Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/747

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

POKTICI PORTICI, a town of Italy, in the province and 5 m. S. E. of the city of Naples, beauti- fully situated on the gulf of Naples, and on the slope of Mt. Vesuvius near the site of Herculaneum ; pop. about 12,000. The rail- way to Salerno passes through the courtyard of the magnificent palace built toward the middle of the 18th century by Charles III. on the lava of Vesuvius, at the head of the bay, and now belonging to the municipality of Na- ples. Beyond the palace is the village of Re- sina, built upon the tufa and lava which cov- ered Herculaneum. The bay of Portici is one of the finest in Italy. Ribbons are manufac- tured, and there are large fisheries and trade in fruit and wine. PORT JERVIS, a village of Orange co., New York, on the Delaware river at the mouth of the Nevisink, and on the Erie railroad and the Delaware and Hudson canal, 100 m. S. S. W. of Albany, and 60 m. N. W. of New York ; pop. in 1870, 6,377; in 1875, about 8,500. It is at the intersection of the boundary lines of the states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsyl- vania. The scenery is very fine, and attracts many summer visitors. The village contains extensive railroad shops, a number of manu- factories, two national banks, a savings bank, graded public schools, a daily, a tri-weekly, and two weekly newspapers, and six churches. PORTLAND, a city and port of entry, capital of Cumberland co., Maine, the largest city in the state, on an arm of the S. W. side of Cas- co bay, in lat. 43 39' N., Ion. 70 15' W., 63 m. by rail S. S. W. of Augusta, and 108 I PORTLAND 727 m. N. N. E. of Boston; pop. in 1800, 3,704; in 1850, 20,815; in 1860, 26,341; in 1870, 31,413 ; and in 1875, 34,420. The corporation ! includes several small islands in the bay, but the city proper stands on a peninsula, about 3 m. long, with an average breadth of f m., ex- tending easterly into the bay, with the surface rising from the sides and forming an elevated ridge which terminates at its extremities in two considerable hills. The greater part of the city is regularly laid out and well built, prin- cipally of brick, and it is remarkable for the elegance of many of the houses. It is lighted with gas. Many of the streets are lined with elm and other shade trees, and the principal ones are traversed by horse cars. The new cus- tom house, erected at a cost of $485,000, is an elegant granite building, with elaborate marble ornamentation within. The post office is a beautiful structure of white Vermont marble, in the mediaeval Italian style, with an elegant por- tico supported by Corinthian columns. Port- land has 30 churches. The city hall is one of the largest and most elegant public buildings in the country. Its front of olive-colored free- stone, elaborately dressed, is 150 ft. long, and surmounted with an elegant dome 160 ft. high ; the height of the corner towers is 75 ft., and the depth of the building 221 ft. It contains a hall 113 by 80 ft., capable of seating 2,500 persons. It cost about $275,000, and covers an area of 26,155 sq. ft. The Maine charitable mechanic association, incorporated in 1815, has erected a substantial granite and brick build- ing in Congress street, which contains a fine Portland. hall, library, and other rooms, and cost $36,- 000. Its library, intended for the use of mem- bers and apprentices, numbers more than 5,000 volumes. The elevated situation of the city affords fine views of Casco bay with its nu- merous islands, which are favorite summer resorts. Lincoln park, in the central portion of the city, contains about 2 acres. Evergreen cemetery, containing 55 acres, is about 2 m. distant, and there are two cemeteries in the city, the eastern and western. Seven railroads have their termini at Portland, viz. : the Grand