Internal  Improvements.  —  There  are  numerous  railroads  completed  within  the  state,  com
prising  an  aggregate  extent  of  somewhat  over  500  miles  ;  others  extend  in  various  directions,
into  or  out  of  the  state ;  and  others  still  are  in  process  of  construction.  Indeed,  all  requisite
means  for  the  extension  of  intercourse,  and  the  promotion  of  internal  and  external  commerce,
are  amply  and  generously  provided,  wherever  and  whenever  the  necessity  becomes  apparent ;
such  is  the  vigilant  spirit  of  enterprise  and  industry  which  is  constantly  stimulating  this  people
to  works  of  general  improvement  and  utility.
Minerals.  —  Iron  ore,  of  various  qualities,  is  obtained  in  several  parts  of  the  state.  The
town  of  Salisbury,  bordering  on  Massachusetts  and  New  York,  is  celebrated  for  its  valuable
iron  mines.  The  ore  procured  in  this  region  possesses  a  peculiarly  tenacious  property,
admirably  adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  wire,  anchors,  and  other  articles  wherein  firmness
and  flexibility,  without  brittleness,  are  desirable.  It  has  been  worked  for  upwards  of  one
hundred  years,  and  the  supply  still  seems  inexhaustible,  many  thousand  tons  being  extracted
annually.  Stafford,  near  the  southern  line  of  Massachusetts,  abounds  in  bog-iron  ore,  of  ex
cellent  quality,  suited  to  the  manufacture  of  fine  hollow-ware,  and  other  castings.  Marble  of
different  kinds  abounds  in  Milford,  at  the  junction  of  the  Housatonic  with  Long  Island  Sound.
