and by a number of his adherents. They formed themselves into a body politic. Three other diftin&t governments were also established on the branches of the faid river. These governments being altogether voluntary, had no iecurity as to their continuance; and the feveral fettlers were too divided in opinion to form any good general plan of permanent adminiftration. Therefore the more confiderate among them treated with the Maffachufetts about taking them under its protection, which fully fuited the wifhes of that colony, as it afforded the heads of it the opportunity of realizing the conftruction they had put upon a claufe of their charter, by which they extended their line fo as to comprehend both New-Hampshire and the Maine. The business terminated in the incorporation of the two colonies, on condition that the inhabitants of each fhould enjoy equal privileges: they continued long united, and were of one heart and mind in civil and religious affairs. When separated by the King's commiffion for the government of New-Hampshire, the new affembly at their fift meeting, in a letter of March 25, 1680, to the governor of the Maffichusetts, to be communicated to the general court, expreffed their full fatisfaction in the paft connection, a grateful fenfe of the care that had been exercifed over them, and of their having been well governed, and an unfeigned defire that a mutual correspondence between them might

be fettled.+

The towns in the province of Maine, after a time, fell into a state of confufion. The Maffachusetts took that opportunity for encouraging the difpofition which prevailed in many of the inhabitants to fubmit to their jurifdiction; and to forward their compliance, granted the people larger privileges than were enjoyed by their own, for they were all freemen upon taking the oath, whereas every where clfe no one could be made free unless he was a church member. The province was made a county by the name of Yorkshire; and the towns fent reprefentatives to the general court at Bofton. Though the major part of the inhabitants were brought to confent to this regulation, great oppofition was made by fome principal perfons, who feverely reproached the Maffachufetts, for ufing force in order reduce the province; but the people experienced the benefit of it, and were contented. They continued in union with the Maffachusetts until 1665, when a fhort feparation commenced; after which they were again united.

Hutchinfon's Hiftory, vol. I. p. 268.

+ Ibid. p. 328.

to

39

Having thus given a sketch of the fettlement of New-England, and the remainder of its history being connected with that of the general cofederacy, we fhall proceed to give a concife view of its different States as they now ftand, attaching to each a narration of fuch particulars as are not interwoven in the general hiftory of the union.*

If the reader wishes to obtain a more extenfive knowledge of the hiftory of New-England, he is referred to Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts-Hazard's Hiftorical Collections, 4to. 2 vols.-Belknap's History of New-Hampshire-The firft letter in Dr. Gordon's Hiftory of the American Revolution-Governor Winthrop's Journal-Chalmer's Political Annals-and Gookin's Hiftorical Collections of the Indians in New-England, published in Boston by the Historical Society, in the American Apollo, 1793.

STATE OF

VERMON T.

SITUATION, EXTENT, &c.

THIS

HIS State is fituated between 42° 44′ and 45° N. latitude, and 1° 35' and 3° 30' E. longitude from Philadelphia; its length is about one hundred and fifty miles, and its breadth about feventy : it is bounded on the north by Lower-Canada, east by Connecticut river, which divides it from New-Hampfhite, fouth by Maffachufetts, and weft by New-York; the Green Mountain runs from fouth by north through it, and divides the State nearly in the middle.

This tra of country, called Vermont, before the late war, was claimed both by New-York and New-Hampshire; and thefe interfering claims have been the occafion of much warm altercacation, the particulars of which it would be neither entertaining nor useful to detail. Thefe claims were not finally adjusted till fince the peace. On the commencement of hottilities between Great Britain and her colonies, the inhabitants of this diftri, confidering themfelves as in a state of nature, and not within the jurifdiction either of New-York or New Hampshire, affociated and formed for themfelves a conflitution, under which they have con. tinued to exercife all the powers of an independent ftate, and have profpered. On the 4th of March, 1791, agreeably to act of Congrefs of December 6th, 1790, this State became one of the United States, and conftitutes the fourteenth, and not the leaft refpectable pillar in the American Union.

AIR AND CLIMATE.

The climate of this State is in a very confiderable degree favourable both to man and vegetation. The winter feafon commonly latts from the beginning of November to the middle of April, during which the inhabitants enjoy a ferene fky and a keen cold air. Snow begins to fall, commonly, by the first of November; but the permanent fnows do not fall till about the 10th of December, which

prevent the ground freezing to any confiderable depth. In April the fnow is gradually diffolved by the warm influences of the fun, which moiftens and enriches the earth, and vegetation advances with furprifing rapidity.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY,

This State, generally speaking, is hilly, but not rocky; northward to the Canada line it is flat: the country at large is well watered, having Michifcoui, Lamoille, Onion, and Otter Creek rivers, which run acrofs it from caft to weft into Lake Champlain; Weft, Sexton's Black, Waterquechee, White, Ompompanoofuck, Weld's Wait's, Paffumfick, and feveral fmaller rivers, which run from weft to eat into Connecticut river. Over the river Lamoille is a natural ftone bridge, feven or eight rods in length. Otter Creek is navigable for boats fifty miles; the banks of this river are excellent land, being annually overflowed and enriched, White river takes its name from the peculiar whitenefs of its water, caufed by the clear white ftones and gravel which conftitute the bed of this river quite to its fource. This peculiarity deceives people in regard to its depth. It rifes in the center of the ftate, flows through a rich tract of country free from fwamps, and empties into the Connecticut four miles below Dartmouth College, and is from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards wide, fome distance from its mouth. Ompompanoofuck is a fhort, furious river, not more than forty or fifty yards wide, emptying into the Connecticut at Norwich. Weld's is alfo a fhort and rapid river, forty yards acrofs. Paffumfick is one hundred yards. wide, and noted for the quantity and quality of the falmon it produces on this river, which is fettled twenty miles up, fome of the beft townships in the State.

are

Lakes Memphremagog, Willoughby and Bombazon, are alfo in this State. The former is the refervoir of three confiderable ftreams, Black, Barton, and Clyde rivers. One of thefe rifes in Willoughby lake, and forms a communication between that and lake St. Peter's, in the river St. Lawrence; iffuing from Willoughby's lake, it empties into Memphremagog, and thence, by the name of St. Francis, empties into the St. Peter, This river is not all the way navigable, otherwife, it would afford a communication of very great importance to the northern part of this State, as the fettlers might tranfport their produce with great cafe to Montreal or Quebec, Willoughby's lake fur Vol. II,

G

nishes fish refembling bafs, of an excellent flavour, weighing from ten to thirty pounds. They form a most delicious feaft for the new fettlers: people travel twenty miles to this lake to procure a winter's flock of this fifh. Lake Bombazon, in the county of Rutland, gives rife to a branch of Poultney River.

Befides thefe rivers and lakes there are feveral other springs, ponds, and other collections of water, which are, in general, remarkably clear, and afford abundance of trout, perch, and other fresh water fish,

we have al

the center, The afcent

The principal mountain in this State is the one ready mentioned, which divides the State nearly in between Connecticut river and lake Champlain. from the east to the top of this mountain is much easier than from the weft, till you get to Onion river, where the mountain terminates. The height of land is generally from twenty to thirty miles from the river, and about the fame diftance from the New-York line. The natural growth upon this mountain is hemlock, pine, fpruce, and other evergreens; hence it has always a green appearance, and on this account has obtained the defcriptive name of Ver Mons, or Green Mountain. On fome high parts of this mountain fnow lies till May, and fometimes till June. This chain of mountains paffes through Malechusetts and Connecticut, and terminates in New-Haven,

Another noted mountain in this State is Afchutney, bordering on Connecticut river, in the townfhips of Windfor and Weathersfield, and Upper Great Monadnock, quite in the northeast corner of the State.

It is remarkable, that the hills and mountains are generally covered on the caft fides with what is called hard wood, fuch as birch, beech, maple, afh, clin, and butternut; and the weft fide is generally covered with evergreens.

SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c.

The foil of Vermont affords the beft of pafturage; fome of the finest beef cattle in the world are driven from this State; hofes allo are raifed for exportation. The natural growth upon the rivers is white pines of feveral kinds, intermingled with low intervales of beech, elm, and white oak. Back from the rivers the land is thickly timbered with birch, fugar maple, afb, butternut, and white oak of an excellent quality: a great part is well adapted for tillage, and the foil is natural For wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp, &c. Indian corn,

hom the river, is frequently injured by the frost; but on