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tion. That base business of electioneering, which is fo directly calculated to introduce wicked and defigning men into office, is yet but little known in Connecticut. A man who wishes to be chofen into office, acts wifely, for that end, when he keeps his defires to himself.

A thirst for learning prevails among all ranks of people in the state. More of the young men in Connecticut, in proportion to their numbers, receive a public education, than in any of the states. Dr. Franklin and other literary characters have honoured this ftate by saying, that it is the Athens of America.

Some have believed, and with reafon, that the fondness for academic and collegiate education is too great--that it induces too many to leave the plough. If men of liberal education would return to the farm, and ufe their knowledge in improving agriculture, and encouraging manufactures, there could not be too many men of learning in the ftate; but this is too feldom the cafe.

Connecticut had but few citizens who did not join in oppofing the op preffive measures of Great-Britain, and was active and influential, both in the field and in the cabinet, in bringing about the revolution. Her foldiers were applauded by the commander in chief for their bravery and fidelity.

What has been faid in favour of Connecticut, though true when generally applied, needs to be qualified with fome exceptions. Dr. Douglafs fpoke the truth when he faid, that fome of the meaner fort are villains. Too many are idle and diffipated, and much time is unprofitably and wickedly spent in law-fuits and petty arbitrations. The public fchools, in fome parts of the ftate, have been too much neglected, and in procuring inftructors, too little attention is paid to their moral and literary qualifications.

The revolution, which fo effentially affected the governments of moft of the colonies, produced no very perceptible alteration in the government of Connecticut. While under the jurifdiction of Great-Britain, they elected their own governors, and all fubordinate civil officers, and made their own laws, in the fame manner, and with as little controul as they now do. Connecticut has ever been a republic, and perhaps as perfect and as happy a republic as has ever existed. While other ftates, more monarchical in their government and manners, have been under a neceffity of undertaking the difficult task of altering their old, or forming new, conftitutions, and of changing their monarchical for republican manners, Connecticut has uninterruptedly proceeded in her old track, both as to government and manners; and, by thefe means, has avoided thofe convulfions which have rent other states into voilent parties.

At the anniversary election of the governor and other public officers, which is held yearly at Hartford on the second Wednesday in May, a fermon is preached, which is published at the expence of the state *. On these occafions a vast concourse of refpectable citizens, particularly of the clergy,

are

* Would it not answer many valuable purposes, if the gentlemen, who are annually appointed tr preach the election fermons, would furnish a sketch of the history of the ftate for the current year, to be published at the close of their fermons

R

Such

are collected from every part of the ftate; and while they add dignity and folemnity to the important and joyful tranfactions of the day, ferve to exterminate party spirit, and to harinonize the civil and religious interests of the state.

Connecticut has been highly distinguished in having a fucceffion of governors, eminent both for their religious and political accomplishments. With the following lift of their venerable names, I fhall conclude my account of Connecticut.

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Such a sketch, which might eafly be made, would render election fermons much more valuable. They would then be a very authentic depofitum for future hiftorians of the flate they would be more generally and more eagerly purchafed and read-they would ferve to diffeminate important knowledge, that of the internal affairs of the ftate, which every citizen ought to know, and might, if judiciously executed, operate as a check upon party fpirit, and upon ambitious and defigning men.

* Governor Eaton was buried in New-Haven. The following inscription is upon his tomb-ftone.

+

EATON fo meek, fo fam'd, fo wife, fo juft.
• The Phoenix of our world, bere hides his duft.
This name forget, New-England never must.

• T' attend you, Sir, under thefe framed flones,`
Are come your honour'd Son ‡, and daughter Jones,
• On each hand to repose their weary bones.'

Thefe lines feem to have been added afterwards.
The governor's fon-in-lawr

1657 John

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miles.

Length 350 Between (40° 40' and 45° North Latitude.
5° W. and 1° 30' East Longitude.

Breadth 300 S

Boundaries.] BOUNDED fouth-eastwardly, by the Atlantic ocean; eaft, by Connecticut, Maffachusetts and Vermont; north, by the 45th degree of latitude, which divides it from Canada; north-weftwardly, by the river Iroquois, or St. Lawrence, and the Lakes Ontario and Erie fouth-weft and fouth, by Pennsylvania and New-Jerfey. The whole ftate contains about 44,000 fquare miles, equal to 28,160,000

acres.

Rivers.] Hudson's river is one of the largest and fineft rivers in the United States. It rifes in the mountainous country between the Lakes Ontario and Champlain. Its length is about 250 miles In its courfe fouthward, it approaches within a few miles of the Mohawks river, at Saucondauga. Thence it runs north and north-eaft towards Lake George, and is but fix or eight miles from it. The course of the river thence to New York, where it empties into York bay, is very uniformly fouth, 12 or 15° weft. From Albany to Lake George is fixty-five miles. This diftance, the river is navigable only for batteaux, and has two portages, occafioned by falls, of half a mile each. It was one of thefe falls that General Putnam fo miraculously defcended, in the year 1758, to the aftonifhment of the Indians who beheld him*.

* See Col. Humphrey's life of Gen. Putnam, p. 60.
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The banks of Hudfon's river, especially on the western fide, are chiefly rocky cliffs. The paffage through the Highlands, which is fixteen miles, affords a wild, romantic fcene. In this narrow pass, on each fide of which the mountains tower to a great height, the wind, if there be any, is collected and compreffed, and blows continually as through bellows. Veffels, in paffing through it, are often obliged to lower their fails. The bed of this river, which is deep and fmooth to an astonishing diftance, through a hilly, rocky country, and even through ridges of fome of the highest mountains in the United States, muft undoubtedly have been produced by fome mighty convulfion in nature. The tide flows a few miles above Albany, which is 160 miles from New-York. It is navigable for floops of 80 tons to Albany, and for fhips to Hudfon. About 60 miles above New-York the water becomes fresh. The river is ftored with a variety of fish, which renders a fummer paffage to Albany delightful and amusing to those who are fond of angling.

The advantages of this river for carrying on the fur-trade with Canada, by means of the lakes, have already been mentioned. Its convenience for internal commerce are fingularly great. The produce of the remotest farms is eafily and speedily conveyed to a certain and profitable market, and at the lowest expence. In this refpect, New-York has greatly the advantage of Philadelphia. A great proportion of the produce of Pennfylvania is carried to market in waggons, over a great extent of country, fome of which is rough: hence it is that Philadelphia is crouded with waggons, carts, horfes and their drivers, to do the fame bufinefs that is done in New-York, where all the produce of the country is brought to market by water, with much lefs fhew and parade. But Pennfylvania has other advantages, which will be mentioned in their proper place, to compenfate for this natural defect. The increafing population of the fertile lands upon the northern branches of the Hudfon, muft annually increase the amazing wealth that is conveyed by its waters to New-York.

The river St. Lawrence divides this ftate from Canada. It rifes in Lake Ontario, runs north-eafward-embofoms Montreal, which stands upon an island-paffes by Quebec, and empties, by a broad mouth, into the bay of St. Lawrence. Among a variety of fish in this river are falmon. They are found as far up as the falls of Niagara, which they cannot pass.

Onondago river rifes in the lake of the fame name, runs weftwardly into Lake Ontario at Ofwego. It is boatable from its mouth to the head of the lake; (except a fall which occafions a portage of twenty yards) thence batteaux go up Wood creek, almost to Fort Stanwix; there is a portage of a mile to Mohawks river. Toward the head waters of this river falmon are caught in great quantities.

whence

Mohawks river rifes to the northward of Fort Stanwix, and runs fouthwardly to the fort, then eastward 110 miles, into the Hudfon. The produce that is conveyed down this river is landed at Skenectady, and is thence carried by land fixteen miles, over a barren, fhrub plain, to Albany. Except a portage of about a mile, occafioned by the little falls, fixty miles above Skenectady, the river is paffable for boats, from Skenectady, nearly or quite to its fource. The Cohoez, in this river, are a great curiofity. They are about two miles from its entrance, into the Hudfon.

Hudfon. The river is about 100 yards wide-the rock over which it pours as over a mill-dam, extends almoft in a line from one fide of the river to the other, and is about thirty feet perpendicular height. Including the descent above, the fall is as much as fixty or feventy feet. The rocks below, in fome places, are worn many feet deep by the conftant friction of the water. The view of this tremendous cataract is diminished by the height of the banks on each fide of the river. About a mile below the falls, the river branches, and forms a large island; but the two mouths may be feen at the fame time from the oppofite bank of the Hudfon. The branches are fordable at low water, but are dangerous.

Delaware river rifes in Lake Utftayantho, and takes its course fouthweft, until it croffes into Pennsylvania in latitude 42o. Thence fouthwardly, dividing New-York from Pennsylvania, until it ftrikes the northweft corner of New-Jerfey, in latitude 41° 24'; and then paffes off to fea, through Delaware bay, having New-Jerfey on the eaft fide, and Pennfylvania and Delaware on the west.

Susquehannah river has its fource in lake Otfego, from which it takes a fouth-west courfe. It croffes the line, which divides New-York and Pennfylvania, three times, the last time near Tyoga point, where it receives Tyoga river. Batteaux pafs to its fource-thence to Mohawks river is but twenty miles.

Tyoga river rifes in the Allegany mountains, in about latitude 42°, runs eaftwardly, and empties in the Sufquehannah at Tyoga point, in latitude 41° 57'. It is boatable about fifty miles:

Seneca river rifes in the Seneca country, and runs eastwardly, and in its paffage receives the waters of the Seneca and Cayago lakes, (which lie north and fouth, ten or twelve miles apart; each is between thirty and forty miles in length, and about a mile in breadth) and empties into the Onondago river, a little above the falls. It is boatable from the lakes downwards,

Cheneffe river rifes near the fource of the Tyoga, and runs northwardly by the Cheneffe castle and flats, and empties into Lake Ontario eighty miles east of Niagara fort.

The north-eaft branch of the Allegany river, heads in the Allegany mountains, near the fource of the Tyoga, and runs directly weft until it is joined by a larger branch from the fouthward, which rifes near the weft branch of the Sufquehannah. Their junction is on the line between Pennfylvania and New-York. From this junction, the river pursues a north-west coast, leaving a fegment of the river of about fifty miles in length, in the ftate of New-York, thence it proceeds in a circuitous fouth-west direction, until it croffes into Pennsylvania. From thence to its entrance into the Miffiffippi, it has already been described, (Page 45 )

There are few fish in the rivers, but in the brooks are plenty of trout and in the lakes, yellow perch, fun-fish, falmon trout, cat-fish, and a variety of others.

From this account of the rivers, it is easy to conceive of the excellent advantages for conveying produce to market from every part of the

state.

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The fettlements already made in this ftate, are chiefly upon two nar-> row oblongs, extending from the city of New-York, eat and north..

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