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Read Ebook: Le marchand de Venise by Shakespeare William Guizot Fran Ois Translator
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Ebook has 700 lines and 27907 words, and 14 pages
Produced by: Tom Cosmas produced from files generously provided on The Internet Archive and placed in the Public Domain.
Transcriber Note
GEOGRAPHY OF NEW JERSEY
Henry Snyder, A.M., Sc.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Jersey City, New Jersey
Table of Contents
Section PAGE EARLY HISTORY i POSITION AND SIZE iv RELIEF iv CLIMATE vii DRAINAGE viii PLANTS AND ANIMALS ix AGRICULTURE xi MINERALS xii TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION xiv RECREATION AND HEALTH xv GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION xvi POPULATION xix CITIES, TOWNS, BOROUGHS, AND VILLAGES xx TABLES xxvii
EARLY HISTORY
The original inhabitants of New Jersey H were Indians of the Delaware tribe, which belonged to the Algonquin family. The early white settlers were of different nationalities,--Dutch, Swedes, English, and French. The geographical names of the state are interesting reminders of the various occupants.
The first exploration of the state was made by Henry Hudson, who, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, sailed for a week in 1609 on the waters of Delaware Bay and Delaware River, which the Dutch called South River, in search of a northwest passage to India. Failing to find it, he sailed north and entered New York Bay and Hudson River, or North River, as it is still called. In 1614 the Dutch founded New Amsterdam, afterwards New York, and, about the same time, established a trading post in what is now Hudson County. Later the Swedes attempted settlements in the southwestern part of the state, but were expelled by the Dutch. The Dutch made settlements at various places, some of which proved to be only temporary. The first permanent settlement in New Jersey was at Bergen, now a part of Jersey City, to which was granted a town form of government, separate from that of New Amsterdam, in 1660.
In 1664 the English took possession of New Netherland--the Dutch Colony including New York and New Jersey, King Charles II granted it to his brother, the Duke of York, who in turn granted that part of it lying between the Hudson and Delaware rivers to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The latter had been governor of the Isle of Jersey, and their new grant was named New Jersey in his honor. Disagreements between Carteret and Berkeley led the latter to sell his interest to other proprietors, among whom afterwards was William Penn. In 1676 the colony was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey by a line running from Little Egg Harbor to the Delaware in the northern part of the state. It is because of this division that the state is still often referred to as "the Jerseys." In 1702 the proprietors surrendered their proprietary rights to the crown. From that time to its independence the whole of New Jersey was under royal government.
Five representatives from New Jersey signed the Declaration of Independence. The position of the state made it "The War Path of the Revolution." Paulus Hook, Springfield, Morristown, Monmouth, Princeton, and Trenton are famous names in Revolutionary history. The troops of the state were in every conflict. In the army of General Wayne, which punished the Indians after the Wyoming massacre, one third were New Jersey soldiers under General Maxwell.
POSITION AND SIZE
New Jersey lies between 73? 55? and 75? 32? west longitude and between 38? 56? and 41? 21? north latitude. Its northernmost point is marked by a rock on the shore of the Delaware River just south of Port Jervis, New York, known as Tri-States Rock. From this point to Cape May the length of the state is 166 miles. Its narrowest part, between Trenton and Raritan Bay, is 335 miles wide. Its widest part, measured on a line extending northwest from Great Egg Inlet, is 57 miles wide.
It is the smallest of the Middle Atlantic states and has an area of 8224 square miles, of which 7514 square miles are land surface and 710 square miles are water surface. It is the forty-fifth of the states in size.
RELIEF
In a general way the surface of New Jersey may be described as mountainous in the northern part, undulating in the middle part, and low and sandy in the southern part. The state is divided into four provinces or zones; namely, the Appalachian zone, the Highlands, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. These zones extend from southwest to northeast.
The Appalachian zone, which consists of Kittatinny Mountain and Kittatinny Valley, extends across the northwestern part of the state from the Delaware River in the vicinity of the Delaware Water Gap to the New York state line. The width of this belt varies from twelve to fourteen miles. The Kittatinny Mountain extends along the Delaware River for thirty miles in the northwestern corner of the state. It extends into Pennsylvania, where it is known as Blue Mountain. The height of this range varies from 1500 feet to 1800 feet. Its highest point and the highest in the state is High Point, which has an elevation of 1804 feet. The Kittatinny Valley is on the southeast side of Kittatinny Mountain and runs parallel with it.
The Appalachian zone, with its rugged surface, extensive forests, and many lakes, is noted for its beautiful scenery, which attracts many summer visitors. The Delaware Water Gap is particularly noted on this account. This is a break in the Kittatinny Mountain through which the Delaware River flows. Because of the rough surface this section of the state is not adapted to agriculture, although on the bottom lands bordering on the streams and in the Kittatinny Valley there are many farms devoted to the raising of crops and to grazing.
The second zone, The Highlands, immediately southeast of the Appalachian zone, extends from the Delaware River into New York. Its southeastern boundary passes near Morristown and Boonton. This zone is from ten to twenty miles wide. Its height generally varies from 900 feet to 1400 feet. Hamburg Mountain and Wawayanda Mountain reach an altitude of 1469 feet. The Highlands, as well as the Appalachian zone, belong to the Appalachian region, but in New Jersey the term "Appalachian" is applied only to the region consisting of Kittatinny Mountain and Valley.
The Highlands contain many irregular mountain masses, interspersed with fertile valleys, and much forest land. The zone contains, besides, many lakes, most of which are of glacial origin. The section is consequently one of great natural beauty, and is a popular resort for many who desire out-door recreation. There is much fertile farm land and land suitable for grazing. Parts of it are specially suitable for the raising of peaches and other fruits. It contains many valuable mineral deposits, including gravel, cement rock, zinc, and iron.
Next to the Highlands and parallel with it is the Piedmont Plateau. This extends from the Delaware River to the northeast corner of the state and is about thirty miles wide. Its southeastern boundary is a line running from Trenton to Woodbridge in Middlesex County, which represents in this state the Fall Line . It comprises about one fifth of the area of the state. Its elevation varies from sea level to about 900 feet.
The Piedmont Plateau is characterized by the presence of red sandstone and shale. Its surface is very irregular. In its eastern part it is undulating or rolling. In the western, it contains higher lands which may be called plateaus. It contains also irregular ridges such as the Watchung Mountains, the Palisades, and the mountains in Hunterdon County. The Watchung Mountains and the Palisades are composed of trap rock, which in a molten condition was forced up through overlying rock strata. The eastern sides of these trap ridges are steep slopes. The underlying sandstone has been worn away while the harder trap rock has resisted erosion.
The Falls of the Passaic River at Paterson are located in this section. These falls, which are seventy feet high, were formed by the water passing over the hard trap rock and wearing away the softer rock below.
Because of the nearness of the Piedmont Plateau to the great commercial centers of the country and the excellent facilities for transportation, most of the larger cities of the state are located in this zone.
The fourth zone, the Coastal Plain, includes the remainder of the state south and east of the Fall Line. The land of this zone is highest in the interior along a range of elevations extending from Atlantic Highlands in the northeast to Mount Holly in the southwest, and slopes outward from these elevations towards the margins of the zone. The greatest elevation is 390 feet, which is found in Monmouth County. About three fourths of this portion of the state has an elevation of less than 100 feet and about one third has an elevation of less than 50 feet. The Coastal Plain is bordered along Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Coast by salt marshes, or tidal marshes, often called salt meadows, whose elevation above sea level is rarely as much as four feet. The total area of these marshes, including those of the valley of the Hackensack River, is almost 660 square miles. Along the Atlantic coast the marshes are separated from the ocean by beaches. These are low ridges of sand, constructed in the shallow water by the action of the waves and wind. These beaches are absent along the shore of Delaware Bay and along the coast from Manasquan to Monmouth Beach. The water between the beaches and the mainland is shallow and is becoming more shallow because of the deposit of sediment which is washed down from the land by streams.
Although the coast line of the state along the Atlantic is 120 miles long, there are no good harbors on this line, because of the barrier beaches and the shallowness of the water between the beaches and the mainland.
The northern fourth of New Jersey was covered by ice during the Glacial Period . It therefore contains many moraines, or deposits of material carried along by the glacier. These deposits consist of clay, sand, gravel, and bowlders. In some places they take the form of hills or ridges, in others they are spread out as level sheets. Some valleys are partly filled by them. Many lakes in the northern part of the state occupy basins which were scooped out by the glacier, or were formed from river valleys whose outlets were blocked by glacial deposits. The terminal moraine which marks the southern limit of the glacier extends from Belvidere, through Morristown, to Perth Amboy. As the ice passed over the hard rocks of the mountains it polished their surfaces, and left in them scratches, which indicate the general southward movement of the glacier.
The Coastal Plain was once beneath the ocean and was part of the continental shelf which extends along the Atlantic. The ancient shore is now the Fall Line.
CLIMATE
The climate of New Jersey is milder and less subject to extreme fluctuation than that of the interior states in the same latitude, because it extends along the ocean . The average annual temperature of New Jersey is 51.5?. The average annual temperature of the extreme northern part is 5? lower than that of the extreme southern end of the state. The lower temperature of the northern part of the state is due to the higher latitude, its distance from the ocean, and its greater altitude.
The prevailing winds are from the west and northwest. New Jersey is in the track of storms, which cross the continent from the west. The south and east winds blowing from the ocean toward the storm centers bring with them much moisture and insure the state an ample rainfall. Local showers or thunderstorms which move from the west or northwest are frequent in the spring and summer months. In the summer time all along the coast the benefit of sea breezes is felt .
The rainfall is sufficient for all kinds of crops which can be grown in the state. It is greatest in the northeasteur, mes bons seigneurs.
BASSANIO.--Dites-moi tous deux, mes bons seigneurs, quand rirons-nous? R?pondez: quand? Vous devenez excessivement rares. Cela durera-t-il?
SALARINO.--Nous nous ferons un plaisir de prendre votre temps.
LORENZO.--Seigneur Bassanio, puisque vous voil? avec Antonio, nous allons vous laisser ensemble. Mais ? l'heure du d?ner, souvenez-vous, je vous prie, du lieu de notre rendez-vous.
BASSANIO.--Je n'y manquerai pas.
GRATIANO.--Vous n'avez pas bon visage, seigneur Antonio. Tenez, vous avez trop d'affaires en ce monde; c'est en perdre les avantages que de les acheter par trop de soins. Vous ?tes ?tonnamment chang?; croyez-moi.
ANTONIO.--Je prends le monde pour ce qu'il est, Gratiano: un th??tre o? chacun doit jouer son r?le; le mien est d'?tre triste.
GRATIANO.--Le mien sera donc celui du fou. Que les rides de la vieillesse viennent au milieu de la joie et du rire, que le vin ?chauffe, s'il le faut, mon foie, mais que d'affaiblissants soupirs ne viennent point glacer mon coeur. Pourquoi un homme qui a du sang chaud dans les veines demeurerait-il immobile comme son grand-p?re taill? en alb?tre? pourquoi dormir quand on veille, et se donner la jaunisse ? force de mauvaise humeur? Je te le dirai, Antonio; je t'aime, et c'est mon amiti? qui parle; il y a une esp?ce de gens dont le visage se boursoufle au dehors et s'enveloppe comme l'eau dormante d'un ?tang, et qui se tiennent dans une immobilit? volontaire pour se parer d'une r?putation de sagesse, de gravit?, de profondeur d'esprit, et qui semblent vous dire: <
GRATIANO.--C'est bon, tiens-moi encore compagnie deux ans, et tu ne conna?tras plus le son de ta voix.
ANTONIO.--Adieu, il me rendrait bavard.
GRATIANO.--Tant mieux, ma foi, car le silence ne convient qu'? une langue de boeuf fum?, et ? une fille qui n'est pas de d?faite.
ANTONIO.--Est-ce l? dire quelque chose?
BASSANIO.--Gratiano est l'homme de Venise qui d?bite le plus de riens. Ce qu'il y a de bon dans tous ses discours est comme deux grains de bl? cach?s dans deux boisseaux de son. On les cherche un jour entier avant de les trouver, et quand on les a, ils ne valent pas la peine qu'on a prise.
ANTONIO.--Fort bien. Dites-moi: quelle est donc cette dame aupr?s de laquelle vous avez jur? de faire un secret p?lerinage, et que vous m'avez promis de me nommer aujourd'hui?
BASSANIO.--Vous n'ignorez pas, Antonio, dans quel d?labrement j'ai mis mes affaires, en voulant faire une plus haute figure que ne pouvait me le permettre longtemps ma m?diocre fortune; je ne m'afflige pas maintenant d'?tre priv? des moyens de soutenir ce noble ?tat; mais mon premier souci est de me tirer avec honneur des dettes consid?rables que j'ai contract?es par un peu trop de prodigalit?. C'est ? vous, Antonio, que je dois le plus, tant en argent qu'en amiti?; et c'est de votre amiti? que j'attends avec confiance les moyens d'accomplir tous mes desseins, et les plans que je forme pour payer tout ce que je dois.
ANTONIO.--Je vous prie, mon cher Bassanio, de me les faire conna?tre; et, s'ils se renferment comme vous le faites vous-m?me dans les limites de l'honneur, soyez s?r que ma bourse, ma personne et tout ce que j'ai de ressources en ce monde sont ? votre service.
BASSANIO.--Lorsque j'?tais ?colier, d?s que j'avais perdu une de mes fl?ches, j'en d?cochais une autre dans la m?me direction, mettant plus d'attention ? suivre son vol, afin de retrouver l'autre; et, en risquant de perdre les deux, je les retrouvais toutes deux. Je vous cite cet exemple de mon enfance, parce que je vais vous parler le langage de la candeur. Je vous dois beaucoup: et comme il arrive ? un jeune homme livr? ? ses fantaisies, ce que je vous dois est perdu. Mais si vous voulez risquer une autre fl?che du m?me c?t? o? vous avez lanc? la premi?re, je ne doute pas que, par ma vigilance ? observer sa chute, je ne retrouve les deux, ou du moins que je ne vous rapporte celle que vous aurez hasard?e la derni?re, en demeurant avec reconnaissance votre d?biteur pour l'autre.
ANTONIO.--Vous me connaissez; c'est donc perdre le temps que de tourner ainsi autour de mon amiti? par des circonlocutions. Vous me faites certainement plus de tort en doutant de mes sentiments, que si vous aviez dissip? tout ce que je poss?de. Dites-moi donc ce qu'il faut que je fasse pour vous, et tout ce que vous me croyez possible; je suis pr?t ? le faire: parlez donc.
BASSANIO.--Il est dans Belmont une riche h?riti?re; elle est belle, plus belle que ce mot, et dou?e de rares vertus. J'ai quelquefois re?u de ses yeux de doux messages muets. Son nom est Portia. Elle n'est pas moins estim?e que la fille de Caton, la Portia de Brutus. L'univers entier conna?t son m?rite; car les quatre vents lui am?nent de toutes les c?tes d'illustres adorateurs. Ses cheveux, dor?s comme les rayons du soleil, tombent en boucles sur ses tempes comme une toison d'or: ce qui fait de sa demeure de Belmont un rivage de Colchos, o? plus d'un Jason se rend pour la conqu?rir: ? mon Antonio, si j'avais seulement le moyen d'entrer en concurrence avec eux, j'ai dans mon ?me de tels pr?sages de succ?s, qu'il est hors de doute que je l'emporterais.
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