provide for the payment of the taxes in a permanent medium. Another party advised to a land bank, (so called,) to be issued in bills of credit on loan, upon mortgage, or with good endorsers, for small sums only-3 per cent interest, and 5 per cent principal to be discounted upon the loan, or the amount thereof then to be paid in the produce, or manufactures of the province; and thus a medium was to be provided for the payment of taxes. The plan of the bank was carried in the house, against the good sense of the province generally, and this opened a new field ofstrife and confusion. Governor Belcher opposed the land bank, yet both parties claimed him as their friend, and both parties openly accused him by their agents in England, until by false and scandalous insinuations and charges, they caused him to be condemned unheard, and removed from office; and Mr. Shirley, (another native of Massachusetts,) to be appointed in his stead. Soon after this change was made, by the appointment of Mr. Shirley, the charges against Gov. Belcher were clearly proved to be false, and his character stood fair; but his integrity appeared too late, and Mr. Shirley succeeded to the government, 1740.

When Governor Shirley entered upon the duties of his office, the general court met him with a grant of 1000l. sterling per annum, which was accepted. The old controversy about salary was healed at once; but the amount of taxes, of paper depreciated currency, and the land bank, lay before him, as insurmountable difficulties. A new expedient was soon got up, to obviate all the former evils; which was, to issue a new emission of paper money, predicated upon specie, at 6s. 8d. per ounce of silver, or an equivalent thereof in gold, reserving to the eldest counsellor, in each county, the power of regulating the annual depreciation of the currency, upon all contracts.

This new expedient did not heal the wounds; the new money depreciated, equally with the old, and the bank

paper; and all was confusion. Parliament had disapproved the land bank, and ordered the stock-holders to be accountable for their bills to their full nominal amount, and all who had been concerned in the bank, to be held responsible. A special bill passed the general court, to carry this act of Parliament into equitable effect, which was signed by the governor; and thus this evil was cured.

The Spanish war of 1740, gave some diversion to the public mind, and turned their attention to the general defence and protection of the province, which served to unite all parties in the common cause, and thus render private interest subservient to the public good. This Spanish war not only produced this good effect, but it prepared the colony to meet the approaching French war, which commenced in 1744.

We shall have occasion to notice the spirit of Massachusetts, in her controversies with her crown governors, in their effects and consequences, hereafter. We shall also defer the events and operations of the Spanish war, as well as those of the approaching French war, until we have brought forward the history of Connecticut and NewHampshire, to the commencement of the war. We shall then have occasion to notice how God, in his providence, adapts all his means to their special ends, and how he renders lesser evils subservient to the general good.

CHAPTER XXVII.

HISTORY OF THE PILGRIMS CONTINUED.-CONNECTICUT.

In pursuing the history of Massachusetts, I noticed the great earthquake of New-England, in 1727, and promised to illustrate the event more fully in the subsequent history of Connecticut: accordingly I have extracted the following letter of the Reverend Mr. Hosmer of Moodus, or EastHaddam, (the land of noises) to Mr. Prince of Boston, bearing date August 13th, 1729.

I

"As to the earthquakes, I have something considerable, and awful to tell you. Earthquakes have been here, (and no where but in this precinct, as can be discerned; that is they seem to have their centre, rise, and origin amongst us,) as has been observed for more than thirty years. have been informed, that in this place, before the English settlements, there were great numbers of Indian inhabitants, and that it was a place of very extraordinary Indian pawaws; or in short, that it was a place where the Indians drove a great trade at worshipping the devil. Also I was informed, that many years past, an old Indian was asked the question, what was the reason of the noises in this place? to which he replied, that Indian's God was very angry, because Englishmen's God was come here.

us.

Now whether there be any thing diabolical in these things, I know not; but this I know, that God Almighty is to be seen, and trembled at, in what has been often heard amongst Whether there be fire, or air distressed in the subterraneous caverns of the earth, cannot be known, for there is no eruption, no explosion perceptible; but by sounds and terrors, which are sometimes very fearful, and dreadful. I have myself heard eight or ten sounds successively, imitating small arms, in the space of five minutes. I have, I suppose, heard several hundreds of them within twenty VOL. I.

32

years; some more, some less terrible.

of a year.

Sometimes we

have heard them every day, and great numbers of them in the space Often times I have observed them to be coming down from the north, imitating slow thunder, until the sound came near, or right under us, and then there seemed to be a breaking, like the noise of a cannon shot, or severe thunder, which shakes the houses and all that is in them. They have in a manner ceased since the great earthquake. As I remember, there have been but twe heard since that time, and those but moderate."

Another writer of the same place, pursues the remarks of Mr. Hosmer, and adds, "that in May 1791, a great earthquake was felt, as far as Boston, which was so severe at Moodus, as to untop many chimnies, &c. and fill the place with consternation and alarm. Many stones of several tons weight were removed out of their places, and openings and fissures made in vast rocks, &c."

When Governor Andross was about to enter upon his government, in Connecticut, a general alarm prevailed in the colony, that he might seize on all the unlocated lands, either for his own benefit, or the benefit of the crown; and in order to prevent this, the general assembly made a grant to the towns of Hartford and Windsor, of all the lands lying north of Woodbury, and west of Farmington and Simsbury, extending north to Massachusetts line, and west to Housatonic River, with a special reference to their safe keeping until better times. This conveyance bears date January 26th, 1686. Under this grant the towns of Hartford and Windsor proceeded to settle the town of Litchfield, and locate, and sell the lands; but the governor and company claimed the lands, and forbade their proceeding; the settlers set this claim at defiance, and proceeded to sell. The governor ordered them to be arrested, and brought before the Superior Court, and some of them were impris oned in Hartford. The towns of Hartford and Windsor,

made a common cause in resisting the assembly; rose in arms, and liberated the prisoners, during the October session, in the year 1722. This riotous act, called forth a resolution of the assembly, impowering the Superior Court to enquire into the affair; hear and determine all crimes committed, &c. and award execution thereon according to law. The sheriff of the county of Hartford, was also by special act, impowered to arrest each and every one, who had thus made their escape from prison, and recommit them, unless they paid the charges for which they had been committed, or returned to voluntary imprisonment. He was also impowered to call out the militia of the county, if necessary, to enforce his warrant, and suppress resistance. The assembly next proceeded to pass a riot act, to secure the peace of the colony. They next appointed a committee, to enquire into the proceedings of the settlers, stop all further location of the lands, and bring all trespassers before the assembly.

The spirits of the parties were high, resistance continued, and the energies of the government were fully tried, before the riot was fully quelled. At length the rioters yielded, and petitioned the assembly for an abate-" ment on their fines, which was partially granted, and order was restored. Many of the claimants still persisted in their claims, and some even proceeded to locate the town of Goshen. This opened the wound afresh, and caused a petition to the assembly, praying that a committee might be appointed to settle and adjust the demands of the claimants, which was granted; and after a long and interesting controversy of about two years, the parties finally agreed upon a compromise, and an equal division of the lands in question. The committee made their report to the assembly; they accepted the same, and the storm was hushed. The parties next proceeded to divide the lands, and the assembly guaranteed to Hartford and