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NEWPORT

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 535 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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NEWPORT , a See also:

city, a See also:port of entry and the See also:county-seat of Newport county, Rhode See also:Island, U.S.A., occupying the See also:southern portion of the island of Rhode Island at the entrance to See also:Narragansett See also:Bay, about 30 M. S. by E. of See also:Providence, about 71 M. S. by W. of See also:Boston and about 165 m. E.N.E. of New See also:York. Pop. (1905 See also:state See also:census) 25,039, of whom 6111 were See also:foreign-See also:born, 2J90 being born in See also:Ireland; (1910 U.S. census) 27,149. It is served by the Newport & Wickford Railroad and See also:Steam-See also:boat See also:Line, which connects with the New York, New Haven & See also:Hartford railway at Wickford Junction; by See also:ferry to See also:Bristol, and by steamboats to Providence, Fall See also:River and New York. The broken See also:water-front of the island, about 17 M. See also:long, is partly rocky and partly made up of sandy beaches. From the See also:harbour on the See also:south-See also:west the See also:land rises to a gently See also:rolling See also:plateau with maximum elevations of about 250 ft. The See also:climate is notably mild and equable throughout the greater See also:part of the See also:year. In the newer parts of the city there are many magnificent estates of summer residents; and in the " Old See also:Town," the greater part of which is See also:close to the harbour, and extending up the hillside, are many 18th-See also:century houses and See also:Thames See also:Street, its See also:principal business thoroughfare, only 20 ft. wide. Near the' See also:northern end of Thames Street, See also:Washington Square or the See also:Parade, connects with Broadway, which extends northward and is the principal thoroughfare through a large residential See also:district of the permanent inhabitants.

From the Parade, also, Touro Street extends eastward to the upper end• of Bellevue See also:

Avenue, the principal street, which extends southward to the ocean. There Bellevue Avenue connects with the southern end of the Cliff Walk, which for about 3 M. winds along the cliffs on the eastern See also:coast of the island. See also:North of the walk is the smooth, hard See also:Easton's See also:Beach, frequented for See also:sea-bathing. South of the Cliff Walk is See also:Bailey's Beach, a private bathing-beach; at its western end is the Spouting See also:Rock, through an opening in which the water, during violent south-See also:east See also:gales, has been thrown to a height of about 50 ft. Ocean Drive, about 9 M. long, encircles the south-western See also:peninsula. Beyond Easton's Beach, in the town of See also:Middletown, is Sachuest, or Second, Beach, with a heavier surf, and here is a fissure in the rocks, 150 ft. long and 50 ft. deep, and 8-14 ft. wide, known as See also:Purgatory. North of Sachuest Beach are the picturesque See also:Paradise Rocks and the See also:Hanging Rocks. At the See also:head of the Parade stands the old State See also:House (used when Newport was one of the capitals of Rhode Island); it was completed about 1743, was used as a See also:hospital during the See also:War of See also:Independence, and is now the seat of the county See also:court. In the vicinity are the City See also:Hall and a See also:monument to See also:Oliver See also:Hazard See also:Perry. Fronting on Touro Street is a See also:synagogue, erected in 1762-1763, and said to be the See also:oldest in the See also:United States; one of the See also:early rabbis was See also:Isaac Touro, a See also:Jew of Dutch See also:birth, whose name is See also:borne by a street and a See also:park in Newport. Near the corner of Touro Street and Bellevue Avenue is the See also:Hebrew See also:cemetery. Of See also:chief historic See also:interest along Bellevue Avenue are Touro Park and Redwood Library.

In the park is the historic old See also:

Stone See also:Mill or See also:Round See also:Tower," which See also:Longfellow, in accordance with the contention of certain members of the Society of Danish Antiquarians, ascribes, in his See also:Skeleton in See also:Armour, to the Norsemen, but which See also:Benedict See also:Arnold (1615-1678), See also:governor of Rhode Island, repeatedly mentions in his will as " my Stone-built See also:Wind-Mill." Opposite the park stands the See also:William See also:Ellery See also:Channing Memorial See also:Church; and in the park are monuments to Channing and to See also:Matthew Calbraith Perry. The Channing House on See also:Mary Street, built in 1751, is now used for a See also:Children's See also:Home. The Redwood Library See also:grew out of the Philosophical Society, established in 1730, which See also:Bishop (then See also:Dean) See also:Berkeley polsibly helped to found' during his See also:residence here in 1729-1731; the Library was incorporated in 1747, being named in See also:honour of See also:Abraham Redwood (c. 1709-1788), a wealthy Friend who early contributed £500 toward supplying it with books; the See also:building was completed in 1750. In Berkeley Avenue, north of Paradise Road, is See also:Whitehall, which Berkeley built for his home in 1729 and which was restored in 1900. The first newspaper of Newport was published in 1732 by See also:James See also:Franklin, a See also:brother of See also:Benjamin Franklin, and in 1758 James Franklin's son, also named James, founded the See also:present Newport See also:Mercury. Newport is best known as a fashionable resort during the summer and autumn; there are See also:annual See also:horse and See also:dog shows, and See also:fox-See also:hunting is one of the amusements. The harbour is a See also:rendezvous for racing- and See also:pleasure-yachts. On Bellevue Avenue is the See also:country See also:club, the See also:Casino. Among the See also:great estates with magnificent " cottages " here are those of Mrs See also:Cornelius See also:Vanderbilt, Wm. B. See also:Leeds, Mrs O.

H. P. See also:

Belmont (the "See also:Marble See also:Palace," built for W. K. Vanderbilt), Mrs See also:Ogden Goelet, Mrs See also:Robert Goelet, Perry Belmont, and J. J. See also:Astor—all on the Cliff Walk. Newport has an inner and an See also:outer harbour; the inner is landlocked, 1 m. long and a m. wide, but is not deep enough to admit vessels See also:drawing more than 15 ft. of water; the outer admits the largest vessels and is a See also:refuge for foreign and coastwise See also:commerce. The whole harbour is protected at its entrance by Fort See also:Adams, at the mouth of the inner harbour, Fort Wetherill on Conanicut Island, and Fort Greble on Dutch Island. The See also:Lime Rock Lighthouse was for many years in See also:charge of Mrs See also:Ida See also:Lewis See also:Wilson (b. 1841), famous for the many lives she saved. On See also:Goat Island, which partly encloses the inner harbour, is Fort See also:Walcott, with a United States See also:torpedo station and torpedo factory, and on Coasters Harbor Island, farther north, are a United States See also:Naval Training Station and a War See also:College.

Along the western border of the outer harbour is Conanicut Island, on which is the town of See also:

Jamestown (pop. in 1905, 1337), with the Conanicut Yacht Club and other attractions for summer visitors. Newport has little foreign See also:trade. There is, however, considerable coastwise trade in See also:fish, See also:coal and See also:general merchandise, and in 1905 the See also:total See also:tonnage of the port amounted to 1,770,816 tons. Fishing is an See also:industry of some importance. The value of the city's factory products decreased from $1,575,192 in 1900 to $1,347,104 in 1905. Newport is governed under a See also:charter of 1906, which is unique as an See also:instrument for the See also:government of a city, and aims to restore in a measure the salient features of township government. Most of the See also:powers usually vested in a town See also:meeting are here vested in a representative See also:council of 195 members—39 from each of 5 wards. A See also:candidate for councilman must secure the See also:signature of at least 30 See also:electors in his See also:ward before his name can be placed on the See also:ballot. A See also:mayor, one See also:alderman from each ward, and a school See also:committee are elected in much the same manner: a candidate for mayor must have his See also:election See also:paper signed by at least 250 qualified electors, and an alderman or member of the school committee by at least too. All other important See also:officers are appointed by the council. The mayor and aldermen are for the most part executive officials corresponding to the selectmen of a town. Newport was founded by See also:Nicholas Easton (1593–1675), William Coddington (1601–1678), See also:John Coggeshall, John See also:Clarke (1609-1676), William See also:Brenton (d.

1674), William See also:

Dyer, See also:Thomas Hazard, See also:Henry See also:Bull (1609–1693) and See also:Jeremy See also:Clerke (d. 1652), who, as See also:Antinomians, were driven from See also:Massachusetts Bay, and in 1638 settled at Pocasset (later See also:Portsmouth, in the northern part of the island of Rhode Island; pop. in 1905, 2371). As See also:radical tendencies prevailed in Pocasset they removed, and in 1639 settled Newport at the southern end of the island (called Aquidneck until 1644), which they had bought from the See also:Indians. Most of the founders are commemorated by See also:place-names in the city; in the Coddington Burying-Ground are the tombs of Governor William Coddington, Governor Henry Bull, and Governor Nicholas Easton; and in the Coggeshall Burying-Ground John Coggeshall was buried. At the beginning an See also:independent government by See also:judge and elders was established (Newport and Portsmouth being united in 1640), but in 1647,the town was united with Providence, Portsmouth and See also:Warwick in the formation of Rhode Island according to the See also:Williams (or, as it is commonly called, the Warwick) charter of 1644. During 1651–1654 Newport and Portsmouth were temporarily separated from the other two towns. About 1.640 a Baptist Church was founded, which is probably the oldest in the United States except the Baptist See also:congregation in Providence; here, too, at nearly the same See also:time, one of the first See also:free See also:schools in See also:America was opened. In 1656 See also:English See also:Friends settled here. Between 1739 and 176o great fortunes were amassed by the " Triangular Trade," which consisted in the See also:exchange in See also:Africa of See also:rum for slaves, the exchange in the Barbadoes of slaves for See also:sugar and See also:molasses, and the exchange in Newport of sugar and molasses for rum. The destruction here on the 17th of May 1769 of the See also:British See also:revenue See also:sloop " See also:Liberty," formerly the See also:property of John See also:Hancock, was one of the first acts of violence leading up to the War of See also:American Independence. The foreign trade of Newport, which in 1770 was greater than that of New York, was destroyed by the War of Independence. During the war the town was in the See also:possession of the British from See also:December 1776 to the 25th of See also:October 1779; a See also:plan to recover it in 1778 by a land force under General John See also:Sullivan, co-operating with the See also:French See also:fleet under See also:Count d'See also:Estaing, came to nothing.

Soon after the evacuation of the British, French troops, under See also:

Comte de See also:Rochambeau, arrived and remained until near the end of the war, and Newport was a station of the French fleet in 178o-1781. The See also:Sayer house, which was the headquarters of See also:Richard See also:Prescott (1725-1788), the British general; the See also:Vernon house, which was the head-quarters of Rochambeaa, and the See also:Gibbs house, which was for a See also:short time occupied by See also:Major-General See also:Nathanael See also:Greene, are still See also:standing. Newport was chartered as a city in 1784, but in 1787 it surrendered its charter and returned to government by town meeting. It was rechartered as a city in 1853; the charter of this year was much amended in 1875 and in 1906 was superseded by another. Until 1900, when Providence became the See also:sole See also:capital, Newport was one of the seats of government of Rhode Island.

End of Article: NEWPORT

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