with large herds of sheep and neat cattle, and rich fields of flax, corn, and the various kinds of grain.

Thefe vallies, which have received the expreffive name of interval lands, are of various breadths, from two to twenty miles; and by the annual inundations of the rivers which flow through them, there is frequently an accumulation of rich, fat foil, left upon their furface when the waters retire.

There are four principal ranges of mountains paffing nearly from north-eaft to fouth-weft, through New-England. Thefe confift of a nultude of parallel ridges, each having many fpurs, deviating from the course of the general range; which fpurs are again broken into irregular, hilly land. The main ridges terminate fometimes in high bluff heads, near the fea-coaft, and fometimes by a gradual descent in the interior part of the country. One of the main ranges runs between Connecticut and Hudfon's rivers. This range branches, and bounds the vales through which flows the Houfatonick river. The most eastern ridge of this range terminates in a bluff head at Meriden. A fecond ends in like manner at Willingford, and a third at New-Haven.

In Lyme, on the eaft fide of Connecticut river, another range of mountains commences, forming the caftern boundary of Connecticut vale. This range treads northerly, at the distance, generally, of about ten or twelve miles east from the river, and paffes through Massachusetts, where the range takes the name of Chicabee mountain; thence croffing into NewHampshire, at the diftance of about twenty miles from the Massachusetts line, it runs up into a very high peak, called Monadnick, which terminates this ridge of the range. A weftern ridge continues, and in about latitude 43° 20′, runs up into Sunipee mountains. About fifty miles further, in the fame ridge, is Moofcoog mountain.

A third range begins near Stonington in Connecticut. It takes its courfe north-easterly, and is fometimes broken and difcontinued; it then rifes again, and ranges in the fame direction into New-Hampshire, where, in latitude 43° 25', it runs up into a high peak, called Cowfawafkoog.

The fourth range has a humble beginning about Hopkinton, in Maffachusetts. The eastern ridge of this range runs north, by Watertown and Concord, and croffes Merrimack river at Pantucket Falls. In NewHampshire it rifes into several high peaks, of which the White mountains are the principal. From thefe White mountains, a range continues northeaft, croffing the eaft boundary of New-Hampshire, in latitude 44° 30', and forms the height of land between Kennebeck and Chaudiere rivers.

Thefe ranges of mountains are full of lakes, ponds, and fprings of water, that give rife to numberlefs ftreams of various fizes, which, interlocking. each other in every direction, and falling over the rocks in romantic caf cades, flow meandering into the rivers below. No country on the globe is better watered than New-England.

On the fea-coaft the land is low, and in many parts level and fandy. In the vallics, between the forementioned ranges of mountains, the land is generally broken, and in many places rocky, but of a ftrong rich foil, capable of being cultivated to good advantage, which alfo is the cafe with many spots even on the tops of the mountains.

Rivers.]

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Rivers.] The only river which will be defcribed under New-England is Connecticut river. It rifes in a fwamp on the height of land, in latitude 45 10, longitude 49 eaft. After a fleepy courfe of eight or ten miles, it tumbles over four feparate falls, and turning wet keeps clofe under the . hills which form the northern boundary of the yale, through, which it runs. The Amonoofuck, and Ifrael rivers, two principal branches of Counecticut river, fall into it from the eaft, between the latitudes 44° and 45.• Between the towns of Walpole on the caft, and Weftminster on the west - fide of the river, are the great falls. The whole river, comprefied between two rocks fcarcely thirty feet, afunder, fhoots with amazing rapidity into a broad bafon below. Over thefe falls, a bridge one hundred and fixty feet in length, was built in 1784, under which the highest floods may pafs without detriment. This is the first bridge that was ever erected Over this noble river. Above Deerfield, in Maffachusetts, it receives Deerfield river from the weft, and Millers river from the caft, after, which it turns wefterly in a finuous courfe to Fighting falls, and a little after tumbles oyer Deerfield falls, which are impaffable by boats. At Windfor, in Conneccut, it receives Farmington river from the weft, and at Hartford, meets the tide. From Hartford it paffes on in a crooked courfe, until it falls into Long Island found, between Saybrook and Lyme.

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The length of this river, in a ftraight line, is nearly three, hundred miles. Its general course is several degrees weft of fouth. It is from eighty to one hundred rods wide, one hundred and thirty miles from its -mouth.

At its mouth is a bar of fand which confiderably obftructs the navigation. Ten feet water at full tides is found on this bar, and the fame depth to Middleton. The distance of the bar from this place, as the river runs, is thirty-fix miles. Above Middleton are feveral fhoals which ftretch quite across the river. Only fix feet water is found on the hoal at high tide, and here the tide ebbs and flows but about eight inches. About three miles below Middleton, the river is, contracted to about forty rods in breadth, by two high mountains. Almost every where elfe the banks are low, and fpread into fine extenfive meadows. In the fpring floods, which generally happen in May, thefe meadows are covered with water. At Hartford the water fometimes rifes twenty feet above the common furface of the river, and having all to pass through the above-mentioned ftreight, it is fometimes two or three weeks before it returns to its usual bed. Thefe floods add nothing to the depth of water on the bar at, the mouth of the river; this bar lying too far off in the found to be affected by them.

On this beautiful river, whose banks are fettled almost to its fource, are many pleasant, neat, well-built towns. On its western bank, from its mouth northward, are the towns of Saybrook, Haddam, Middleton, Weathersfield, Hartford, Windfor, and Suffield, in Connecticut; Weft Springfield, Northampton, Hatfield, and Deerfield, in Massachusetts; Guilford, Brattleborough, in which is Fort Dummer, Westminster, Windfor, Hartford, Fairlee, Newbury, Brunfwick, and many others in Vermont. Croffing the river into New-Hampshire, and travelling on the eaftern bank, you pass through Woodbury nearly oppofite to Brunfwick, Northumberland, the Coos country, Lyman, Orford, Lyme, Hanover, in

which is Dartmouth college, Lebanon, Cornifh, Clermont, Charleston, or No. 4, Chesterfield, and many others in New-Hampshire, Sunder, land, Hadley, Springfield, Long-meadow, in Maffachusetts; and in Connecticut, Enfield, Eaft Windfor, East Hartford, Glaftenbury, Eaft Haddam, and Lyme.

This river is navigable to Hartford, upwards of fifty miles from its mouth, and the produce of the country for two hundred miles above is brought thither in boats. The boats which are ufed in this business are

flat bottomed, long, and narrow, for the convenience of going up ftream, and of fo light a make as to be portable in carts. They are < taken out of the river at three different carrying places, all of which make fifteen miles.

Sturgeon, falmon, and fhad are caught in plenty, in their feafon, from the mouth of the river upwards, excepting fturgeon, which do not afcend the falls; upper befides a variety of fmall fish, fuch as pike, carp,

pearch, &c.

From this river are employed three brigs of one hundred and eighty tons each, in the European trade; and about fixty fail, from fixty to one hundred and fifty tons, in the Weft-India trade; befides a few fishermen, and forty or fifty coafting veffels.

Natural Growth.] The foil, as may be collected from what has been faid, must be very various. Each tract of different foil is diftinguished by its peculiar vegetation, and is pronounced good, middling, or bad, from the fpecies of trees which it produces; and one fpecies generally predominating in each foil, has originated the defcriptive names of oak land-birch, beach, and chefnut lands-pine barren-maple, afh, and cedar fwamps, as each fpecies happen to predominate. Intermingled with these predominating fpecies of walnut, firs, elm, hemlock, magnolia, or moofe wood, faffafras, &c. &c. The beft lands produce walnut and chefnut; the next, beach and oak; the lands of the third quality produce fir and pitch pine; the next, whortleberry and barberry bushes; and the pooreft produces nothing but poor marfhy imperfect fhrubs, which is the lowest kind (if you will allow me to use a hard word) of fuffrutex vegetation.

Among the flowering trees and fhrubs in the forefts, are the red flowering maple, the faffafras, the locuft, the tulip tree, the chefnut, the wild cherry, prune, crab, floe, pear, honey-fuckle, wild rofe, dogwood, elm, leather tree, laurel, hawthorn, &c. which in the spring of the year give the woods a most beautiful appearance, and fill them with a delicious fragrance.

Among the fruits which grow wild, are the feveral kinds of grapes, which are finall, four, and thick skinned. The vines on which they grow are very luxuriant, often overfpreading the highest trees in the forests. Thefe wild vines, without doubt, might be greatly meliorated by proper cultivation, and a wine be produced from the grapes equal, if not fupe rior, to the celebrated wines of France. Befides thefe, are the wild cherries, white and red mulberries, cranberries, walnuts, hazlenuts, chel nuts, butter nuts, beech nuts, wild plums and pears, whortleberries, bil berries, goofberries, ftrawberries, &c.

Productions.]

Productions.] The foil in the interior country is calculated for the culture of Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, flax, and hemp, for which the foil and climate are peculiarly proper, huck-wheat, beans, peas, &c. In many of the inland parts wheat is raifed in large quantities; but on the fea-coaft it has never been cultivated with fuccefs, being fubject to blasts. Various reasons have been affigned for this. Some have fuppofed that the blasts were occafioned by the faline vapours of the fea; others have attributed them to the vicinity of barberry bushes; but perhaps the fandiness and poverty of the foil may be as efficacious a caufe as either of the others.

The fruits which the country yields from culture, are, apples in the greateft plenty of these cyder is made which conftitutes the principal drink of the inhabitants; alfo, pears of various forts, quinces, peaches, from which is made peach brandy, plums, cherries, apricots, &c. culinary plants are fuch as have already been enumerated.

The

New-England is a fine grazing country; the vallies, between the hills, are generally interfected with brooks of water, the banks of which are lined with a tract of rich meadow or interval land. The high and rocky ground is, in many parts, covered with honey-fuckle, and generally affords the finest of pafture. It will not be a matter of wonder, therefore, that NewEngland boafts of railing fome of the finest cattle in the world; nor will fhe be envied, when the labour of raifing them is taken into view. Two months of the hottest season in the year, the farmers are employed in procuring food for the cattle; and the cold winter is fpent in dealing it out to them. The pleasure and profit of doing this, is however a fatisfying compenfation to the honeft and industrious farmer.

Population, Military Strength, Manners, Cufloms, and Diverfions.] New England is the most populous part of the United States. It contains, at leait, eight hundred and twenty-three thousand fouls. One-fifth of thefe

are fencible men. New-England then, fhould any great and fudden emergency require it, could furnish an army of one hundred and fixty-four thoufand fix hundred men. The great body of thefe are land-holders and cultivators of the foil. The former attaches them to their country; the latter, by making them ftrong and healthy, enables them to defend it. 'The boys are early taught the ufe of arms, and make the best of foldiers. Few countries on earth, of equal extent and population, can furnish a more formidable army than this part of the union.

New-England may, with propriety, be called a nursery of men, whence are annually transplanted, into other parts of the United States, thousands of its natives. The State of Vermont, which is but of yesterday, and contains about one hundred thousand fouls, has received more inhabitants from Connecticut, than from any other state; and yet between the years 1774 and 1782, notwithstanding her numerous emigrations to Vermont, Sufquehannah, and other places, and the depopulation occafioned by a feven years bloody war, it is found, from actual cenfus of the inhabitants in the years before-mentioned, that they have increased from one hundred and ninety-feven thoufand eight hundred and fifty-fix, their number in 1774, to two hundred and nine thousand one hundred and fifty, their number in 1782. Vaft numbers of the New-Englanders, fince the war, have emigrated into the northern parts of New-York, into Kentucky and the

Weftern

Western Territory, and into Georgia; and fome are scattered into every ftate, and every town of note in the union.

The inhabitants of New-England are almoft univerfally of English defcent; and it is owing to this circumftance, and to the great and general attention that has been paid to education, that the English language has been preferved among them fo free of corruption. It is true, that from lazinefs, inattention, and want of acquaintance with mankind, many of the people in the country have accustomed themselves to use fome peculiar phrafes, and to pronounce certain words in a flat, drawling manner. Hence foreigners pretend they know a New-Englandman from his manner of fpeaking. But the fame may be faid with regard to a Pennsylvaman, a Virginian, or a Carolinian; for all have fome phrafes and modes of pronunciation peculiar to themselves, which diftinguifh them from their neighbours. Men of eminence in the feveral learned profeffions, and colleges, ought to be confidered as forming the ftandard of pronunciation for their respective states; and not that clafs of people who have imbibed the habit of using a number of fingular and ridiculous phrases, and who pronounce badly.

The New-Englanders are generally tall, ftout, and well-built. They glory, and perhaps with juftice, in poffeffing that fpirit of freedom, which induced their ancestors to leave their native country, and to brave the dangers of the ocean, and the hardships of fettling a wilderness. Their education, laws and fituation, ferve to infpire them with high notions of liberty. Their jealoufy is awakened at the first motion toward an invafion of their rights. They are indeed often jealous to excefs; a circumstance which is a fruitful fource of imaginary grievances, and of innumerable groundless fufpicions, and unjuft complaints against government. But thefe ebullitions of jealoufy, though cenfurable, and productive of fome political evils, fhew that the effence of true liberty exifts in New-England; for jealousy is the guardian of liberty, and a characteristic of free republicans. A law, refpecting the descent of estates which are generally held in fee fimple, which for fubftance is the fame in all the New-England ftates, is the chief foundation and protection of this liberty. By this law, the poffeffions of the father are to be equally divided among all the children, excepting the eldest fon, who has a double portion. In this way is preferved that happy mediocrity among the people, which, by inducing economy and induftry, removes from them temptations to luxury, and forms them to habits of fobriety and temperance At the fame time, their industry and frugality exempt them from want, and from the neceffity of fubmitting to any encroachment on their liberties.

In New-England learning is more generally diffufed among all ranks of people than in any other part of the globe; arifing from the excellent establishment of schools in every township.

Another very valuable fource of information to the people is the newspapers, of which not less than thirty thousand are printed every week in New-England, and circulated in almost every town and village in the Country.

A perfon of mature age, who cannot both read and write, is rarely to be found. By means of this general establishment of schools, the extensive circulation of news-papers, and the confequent fpread of learning, every

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township