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TORONTO

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 53 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TORONTO , the See also:

capital of the See also:province of See also:Ontario, and the second largest See also:city in the Dominion of See also:Canada, situated on the See also:northern See also:shore of See also:Lake Ontario, almost due See also:north from the mouth of the See also:Niagara See also:river. It lies on a See also:plateau gradually ascending from the lake shore to an See also:altitude of 220 ft., and covers an See also:area of nearly 20 sq. m. The river See also:Don flows through the eastern See also:part of the city, and the river See also:Humber forms its western limit. The See also:fine See also:bay in front of the city, affording a safe and commodious See also:harbour, is formed by an See also:island stretching along the See also:south of it. The city is well laid out for the most part, the streets See also:crossing each other at right angles; See also:Yonge See also:Street, the See also:chief artery, See also:running north from the bay, was constructed as a military road in 1796, and extends under the same name for upwards of 30 M. to Lake See also:Simcoe. It constitutes the dividing See also:line of the city, the See also:cross streets being called See also:east or See also:west according to the See also:side of it they are on. Toronto is the seat of See also:government for the province, and contains the See also:parliament buildings, the See also:lieutenant-See also:governor's See also:residence, the courts of See also:law and the educational departmental buildings. The parliament buildings are situated in See also:Queen's See also:Park, almost in the centre of the city, and are an imposing structure of red See also:sandstone in the neo-See also:Greek See also:style built at See also:great cost. They are shortly to be enlarged, as the needs of the province have outgrown them. A little distance to the west stand the university buildings, the central one being a splendid piece of See also:architecture in the See also:Norman style. Stretching in a semi-circle See also:round the broad campus are the library, the medical See also:building, the See also:biology building and museum, the school of See also:practical See also:science, the See also:geology and See also:chemistry buildings and the See also:convocation See also:hall, their architecture varying very greatly, beauty having been sacrificed to more practical considerations; the magnetic See also:observatory is also in the grounds, but is overshadowed by some of the more See also:recent erections. It is one of the meteorological stations established by the See also:British government on the recommendation of the Royal Society in 1840 and is now maintained by the Dominion government.

The university of Toronto, for the support of which the province is responsible, includes faculties of arts, science and See also:

medicine, in the teaching of which it is strictly See also:secular. But near at See also:hand and in full See also:affiliation with the university are See also:Victoria See also:College (Methodist), Wycliffe College (See also:Anglican), See also:Knox College (Presbyterian) and St See also:Michael's College (See also:Roman See also:Catholic), wherein courses in divinity are given and degrees conferred. Victoria College, likewise, provides a course in arts, but none in science. Trinity College (Anglican), though some distance away, is also affiliated with the university, and her students enjoy its full advantages. Besides the university, Toronto is remarkably See also:rich in educational institutions. Upper Canada College, founded in 1829, in many respects resembles one of the See also:English public See also:schools. It has over 300 students. St See also:Andrew's College, also for boys, is a more recent See also:establishment, and has about the same number of pupils. There are three large collegiate institutes, having some 300 to 600 pupils each, and in addition a number of schools for girls, such as See also:Havergal College and See also:Westminster College. Osgoode Hall, a stately structure in the See also:heart of the city, houses the higher courts of law and See also:appeal, and also a flourishing law school. The city hall and See also:court-See also:house is one of the finest civic buildings in North See also:America. It is in the Romanesque style, and accommodates all the civic offices, the See also:board of See also:education, the See also:police and See also:county courts, &c.

Many of the churches are worthy examples of See also:

good architecture. Toronto is essentially a residential city. The houses of the better class stand See also:separate, not in See also:long rows, and have about them ample lawns and abundant trees. It is consequently a widespread city, the length from east to west approximating ten See also:miles. An electric railway See also:system provides means of communication. There are many parks, ranging in See also:size from Carlton Park of one See also:acre to High Park (375 acres) and Island Park (389), the latter being across the harbour and constituting the favourite resort of the See also:people during the summer. In See also:Exhibition Park there is held annually an See also:industrial and agricultural exhibition that has grown to great magnitude. It lasts a fortnight in See also:late summer. It is a municipal enterprise and the profits belong to the city. The See also:population in 1907, as shown by the police See also:census, exceeded 300,000. The government of the city is vested in a See also:council consisting of the See also:mayor and four controllers elected annually and eighteen aldermen (three from each of the six wards into which the city is divided). The council as a whole is the legislative See also:body, while the board of See also:control is the executive body, and as such is responsible for the supervision of all matters of See also:finance, the See also:appointment of officials, the carrying on of public See also:works, and the See also:general See also:administration of the affairs of the city, except the departments of education and of police, the first being under the control of the board of education, elected annually by the citizens, and the latter under the board of police commissioners, consisting of the mayor, the county See also:judge and the police See also:magistrate.

Toronto is one of the chief manufacturing centres of the dominion; agricultural machinery, automobiles, bicycles, See also:

cotton goods, engines, See also:furniture, foundry products, See also:flour, smoked meats, See also:tobacco, See also:jewelry, &c., are flourishing See also:industries, and the See also:list is constantly extending. The situation of the city is favourable to See also:commerce, and the largest vessels on the lakes can use its harbour. It is the outlet of a rich and extensive agricultural See also:district, and throughout the See also:season of See also:navigation lines of steamers ply between Toronto and the other lake ports on both the See also:Canadian and See also:American sides, the route of some of them extending from See also:Montreal to See also:Port See also:Arthur on Lake See also:Superior. Railway communication is See also:complete, three great See also:trunk lines making the city a terminal point, viz. the See also:Grand Trunk, the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian Northern. As a See also:financial centre Toronto has made remarkable advance. 'The transactions on the stock See also:exchange See also:rival those of Montreal. The See also:Bank of Commerce has its headquarters here, as have alsothe Bank of Nova See also:Scotia, the Bank of Toronto, the See also:Standard Traders, Imperial, See also:Sovereign, Dominion, See also:Crown, See also:United See also:Empire, See also:Sterling and other See also:banks. The name of the city is of See also:Indian origin, meaning "a See also:place of See also:meeting," the site in the days before the coming of the See also:white See also:man being an established See also:rendezvous among the neighbouring Indian tribes. It first appears in See also:history in 1749 as a centre of See also:trade when the See also:French built a small fort and started a trading establishment called Fort Rouille. Before long, however, British traders came up from the south and entered into active rivalry with the French, and in 1793 the fort was burned by the latter to prevent its occupation by their foes. A See also:year later Governor Simcoe transferred the seat of government of the new province of Upper Canada from the See also:town of See also:Newark at the mouth of the Niagara River to Toronto, giving the new capital the name of See also:York, in See also:honour of the second son of See also:George III. Under its new name it made slow progress as the surrounding See also:country was cleared and settled.

The entrance to the harbour was guarded by two blockhouses; See also:

provision was made for See also:barracks and See also:garrison stores; buildings were erected for the legislature; and there the members of parliament, summoned by royal See also:proclamation to "meet us in our provincial parliament in our town of York," assembled on the 1st of See also:June 1797. Sixteen years later the population numbered only 456. The town was twice sacked in the See also:war of 1812. General Dearborn captured it at the See also:head of a force of upwards of 2000. On their advance to the outworks of the garrison the See also:magazine of the fort exploded, whether by See also:accident or See also:design, killing many of the invaders. The halls of legislature and other buildings were burnt and the town pillaged. On the restoration of See also:peace the See also:work of creating a capital for Upper Canada had wellnigh to begin anew. The organization of Upper Canada College in 183o, with a See also:staff of teachers nearly all graduates of See also:Cambridge, gave a great impetus to the city and province. In 1834 the population of York numbered fully 10,000; and an See also:act of the provincial legislature conferred on it a See also:charter of See also:incorporation, with a mayor, aldermen and councilmen. Under this charter it was constituted a city with the, name of Toronto. Since that See also:time the progress of the city has been rapid and substantial, the population doubling every twenty years. In 1885 the See also:total See also:assessment was $69,000,000; in 1895 $146,000,000 and in 1906 $167,411,000, the See also:rate of See also:taxation being 182 See also:mills.

End of Article: TORONTO

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