St John

St John, the commercial capital and largest city, and the railway centre, of New Brunswick, stands on the north or left bank of the estuary of the St John River, by rail 277 miles NW. of Halifax and 481 from Montreal. Steamers connect it with Boston. The harbour is good, and accessible to the largest vessels at all seasons of the year. Shipbuilding and the timber-trade are the chief industries, together with fishing and the West India trade; but the manufactures also are important and numerous, and include engines and locomotives, machinery and farming implements, nails, axes, leather, boots and shoes, paper, cotton and woolen goods, clothing, furniture, carriages, soap, wrought stone, &c. On June 21, 1877, a fire destroyed the greater part of the town; but a new St John speedily arose, with wide, clean streets and handsome buildings. These include a custom- house, post-office, city building, provincial lunatic asylum, hospital, and a Roman Catholic cathedral. St John returns three members to the House of Commons (two of them for the city and county together), and six to the Provincial Legislature (four for city and county). Adjoining St John, and practically forming with it one city, is the town of Portland. Pop. (1881) 26,127 (with Portland, 41,353); (1891) 39,179.