Some have believed, and perhaps with reason, 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 use their knowledge in improving agriculture and encouraging manufactures, there could not be too many men of learning in the State; but this is too feldom the cafe. Connecticut had but a fmall proportion of citizens who did not join in oppofing the oppreffive measures of Great-Britain, and was active and influential, both in the field and in the cabinet, in bring ing 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 some exceptions. Dr. Douglas fpoke the truth when he said, that "fome of the meaner fort are villains." Too many are idle and diffipated, and much time is unprofitably and wickedly spent at taverns, in law fuits and petty arbitrations. The public fchools, in fome parts of the State, have been too much neglected, and in procuring inftructors, too little attention has been paid to their moral and literary qualifications, TRADE AND MANUFACTURES. The trade of Connecticut is principally with the Weft-India iflands, and is carried on in veffels of from fixty to an hundred and forty tons burden. The exports confift of horses, mules, oxen, oak ftaves, hoops, pine boards, oak plank, beans, Indian corn, fish, beef, pork, &c. Horses, live cattle and lumber, are permitted in the Dutch, Danish, and French ports. Connecticut has a large number of coafting veffels employed in carrying her produce to other States. To Rhode-Island, Maffachusetts, and New-Hampshire, they carry pork, wheat, corn and rye; to North and South Carolinas and Georgia, butter, cheese, falted beef, cyder, apples, potatoes, hay, &c. and receive in return rice, indigo and money. But as New-York is nearer; and the state of the markets always well known, much of the produce of Connecticut, especially of the western parts, is carried there, particularly pot and pearl afli, flax feed, beef, pork, cheese and butter, in large quantities. Molt of the produce of Connecticut river, from the ports of Maffachusetts, New-Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as of Connecticut, which are adjacent, goes to the fame market. Con fiderable iderable quantities of the produce of the eastern parts of the State are marketed at Boston and Providence. The value of the whole exported produce and commodities from this State, before the year 1774, was then estimated at about two hundred thousand pounds lawful money annually. In the year ending September 30th, 1791, the amount of foreign exports from this State was feven hundred and ten thousand three hundred and ten dollars, befides articles carried to different parts of the United States to a great amount. This State at present owns and employs in the foreign and coafting trade more than thirty-five thousand tons of Thipping. The farmers in Connecticut and their families are mostly clothed in plain, decent, homefpun cloth. The linens and woollens are manufactured in the family way, and although they are generally of a coarser kind, they are of a ftronger texture, and much more durable than those imported there from France and Great-Britain. Many of their cloths are fine and handsome. A woollen manufactory has been established at Hartford. The legiflature of the State have encouraged it, and it bids fair to grow into importance. In New-Haven are linen and button manufactories, which flourish. In Hartford are glafs works, a fnuff and powder mill, iron works, and a flitting mill. Iron works are established also at Salisbury, Norwich, and other parts of the State. At Stafford is a furnace, at which are made large quantities of hollow ware and other ironmongery, fufficient to fupply the whole State. Paper is manufactured at Norwich, Hartford, New-Haven, and in Litchfield county. Nails of every fize are made in almost every town and village in Connecticut, fo that confiderable quantities can be exported to the neigh bouring States, and at a better rate than they can be had from Europe. Ironmongery, hats, candles, leather, fhoes and boots, are manufactured in this State. Oil mills, of a new and very ingenious construction, have been erected in feveral parts of the State. A duck manufactory has also been established at Stratford, and, it is faid, is doing well. LEARNING AND LITERATURE. In no part of the world is the education of all ranks of people more attended to than in Connecticut; almost every town in the State is divided into districts, and each district has a public school kept 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 rateable eftate of the inhabitants is appropriated to the fupport of schools in the several towns, for the education of children and youth, The law directs, that a grammar-school shall be kept in every county town throughout the State. There is a grammar fchool at Hartford, and another at New Haven, fupported by a donation of Governor Hopkins. This vene, rable and benevolent man, in his last will, dated 1657, left in the hands of Theophilus Eaton, Efq. and three others, a legacy of one thousand three hundred and twenty-four pounds, " as an encourage ment, in these foreign plantations, of breeding up hopeful youths both at the grammar-school and college." In 1664 this legacy was equally divided between New-Haven and Hartford, and grammar, schools were erected, which have been fupported ever since. Academies have been established at Greenfield, Plainfield, Norwich, Wyndham, and Pomfret, fome of which are flourishing. Yale College was founded in 1700, and remained at Killingworth until 1707; then at Saybrook until 1716, when it was removed and fixed at New-Haven. Among its principal benefactors was Governor Yale, in honour of whom, in 1718, it was named Yale Col lege. Its first building was erected in 1717, being one hundred and feventy feet in length, and twenty-two in breadth, built of wood. This was taken down in 1782. The prefent college, which is of brick, was built in 1750, under the direction of the Rev. Prefident Clap, and is one hundred feet long and forty feet wide, three ftories high, and contains thirty two chambers, and fixty-four ftudies, convenient for the reception of one hundred students. The college chapel, which is alfo of brick, was built in 1761, being fifty feet by forty, with a steeple one hundred and twenty-five feet high. In this building is the public library, confifting of about two thousand five hundred volumes; and the philofophical apparatus, which, by a late handfome addition, is now as complete as most others in the United States, and contains the machines neceffary for exhibiting experi ments in the whole course of experimental philofophy and aftronomy. The college museum, to which additions are constantly making, contains many natural curiofities. This literary inftitution was incorporated by the General Affembly of Connecticut. The first charter of incorporation was granted to 3 eleven Gord eleven minifters, under the denomination of trustees, in 1701. The The funds of this college received a very liberal addition by a grant of the General Affembly, in the act of 1792 before mentioned; which will enable the corporation to erect a new building for the accommodation of the ftudents, to fupport several new profefforships, and to make a handsome addition to the library. The course of education in this univerfity comprehends the whole circle of literature. The three learned languages are taught, together with fo much of the sciences as can be communicated in four years. In May and September, annually, the several claffes are critically examined in all their claffical ftudies. As incentives to improvement in compofition and oratory, quarterly exercises are appointed by the prefident and tutors, to be exhibited by the respective claffes in rotation. A public commencement is held annually on the second Wednesday in September, which calls together a more numerous and brilliant affembly than are convened by any other anniversary in the State. About two thousand two hundred have received the honours of this university, of whom nearly feven hundred and fixty have been ordained to the work of the gospel ministry, VOL. II. No IN INVENTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. Early in the war Mr. David Bufhnel, of Saybrook, invented a machine for fubmarine navigation, altogether different from any thing hitherto devised by the art of man; this machine was so constructed as that it could be rowed horizontally, at any given depth, under wa ter, and could be raised or depreffed at pleasure. To this machine, called the American turtle, was attached a magazine of powder, which was intended to be fastened under the bottom of a ship, with á driving fcrew, in fuch a way as that the fame ftroke which difen. gaged it from the machine fhould put the internal clock-work in motion; this being done, the ordinary operation of a gun lock, at the distance of half an hour, or any determinate time, would cause the powder to explode and leave the effects to the common laws of hature. The fimplicity, yet combination, difcovered in the me chanifm of this wonderful machine, have been acknowledged by thofe skilled in phyfics, and particularly hydraulics, to be not less ingenious than novel. Mr. Bushnel invented feveral other curious machines for the annoyance of the British fhipping, but from accidents, not militating against the philofophical principles, on which their fuccefs depended, they but partially fucceeded. He destroyed a veffel in the charge of Commodore Symmonds. One of his kegs alfo demolished a veffel near the Long-Ifland fhore. About Chrift mas, 1777, he committed to the Delaware river a number of kegs, destined to fall among the British fleet at Philadelphia; but this fquadron of kegs, having been feparated and retarded by the ice, demolished but a fingle boat. This catastrophe, however, produced an alarm, unprecedented in its nature and degree, which has been fo happily described by the late Hon. Francis Hopkinson, in a song ftiled The Battle of the Kegs,' "* that the event it celebrates will not be forgotten, fo long as mankind fhall continue to be delighted with works of humour and tafte. Mr. Hanks, of Litchfield, has invented a method of winding up clocks by means of air or wind only, which is ingenious, and prac tifed in New-York and other places. Mr. Culver, of Norwich, has conftructed a dock drudge, which is a boat for clearing docks and removing bars in rivers—a very ingenious and useful machine; its good effects have already been ex See Hopkinfon's Works, lately published in Philadelphia. perienced |