Newgate

Newgate. The old London prison was so called from its having been originally situated in the portal of the New Gate of the city. The old building, built from the fruits of a legacy of Sir Richard Whittington, was destroyed in the fire of London. In 1780 the present buildings were erected, but were damaged by fire during the Gordon riots, when most of the prisoners were set free. Since the passing of the Prisons Bill (1877) Newgate has been little used.

New Guinea, a large island in the South Pacific, having an area of over 300,000 square miles, was in pre-historic times joined to the Australian continent, from which it is separated by the Torres

Strait, about 90 miles wide. On the north-west are the Moluccas. History. - New Guinea was discovered early in the 16th century by the Portuguese, and was given its name by Ortiz da Retez, who thought the in habitants resembled those of the Guinea Coast in Africa. In 1793 the British East India Company formed a settlement on an island off the north-west coast, but in 1814 gave way to the prior rights of the Dutch, who in 1848 annexed all the western part of the island, containing about half of the whole. In 1884 the rest was divided between England and Germany, the latter taking a strip on the north which is known as Kaiser Wilhelm's Land. The sovereignty of the Crown was not proclaimed over British Guinea till 1888, when Sir W. Macgregor was made administrator. The expense of governing it is shared between New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Port Moresby is the only station of importance. Dutch New Guinea is under the Residency of Ternate, and the German New Guinea Company administers Kaiser Wilhelm's Land. Physical Features, Productions, etc. The island consists of a central mass sloping from north-west to south-east, with peninsulas at each extremity. Geelvink Bay is an inlet on the north-west, and the Gulf of Papua on the south-east. An almost continuous range of mountains traverses the island and is concentrated into several peaks at the south-east. The Fly, in British Guinea, the Empress Augusta in German, and the Amberno in Dutch territory, are the chief rivers. The climate is hot and very moist, and the prevalence of fever renders New Guinea difficult to live in for Europeans. The flora resemble the Asiatic rather than the Australian type. The cocoa-nut, banana, mango, and sugar-cane flourish, and some European trees - such as the oak and cedar - are not uncommon. The fauna, however, is of the Australian type. Kangaroos and other marsupials abound. Characteristic species are a peculiar kind of python, three kinds of ant-eaters, and the bird of paradise.

New Hampshire, one of the New England states, is situated between Maine and Vermont, having Massachusetts on the south. Of the latter state it for many years formed part, but latterly had a governor of its own. The first settlements were made as early as 1623. It was active during the American Revolution, and in 1784 adopted a state constitution. New Hampshire has an area somewhat larger than that of Wales. Its climate is healthy, and the scenery very beautiful. In the north are the White Mountains, the highest peak of which, Mount Washington, is more than 6,000 feet high. Other peaks are named from the Presidents of the United States. The chief rivers are the Connecticut, the Piscataqua., and the Merrimac, the last of which furnishes an important water-power. Winnipeseogee is a large lake. A large part of the land is still forest, and there is little agriculture; but the manufactures of the state are important. The chief towns are Dover, Manchester, and Nashua. New Hampshire elects a governor every two years, who appoints the judges. It sends at present two members to Congress.