the Plymouth Council, and whofe views were to enrich themselves, by the fishing trade at fea, and the beaver trade on fhore. Religion had little concern in the fettlements; but it had fome in the planta. tion of Exeter, on the river Pafcataqua, which was began by Mr. Wheelwright, a minifter banished from the Maffachusetts, on account of the antinomian diffenfions with which the colony was convulfed, and by a number of his adherents. They formed themselves into a body politic. Three other diftinct governments were also establifhed on the branches of the faid river. Thefe governments being altogether voluntary, had no fecurity as to their continuance; and the feveral fettlers were too divided in opinion to form any good general plan of permanent administration. Therefore the more confiderate among them treated with the Maffachusetts about taking them under its protection, which fully fuited the wishes of that colony, as it afforded the heads of it the opportunity of realizing the construction they had put upon a claufe of their charter, by which they extended their line fo as to comprehend both New-Hampshire and the Maine. The bufinefs terminated in the incorporation of the two colonies, on condition that the inhabitants of each fhould enjoy equal privileges: they continued long united, and were of one heart and mind in civil and religious affairs.* When separated by the king's commiffion for the government of New-Hampshire, the new affembly at their firft meeting, in a letter of March 25, 1680, to the governor of the Maffachusetts, to be communicated to the general court, expreffed their full fatisfaction in the paft connection, a grateful sense of the care that had been exercised over them, and of their having been well governed, and an unfeigned defire that a mutual correfpondence between them might be fettled.†

The towns in the province of Maine, after a time, fell into a state of confufion. The Maffachusetts took that opportunity for encouraging the difpofition which prevailed in many of the inhabitants to fubmit to their jurisdiction; and to forward their compliance, granted the people larger privileges than were enjoyed by their own, for they were all freemen upon taking the oath, whereas every where else no one could be made free, unless he was a church member. The pro vince was made a county by the name of Yorkshire; and the towns fent reprefentatives to the general court at Boston. Though the major part of the inhabitants were brought to confent to this regulation, + Ibid. p. 328.

Hutchinson's Hiftory, vol. I. p. 268.

great

great oppofition was made by fome principal perfons, who feverely reproached the Maffachusetts, for ufing force in order to reduce the province; but the people experienced the benefit of it, and were contented. They continued in union with the Maffachusetts until 1665, when a short feparation commenced; after which they were again united.

Having thus given a sketch of the settlement of New-England, and the remainder of its history being connected with that of the general confederacy, we fhall proceed to give a concife view of its different States as they now stand, attaching to each a narration of such particulars as are not interwoven in the general history of the union. *

If the reader wishes to obtain a more extenfive knowledge of the hiftory of NewEngland, he is referred to Hutchinson's Hiftory of Massachusetts-Hazard's Historical Collections, 4to. 2 vols.-Belknap's History of New Hampshire-The first letter in Dr. Gordon's Hiftory of the American Revolution-Governor Winthrop's Journal→→ Chalmer's Political Annals and Gookins' Hiftorical Collections of the Indians in New-England, publifhed in Bofton by the Historical Society, in the American Apollo, 1792

STATE

STATE OF

VERMONT.

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SITUATION, EXTENT, &c.

HIS State is fituated between 42° 44′ and 45° N. latitude, and i 35′ and 3° 30′ E. longitude from Philadelphia; its length is about one hundred and fifty miles, and its breadth about feventy: it is -bounded on the north by Lower-Canada, eaft by Connecticut river; which divides it from New-Hampshire, fouth by Maffachusetts, and weft by New-York; the Green Mountain runs from fouth by north through it, and divides the State nearly in the middle.

This tract of country, called Vermont, before the late war, was claimed both by New-York and New-Hampshire; and these interfering claims have been the occafion of much warm altercation, the particulars of which it would be neither entertaining nor useful to detail. These claims were not finally adjufted till fince the peace. On the commencement of hoftilities between Great Britain and her colonies, the inhabitants of this district, confidering themselves as in a state of nature, and not within the jurisdiction either of New-York or New-Hampshire, affociated and formed for themfelves a conftitution, under which they have continued to exercife all the powers of an independent state, and have prospered. On the 4th of March, 1791, agreeably to act of Congrefs of December 6th, 1790, this State became one of the United States, and conftitutes the fourteenth, and not the least respectable pillar in the American Union.

AIR AND CLIMATE.

The climate of this State is in a very confiderable degree favoura ble both to man and vegetation. The winter feafon commonly lafts from the beginning of November to the middle of April, during which the inhabitants enjoy a ferene sky and a keen cold air. Snow begins to fall, commonly, by the 1ft of November; but the permanent fnows do not fall till about the 10th of December, which pre

ent the ground freezing to any confiderable depth.-In April the fnow is gradully diffolved by the warm influences of the fun, which moiftens and enriches the earth, and vegetation advances with fur prifing rapidity.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY.

This State, generally speaking, is hilly, but not rocky; northward to the Canada fine it is flat: the country at large is well watered, having Michiscoui, Lamoille, Onion, and Otter Creek rivers, which run across it from east to west into Lake Champlain; West, Sexton's, Black, Waterquechee, White, Ompompanoofuck, Weld's, Wait's, Paffumfick, and feveral fmaller rivers, which run from west to east into Connecticut river. Over the river Lamoille is a natural stone bridge, feven or eight rods in length. Otter Creek is navigable for boats fifty miles; the banks of this river are excellent land, being annually overflowed and enriched. White river takes its name from the peculiar whiteness of its water, caufed by the clear white ftones and gravel which conftitute the bed of this river quite to its fource This peculiarity deceives people in regard to its depth. It rises inthe center of the state, flows through a rich tract of country free from fwamps, and empties into the Connecticut four miles below Dartmouth College, and is from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards wide, fome distance from its mouth. Ompompanoofuck is a fhort, furious river, not more than forty or fifty yards wide, emptying into the Connecticut at Norwich. Weld's is also a short and rapid river, forty yards acrofs. Paffumfick is one hundred yards wide, and noted for the quantity and quality of the falmon it produces on this river, which is fettled twenty miles up, are fome of the best townships in the State.

Lakes Memphremagog, Willoughby and Bombazon, are also in this State. The former is the refervoir of three confiderable ftreams, Black, Barton, and Clyde rivers. One of these rises in Willoughby lake, and forms a communication between that and lake St. Peter's, in the river St. Lawrence; iffuing from Wil loughby's lake, it empties into Memphremagog, and thence, by the name of St. Francis, empties into the St. Peter. This river is not all the way navigable, otherwise it would afford a communication of very great importance to the northern part of this State, as the fettlers might tranfport their produce with great ease to MonVOL. II.

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treal

treal or Quebec. Willoughby's lake furnishes fish resembling baf, of an excellent flavour, weighing from ten to thirty pounds. They form a moft delicious feast for the new fettlers: people travel twenty miles to this lake to procure a winter's flock of this fish. Lake Bombazon, in the county of Rutland, gives rife to a branch of Poultney River.

Befides thefe rivers and lakes there are several other springs, ponds, and other collections of water, which are, in general, remarkably clear, and afford abundance of trout, perch, and other fresh water fisli.

The principal mountain in this State is the one we have already mentioned, which divides the State nearly in the center, between -Connecticut river and lake Champlain. The afcent from the east to the top of this mountain is much easier than from the weft, till you get to Onion river, where the mountain terminates. The height of land is generally from twenty to thirty miles from the river, and about the fame diftance from the New-York line. The natural growth upon this mountain is hemlock, pine, fpruce, and other evergreens; hence it has always a green appearance, and on this account has obtained the defcriptive name of Ver Mons, or Green Mountain. On soine high parts of this mountain fnow lies till May, and fometimes till June.. This chain of mountains paffes through Maffachufetts and Connecticut, and terminates in New-Haven.

Another noted mountain in this State is Afchutney, bordering on Connecticut river, in the townships of Windfor and Weathersfield, and Upper Great Monadnock, quite in the north-east corner of the State.

It is remarkable, that the hills and mountains are generally covered on the eaft fides with what is called hard wood, fuch as birch, beech, maple, aflı, elm, and butternut; and the weft fide is generally covered with evergreens.

SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c.

The foil of Vermont affords the best of pafturage; fome of the finest beef cattle in the world are driven from this State; horses also are raised for exportation. The natural growth upon the rivers is white pines of feveral kinds, intermingled with low intervales of beech, elm, and white oak. Back from the rivers the land is thickly timbered with birch, fugar maple, afh, butternut, and white oak of an excellent quality: a great part is well adapted for tillage, and the foil is natural for wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp, &c.

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