. A line from the mouth of Shrewsbury River to Bordentown will very nearly separate the alluvial from the hilly region. Between this limit and the continuation of the blue ridge, the state is beautifully variegated by rich and bold scenery. From the north to the south a succession of mountains, and lesser hills and heights, interspersed with plains, stretch out, each occupying a distinct and well-defined region. The mountainous portion of New Jersey is the extreme northern part of the state, composed of the counties of Warren and [7:12:543]Sussex. The elevation of the different sections has not been very accurately determined, but the higher valleys of the latter county must be from 800 to 1000 feet above the level of the sea. The descent from the mountain to the hilly region is abrupt, as by the steps of a stair. A remarkable difference of temperature is experienced in the space of less than two and a half degrees of latitude. The alluvial plains of the southern section have a mild or rather tropical climate, resembling the eastern part of Virginia, and admit of the cultivation of cotton; whilst in the counties of Sussex and Warren it is more various, and, though salubrious enough, is in general less mild.

The principal internal waters are Second River, Hackinsack, Passaic, Raritan, Musconetcong, Rancocus, Salem, Shrewsbury, Tom’s River, Great Eggharbor, Cohanzey, and Maurice River. None of these rivers are of any great length, though every part of the state abounds in rapid millstreams. A connexion, by means of a canal, between the Hudson and Delaware basins was completed in 1831, at an expense of about 2,000,000 of dollars. The line leaves the Delaware at Phillipsburgh, opposite Easton in Pennsylvania, and is carried over Warren county, New Jersey, ’ to its extreme north-cast angle, about thirty miles; thence eastward through Morris and Essex counties, to the Passaic River, and along the valley of the latter to Newark. From that city it proceeds across Passaic and Hackinsack, and winds through the Bergen Marshes to Jersey city, opposite New York. Inclined planes arc used on this canal instead of locks. During the year 1834 the Delaware and Raritan Rivers were connected by means of a canal from Brunswick to Bordentown, a distance of above thirty miles. This canal is calculated for sloop navigation; and has been constructed at an expense, with its feeder, of 2,500,000 dollars. The principal railroad is the Camden and Amboy, which unites the cities of New York and Philadelphia, crossing the state of New Jersey. It is sixty-one miles in length, and is connected with the Raritan and Delaware Canal. There is likewise a road from the manufacturing village of Patterson to New York, a distance of about sixteen miles; and another in progress (1835) from Jersey city, through Newark and Elizabethtown, to Brunswick.

New Jersey abounds in staples, composed of every product of its fields, woods, mines, fisheries, and manufactories. Some parts of the state are not well adapted to cultivation, being either sandy and barren, or rocky and mountainous; but large portions have a soil of great fertility, well suited to the cultivation of grain, and fitted for grazing; and accordingly vast numbers of cattle are raised for the markets of New York and Philadelphia. Large quantities of butter and cheese, of superior quality, are made; and apples, peaches, and fruits of all kinds, are raised in abundance. The manufactories of New Jersey are extensive and thriving. Iron is probably the most important. Bog ore is found in Burlington and Monmouth, and the mines of the northern counties are exceedingly rich. There are a number of forges and furnaces in active operation in several of the counties, and chain-cables are made at the town of Dover. The towns most engaged in manufactures are Newark and Patterson. The former is noted for the manufacture of leather, and the exercise of various occupations in which it is employed; also for the making of carriages, cabinet ware, and fancy chairs. Patterson is chiefly noted for its manufactures· of cotton, hemp, and machinery. Glass of various kinds, and in large quantities, is made in different counties; and paper and gunpowder are manufactured to some extent. This state is rich in mineral productions. Besides the iron already mentioned, which is abundant, limestone prevails extensively. Marble and zinc are found, and ores of gold and silver have been discovered. Copper mines in Somerset and Bergen counties were wrought previously to the revolution, and extensive veins arc believed to cross the state in a south-westerly direction, from Schuyler mine, near Belleville, to the river Delaware. Marl, well adapted for manuring the arenaceous districts, is found in their vicinage. Clay of superior quality for the arts is obtained in great abundance near South Amboy; and sand, adapted for the manufacture of the finest glass, is found in the county of Cumberland, from which it is conveyed to the principal manufactories of the union.

New Jersey is divided into fourteen counties, Bergen, Morris, Sussex, Warren, Essex, Somerset, Henderson, Middlesex, Burlington, Mónmouth, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May; and these are subdivided into townships. Trenton, the seat of government, is on the Delaware River, at the falls, on the great route between New York and Philadelphia, sixty miles south-west of the former, and thirty north-east of the latter. At the foot of the falls there is an elegant bridge over the Delaware, and that river is navigable for sloops and steam-boats to this place. The latter ply regularly between Trenton and Philadelphia. It is a handsome town, and contains a number of public buildings, amongst which the most conspicuous is the state-house. Trenton contains several respectable manufactories; and, in 1830, the population amounted to 3925. Newark is pleasantly situated on the western bank of the Passaic River, a few miles from its mouth. This is the handsomest town in the state, and contains several public buildings and religious edifices, together with extensive manufactories of different kinds. In this and the adjoining town of Orange there are valuable quarries of stone for building, and numerous tanneries. The population in 1830 amounted to 10,953. New Brunswick is situated on the western bank of the Raritan, thirty-three miles south-west of New York; and steam-boats regularly ply between the two cities. The buildings of New Brunswick, which has a city incorporation, arc thinly distributed over a considerable extent of ground. Besides several public buildings and churches, there is a college and theological seminary. The former was established by the ministers of the Dutch reformed church, for the education of their clergy, and incorporated in 1770. The exercises, which were suspended for several years, were revived ' in 1825, under very favourable auspices. The theological seminary was established in the city in 1810, by the general synod of the Dutch reformed churches, and is to a certain extent connected with the college. In 1830, the population of New Brunswick amounted to 7831, half of whom are of Dutch extraction. Princeton is a pleasant village, eleven miles north-east of Trenton, and sixteen south-west of Brunswick. Here is the college of New Jersey, founded in 1738, and which has always been one of the most respectable and flourishing literary institutions in the country. The college edifice is designated Nassau Hall, and it contains a chapel, with sixty rooms for students. There are also buildings for the library, philosophical apparatus, museum, and other purposes. There are ten instructors, and above one hundred students. There is also a theological seminary at Princeton, connected with which are two professors, one of didactic and polemic theology, and another of ecclesiastical history. The edifice for the accommodation of the institution is an elegant stone building, containing rooms for one hundred students. Elizabethtown is pleasantly situated on Elizabethtown Creek, which empties itself into Staten Island Sound. Vessels of twenty or thirty tons come up to the town, and those of two or three hundred tons to within two miles of the town. A steam-boat plies between the city of New York and Elizabethtown Point. Patterson is situated on the Passaic, near the great falls, in a position much admired for the romantic scenery which surrounds it. It is the chief manufacturing town in the [7:12:544]state, and in 1830 contained a population of 7731. The other towns are not of sufficient importance to demand individual description. They have all, according to their size, the usual number of public edifices and of religious houses.

Great attention to the cause of public education has recently been evinced throughout this state, and measures adopted which promise important results to the cause of universal enlightenment. Previously to the inquiry which was instituted in 1828, the system of instruction was very defective; but efforts have since been made to change this state of things. A school fund, exceeding 250,000 dollars, is managed by trustees under the authority of the legislature, and is steadily increasing; whilst a large portion of its annual income is distributed amongst the several townships, and is applied, augmented by moneys voluntarily raised by the townships, to the support of common schools, and otherwise to extend the means of education over the whole community. With regard to religion, almost every Christian denomination is represented in this state. The Presbyterians have eighty-five churches, eighty-eight ministers, twenty licentiates, and 12,519 communicants; the methodists 10,730 members; the Dutch reformed churches are twenty-eight in number, with as many ministers; the Baptists have thirty-four churches, twenty-one ministers, and 2324 communicants; the Episcopalians twenty ministers; the Friends are numerous; and there are some Congregationalists.

The legislature is composed of two bodies; the legislative council and the general assembly. The former is composed of fourteen members, one being returned from each county; and the latter of fifty members, the counties being represented by different numbers, from one to five. The governor is annually appointed, and, like most of the executive, judicial, and military officers, by the two houses in joint meeting. The judicial powers are, a court of chancery, modelled after that in England, the governor being chancellor; a supreme court of common law jurisdiction over the whole state, with a circuit court for the trial of issues of fact in civil cases in each county; courts of common pleas in the several counties, for the trial of civil causes; orphans’ courts, for matters of testament, administration, and guardianship; and courts with presiding justices of peace, for the trial of small causes. The courts of criminal jurisdiction are, courts of general sessions of the peace, of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery, the supreme court, and the governor and council for the trial of impeachments exhibited by the house of assembly. According to the official documents of 1830, the military force of the state consists of 30,456 infantry, 1810 cavalry, 1886 artillery, 1115 riflemen, and 93 general, brigade, and staff officers, forming in all a body of 35,360 men.

The counties of Salem and Bergen in this state were respectively very early settled by the Swedes and Dutch, the latter people having emigrated from the neighbouring settlement of New York. By a charter dated in 1664, Charles II. granted this province to his brother James duke of York, who, having shortly afterwards granted it to subordinate agents, the English were not tardy in extending the settlement. In 1676, it was separated into two great divisions, East Jersey and West Jersey. Each owned a separate proprietor, w ho held both the rights of the soil and the powers of government; governors being appointed by them for the exercise of the latter, whilst the people were allowed to elect their own representatives. In 1702, the powers of government passed from the hands of the proprietors into those of Queen Anne, and the colony remained attached to the British crown until the declaration of American independence. During this period the governors were nominated by the crown, and the legislature, as before, chosen by the people, but afterwards representing the whole community, and sitting alternately at Burlington and Perth Amboy, then the principal towns of the respective divisions. From the earliest period of its history, New Jersey displayed much zeal and firmness in the cause of civil and religious liberty, and was amongst the earliest to resolve on independence. During the revolutionary conflict, it suffered much from having been the arena where the belligerent hosts frequently contended; and some of the most interesting scenes and the most arduous conflicts took place within its limits. This state has the two large and increasing cities of New York and Philadelphia on its borders; and, viewed in every light, although much smaller than many others in the union, it may be doubted whether it is not the most advantageously situated of any political subdivision in the republic. The population in 1820 was 277,575, and in 1830, 320,779; of these, 2446 were slaves. (it. R. R.)