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The natives of New-England, according to Mr. Neal, believed not only a plurality of gods, who made and governed the feveral nations of the world, but they made deities of every thing they imagined to be great, powerful, beneficial, or hurtful to mankind; yet, they conceived one Almighty Being, who dwells in the fouth-west region of the heavens, to be fuperior to all the reft: this Almighty Being they call Kichtan, who at first, according to their tradition, made a man and woman out of a stone, but upon fome diflike destroyed them again, and then made another couple out of a tree, from whom defcended all the nations of the earth; but how they came to be scattered and difperfed into countries fo remote from one another, they cannot tell. They believed their Supreme God to be a good Being, and paid a fort of acknowledgement to him for plenty, victory, and other benefits.

But there is another power which they called Hobbamocko, in English the Devil, of whom they ftood in greater awe, and worshipped merely from a principle of fear.

The immortality of the foul was univerfally believed among them; when good men die, they faid, their fouls went to Kichtan, where they meet their friends, and enjoy all manner of pleasures; when wicked men die, they went to Kichtan alfo, but were commanded to walk away; and fo wander about in restless discontent and darkness for ever.

NEW

HAMPSHIRE.

SITUATION and EXTENT,

Miles.

Length 180} Between {224 90' and 45° North Latitude.
2° 40′ and 4° 20' East Longitude.
42° 50′

Breadth 60

Boundaries.] BOUNDED northwardly by the British province of Québec; north-eaft by the old province of Main, foutheaft by the Atlantic ocean; fouth by the ftate of Massachusetts; weft and north-weft by the western bank of Connecticut river, which forms the line of divifion between New-Hampshire and Vermont. The fhape of NewHampshire resembles an open fan, Connecticut river being the curve, the fouthern line the fhorteft, and the eastern line the longest side.

Civil Divifions.] New-Hampfhire is divided into counties † and townfhips; of the former are the five following, viz.

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The firft alt for dividing New-Hampshire into counties was passed as late as 1769.

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Grafton,

Chief Towns.
PORTSMOUTH and Exeter.
Dover and Durham,

Amherst,

Keen and Charleston,
Haveril and Plymouth.

In 1776, there were 165 fettled townships in this ftate. Since that time the number has been greatly increased; and as a confiderable part of the ftate is unlocated, the number will continue to increase. These townfhips which were laid out in the infancy of the ftate are large, and differ in their fize; but those of later date are uniformly fix miles fquare.

Chief Towns.] Portfmouth is much the largeft town in this ftate. It ftands on the fouth-eaft fide of Pifcataqua river, about two miles from the fea, and contains about 600 houfes, and 4400 inhabitants. The town is handfomely built, and pleasantly fituated. Its public buildings are a court-house, two churches for Congregationalifts, one for Epifcopalians, and one other house for public worship.

Its harbour is one of the finest on the continent, having a fufficient depth of water for veffels of any burthen. It is defended against storms by the adjacent land in fuch a manner, as that fhips may fecurely ride there in any feafon of the year. Besides, the harbour is fo well fortified by nature, that very little art will be neceffary to render it impregnable. Its vicinity to the fea renders it very convenient for naval trade. A lighthouse, with a fingle light, ftands at the entrance of the harbour.

Exeter is a pretty town, fifteen miles fouth-westerly from Portfinouth, on the fouth-fide of Exeter river. It has a harbour of eight and an half feet water, and was formerly famous for fhip-building.

Dover Neck, which makes a part of the town of Dover, is fituated between two branches of Pifcataqua river, and is a fine, dry and healthy fituation; fo high as to command the neighbouring fhores, and afford a very extenfive and delightful profpect.

There are many confiderable and flourishing towns on Connecticut river, in the western parts of this state.

Rivers, bays, and lakes.] The Pifcataqua river has four branches, Berwick, Cochechy, Exeter, and Durham, which are all navigable for small veffels and boats, fome fifteen, others twenty miles from the fea. Thefe rivers unite about eight miles from the mouth of the harbour, and form one broad, deep, rapid ftream, navigable for fhips of the largest burthen.

This river forms the only port of New-Hampshire. Its principal branch, called Nywichwannok, fprings from the fouthernmoft of Lovel's ponds, and tumbling over feveral falls, in its foutherly course, meets the other ftreams, which uniting form Pifcataqua river. A line drawn from the -northern head of this river, until it meets the boundary of the province of Quebec, divides New-Hampshire from the province of Main.

The Merrimak bears that name from its mouth to the confluence of Pemigewaffet and Winipifiokee rivers, the latter has its fource in the lake of the fame name; one branch of the former rifes in Squam pond, latitude 43° 50'. Their junction is in about latitude 43° 30'.

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In its courfe, it receives numberless finall streams, iffuing from ponds and fwamps in the vallies. It tumbles over two confiderable falls, Amafkäëg, twenty-fix feet perpendicular, and Pantucket great falls, which has two pitches, and the stream fhoots with an inconceivable rapidity between the upper and lower pitches. The upper fall is ten feet perpendicular; the rapid, between the two falls, defcends ten feet in the courfe of its fhot; the latter falls twenty-four feet in fixty-five rods. In the whole the water falls forty feet. From Haverhill the river runs winding along, through a pleafant rich vale of meadow and paffing between Newbury-Port and Salisbury, empties into the ocean.

Great-Bay, fpreading out from Pifcataqua river, between Portfinouth and Exeter, is the only one that deferves mentioning.

There are several remarkable ponds or lakes in this ftate. Umbagog is a large lake, quite in the north east corner of the state. Winnifipiokee lake, is nearly in the centre of the state, and is about twenty miles long, and from three to eight broad.

Face of the Country] The land next to the fea, is generally low, but as you advance into the country, the land rifes into hills. Some parts of the ftate are mountainous.

Mountains.] The White mountains are the highest part of a ridge, which extends north-eaft and fouth-west, to a length not yet afcertained. The whole circuit of them is not lefs than fifty miles. The height of these mountains, above an adjacent meadow, is reckoned, from obfervations made by the Rev. Mr. Cutler, of Ipfwich, in 1784, to be about 5500 feet, and the meadow is 3500 feet above the level of the fea. The fnow and ice cover them nine or ten months in the year, during which time, they exhibit that bright appearance from which they are denominated the White mountains. From this fummit, in clear weather, is exhibited a noble view, extending fixty or feventy miles in every direction. Although they are more than feventy miles within land, they are feen many leagues off at fea, and appear like an exceeding bright cloud in the horizon. These immenfe heights, being copiously replenished with water, afford a variety of beautiful cafcades. Three of the largest rivers in NewEngland, receive a great part of their waters from these mcuntains. Amanoofuck and Ifrael Rivers, two principal branches of Connecticut, fall from their western fides. Peabody river, a branch of the Amarifcogen, falls from the north-east side, and almost the whole of the Saco, defcends from the southern fide. The highest fummit of thefe mountains, is in about latitude 44°.

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The Monadnik is a very high mountain, in Chefhire county, in the fouth-western parts of the flate.

Climate.] The air in New-Hampshire is ferene and healthful. The weather is not fo fubject to change as in more fouthern climates. This ftate, embofoming a number of very high mountains, and lying in the neighbourhood of others, whofe towering fummits are covered with fnow and ice three quarters of the year, is intenfely cold in the winter season. The heat of fummer is great, but of fhort duration. The cold braces the constitution, and renders the labouring people healthful and robust.

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Soil

Soil and Productions. On the fea-coaft, and many places inland, the fort is fandy, but affords good pafturage. The intervals at the foot of the mountains are greatly enriched by the freshets which bring down the foil upon them, forming a fine mould, and producing corn, grain, and herbage in the most luxuriant plenty. The back lands, which have been cultivated, are generally very fertile, and produce the various kinds of grain, fruits, and vegetables, which are common to the other parts of NewEngland. The uncultivated lands are covered with extenfive forests of pine, fir, cedar, oak, walnut, &c.

Manufactures.] As this ftate is the living magazine of mafts and nava! timber, and affords every other material neceffary for fhip-building, that bufinefs may here be carried on extensively, and to very great advantage. Indeed much was done in this way before the war. A number of merchant veffels, and fome frigates were built annually, and fold in Europe; and in the time of the war, a feventy-four gun fhip was built at Portfmouth. Since the peace, this business has been revived.

Trade.] The principal trade of New-Hampshire was formerly to the Weft-India fugar-iflands, to which they exported all the various kinds of lumber horfes, cattle, fheep, poultry, falted provifions, pot and pearl afhes, dried fish, &c. and received in return, rum, fugar, molaffes, cocoa, &c. Their fhips were ufually fent to the Weft-India islands for freight to Europe, or to the Bay of Honduras, for logwood; and from thence to Europe, where they were fold. They alfo exported mafts, yards, and fpars for the royal navy of Great-Britain.

Population, Character, &c.] No actual cenfus of the inhabitants has been lately made. In the Convention at Philadelphia, in 1787, they were reckoned at 102,000.

There is no characteristical difference between the inhabitants of this and the other New-England States. The ancient inhabitants of NewHampshire were emigrants from England. Their pofterity, mixed with emigrants from Maffachusetts, fill the lower and middle towns.

Emigrants from Connecticut compofe the largest part of the inhabitants of the western towns, adjoining Connecticut river. Slaves there are none. Negroes, who were never numerous in New-Hampshire, are alt free by the first article of the bill of rights.

Ilands. The Iles of Shoals are the only iflands in the fea, belonging. to New Hampshire. They are convenient for the Cod-fifhery, which was formerly carried on there to great advantage, but the people are now few and poor.

Indians.] There are no Indians in the ftate. The fcattered remains of former tribes, retired to Canada many years fince.

Conflitution,] The Conftitution of the ftate which was adopted in 1784, is taken, almoft verbatim, from that of Maffachusetts. The principal differences, except fuch as arise from local circumstances, are the following: The ftiles of the Conftitutions, and of the fupreme magiftrates in each ftate, are different. In one it is GOVERNOR of the COMM'O NWEALTH of Maffachusetts,' in the other, PRESIDENT of the

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STATE

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STATE of New Hampshire.' In each ftate, the fupreme magiftrate has the title of HIS EXCELLENCY.'

The Prefident of New-Hampshire, like the Governor of Maffachusetts, has not the power of negativing all bills and refolves of the fenate and houfe of representatives, and of preventing their pafling into laws, unless approved of by two-thirds of the members prefent. In New-Hampshire the Prefident of the State prefides in the fenate', in Maffachusetts the fenate choofe their own Prefident.

There are no other differences worth mentioning, except it be in the mode of appointing militia officers, in which New-Hampshire has greatly the advantage of Maffachusetts. See Massachusetts.

Colleges, Academies, &c.] In the township of Hanover, in the western part of this ftate, is Dartmouth College, fituated on a beautiful plain, about half a mile of Connecticut River, in latitude 43° 33'. It was named after the Right Honorable William Earl of Dartmouth, who was one of its principal benefactors. It was founded by the late pious and benevolent Dr. Eleazer Wheelock, who, in 1769, obtained a royal charter, wherein ample privileges were granted, and fuitable provifion made for the education and inftruction of youth, of the Indian tribes, in reading, writing, and all parts of learning which fhould appear neceffary and expedient for civilizing and chriftianizing the children of Pagans, as well as in all liberal arts and sciences; and also of English youths and any others. The very humane and laudable attempts which have been made to chriftianize and educate the Indians, have not, through their native untractableness, been crowned with that fuccefs which was hoped and expected. Its fituation, in a frontier country, expofed it, during the late war, to many inconveniencies, which prevented its rapid progrefs. It flourished, however, amidst all its embarraffments, and is now one of the moft growing feminaries in the United States. It has, in the four claffes, about 130 ftudents, under the direction of a Prefident, two Profeffors, and two Tutors, It has twelve Trustees, who are a body corporate, invefted with the powers necessary for such a body. The library is elegant, containing a large collection of the most valuable books. Its apparatus confifts of a competent number of useful inftruments, for making mathematical and philofophical experiments. There are three buildings for the ufe of the ftudents; one of which was erected in 1786, and is not yet finished. It is one hundred and fifty feet in length, and fifty in breadth, three ftories high and handLomely built. It has a broad paffage running through its centre from end to end, interfected by three others. In front is a large green encircled with a number of hand fome houfes. Such is the falubrity of the air, that no inftance of mortality has happened among the students since the first establishment of the College.

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At Exeter, there is a flourishing Academy, under the inftruction of Mr. William Woodbridge; and at Portfmouth a Grammar-School. the towns are bound by law to support schools ; but the grand jurors, whofe bufinefs it is to fee that these laws are executed, are not fo careful as they ought to be in prefenting fins of omiffion.

Churches, &c] The churches in New-Hampshire are principally for congregationalists; fome for Prefbyterians and Baptifts, and one for Epifcopa

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