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Chief Towns.] There are a great number of very pleasant towns, both maritime and inland, in Connecticut. It contains five incorporated towns. or cities. Two of thefe, Hartford and New-Haven, are the capitals of the ftate. The general affembly is held at the former in May, and at the latter in October, annually.

HARTFORD (city) is fituated at the head of navigation on the weft fide of Connecticut river, about fifty miles from its entrance into the found. Its buildings are a ftate-houfe-two churches for congregationalists-a diftillery, befides upwards of 300 dwelling-houfes, a number of which are handsomely built with brick.

The town is divided by a finall river, with high romantic banks. Overthis river is a bridge connecting the two divifions of the towns. Hartford is advantageously fituated for trade, has a very fine back country, enters largely into the manufacturing bufinefs, and is a rich flourishing commercial town.

NEW-HAVEN (city) lies round the head of a bay, which makes up about four miles north from the found. It covers part of a large plain, which is circumfcribed on three fides by high hills or mountains. Two fmall rivers bound the city east and west. The town was originally laid out in fquares of fixty rods. Many of thefe fquares have been divided by crofs ftreets. Four streets run north-west and fouth-east, these are croffed by others at right angels-Near the centre of the city is the public fquare; on and around which are the public buildings, which are a statehoufe, college and chapel, three churches for Congregationalifts, and one for Epifcopalians. Thefe are hall handfome and commodious buildings. The college, chapel, state-house, and one of the churches are of brick. The public fquare is encircled with rows of trees, which render it both convenient and delightful. Its beauty, however, is greatly diminished by the burial ground, and feveral of the public buildings, which occupy a confiderable part of it.

Many of the streets are ornamented with two rows of trees, one on each fide, which give the city a rural appearance. The profpe&t from the fteeples is greatly variegated, and extremely beautiful There are about 500 dwelling-houfes in the city, principally of wood, and wel! built, and fome of them elegant. The ftreets are fandy, but neat and cleanly. Within the limits of the city, are between 3 and 4000 fouls: About one in feventy die annually; this proves the healthfulness of its climate. Indeed as to pleafantnefs of fituation, and falubrity of air, New Haven is not exceeded by any city in America. It carries on a confiderable trade with New-York, and the Weft-India Iflands, and is flourish ing.*.

NEW-LONDON (city) ftands on the weft fide of the river Thames, near its entrance into the found, in latitude 41° 25'. It has two places for public worship, one for Epifcopalians and one for Congregationalifts, and about 300 dwelling-houfes. Its harbour is the beft in Connecticut, and as good as any in the United-States; and is defended by fort Trumbull

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The following account of the number of inhabitants in the city of

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and fort Grifwold, the one in New-London, the other in Groton. A confiderable part of the town was burnt by the infamous Benedict Arnold, in 1781. It has fince been rebuilt.

NORWICH (City) stands at the head of Thames river, 12 or 14 miles north from New-London. It is a commercial city, has a rich and extenfive back country, and avails itself of its natural advantages at the head of navigation. Its fituation upon a river which affords a great number of convenient feats for mills and water machines of all kinds, render it very eligible in a manufactural view.

The inhabitants are not neglectful of the advantages, which nature has fo liberally given them. They manufacture paper of all kinds, ftockings,

New-Haven, and their different ages, together with the number of buildings of different kinds, is the refult of an accurate enumeration, September 20th, 1987. As it may furnish fufficient date from which, at any future enumeration, feveral valuable and inftructive calculations may be made, it is thought proper to preferve it.

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Females

16941

In 1724 there were 163

buildings of all kinds, from which we may

conclude, the number of fouls and bitildings has doubled fince that time,

in periods of about twenty years.

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clocks and watches, chaises, buttons, ftone and earthen ware, wire, oil, chocolate, bells, anchors, and all kinds of forge work. The city con tains about 450 dwelling-houses, a court-house, and two churches for Congregationalists, and one for Epifcopalians. The city is in three detached, compact divifions; viz. Chelfea, at the landing, the town, and Bean-hill; in the latter divifion is a flourishing academy; and in the town is a school fupported by a donation from Dr. Daniel Lathrop, deceased. The executive courts of law are held alternately at New-Lon don and Norwich.

MIDDLETON (city) is pleasantly fituated on the western bank of Connecticut river, fifteen miles fouth of Hartford. It is the principal town in Middlesex county has about 300 houfes-a court-house-one church for Congregationalifts-one for Epifcopalians-a naval office--and carries on a large and increafing trade.

Four miles fouth of Hartford is WETHERSFIELD, a very pleasant town of between two and three hundred houfes fituated on a fine foil, with an elegant brick church for Congregationalifts. A fair is held here This town is noted for raifing onions. Windfor, Farmington, Litchfield, Milford, Stratford, Fairfield and Guilford, are all confiderable and very pleasant towns.

twice a year.

Curiofities:] Two miles weft of New-Haven is a mountain, on the top of which is a cave, remarkable for having been the refidence of generals Whaley and Goff, two of the judges of Charles I. who was beheaded. They arrived at Bofton July 27th, 1660, and came to New-Haven the March following. May 11th, 1661, they retired and concealed themselves behind Weft-mountain, three miles from New-Haven; and the 19th of Auguft, they removed to Milford, where they lived concealed until the 13th of October, 1664; when they returned to New-Haven, and imme diately proceeded to Hadley, where they remained concealed for about ten years, in which time Whaley died. Goffe foon after abdicated. In 1665, John Dixwell, Efq another of the king's judges, vifited them while at Hadley, and afterwards proceeded to New-Haven, where he lived many years, and was known by the name of John Davis. Here he died, and was buried in the public burying-place, where his grave-ftone is stand ing to this day, with this infcription, J. D Efq. deceased March 18th, in the 82d year of his age, 1688.'

In the town of Pomfret is a cave rendered remarkable by the humorous adventure of General Putnam. This cave is defcribed, and the story ele gantly told by Colonel Humphreys, in his life of that hero. The ftory and the defcription I fhall infert in his own words.

Soon after Mr. Putnam removed to Connecticut, the wolves, then very numerous, broke into his fheep-fold, and killed feventy fine fheep and goats, befides wounding many lambs and kids. This havoc was com mitted by a fhe-wolf, which, with her annual whelps, had for feveral years infefted the vicinity. The young were commonly deftroyed by the vigilance of the hunters, but the old one was too fagacious to come within reach of gun-fhot upon being clofely purfued, he would genetally fly to the western woods, and return the next winter with another litter of whelps.

This wolf, at length, became fuch an intolerable nuifance, that Mr. Putnam entered into a combination with five of his neighbours to hunt alternately until they could deftroy her. Two, by rotation, were to be conftantly in purfuit. It was known, that, having loft the toes from one foot, by a fteel trap, fhe made one track fhorter than the other. By this veftige, the purfuers recognized, in a light fnow, the route of this pernicious animal. Having followed her to Connecticut river, and found the had turned back in a direct courfe towards Pomfret, they immediately returned, and by ten the next morning the blood-hounds had driven her into a den, about three miles diftant from the houfe of Mr. Putnam: the people foon collected with dogs, guns, ftraw, fire and fulphur, to attack the common enemy. With this apparatus feveral unsuccessful efforts were made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded, and refufed to return. The finoke of blazing straw had no effect. Nor did the fumes of burnt brimftone, with which the cavern was filled, compel her to quit the retirement. Wearied with fuch fruitless attempts (which had brought the time to ten o'clock at night) Mr. Putnam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in vain; he propofed to his negro man to go down into the cavern and fhoot the wolf: the negro declined the hazardous fervice. Then it was that their mafter, angry at the difappointment, and declaring that he was afhaned to have a coward in his family, refolved himself to deftroy the ferocious beaft, left the fhould escape through fome unknown fiffure of the rock. His neighbours ftrongly remonftrated against the perilous enterprize but he, knowing that wild animals were intimidated by fire, and having provided feveral strips of birch-bark, the only combuftible material which he could obtain, that would afford light in this deep and darkfome cave, prepared for his defcent. Having, accordingly, divetted himself of his coat and waistcoat, and having a long rope fattened round his legs, by which he might be pulled back, at a concerted fignal, he entered head foremost, with the blazing torch in his hand.

The aperture of the den, on the eaft fide of a very high ledge of rocks, is about two feet fquare; from thence it defcends obliquely fifteen feet, then running horizontally about ten more, it afcends gradually fixteen feet towards its termination. The fides of this fubterraneous cavity are compofed of fmooth and folid rocks, which feem to have been divided from each other by fome former earthquake. The top and bottom are alfo of stone, and the entrance, in winter, being covered with ice, is exceedingly ppery. It is in no place high enough for a man to raise himfelf upright: nor in any part more than three feet in width.

Having groped his paffage to the horizontal part of the den, the most terrifying darknefs appeared in front of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It was filent as the houfe of death. None but monfters of the defert had ever before explored this folitary manfion of horror. He, cautioufly proceeding onward, came to the afcent: which he flowly mounted on his hands and knees until he difcovered the glaring eye-balls of the wolf, who was fitting at the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the fight of fire, the gnashed her teeth, and gave a fullen growl. As foon as he had made the neceffary discovery, he kicked the rope as a fignal for pulling him out. The people, at the mouth of the den, who had

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liftened with painful anxiety, hearing the growling of the wolf, and fup. pofing their friend to be in the moft imminent danger, drew him forth with fuch celerity, that his fhirt was ftripped over his head, and his skin feverely lacerated. After he had adjufted his cloaths, and loaded his gun with nine buck-fhot, holding a torch in one hand, and the mufquet in the other, he defcended a fecond time. When he drew nearer than before, the wolf, affuming a ftill more fierce and terrible appearance, howling, rolling her eyes, fnapping her teeth, and dropping her head between her legs, was evidently in the attitude, and on the point of fpringing at him. At the critical inftant he levelled and fired at her head. Stunned with the fhock, and fuffocated with the finoak, he immediately found himself drawn out of the cave. But having refreshed himself, and permitted the finoke to diffipate, he went down the third time. Once more he came within fight of the wolf, who appearing very paffive, he applied the torch to her nofe; and perceiving her dead, he took hold of her ears, and then kicking the rope, (till tied round his legs) the people above, with no fmall exultation, dragged them both out together.

Another bold and almoft prefumptuous deed, in this veteran hero, has rendered remarkable a precipice at Horfeneck, in this ftate. The ftory is this. About the middle of the winter 1778, general Putnam was on a vifit to his out-poft at Horfeneck, he found governor Tryon advancing upon that town with a corps of fifteen hundred men to oppofe thefe, general Putnam had only a picket of one hundred and fifty men, and two iron field-pieces, without horfe or drag-ropes. He, however, planted his cannon on the high ground by the meeting-houfe, and retarded their approach by firing feveral times, until, perceiving the horfe (fupported by the infantry) about to charge, he ordered the picket to provide for their fafety by retiring to a fwamp inacceffible to horfe; and fecured his own by plunging down the fteep precipice at the church upon a full trot. This precipice is fo fteep, where he defcended, as to have artificial ftairs compofed of nearly one hundred ftone fteps for the accommodation of foot paffengers. There the dragoons, who were but a fword's length from him, ftopped fhort. For the declivity was fo abrupt, that they ventured not to follow and, before they could gain the valley by going round the brow of the hill in the ordinary road, he was far enough beyond their reach.'

Tetoket mountain in Branford, latitude 41° 20′, on the north-west part of it, a few feet below the furface, has ice in large quantities in all feafons of the year.

Colleges, Academies, and Schools.] In no part of the world is the education of all ranks of people more attended to than in Connecticut. Almoft every town in the ftate is divided into districts, and each district has a public fchool kept in it a greater or lefs part of every year. Somewhat more than one third of the monies arifing from a tax on the polls and ratable eftate of the inhabitants, is appropriated to the fupport of fchools, in the feveral towns, for the education of children and youth. The law directs that a grammar-fchool fhall be kept in every country town through

out the state.

There is a grammar-school at Hartford, and another at New-Haven, fupported by a donation of governor Hopkins. This venerable and be

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