St John's,

St John's, (1) the capital of Newfoundland, stands on the extreme east coast of the island, on Avalon Peninsula, 1076 miles ENE. of Montreal and 1730 W. by S. of Cork in Ireland. It is thus the nearest port in America to Europe; and it possesses a small but excellent harbour, which is well fortified. Railways run to Harbour Grace (84 miles) and Placentia (25 miles). The city, great part of which was burnt, 10th July 1892, has oil-refineries, tanneries, shoe-factories, cabinet-works, &c. Pop. (1891) 39,179.—(2) Chief town of a county in Quebec, on the Richelieu, opposite the town of St Athanase, with which it is connected by a bridge, and 27 miles by rail SE. of Montreal. It contains a lunatic asylum, barracks, potteries, foundries, sawmills, &c., and carries on a considerable trade in lumber and grain. Pop. 4314.—(3) St John's, or San Juan, capital of Porto Rico, stands on a small island connected by bridges with a peninsula on the north coast. The town is handsome; its excellent harbour is being silted up. Pop. 24,000.