give in their votes for the perfons they choose for the faid offices refpectively, with their names written on a piece of paper, which are received and fealed up by a conftable in open meeting, the votes for each office by themfelves, with the name of the town and office written on the outside, Thefe votes, thus fealed, are fent to the general affembly in May, and there counted by a committee from both houfes. All freemen are eligible to any office in government. In choofing affiftants, twenty perfons are nominated, by the vote of each freeman, at the freeman's meeting for choofing reprefentatives in September annually. Thefe votes are fealed up, and fent to the general affembly in October, and are there counted by a committee of both houfes, and the twenty perfons who have the most votes ftand in nomination; out of which number the twelve who have the greateft number of votes, given by the freemen at their meeting in April, are, in May, declared afliftants in the manner above-mentioned. The qualifications of freemen are, maturity in years-quiet and peaceable behaviour —a civil conversation, and freehold estate to the value of forty fhillings per annum, or forty pounds perfonal estate in the lift, certified by the felect men of the town; it is neceffary, alfo, that they take the oath of fidelity to the state. Their names are enrolled in the town-clerk's office, and they continue freemen for life, unless disfranchised by fentence of the fuperior court, on conviction of misdemeanour.

The courts are as follows: The juftices of the peace, of whom a number are annually appointed in each town by the general affembly, have authority to hear and determine civil actions, where the demand does not exceed four pounds. If the demand exceed forty fhillings, an appeal to the county is allowed. They have cognizance of small offences, and may punish by fine, not exceeding forty fhillings, or whipping, not exceeding ten tripes, or fitting in the ftocks. There are eight county courts in the ftate, held in the feveral counties by one judge and four juftices of the quorum, who have jurifdiction of all criminal cafes, arifing within their refpective counties, where the punishment does not extend to life, limb, or banishment. They have original jurifdiction of all civil actions which exceed the jurifdiction of a juftice. Either party may appeal to the fuperior court, if the demand exceeds twenty pounds, except on bonds or notes vouched by two witneffes.

There are feveral courts of probate in each county, confifting of one judge. The peculiar province of this court, is the probate of wills, granting administration on inteftate eftates, ordering diftribution of them, and appointing guardians for minors, &c, An appeal lies from any decree of this court to the fuperior court.

The fuperior court confifts of five judges. It has authority in all criminal cafes extending to life, limb or banishment, and other high crimes and mifdemeanors, to grant divorces, and to hear and determine all civil actions brought by appeal from the county courts, or the court of probate, and to correct the errors of all inferior courts. This is a circuit court, and has two ftated feffions in each county annually. The fuperior and county courts try matters of fact by a jury, or without, if the parties will agree.

There is a fupreme court of crrors, confifting of the deputy-governor and the twelve affiftants. Their fole bufinefs is to determine writs of error,

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error, brought on judgments of the fuperior court, where the error complained of appears on the record. They have two ftated feffions annually, viz. on the Tuesdays of the weeks preceding the ftated feffions of the general affembly,

The county court is a court of chancery, empowered to hear and determine cafes in equity, where the matter in demand does not exceed one hundred pounds. The fuperior court has cognizance of all cafes where the demand exceeds that fum. Error may be brought from the county, to the fuperior court, and from the fuperior court to the fupreme court of errors, on judgment in cafes of equity as well as of law.

The general affembly, only, have power to grant pardons and reprieves -to grant commiffions of bankruptcy-or protect the persons and estates of unfortunate debtors.

The common law of England, fo far as it is applicable to this country, is confidered as the common law of this ftate. The reports of adjudication in the courts of king's bench, common pleas and chancery, are read in the courts of this ftate as authorities; yet the judges do not confider them as conclufively binding, unless founded on folid reafons which will apply in this ftate, or fanctioned by concurrent adjudications of their own courts

The feudal fyftem of defcents was never adopted in this ftate. All the real estate of inteftates is divided equally among the children, males and females, except that the eldest fon has a double portion. And all eftates given in tail, must be given to fome perfon then in being, or to their immediate iflue, and fhall become fee fimple eftates to the issue of the first donee in tail. The widow of an inteftate is entitled to a third part of the perfonal elate for ever, and to her dower, or third part of the houses and lands belonging to the intestate at the time of his death, during her life.

Practice of law. The practice of law in this ftate has more fimplicity, but lefs precifion, than in England. Affiftants and judges are impowered to flue writs through the ftate, and juftices, through their refpective counties. In thefe writs, the fubftance of the complaints or the declarations must be contained, and if neither of the parties fhew good reason for delay, the causes are heard and determined the fame term to which the writs are returnable. Few of the fictions of law, fo common in the English practice, are known in this fate. The plaintiff always has his election to attach or fummon the defendant. Attornies are admitted and qualified by the county courts. Previous to their admiffion to the bar, they must ftudy two years with a practifing attorney in the ftate, if they have had a college education, and three years if they have not; their morals must be good, and their characters unblemished, and they muft fuftain an examination by the attornies of the court of the county where they are admitted, and be by them recommended to the court. When admitted to the county court, they can practife, without other qualifications, in any court in the ftate. There are upon an average, about thirteen attornies to each county, one hundred and four in the ftate; a very great proportion for the real exigencies of the people. Yet from the litigious fpirit of the citizens, the

A volume of reports of adjudications of the fuperior court, it is expected will foon be published by a gentleman of abilities, in the profeffion of law, under the infection of the court.

moft

moft of them find employment and fupport. There is no attorney-general, but there is one attorney to the state in each county.

New Inventions.] Early in the war, David Bufhnel, A. M. of Saybrook, invented a machine for fubmarine navigation, altogether different from any thing hitherto devifed by the art of man. This machine was fo conftructed as that it could be rowed horizontally, at any given depth, under water, and could be raifed or depreffed at pleafure. To this machine, called the American Turtle, was attached a magazine of powder, which was intended to be faftened under the bottom of a fhip with a driving fcrew, in fuch a way as that the fame ftroke which difengaged it from the machine fhould put the internal clock work in motion. This being done, the ordinary operation of a gun-lock, at the diftance of half an hour, or any determinate time, would cause the powder to explode and leave the effects to the common laws of nature. The fimplicity, yet combination difcovered in the mechanifm of this wonderful inachine, have been acknowledged by thofe skilled in phyfics, and particularly Hydraulics, to be not lefs ingenious than novel. Mr. Bufhnel invented feveral other curious machines for the annoyance of the Britifh fhipping, but from accidents, not militating against the philofophical principles on which their fuccefs depended, they but partially fucceeded. He deftroyed a veffel in the charge of commodore Symmonds. One of his kegs alfo demolished a veffel near the Long-Ifland fhore. About Chriftmas, 1777, he committed to the Delaware river a number of kegs, deftined to fall among the Britifh fleet at Philadelphia; but his fquadron of kegs, having been feparated and retarded by the ice, demolished but a fingle boat. This catastrophe, however, produced an alarm, unprecedented in its nature and degree; which has been fo happily defcribed by the Hon. Francis Hopkinfon, in a fong, ftiled The Battle of the Kegs, that the event it celebrates will not be forgotten fo long as mankind fhall continue to be delighted with works of humour and tafte.

Mr. Hanks, of Litchfield, has invented a method of winding up clocks bp means of air or wind only, which is new and ingenious.

Mr. Culver, of Norwich, has constructed (whether he was the inventor I know not) a Dock-Drudge, which is a boat for clearing docks and removing bars in rivers; a very ingenious and ufeful machine. Its good effects have already been experienced in the navigation of the river Thames, the channel of which has been confiderably deepened. This machine will no doubt be productive of very great advantages to navigation throughout the United States.

A machine for drawing wire was invented fometime fince at Norwich, by the Hon. N. Niles, now in Vermont.

The Rev. Jofeph Badger, while a member of Yale College in 1785, conftructed an ingenious planetarium, (without ever having feen one of the kind) which is deposited in the library of that university.

Hiftory.] The prefent territory of Connecticut, at the time of the first arrival of the English, was poffeffed by the Pequot, the Mohegan, Podunk, and many other fmaller tribes of Indians.

* See Col. Humphrey's life of General Putnam, p. 123.

The Pequots were numerous and warlike. Their country extended along the fea-coaft from Paukatuk, to Connecticut river. About the year 1630, this powerful tribe extended their conquefts over a confiderable part of Connecticut, over all Long-Ifland and part of Narragansett. SASSAcus, who was the Grand Monarch of the whole country, was king of this nation. The feat of his dominion was at New-London, the ancient Indian name of which was Pequot.

The Mohegans were a numerous tribe, and their territory extenfive. Their ancient claim, which was furveyed and fettled by commiffioners from Queen Ann, in 1705, comprehended all New-London county, except a narrow ftrip of about eight miles wide, on the fea-coaft, almost the whole of the county of Windham, and a part of the counties of Tolland and Hartford. UNCUS, diftinguished for his friendship to the English, was the Sachem of this tribe.

The Podunks inhabited Eaft Hartford, and the circumjacent country. The firft Sachem of this tribe, of whom the English had any knowledge, was Tatanimoo. He was able to bring into the field more than 200 fighting men.

The first grant of Connecticut was made by the Plymouth council, to the Earl of Warwick, in 1630, and confirmed by his majesty in council the fame year. This grant comprehended all that part of New-England which lies weft from Narragansett river, 120 miles on the fea-coaft from thence, in latitude and breadth aforefaid, to the fouth fea.' The year following, the Earl affigned this grant to Lord Say and Seal, Lord Brook, and nine others.

No English fettlements were attempted in Connecticut until the year 1633, when a number of Indian traders, having purchafed of Zequaffon and Natawanute, two principal Sachems, a tract of land at the mouth of Little river in Windfor, built a house and fortified it, and ever after maintained their right of foil upon the river.

The fame year, a little before the arrival of the English, a company of Dutch traders came to Hartford, and built a house which they called the Hirfe of Good Hope, and erected a fmall fort, in which they planted two cannon. The remains of this fettlement are ftill visible on the bank of Connecticut river. This was the only fettlement of the Dutch in Connecticut in thofe ancient times. The Dutch, and after them the Province of New-York, for a long time, claimed as far east as the western bank of Connecticut river. It belongs to the profeffed hiftorian to prove or difprove the justice of this claim. Douglafs fays, The partition line between New-York and Connecticut, as eftablished December 1, 1664, run from the mouth of Memoroncok river, (a little weft from Byram river,) N. N. W. and was the ancient eafterly limits of New-York, until Nov. 23, 1683, when the line was run nearly the faine as it is now fettled *.' If Douglafs is right, the New-York claim could not have been well founded.

In 1634, Lord Say and Seal, &c. fent over a fmall number of men, who built a fort at Saybrook, and held a treaty with the Pequot Indians, who, in a formal manner, gave to the English their right to Connecticut river and the adjacent country.

*Douglafs, Sum. Vol. II. p. 161.

In 1635, the Plymouth council granted to the Duke of Hamilton, alt lands between Narraganfett and Connecticut rivers, and back into the country as far as Massachusetts fouth line. This covered a part of the Earl of Warwick's patent, and occafioned fome difputes in the colony. There were feveral attempts to revive the Hamilton claim, but were never profecuted,

In Oct. of this year, about fixty perfons from Newton, Dorchester, and Waterton, in Massachusetts, came and fettled in Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windfor, in Connecticut; and the June following the famous Mr. Hooker, and his company, came and fettled at Hartford, and was a friend and father to the colony to the day of his death.

The first court held in Connecticut was at Hartford, April 26th, 1636.

The year 1637 was diftinguished by the war with the Pequots. This warlike nation had, for fome time, been troublesome neighbours. They folicited the Narraganfetts to join them in extirpating the English. They had furprized and killed feveral of the English upon Connecticut river. Thefe threatening appearances and actual hoftilities, induced the three colonies of Maffachufetts, Plymouth, and Connecticut, to combine their forces to carry the war into their country, and to attempt the entire deftruction of the whole tribe. Myantonomo, the Narraganfett Sachem, and Uncas, Sachem of the Mohegans, fent to the English and offered their fervice to join with them against the Pequots. Forces were accordingly raifed in all the colonies, but thofe of Connecticut, on account of their vicinity to the enemy, were first in action. Captain Mafon, with So English and 100 Indians from Connecticut river, proceeded by water to the Narragansett's country, where 200 of that tribe joined him. On the 24th of May, they began their march for Saffacus' fort on Pequot, now Thames, river. They afterwards determined first to assault Myftic fort, which was fituated between them and Pequot river. On the morning of the 26th of May the attack was made. The Indians, after a midnight revel, were buried in a deep sleep. At the moment of their approach, the centinel happened to be gone into a wigwam to light his pipe. The barking of a dog gave the alarm. The Indians awoke, feized their arrows, and began their hideous yell. They were joined in their tremendous noise by the Indians in the English army, who were in the rear, and afraid to approach. The battle was warm and bloody, and the victory compleat. The fort was taken-about 70 wigwams were burnt-50 or 60 of the Indians were killed—many were wounded and taken, and the rest escaped. Saflacus and his warriors at Pequot, ftruck with terror at the news of this defeat, demolished their principal fort, burnt their wigwams, and fled to the weftward. Capt. Stoughton, with 160 men from Maffachusetts, had by this time arrived at Saybrook. He, with his forces, joined Captain Mafon, and purfued the Indians, and overtook and furrounded them in a great fwamp near Fairfield. A Sachem and ninety-nine women and children came out and delivered themselves up to their purfuers. Terms of peace were offered to the reft. But after a fhort parley they determined, that as they had lived they would die together.' There were about eighty who made this refolution. Part of thefe efcaped by means of the darkness of the night. The reft were either killed or taken. In this action the Indians had guns,