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other, to illuminate it when neceffary. There are four ftrong ftone wharfs, connected with three piers each, funk in various parts of the river.

The draw is constructed on the most approved plan; the machinery is very fimple; and it is defigned to require the ftrength of two men only in raifing it. The floor on the bridge at the highest tides, is four feet above the water, which generally rifes about twelve or fourteen feet.

This bridge was completed in thirteen months; and while it exhibits the greatest effect of private enterprize within the United States, is a moft pleafing proof, how certainly objects of magnitude may be attained by fpirited exertions.

Another bridge, of a fimilar conftruction, has been erected over Mystic iver at Malden ; and another is now building at Beverly, which will connect that flourishing little town with Salem. Thefe are works of much enterprize, ingenuity and public fpirit; and ferve to fhew that architecture, in this state, has rifen to a high pitch of improvement. It is a confideration not unworthy of being here noticed, that while many other nations are wafting the brilliant efforts of genius in monuments of ingenious folly, to perpetuate their pride; the Americans, according to the true fpirit of republicanifm, are employed almost entirely in works of public and private utility.

Trade, Manufactures and Agriculture.] In the year 1787, the exports from this ftate exceeded their imports; and it is more than probable that, from the rapid increase of manufactural and agricultural improvements, and the prevailing fpirit of industry and economy, the balance in favour of the ftate will be annually increased. The exports from the port of Bofton, the year past, (August 1788) confifting of fish, oil, New England rum, lumber of various kinds, pot and pearl-afhes, flax-feed, furs, pork, beef, corn, flour, butter, cheese, beans, peas, bar-iron, hallow, ware, bricks, whale-bone, tallow and fpermaceti candles, foap, loaf-fugar, woolcards, leather, fhoes, naval ftores, ginseng, tobacco, bolts, duck, hemp, cordage, nails, &c. amount to upwards of £345,000 lawful money, New England rum, pot-afh, lumber, fish, and the produce of the fishery, are the principal articles of export. No lefs than 4783 hogfheads of New England rum were distilled and exported from this ftate last year, besides the home confumption, which was not inconfiderable *.

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*New England rum is diftilled from molaffes imported from the Weft Indies. a queftion worthy of confideration, whether the molasses which is annually diftilled in New England, by being mixed with water, would not afford a drink cheaper, more palatable, and more nourishing, than that which is made from the rum diflilled from it, and treble in quantity? If so, all the labour and expence of diftillation might be fpared, and converted to more useful, and perhaps to more lucrative manufactural or agricultural purposes. New England rum is by no means a wholesome liquor. Dr. Douglass has afferted. That it has killed more Indians than their wars and ficknesses. It does not Spare white people, especially when made into flip, which is rum mixed with Small beer and Muscovado sugar.'

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New markets for the produce of this, and the other ftates, are continually increafing. The Cape of Good Hope, the lfle of France, Surat, Batavia and Canton, have lately opened their ports to receive the articles of beef, pork, bacon, butter, cheese, timber, ginfeng, and several others. To Great-Britain are fent pot and pearl afhes, ftaves, flax-feed, bees-wax, &c. To the Weft-Indies, lumber, fish, pork, beef, flour, &c. The whale, cod, and mackarel fisheries, employ great number of hands, and yield a handfome profit The Negro trade is totally prohibited in Maffachusetts, by an act paffed in the winter of 1788.

Annual improvements are made in agriculture, chiefly by gentlemen of fortune. The common hufbandmen in the country, generally choofe to continue in the old track of their forefathers. The Academy of Arts and Sciences have a committee, by the fame of the Agricultural Commmittee,' whofe business it is to receive and communicate any useful information upon that fubject.

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In this state are manufactured pot and pearl-ashes, linfeed oil, bar and cast iron, cannon, cordage, fpermaceti oil and candles, and many smaller articles, fuch as linen, woollen and cotten cloth, hofiery, hats, fhoes, tools and inftruments of husbandry, wool-cards, fnuff, clocks, cutlery, muskets, cabinet-work, &c. The town of Lynn is particularly famous for the manufacture of womens filk and ftuff fhoes. It is computed that they make 170,000 pair of them annually. These are exported to various parts or the union.

A cotton manufactuory has lately been eftablished at Beverly, which bids fair to be productive of advantages to the town.

An affociation of the tradesmen and manufacturers of the town of Bofton, has lately been formed, confifting of a reprefentative from each branch. In this body the whole manufacturing intereft of that patriotic town is combined. By a circular letter of Auguft 20th, they have strongly recommended the fame procedure to their brethren in the feveral fea-ports in the union. This affociation will doubtlefs be productive of happy effects.

Ship-building, after a long ftagnation fince the peace, now begins to revive in various maritime parts of the state. Preparations are making for a glafs-houfe in Boston.

Mr. Jofeph Pope, of Bofton, has conftructed a large, complete and elegant Planetarium, fix feet in diameter. This is entirely a work of original genius and affiduous application, as Mr. Pope never faw any machine of the kind but his own. It exhibits a proof of great strength of mind, and really does him much honour,

Revenue and Taxes.] The principal fources of revenue are lard and polltaxes, impofts, excifes, and the fales of new lands. Taxes are levied on all males between fixteen and fifty, except fuch as are exempted by law-alfo on the number of acres of improved and unimproved land-on dwellinghoufes and barns, warehouses, ftores, &c. thefe are all valued, and upon this valuation taxes are laid, fo many pounds for every £1000.

Mines and Minerals ] In Attleborough is a magnetic iron ore; it yields a red fhot iron, not good. In Attleborough Gore is some copper ore, but fo intermixed with the iron rock cre, as to render bot unprofitable. Alum

Alum flate, or ftone, has been found in fome parts; alfo ruddle, or red earth, which serves to mark sheep, and may be usfed as a ground colour for priming, instead of Spanish brown. Several mines of black lead have been discovered in Brimfield, and the neighbouring places; and white pipe clay, and yellow and red ochre, at Martha's Vineyard. There is a valuable copper mine at Leverett, in the county of Hampshire, lately dif covered; and at Newbury are beds of lime-stone and asbestos.

Hißory] On the 19th of March, 1627, the Plymouth council fealed a patent to Sir Henry Rofwell, and five others, of all that part of New England, included between a line drawn three miles fouth of Charles river, and another three miles north of Merimak river, from the Atlantic to the South Sea *. This patent gave a good right to the foil, but no powers of government. A royal charter was neceffary. This paffed the feals March 4th, 1628. Until this year, a few scattering fettlements only had been made in Maffachusetts Bay. In the fummer of 1627, Mr. Endicot, one of the original planters, with a fmall colony, was fent over to begin a plantation at Naun keag, (now Salem.) The June following, about 200 perfons, furnished with four minifters †, came over and joined Mr. Endicot's colony; and the next year they formed themselves into a regular church. This was the first church gathered in Maffachusetts, and the fecond in New England. The church at Plymouth had been gathered eight years before. In 1629, a larger embarkation was projected by the company in England; and at the request of a number of respectable gentlemen, noft of whom afterwards came over to New England, the general confent of the company was obtained, that the government and patent should be transferred and fettled in Massachusetts.

In 1630, seventeen fhips from different ports in England, arrived in Maffachusetts, with more than 1500 paffengers, among whom were many

* This tract of country was called MASSACHUSETTS BAY. The Massachusetts tribe of Indians lived around, and gave their name to the large bay at the bottom of this tract; hence the name Maffachusetts Bay. The Indian word is Mais Tchufaeg, fignifyinng the courtry this fide the bi ls.

The following extract from the epiftle dedicatory to a fermon preached at Plymouth, in 1620, will fhew the ideas then entertained refpecting the fituation of the South Sea.

New England, fo call'd, not only (to avoid novelties) because Captain Smith bath fo entituled it in his defcription, but because of the refemblance that is in it of England, the native foil of Englishmen: it being much what the fame for beat and cold in fummer and winter, it being champion ground, but not bigh mountains, fomewhat like the foil in Kent and Effex; full of dales, and meddow ground, full of rivers and sweet Springs, as England is. But principally, fo far as we can yet find it is an island, and near about the quantity of England, being cut out from the maine land in America, as England is from the maine of Europe, by a great arm of the fea, which entreth in forty degrees, and runneth up north-west and by weft, and goeth out either into the South Sea, or elfe into the bay of Canada. + Mers. Higginson, Skelton, Bright and Smith.

perfons

perfons of diftinction. Incredible were the hardships they endured. Expofed to the relentless cruelties of the Indians, who, a few months before, had entered into a general confpiracy to extirpate the English-reduced to a fcanty pittance of provifions, and that of a kind to which they had not been accustomed, and deftitute of neceffary accommodations, numbers fickened and died: fo that before the end of the year, they loft 200 of their number. About this time fettlements were made at Charleston, Boston, Dorchester, Cambridge, Roxbury and Medford. The firft general court of Maffachusetts was held on the 19th of October, 1631, not by reprefentation, but by the freemen of the corporation at large. At this court, they agreed that, in future, the freemen fhould choofe the affiftants, and that the affiftants should choose, from among themselves, the governor and deputy governor. The, court of affiftants were to have the power of making laws, and appointing officers. This was a depar

ture from their charter. One hundred and nine freemen were admitted this court. At the next general court of election, in the fame year, the freemen, notwithstanding their former vote, refolved to choose their own governor, deputy, and affiftants, and paffed a moft extraordinary law, that none but church members fhould be admitted to the freedom of the body politic.' This law continued in force until the diffolution of the government; with this alteration, however, that, inftead of being church members, the candidates for freedom must have a certificate from the minifter, that they were of orthodox principles, and of good lives and converfations.

In the years 1632 and 1633, great additions were made to the colony. Such was the rage for emigration to New England, that the king in council thought fit to iffue an order, (February 7, 1633,) to prevent it. This order, however, was not ftrictly obeyed; for this year came over Meffrs. Cotton, Hooker and Stone, three of the most famous pillars of the church. Mr. Cotton fettled at Boston, and the other two at Cambridge. Mr. Hooker, and 100 others, removed in 1636, and settled at Hartford, on Connecticut river.

In 1634, twenty-four of the principal inhabitants appeared in the general court for elections, as the reprefentatives of the body of freemen, and refolved, That none but the general court had power to make and eftablish laws-to elect officers to raife monies, and confirm properties; and determined that four general courts be held yearly, to be fummoned by the governor, and not be diffolved without the confent of the major part of the court--that it be lawful for the freemen of each plantation to choose two or three perfons as their representatives, to tranfact, on their behalf, the affairs of the commonwealth, &c. Thus was fettled the legiflative body, which, except an alteration of the number of general courts, which were foon reduced to two only in a year, and other not very material circumftances, continued the fame as long as the charter lafted.

In 1636 Mrs. Hutchinson, a very extraordinary woman, who came to New England with Mr. Cotton, made great disturbances in the churches. Two capital errors with which the was charged, were, That the Holy Ghoft dwells perfonally in a justified perfon; and that nothing of fancti

fication,

fication, can help to evidence to believers their juftification.' Difputes ran high about the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, and involved both the civil and religious affairs of the colony in great confufion. The final refult was, a fynod was appointed to be held at Cambridge, in Auguft, 1637, where were prefent both minifters and meffengers of churches and magiftrates, who, after three weeks difputing, condemned, as erroneous, above eighty points or opinions, faid to have been maintained by fome or other in the country. The refult was figned by all the members but Mr. Cotton. In confequence of this, Mrs. Hutchinfon and fome of her principal followers were fentenced to banishment. She, with her husband and family, fhortly after removed to Aquidnick, (Rhode-Ifland) where, in 1642, Mr. Hutchinfon died. She being diffatisfied with the people or place, removed to the Dutch country, beyond New-Haven, and the next year, fhe and all her family, being fixteen fouls, were killed by the Indians, except one daughter, who was carried into captivity.

The year 1637, was diftinguished by the Pequot wars, in which were flain five or fix hundred Indians, and the tribe almoft wholly deftroyed. This ftruck fuch terror into the Indians, that for forty years fucceeding, they never openly commenced hoftilities with the English.

The year 1638, was rendered memorable by a very great earthquake throughout New-England.

In 1640, the importation of fettlers ceafed. The motives for emigrating to New-England were remoyed by a change in the affairs of England. They who then profeffed to give the beft accounts fay, that in 298 thips, which were the whole number from the beginning of the colony, there arrived 21,200 paffengers, men, women, and children, perhaps about 4000 families. Since then more perfons have removed from New England to other parts of the world, than have arrived from thence hither. prefent inhabitants therefore of New-England, are justly to be estimated a natural increase, by the bleffing of Heaven, from the first 21,000 that arrived in the year 1640. It was judged that they had, at this time, 12,000 neat cattle, and 3000 fheep. The charge of tranfporting the families and their fubftance, was computed at 192,000l, fterling.

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In 1641, many difcouragements were given to the fettlers by their former benefactors, who withheld their affiftance from them, and endeavoured, though without fuccefs, to perfuade them to quit their new establishments. The following year, the Indians confederated under Miantinomo, a leader of the Narragansett Indians, for the extirpation of the English. The confederacy was fortunately difcovered in its infancy and produced no mifchief.

This year (1643) great diflurbance was made in the colony by a sect which arofe from the afhes of Antinomianifm. The members of it, by their imprudence, expofed themfelves to the intolerant fpirit of the day, and Gorton, the leader of the party, was fentenced to be confined to Charleston, there to be kept at work, and to wear fuch bolts and irons as might hinder his efcape, and was threatened with feverer punishment in cafe of a repetition of his crime. The reft were confined to different towns, one in a town, upon the fame conditions with Gorton. Thefe fentences were cruel and unjustifiable; yet much of the apparent feverity is removed, when the character and conduct of Gorton is taken into view.

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