Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/520

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506 NORWALK NORWAY

NORWALK, a town and borough of Fairfield co., Connecticut, on Long Island sound, at the terminus of the Danbury and Norwalk railroad, and on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroad, 60 m. S. W. of Hartford and 43 m. by rail N. E. of New York; pop. of the town in 1860, 7,582; in 1870, 12,119, including about 6,000 in the borough. The town contains five post offices, Norwalk, Rowayton, South Norwalk, West Norwalk, and Winnipauk, and besides the borough includes the city of South Norwalk (pop. 3,000), incorporated in 1870. There are four railroad stations. The Norwalk river empties into the sound at this point, and a horse railroad connects Norwalk bridge and South Norwalk. Vessels drawing six feet of water can reach the up-town wharves at low tide, and freight and passenger steamers make daily trips to New York. Norwalk is especially noted for its trade in oysters. The natural scenery is fine, combining land and water views of much beauty. There are many elegant residences. The town is divided into 11 school districts, and has good public schools, several excellent private schools, and three weekly newspapers. It contains two large felt cloth factories, a fancy cassimere factory, two straw hat factories, a number of large felt hat factories, a shirt factory, iron works, a lock factory, a paper box factory, a manufactory of wrapping paper, a pottery, boot and shoe factories, &c. The borough has an efficient fire department, and fine water works, which also supply Winnipauk, a manufacturing village, which together with the borough and city is supplied with gas. The borough contains two national banks, two savings banks, and a fire insurance company; the city, one national bank, one savings bank, and a fire insurance company. There are 16 churches, of which 6 are in the borough, 4 in the city, and 6 in other parts of the town.—Norwalk was settled about 1640. It was burned by the British, under Gov. Tryon, in July, 1779. It was the scene of a terrible railroad accident in 1853, when an express train plunged into the open draw, and 50 lives were lost. The borough was incorporated in 1836.

NORWALK, a town and the capital of Huron co., Ohio, on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railroad, 95 m. N. by E. of Columbus, and 56 m. by rail W. of Cleveland; pop. in 1870, 4,498. It extends along a sandy ridge, and is built principally on a single street shaded by a double row of maples. The buildings are tastefully constructed. The town is lighted with gas, and has Holly water works. It contains several founderies and machine shops, flouring and saw mills, two national banks, graded public schools, two weekly newspapers, and 12 churches.

NORWAY (Norw. and Dan. Norge; Swed. Norrige), a kingdom of northern Europe, occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian peninsula, and lying between lat. 57° 57′ and 71° 11′ N., and lon. 4° 45′ and 31° 15′ E. It is bounded N. by the Arctic ocean, E. by Russian Lapland and Sweden, S. by the Skager Rack, and W. by the North sea and the Atlantic ocean. Its length is about 1,080 m., its greatest breadth 275 m., and its area 122,279 sq. m. It is divided for political purposes into six stifts or dioceses, named from their chief towns, the area and population of which, according to the government returns of Dec. 1, 1865, are as follows:

STIFTS. Area in
 sq. miles. 
 Population. 



Christiania or Aggerhuus  10,053 448,374
Hamar 19,706 245,422
Christiansand 15,406 328,742
Bergen 14,869 267,354
Drontheim 19,558 256,529
Tromsö 42,687 155,335
 

Total 122,279  1,701,756 

These are subdivided into 20 amts or districts. According to an official calculation, founded on the movement of population, the total population in January, 1873, was estimated at 1,763,000. A new census is to be taken in December, 1875.—The coast line trends generally N. E. and S. W. from the North cape, its northernmost point, to Cape Stadt, whence it runs S. to about lat. 59°, where it turns gradually S. E.; and beyond Lindesnæs (the Naze), its southernmost point, it assumes again a northeasterly course, which it keeps to its junction with Sweden. It is very rugged, being indented by numerous arms of the sea, some of which extend far inland and form many branches. In these bays or fiords is some of the most magnificent scenery in the world, their shores often rising in precipitous cliffs to a height of from 3,000 to 4,000 ft. Many of them are deep and form excellent harbors, but navigation is rendered dangerous by numerous islands, which obstruct their entrances and line the whole coast. The principal fiords are the Varanger, Tana, Laxe, Porsanger, Alten, Kvenang, Lyngen, and Senjen, on the Arctic coast; the West, Folden, Salten, Drontheim, and Molde, on the Atlantic; the Stav, Sogne, Hardanger, Bömmel, and Bukke, on the North sea; and the Christiania, on the coast of the Skager Rack. The islands on the coast number many hundreds, and have an aggregate area of about 8,500 sq. m. The whole number of inhabited isles is 1,160, with an aggregate population of 212,000. Of these, 80 lie off the coast of the Arctic ocean, between the Russian frontier and the Loffoden isles, and have 20,000 inhabitants; the Loffoden and Vesteraalen groups comprise 40, with 30,000 inhabitants, off the Atlantic coast, from the Loffoden isles to Cape Stadt, are 510, with 66,000 inhabitants; off the coast of the North sea, between Capes Stadt and Lindesnæs, are 350, with 72,000 inhabitants; and in the Skager Rack, from the latter cape to the Swedish frontier, are 180, with 23,500 inhabitants. The