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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at|http: //books .google .com/I '^0 * s t I TRAVELS IN NEW-ETSTGLAND AND NEW-YORK. BY TIMOTHY DWIGHT, S. T. D. LL. D. LATF. PRESIDENT OF YAT.E COLCEOE ; AUTHOR or THEOLOGY EXPLAINED AND DEFENDED. IN POUR VOLUMES. 1L.LURTRATBD WITH MAPS, 8tC. VOL. III. ^ LONDON: MIINTED FOB WILLIAM BAYNES AND SON, AND OGLE, DUNCAN, k CO PATERN06TER ROW ; AND h! V. BAYN BB AND CO., BDINBURGH. 1898. t I • LONDON: PRIVTBD BT CHARLB8 WOOD, Pppp!ii*t Caut, Ftaet SiMCt. CONTENTS OP VOL III. JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. Pag* LETTER III. Grottm. Account qf the Peqttods. War between the CoUmists and thai Tribe. Oallant Attack and Destruction qf one qf their Forti by Captain Mason and his TVoops. Pursuit rf'the Pequods to Fairfield^ and their final Destruction. Death ofSassacus 1 LETTER IV. Siottington ; cultivated partly by Tenants. Indians still renuUn* tMg here. Their degraded (trader and Situation. The Perfection to which Man arrives in a state of Nature. Gene^ nd Observations upon the remnants qf the Indian JVibes now fomnd m New^lmgland. Means qf effecting their Civili' yukm. i 15 LJ^TTER V,. Wetter^. CharUsiawn. South^Kingston. Aboriginal Tribes formerly inhabiting New^En^and. Their Population. Num^ her qf Warriors^ as estimated by General Gookin, War with Ike NarrkagansetSs, Attack and Capture qf their Portress. GaQofU Ctmduet qf Qqkain Denison and others. Death qf Hanuntenao • • 27 a2 iv CONTENTS. Pag LETTER VI. Canonicui Island. Newpt)rt ; its Buildings^ Harbour, and For- tijications. Proposition of the French Government relative to the Occupancy qf Newport, Remarkable Cliffs and Chasm. Enumeration qf the Fish brought to this Market. Health- fulness and Commerce of Newport, Its Settlement 3 LETTER VIL Battle between the Americans under General Sullivan and the British commanded by Sir Robert Pigot. Stone Bridge. Tiverton. State of Rhode-hland. Its Boundaries and Divi- sions. Original Settlement. State qf Religion and Learning. Common Schools 4> LETTER VIIL Helhume Woods. Wesiport. New-Bedford. Its Situation, Commerce, and Settlement. Attack on Fair- Haven by the British in 1778. Gallant Defence of the Place by Major Fearing, Rochester, Wareham, Proposed Canal across the Peninsula qf Cape Cod. Sandmch 5 LETTER IX. Country between Sandwich and Barnstable. Barnstable. Yar- mouth. Salt Works qf Cape Cod, Observations on the Extent of this Mans^acture, Difficulties qf Christianizing the In- dians, Dennis. Harwich. Orleans 6 LETTER X. Eastham, Truro. Province Town. Beacn Grass, its utility. Soil very thin, and blown away from the White Sand beneath. Manners and Habits of the Inhabitants qf Province Town, Its Fisheries and Harbour, Wellfleet. Return to Harwich. Innkeeper 7 LETTER XI. Return to Sandwich. Mission among the Indians at Massapee. Visit to the Rev, Gideon Hawtey^ the Missionary, Descrip* tion of the Peninsula of Cape Cod. Its Soil, Population, ^c... fi CONTENTS. T Page LETTER XII. f^iymoiak; the first Town $ettUd in NeW'England. Rock on Tt^ick the Colonists first landed. Their Cemetery, Reflections ^ntke care of Divine Providence over them. Fisheries and Commerce of Plymouth , , tfS LETTER XIII . Kin^ptoru Marshfield. Scituate. Hingham. Weymouth, Braintree. Quincy. Milton. Dorchester, Its early Set- tknscnt. Fortifications erected by General Washington. Rox' kry^ Reverend John Elliott^ the Apostle of the Indians 1 07 LETTER XIV. Dedh^zm. Honourable Mr. Ames. Medfield attacked by the In d ism. Medway. Bellingham. Mendon. Peculiar kind of Sheep, Uxbridge. Douglas. Forests. Thofnpson. The ^msinibaug and Country on its borders, Pon^fret. Asfford. Maiufield. Coventry. "Bolton. Willington, Gap in the Bc^itonHiUs 117 LETTER XV. Brookl^. Major-General Putnam. Canterbwy 130 JOURNEY TO WHITESTOWN. LETTER I. ^omejftoNew'Lebanon, Shakers 137 LETTER II. ^acountofthe Shakers ^ continued 150 LETTER IlL '^<^»neyfrom New^Lebancn to Minden. Valley of the Mohawk,, ie. 'Minden. Thoughu on Religious Per$eaUion, Tl CONTENTS. Palatines, Gemum Flatt. Utica. New- Hartford. Bro- thertaum. Broikertown Indiam. Observations on the Dtf* Jtrences qf Complexion in the HumanRace 158 LETTER IV. Hamilton. Oneida Academy. Paris. Iron Mine. The Measures adopted for the Support of Religion in this State unhappy 9 and the Laws imperfect, Rome. Battle between the English and Indians under Sir John Johnson and the American Militia under General Herkimer. Canal. Siege qf Fort Stanwix 175 LETTER V. Story qf Captain Greg. Whitesborough, Judge White, Herkimer. Canal at Little Falls. Captain Butler. De- struction qf Clterry Valley. Canajoharoo. Cant^oharie 186 LETTER VL Story qf Mr. Fonda, Sir William Johnson. Prospect from Tripe's Hill. Johnstown, Amsterdam. Character of Ho- nourable John Jay; and qf William Pitt Beers, Esq. Cohoes. Waterford. Haff-Moon, Stillwater, Saratoga.,. 197 LETTER VIL Progress of General Burgoyne. Desertion qf Ticondcroga, Battle of Hubbardton ; qf Battle-hill, Wise Measures of General Schwfler. Drfeat of Colonels Baume and Breckman. Battles qf September \9th and October 1th. Surrender of General Burgoyne. Ructions 207 LETTER VIIL Saratoga, Fort Miller. Port Edward. Cambridge, Argyle, The Baton Kill. Easton. Greenwich. Scotch Settlers. Journey to Williamstown. Petersburgh. Pownal. Excur* sion to the Summit qf Saddle Mountain. Natural Bridge..,. 220 LETTER IX. Journey to Pittsfield. Bursting qf a Cloud. Observations on Forest Trees. Difference in the Quantity qf Snow falling GONTBNT8. m Page tx Plices near to each other. Qtrious Origin of a Thunder Stom, and qf a Tornado. Account qf Mooing Rocks. Whu Froits. Return 234 STATE OF NEW-YORK. LETTER I. State i^ New-York, lis Extent and Population. Account qf v)kiu has been done for the Support qf Learning and Religion. '^different Sects into which it is divided • 251 LETTER IL Cw«ttirfio« qf the State. Legislature. Electors. Executive. ^Wf. Council qf Appointment and Supreme Court qf ^fTortf so constituted as to affect the State in a manner wtfor" 'Wflteciwi mischievous 262 JOURNEY TO LONG-ISLAND. LETTER L ^^M^ /rom Nonoalk to Huntington. Lloyd's Neck. Town (\f Huntington. Smithtown. Setaucket. Brookhaven. tHoerhead: its Courts. Southhold. Oyster Point. Fisher's Idand. Plumb Island 269 LETTER IL ^caera/ Ohseroaiions cm, the Northern Pans qf Long^lsland, and cm the Stones and Sand qf which it is composed. In- fuenoe qf the Guff Stream in depositing Sand on the Eastern Coast qf the United States. Cultivation qf Wheat. Account qf the Hessian Ffy. Forest TVees. Fruit Drees. Improvement m Agriesdture. Scarcity qf Brooks and MiU^Streams. Fkkeriet 278 ▼m iJONTKNTS. Pa LETTER 111. Shelter Island, Sagg Harbour, The Peninsula of Montauk, Indians who inhabit it. Light House. East-Hampton. Manners of the Inhabitants, Honourable Efforts qfthe People to maintain the Government of Law, and to discountenance Vice. Settled from NeW'England. Suffolk County. Gar- diner^s Island. Bridghampton, Southampton. O^noe Place. IVesthampton. The Fireplace 2^ LETTER IV. Islip. Hempstead Plain. Grouse Plain. Huntington. Oyster Bay^ Hempstead. North" Hempstead. Flushing. Mr. Princess Fruit'Yard, Jamaica. Ride from Jamaica to Brooklyn. Vegetation on different Parts qf the Island af' fected by the prevailing Winds. Busikwick 30 LETTER V. Brooklyn, Prospect from the Heiglus. Battle between the British, under General Howe, and the Americans under General Putnam. Retreat of the Ameincan Army to NeW' York. The East River, King's-county settled by the Dutch. Character qf the Inhabitants. Quakers. Return 31 FIRST JOURNEY TO LAKE GEORGE. LETTER L Journey through Goshen, ifc, to the Head qf Lake George. Voyage across the Lake. Excursion to Ticonderoga. Re- turn to the Head qf ike Lake» Manner of Hunting Deer. Huntsman. Overtake a Buck swimming on the Lake. Fort fVaiiam Henry. Bloody Pond 32 LETTER IL Description of. Idike George. Prevalent Winds, Fish. Water qf the Lake uncommonly pure, and supplied by subjacent CONTENTS. IX Page Sprkp, MilU and Forges, Fine Scenery qf the iMke. The Water, Islands. Shore and Mountains, View while ittMmiiig/rom Ticonderoga ••• 332 LETTER III. ^Ic of Lake George. General Johnson wounded. General h^^n takes the command of the English Army, and drfeats ^^f French, Vindication qf General Lyman*s Character, ^^drick. Chief of the Mohawks, Baron Dieskau 344 LETTER IV. Auack on Fort WUUam Henry, Gallant Defence by Colonel Monroe, Capitulation and Massacre. General Webb's Ex- P^^iiion to Ticonderoga. Retreat qf the English Amnf. Journct^ continued. Dalton. Partridgefield. Worthington. ^^seerfield. Ifest-Hampton 359 SECOND JOURNEY TO LAKE GEORGE. LEITER L ^("ih'MUfof'd, Derby. Mant^factory at Humphreysville, ^ooeiiennuc River. Oxford. Southbury. NcW'Milford. ^^ika anciently existing in the Courses qf Rivers 373 LETTER IL ^Wian Monument. Kent, Major General Swift. Journey fhm SaHsbufy Cataract to Lake George. Caldwell, Northum- Ifcrland. Moreau. Saratoga Springs. Ballston Springs. Lansinghurgh. 7W>)f. Albany. Hudson, Livingston, Clermont. Rkinebeck. ClhUon. Poughkeepsie, Fishkill. PkiUpstown,.... 986 LEITER in. Cokmd Beverfy Robkuon. Prospect Jn the Highlands. Visit t9 Fans Montgomery and.CUnton. . . Expedition qf the British X CONTENTS. Page up the Hudson, PeekskilL Corilandt. Prospect qf the - Hudson and in Shores below the Highlands. Mount Pleasant. Greenburgh. Yonkers, Capttare and Death qf Major Andre. The River Hudson and its tributary Streams ^ 1 1 LETTER IV. City of New-York. Its Seulement and Extent. Its Streets^ Churchetj and other Public BuHdings. City Hall. Hospital. State Prison. Bridewell, and City Prison. Old and New Alms-House. Political and Benevolent Societies. Columbia College. College qf Physicians and Surgeons. Elgin Botanic Garden. Schools. Ldterary Societies. Orphan Asylum. Markets. Banks and Insurance Companies. Commerce. Exports and Amount qf Duties , 429 LETTER V. Origin qf tfie Inhabitants qf New-York. Their Industry. Rapid Increase qf the City. Economy qf the Citizens. Their Hospitality. Respect for Religion. Intelligence. Lan- guage. Amusements. Religious Character. Police. Re- ceipts and Expenditures qf the Treasury. Water. Ferry- Boats. Appearance of the City and the adjacent Country. Distinguished Men 449 LETTER VI. Island qf Manhattan. Country Seats. Roads. Battle of Haerlem. Surrender qf Fort Washington. Haerlem Bridge. West-Chester. Army qf General Howe. East-Chester. New- Rochelle. Mamaroneck. Rye. Mr. Jay. County of West- Chester. Appearance of this Country in m 7 461 LETTER VII. Greenwich. Putnam's Hill. Stanford. Honourable Abraham Davenport. Rev. Dr. Wells. Honourable James Davenport. Shipan. Middlesex. Rev. Dr. Mather. Bumirtg of Nfir- walk. FairfL'ld. Expedition of the British Troops to Dan- bury, General Wooster. Creneral Silliman. Rev. Mr. Hobart. Burning qf Fairfield. Reflections. Burning of Green's Farms.,., 473 CONTENTS. xi Piige LETTER VIII. Sintfori Bridgepcrt. Rev. Dr, Johnson. County qf Fair" JkH I(f Boundaries, Smface, Soil, Divisions^ HedUkfid" lesf, 4fc. MUford, Rev, Samuel Andrew. MUford Marble. LoHg'Idamd Sound. Hellgaie, or Hurlgate 4'96 LETTER IX. Siak (f NeuhYork, Its Boundaries. Mountains, Rivers and Agriculture. Iron Ore and Marble. Gypsum. Inha» hitant$, whence derived. New-England Seitlas, their Cha- rscter. Irish, German, and Scotch Colonists. French Proustaut , 500 JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. LETTER III. ^oton. Account of the Pequods. War between the Colo- niiit and that Tribe, Gallant Attack and Destruction of one of their Forts by Captain Mason and his Troops, Pursuit of the Pequods to Fairfield^ and their final Destruction, Death of Sassacus, Dbar Sir; Groton is a township, lying on the Thames about ^el?e miles, and on the Sound about six or seven. A tract, extending along the Sound through the whole breadth of the township, and another, a mile wide, along the Thames, ex- uding through the whole length of the township, are rich and pJeasant. The remainder is generally very stony, difficult of calfivation, and to a great extent forested. The soil of Gro- ^n is better fitted for grass than for grain. Several of the farms are cultivated by tenants. The inhabitants carry on some commerce upon the Thames, ^m the shore immediately opposite to New- London ; and at 'ackei^s ferry on the Mystic, a mill-stream, which separates Proton from Stonington. At each of these places there is a email village. That which was opposite to New- London was Principally burnt by the British troops in Arnold's expedition. *^ damage was estimated at 78,890 dollars. It is now ^^ifSj rebuilt. Throughout the rest of the township, planta- ^ thinly scattered, are formed in many places. The pOQDdgp which are sufficiently fertile and easy of cultivation to ▼OL. III. B 3 JOURNEY TO PROVINCB TOWN. invite the hand of the farmer, are everywhere taken up. The remainder seems destined to continue in a forested state ; for its surface is in a great measure covered with rocks and stones. The inhabitants of Groton have been more generally regard- less of religion than those of most other places in Connecti- cut. It is a long period since they have had a minister of the Gospel*; and the last, a very worthy man, was obliged to leave them, for the want of support. This must have resulted from a general indisposition to support the worship of God. The people are so numerous, that they might support three minis- ters at least, without any inconvenience to themselves *. There are some honourable exceptions to these remarks. Groton began to be settled soon after New-London, t. «. soon after the year 1648; but was not incorporated until 1706. In 1756, in contained 2,532 whites, 179 blacks, and 158 Indians ; in 1774, 3,488 whites, 169 blacks, and 191 In- dians; in 1790, 3,946; in 1800, 4,372; and, in 1810, 4,451. Of the Indians, in the year 1770, it is said, 44 were able to read, and 17 were members of the Christian church. The number of these people is supposed now to be diminished by their customary vices. The aboriginal name of Groton was Mystic. This township was the principal seat of the Pequods, who occupied New-London, Norwich, Lisbon, Bozrah, Franklia, Plainfield, Preston, Groton, Stonington, and most probably several other townships, a tract not far from thirty miles squaref* Under the command of several shrewd and brave * Since the paragraph above was written,aoumber of the inhabitants, asiP awaked oat of a long slumber, have embodied themselves in a coDgregatioti, built a church, and settled a respectable minister. The blessings osuaAj' Bowing from tliese measures, or, more properly, following them, they htLvm already began to realize, and their ctiildren will hereafter rise up and calf them blessed. t The legislature of the colony of Connecticut, in their answer to heads of inquiry relative to the state and condition of the colony, signified by the secretary of state, July 5th, 1773, say, page 5th, " The original title to the lands on which the colony was first settled was, at the time the Enj^ish 'came hither, in the Pequod nation of Indians, who were nnmerous and A.GCOUNT OP THK PEQU008. 8 chiefs, these people rendered themselves very formidable to moat of the inhabitants in southern New-Eagiand. Sassacus pardcnlarly, who was their principal sachem at the time when the colonists arrived, appears to have been regarded by his neighbours, as well as by his subjects, with that peculiar awe, w^Iiich is inspired by superior personal strength, activity, cou- rage, and cunning. By most of them he was considered as invincible ; and by all as a singularly dangerous enemy. To tJbose bodily endowments, which are the great means of savage ^lory, be nnited a mind, possessed of uncommon native vigour, ity, and resolution ; and proved his personal superiority ythe most difficult exploits, and by the successful conduct of KXiany bold military enterprises. For an Indian, he was un- ^^pestionably a great man, and had he been bom in an en- liglitened Bge and country, might perhaps have been a ^^Uharles, or an Alexander. Under his instruction, and by his ^sxample, a nomber of his chiefs also had become intrepid and a^kagacioas iprarriors. Animated by this band of heroes, the Pe- ^[oods had risen to the summit of glory, and held among the JMoathem tribes of New-England a station scarcely less dis- ^iaguidied than that of the Iroquois, in the western parts of ^ew-Yoik. Sasiaeus, soon after the establishment of the first New- IXngland colonists, appears thoroughly to have comprehended danger, which, from this source, threatened his country- He beheld them gaining quiet possession of several portant tracts in the neighbourhood of his own territory, as "irdl as others in parts more remote. They erected houses and fortresses, built and navigated vessels, and exhibited a Uke. Their country extended from Narrfaagansett to Hudson river, and over all Long-Iilaiid. Sassacus, their great sagamore, had under him twenty- ax sachems. He injuriously made war upon the English, exercised despo- tic domiiiaoD over his suljects, and, with all his sachems and people, were oonqocred, and made tributary to the Engfish. This account of the teriito- lies of the Peqoods most not be understood to denote the country which they actually inhabited, but that which they either subdued or awed into sobjectian by the terror of their name.** fkniamfl is here called their great sagamore, and is said to have had under Ian twenty-six sachems. These titles were, I think^ mistaken by the le- pUmn. Sachwn^ •• far.ju I have been able to learn^ denoted the chief nler, aad nfaaora the.enhoiduiate. b3 4 #OURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. skill and policy in government, to which he and his country^ men had before been strangers. They possessed weapom also of a new and terrible kind, conveying death from an un- exampled distance, and with a certainty and extent of execu tion, pre-eminently alarming. At the same time they ap peared to be perfectly united, had already become numerous and were continually increasing. They had also begun to de mand of the Indians an adherence to their engagements, t( which they had never been habituated, to regulate commerce by new rules, and to construe treaties on principles mon strict than savages had ever been obliged to admit. To al these disagreeable things they added a kind of authority ii their proposals and requisitions, which savage independence could not brook, and which savage pride and resentment wen impatient to retribute. This haughty Indian seems to have been the first wh< formed the politic design, afterwards executed by Philip, th< son of Massasoit, of embarking all the Indians in New-Eog land in a general enterprise, for the purpose of driving tin English colonists out of the country. The design was ub doubtedly conceived with the soundest policy ; and, had Sas sacus been able to carry it into complete execution, wonU probably have terminated in the entire ruin of the colonists But, happily for our ancestors and for us, there were at thi; time insuperable obstacles to a successful effort of this nature Sassacus and his people were more dreaded by all the neigh bouriug tribes, than were the English themselves. They wen hated and envied, as well as dreaded. Every proposal to em bark with them in any enterprise was therefore considered b; their neighbours as treacherously made, and dangerously ac cepted. Those, from whom we have already received injuries and by whom we have been often alarmed and distressed, an always regarded vrith more disgust and terror than new ene mies. A proffer of friendship and union from such a source i always suspected as intending concealed mischief; and, what ever advantages it may promise, it will be believed to promise them only to those by whom the proffer is made. With sucl prepossessions against him and his people, Sassacus attempted without success, to unite the surrounding nations in this enter prise. They heard bis proposals, and seem in several in ACCOUNT OP THB PEQUOD8. 5 stances to have admitted their justice and propriety without opposition. But they hesitated, and declined, on various pre- tences, to embark with liim in any measure for carrying them into execution. Even the Narrhagansetts, who greatly outnumbered the Pe- quods, regarded these people and their chief (having often suf<* fered from their prowess), with such apprehension, that they could never be brought to an open and determined adoption of the design. They were plainly bitter enemies of the Eng- ^h, and ardently wished for their extermination. They also perfectly understood the policy and wisdom of the proposal, ^nd felt the force of the arguments by which it was urged. I^He scheme of attack was too evidently wise and practicable, ^o fail of their approbation. This was to bum the houses and ^^stroy the cattle of the English, to ambush their roads, to ^^ng upon the skirts of their settlements, and to waste them ^^^ay by continual loss, alarm, discouragement, watching, and ^^tigue. Few as the colonists were at that time, no other kind warfare seems to have been necessary in order to break up eir settlements. The Narrhagansetts, however, were still luctant to unite with their mortal enemies ; and, upon a pro- I made by the governor of Massachusetts to renew the ^^^X'^eaty between them and the English, Miantonimoh, theur ^liief sachem, together with several subordinate chieftains, ^^^ent to Boston, and engaged in a peace with the English, openly hostile to the Pequods. Sassacus and his people, not discouraged by the disappoint- ne&t, persisted in their favourite design with an intrepidity, ^^luch, in a nation of Europe, would have commanded praise fnnn the pen of every historian. In the year 1634, Captains Stone and Norton, with eight iM, in a vessel from St. Christopher's, entered Connecticut nver for the purpose of trade, under the pilotage of twelve In- dians, friends and allies of the Pequods, and were all mur- ^f^ by their pilots. Stone and two of his men were dis- pstehed while they were asleep. Norton made a gallant de- ^BBee; but, having placed some powder in an open vessel, that he Q^t load with the greater expedition, he accidentally set it^n fire, and was so burned as to be disabled from any far- ^ eflbrt The {dunder acquiied by this act of treachery 6 #OURNBY TO PROiriKCB TOWN. and violence was shared by the Peqnods and some of their neighbours. Sassacus and his men were apprehensive that the English would make war upon them, to avenge the death of Stone and his companions ; and, being imperfectly prepared for such an event, attempted to avert the blow by negociation. Accord- ingly they sent an ordinary warrior to Boston, with proposals to the governor of Massachusetts, of peace and reconciliation. The messenger was not received ; and was informed, that men of superior distinction must, be employed by the Pequods, if they expected any attention to their propositions. Accord- ingly they dispatched two envoys of higher rank, with a pre-^ sent, to accomplish their purpose. The only terms which they could obtain were, that they must deliver up the murderers. They replied, that the murderers were all dead, except two, whom they were willing to deliver up, if they should be found guilty. They also offered several other conditions, particu- larly to yield their right to Connecticut river, and its neigh- bourhood, to the English. The treaty was at length ratified upon these terms, and the English agreed to trade with them as friends. After the treaty was signed, the messengers returned home, but the Pequods never fulfilled any of their engage- ments. The truth was, they had entered into them merely because the Dutch and the Narrhagansetts were prosecuting a war with them, and they thought it not safe to make new enemies. In the vear 1685, John Oldham, an inhabitant of Dorches- ter, who had been trading in Connecticut, was murdered in the neighbourhood of Block Island, by some of its Indian in- habitants, together with several of the Ndrrbagansetts. A Mr. Gallup, who was sailing from Connecticut to Bostbb, passing by Oldham's vessel, saw a number of Indians on board, and a number of others going from it in a canoe with a load of English goods. Suspecting the cause, he hailed them; and, receiving no answer, steered immediately for Oldham's vessel. With only one man and two boys, he at- tacked them so briskly, that he instantly cleared the de^k. He then ran upon Oldham's vessel three several times, and gave it itth severe shocks, that she 6f the Indiims tit one fliile, aaM WAR WITH THE PRQUODa. 7 five at another, leaped overboard, and perished. He then boarded the vessel, bound two of the Indians, took oat Oldham's coipse, together with the remaining furniture and goods, and took the vessel in tow. The corpse he buried. The wind, however, soon obliged him to set the vessel adrift, and she was lost One of the Indians he was obliged to throw overboard* the other he conveyed to Boston. Several of the murderers of Oldham fled to the Pequods, and were protected by them. The Narrhagansetts early, and sedulously, offered such satisfaction for their share in this treacherous business, as ultimately accepted by the government of Massachusetts'* ay. In 1636, Captain Endicot was sent by this government to c^venge these injuries upon the Pequods, and the inhabitants of Block Island. This party ravaged Block Island, by de- Btroying the com, canoes, and weekwams ; made an ineffec- "dial effort of a similar nature upon the Pequods ; and then re- ^tnmed home, without having accomplished any object of im* portance. The Pequods, who before hated the English, now despised them, and hegan their hostilities with vigour. They attacked Captain Underbill, and twenty men, destined to reinforce the garrbon at Saybrook, as he was lying in the harbour of New- London, took successively and tortured several of the men, and killed several others; waylaid the inhabitants of Say- brook, when about their ordinary business ; surrounded the fort with a kind of siege, and destroyed every thing valuable in its neighbourhood. In the spring of the succeeding year, renewing their attacks with still greater activity, they killed four men at Saybrook, and a fifth in the river. Two others, taken at the same time, they tortured in the most excruciating Banner, till they died. Another party of them killed six men and three women at Wethersfield, and captivated two girls. In consequence of these ravages, the government of Connec- ticut, although the whole jurisdiction comprised only three towns, Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield, determined to attack the Pequods in earnest, and raised ninety men for this pnpose. Massachusetts, at the same time, engaged to send two hundred men, and Plymouth forty, to their assistance. The little army of CSonnecticut, joined by seventy Moheagans, u 8 JOURNKY TO PBOVINGB TOWN. fell down the river on Wednesday, the 10th of May, under tli9 command of Captain John Mason, a man who was both bon% and bred a soldier. The Moheagans were headed by Uncas» % sachem extensively celebrated in the history of New-England^j The movement of their little fleet was so slow, that theMobea^ gans requested to be set on shore. On their march towardftj Say brook they fell in with a body of the Pequods, of whoiAi they killed seven, and took one a prisoner. This man, having' been concerned in all the treacheries and murders of his nam tion for a length of time, was claimed by Uncas, to be put toy death in the Indian manner, and expired under the inflictions of savage torture. u Mason, although directed to proceed immediately to New*:.: London, judged it best (and brought his ofiicers into the same opinion) to sail to Narrhagansett-Bay, and secure the friend-, ship and assistance of Miantonimoh, or at least his neutrality »*, He found Miantonimoh disposed, without much reluctance, to* coincide with his wishes ; but he was hardly induced to believe that the English commander was in earnest in his avowed de- termination to attack the Pequods. Their number he consi- dered as too small to furnish even a remote prospect of sue* cess. However, when he saw Mason resolved to proceed, he sent two hundred of the Narrhagansetts along with him. They marched that day, Wednesday, May 24th, to Charles- town''^, and were joined the next morning by almost two hun- dred more, partly Narrhagansetts, and partly eastern Nahan- tics, who boasted much of the gallantry which they intended to display in fighting the Pequods. But upon approaching nearer to the enemy, and finding Captain Mason really deter- mined on an attack, a considerable number of them were so disheartened, that they left the army, and returned home. The original design of Mason had been to attack the fort, in which Sassacus himself resided^. The desertion was occar sioned by the notification of this purpose to the Indians, all of whom trembled at his formidable name, and seem to have imagined, that no attempt against him could be attended with success. Upon inquiry. Captain Mason found, after a march of three miles fiirtber, that he was twelve miles firom the spoU * In tbe state of Rbode-UUnd. t Tkii ttood M far horn tin TbuMs • ^^ »!•» dboY^ the feny. WJL& ^ITH THB FBQCT0D8. 9 At the nme time he was assured, that the other fort of the Feqaorfs was near at hand. He determined, therefore, to nttke diis the object of his first assault ; and, having ordered hb men to rest for the night, and sent out an Indian to recon- Mitie, discovered, with no small satisfaction, that bis enemies fail not even suspected his arrival, but were in a state of per- fect security. About two hours before day, his little army began their math for the expected fortress, and came in sight of it at day- beak. The Indians immediately vanished. Uncas, however, shI Wequash, a Pequod chief, who had suffered several in- dignities from the imperiousness of Sassacus, at length re- uffcueij and apologized for the flight of their followers, alleg- iif, as their excuse, the terror with which they regarded these emiiies. Mason ordered them to collect their countrymen, adl encompass the fort at whatever distance they pleased, tkat they might see whether Englishmen would fight. They obeyed. Mason, with one division of his troops, attempted the eastern entrance of the palisade, while Underbill, with the other division, marched to the western. It will be proper to observe, that the fort stood on Mystic river, the boundary be- twten Stonington and Groton. The English were discovered, by the barking of a dog, when the? were within a few rods of the palisade ; and, while the Indians were betaking themselves to their arms, poured a ge- neral discharge of their muskets through the interstices. Mason finding the eastern entrance small, and diflScult to be carried, listened round to the southern one, which was sufficiently large, and secured only by two small boughs. These he and his lieutenant instantly removed, and entered the fortress, the men crowding closely behind them. The Pequods fought with great resolution ; and, after they had been driven from the open g^und, secured themselves in the numerous week- wims, enclosed within the palisade. Hence they annoyed the EngSsh incessantly, without being visible. Wearied with tins incouTenient and firuitless mode of attack. Mason ordered his men to set the weekwams on fire ; and, seizing a brand, became their example. At this moment an Indian pointed an airow against him, and would have killed him instantly, had not a sQigeant, named Davis, cut the bowstring. The fivQ 10 JOURNBY TO PROVIMOB TOWN. spread among the dry boughs and foliage with which the week warns were covered, with furious rapidity, and speedily ii volved them in a general conflagration. The English imnu diately retired without the fort The Pequods, following tbei in order to escape finom the flames, weoe slain by the Englirf or by their Indian allies, who, having assumed sufficient resell tion to become witnesses of the conffict, had formed then selves in a circle without the English. The destruction was very great. Sev^L only of the Pequod escaped ; and ody seven more were made prisoners. Betwee five and six hundred are supposed to have fallen, of whom on hundred and forty were, in the opinion of Captain Masoi shot from die top of the palisade, whither they had climbed t avoid the fury of the flames. The English had originally dc terrained not to bum the fort ; but, when they found themselv< assailed from the weekwams by an enemy who could neithc be met nor seen, they resorted to this as a desperate and ii dispensable measure. When the victory was finished, after som litde desultory dLirmishing with other parties of the Pequodi who made an appearance of attacking them, but fled as soo as they approached, the English embarked on board their ves sels, which providentially came into the hari)Our just at tb time when the army, wearied by so much excessive fatigue impatiently wished for their arrival. Within three week from the commencement of the expedition they arrived a Hartfordr with the loss of two men killed and sixtee] wounded. Their Indian allies also returned to their respec tive homes. Few efforts, made by man, have been more strongly market with wisdom in the projection, or with superior courage m conduct in the execution. Every step appears to have bee: directed by that spirit and prudence which mankind have, wit one voice, regarded with admiration and applause in td statesman and the hero. The Pequods were wholly the ag gressors ; and, however we may approve of the policy wit which they proposed to exterminate the English, we cannc fail to remember, that the English had entered peaceably int the country, and purchased the possessions at a fair price, c the lawful proprietors. Ninety men undertook and aocom plished this desperate enterprise against an enemy, commaiid WAE WITH TUB- VBQUODS. II ing probably not less than ooe thoasand or fifteen hnndred warriors, the most resolnte and soccessfal hi New-England, the terror and the scourge of all the surrounding nations, headed by a chief nniivalled in his sagacity and success, and possessed of erery miKtary endowment, and of all the skill and address attainable by savages. When the news was carried to Sassacns, it produced • tempest of conflicting passions in the minds of hi» people aod tbeir chieftains. Regret for the loss of their countrymen, and 'Resentment against him, as the author of their calamities, en- i^iged tfiem to such a degree, that they were on the point of potting faim to death. His friends, however, interceded for JUm powerfully, and finaDy saved his Ufe. But the terror pro- dticed by their late disaster, agitated them into a frenzy. Inr stead of waiting for another attack, they set fire to their week- 'Wams, and to the great fortress of Sassacus, and fled in dif- f«ent directions. Sassacus, together with some of his chiefii, cand abont seventy followers, went to the Iroquois. The principal part of the nation were dispersed in the countries, "^restward of Connecticttt river. The greatest body of them directed their course by a winding route to Fairfield, where ^hey were received, and secreted by a tribe, who wens wmtives of the place, and were called Unquowas. The prio* cnpal fortress of these people was in a swamp, on the border of tiie Sound, about two miles westward of the town of Fair- ^Id, and about a quarter of a mile eastward of Saseo Tiver, lying immediately south of the old post road to New«- York*. Captmn Stougfatott, with a body of men firomMassachusettii, airiving speedily after the flight of the Pequods, determined to pursue them; and, having providentially discovered the place of dieir retreat, marched directly thither. Here he was soon joined by Mason, with forty men from Hartford. On die arrival of the English in the neighbourhood of the swamp, a part of them, advancing eagerly, sunk so deep into the ndre, that, being instantly attacked by the Indians, they were tery near being destroyed, and several of them were badly * The presybt tompike road to If ew^Yoik psases throaf^ this swampi 13 JOURNBY TO PRO¥INCB TOWN. wounded, before a sufficient number of their friends could come to their rescue. The Indians then requesting a parley» it was granted, and Thomas Stanton was sent by the English to propose to them terms of surrender ; and particularly to proffer life -to such Indians as had not been concerned in murdering the English. The chief of the Unquowas, with his family and people, to the amount of about two hundred, gladly accepted of these termsi and immediately left the fort^ Stanton was sent a second time, to renew the proffer to the rest. These, who were either chiefly or wholly Pequods, re- ceived the proposals with disdain. Stanton fled for his life^ The Indians pursued him with their arrows so vigorously, that, had not his friends hastened to rescue him, he would have been killed. Upon this proof of determined hostility, the English resolved to surround the fort at a nearer distance, by cutting a passage through the swamp. Here they formed a circle, the men placing themselves at the distance of twelve feet from each other ; and in this manner completely enclosed their enemies. Towards morning a thick fog arose from the Sound, and co- vered the swamp. A considerable number of the enemy took this opportunity to make their escape, which, after several unsuccessful attempts, they accomplished by breaking through a quadrant of the circle, commanded by Captain Patrick. A considerable number more were killed in several attacks during the night ; and in the morning one hundred and eighty were taken prisoners. These were divided between the Massa- chusetts and the Connecticut troops. The people of Massa- chusetts sent several of the women and children to Bermuda, and sold them as slaves. The wife of Mononotto, the second in rank among the Pequod chiefs, was one of the captives. This woman had been formerly distinguished by a peculiar at- tachment to the two girls, taken by her countrymen at We- thersfield. She and her children were recommended to the particular favour of Governor Winthrop, and were received and treated by him with a kindness and generosity, wholly be- coming his character. The remainder of the nation, exclu- sively of those who had fled, and who probably were nu- merous, amounted to two hundred, beside women and chil- DB8TRUCTION OF THE PBQUODS. IS dren. Of these one hundred were given to Uncas, eighty to Miantonimoh, and twenty to Ninnigret, another sachem of the Narrhaganetts, to be incorporated among their own people *. Sassacus was soon after killed by the Mohawks, and his scalp sent to Connecticut. Mononotto made his escape. Thus within the compass of a few weeks was a tribe of In- dians exterminated, who, according to the tradition of the cottDtry, had come from an inland region at a great distance, fought their way through all the intervening tribes to the ocean, planted themselves in the tracts which they had con- quered, and awed, with a general and indeterminate control, ^1 the nations in their neighbourhood. This tribe, appa- I'ently superior in their understanding to other savages, and possessed of loftier and more extensive views, was so far anni- hilated as to be thenceforth without a government, and with- out a name. It is not easy to travel through the country, "^bere they formerly resided, or to pass by the field, in which * The legislatarc of Connccticot, in the answers above referred to, say, * * The war with the Pequods being ended, considemtions and settlements '^^«re made with such sachems and people as remained, who came in receired to their iiill contentment and satisfaction, and have at ail siisce been used and treated with justice and humanity. No grants made by the general assembly before the Indian title is purchased, Agreeably to the right of pre-emption granted by royal charter to the gover- nor and company of the colony." Extract from the Records of Connecticut. — " Joseph Nyouke, a Pequod, iMMeoted a petition, in behalf of himself and other Pequod Indians in Gro- ^OQ, coBceroing the laud reserved for that tribe in Groton, one half of which Ind by pemussioo of the general assembly been divided into fifty-acre lots. niib property had been misused by the whites, to whom it had been leased. A committee was granted on this petition, May, 1750.^ From this extract, which I have taken the liberty to abbreviate, it is evi- deor, that the legblature of Connecdcut, from the conquest of the Pequods, itserred for them by law a considerable tract of land for their maintenance, and ftuperiotended their interests with the same attention which was paid to diose of the white inhabitants of the colony. This is a decisive instance of the justice, and of the humanity also, with which the Indians were treited by the early colonists of New-£nglaad, and which has been conti- iMMd to die proteot time. 14 JOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWK. they were finaUy overthrown, without indulging many sok and melancholy reflections. The conquest of the Pequods filled the Indians of N* England with astonishment and terror. In the emphal language of revelation, the land, like that of Israel, under government of Othniel, after the victory over the king of 1 sopotamia, '' had rest forty years.'' I am. Sir, &c. LETTER IV. Simington ; cultivated partly by Tenants. Indians still remaining here. Their degraded Character and Situation. The perfection to which Man arrives in a state of Nature. General Observations upon the remnants of the Indian Tribes now found in New-England. Means of effecting their Civilization. Dear Sir; After crossing the Mystic, we entered Stonington. The face of the country became immediately better; and, though rough and stony to a considerable degree, was formed of easy and beautiful slopes, levels of considerable extent, and finely rounded eminences. The prospects were generally pleasant, and in several instances superior. The soil also was neb, and almost everywhere well-cultivated. This description is applicable to most of the township, which is one of the largest in Connecticut, extending, with a breadth of about six miles. Dot less than sixteen from the Sound into the interior**. Be- side grass, it yields maize, oats, barley, and rye, remarkably Veil. Wheat is cultivated in small quantities, and grows loxariantly ; but is often blasted. This is in part attributed to the exuberant vegetation of grass, which, when apparently destroyed by the plough, springs up from the seed, and choaks the wheat at the time when the kernel is forming. Flax for- nierly grew well ; but lately has been blasted also, probably fiom some defect in the mode of culture. Orchards abound lieie ; and are so prosperous, that apples and cider have become considerable articles of commerce. In the southern half of tlie township wood is scarce and dear, in the northern it is lufliciently abundant. The hills constitnte almost the whole * Smoe Uns jouniey was taken, StomngUm has been divided into two ; tiiotooMidmaMdNortb'SlooiDgtoB. 1(5 JOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. surface, and are altogether the best land. The vallies, whidi are usually narrow and rough, present to the eye a confused mass of stones and rocks, apparently rolled together from the hills by some violent convulsion. Within the limits of this township are found, on the summits of hills, in about fifty places, single large rocks, lying loose on the surface of other rocks, imbedded in the earth. One particularly, in the southern part of the township, is raised up from the surface on three stones, about twelve or fifteen inches in diameter. The diameter of the rock itself is about fifteen feet. How or when it was thus placed is unknown, and has hitherto bafl9ed conjecture. The farms in this township contain from sixty to three hundred acres each. Almost half of them are cultivated bv tenants. A great part of these are poor people from Rhode- Island, who make Stonington their half-way house, in their progress towards the new settlements. Accustomed from their childhood to labour hard on a sterile soil, and to live on very scanty means of subsistence, they come with their families to the rich lands of Stonington, and take small farms, or parts of farms, upon lease. Here, with the most assiduous industry and a minute frugality, they gradually amass money enough to purchase farms in the wilderness. They then leave their habitations to successors from the same state, who regularly follow them in the same track. In this manner a considerable part of the inhabitants of this township are almost annually changed. It is, however, to be observed, that some of the Stonington people lease their own farms, and hire and cultivate others, which are larger. The rents of these farms are from one to seven hundred dollars- per annum ; paid usually in their produce, and, in the gpreater number of instances, in cheese only. Of this commo- dity 370,000 pounds are annually exported from this township. Seventeen thousand pounds have been made in a year on the lands of Mr. Denison, the gentleman with whom we lodged. The mode, in which each farm is to be managed by the tenant, is regularly described with minute exactness in the lease. I have mentioned this subject thus particularly, because it is in a great measure peculiar to this spot. There are, indeed, several instances in which farms are taken upon lease in Groton; BRITISH ATTACH ON 8TONINGTON. 17 «Qi, in solitary instances, the same thing exists in other places ; but there arc probably more cases of this nature in Stonington than can be found elsewhere in a third part of the state. There are four villages in Stonington : one on the Mystic ; another at the head of navigation on the Paukatuc ; a third, four miles further up the same stream, called Mill-Town ; and a fourth on Stonington Point. The population in these vil- lages is increasing ; in the rest of the township it is at a stand. T^be houses are, generally, good fanners' dwellings. The v^lages are built in a neat manner. Stonington Point is a semi-ellipsis, a third of a mile in l^^ngth; and, where widest, a fourth of a mile in breadth. X^Tom the centre the surface declines every way, with an easy, •c^x^ed slope, to the shore. It is disagreeably encumbered *^w Jtfa rocks, but is otherwise handsome and pleasant. The bouses, about 170 in number, are neat in their appearance and "^Jieir appendages. There are two churches on the Point ; a ^E^resbyterian and a Baptist; both new, and good. The Point is accommodated with two. harbours. That on ^lie western side has a bold shore ; is sufficiently deep for ves- sels, under two hundred and fifty tons, to load at the wharfs, 3iid is safe from all winds, except the south-west, and in die upper parts even from that. The wharfs are built of stone, and are in good order**. * The following letter is an official account of an abortive attempt made during the late war, b^ the squadron under Commodore Hardy, to burn the WoQgh of Stonington. " Stomington Borough, Aug. 21st, 1815. ** To the Hon. William H. Crawford, Secretary of War. **$!£; — ^Tbe former secretary of war put into my care, as chairman of ^oommittee of defence, the two eighteen pounders, and all the munitions of »ar that were here, belonging to the general goveraroent, to be used for ^defence of the town, and I gave my receipt for the same. As there is no military officer here, it becomes my duty to inform you of ^ose we have made of it. That on the 9th of August last, the KamiHes M*enty-lbur, the Pactolut forty-four, the Terror bomb-ship, and the Det- pHcb tweo^ gun brig, anchored off our harbour. Commodore Hardy sent ^ t boat with a flag ; we met him with another from the shore, when the <4te of the flag banded me a note from Commodore Hardy, informing me, ^ one boiir was gjiven the unoffending inhabitants, before the town would ^destroyed. We recamed to the shore, where all the male inhabitants were collected^ TOL. III. C ,18 JOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. Mystic riyer is a good harbour for vesseLi of not more tfaaii fSiKty tons ; boft Hiey are loaded a mile and a half below th^ when I read the note aloud.' Tliey all ezchimed they would defond the •place to the last extremityy and if it was destroyed they would be buried m its ruins. I We repaired to a small battery we had hove up, nailed our colours to the flag-staff, while others lined the shore with their muskets. At about seven in the evening they put off five barges and a lai^ laonch, 'carrying from thirty- two to nine pound carronadcs in their bows, and opeaed their fire from the shipping with bombs, carcasses, roc^ts^ round grape apd cannister shot, and sent their boats to land under cover of their fire. We let them come within small grape distance, when we opened our fire upon them from pur two eighteen pounders with round and grape shot. They soon retreated out of grape distance, and attempted a landing on the east side of the village. We dragged a six pounder that we had mounted owr, ^d met them with grape ; and all our muskets opened a ^ upon them, so that they were willing to retreat the second time. They continued their £re till eleven at night. The next morning, the brig Despatch anchored within pistol shot of our battery, and they sent five baiges and two large launches to land undercover of their whole fire (being joined by thei Nimrod twenty gun brig). When the boats approached within grape distance, we opened our fire upon them with round and grape shot; 4bey retreated and came roimd the east side of the town. We checked them with our six pounder and muskets, till w^ dragged oi(er one of our eighteen pounders. We put in a round shot, and about forty or fifty pounds cf grape, and placed it in the centre of then boats, as they were rowing up in a line and firing on us ; we tore one of their baiges all in pieces, so that two, one on each side, had to lash her up to keep her fit>m sinking. They retreated out of grape distance, and we turned our fire upon the brig, and expended all oar cartridges but five, which we re- served for the boats, if they made another attempt to land. We then lay four hours without being able to annoy the enemy in the least, except from muskets on the brig, while the fire of their whole fleet was directed against our buildings. After the third express to New-London, some fixed amm»- mdoii arrived ; we then turned our cannoo on <the brig, and she soon cot her cable and drifted out. • The whole fleet then weighed, and anchored nearly out of reach of our shot, and continued this and the next day to bombard the town. Tliey set the buildings on fire in more than twenty places ; and we as ofleu put them out. In the three days** bombardment they sent on shore Aore than sixty tons of metal, and, strange to tell, wounded only one man^ since dead. We have picked up fifteen tons, including some that was taken up but of the water, and the three anchors that we got. We took up and buriod four poor fellows that were hove overboard out of the sinking baigea - Since peace, the officers of the Despatch brig have been on shore hare. They acknowledge they had twenty-one killed, and fifty badly wounded; and further say, had we conrinued our fire any longer they should have ssmrATiT or thb pbquod tribx. ift setdement, at Paclei^s feriy. Pankatuck has a crooked obannel, admitting small Tessels only. Eveii these are loaded at a eonsidenble distance below the bridge. Those which are larger take in their lading at Stonington Point, appropriately called the Port Between forty and fifty vessels (coasters, fishermen, and others) are owned in Stonington. The cod fishery is by far tke most profitable business done here. It is chiefly carried CMi at Ghreen Island and the straits of Belleisle, and has been ^laiformly prosperous. The West-Indian business has been generally nnprosperons. A considerable number of Indians reside in this township cilso, and possess a tract of land on and about Lanthem-hill, isi the northern part of the township, and the most elevated ^K>tni iiiis region. Here some of (hem lire in weekwams, «uid others in houses resembling poor cottages ; at the best smsJU ragged, and unhealthy. Others, still, live on the farms of the white inhabitants, in houses built purposely for them^ «ind pi^ their rent by daily labour. Two-thirds of them are supposed to be contained in the Indian families, the remaining t&ird are employed in the service of the fiamers. One-half «f the fonner division live on the lands reserved for them. These are held in fee simple, and cannot be disposed of with- out the consent of the legislature or of the overseer. The whole body of these Indians are a poor, degraded, miserable race of beings. The former pr6ud, heroic spirit of the Pequod, terrible even to other proud, heroic spirits around lum, is shrunk into the tameness and torpor of reasoning hratisni. All the vice of the original is left: all its energy has Tanished. ' They are lazy in. the extieme; and never labour, unless compelled by necessity. Nor are they less prodigal than lazy. The earnings of a year, hardly as tfiey are acquired, they will spend in a day, without a thought of themoiTOW. Wherever they caoi obtain 'credit, they involve thanaclves m debt; and never dreantof paying their debts. fliivck; far tbey were is m linking cooditioo, for tine, wind blew soutb-west dinctly into the haibour. All the shot suitable for tliu canooa we have re- «nrcd. We have now more eighteen pound shot than was sent us by fovenrasent. We hmve put the two cannon into the arsenal, and housed ail the nontioiM of «NUp/^ "^■• c 2 90 . JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. imless under the iron hand of law. Thieves they are of course, but have too little enterprise to steal any thing of im* portanoe. It is hardly necessary to observe, that they are liars. They have no such thing among them as marriage ; but cohabit without ceremony or covenant, and desert each other at pleasure. Their children, when young, they place in English families as servants. In the earlier parts of life these children frequently behave well ; but, when grown up, throw off all that is respectable in their character, and sink to the level of their relatives. Some of them, when hired as la* bourers and servants, are tolerably industrious, from a convic^ tion that they cannot safely be indolent. The rest, and even these when not employed, doze away life in uniform sloth and stupidity. To strong drink their devotion is complete ; and for ardent spirits, or eider, they will part with every thing which they possess. Generally, they are healthy; but, when sick, seem in a great measure to be beyond the reach of medicine. Those, who live by themselves, are half-naked, and often half-starved. ^ The Indian, in a savage state, spent life chiefly in roving ; but he roved in pursuit of the deer, the bear, the wolf, or his enemy. A high sense of glory, an ardent passion for achieve* ment, a proud consciousness of independence, and a masculine spirit of exertion were the prominent features of his character; He had customarily an object before him ; in his view great, useful, and honourable. He had, therefore, powerful motives to rouse his faculties into action. When he had not, he either spent his time in violent gambling, in which, like the polished adventurers of civilized society, he hazarded and lost his all ; even his blanket and his gun ; or, when he Could not gamble, dozed away life in precisely the same paralytic m» activity, which is so remarkable in his tamed countrymen. The Indian of the latter character lounges, saunters, gets drunk, eats when he can find food, and lies down to sleep under the nearest fence. Without any present or future object in view, without proposing any advantage to himselfi or feeling any interest in what is proposed by others, he leads Ae life, not of a man, but of a snail ; and is rather a moving vegetable than a rational being. To these remarks there are some exceptions. The women. 8AVAGB STATE OP SOOIBTT. 21 who live in Eaigliah families, retain at times a degree of thai fondness for dress, so remarkaUe and oniyersal among such as still continue in a saTage state. Those who are educated in these fJEunilies are often seen at church. A small number, also, of both men and women are reputed to be honest,, and ware, therefore, safelj belieyed to merit this character. Bat the most remarkable exception is the following : at th^ settlement above-mentioned lives an aged Indian, who po»- a considerable share of understanding. This man, for series of years, has occasionally preached to them, and is d to give them useful exhortations. At times they very generally assemble to hear his discourses, and hold him in Kxinch respect; a strong proof that human nature^ in its lowest ^degradation of ignorance and vice, feels irresistibly the di»o ^ftinction between worth and the want of it, and renders, almost ustinctively, its homage to virtue. If any thing is necessary to complete the miserable and xnebncholy picture, it is this additional feature, that not one of the rising generation appears to aim, even remotely, at any higher character. Yon have, here, an account of that very state of society, ^which is preferred and extolled by Godwin as the perfection of man. Here the human race, as nearly as possible, are without the restraint of law, morals, or religion. At the same time they are free in the foflest sense. No private individud possesses or exercises any power to control their conduct; and the government of Connecticut, either from despair of domg them any good, or from the unwillingness of its magis* trates to execute law among these people, seems, in a manner vUch I cannot justify, to have resigned them to the dictates of their own passions and appetites. Flagrant breaches of law would undoubtedly be punished in them as in others. At kast such as respected property, life, or limb. But few or no exertions have for a long time been made to restrain their mumisirion of infericnr crimes, and to these crimes alone do they appear at present to have any strong propensity ; t. e. as they eatimote crimes, for lewdness seems not to be considered \ff tbem as crirainal. Ordinarily, they do just what they please. Fromiieuoua oononbinage also, Godwin's great and favourite 23 JOURNBY TO PROVIKCB TOWN. 0tep towards periection» they practice in the most uDUmitad manner. Nor are they less perfectly possessed of his other two essential ingredients in the constitution of his happy, society, Why then are they not perfect and happy ? There are two great reasons to be assigned as an answer tp tills question, both of which have escaped this hoodwinked philosopher. The first is, that human depravity, or, in other words, sin, has no tendency to make a happy society ; but, among all intelligent beings, will always render the social state nnhappy, in exact proportion to the degree in which it exists. The other is, that labour is the only source of those enjoy- ments, which make up what Grodwin calls happiness, and that, without the dominion of law, which alone secures to man the benefit of his eflbrts, no hnman being will, labour. Godwin and his associates feel as if themselves should be happier if they were freed from the restraints which I have mentioned 4 not mistrusting, that without them others, enjoying the same licentiousness of disposition, and the same impunity in inr dulging it, wonld plunder them of liberty, property, and life. Equally are they insensible, that without the protection of law none would labour, and no part of those enjoyments, on which they riot, be brought into existence. Without law, religion, and morals, they might indeed be fornicators and adulterers, thieves and assassins, but they, would be beggars find vag^^ bonds. The very wickedness which prompted Godwin to write his books, and which he has poured out upon almost every page with a portentous turpitude, would render all around him as hostile to him as he is to religion, morals, and government, and make whatever he thought his own rights the tennis-ball of injustice and cruelty. In addition .to aU thi^i and in defiance of the sagacious calculations-^of one of. l^U^ pretended answerers, population, instead of being increased^ would rapidly decay. These Indians have continually de* clined in their numbers,, notwithstanding their decrease has been checked by their cohabitation with th^ blacks. WherQ^ the fruits of no man's labour are secured ;. where no. man ha^ acknowledged children to labour for ; where, according to thf^ wish of Godwin, every child is without a known lESBither» an4 possessed of a casual instead of a family name, no man will labour. He, who is willing to be induntxions, seeing all fail 8AVAGK STATB OF 80C1HTY> ^ eanmigs destined to become the prey of strangers and enemies^ of sloth and yillainy, irill retire from the hopeless pursuit with diBdaiD, and consent to starve with the multitude, radier than- toil for wretches, whom it must be difficult not to lude, and im* possible not to despise. What a pity it is diat Godwin, and afl who relish his doctrines, should not obtain the privilege of abaring in the dignity and happiness enjoyed in this state of human perfection ! The great calamity experienced by these Indians, and by all other people in the like circumstances, is this : within the horizon erf* their thought not a single motive arises, not a single inducement is Tisible, which might awaken their dosing energy^ or prompt them to any useful effort. Man, without motives to exertion, is a beast or a log ; with them, he can become an .Alfred or a Paul. But the motives must be such as he is fitted to feel ; and Indians, without greater exertions in their l>ehalf than tiiose which have hitherto been made, will never feeU iior even comprehend, such motives as influence civilised The great hindrance to their improvement does not lie, some dr^uning European philosophers have supposed, in tJie inferiority of their minds. Their minds are natively of the same structure with those of Frendimen or Englishmen. This position is completely proved by the fact^ that the duldren of Americana, Englishmen, Scotchmen, Irishmen, Dutchmen, and frenchmen, when cultivated by them in early life, become aaere Indians, distinguishable in nothing, except a small differ- ence of colour, from the native savages. Not one of them ever diseovered half the capacity, or rose to half the distinc- tion, which the history written by white men records of Miantonimoh, FUlip, Sassacus, Uncas, or the great Hen- driek. Nay, the Canadian descendants of the French pea- aaatiy are many of them inferior in every respect to the aborigines. Hie philosoirfiy of Buffon, therefore, of De Pauw and various otfaen conoermng this subject, would have been better spared ; for it is unsupported even by the shadow of a reason, or a fact The real cause of all this degradation in the Indiatt is the want of such motives to exertion as he is psepered to feel withm the view of his mind. The only causa of homan distinetion, also, -is the existence of such motives. Whete notUng prompts to action, nodung will be done ; where wBcieat indneeaMSits are (nresented, every thing will be done 9t JOURMKT TO PROVINCS TOWN. wiuob is withia the gnmp <rf' hvinaD power. When motms oease to operate and excite, man will lounge away life; saunter from place to place without knowing why ; dress hini' self in a blanket ; seat himself upon a stone ; smoke through &e day at the door of a weekwam ; or stretch himself to sleqp under the nearest hedge. When motives arouse him to exer* tion« he will cross unknown oceans to discover new countries^ coast the polar ice to attack the whale ; ascend the Andes to measure the equatorial latitude; ransack the bowels of the earth to enlarge the science of mineralogy ; imprison himself in a cell for seven years to obtain the palm of eloquence ; fac« the fangs of the catamount or the tiger, to be called the best huntsman ; toil through life to accumulate an inheritance for his diildren ; or fight battles, or slaughter millions, to wreathe upon his Ihtow the garland of triumph. With sufficient mo- tives, also, he will resist temptation ; subdue his lusts ; expend his substance ; and yield his life for the cause of Christiani^, the salvation of men, and the glory of the Redeemer. The Indian, when passing from savage ferocity into quiet life, undergoes this transmigration with the most unfavourable circuiflstances. All the considerations by which he was for- merly influenced are cut ofl^, and no new ones are introduced to his view. War and hunting, wisdom in council, and elo- quence in debate, the only objects of his former ambition, and the sources of all his former glory, vanish at once. To them nothing succeeds which presents him a single allurement. He hates labour, and is therefore poor. But among civilized peo- ple poverty is, in the common opinion, only another name for disgrace. For reflection and study he is utterly unqjaalified ; from the want, not of capacity, but of inclination. Labour and thought, therefore, being both odious, and in his view con- temptible, he is at the outset precluded from attempting either. But with these, all motives which prompt to any exertion in civilized life are inseparably connected. Hence his mind is left to the government of instinct, and the remain- ing influence of his former habits. In this manner he sinks down to the state of a mere animal, and in his mode of life resembles a brute more than a man. Ardent spirits in this case vary th^ dull course of his feelings with a pleasure, de- rived from nothing else» and therefore peculiarly agreeable. lli^lpQoIr'vhiggiah and dead, » fiw a mom^ brushed hy tm OITILISATION OP SAYAGBS. 2S agitating Kreeze ; but, when it is pfist, the broken Aomn unites; and resumes its former appearance of loathsome and noxioos sfa^ation. Sarages can be snccessfully changed into ciTilized men only k two modes. Christianity, by establishing a sense of duty to Ood, always conveys with it motives capable of prompting the scml to any thing which it commands ; such as the attainment of mental peace, the approbation of God, the esteem of good men, safety from perdition, and a title to eternal life. Even Indians, under its influence, have in many instances exhibited fnr specimens of virtuous and commendable conduct In spite of all their habits, they have employed themselves in "txsefol business ; and, in spite of their ignorance and errors, liave acquired the esteem of Christians. If Indians are to be civilized without the immediate influence of Christianity, the ^^rork must be accomplished in such a manner, that they must -mot cease to feel the motives which produced their former conduct, until they have begun to feel new ones ; that they shall be engaged by new objects of allurement before they have bidden a final adieu to the old ; and that they shall not lose the sense and hope of reputation, while passing through the metamorphosis by which they are changed from savages into citizens. An Indian, hopelessly sunk below the posses- sion and the attainment of character, can never, without an exertion of Omnipotence, cease to be an Indian ; t. e. a sloth, a sot, and a vagabond. The only passion, winch can be immediately substituted for the Indian love of gloiy , is that which has been substituted in every civilized nation ; viz. the love of property. Wherever Dbs can be estabKshed, Indians may be civilized : wherever it cannot, they will still remain Indians. The belief, that our exertions will promote our benefit and our consequence, w3I ever stimulate us to exertion. Without this belief, the great bodv of mankind will not exert themselves at all. If the period should ever arrive, fn which the inhabitants of the United States should set themselves In earnest to do good to this miserable people; and under a sense of obligations, which can neither be denied nor lessened, should seriously at- tempt to make them comfortable, virtuous, and useful, here, and happj hereafter ; common sense will require, that such of them m vBtaum ni the Engfish settlements should be gatthered 28 JOURNBY TO PaOVlNOB TOWN. on tracts, inhabited by themselves only. Those, indeed, who are to be the immediate agents in accomplishing this object, must reside with them, but no others. The contempt which this degraded people will always experience from us, and the sense of their own degradation and our superiority, will (ox ever keep them in their presjent state, if they are to remain dispersed among the English iAhabitai^ts. When they are by themselves, they will be equals ; and may, therefore, imbibe gradually a sense of personal character. Until this cap be accomplished, nothing can be done, unless they can be pejf- suaded cordially to embrace Christianity. Concerning diis subject I may have opportunity to make some observations to you hereafter. The inhabitants of Stoningtpn have suffered in their religious interests from their neighbourhood to Rhpde-Island. There are six congregations in this town ; three of them conposed of Baptists. The number of Baptist ministers I know not There was no Congregational minister here ; and the Baptist preachers were mere uneducated farmers or mechanics. Public worship therefore was either not celebrated at all, of celebrated in a forbidding and vulgar manner. Licentiousness always follows,^ instantly, the loss. of public worship ; and con- t^npt for religion regularly follows the adininistration of it by ignorant men. Mankind are creatures of instruction, as welf as of habit Wh^i they are not taught, they will of course be ignorant; and when they are not admonished and reproved, they will of course be 'oose. The inquiries which I made concerning this town, of persons whose respectability could not be questioned, terminated in satisfScu^tory evidence, that although there were some religious, and many respectable people here, yet, by the mass of inhabitants, religion was fitde regarded, and the standard of morals low; facts .but too common along this border of Connecticttt **. In the year 1756, Stonington contained 8,518 inhabitants'; blacks, 200; Indians, 96$: in 1774, 5,412; blacks, 219; Indians, 245: in 1790, 5,648; in 1800, 5,487; blacks, 42: and, in 1810, 3,048. The same year, North-Stonington contained 2,534 : total, 5,677. I am. Sir, &c. ^ Within . a few yean psst a rB8p«ctab)e minuiter has beeQ seated in Stonington. . LETTER V. I9^€sterty. Charlestawn. South-Kingston. Aboriginal Tribes formerly inhabiting NeuhEngland. Their Popur lotion. Number of WarriorSt <u estimated by General Crookin. War with the Narrhagansetts, Attack and Culture of their Fortress. Gallant Conduct of Captain Demisom and others* Death of Nanuntenoo. ft DsAR Sir; Saturday, September 90th, we left the hospitable house of Mr. D- , and rode to Newport through West- eriy, CharlestowR, Sbutb-KiDgston, and Jamestown on Cano^ tkicut island ; thirty-eight miles. About two miles from Mr. D 's we crossed Paokatne river, which divides Connecticut from Bhode^Isiand, and Sionington from Westerly, At the bridge there is a pretty ▼iUage» principally in Westerly, containing perhaps twentf houses. In this village a bank has lately been established with a capital of 100,000 dollars, which may be increased to 150,000. Paukatoo riter forms the only harbour in Westerly, and funishes excellent fisheries for bdss, eels, black-fish, shad, and heoingB. In the bay, which is formed at its mouth, these kinds of fiudi are caught in as great abundance as perhaps in any part of New-England. Long and round clams, dso, ojBteiB, aod a Kttia fiirtber out in the Sound lobsters, are found b gineat munben. .* The land in tUs township is divided into two kinds. The border of the Sound, which is generally good, and that ki the interior, which is a collection of UUs, btohy, sandy, and- leail, QiiginaUy cofeied irith shrub oaks and pitch pines. This ground, which constitutes a considerable part of the township^ 38 JOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. produces scarcely any thing, beside small crops of rye. On the former of these tracts the inhabitants are generally in good oircumstadces. On the latter, though said to be industrious, they are generally, and indeed necessarily, poor and unthrifty. Except the village above-mentioned. Westerly is a collection of farms. There is a good common school near the bridge, styled an academy. There are several other schools in the township, as much inferior to this as the parochial schools in other parts of New-England are to the academies. Immediately after leaving Paukatuc village, a traveller is struck with the sudden change of the whole artificial scenery. The houses, a few excepted, are small, old, and ragged. The bams vanishi and the tidy, thrifty appearance of Connecticut ceases. Every thing indicates a want of energy ; a destitution of all iglerws and efforts towards improvement ; a sluggish ac- quiescence in inconveniences and imperfections, which a more vigorous disposition would easily remove. About one-fourth of the people of Westerly are supposed to be Sabbatarians, or seventh-day Baptists. Some of these people appear to be religious, and are more distinguished by good morals than most of their neighbours. The remainder are chiefly Baptists. Charlestown resembles Westerly in soil and surface, in its bouses and inbabitants. The lands on the Sound are, however^ more beautiful and more fertile, consisting of smooth, easy slopes and handsome plains, divided into spacious fields, and fed by fine herds of cattle. The season was now remarkably dry, yet there were si]^cient proofs of the fertility of these grounds. A great part of the houses are ill-built, misshapen, and umrepaired ; and exhibit an absolute want of both taste and economy. The people of Charlestown, who live on the Sound lands, appear to bain good circumstances, and furnish for exportation a considerable quantity of beef, butter, and cheese ; all in good reputation. The whole of this tract seems to have reached the highest point of improvement, aimed at Iff th» inhabitants, and to be either stationary or decUaing. Their products, their houses, their manners, and their enjoy- ments, are much the same as they were fifty years ago, and asi diey probably will be fifty years to come. CHARLB8TOWN POND. 29 In the southern part of tUs township is a pond> called Pan- waget, or Charlestown pond, and part of another called Cona- quotoag, the remaining part being in Westerly. The former is aboat four miles in length, and extensively visible along this road. It is separated from the Sound by a narrow beach, through which several passages have been made for the ad- mission of fish. In these two ponds, and several others in Westeriy, Charlestown, and South-Kingston, immense num* bers of streaked bass, and various other kinds of fish, are caught annually. Westerly contabed, in 1790, 2,298 inhabitants ; in 1800, 2.829; and, in 1810, 1,911*. Charlestown, in 1790, contained 2,032 inhabitants ; in 1800, 1>454 ; and, in 1810, 1,174. This extraordinary decrease I ^^ unable to explain. On the north side of the road through both Westerly and Chariestown the ranges of hills, which are numerous and sudden^ tenmnate either immediately on the road, or at a small dis- tance, presenting to the eye their rough, ragged ends, covered ^th sands, or loaded with a dismal collection of naked rocks* Desolate and barren grounds are often scenes of romantic wild- Hefls and grandeur ; here they were objects of mere disgust. About ten miles firom Newport the road turns directly north- ^Ward round a handsome hill, and winds along its eastern margin by the side of a river. At the end of two or three miles it turns eastward again, and crossing the river ascends a beautiful slope, and descends another of the same appearance to Cano* nicat £Bfiy • Thewboleof South'Kingston, the next township to Charles- town, so far as it is visible in the road, is pleasant and fertile. The florface is extensively undulating. The hills rise and faU with great ease and elegance, and are rounded with lines pecu- liariy flowing and graceful. The inhabitants appeared to be pnwpeiousy and the agriculture superior to what we had before in tins state. In 1790, this township contained 4,181 ; in 180(^3,488 ; and, in 1810, 3,560. Thm flat conntiy iii these three townships is appropriately ofed Naifluiganset, or the Nairhaganset country. _ • * Weiterij was the principal seat of Ninigrety ooe of the two chief sach^roa of the Nanhagaaiets. M JOUBKBY TO PROVIlfOfe TOWN. Hh^ HonovraUe Major^Greneral Gookin.who has left, in maB] particiilfirB, the best ancient account extant of the natites o! this country, informs as, that, originally, five principal Indiu nations occupied the chief part of New-England. The Ktnit of this cocmtry on the north and west, were, at that tiine imperfectly defined. The tracts, assigned to these five nation by Mr. Gookiii, amount, also, to less than one half of the present New-England. We are, therefore, to understaoc this account witfi Impo.'tant qualifications. The Pequods are the first of these nations. The jurisdictioi of this people spread over the country, commencing about five miles east of Paukatuc river, at a place called Wecapaug, ii! the township of Westerly, and terminating near the westen boundary of Connecticut Mr. Gookin observes, that then sachem held dominion over a part of Long-Island, the Mo* heagans, the Segamores of Quinipeake (Quinipiac, or New- Haven), the people on Connecticut river, and over the most southerly inhabitants of the Nipmuc country about Quinibaug, the southern part of the county of Worcester. The countrjr, inhabited by the Pequods, has been ahready pointed out. The second of these nations was the Narrhagansets, who inhabited most of the country which is now tfie state oi Rhode-Island, and had also several tributaries. The thiid nation was the Pawkunnakuts or Wampanoags, who inhabited the three counties of Plymouth, Bristol, ted Barnstable, or the old colony of Plymouth. The fourdi of these nations was the Massachusetts, who occupied the counties of Sufiblk, Norfolk, and Middlesex, and probably the eastern border of Worcester. The fifth nation was the Pawtuckets, who lived in the county of Essex, the northern part of Middlesex, and the county of Rockingham, in New-Hanipshire» The two last of these nations I suppose to have been com- prehended under the common name of Aberginians. * To these nations may be added the Nipmucs, or Nipnets, who occupied the county of Worcester, and were extensively tributary to the three first, which have been mentioned; the Mohekaneews, who extended their jurisdiction over the coon* ties of Berkshire, in Massachusetts; Columbia, Rensselaer, a part of Washington* Ulster, Albany, and Saratoga in fhe INDIAN POPULATION. 81 State of New-York ; and tke county of Benniiigton in Ver- mont; and the Tarrateens, who possessed a great part of the distiiet of Mune. Westward of these aations* and bordering upon them, were the IixMiaois, These i shall have occasion to mention here- after. Hie comparative strength of these chief nations, as declared b; die oldest Indians in Mr, Gookin's time, was as follows: — Wamore, when most numerous. The Pequods 4,000 Narrkagansets 6,000 Pawkunnakuts 3,000 Massachusetts 3,000 Pawtuckets 3,000 Nipnets, probably ........ 1,000 Mohekaneews 1,000 From the smallness of the number of children, who survive tbeir childhood, and the universal devotion to war among the saragos of this country, which makes eVery man a warrior as eidy and as late as he can possibly employ himself in this busi- Best, it may be safely detennined, that one person out of four is a varrior. The whole number of these nations, therefore. It the time of tbeir greatest known prosperity, may be safely CQudered as within Ae following enumeration : -— The Pequods 16,000 Narrhaganscts 20,000 Pawkunnakuts 12,000 MassachusetU 12,000 Pawtuckets 12,000 Nipnets ...../ 4,000 Mohekaneews 4,000 Total 80,000 ■This .population covered between thirty and forty thousand ifUBa viileii* dud may be considered as the acme of Indian popolation ; for there is no tract of country, equally distant bam ibid equator, which could boast of so many advantages, or fnriush equal means of subsistenoe to man, living in the bdiaii manner. It la behoved, that one third, if not one half 82 lOU&NBY TO PROVINGB TOWN. of this popalatioD, was sustained on fish only. The Nanhib gansets^ whose country was much more populous than which was inhabited by any other of these tribes, ^ere prietors of the best fishing grounds ; t. e. for such fish, Indians were able to take, furnished by the conlineat North America. From this source was derived the mon populousness of the Narrhaganset territory. Ja the numbers, mentioned above, are intentionally incfairf< all the subordinate and tributary tribes ; who, as I apprehend^ being either obliged or voluntarily inclined to take the with their lords paramount, were customarily reckoned i the number of their warriors. These numbers are given, as have observed, according to the accounts of the oldest dians within the knowledge of General Gookin. My opinion is, that they are most, if not all, exaggerated. Seventy' thousand, or two to a square mile, would, I am satisfied, m^ elude every Indian, living on this tract at any precedSsBip period. The Narrhagansets were undoubtedly the most fonmdabia tribe in New-England after the Pequods. I have observed, that their dread of the Pequods prevented them from unitxag^ in the scheme of exterminating the people of New-England, proposed by Saccacus in 1637. Their dread of the Englub colonists prevented them from openly uniting with Philip, who formed the same design, and attempted to execute it in te year 1675. Still they favoured his enterprise ; and enter- tained his warriors with a hospitality, which contradicted bott their professions and their treaties. Their warriors, also, went into the field with this chieftain ; and took their share in his battles, murders, and conflagrations. Satisfied of these facts, the conmiissioners of the united colonies resolved, n the month of November, 1675, on an expedition' against these people ; and for this purpose directed an army of a thousand men to be immediately raised. Of these, Massachusetts was to furnish 527 ; Plymouth, 158 ; and Connecticut, 315. Con- necticut, however, sent 300 soldiers> and 150 Moheagans and Pequods. Major. Treat commanded the Connecticut troops ; Major Bradford, those of Plymouth ; and Major Appleton, those of Massachusetts. Mr. Winslow, governor of PlymouA, commanded the whole. The Massachusetts and Plymoufli the IHth tbey were joined b; their friends firom fly- ■iid Massachusetts. He night rollowing was tem- m and very cold. The snow fell to a considerable and the array was withoiit a shelter. Veiy early in imitqt of the lOlfa they mnrcfaed against the enemy, ied in a swamp, which 1 suppose to he that called nramp, in the northern part of Charlestown. In the Hid thick recesses of this clismal place was an island, mtg fire or six acres of ground, enclosed with palisa- Here the Narrhaganset warriois, above two thon- ti number, armed with one thousund muskets, beside nd arrows, foniisbed with ammunition, and possessed of I use them, hod collected their whole strength, together heir women and children, and their winter's stock of OBB. One of these people, named Peter, had qnar^ with his conntrymen, and fallen into the bauds of the ti. This man promised to guide thera to the fortress, jKtnally fulfilled his promise. The Massachusetts led 1 ; those of Plymouth occupied the centre ; and those necticut the rear. sea miles this band of heroes waded through the snow, n the dawn and one o'clock P. M. They reached the hile their enemies were employed in dressing their , without a suspicion of their approach. The New- id forces could discover but one entrance into the fort ; ■ was on a Ic^, felled across the exterior ditch. The 84 JOVRNBY TO PROVINOE TOWN. and driveo before them into the fort. From this embarrass- ment they were delivered by Peter, who led them to another opening. Here some trees, lying loosely as they fell, ob- structed their course; and a block-house, directly in front, threatened them with destruction. The passage, however, was possible ; and they attempted it without hesitation : bat the fire from the block-house was so great, and so well directed, that they were compelled to &U back. The attempt was im- mediately renewed, notwithstanding they lost a number of men in the onset, and, among others. Captains Johnson and Davenport, who fell while they were fighting gallantly at the liead of their companies. Ihiring this stniggle the Connecticut troops became in:ipa- tient of their situation in the rear ; but found it impossible to ■aet with any advantage against the enemy, as the main body -of the army was between them and the fort. A part of them, therefore, moved round to the opposite side, and forced their way, over the hedge, through a gap in the palisado. The In- dians were so occupied in defending the entrance, where the Massachusetts' people began the assault, that these men crossed the hedge, and came upon their rear imobs^rved. Here they -poured upon them a well-directed fire. Every man took aim; and every man was a marksman. The execution, tberefoire, was great. Just at this time some of the officers, commanding the maiii body of the Colonial army, cried out, '' They run." At the word the soldiers pushed their enemies with increased vigour, and compelled them firom liieir shelter. The contest then i)ecame still more violent : but it wiis now carried on in the open field ; and was therefore more destmctive to the Indians, •and less so to the New •England forces. The battle lasted from two to thiee houra ; and ended in the expulsion of the onemy firom the fort. The soldiers in the mean time Met fire to their weekwams, and destroyed them. Three of the Massachusetts captains, Johnson, Davenport, and Gardiner ; and three of the Connecticut captains, Sedy, Gallup, and Marshall, were kiUed outright. Captain Mason of Connecticut, and Lieutenant Upham of Massaohosetts, died of their wounds. The killed and wounded soldiera amounted to two hundred and ten. Eighty of these imi. UBPBAT OP THB SAVAQfiS. 86 itker on die field, or soon after the battle ; forty belonging ^o Connecticut, tiiirty to Massachusetts, and ten to Plymouth. The loss of the Indians, according to the confession of Potock, of their principal men, taken afterwards at Rhode-Island» ounted to seven hundred killed outright, and three hun- dred more who died of their wounds. Six hundred men, ^vvomen, and children, were taken prisoners. The whole num- l)er of the savages in the fort is supposed to have been four thousand. The remainder escaped. After the battle, the New- England troops marched imme- diately back to their former places of rendezvous ; carrying ^ith tbem their wounded, and most of their dead. Their march lay through a pathless wilderness. The frost was severe, and the snow so deep, that they were scarcely able the next day to move at alL To these inclemencies the wounded were exposed, equaUy with the rest. The Connecticut troops having suffered very severely from their march, as well as from the conflict and the succeeding hardships, it was thought proper, that they should return im- mediately to Stonington. The Massachusetts forces, toge- ther with those of Plymouth, took up their head quarters in the neighbourhood ; and by destroying the provisions of ihe Indians, frequently alarming them, captivating some, and killing others, distressed them not a little. Few events in the annals of war have exhibited more ho- nourable proofs of patienoe and fortitude under severe suffer- iogs, or of grallantry and finnness in battle, than this enter- prise. The enemy greatly outnumbered the New-England anny ; aad in numbers, not less than theirs, were furnished with fire arms. They were at the same time immured in a fydMnesB, aad defended by a fortification, in the highest degree fafvnnrable to -the Jnduui manner of fighting : being secured in a gieal measure from the view of their enemies ; while their enemies were perfectly open to them. The savages were -hcBTe, and jdeipertiie : for they fought near three hours, and mM lmi£ mj€ iheir warriors fell. The New-England army, alio, lost cmrly in Ahe engagement the greater part of their oficers. Karching through snow, even of a mode- deptfa* ia attended widi ej^cessive fatigue ; and to be exr poiod nigfat after sight io repeated snow storms, and severe d2 96 iOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. frosts, has of itself been often fatal. All these evils were ac- cumulated upon the New-Englanfl troops in a deep forest ; and were borne without a fear, a murmur, or a thought of re^ turning before the purpose was accomplished. Not a single instance of cowardice, impatience, or dishonour, is left on re- cord. The oflScers and men, without an exception, suffered, fought, and endured, as a band of brothers. When all the circumstances are considered, I am satisfied, that it will be difiicult to point out in the history of mankind a fairer speci- men of heroism or of fortitude. The great reason for undertaking this enterprise, beside the treachery of the Narrhagansets, was the extreme danger apprehended from their inroads upon the colonies in the en- suing spring. The commissioners certainly acted very wisely in determining to attack them before the commencement of their hostilities. They had already proved themselves to be determined enemies ; and were waiting only for an advanta- geous opportunity to invade the colonies. Had they been let alone till the ensuing season, they would undoubtedly have destroyed great multitudes of the New- England people; great multitudes, I mean, more than they actually destroyed. The colonial troops marched at the critical moment. A snow first, which immediately after fell to a great depth ; and then a thaw, which dissolved the snow, and filled the low grounds with water ; would have rendered it impossible for them to reach the enemy, until the season was too far advanced to allow the hope of any important success. On the whole. Providence smiled on the undertaking in many important par- ticulars, every one of which seems to have been indispensable to its success. In the ensuing spring the remainder of this people, joining themselves to Philip and his associates in different parts of New-England, destroyed many of the towns, and killed great numbers of the inhabitants. In the month of March, Captain George Denison, of Ston- ington, one of the bravest and most skilful of partisans, made a successful incursion into the Narrhaganset country ; where he surprised and seized Nanuntenoo, son of Miantonimoh, and the chief sachem of this people. He was offered his life upon condition of living in peace with the colonists : but he COMOLUSION OP THB INDIAN WAR. 37 lie offer with disdain ; and would not permit any in- to be made for his life ; declariog, with a loftiness which would have been admired in a Grecian hero, loae to die before his heart became soft, and before tered any thing unworthy of his character. course of this season, Denison, with his volunteers, 1 took, in several expeditions, 230 of the enemy, SKving one man either killed or wounded. This fact, any circumstances would have been extraordinary, istonishing; for the Indians are the most exact marks- 9 worid *. During the whole of this season Philip and lies were everywhere pursued, throughout the different le country, by Major Talcott, Captain Denison, Cap- ;li, and many other gallant officers and men, without Mi. Parties everywhere scoured the country, and iffians neither safety nor rest. In August, Philip, D and soul of the war, was surprised and shot by , one of the soldiers of Captain Church. With him and exertions of the enemy in the southern half of land expired. Peace was established the following lere were, a few years since, remaining in the country ndred of the descendants of these people, and of libours, the eastern Nianticks. I know nothing in raeter or circumstances, which distinguished them Endians of Stonington. I am. Sir, &c. i' iw actions of the Connecticut Tolunteers have not been enough Demion's name ought to be perpetuated. The Narrhaganset ■■ged the Indians, and made them desperate; and the English after that, were in greater terror than before ; but this success- beai, and ferreting them out of their burrows, sunk and broke sod teems to have determined the fate of the English and ek nrtil then was doubtful and uncertain^— Hutcfainsoo, vol. i, LETTER Vr. Canonicut Island, Newport ; its Buildings, Harbour, and For tiji cations. Proposition of the French Government relative to the Occupancy of Newport. Remarkable Cliffs and Chasm, Enumeration of the Fish brought to this Market. Healthfulness and Commerce of Newport. Its Settlement. DfiAR Sir; We crossed Canonicnt fetty, lying between what fe here called Boston neck and that island ,' and then rode iKn'oA the isktid, otie mile in breadth, to Newport ferry. Canonicnt is a beatitifal isldnd, sloping with great eleganc^il from the middle to the shores. All the lines of its surface are graceful, and the soil is rich. It is abont seven miles long from ndrth to goiith, arid iiicl tides a single townshijp, incorpo- rated in 1678 by the name of Jamestown, which, iti 1790, Con- tained 507 inhabitants ; in 1800, 301 ; and, in 1810, 604. The prospects from the highest part of this island are un- commonly handsome. We crossed Newport ferry, between Canonicut and the island of Rhode-Island, more rapidly than either of us wished; and arrived at 7 o'clock. The next day, Sunday, September 21st, Wfe attended diviiib service in the Rev. Mr. Patten's church. Mondd^ and T\ife§-' day morning we spent in (examining the to'Wh, the fbtHficaticfh^ in the harbour, the remains of the British works erected during the revolutionary war, and several other objects in the neighbourhood. Newport is built near the southern end of the island of Rhode-Island, upon the western shore. Its site is a beautiful slope, rising from the water to the eastern side of the town. It is unnecessary to observe, after what has been repeat- . \ 3 \ I \ DKAORIPTIOK OP NUWPOIIT. edly gaid apon this subject, that it is irregularly laid out» like most other towus in the United States. The streets, except Main Street, ivhich is a mile in length, straight and wide, are narrow. Almost all the houses are built of wood ; few com- paratively are painted; many are out of repair, and many stand endwise upon the street. The town strikes the eye of a traveller, therefore, much less agreeably than he would natu- rally expect from the figure which it has long made in the history and commerce of this country. To most of the bouses are attached small, and to a considerable number large gardens, which difltise a cheerful sprightly aspect around them. The good houses, of which there is a considerable numbw» are scattered, and frequently illuminate spots, which would be otherwise absolutely gloomy. A few of them may be styled handsome. Newport contains ten buildings erected for public worship, of which the Baptists have four, the Presbyterians two, the Epiicopalians, Moravians, Quakers, and Jews, one each. 0£ these buildings the best is the Episcopal church ; but even thu sppean old and neglected. There is also an academy, a libra- ry, i court-house, and a gaol. The court-house is a decent buiUiog. The library was formerly valuable ; but many of the books were lost or carried away, and many more were injured, vlule the British were in possession of the town. The harbour of Newport is deep, and sufficiently capacious, to admit any number of vessels of any size, which will proba- U? ever be assembled in one body. Indeed, all the waters wUch encompass this island, except those on the south, may be regarded as one vast harbour. The anchorage is very good. The egress and ingress are perfectly easy, and its po- n&m is in the highest degree favourable for the commerce of tlie east and of the south. Fortifications were begun here under the auspices of Presi- di&t AdaniMy who intended this place as a station for the future Ameriean navy. They consbt of six difierent erections, one OB Goat-Island, one on Rose-Island» one on Canonicut, at the point oaDed the Dumplings, two on Rhode-Island, and one on aiMitfaer island. These are all parts of a great scheme, in- (ottded 10 aflect and control the harbour and its entrances; tad, it hat btoM sopposed, will be sufficient for this purpose^ 49 iOUKMBY TO PfiOYlNCB TOWN. Of tbis subject I am a very incompetent jiidge» yet I cannot bnt confess myself doubtfiil concerning it I was never so stmck with the insidiousness of flie prop(>< sal, made by the French government, to have this island and harboor ceded to them by congress, as at this time* Cqb« gress, indeed, had it not in their power to alienate any part of Ae territory of any state. Hie arguments adduced by the French, to persuade congress to a comptiance with their wishes, were, that a French fleet, being kept here, with a oon^ siderable body of land forces, would prevent the island froifa being seized anew by Great Britain, and preclude the British from a harbour on our coast, would be ready at all times, as an alljt to defend us in war, and would furnish a valuable markrt foK our productions in peace. Had< this story been told m plain English, it would have run thus :— Newport would finh nish a convenient station for French ships at all times; and es- pecially when France was at war with Crreat Britain, would enable the French to awe us in time of peace, and to distress n» by harassing our coast, and destroying our trade in tone of war ; would furnish us with just such an ally as the man in the Able became to the horse, when he assisted him to drive oflF the stag ; with masters, voluntarily invited by us, and kindly disposed to rule and ride us, according to their pleasure. Soon after Mr. Jefierson's entrance upon the presidency, .the fortiiicatioos in this harbour were discontinued. Any na- tion that pleases may, therefore, now occupy this advantage- ous spot ; and will never be driven off from it by force, until ! the Americans shall have wisdom enough to raise up a fleet fljufficieut to command it on the side of the ocean. . The commerce of Newport was formerly extensive, but was destroyed in the revolutionary war. A part of the inhabttaats 'Wfdve driven ofi^, and the part which remained behind were not -A: .little distressed by their invaders. The efiects of these dis- asters are felt to the present time, and the town has nev^re- ;.il$tY«red its former prosperity. Before the revolution, also, ^jy^jB inhabitants carried on a brisk trade to the African coast. f>XhiH has been prohibited by the national government, and has therefore been chiefly, though it is said not entirely, disconti- nued* A few individuals, with a laudable spirit of enterpriBe» ^hi^e made several successful attempts in oommeroiBl bnsiDBii^ TtBWS AKOUNO MBWPORT. 41 •C^tker kmds ; and Ae spiiit of the citiaens, whkii leeiiiB to have been rather asleep than awake for some years past, is beginning to reviTO. Stiil an air of inactivity preyails here ; though many of the inlnbitants are said to be rich, few of seem to be engaged in any active designs of adding to their property. . On Monday morning, D. Lyman, Esq., collector of this a gentleman to whom we were indebted for many civili- nccompanied ns to the seat of the late Godfrey Malbone, .» now the property of Mr. William Rotch, of New-Bed- Cud. The gardens appear to have bera once well stored with at, and other productions. The spot is delightful ; and the oripnally incloded many conveniences, but its appear- mast have been always indiflforent The farm, on which it stmds, containing a thousand acres, is an objectjof great keenly and valne* From diis place we proceeded to Tommany Hill, a little «ataaid of Mr. Malbone's house, on which ihe British built m fort, while they had possession of Newport This is a fine emiaence, commanding the best view of the island, the bay, tfie town, the neighbouring islands, the river far up towards Providence, and the opposite main. In the afternoon I accompanied Major Lyman to the •onthem shore of the island. Here, at the distance of a mile and a half from the town, is a remarkable range of cUfis, fenned of pudding-stone, exactly like that which abounds in tte nei^ibourhood of Boston, particulariy on the Dedham and Plymouth roads. These clifiEi are forty feet in height, and contain a chasm six feet wide, one hundred and fifty feet long, neasoring back from their front, and descending below the anfiiee of the water, to a depth which is unknown. The darkness, raggedness, and perpendicularity of this chasm give it an awful appearance, and have entailed upon it the emj^ui* tical name of Purgatory. One. of our American philosophers, whom Major Lyman ionduoted to this place some years since, and who observed thai he had never before seen any thing which resembled these socks, was asked what he thought concerning their origination. .Be answered^ that Aey were undoubtedly derived firom the pelrifirtion of vegetable matter. Upon being further asked 4S JOURNRY TO PROVINCK TOWN. how long he supposed the progress of petrifaction had been going on, he replied, " probably a million of years, perhapi two million, and not improbably five or six. The period has nndonbtedly been a very long one, but how long it is impos- sible to determine." A plain man, in the exercise of mere common sense, would naturally have recollected^ that v^getabl^ matter contains in itself no principle of petrifaction ; that whenever vegetables have been petrified, the induration has been invariably effected by means of some fluid existing in the earth or its waters ; that no vegetable was ever known to be petrified while lying in a dry position on its surface ; that vegetables are indeed capa* ble of becoming mould ; but that this mould, unless accumu" lated by rains or streams, do6s nowhere, even on this conti*- nent, where it seems to have been forming from the remotest^ period, exceed twenty-four inches in depth ; and that, there- fore, it cannot possibly have been accumulated here alone, to the depth of more than forty feet. Such a man would also have asked, how this vegetable mat- ter was originally formed, and afterwards petrified, beneath the surface of the oceoui where no terrene vegetable could possi* bly grow. He would next have inquired, how the plums (t. 6. the pebbles, and other larger stones), often exceeding twelve inches in diameter, etnbosomed by this mass in iliim-' bd^B apparently infinite, could exist in petrified vegetable matter ; whether they originally grew within the substance of plants, shrubs, and trees, or whether they were aticiently (t. €. two or three millions of years ago) the kinds of fruit which they bore ; or whether the cause of the petrifhctionf proved by the uniformity of the embosoming mafis to be per- fectly simple, turned the vegetable matter, unifonn dlso, partly into this ikiass, and partly into the plums, of which dome aro slate, some are quartz almost pur6> some are granite, some are sandstone, and others are very different from each Otbeff and from them all. If neither of these modes of explanodon satisfied him, he would further ^k, whether, when the ftrst stratum of vegetable matter began to undergo the profHIsft of petrifaction, it lifted, by some unknown effort, die plnmt widch were beneath above its upper surface, that they might h^ tendy tbt the nett stratum ; and then another set of pliiiM» FORMATION OF PUDDINO-STON B. 48 aboye the saiface of the second, to be ready for the third ; thus raising them through all the superincumbent strata, until, finalhr, the last collection was supplied for the stratum which was uppermost. After making these inquiries, he would have recurred to hia own observation, if it had extended so far, and recollected, diat pudding stone exists at little distances in every part of this coontrv ; and that the embosoming mass always partakes of die natore, qualities, and appearances of the ground in which it is formed. He would recollect, that this mass is sometimes cemented loam, containing in it the same grit which is found in the adjoining earth ; that in sand, it is a mere sand stone, differing from the surrounding sand in nothing but hardness ; that in the soil called brick-mould, it varies from a brown, famdy shaded with red, to a red, approaching to crimson ; and that in yellow earth, its hue is a variety of the same colour. He would remember also, that in its tenacity it varies from mere earth to the most solid rock ; the parts being oflen so friable as to be easily pulverized between the thumb and finger ; that they are often decomposed by the weather, and that in both these oases they become again the very earth, of whieh they were fbrmed. He would remember also, that rocks of pudding-stone, both solid and stratified, of every form and every size, exist in the bowels of the earth, at every depth which has been explored, and iH the bowels of moun- tains ; and that they rise singly to a considerable height above the surface adjacent, so as to require fdr their formation, that the vegetable matter should be heaped up and confined in de'- tached spots, in an extraordinary manner. Finally, h^ might be informed, that great mountains are chiefly com|>osed of the same stone ; to the formation of which, it must be Hdnditted, a so3 unosoany productive, and a vegetation remarkably ptolific, were indispensable. From all this a plain man would natu- rally conclude, espe<iially as he always found the stones in the embosoming mass th^ very same, and lying in just sudh clus- ters as those imbedded in the earth around them, that pud- ding-stone Ls fbrmed by the efficacy of a fluid, cementing and thus petrifying the ^Mh ; and that its substance was hot ve- getable matter* The #»II-lM«d p#0y^le of Newport have the mtAh pbKthed, 44 JOURNEY TO I^ROVINCB TOWN. agreeable manners which prevail along the eastern coast of Massachusetts. The decay of business has produced here its customary consequences. The men of wealth live by loaning their money, without entering, in any great degree, into active, useful business. The poor people catch fish for their suste- nance, and lounge and saunter for their pleasure. This state of things is unnecessary and unhappy. Religion and morals are here not on a high scale. In the church, where we attended divine service, there were perhaps thirty persons present in the morning, and in the afternoon ^ not more than^sixty or seventy. The day was wet, but the streets are paved ; the members of the congregation live at little dis- tances from thej church, and the minister is respected and beloved. I was informed, that in all the other churches,' ex^ cept one belonging^to'^the Baptists, the attendance is usually thin. The people of Newport are in general not very friendly to the college in Providence. For this, the following reason was mentioned to me. When the college was in projection, it was proposed to place it where the largest subscription should be obtained. Newport contributed the greatest sum, yet it was placed at Providence ; and the resentment of the people of Newport has not subsided. In a former part of these Letters I mentioned, that I would give? some} account of the fish found on the coasts of New- England. Newport is acknowledged to be the best fish- market in the United States. The following list of the fish, caught in the neighbonring waters, was furnished me by my firiend Mr. S. of this town :— - ♦1. Alewife, 12. Cutfish, *2. Anchovy, 13. Cravalley, ♦8. Bass, *14. Mud clam, *4* Sea bass, *15. Beach clam, *5. Blue fish, 16. Cockle, 6. Brill, 17. Conckle, •7. Bonetta, ♦IB. Green crab, 8. Bill fish, 19. Sand crab, 9. Chiving, *90. Sea crab, 10. Cusk, 21. Spider crab, *11. Cauchogsel^ 22. King crab, FlftH CAUOHT NBAR NEWPORT. 46 23. RunniDg crab, *S4. Drum, 25. Dace, 2& Dogfish, 27. Egg fish, •28. Sea eel, 29. Sand eel, *30. Lamprey eel, *3L Commoo eel, *32. Flounder, «83. Fro6tfi8h, «84. Flying fish, 85. Grunt, m. Haddock, •87. Hake, •38. HaUbut, •39. English herring, 40. Lancet, 41. limpet, •42. Lobster, 43. Maid, •44. MnUet, •45. Black muscle, •46. Pale muscle, •47. Manhaden, •48. Round mackarel, •49. Small ditto, •SO. Spanish ditto, •SI. Large-horse ditto, •52. Oyster, •S3. Plaice, •54. Pout, •Sft- Pike, •56. PomiAk jBbh, •S7. PoUock, •58. Sea perch, •SO. Pond ditto, 60. Porpwe, 6L PeriwUde, •flB. QmlMMr. * *63. Rudder fish, *64. Roach, 65. Seal, 66. Shark, 67. Stingray, 68. Skipjack, *Gd. Scuppague, ^0. Succoteague, ♦71. Sturgeon, ^2. Sheepshead, *73. Salmon, 74. Skate, ♦76. Shad, ♦76. Smelt, 77. Soal, 78. Sucking fish, «79. Silyerfish^ *Wi. Escallop, 81. Squid, *82. Shrimp, «83. Shiner, 84. Sea snail, 85. Sager, 86. Sword fish, 87. Tarpum, •88. Taotaug or black fish, 89. Thomback, *90. Tom cod, •91. Trout. •92. Mud turtle, •93. Toad turtle, •94. Terrapin, •95. Loggerhead tortla, 96. Toad fish, •97. Whiting, •98. Winkle, 99. Wilke, 100. YeUow bdly, •101. Cod fish, •102. DolpUn, 46 40URMBY TO PHOYINCB TOWN. 103. Whale, 108. Horse-foot, ♦104. Redfin perch, 109. Razor-handle clam, 105. Sun fish, two sorts, 110. Fresh-water clam, 106. Pickerel, *111. Fresh- water sucker, 107. Portuguese man of war, 112. Star fish, or five finger. Mr. S. subjoins to this list the following observations : — ** Some of the fish named in the above schedule have been seen here but seldom. The horse mackarel formerly frequented this coast in immense numbers, and in the season were con- stantly to be found in the market. But about the close of the revolutionary war they forsook our waters, and have not made their appearance since. They were esteemed a great delicacy, and are the largest of the mackarel species. I have prefixed an asterisk to the names of those which have been found fit for the table. Those annexed to the following num- bers are in their season generally to be found in the Newport market. No. 3, 4, 5, 11, 14, 18, 30, 31, 38, 36, 38, 42, 48, 49, 52, 53, 62, 72, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 101, 104. On a skirt of this town is the foundation of a i^d-mill, erected some time in the seventeenth century. The cement of this work, formed of shell lime and beach gravd, has all the firmness of Roman moptar, and, when broken off, fio^uently brings with it a part of tjie stone. Time has made no im- pression on it, except to increase its firmness. JA would be an improvement in ii^e art of building in this country, if mortar, made ip the same mann^, ware to be generally employed. Newport has always been esteemed one of the hefiibiesi spots in America. The air of this island is almost absolutely sea air, is damp, often replenished with mists, less cold than the neighbouring continent in the winter, pud less ^arm in the jsummer. The temperature resembles in some ilegree that of lEngland* WJiateFer is the cause, it has 4iWg en- joyed this reputation, and . has accordingly been a ^fdace of great resort, especially irom the southern states und the West-Indies. Newport has ever subsisted by commerce, and is fttill to a considerable ^ei^ent <emplojrod in various kinds of commercial bushiess. It is the port^^ entry, if I mti^ake Aot, (for most of the trading iQwm m .the #tate, Providence excepted. FIRST SETTLEMKNT OF NEWPORT. 47 The following is ao abstract of the duties collected here for ten years : — Years. Duties. 1801 DoUars, 205,153 1802 173,067 1803 134,605 1804 136,511 1805 222,525 1806 180,602 1807 94,232 1808 63,380 1809 68,757 1810 59,075 This town was settled in 1639, by Mr. William Coddington, and seventeen others. These men, together with Mr. Vane, afterwards Sir Henry Vane, favoured the peculiar tenets of His. Hutchinson. As these tenets became more and more impopular, Mr. Coddington, who had been a councillor in the edooy of Massachusetts'-Bay, and been held in much reputation, VM unwilling to continue in a country where his character and ialaeBce had materially declined. In the year 1637, he and Uicompanions purchased this island, then known by the Indian Bane of Aquidnec, or Aquetnec. Here he soon after settled Unself, with several of his associates. Mr. Hutchinson ipeedily followed him with his family, and, by the zeal and aetirity of his wife, was chosen governor in the place of Mr. Codding^ton, whom this restless, turbulent woman, incapable af U¥ enjoyment unless when controlling both the civil and tadedastical afiairs of the community in which she lived, per- iiaded the inhabitants to lay aside. Mr. Hutchinson died in it42^and Mrs. Hutchinson removed tQ Manhattan, afterwards New- York. Mr. Codding^teo was then reinstated, and oon- tinotd to be respected until his death. From the effects of Ma*. Htttehinsorfs conduct on himself, be probably learned and wisdom. The colony does not appear to have mcdested by the Indians. In troth, the inhabitants were by the strength and bvavery of the other colonies, hewever, plaoed no confidence either in them or in neighbovrs «t Provi^Mioe, and would never receive them I am. Sir, 8ic. LETTER VII. Battle between the Americans under General Sullivan and the British commanded by Sir Robert Pigot. Stone Bridge. Tiverton. State of Rhode-Island. Its Boun- daries and Divisions. Original Settlement. State of Religion and Learning. Common Schools. Dear Sir; Tuesday, September 23, we left Newport after dinner, and rode to Tiverton, twelve miles. In our journey we passed through almost the whole length and the whole breadth of the island of Rhode-Island. Everjrwhere We found the same finely rounded swells, elegant slopes, and handsome vallies ; which, beginning as a characteristic feature at South Kingston, and continuing through Canonicut^ ter- minated here. Except a few cliffs, which in some places form the shore, and are hanging and solemn, the surface is eveiy- where easy and graceful. The soil also is excellent, and especially fitted for grass. From thirty to forty thousand sheep are annually fed here, beside many neat cattle. The island abounds also in orchards; and yields a considerable quantity of garden fruit, particularly pears, of many varieties ; some of them very fine. Peaches are neither excellent nor prosperous. They are injured by the peach-worm. In the spring, the sea winds are supposed to chill and shrink, and sometimes to destroy every kind of fruit. The inhabitants, therefore, surround their orchards and fruit yards with a shelter of forest or other hardy trees. Among these, cherry trees are found firmly to resist the influence of the winds. Th^y are said to bear well ; but many of those, which we saw, still exhibited evident marks of British ravages during the hte war. BATTLB BBTWBKN THB BRITISH AND AMBRICAN8. 4ft The fences od this island are generally stone walls, mode- rately well-built, and in tolerable repair. The wood was chiefly cut down by the British. In some places it has grown again Co a considerable height. We passed the remains of several British works. In a valley just below the hill, called Meeting House hill, and sometimes Quaker hill, a battle was fought between the Americans under General Sullivan and the British under Sir Robert Pigot The Americans had crossed the river with an intention of attacking the British force in Newport ; while the ¥rench fleet, under the command of the Count D^Estaing, ^ras expected to second their efforts by sea. The count being drawn from his station by the address of Lord Howe, put to sea in pursuit of the British fleet. Here he was overtaken by a violent storm, August 11th, and suffered so severely, that he concluded to return to Boston with his fleet A small number of his ships, only, came up with the British, and those were roughly handled. Thus the enterprise was abandoned hy the French admiral. Had the Americans marched for Nevport immediately after they had landed, or had D'Estaing retonied to Nevrport after his pursuit of Lord Howe was eided, it is not improbable, that the British force might have been obliged to surrender, especially as they were ill supplied vitk provisions. Neither of these efforts was, however, made, lord Howe, in the mean time, having sailed back to New- York, took on board 4,000 additional troops, and proceeded mtuA as possible for Rhode-Island. The American general, kving received intelligence of this measure, resolved to retreat 11 early as he could do it with safety. To cover this design, ke employed his men in throwing up works, and made the ippeaniiice of continuing his operations with spirit. On the KCh he withdrew his army from the neighbourhood of the Biitiih works in the evening, and' at three the next morning hd reached his destined position, near the north end of the idand, widiout molestation or loss. At seven the British, who, H aooa as they discovered the retreat, pursued them, began a knik fire upon an advanced body of their troops in this valley. Detachments were sent out from both armies, until the battle became in a great measure general. At the close of the eapgemeot the advantage lay on the side of the Americans. VOL. 111. K 9fi 40URNSY TO PROVINCB TOWN. They were ooounanded by General Greene, and belunred (the militia no less than the regular troops) with a gallantry higUy honourable to their character, especially as they were di»^ couraged by the desertion of Count D'Estaing, and had scarcely recovered from their severe sufferings, occasioned by the long-continued violence of a furious storm. The next day General Sullivan, being informed that Lord Howe was on his way to intercept his retreat with a body of men, employed himself with great diligence and success to deceive the enemy, and convey his army» together with their tents, baggage, stores, and artillery, to the main. Both these purposes he accom* plished in a manner very honourable to himself. All his men» and every thing belonging to them, arrived safe, except those who were killed or missing in the action. The Americans lest on this occasion thirty killed, one hundred and thirty-two wounded, and forty-four missing. The British lost thirty-eight killed, two hundred and ten wounded, and twelve missing. Narrhaganset bay is formed by the influx of Taunton and Pawtucket rivers. The island of Rhode-Island lies in this bay, about six miles from the western, three from the northern, and where narrowest half a mile from the eastern shore. At this place we crossed the ferry, known here by the name of Howland's ferry. Two bridges have been erected over it; the frst at the expense of thirty thousand dollars, and the second at that of twenty-six thousand. The latter was mined by the sea-worms. Had the wooden piers, on whic^ it was built, been painted with verdigrise, the loss might pos- sibly have been prevented. A ship, whose bottom was covered with this pigment, lately returned from India to Newport, and was so sound, that the owner, it is said, sold the copper wifli which she was to have been sheathed. Since the loss of the second bridge it has been proposed to form a communicatio& between the main and this place by filling up the whole breadth of the river, except a narrow passage, with stone dropped into the water, and suffered to fall as chance may direct. Ob^ third of the depth is said to be fiUed with the foundation laid for the bridges already mentioned. On the Tiverton side stone can be obtained in any quantities, and in the most con- venient positions. Seventy thousand dollars, it is supposed, would cover the whole expense. When it is considered how BRlimK OVER HCnVLA1«D*ft FKRRY. &1 necessary this work is for the defence of the island ; how desirable for the trade of the neighbouring inhabitants, and how cooTenient for the purposes of general intercourse, it is impossible not to wish success to sach an undertaking. In the year 1806, the proposed bridge, mentioned in the last paragraph, was finished. Masses of granite of various sizes were, according to the plan specified, brought to the spot, dropped into the water, and suffered to fall ad libitum. In this manner two vast heaps, with a passage between them, were raised to the low-water mark. Above this a bridge of the same materials was raised, of mason-work, to the proper heij^t above high-water mark, when strong walls of stone were built at the sides, and the flooring covered with gravel. Tins is undoubtedly the best bridge which has been erected in fte United States. The work was executed under the super- inteodence of Daniel Lyman, Esq., the gentleman mentioned above, and cost 70,000 dollars. On the ferry we had a full view of Mount Hope, now Bris- tol, one of the residences ofMassassoit, the celebrated sachem of the Wattipanoags, and of his son Philip. We lodged at Tiverton, and the next morning we rode to New-Bedford, eighteen miles, through Westport, nine. Tiverton is the north-eastern comer of this state. On the south it has Little Compton, on the east, Westport in Massa* clmsetts, and on the north, Somerset in the same state. The parts of this township, visible on the road, were generally Twky and lean. At some distance on both sides of the road tbe land, as we were informed, is good, yielding not unfre- qnently forty bushels of maize, and twenty of barley, per acre. Oq the shore near the ferry the hills are high, rocky, and banea. The only pleasant object on the land side is a small Tiiiage, Goosisting principally of new and neatly built houses, the inhabitants of which carrv on a little commerce. Tiverfon ccmtained in 1790, 2,453 inhabitants; iri 1800, 2,717 ; and, in 1810, 2,837. The state of Rhode- Island is situated between 41° 17', and CP nordi latitude, and between 71° 6' and 71° 62^ west longi- tude. On the north it is twenty-nine miles in extent ; on the AKitb forty-^tlkree ; on the west forty-nine; and on the east tUfty-nine. Almost the whole state lies on the western side b2 53 JOUBNBY TO PROVINCE TOWN. of Narrfaaganset bay. On the east are the townships of Tiverton and Little Compton ; and on the north* those of Bristol, Warren, and Barrington. The state of MassachusetU borders upon Pawtacket river, from the falls to the mouth of Providence bay, an extent of about twelve or fourteen milefl^ and includes the head of Mount Hope bay, into which Taunton river discharges its waters. Narrhaganset bay, formed by the influx of these rivers into the ocean, contains Rhode- Island proper, Canonicut, Prudence, Patience, Hog, Dutch, Gould, and Hope islands; together with several, which are still smaller. Block-Island, which lies off the coast of Charles- town, belongs also to this state. The whole number of islands contain about ninety square miles, Narrhaganset bay about two hundred, and the remaining part of the state about one thousand three hundred ; in the whole about one thousand six hundred. This state is bounded on the west by Connecticut, on the north and east by Massachusetts, and on the south by the Air lantic. The climate and seasons are the same with those of the neighbouring countries. The soil on the islands, and a narrow border on the bay and the ocean, is rich; the te^ mainder is partly a lean sand, and partly a cold loam, re- plenished with stones and rocks, cultivated with difficulty, and yielding a slender reward to the labours of the husbandman. There are no mountains in this state. The principal rivers are Pawcatuck, in the south-west ^ Pawtucket, on the north-east ; and Patuxet, in the middle ; and these are only large mill-streams. The state of Rhode-Island is divided into five countie9« Providence, containing ten townships ; Newport, sevea ; Washington, seven ; Kent, four ; Bristol, three. In the year The Number of Inbabitaott ' 1730 17,986 1748 34,128 1761 40,686 1774 50,678 1783 61,899* 1790 68,826 1800 69,122 1810 76,931 * This diminution was ucouioned by the revoludonary war. RBLIG10U8 STATB OP RHODE-ISLAND. 59 The inhabitants of this state are almost wholly descended firom the English. The original planters were chiefly immi- grants from Massachusetts ; part of them led by Roger Wil- Kams, and a part by Mr. Coddington. The former settled at PjroTidencey and the latter at Newport. The former division consisted principally of Baptists. Mr. Coddington, after baring lived some time in Boston, became an Antinomian ; and, having lost much of his influence, removed to Rhode- Island with several other persons of the same class. Both he and Mr. Williams were held in high estimation by their fol- lowers. The wars carried on by Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, against Philip and the Narrhagansets, wUch terminated in the reduction of both, secured Rhode- Idand from the hostilities of the Indians, and probably from abflointe rain. From the circumstances of its early settlement, Bhode-Island became naturally the resort not only of such ajtenturers as harmonized with them in religious opinions, but of most of those who were discontented and restless. A gnriaal aggregation, originated by a great variety of inci- dental causes, spread over the state, and occupied the whole of its territory. No single or regular scheme of colonization, bejt>Dd what has been already mentioned, was pursued. No common object united the immigrants, and no common cha- racter could be traced through the mass. Of the number, who finally filled up its extent, were Calvinistic, Arminian, Sabbatarian, and Separate Baptists; constituting, together, the largest class of inhabitants ; Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Moravians, Quakers, and Jews. Of most of these classes a considerable number are Nihilists. In such casual collections of mankind, it is an almost necessary consequence of their JQBction in society, that their peculiar religious opinions are held with less and less tenacity ; that concessions are gradually aod insensibly made by each to each ; that each class respects its own doctrines less, and becomes more and more indifierent to those of others ; and that all religious doctrines, impercep- tibly perhaps, but really, lose their influence, until the com- manity becomes dispossessed of that beneficent efiicacy, which is ever to be expected from the Gospel, wherever it is cor- diaUy befieved by an undivided body of men. The inhabitantg of this state, in opposition to the rest of &eir New-England brethren, have uniformly refused to rap- &4 JOURNSY TO PJtOVlNGfi TOWN* port the public worship of God by law, or, in other words, to make a legal provision for the support of ministers and churches. A contract between a minister and his congrega- tion, for his maintenance, they have placed on the same foot- ing as contracts made at the gaming-table. Hence, exc^t in their large towns, a minister liberally educated cannot often be found. Hence the places of such ministers are filled by plain, ignorant individuals. Ordinarily these are farmers and mechanics, who push themselves into the desk for two reasons ; to avoid labour, and to display their gifts ; or, in other words, $rom sloth and spiritual pride. In the desk, almost all such men vociferate in a manner which in every other place would be thought grossly indecent ; distort doctrines and precepts ; dishonour ordinances ; pervert the meaning of the Scriptures, and murder arguments and language. They are destitute of dignity, propriety, and candour ; coarse and clownish in thw manners ; uncouth in their elocution ; and in their discourses clumsy and ridiculous. Next to a wicked ministry, the greatest evil which can befal the church is a weak ministry. The churches in Providence and Newport I have already described. A large and handsome one has been lately erected at Providence. Those which I have seen in the countiy towns appear like badly built and decayed barns. To remedy the evil which has been here specified, the sober and intelligent Baptists of this state founded Providence col- lege, or, as it is now called, " Brown University." The design was honourable both to their beads and their hearts. A con- siderable number of young men of this persuasion have been educated, and have been destined to the ministry. But, al- though the number of Baptists in most of the states in the Union is considerable, and in the whole great, the places ai>e not numerous to which sach ministers can look for a living. In the cities and large towns several of them find a suflScient maintenance. Elsewhere, as they are generally obliged to look only to voluntary contributions, they must receive an im- perfect support. Few of them therefore, as I believe, enter the ministry. This evil is radical ; and, while men contkrae such as they have hitherto been, can never be remedied but by the interposition of government. Of such interposition m Biiode- Island there is, however, very Uttle hope. . Schook usually go fMurallel with misisterB and ehnrches. TRUB USB OP WKALTH. 5S Here, certainly, diey move in the same oourse. Exciumve of a few attempts which have lately been made to estabKsh aca-^ denies (of -which I believe one, two, or three have succeeded), and some effoits which are made in the principal towns, schooh in tiiis state can hardly be said to exist. The gentlemen, with whom I conversed on this snbjeet, expressed their mortifi- cation and their reprobation of the condnct of the state, in strong terras ; bnt they seemed to be hopeless concerning a reformstion. Widioiit churches, men will be vicious of course ; without schools, ^y will be ignorant ; asd ignorance iBd vice are suflBciently melancholy characteristics of die people in whom they are united. It is not impossible, perhaps not improbable, that the energy awakened in this state by the diffusion of manufactures, may be productive of some beneficial consequences both to learning and religion. The wealth of the inhabitants is visibly increas- ing with rapidity, and will probably continue to increase through an indefinite period. Wealth, wherever it is spread, geDerates of course the desire of character, and this passion regolarly stimulates mankind to the use of those means by which it may be gratified. The first step towards giving cha- racter to children is to give them at least a decent educatioii, and this step is always taken whenever wealth begins to be diffused. The next is not uncommonly the building of churches ; and the next, the settlement and support of ministers ; si^.ch, I mean, as are qualified to discharge the duties of the sacred office. Should this be the course of events in Rhode -Island, it is hardly possible that the character of the inhabitants at large should not be essentially meliorated *. The nmnners of the body of the people differ materially * These obsenrmdoDS were made in the year 1800. Since than time, tlie predictioD of the writer has to a coDsiderable extent been fulfilled. The loaoo&cturiog establishments of this state have been enlarged and multi- plied, and the wealth of the inhabitants increased in a more rapid manner tlttB in any other part of New-England. With the acquisition of property, tlM people^ particolarly in the large towns, appear to have acquired more iibeial views coDceming tlie importance of learning to the community. Within three years, also, preceding 1821, revivals of religion have taken pbce io a good number of towns and churches, refreshing the hearts of Christians, and elevating the moral and religious character of the state.— fi6 JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. firom those of Massachusetts and* Connecticut, as you wiB easily detennine from the observations akeady made. The ▼ices of ignorant people are always low, vulgar, and ahnost always predominant. Horse-racing has for a long period been a favourite pursuit. This gross amusement turns polished men into clowns, and clowns into brutes. The Sabbath with a great part of this people is merely a day of visiting and sport. Many of the inhabitants have cus- tomarily devoted it to labour. A considerable number of persons in the trading towns, Providence excepted, have been deeply engaged in the slave trade. Some of the missioDary societies have in their proceedings considered Rhode-Idand as missionary ground. I am. Sir, &c. ! ■■ ; . . ill.'? ' . .'• •• ../ .■>:;■' :'. >»^ <i *•.•.— •■■' ". *. ,; . •. :* LETTER VIII. HAmme WoodM, Westpori. New-Bedford. Its Situa- tkm. Commerce^ and Settlement. Attack on Fair-Haven \nf tke British in 1778. Oallant Defence of the Place by Major Fearing*, Rochester, Wareham, Proposed Canal across the Peninsula of Cape Cod. Sandwich. Dear^Sir; From Tiverton the road speedily entered a forest, called Helbome woods: a wild, rocky, dreary tract, with Wdly a cheerful object in view. The road is stony, and iniserably repaired; the soil is lean; the little agricultare, fonnd ID a few solitary spots, is wretched ; and the scattering liouses appear as if they were inhabited by persons, who knew dot where else to find a shelter. Happily, they are supplied With one great necessary of life, fuel, on easy terms. This forest is composed almost wholly of oak. The moment we entered Westport the scene was changed. Ax the very boundary the earth assumes a handsomer aspect. The surface is less hilly, and less rocky. The soil, also, and the husbandry, are sensibly better. All this tract is better fitted for grazing than for agriculture. Here we saw pines, both yellow and white ; the former of which continued with little interruption to Race Point. The houses in this township are decent farmers' habitations. Except a small, trading village near^the mouth of a creek, at some distance south of the road, the township is distributed iato plantations. The inhabitants are principally Quakers; tad furnish a considerable ^art of [the daily supplies for the maiket of New- Bedford. Westport was incorporated in '1787 ; ^and contained, in 1790, 3,466 mhabitants; ml800, 2,361; and, in 1810, 2,585. Tlie number of houses, in 1790, was 865. S8 JOURNEY TO PROVINC£ TOWN. New-Bedford is a towDi situated on both sides of the riy«r Acchusnutt^y the Indian name of the neighbouring country. The township, beside a collection of farms, contains three villages ; the Town, or New-Bedford proper, on the western, and Oxford and Fair-Havea on the eastern side of the river. The situation of New-Bedford proper is an easy declivity, sloping towards the river, which here forms a noble basio, about a mile in breadth. The surface is in some degree dis- figured by rocks, but is otherwise handsome. The streets are either parallel, or at right angles with the river ; bemg laid ont with perfect regularity. Unhappily they are only forty feet wide. There are five of the former, and four of the latter. The houses are generally good, and some of them expensive and handsome. There are seven vdnable man- nons here, inhabited by the family of Rotch. The township contains three Presbyterian churches ; one lit New-Bedford, one at Fair-Haven, and one in the interior* The first and last are supplied by a single clergyman. It abo contains three Friends^ meeting-houses. The soil is hard, but well fitted for pasturage. AppM and several other fruits abound : but peachesi altfaou^ they grow easily, and of good kinds, are much injured by the peach-worm. The harbour is the basin mentioned above. The entrance is narrow, the anchorage good, and the depth sufficient to admit ships of four hundred tons to the wharfs, where they are sheltered fi-om every wind. Both the Town and Fair- Haven are busy, eommercial vH^ lages. Fifteen thousand tons of shipping belong to Ibis port; the great body of which is owned by the inhabitants. It it chiefly made up of large vessels, employed in the whale fishery about Falkland Islands, in the Pacific ocean, and elsewhere:; or in a circuitous carrying trade. The business of nil kinds done here, considering the size of these villages, is great ; ami, hitherto, has been almost uniformly profitable : but the duties collected are of no great importance. Yet the importafions are probably smaller, when compared with the quantum of ♦ Written Acushnett by Mr. Colton, of Plymouth, 1674. BRIDOB AT N£W-BBDFORD. SO buMiiess done by the meichantSy than perhaps those of any other place in the union. The following is an abstract of the duties collected in this port for ten years. Years. Duties. 1801 Dollars, 68,964 1802 16,627 1803 13,824 1804 27,344 1805 36,163 1806 26,972 1807 40,018 1808 1,324 1809 6,806 1810 10,703 A bridge is begun across the Acchusnutt from the town of New-Bedford to Fair-Haven. The proprietors, that they might take the advantage of two small islands, lying in the rirer, and of a bar extending from one of them a considerable distance, have formed this structure in a circuitous manner. Tke abutments, islands, and bar, extend about 2,000 feet, and the bridge, 3,960, or three-fourths of a mile. The waiter in the channel is more than thirty feet deep. The expense, estimated at thirty thousand dollars, was defrayed by the in- kbitants of these two villages. New-Bedford and Fair-Haven were both settled in the year 1764. The ground, on which they are built, was formerly m- duded in the township of Dartmouth, incorporated in 1664. OBTtmoath originally included the present Dartmouth, and the whole of the townships of New-Bedford and Westpcnrt. New- Bedford was not incorporated until the year 1787 : tlie Mme year wiA Westport. The ground, on which the town stands, was the property of a Mr. Russel ; and was purchased of him by Mr. J. Rotch, a native of Nantucket. When the question concerning the name of the proposed settlement wbs started, Mr. Rotch observed, that Russell was the name of he Duke of Bedford ; and that this spot, having been the ffoperty of a family having the same name, should be called Bedford. Fair-Haven received its name from the beauty of 00 JOURNKY TO PROVINCE TOWN. its sitBation. Mr. Rotch speedily built a house, stores, and wharfs ; and was joined by several associates. In Nantucket he had become thoroughly acquainted with the whaling business ; and had formed interesting connections^ both with the merchants and fishermen of that island. Witb this knowledge, and these connections, he began the business advantageously. Mr. Rotch was a Friend, of a fair character, sagacious, and persuasive. By his peculiar address he pro- cured first from the government of France, and then from that of Great Britain, the privilege of exporting oil to those coun^ tries duty free ; and was thus enabled to carry on his own business with the highest profit, and essentially to befriend that of his neighbours. In consequence of these happy b^ ginnings, and the industry and skill with which they weve followed, the town instantly began, and witb one exception has ever continued to be eminently prosperous. We were not in Fair-Haven; but its appearance was pleasant aid handsome. No events of any peculiar* importance occurred in the huh tory of this town until the year 1778. On Saturday evening, the 3d of September, the British under General Gray landed* 4,000 troops upon Clark's Neck, the western boundary of the river at its mouth, and marched to the town. Here th^ burnt houses, wharfs, &c., to the amount of £11,241 ; and de^ stroyed English and West-India goods, provisions, naval stores, shipping, &c., to the amount of £85,730 ; amounting in the whole to £96,080, or 323,266 dollars. From this placg they marched around the head of the river to Sconticut Point, oft the eastern side, leaving in their course, for some unknown reason, the villages of Oxford and Fair-Haven. Here ihef* continued till Monday, and then re-embarked. The follow^ ing night a large body of them proceeded up the river, with ^^ design to finish the work of destruction by burning Faii^ Haven. A critical attention to their movements had con-^ vinced the inhabitants that this was their design, and induced them to prepare for their reception. The militia of the ne^fa^ bouring country bad been summoned to the defence of this village. Their commander was a man far advanced in years. Under the influence of that languor, which at this period en* BRITISH ATTACK ON PAIR-HAVBN. ^ feebles both the body and the miud, he determined that the place must be given up to the enemy, and that no opposition to their ravages could be made with any hope of saccess. This decision of their officer necessarily spread its benumbing influence over the militia ; and threatened an absolute pre- tention of all enterprise, and the destruction of this handsome tillage. Among the officers, belonging to the brigade, was Israel Pearing, Esq., a major of one of the regiments. This gallant young man, observing the torpor which was spreading among the troops, invited as many as had sufficient spirit to IbUow him, and station themselves at the post of danger. Among those who accepted the invitation was one of the colonels, who of course became the commandant ; but after they had arrived at Fair- Haven, and the night had come on» he proposed to march the troops back into the country. He Wis wannly opposed by Major Fearing ; and, finding that he could not prevail, prudently retired to a house three miles distant, where be passed the night in safety. After the colonel had withdrawn. Major Fearing, now com- maDder in chief, arranged his men with activity and skill ; and soon perceived the British approaching. The militia, in the strictest s^nse raw, already alarmed by the reluctance of their soperior officers to meet the enemy, and naturally judging that nea of years most understand the real state of the danger better than Major Fearing, a mere youth, were panic struck at the approach of the enemy, and instantly withdrew from tkeir post* At this critical moment Major Fearing, with the iuamam wldch awes men into a strong sense of duty, rallied dim^ and. placing himself in the rear, declared, in a tone vhkh removed all doubt, that he would kill the first man vkoni lie fooad retreating. The resolution of their chief re* callad.theira. With the utmost expedition he then led them toiAe scene of danger. The British had already set fire to sdveni stores. Between these buildings and the rest of the ▼iUage he Btationed his troops ; and ordered them to lie close b profound silence, until the enemy, who were advancing, skodd have come so near, that no marksman could easily ottskake his object. The orders were punctually obeyed. When the enemy had arrived within this distance, the Ame- JOURNBT TO PROVINCB TOWN. ricans rose, and, with a well-directed fire, gave them a warm and unexpected reception. The British fled instantly to their boats, and fell down the river with the utmost expedition. From the quantity of blood, found the next day in their line of march, it was supposed that their loss was considerable. Thus did this heroic youth, in opposition to his superior officers, preserve Fair- Haven, and merit a statue from its in- habitants^. A wag, who had divined the true reasons of the coloneFs retreat, followed him to the house where he lodged ; and, finding by inquiry, that notwithstanding his original declanh tions to the contrary, he had concluded to take up his lodgings there for the night, resolved to be his sentinel. He therefore mounted the jaw-bone of a horse upon a pair of small wheels, instead of a cannon. This piece of artillery he charged and discharged, at regular intervals during the night, as the proper means of defence to his gallant commander; and had the satisfaction of seeing him safe and sound the next morning^. The township of New-Bedford extends from Dartmouth to Rochester, four miles, and from Buzzard's bay to Freetown, thirteen. In 1790, it contained 454 houses, and 3,313 inha^ bitants ; in 1800, 626 dwelling-houses, and 4,361 inhabitaaDt»; and, in 1810, 5,651. Thursday, November 25th, we left New- Bedford bbbAj in llie morning, and rode to Sandwich, thirty miles; tfiraiq;k Rochester, twelve ; and Wareham, thirteen. On our way we visited a manufactory of twine at the head of the harbour^ and about four miles firom the town. It is the property of Mr. Rotch ; and will cost, it is said, forty thousand dolfam when completed. It contains five stands of quills, each af which spins thirty pounds of flax per day ; and a twisting mw* chine, which easily twists all that is spun. One hundred anA fifty pounds of flax, therefore, are converted daily into twine at this manufactory, or 46,950 pounds in twelve montha. Sewing twine only is spun at present, and is said to be of a good quality ; but it is intended soon to spin that, which v designed for netting. The flax is chiefly imported firom Con- ^ This account of New-Bedford I had from Edward Pope, Esq., (MA whoiv I received Many ciYilitieaw SOIL NBAR WARBHAM. 68 njacticut. This was an application of water machinery to the cttiTemeoce of man, which I have not before seen. Soon after we passed the Acchnsnutt we entered upon the great sandy plain, which forms the south-eastern region of Massachusetts. Between New-Bedford and Rochester it is tolerably firm. Thence to Wareham it becomes lighter, and the road heavier. From Wareham to Sandwich the horse may be said to wade. The forest throughout this region is principally formed of yellow pines. Oaks are however inter- spersed in New- Bedford and Rochester. The soil in Ro- cketer is principally hard, and furnishes a good road. Rochester consists of scattered plantations. The soil, so far as we had opportunity to see it, is thin and indifferent. AiooDd a decent church we saw several well-looking houses, and a number of others in difierent parts of the township. Rochester was incorporated in 1686; and contained, in 17M), 2,644 inhabitants; in 1800, 2,546; and, m 1810, 2.9B4. Wareham, on the road, is almost merely a sandy plain, ex- cept a few spots lying chiefly along the streams. The soil, vhidi is light and thin, lies immediately upon a stratum of wbite saad, 6rom half an inch to eight or ten inches in thick- ness. Beneath this lies another stratum of yellow sand, de* iteoding below any depth to which it has been explored. As aD this country is formed in the same manner to Province Town, with few and small interruptions, I shall have occasion kereafter to resume this subject. Hie congregational church in Wareham is decent ; but nei- ther tfaisp nor the church in Rochester, has a steeple. The lands in this township, near the ocean, are said to be Qach better than those on the road. Wareham was incorporated in 1739; and, in 1790, con* taoed 854 inhaUtants ; in 1800, 770 ; and, in 1810, 851. Between Wareham and Sandwich we crossed the neck, or iithmos, which connects the peninsula of Cape Cod with the mmsL Two streams from this peninsula empty their waters iato. Barnstable-Bay on the east, and Buzzard's-Bay on the lest, whose head-waters are very near to each other. A sdienie has long nnce been projected, and often been bronght op to the view of the public, for making a canal, ta coBneet •A JOUEN&Y TO PROVINC& TOWN. (IhosectwQ w«ijt$)rs> of 4ui6^cct dep^-to admit y^se^ oCpbpm- derftble burden, add 4io& save then the Toyage roiii;id Cqpe Ood> vlucti ^t somfd seasons of the year is not a litfle ha- zardous. The design is accompanied by the following .\rei| jenou^ difficulties. The expense, as estimated by seveiyd 8UO cessive surveyors, will be very great. There is no hmrbour at •dl9 entrance in Barnstable-Bay, to secure vessels aiming at the ^i39iial in tempestuous weather. This evil is radical^ and cm be remedied only by an expensive mole at this spot. If the canal should be guarded with locks, it would in the winter be 0rozen, and thus preclude all navigation at the time ot the greatest exposure. If the canal should be left open, it is be;- Ueved that a sand bar would be formed at one of the en- trances. The importance of this work, however, is so gvefOt ttiat it will probably be one day attempted. During fivp months out of the nine, in which it would be open» eas^^ly -stDrms more or less prevail. Many vessels are lost; and a great mass of property is sunk in the ocean. The commeiioe of Boston, and other towns on the eastern shore of Maasacha- setts, would also be rendj^red so much safer and easier, Ihttt^ could not fail of being greatly increased. Perhtqps there new was a spot, in. which such a work was more ^eces6ary,.«r in which it would be more useful to mankind^ than in this. The : distance* between the navigable waters of these two bi^;]» five miles. > The soil of Sandwich ia much better than that which we saw at Wareham. The surface is an interchange of hills and Tal- lies ; which, though not beautiful in themselves, were particu- larly agreeable to us, after having languished over so extensive a plain. These, to a considerable extent, are moderately well covered with earth. The meadows were often brilliant. The arable land bears good crops of the grains common to the country, and among them of wheat, which not uncommonly yields well. The maize was small ; but ^thej season had been very dry, and stinted its growth. Generally the crop is good. A stranger surveying this ground would suppose, from its ap- pearance, that vegetation of every kind must be greatly infe- rior to that which really exists. There are several good orchards in this town, and one cider-mill, the only one on the peninsula. PRB8BMT 0TATJI OP SANDWICH. 06 'ttm town of Sandwich is btiilt on tbe northern^ or» ^at it is cMmuMily cafled, the western side of the isthmus, on a hill of considerable height. The most compact part of it surrounds a clear, pleasant-looking pond. From this water runs a hand- some stream, on which stands a grist-mill. The church is an anrient building, as are also many of the houses. A considerable salt marsh along the shore of the bay yields the inhabitants a large quantity of hay, which is valuable both as fodder and as manure. Near it is a small harbour, called the Town harbour, where, and in some other inlets belonging to die township, about thirty vessels are employed in the coasting bunness, especially in carrying wood to Boston. The general appearance of Sandwich is not unpleasant ; and from the high grounds there is a fine prospect of the bay, and of tiie neighbouring country. There is a small academy, eoofmung at tins time a considerable collection of students. Sandwich is divided into two parishes. It was incorporated m 1689 ; and, in 1790, contained 1,991 inhabitants ; in 1800, 296 dwelling-houses, and 2,034 inhabitants; and, in 1810, VBB2. There is one society of Friends, and another of Me- thodists, in this township. ..The inhabitants of Sandwich have very civil, decent man- iaa, ' Since we were on diis ground there has been a consi- todde revival of religion in the congregation of the Reverend Kr. Burr. I am. Sir, &c. tOL. 111. •r; LETTER IX. tlountry between Sandwich and Barnstable. Bamstahle. Yarmouth, Salt Works of Cape Cod. Observations on the Extent of this Manufacture. Difficulties of Christianizing the Indians. Dennis. Harwich. Or- leans. ■< » Dbar Sir; Monday* September 29th, we left our fneii|d^,j|]^ Sandwich* and rode to Orleans* thirty miles; through Bani^ stable, twelve ; Yarmouth* isixteen ; Dennis* twenty-one ; and Harwich* twenty-five* llie country from Sandwich to Barnstable is hilly* and in a great degree bare* bleak* and desolate, the inhabitwts having universally cut dowp their forests and groves* and takei^ no! measures to renew them. The soil is thin and unproduq^yi^, and furnishes very little that is sprightly to enliven the scen^: The road is in many places worn through the soil down to ^hp . yellow sand* and is deep and very heavy. The hills succeed each other so rapidly* and the acclivities and declivities are so sudden as to render the travelling very laborious. It ought tp ^ be mentioned* however* that in the vallies* and towards the bc^* a number of meadows alternate the prospect pleasantly. Th^. views from the heights are frequently extensive and interestr ing. The streams are few and small. The houses on tho road are neither numerous* nor* except in a very few instanpes^j* of much value. Barnstable lies at the bottom* or the southern extremity cf Ma8sachusetts*-Bay. The township extends across the penin- sula* which here is from five to nine miles wide* and about eight : miles from Sandwich to Yarmouth. A noble prospect is seen from the high grounds* consisting of the town and neighbonr- ing country. A very extensive salt marsh* at that time co- BARNSTABLE. 07 vered with several thonsand stacks of hay ; the harbour, a mile wide, and four or five miles long ; a long, lofty, wild, and fan* tastical beach, thrown into a thousand grotesque forms by the united force of winds and wared ; and ttie bay, bounded on the north only by sky, on the east by the peninsula of Cape Cod, and on the west by the eastern shore of Massachusetts ; Ply- mouth Point, a very long beach running several miles into the bay, and Duxborough Point, another beach of considerable extent, and lapfung upon that of Plymouth, are conspicuous and very pleasing objects in ibis view. The soil in Barnstable is plainly richer, as the situation is better, than that of Sandwich. The forest growth in both towQships is chiefly oak and yellow pine. The land produces good crops of maize, rye, and other grains, a good deal of flax, and a great quantity of onions. On some grounds, and in fa- Tourable seasons, wheat grows well. Salt hay is furnished by fli^ marahes in abundance. The town is built on the northern declivity of a range of hills, running near the middle of the peninsula. The greater part of tlte houses stand on the road : taken together they are su- perior to those of Sandwich. Many of them are neat, and se- Teial exhibit proofs of wealth and taste. The public buildings, which we saw, were a Presbyterian church and a court- bose ; the latter decent and well repaured ; the former dis- apeeable to the eye. The church is unusually low, while the tower of die steeple is disproportionately high, aj^pearing m if madef for some other building, and by accident annexed to this* Barnstable was incorporated in 1639, and is the shire town of the county, which h&ats this name. This distinction it ac- ifmd in 16SS, aiid, although situated^-near the western end of the peninsula, has qniedy retained it ever since. From tids source the manners of the inhabitants have received some degree of polish, and their morals some injury. Many of the idhabttants are seamen, and' a greater part farmers. Bamstable includes two parishes, and three congregations ; two Preabyterian, and a small Baptist. In 1790, the number of tahabitants was 3,010 ; in 1600, %964 ; houses 406 ; and, IB mo, 8,64& r2 08 iOURNBT TO PROVINCB TOWN. From BarnstaUe to Yarmouth the road is deep and heayy, like that last described. The soil of this township is inferior to any which we had seen, except some parts of Wareham. Here we were first witnesses of that remarkable phenomenon, so interesting to the inhabitants of this peninsula, the blowing of the sand. I shsl describe it hereafter. The houses in Yarmouth are inferior to those in Barnsta- ble, and much more generally of the class, which may be called with propriety Cape Cod houses. These have one story, and four rooms on the lower floor ; and are covered on the sides, as well as the roofs, with pine shingles, eighteen inches in length. The chimney is in the middle, immediatel] behind the front door ; and on each side of the door are twf windows. The roof is straight. Under it are two chambers ; and there are two larger and two smaller windows in the gabfa end. This is the general structure and appearance of tk great body of houses from Yarmouth to Race Point There are, however, several varieties, but of too little importance to be described. A great proportion of them are in good repfur. Generally they exhibit a tidy, neat aspect in themselves, and in their appendages, and furnish proofs of comfortable livingi by which I was at once disappointed and gratified. The bams are usually neat, but always small. At Yarmouth also may be said to commence the general addictioh of the people on this peninsula to fishing. Bom anji bred at the verge of the water, they are naturally tempted to seek for plenty and prosperity*on the waves, rather than glean a pittance from the field. From this source is derived theii wealth, and much of their subsistence. In Yarmouth we first found the salt-works, which are now beginning to engross the attention of the people on thi^pe- ninsula. During the revolutionary war, many persons, here and elsewhere along the coast, applied themselves to the business of making salt. The process consisted in evaporating sea water from large boilers by fire. The quantity obtained in this manner was necessarily small, and the consumption of fiid great. It was therefore given up at the ensuing peac^ ; but SALT WORKS OP CAPB COf). 60 the snlgect was not absolately forgotten. A Mr, Kelly, hating professedly made several improvements in the means of acconn plishing this business, obtained a patent about two years beforo this journey was taken, for making salt works on the plan now generally adopted in this region. Of these the following is a description. Vats, of a number suited to the owner's design, twenty feet sqoare and ten or twelve inches in depth, are formed of pine planks, an inch and a half thick, and so nicely joined as to be water-tight* These are arranged into four classes. The first class, or that next to the ocean, is called the water-room ; the second the pickle-room; the third the lime-room, and the fourth the salt-room. Each of these rooms, except the first, is placed so much lower than the preceding, that the water flows readily from it into another in the order specified. The water-room is filled from the ocean by a pump, furnished with Tans or sails, and turned by the wind. Here it continues until of the proper strength to be drawn into the pickle-room, and flnis successively into those which remain. The lime, with wluch the water of the ocean abounds, is deposited in the Erne-room. The salt is formed into small crystals in the salt- room, very white and pure, and weighs firom seventy to seventy- five pounds a bushel. The process is carried on through the warm season. After the salt has ceased to crystallize, the remaining water if suffered to fireeze. In this manner a large quantity of Glaabei^s salt is obtained in crystals, which are clean and good. The residuum is a strong brine, and yields a great proportion of mariDe salt. Eke that dready described. To shelter the vats firom the dews and rains, each is furnished ^rith a hipped roof, large enough to cover it entirely. The roofii of two vats are connected by a beam, turning upon an upright post, set firmly in the ground, and are moved easily on tbis pivot by a child of fourteen, or even twelve years. To oover and uncover them is all the ordinary labour. Tlie marine salt^ made here, is sold for seventy-five cents a budiel, and the Glaubei^s salt, at firom six to ten cents a pound. At these prices the salt works were supposed, by the several penons wiA whom we conversed, to yield an annual profit of 26, 96, 27, 80, and 88i per cent on the principal employed. 70 JOURNEY TO PROVIKCB TOWN, If this estimate b not excessive, tfie business must oertEoify he better than most others. It is useful, permanent, liable to' few accidents, seccore of a market, incapable of being overdbiM^ and unattended with any material expense, either for fabooi' or repidrs. In ordiniary cases a child can perform the labour of a considerable establishment, and the repairs are almost confined to the roof, and the pieces of ti^nber by which tKfe works are supported. If these were smeared with oil and Spanish brown, or lampblack, diey #ould last a long- time. The brine itself secures the vats from decay. The people of Dennis, the town immediately east of Yah mouth, began this business. The improvements of Mr. KeBy were represented to me as contested and doubtful. What> ever the truth may be concerning this part of -the subject, thb people of Demiis have the merit, and ought unqubstionaUy to have the honour of commencing efficaciously this usdU emi^f^rment. • ,The sight of these works excited in my mind a train oi thought^ which others, perhaps, will pronounce romantic. 1 oould not easyy avoid thinking, however, diat tiiis businesi might one day prove the source of a mighty change in iht fyoe of this country. The American coast, as you know, v chiefly barren, and of csourse thinly inhabited^ It is, also, almost everywhere low and level ; and, therefore, while it ii nnsuited to most other employments, is remarkably fitted tc tliiis. Why, then, may it not be'beli€^Fed, that many diousandi of persons may one day be profitably employed in making salt along the immense exteilt of our shore. Why may not com* fort, and even wealth, be easily, as well as usefully obtainei here by great multitudes, who otherwise might hardly earn f subsistence. For aught that appears, this business ma^ hi followed with success and profit, to an extent which it woulc be very difficult to define. A small capital is Sufficient ti begin the employment with advantage. The demand for sal is at present very g^at, and is every year increasing. T1ie» are (1811) seven millions of inhabitants widiin the Unitec States : within a moderate period there will be seventy. Thf West^Indian sources, from which we principally derive thi necessary article of life, are now more than sufficient. Th^ time is near, in which the demand will exceed the'suppBei PRAYING INDIANS. 71 ftom Aot quarter. To wliat means eaa the inhabitants of this coontiy so natmally betake themselves, as to those which I haTe< specified^ Will they not of course ^rect works of thia natmne^ .in succession, firom St. Mary's to Maohias ? Will not comfort, therefore, and even affluence, spring np on sands and wastes, which now seem doomed to everlasting desolation? Will not towns and villages smile in tracts, which are now condemned to gloom and solitade? May not multitudes, who hsbitnally spend Hfe in casual and parsimonious efforts to ac quire a bare subsistence, interluded with long periods of sloth aad> 4nnikenne6S, become sobers diligent, and even virtuous, and be formed for usefulness and immortality? About forty years since, there stood within the limits of Tarmonth an Indian church, in the neighbouribood of which, caled Indian Town, resided a small congregation of praying Indians, of the Paukunnakut, or Wampanoag tribe. This was among the last relics of the efforts successfully made by Mor anoestors for the conversion of the Indians to Christianity. FnHn the obstinate belief which extensively prevails, that these peqple can never become Christians until they shall have been fint civiliaed, one would naturally suppose the trial never to hve been made, or to have been made without any success ; jet lustory informs us, that our ancestors spread the religion gf the Gospel among them, with as few obstacles and as Jiappy effects as were, peifaaps, ever known to attend efforts of Ae Ifte nature among any barbarians since the early days 9{ the church. From Major-General Gookin, a perfectly unexceptionable liritnesa, we learn with certainty, that in the colony of Massa^ thnaetta'-Bay theitB were, in his time, eleven hundred praying ^yiaiymfi ID fourteen villages. In the colony of Plymoudi there at the same time, including those of all ages, not far from tkomaBd* In Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket there tpttfe^ periiape, fifteen hundred more. When to these we add Aoae in C^ineetiont, the number may be estimated at not far fnm ten thousand. These facts perfectly refute the opinion, 4nt tfieie is some peculiar difficulty attending the conversion oC Indiana, which is inherent in their character or manners. 1i camot, however^ be denied, that the attempts which have Wm made in modem times to spread the inflnmice of the 79 JOURNBT TO rBOVlMCS Gospel amoDg tbem have in a greaC ful. Two jfreat causes hare, in my thitt effifct. The first of these was the excitrd liy Philip, that the English were Riifl WITH embarked in a general design to _ of thuir lands. This persuasion appears to tate ^*|^ thi^ H^ffiicy of that sagacious chieftain, thnwgbo^t 4e P''^ |Mrt of New-England, in a manner remarkably twpimim i:urioiiH, So firmly were the Indians satisfied of Ac Is an<l HiniBter designs of the colonists, that the "^ iiKif<-r h(!f?n effrctuully erased. Whenerer onr Ihrm, ilicn'fon?, they are met with apprehension sad ^ Htrongly chfriKhtMl by the sense of their own (limimiHon, and of the population and power of die TIk; othrr cauM* of this diflSculty is found in the c; conduct of thofte who are called Indian traders. cliiKH of nifn, who, for a long period, employed thMisovcs i^xolian^ing ronr.se Eunipean goods and ardent spirits, muw powdi^r and bull, flints, hatchets, knives, and some other cfli inodKioK, with tho Indians, for furs and peltry, Somefi* thry rosidod anion^ them permanently, and sometimes oei Nionully, nnd in either case acquired often considerable ssee Avmiy ovrr thrni. (lenorally they were men of loose Bn ufl well (IK of loosif principles. In their trade they were gree and opprr9siv(\ nnd in their ordinary conduct licentious. grciit purt of their gains arose from the sale of ardent spin ix hiiHiness, to the snrcoss of which the vice, particularly ' inteiiipermuH*, of ttu* Indians was indispensable. Agai Christianity nnd its niissiouaries, therefore, these men arnr themselves, and made on the minds of their customers most unfavoumhle impressions concerning both. At the S8 time, they themselves wt^e white men, and in the view of Indians were of course Christians. With Christianity, th< fore, these; ignorant people almost necessarily connected unprinripled and profligate lives of the traders, as being oi the only, and always the prominent, examples of what t suppostrd to l>e tho proper effects of the Christian religion* * The sftinc etlrcts tire produced in the minds of the Hindoos, b] lonne lives nf the British inhabitants ofHindostan. The most solidg niOf»t it|vcrRti%'r, objection hroupht by them against the Christian relij DIFFICULTY OF CIVILIZINO INDIANS. 73 *o these great causes must, in certain cases, be added a sometimes was not inferior to either in its efficacy ; the very censorable character of that class of men, vBoany plant themselves upon the frontier of the English Its, a class composed princqially of the foresters tofore described. These men almost of course alienate minds of the Indians firom every thing adopted by the Its. idently of these causes, there b nothing in the Indian incter, which can rationally discourage efforts for their con- ikmotL They are savages, it is true, and a savage life is Ksstile to religion ; but how often has Christianity triumphed Ofcr this obstacle. What I especially intend is, that there is vtting of a peculiar nature in their circumstances, which would itfe their conversion more hopeless and difficult than that of oner savages. Of this decisive proof is furnished in the facts mch have been already stated. A strong illustration of the ame proof is also exhibited in the remarkable success of the oeeUent Brainerd, who, at Cross-week-sung, converted by b preaching, so far as the human eye can judge, seventy-five bfians, oot of one hundred^ to the faith and obedience of the Gospel, within twelve mouths. What minister can boast of pester success in any congregation of civilized life 1 Such a &ct is a flaming proof, that the difficulty here complained of (bet not lie in the mere character of these people. Yarmouth was incorporated in 1639. In 1790, it contained %678 inhabitants, Dennis being then included within its limits, lii 1800, Yarmouth alone contained 1,727 ; and, in 1810, 2,134. Of Dennis we saw little, except the ground on which ve rode, and occasional extensions of our prospect over the oe^glibouring countiy. Of the houses and inhabitants we saw few, and those distinguished by no peculiarity. A consider- dile part of the road firom Yarmouth to Orleans, where we trf that which is obriftted with the greatest difficulty, has heen derived fiva tUt loarce. The Mexicans made the same objection, and as they t^Mijbt incMlibly, againet the religion that was taught them by the Sp»- audi. The inhabitants of Tanjore, after having been a short time witnesses ^^^ fife oF Schwartz, never thought of questioning either the reality or the. "toBsDoe of hb religion. 94 JOURNBY TO PROVINCU TOWN. lodged, 18 hilly and unpleasant. The soil is principally le (}ie v^rdore ftlded premattiiely ; the forests, which 'in Dd extend along^ the road in one place' three miles, are low ukithrifiy; and the surface, though suffiei^itly varied, ii lata 4)f -beauty. The Tiews of the bay, and tike tidy, comi able, aippeaiance of the houses, are* hefre ' ahtnost the < ejbj^tft 'whicb^.caB gratify the eye of a traveller. On northern shore the soil is said to be better. Rye, In ^om, and omona are said to grow well ; and are ciiltivatec greater quantities than are necessary for the consumptioi the inhabitants. The highest land in the county of Barnstable is Scf hill, in this townsUp. The following account of the salt works in Bamst county is isken firoin the collections of the Historical Soc of Massachusetts, vol. viii, page 138. Number of Worki. Nomber of FeeC. In Dennis 47 33,800 Yarmouth 4 16,630 Barnstable 14 11,717 Sandwich 4 2,702 Fahnouth 4 1,900 Harwich 21 18,600 Chatham 6 11,500 Orleans : . 11 3,080 Eastbam 12 9,100 Wellfleet 2 180 Truro 1 700 Province Town 10 11,404 136 121,318 . You are to be informed, that these feet denote the are the several vats contained in each salt work ; and that a j has here a singular meaning, and denotes ten actual feet. ' veal amount of the whole area of the vats erected on peninsula, was, in the year 1802, 1,213,130 square feet was calculated, that these works would yield annually 40, bushels of marine salt, and 181,969 pounds of Glauber^s i BASMBTABLE SALT WORKS. 75 worth in die whole 4L97OI doUans S6 cents ; of which the nuaine salt, valued at 75 c^its a bushel, amounts to 90,328 4olbnt 50 cents; and the Glauber^s salt, valued at 6| cents per lb. to 11,373 dollars, 00 cents. Captain John Sears, of Dennis, was the first and principal author of this method of manufacturing salt, and is to be con- lidered as one of the benefactoiB of hb country ; particularly as he persevered in bringing the design to perfection, in spite of the sneers and ridicule of his nei^bours ; weapons often employed in a very shameful, though successful, manner to discourage useful inventions. There is a flourishing village on Bass river; running be- tween Yarmouth and Dennis, on the south side of the pe- Dennis was incorporated in 1793. In 1800, it contained 188 dwelling-houses, and 1,408 inhabitants; and, in 1810, 1,739. Harwich presents a handsomer aspect than any other town after Barnstable. It is situated on an easy declivity towards the south, and has a tolerably good soil. The verdure was more ?ivid, and the agriculture more successful. The houses are generally such as have been already described *. Orleans is not greatly distinguished by any thing from Har- wich, except that it is much inferior in pleasantness of appear- ance. The soil also is lighter, and apparently less productive. Oq Pocket neck, however, lying upon the south, it is much better than in the main body of the township ; and on Pocket island, in Pleasant bay, is still better. In the body of the township twelve bushels of maize, and eight of rye, are the arerage crop ; on the neck, from fifteen to twenty of maize, and firom eight to twelve of rye ; and on the island twenty boihds of maize, without the aid of manure. Old men and ko;s are principally the husbandmen ; the middle, aged, and Toangmen are chiefly onployed infidiing. Clams are the * la tbe jtmt 180S, the towDship of Harwich was divided, and the fint iviih incorporated hj the name of Brewster. This is the part throu|^ wtttcb we tniTelled. In the year 1790, the township contained 2,392 inha- ^MMs ; and, b 1800, 9,987 ; in the year 1810, the present Harwich con- tmd 1,949, and Brewster 1,113 ; total 3,054. 76 lOUJINKT TO VROTINCI TOWK. bait lued bv the fiaheniieD, of wfakh firom rix hmdred to • thousand barrels are coUecled here in a single season. In tUi business many poor people find employment and subsistem Very little wood grows in this township. Imported wood ad peat are the fuel of the inhabitants. Tlie township is di?ided into scattered plantations. Orleans was formerly a part of Eastham» and was incoipo- rated in 1797. In 1800, it contained 1,096 inhabitants ; md, in 1810, 1,248. I am. Sir, &c. . ■ i » LETTER X. [oBL Truro. Province Town. Beach dross, its iify. Soil very thin, and blown away from the White wi beneath. Manners and Habits of the Inhabitants Province Town. Its Fisheries and Harbour. Well' t. Return to Harwich. Innkeeper. AE Sir ; Wb left our comfortable inn in Orleans, September and rode to Province Town, through Eastham, Well- md Tmro : tiurty miles. When we had proceeded half on our journey the road turned to the north, and thence Bortfa-west, this spot being the elbow of the peninsula, itham the surface became a perfect plain ; and the pe- I so narrow, that we had a full view of Massachusetts'- id the Atlantic at the same time. The bay was oYeiy- magnificent, and on the north was like the ocean, with- nts. We were, therefore, presented with the prospect » immense oceans, separated only by a strip of land, niles in breadth. Few spots on a continent unite two bjects in a single view. Basdiam the cultivation of the earth was a point of per* y less consequence than in Orieans. The soil was more barren; the fields were large, as if owned in m by many proprietors ; the fences were low, as if little r was apprehended from cattle ; and large tracts were {■dosed. All these appearances increased, until, at the se of perhaps six miles from Orleans, we entered a composed at first of oaks, and afterwards of oaks and still lower and leaner than any which we had seen be- lUs forest lasts, without intermission, to Wellfleet, and mj fitde to the borders of Truro. At first the groond 78 iOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. is high, but level. After we had travelled a few miles, it ht- came broken into hills and vallies. On the eastern sidetif this township, however, there is a tract of very good land, containing about two hundred acres, probably the best in thb county ; yielding, when well manured, from thirty to forty-five bushels of maize, and from twenty to thirty bushels of rye. Greneratly, the land on the eastern side is better than that on the western. More than one thousand bushels of maize are annually sent to maricet by the farmers. Eastham was incorporated in 1646 ; and, including Orleans eoatained, in 1790, 1,834 inhabitants ; in 1800, Eastham alone contained 650, and both townships 1,764 ; and, in 1810, Eisst- ham contained 761. Our journey through the forest mentioned above was dis- agreeable. The surface was unpleasant, and the trees were destitute of thrift and beauty. The road, also, became within a few miles a mere b^d of deep scmd, through which oinr horses moved with excessive difficulty. Yet even in tins foi^st we saw planted, at considerable distanceB, tidy, snug< houses, vsttdly KUnionnded by a fence, inclosiAg a small fiece <rf greuttd. On most of these weve orchards of apple-trees, Ath fetided from the sea winds by' a barrier of cherry-trees, '<6r locusts^ Under these trees we had from time to time 'the pleasure of seeing patches of verdure, not indeed very brffliaii^ yet very agreeable to us ; accustomed^ as we liad Mw bi^iBii for a great distance, to fields cover^dwith a melancholy rtia§^ These houses are almost all built in vallies; surround^ t>y hills of c6nsi&rMile height, and defended by the foreists whMft cover them. A small bam is commonly built near the hoiiife, in which is lodged the salt hay, destined to be the food of ene or more i^ows. These animftls, having never known betM^ food, will, it is said, live well on Ais fodder. ' > ! Our road pasi^ed Welifleet on the right, at 'such ^ ^tanb^i tiiat we saw litfle of Hiis to^vn uiitil oiir retum. " "' ''» Truro, t. «. the toim, lies on the "weisteni side of tliftf ^einiH sula; being built,' Hke most of thoi»e through which W^ hbti passed, upon the harbour. The principal concern of Hiese people, you will remeinber, lies witt the ocean. The village^ of Truro and WelMeet; and tibe'lioiises scattered through these fiiWnMps, are almost -entirely' MAtioiled in vollies; elM vyf 6BNBRAU ASPfiCT OF TAUBO. 79 vkieh, towards the northern part of the township, riins across, or nearly across* the peninsula. On these low gronnds they find a better soil, and security from the violence of the winds. The hills, contrary to what is found almost everywhere else in New-England, are dry, sandy, and barren. The general aspect of the township, and of the buildings vhich it contains, differs in nothing remarkable from those, which have been ahready described. It includes two villages, one of about forty, and the other of about thirty houses ; to- gether with several hamlets, and a number of scattered habita- tions. The houses have the same tidy, comfortable appear*- ance, which has been heretofore remarked ; but are painted m fewer instances than in Yarmouth, and some other places* The church is large and decent^ but without a steeple* From the ground, on which this building stands, there is a noble proqpect of the bay and the ocean. This view is frequently^ repeated in the way to Province Town. In passing through this township we saw a few melancholy* com fields, partienlarly towards the northern limits. The flom hiOa, formed by the hoe, were all standings as if the fields M yidded their last crop, and were finally forsaken. The feaces ^peaied to have been, designed rather to mark the boondaries of the fields, than to defend them against the inr tnuHon <if eattle. Yet these lands are said, in ancient times^ to iwire porodaeed fifty bushels of maiie to the acre, and firom tteen to twenty busheb of wheat. Traro contained, in 1790, 1,198 inhabitants, and 165 dwell- nqpi; in 1800, 1,152 inhabitants; and, in 1810, 14209. From Tniro to Province Town onr road lay chiefly on the n^gin of a beach, which ni^tesit with Truro. Tlie form of this toiWBafaip, wolusively of Ijong Point, is not unlike that of a diemical retort : the tow!n lying in the inferior arch of the Whi $md Raee Point on the exterior, and the beach being Ike stern* Immediately befhre the town is the harbour, com- aopfyfltjfled Cape Cod harbour;, the waters of which es:tend raosd the north end q£ Tnuro a considerable distance^ and «e dbere terauoatedby an extensive salt marsh, whi(ch reaches "ome diitande into the last mentioned township. Between this asnh and thewators of Province Town harbovr mi one iMb, sat th^iAdanfieM the o(her» runs ftie beach. FKim 80 JOURNBT TO PROYINCK TOWM. obserriikg it in Taiious places along the road from ^'^■****»w>, I waf induced to believe, that it borders the ocean from Bsm Point to the Elbow, and perhaps reaches still farther. This remarkable object is an enormous mass of sand, ndi as has been already described ; fine, light, of a yellowish hn^ and the sport of every wind. It is blown into plains* vallies, and hills. The hills are of every height from ten to two hm* dred feet. Frequently they are naked, round, and extreoMlf elegant ; and often rough, pointed, wild, and fantastical, wtt all the varied forms, which are seen at times in drifts of raov. Some of them are covered with beach-fi^ass : some fringed with whortleberry bushes ; and some tufted with a small aoi singular growth of oaks. The variety and wildness of the forms, the desolate aspect of the surface, the height of tki loftier elevations, the immense length of the range, and thi tempestuous tossing of the clouds of sand, formed a group of objects, novel, sublime, and more interesting than can be ioM* gined. It was a barrier against the ambition and fretfrdnMi of the ocean, restlessly and always employed in assailing ill strength, and wearing away its mass. To my own fancy it appeared as the eternal boundary of a region, wild, dreaiji and inhospitable, where no hiunan being could dwell, and iati which every human foot was forbidden to enter. The portl of this barrier, which are covered with whortleberry busheiR and with oaks, have been either not at all, orverylittfe Uowi. The oaks, particularly, appear to be the continuation of the forests originally formed on this spot. Their appearance w» new and singular. Few if any of them rose above the middk stature of man ; yet they were not shrubs, but trees of a re» gular stem and structure. They wore all the marks of ex- treme age ; were in some instances already decayed, and in odiers decaying; were hoary with moss, and were defonned by branches, broken and wasted, not by violence, but by tiiMi. The whole appearance of one of these trees strongly reminded me of a Httle, withered old man. Indeed, a lillipntian of threescore years and ten, compared with a veteran of Brob- dingnag, would very naturally illustrate the resemblance, or rather the contrast, between one of these dwarfs and a fiilt grown tenant of our forests. This stinted vegetation is partially, and perh^M justly, Mir BBACH GRASS. 81 trilMedtb the infhieiioe of the «ea winds. The chief oraae, however, is imdoubtediy the sterility of the soil. Throughout the whole of this peninsula the forest trees, and all others, even those in the most favoured spots, are unusually small. Ton will remember, that with the exception of a thin soil, and a few spots of salt marsh, it is formed entirely of sand. In such ground no forest tree can grow, either with rapidity or vigour. All the trees, and all their branches, are blunt and unthrifty in their appearance, and humble in their stature. The water, which nourishes them, is received upon a mere sieve, which retains it but for a moment, and supplies them with a scanty, parsimonious nurture. Accordingly, the trees are in the literal sense starved. On the beach this evil exists in a peculiar degree. The hills, on which these remariiable vegetables stand, are of very small compass ; and the water imis down their sides, and oozes from their declivities. Hence, the supply of nutriment is still less, and the growth more stinted, than on the body of the peninsula. On the driest and most barren of these grounds grows a plmt, which I had never before seen, known here by the nane of beach-grass. This vegetable bears a general resem- Uuice to sedge ; but is of a light bluish green, and of a coarse Clearance. On these sands, sterile as they appear, it flou- riibes with a strong and rapid vegetation ; and, I believe, not It all, or veiy rarely, on any other ground ; and here, one vnNild naturally think nothing could grow. From a Bfr* Collins, now an inhabitant of Plymouth, and fimeiiy of Truro, I received the following information. When he lived at Truro the inhabitants were, under the au- tbority of law, regularly warned in the month of April, yearly, tb phot beach-grass, as in other towns of New-England they M warned io repair highways. You will observe, that it was i«(aired by the laws of the states and under the proper penal* lies for disobedience, being as regular a public tax as any other. The people, therefore, generally attended, and per* bnned the labour. The grass was dug in the bunches, in lUch it naturally grows; and each bunch divided into a mimber of smaller ones. These were set out in the sand at diitaBces of three feet After one row was set, others were fheed behind it in such a manner, as to shut up the inter- VUL. 111. 6 as JOURNEY TO PROVIHCB TOWN. stiees ; or» as a carpenter would say, so as to break die joiott « It was placed in this manner, in order to prevent the wiad fiom having an open course through the grass in any direc- tion, lest it should drive the sand away. When it is once set, it grows of course, and spreads with rapidity. Eveiy bunch enlarges ; and, with its seeds, plants new onea around iL The seeds are so heavy, that they bend the heads of the grass ; and, whpn ripe, drop directly down by its side, where they immediately vegetate. Thus in a short time the ground is covered. . Where this covering is found, none of the sand is blown. On the contrary, it is accumulated and raised continually* as snow gathers and rises among bushes, or branches of trees» out and spread upon the earth. Nor does the grass merely d^end the surface on which it is planted ; but rises, as thai rises, by new accumulations ; and always overtops the saod» however high that may be raised by the wind. Within the memory of my informant the sea broke over the beach, which connects Truro with Province Town (the eastern end of which, for three miles, is within the limits of the former township) ; and swept the body of it away for some distance. The beach-grass was immediately planted on the spot ; in con* sequence of which the beach was again raised to a suffioieat height, and in various places into hills. The wisdom and goodness of the Creator, exhibited in the formation of this plant, in this place, certainly claim the ad* miration and gratitude of man. But for this single, un* sightly vegetable, the slender barrier, which here has so long resisted the ravages of the ocean, had, not improbably, been long since washed away. In the ruins, Province Town, and its most useful harbour, must have been lost ; and the relief which the harbour, and the inhabitants, furnish to multitodaa of vessels in distress, and which no other place or peopie oould pojMibly furnish, must have been prevented. No other plant grows on this sand. The purpose for which it seema to have been created, it answers easily, permanently, and pw- fecdy. Perhaps at some period, at a more advanced state of knowledge, when war shall have become less, and the ad* vancement of h^^iness more the object of human pursuit, uses of similar importance nay be found for most, fgmHf 81NaUL.AR APPBARANCB OP THB 80IL. 88 for all cAer objects, however useless they may be thought mt present, and however neglected in the inqoiries <^ man. The benefit of this osefbl plant, and of these prudent regn- htions, is however in some measure lost There are in Pro- vince town, as I was informed, one hundred and forty cows. These animals, being stinted in their means of subsistence, are pcmitted often to wander, at times in search of food. In every such case they make depredations on the beach grass, and prevent its seeds from being formed. In this manner the plant is ultimately destroyed. It has been a frequent opinion, that this beach, and not im probably the whole township of Province Town, will one day, and that at no distant period of time, be swept away by the ocean. I was not able to obtain satisfactory information con- cerning this subject, particularly as judicious persons difiered entirely both as to facts and probabilities. Some averred, that tbe beach has been greatly diminished within a moderate pe- liod. Others, particulariy one, a discreet man, insisted, that what it lost on one side it regularly gained on the other. It is now a mere line of sand, in several places not more than one kmdred yards wide, and appears to tfie eye of a stranger, as if every vestige of it might be easily swept away within two or tree years. From Tmro to Province Town the road and the scenery are b«th singular. Beside the beach and the salt-marsh already descfibed, the high grounds of Truro, on the south-west, exhi* \it a prospect entirely peculiar. Bleak, barren, and desolate 11 if never designed to be the residence of man, they are ne- verdielefls divided into fields, inclosed in the low, slender man- Mr mentioned aboTe, and covered with short grass, now russet mA melancholy. The soil, here scarce an inch thick, has, in ipets spread over all these fields at little distances, been either Hown or washed away, and left the white sand immediatdy teaeaih it bare. These spots exactly resemble the remains of i Bght soow einefly melted and vamshed, yet still whitening Ak gronnd in many places, and with perpetually differing (ladalions of rastre. The road, exoept when the tide has declined, lies along ike •MCb-weslen marghd of the beach in a mass of sand, through IkUk a iMme wades wiOi excesnve fiitigne. When the tide o2 84 JOURNEY TO PROVINGB TOWN. has saffidenily fallen, a path is fiimished by that part of the beach which has been washed, better in our opinion than afanost any which we had found after we had left Roches- ter. The only objects in this tract, which can be called beauti- fol, except the water, are the naked hills of sand. These in many instances are perfectly re^lar, graceful sweUs, highly or- namented with fine waving figures of great elegance, wrought in the sand by the various motions of the wind. Province Town stands on the end of the peninsula^ aod near the western limit of the beach. Race Point, the northern termination of the peninsula, lies three miles farther north ; and Long Point, a hook extending from its western border, shoots out towards the south four and a half. Between this hook and a beach, connected with the north-western corner of Truro, winds the entrance of the harbour, which is thus com- pletely land-locked, and perfectly safe. The town is built on the north side of the harbour, and on the southern margin of the beach. When we were on the ground, it contained 140 houses ; all, as far as we saw them, of one story. . They were new, neat, and comfortable ; but are built on a bed of deep sand, and set upon blocks of wood. They are built in rows, the first of which is complete ; the second, immediately behind it, broken with interstices ; and the third, short and broken also. All, or nearly all of them face toward the harbour. There are a few court-yards, but no other inclosures of any kind. Cellars, where they exist, are built of bricks in a circu- lar form, to prevent the sand from forcing in the walls by its pressure. It is said, that there are two or three gardens at itome distance from the town; and some of the inhabitants cultivate a few summer vegetables in their court-yards. Al- most all their food, except fish, is imported from Boston* Fish is the only commodity of domestic use with which they supply themselves. The earth is here a mere residence, and can scarcely be said to contribute at all to the sustenance of man. All his support, and all his comforts, are elicited from the ocean. To the ocean he betakes himself as the only field of Ins exertions, and as if it were his native element. The Uttle children were wading as familiarly in the harbour, as elsewhere they are seen ]daying in the streets. Their sports, and their serious occupa- MAMNBRS OP PROVINCB TOWN. 86 tioos, are alike found there. Little boys managed boats of considerable size with the fearlessness, and apparently with the skyi, of experienced boatmen. Every employment, except within doors, seemed to be connected with the water, and in- tended for the sea. To fish in every various manner, to se- cure that which had been caught, to cure fish, to extract oil, and to manage different sorts of vessels, firom the canoe to the dnp, engrossed apparently the whole attention of the in- habitants. The manners of all those whom we saw, of every age and of both sexes, were very becoming, plain, frank, obliging, and olmoasly sincere. Nothing was perceived of the roughness which I had expected from a mere collection of fishermen and MdloTs. The inn, in which we lodged, was kept by a respect- able man, who, with his whole family, did every thing which we could wish for our accommodation. All these people appear to be industrious and enterprising. They are said to be excelled by no seamen in their resolution, skill, and activity. Many of them command ships belonging to Boston, and the other trading towns in its neighbourhood. Uany of them also are said to amass wealth to a considerable degree; and some of them retire into the interior, where they purehase farms of their less industrious and less prosperous coontrymen. The fishery of Province Town is an important object. For lome years the scarcity of whales has been such as to discou- fige the whale fishery ; bnt as they have now become more nonerous, they are banning to be objects of more attention. Hie cod fishery is pursned with great spirit and success. Just before we arrived, a schooner came in from the great bank with S6,000 fish, about l,fiOO quintals, taken in a single voyage ; the Bain deck, as I was informed, being, on her return, eight inches underwater in calm weather. They also fish for sharks, ad take gveat numbers of them ; for mackarel, horse macka- vd, haddock, &c. Herrings are also taken in prodigious fttntities. The baclKmr of Province Town is very capacious, secure, •pen at all times, and of good bottom. Its depth is suffi- cient for ships of any size, and it will contain more than three ifMisand Tendi at once. Its importance is incalculable* The 86 JOURMfiY TO PROriMCR TOWV* exterior coatt of the peninsiila is pecoliaily hanrdons. The fllomiSy which prerail on die American coast, genenJly ecuM firom the east ; and there is no other harbonr on a windwavd riioie within two hundred miles. A vast nnmber of vessels aate always {dyin^ in this commercial region ; and thonsmdi hare fonnd safety berey which would otherwise have perished. About 87,000 quintab of cod fish, aad about 5,000 baneb of herrings, are annually cau^t by the people o£ ProYinoe Town. The herrings are about four dollars a barrel^ and ood ish about three dollars and a third, or twenty shillings a qinntal. Within tins township there are two horses, len yoke of oxen, and one hundred and forty cows. These, except whea they purloin the beach grass, are fed from the marsh in tha neighbourhood. All the inhabitants whom we saw, c£ every age, weoe weD clad; and no marks of poverty were discerned by us. Ph)vince Town contains a Presbyterian church. Mr. P" , the present minister, is much and deservedly respected by his people ; and his public labours are very generally at- tended. This, undoubtedly, is a prime source of the solniety and decency conspicuous among the inhabitants^ He was settled, as we were told, when there were only seventeen tif miUes on the spot ; the town having been in a great meaanie deserted during the revolutionary war. A stranger, bom and educated in the interior of New** England, amid the varied beauties of its surface, and the luxuriant succession of its produce, naturally concludes, when he visits Province Town, that the inhabitants and the neigh* boms also must possess a very limited share of enjoyment. Facts, however, refute this conclusien. For aught thai we ocmld discern, dey were as cheerful, and appeared to enjoy life as well, as any equal number of their countrymen. This, indeed, is easily explicable. Food and clothing, honsca. lodging, and fuel, they possess of such a quality, and with so much ease in the acquisition, as to satisfy all the demands -of that middle state in life, which wise men of every age have dignified by the name of golden. Nature and habit endear to ftem the place in which they were born and live, and prevent Aem from feeling what would be serious ineonvemeaoea^ te a BMTBVtBlSB 0F TBI 11IHAM9AIIT8. tBh ■UMgci, Their mode of life is natimlly not hn pleawpg tim tkut of die fiurnier or mechanie ; for no people are more alteolied to their employment than teamen. The enterprise^ wfaieh this hfe requires^ and the energy which it supplies, reader it leas even and dull, and are probably as well suited to tiie natiml taste of man, as arts or agriculture. The situations of otiMn they rarely see, and are therefore rarely led to make iitaoHie comparisons. The lawn» the meadow, the orchard, smI the harvest, excite in their minds, neither wishes nor tkonghta. Tlie draught of herrings, the fare of cod fish, the conquest of a shark, and the capture cyf a whale, prompt their ambition, eagross thebr care, and furnish pleasures, as entirely mknown to the farmer, as the joy of harvest is to them. To nGtnde they are strangers. An active, enterprising life is scarcely molested by ennui. Almost every day strangers visit Province Town from different parts of the world ; for there is hardly any spot, except great trading cities, which is more fire- qnented by vessels of ail descriptions than this. By these Hmj «e fi»»hed with bosiiiess and intelligence, and with not a few of those little varieties in thought and feeling, which eontribnte so much to the cheerfulness of life. Nor do they fial of enjoying a conscious uninterrupted superiority over Buere landsmen. While most of their countrymen have been chained to a small spot of earth, they have traversed the ocean. While the husbandman has followed the plough, or brandished the sickle, the inhabitant of Province Town has toasted the shores of Greenland, swept the Brazilian seas, or CTOMcd the Pacific ocean, in chase of the whale. Who, that has eircnnmavigated the globe, will not look down on him, who ban aooroely travelled out of his native county, or spent life on his owafiurm? The tmtii is,^ a great part of human happiness or misery ansts from oomparison merely. Our misfortunes spring not fran oar poverty, for we are rarely poor in such a sense as to nfer, bal from a perception that we are not so rich as others. To this spirit there are no bounds. Alexander would have been oontented with Macedon, had there been no Persia, with Pua, had the Indus and the ocean limited the Asiatic conti- lart, and with the station of a man, had there been in his ap- BO gods. Whtf e objects of superiority and com- 8B JOURNBY TO PAOVINCB TOWN. pariBon do not exist, the pain arising from this souroe b not felt. Such, in a good degree, is the situation of these people. Their lot is the lot of all around them. They have little to coyet, because they possess most of what is seen and known. Happily, Providence has, in cases of real importance, conci- fiated us, partially at least, to the sources of our enjoyment Were we naturally and generally prompted to an unirersal comparison of our condition with that of others, how many, who are now satisfied, would make themselves miserable, because they were not seated on thrones and wielding sceptres. How many would pine, that they were not to glitter on the page of the historian and the poet. How many would spend life in sighing for the fine enthusiasm of Spenser and Seattle, the exquisite elegance of Addison and Virgil, or the sublime raptures which thrilled in the bosom of Homer, Milton, or Isaiah. Province Town, in 1790, contained 434 inhabitants; in 1800, 812 ; in 1802, there were 196 families, and, by a pro- portional calculation, 946 persons ; rather less than five, to a family; and, in 1810, 936. Wednesday, September 30th, we left our hospitable and friendly inn, and rode to Harwich ; thirty-five miles. We began our journey at an early hour, in order to take the bene- fit of a hard path, furnished by that part of the beach which is covered by the tide at high- water. For several miles we were presented with a fine view of the Atlantic, now rolling against the shore under the pressure of a strong wind with inexpres- sible grandeur. After we had ascended the high ground on which stands the church of Truro, I was struck with the re- semblance between this spot and some parts of Scotland, as they are often exhibited in description. ** Bleak and barren," like ^' Scotia's Hills *,*' the country seemed to forbid the cul- tivation and the hopes of man. Providence appeared, in the very formation of the ground, to have destined it to accidental . visitation, or eternal solitude. In spite of facts the imagina- tion irresistibly asked. Who, that could make his retreat, would fix his residence here ? On this ground there is a handsome lighthouse, stationed * Beatties Minstrel A IMMOLATS BOAD. f 89. vpQD a 1BB88 of claj remarkable for its fimmess, and notiloM 80 finr being found bere. Greneral Lincoln, a gentleman to wbom his conntry is indebted for many important sendees, sqierinteiided its erection ; and it is said to be contrived in a mmer imeommonly nsefiiL On our way we passed through the town of Wellfleet ; and fiiuid the booses generally like those heretofore described, but with more appearances of attention and taste. Here we saw a collection of sand-hills surrounding the har- boiir. They were of different sizes, and, in some degree, of diff^^eat figures ; but were all obtuse cones, smooth, regular, iiid elegant* Such a number, adorning a handsome piece of vater, winding beautifully until it opened with a vista-like pavage into the bay, were, after all the similar objects which ve had seen, new and interesting. No mass of earth is com- ' parable to these hills for regularity and elegance of figure and mifaee. Were they as cheerful as they are regular, were they dressed with the verdure which so generally adorns New- Englaud, they would be amoug the most beautiful objects in nature. At Wellfleet formerly lived Colonel Elisha Doane, who massed in tins spot an estate of £ ] 20,000 sterling. In 1790, Wellfleet contained 1,113 inhabitants ; hi 1800, 1,907; and, in 1810, 1,402. At Eastham we changed our road a few miles before we inched Orieans ; and, after passing by the church, an ordi- ttiy building in indifferent repair, entered a large sandy waste, Ijiog towards the bay. Here about one thousand acres were entirely blown away to the depth, in many places, of ten feet. Nothing can exceed the dreariness and desolation of this scene. Not a living creature was visible ; not a house ; nor eien a green thing, except the whortleberries, which tufted a few lonely hillocks, rising to the height of the original surface, imI prevented by this defence from being blown away also. These, although they varied the prospect, added to the gloom hf their strongly picturesque appearance, by marking exactly the ori^al level of the plain, and by showing us, in this man- ser, the immensity of the mass which had thus been carried away by the wind. The beach grass had been planted bere, and the ground had been formerly inclosed ; but the gates had M lOURNBY TO PROTINCB TOWN. been left open, and the cattle had destroyed this invalnaUe plant The inhabitants were, I presume, discooraged, and yielded up their possessions to ruin. When and where this evil will stop, cannot easily be calculated ; for the sand spreads a perfect sterility in its progress, and entirely desolates the ground on which it fails. The impression made by this land- scape cannot be realized without experience. It was a com- pound of wildness, gloom, and solitude. I felt myself trans* ported to the borders of Nubia, and was well prepared to meet the sandy columns so forcibly described by Bruce, and after Inm by Darwin. A troop of Bedouins would have finished the picture, banished every thought of our own country, and set us down in an Afiican waste. The day had now become very warm ; the wind blew from behind us; the sand was very deep; and our horses were obliged to move slowly, and with extreme difficulty. Nothing could better elucidate the strength and beauty of that Am image of Isaiah, ** A weary land ;" and to us ** the shadow of a great rock** would have been inexpressibly delightful. The rocks on this peninsula terminated, upon our road, ii Orleans. They are the common, grey granite of the country. We lodged at Harwich with a Captain A. Thb man had been thirty years at sea, and, as he informed us with emphasis, had seen the world. Now he was the principal farmer in Harwich, and cut annually from four to eight loads of English hay* ; a greater quantity, as he told us, than was cut by any single farmer fiirther down the Cape. A fimner in the in^ terior, who cuts annually from one to two hundred tons, 11117 perhaps smile at this story. I am. Sir, 8cc« * Spear grass. LETTER XI. Bitwm to Samdwieh* Mission among tie Indians ai Mas^ sapse. Yisii to the Rev. Gideon Hawlejff the Missionary. Ikscription of the Peninsula of Cape Cod* Its Soilr Dear Sir; Thb next monnng, Tlnirsday, October 1st, we rode to Ttrmouth, nine miles, to breakfast ; and spent a consider- aUe time in examining the salt works of Peter Thatcher, Esq. Hence we proceeded to Marshpee, or Massapee, fifteen, to dumer. In the erening we retomed to Sandwich, twelve ; k aD, thirty-six miles. Our road was better than on the three freoeding days. Massapee is one of the few tracts in the popnlons parts of New-England, which are still occn|Med by the aborigines. A wsaionary has been regularly supported here, with small in- temiptions, from the establishment of this Indian colony, by the efibrts of Mr. Richard Bourne, the first missionary. This geetlemaR, with a disinterestedness and piety highly hononr- lUe to him, obtained, in the year 16G0, a deed firom an Indian, med Quachatisset, and others, to the In^Uans of Massapee ; or, as they were then called, ** the Sonth Sea Indians," coyer- ing the tract which bears this name. The instrument was so inwn, that the land could never be sold without the consent ofereiry Indian belonging to the settlement. On this founda- te he began a mission to this place, and was ordained as a nuaonary in 1670. In 1685, he died ; and was succeeded ^ an Indian preacher, named Simon Popmonet, who lived in tb character about forty years ; and was racceeded, in 1729, ^y Mr. Joseph Bourne, a descendant of Richard. This gen- ^I^QaD rengned die office in 1742; and was followed by a ■•(•nd Indian miiaooaffy, a regolar minister^ and a good. 9fi JOURNBY TO PROVINCE TOWN. sensible preacher. During his life two gentlemen were suc- cessively candidates for the office ; but, being powerfully op- posed, neither of them was inducted. In 1758, the Rev. Gideon Hawley was installed as the pastor of these people. Massapee is peculiarly fitted to be an Indian residence. It lies on the Sound ; is indented by two bays ; and shoots into several necks, or poiuts of land. It is also watered by several streams and ponds. From these circumstances, the inhabit- ants derive abundant opportunities of supplying themselves with fish. It is well covered with a forest ; and, therefwe, has long retained the game, which was the second source of their subsistence. . It is also sequestered, in a great measure, from that correspondence with the whites, which has been usually fatal to Indian settlements in this country. The face of this tract is not unpleasant It is composed of plains, vallies, and hills, but is less unequal than Sandwich or Barnstable. On our road we saw several Eng^h houses ; all of which were good buildings, and exhibited proofii of pros- perity. I have nowhere seen quinces in such abundance. The inn at which we dined was kept by a respectable family, who entertained us with great civility and kindness. After dinner, one of my fellow-travellers accompanied me to the house of Mr. Hawley, with whom we had an interview* more interesting than words can describe. This gentleman was a most intimate friend of my parents. From his youth he had sustained as amiable and unexception- able a character as can perhaps be found among uninspired men. He was pious and benevolent, zealous and candid, firm and gentle, sedate and cheerful, with a harmony of character equally uncommon and delightful. Naturally, I believe, his disposition was ardent, his conceptions strong, and his suscep- tibility exquisite. The points, however, were worn down and smoothed by an excellent understanding, and a peculiar self- govemment. Equally removed from the phlegm of insenn* bility, and the vehemence of passion, his feelings were warm, and yet temperate. Me, whom he had not seen since I was a youth of eighteen, he regarded with personal afiection. To this he added the peculiar attachment, which he was prepared to place on me, as a representative of my parents and my grand parents on both sides, all of whom he remembered with MR. HAWLKY, THE INDIAN MISSIONARY. &s rtroogest emotions of fnendshipy whom he had not seen for thirty years, and whom he expected never to see on this side of the grave. The expressions of genuine and virtuous attachment paint the heart at once, in a manner perfectly imderstoody and exquisitely felt, but they cannot be copied. Perhaps they were never more happily exhibited, nor by a mind which felt more, or in a manner more amiable and dignified. Mr. Hawley had a favourite son ; a young gentleman of the greatest hopes, possessed of superior talents and learning, of degant manners, distinguished piety, and the best reputation, ffe had lately come from the tutorship in Cambridge, and had been just ordained to the ministry. By all who knew him he was beloved and honoured, and most by those who knew him best. In the room over our heads he lay on his dying bed, and had been expected to ex- pre the preceding night For death he was, however, emi- nently prepared; and looked forward through the curtains, which hide the invisible world, to scenes of a higher and more refined nature, scenes suited to the elevated taste of an en- lightened Christian, with a serenity and confidence more dig- nified than the loftiest conceptions of proud philosophy, and the snblimest dreams of sceptered ambition. The pleasure, with which the father of this good man re- ceived me ; the sympathy, with which he recalled the friends of fab youth ; the sorrow, awakened by the situation of his expiring son ; and the setting of his fond, luminous hopes in Ae night of the grave ; the lustre, which played and trembled over this melancholy scene from the mind of that son, brilliant with lucid hopes of immortal glory ; exhibited in their union and their alternations a picture, wholly singular, beautiful, lolemn, and sublime. I beheld it with a mixture of wonder ttd delight To describe it is beyond my power. Into all ftese subjects he entered familiarly, and at once ; and appeared equally ready to go with his son, or stay behind with his re- ttaimng friends ; to protract his toil a little longer, or to be mnmoned to Ins account, and the reward of his labours, as it ihookl please his Employer. He felt deeply, but with a serene nbmiasion. He knew that he was chastened, but found high ttd sufficieBt oonsolation for his sufierings in the character of 94 JOURMSY TO PROVINCB TOWN. Him, frora ^om the stroke came. To me he showed, in sodi « manner as to put suspicion out of countenance, the afiectioB of a father, and when we parted he gave me a fathei's blessing. If I may be permitted to judge, the emotions which he dis- eoTcred, and even those which he excited, were such as an infidel, or any other woildling, if he could enjoy or undenitand them, would deeply envy. They were such as he would of necessity confess to be as much brighter, nobl^, and better, than any thing which he had ever imagined before, as the golden visions of enraptured poetry are superior to the duH, oold realities of this untoward life. The young gentleman, who accompanied me on this visit was educated in the gay world, and, as himself declared, 8u& ciently addicted to its enjoyments ; but he was entirely over- come by the scenes of this interview. After we had left the house, he burst into a flood of tears, which he had with great difficulty suppressed until that time, and was unable to utter a word, until we had almost reached the inn. In broken accents he then declared, that he had never been so deeply affected in his life ; that although he had not before been accustomed to thmk lightly of Christianity, he had now acquired new ideas of its excellence, and that should he ever lose them afterwards, he should esteem himself guilty as well as unhappy. Yet the whole conversation had been rather cheerful, and every thing, which it involved of a melancholy nature, had been gilded and burnished by serenity and hope*. ^ As this excelient inao died « few years after the time here meatioiiedy I will add those particulars conceming him which 1 have been able to collect. In a letter to the author, dated April 29, 1801, Mr. Hawley observes :-«- ** When yoo honoiited me with a visit on the 2d of October ult., my soa^ my son James, the son of my old age, the hope of my declining years, was in die last stage of Ufe, and he only survived until the 8th, at evening, wbtn he expired. May my other diildren live as he lived, and when they oomtt to die, may they die as he died. A number of his church and congregation came forty miles to be present at his funeral, which was attended by all the vicinity of ministers. The Rev. Mr. L. of Falmouth kept sabbath witli ni on the day after his funeral, and delivered a very suitable discourse on the occasion. James died at a time of life when men are generally lamented, la case their chaiaders are good." BSATH or MR. HAWLSY. M Whes we armed at the inn, we found two of our con- panioBs had set out for Sandwich soon after dinner. It was near sun-set when we followed them. The evening was calm and beautiful ; the country through which we passed was a finest, still and solitary, and the moon, whose unclouded beams darted, at momentary intervals, through the pines, bor- deimg our road, {prolonged the serene solemnity awakened in our minds during the afternoon, and formed a happy conclusioB of the affecting scenes which I have described. After a de- Gghtful ride of twelve miles, we arrived at Mr. B.'s, and were nceived with every proo! of politeness and affection. On the afternoon of the succeeding day, Friday, October 2d, we left this hospitable fiaunily, and, accompanied by Mr. D., lode to Plymouth ; eighteen miles. At the house of Mr. H. In a letter of September 2, 1802, be says : — " I have rather declined since I had the honour and satisfaction to see 70a at my house, in October 1600, a few days before my late James' death. iaoi yet apoo doty— may I be faithful unto the death— the time is short ; nd the time of my departure is at hand. My coevals are dead. ' Tor a man of seventy-five I have very few complaints. In the early pMt of life my labours and sufferings were many and hard, and I did but just survive my services (among the Indians and in the army) in the year tf 56. I came down to this place in 1757, expecting soon to end my days ; hn was ao far recovered as to be on my western mission in 1761 — and as iwesCheoaop). ''I have lately written to your kinsman, the only surviving son of your iitt uncle, the pre»dent of Union college, deceased, concerning his father io his puerile years, when with me in the Indian country, and how we came off ia the dead of winter. I was six days in passing from Onecbo Yunghe to Cherry Valley with my two hoys ; and the four last days with only our- fthres, mj Indians (not diroogh disa£Rection, but fat%ue) having given out by the way. An Indian will hardly endure three days fatigue in succession.** This eminent and fiuthful servant of the Lord died on the 3d of October, 180T, in the eighty-first year of his age, and fif^r-nxth of his missionary Isboon. ** * On his death bed he appeared perfectly rational and tranquil. of hia approaehii^ dissolution and his prospects of futurity, he < 1 have hope of acceptance, but it is founded wholly on free and grace, and not at all en my own works. It is true my labours bain many, but they have been so very imperfect, attended with so a want of charity, humility, &c., that I have no hope in them as the |RMmd of my acoepcanoe.' *'— Pad. * See Panoplist, 1807. 06 JOURNBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. the same polite and iriendly reception, which we had expen^ enced at Sandwich, was repeated. As I have now bidden adieu to the peninsula of Cape Cod, I will close my account of it with a few general observatioiii. This singular piece of land extends from the isthmus, which, connects it with the Main, to Race Point, as measured on the road, sixty-eight miles. About half this distance it runs east- ward, and the remaining half principally north-westward. M Sandwich, where it is widest, it is about seventeen mile§,ii breadth, or, if measured to the south-western extremitjr j9f Falmouth, about twenty. At Harwich it is about eleven*.^ if measured to the southern point of Cape Malabar, abfNpjt nineteen. The basis of this peninsula, constituting almoat tiie whole mass, is a body of fine yellow sand. Above this it a thin layer of coarser white sand, and above this another layer of soil, gradually declining from Barnstable to Truro, wh^ifj it* vanishes. A considerable part of the peninsula is still forestf»d* Many of the inhabitants, within the Elbow, are seamWi beyond it almost all. They are generally, perhaps as generatt| as in any other part of the United States, in comfortable, and ■ even in thrifty circumstances. Few decayed, or unrepaired houses were visible to us, and no peculiar marks of poyesttj*, The inhabitants are industrious and orderly. The vice.pijfh: cipally complained of to us was intemperance, and this chiefly in the western division. Every town has at least one church, and, so far as I was able to learn, divine service is, with few exceptions, generally and respectfully attended. Their inter- course with each other by land is confined. There are no more enterprising, active, skilful seamen, perhaps, in the world. Upon the whole, this unpromising tract sustains more inhabitants, and furnishes them with more comfortable means of subsistence, than a stranger would be easily induced to imagine. In 1790, the county of Barnstable contained 17,354 people ; in 1800, 19,293 ; and, in 1810, 22,211 ; a gieat part of whom are like beavers, gaining their subsistence from the water, and making use of the land chiefly as a residence. Those who live beyond the Elbow have been heretofore accused of plundering the vessels wrecked on their coast, and treating the seamen who escaped with inhumanity. Instances of this nature may have happened. I am well assured, that CLAM-PUDDINO POND. 97 the contrary character is to be attribated to them generally, and that they have often exhibited the most humane, as well as undaunted spirit, in relieving their snSering conntrymen, and in aiding tfiem to preserve the remains of their shipwrecked property. The country from Sandwich to Plymouth is a continued forest, wifli a few solitary settlements in its bosom. The sur- Uce is, principally, a plain ; but at times swelling into hills. Wherever the road lies on the shore the prospects are romantic, but wild and soUtaiy. The forest is, generally, composed of ydkyw pines ; the soil is barren, and ttie road almost univer- Mly suidy ; bat less deep than that, which has been hereto- fore described. We passed several places, which in this region have been kept in particular remembrance from an early period. Among them IS a rock, called Sacrifice Rock, and a piece of water, Mmed Clam-pndding Pond. On the former of these the Indiaas were accustomed to gather sticks, some of which we nv Ijing upon it, as a religious service, now inexplicable*. Oh die shore of the latter the eariy colonists of Plymouth held IB annal festival, and made this food a part of their enter- tasBent A great port of Ae tract is in the township of FIjBoath. I am. Sir, &c. 'Hm feaaM to have been castomaiy among the aborigiiieBofNew^ ?0L. 111. H LETTER XII. Plymouth ; the Jirst Town settled in New-England. on which the Col&nists first landed. Their Ceme Rijtections o^ ike care of Divine Providence over \ Fisheries and Commerce of Plymouth. Dear Sift; Ply iIOUTH, the cradle of New-Bngiand, is sit at the bc^ttdta of h harbour, on the south-western pi Masbachtisetts*-Bdy, forty-two miles south-east of Bostov thirty north-east from Bamstabte. It is bu3t on the i xj^tk mi ea^y declivity, beneath tfato brow of an extensive plain. Thie decftvity is abbUt k fourth of a mite' in hik and firom k mit^ aild a half to two miles in length. Its 8c is generally handsome, and its soil excellent. The soils plain is of little valife. Main Street runs irregularly on tb< of the declivity, parallel with the shore. Several others the same 'direii^tton, and thesis ttfe irregularly crbs^d by'^ nearly at right-angles. The houses are in many instance dinary, in many decent, and a considerable number an still better appearance. The town is compactly built, an an air of respectability ; but cannot be called handsom found it improved in its appearance ; and still more so I visited it in 1807. The public buildings are two chm a court house, and a gaol ; neither of them distinguishe beauty. Plymouth was the first town built in New- England by lized men, and those, by whom it was built, were infer worth to no body of men, whose names are recorded in b during the last seventeen hundred years. A kind of venei ness, arising from these facts, attaches to this town, whicl be termed a prejudice. Still it has its foundation in the t ON LOCAL ATTACHMBNTS. 09 of man, and wiQ never be eradicated either by philosophy or ndicule. No New-Englander, who is willing to indulge his native feelings, can stand upon the rock, where our ancestors let the first foot after their arrival on the American shore, without experiencing emotions, entirely different from those, winch are excited by any common object of the same nature. No New-Englander could be willing to have that rock buried and forgotten. Let him reason as much, as coldly, and as ingeniously, as he pleases, he will still regard this spot with MBotions, wholly different from those, which are excited by other places of eqnal, or even superior importance. For myself, I cannot wish this trait in the human character obfiterated. In a higher state of being, where truth is uni* venally as well as cordially embraced, and virtue controls widiout a rival, this prejudice, if it must be called by that ■Bme, will probably become useless, and may, therefore, be safely discarded. But in our present condition every attach- nait, which is innocent, has its use, and contributes both to toL and to soften man. The fierce, and the roving spirit of ov race, are alike dangerous ; and where a ruling principle of a higher nature cannot be certainly established, nor its ofloacy safbly relied on, a wise man will press into the public lerrioe every harmless emotion, every usefid tendency of the hnnan heart, and secure to himself, and to the world, the benefits, which, experience assures him, will be derived from ill iniuence. Nor will he foolishly lessen the attachment to ooantry, nor discourage its desirable exertions, by coldly Kratiniaing its metaphysical nature, doubting its propriety, or ifigniatising it with the names of prejudice and weakness. An admiral would be ill employed, on the eve of a naval eagagement^ in teaching his sailors, that the enthusiasm, with nkiA they feh the honout of their country, was contrary to good aenae, and founded only in the foolish prejudices of a mmm education. A parent would be miserably occupied iapemnding hb thM, if he could persuade him, that the kraae, in which he was bom, had nothing which recommended it to kb attachment, beyond any other house in the neighbour- haad» exeept the feelingB, which were produced, as weil as ihnriihnd, by weakness and error. ProbaUy there is not a h2 100 JOURNEY TO PROVINCB TOWN. Christian in the world, however ardent, refined, or sublime, may be his emotions, to whom Heaven is not additionally en- deared, whenever he thinks of it in the character, or gives it the appellation, of his final home. Such prejudices are more honourable to the heart, and more useful to the interests of man, than all the frosty feelings, and all the wire-drawn dis- quisitions, with which a false philosophy has benumbed and perplexed the world. On Saturday morning, accompanied by I. L., Esq., and Mr. H., we visited the consecrated rock, on which the first fathers of New- England landed. Hence we proceeded to the original burying ground, where several of the first colo- nists, whose names are now unknown, were interred. Two of the cannon, originally brought hither, lie on this ground. From this place we proceeded to the spot, where the first English dwelling-house was erected ; and saw the first well which was dug in New-England. We next proceeded to the common cemetery, and examined the names on a great number of the monuments ; many of which had already been rendered familiar to us by history. Had the persons, anciently buried here, been distinguished for nothing but being the the first planters of New-England, they would, according to the dictates of my own mind, have been entitled to a consideration, in some respects pecaliar, and could not have been blended by memory with the herd of those who are gone. But when I call to mind the history of their sufferings on both sides of the Atlantic ; when I re- member their pre-eminent patience, their unspotted piety, their immoveable fortitude, their undaunted resolution, their love to each other, their justice and humanity to the savages, and their freedom firom all those stains, which elsewhere spotted the character even of their companions in affliction ; I cannot but view them as a singular band of illustrious brothers, claiming the veneration and applause of all their posterity. By me the names of Carver, Bradford, Cushman, and Standish, will never be forgotten, until I lose the power of recollection. On this groimd stood the first fort, ever erected in this country. The figure of the work is still distinctly visible. It PLYMOUTH BURYING GROUND. 101 was a round, irregular structure, conformed to the shape of the ground. No other place could have been so well chosen, either for discovering the approach of savages, or for defend- ing the town against their incursions. A noble prospect is presented to the eye on this spot. Im- mediately beneath it lies the town ; and beyond this the har- bour, and its shipping. The harbour is a beautiful piece of water, bounded on the south by Plymouth Point, a long arched beach, and on the north by that of Duxborough ; the end of which is called the Gurnet, and sustains the light- house. These points, together with the opposite shores, completely enclose the harbour. Between them is seen Chrk's Island; named from the mate of the vessel, which brought the first settlers, and the first white man that landed on this ground. Over these points opens the great bay of Massachusetts ; limited at the southern extremity by the pe* ninsula of Cape Cod, with its finely gilded shore of yellow sand, extending more than sixty miles ; and spreading bound- lessly to the north-east. On the north appears the town of Duxborough*, shooting far into the bay its beautiful shore, ornamented by a handsome conical hill, called Captain's Mount, the property and the residence of the gallant Stan- disL A more magnificent assemblage is not often seen ; and Hone is so endeared to a New-Englander, by the remem- bance of what has passed in former periods of time. Governor Carver was buried in the first burying ground, and is without a monument. This is dishonourable to the citizens of Plymouth ; but will, I hope, not long remain so. The true character of their ancestors is becoming better and better understood by the people of New-England ; and their •ttentioii to the pereons and facts, mentioned in the early Ustory of their country, is continually increasing. The in- habitants of Plymouth, who, in this respect, hold the first stalion among their countrymen, will, I trust, feel the pro- priety of honouring, with so becoming a tribute, the memory of a man, to whom they are so greatly indebted. The re- * This town was named in honour of Captain Standish, the duxy or mili- tary leader of the colony. 108 JOURNBY TO PROYINCB TOWN. mains of Governor Bradford were interred, without a doubt, in the other burying ground, near those of his son ; Dot '* not a stone Tells where he lies." Bradford and Carver were the fathers of the colony at a time, and in circumstances, when few of our race would have hazarded or suffered so much, even for the promotion of reli- gion itself. Their patience and constancy were primitive, and their piety and benevolence would not have dishonoured an apostle. I could not but feel, with great force, the peculiar care of Divine Providence over these colonists, in conducting them to this spot. The savages in the neighbourhood had, during the preceding year, been entirely destroyed by an epidemic*; and the coimtry was, therefore, become, throughout a consi- derable extent, entirely useless to its owners. Hence they were willing to sell it to the colonists. Besides, the disease had so much reduced their numbers, that they were endangered by the formidable power of their neighbours, the Narrhagansets. Instead of regarding the English, therefore, with that jea- lousy, which is so universal and so important a characteristic of savages, they considered them as seasonable allies, by whom they might be secured from the hostilities of their neighbours^ Hence they welcomed the English with kind- ness and hospitality. The friendship, begun between Massa- soit and the colonists, continued, through his life; and, al- though at times, and in small degrees, weakened by the arts of his neighbours, was in full strength at his death. The place, where they landed, was furnished with a safe harbour, of sufficient depth to admit their own commercial vessels, and yet too shallow to receive vessels of force. The soil, on which they planted themselves, was, to an extent sufficient for all their purposes, excellent. This ground bor- dered the ocean, and on that side, therefore, was safe. On * Gookin says, *' doubtless it was some pestilential disease. I have dis- coursed with some old Indians, that were then youths; who say, that the bodies all over were exceeding yellow, describing it by a yellow garment they showed me, both before they died, and afterward." FIMT 8BTT).UMi AT P|«YMOVTP. 10$ tta Imi side it was eaaily and ^otirely defended by a single fori. The barrenness of the interior prevented them from wandering, to which almost all colonists have a strong pro- pensity. Excursions into the country would have awakened the jealousy oi their neighbours, and subjected the colonistp to a most capricious hostility, from individuals at least, if not from the tribe; a hostility against which savage principles could famish no security, and savage government no protec- tion. The settlers of Plymouth were by this fact retained m a cluster; and were thus preserved from probable destruc- ^n* Here, also, they found water at their doors in springs, and in a fine mill-stream of the best quality. The dimate, notwithstanding the mortality experienced the first year, was eminently healthy. The bay furnished them ^th fish in abundance for food and for commerce, both at ttie time indispensable ; and opened an extensive trade with the ^fiHianfl of the coast, for articles of great demand in their dative country. In this manner they were enabled to pay *%beir debts, and supply many future wants. Here they found, "what was of incalculable importance tp them at the comr -snencement of their settlement, an Indian, named Tisquantum, «r Squanto ; who by accident had contracted a friendship for the English, and became at once, and throughout his life con- linned to be their friend. This man, more mild and generous than most of his countrymen, was very useful to them in fflsny particulars of great importance. He became their in- terpreter ; be taught them how to pl^t, to manure with fish, and to preserve maiae ; a plant, indispensable to their sub- sstence, and the means of their preservation, at various times, fn»n famine and death. He also conciliated to them the good will of his brethren; and gave them repeated and timely iofiMination of danger from the savages, even at the hazard of his life. In no other place coqld these advantages have been found : bit aD these they enjoyed here, uptil their numbers, wealth, aid knowledge of the country enabled them to extend their •ettlements with safety and success. They wero originally destined to Hudson's river; but the captain, bribed by the Dutch government, conducted them to New-Engjaad. Notwithstanding the baseness of this conduct. 1.04 JOURMKT TO PROVlNeB TOWN. and notwithstanding the superior advantages, possessed by die city and state of New- York at the present time, it is, I thiak, clearly evident, that they landed in a place incomparably better suited to the nature of their enterprise, their wants, and their welfare. The Dutch settlers were aided by their own govern- ment in Europe, and were yet hardly able to preserve them- selves from ruin. The colonists of Plymouth had no such aid ; and would probably have perished by famine, or been cut off by war, soon after they had reached the shore. The institutions, civil, literary, and religious, by which New-England is distinguished on this side of the Atlantic, began here. Here the manner of holding lands in free socage, now universal in this country, commenced. Here the right of sufirage was imparted to every citizen, to every inhabitant, not disqualified by poverty or vice. Here was formed the first establishment of towns ; of the local legislature, which is called a town meeting ; and of the peculiar town executive, styled the select-men. Here the first parochial school was set up; and the system originated, for conmiunicating to every child in the community the knowledge of reading, writing* and arithmetic. Here, ako, the first building was erected for the worship of God; the first religious assembly gathered ; and the first minister called and settled by the voice of the church and congregation. On these simple foundations has since been erected a structure of good order, peace, liberty, knowledge, morals, and religion, to which nothing, on this side of the Atlantic, can bear a remote comparison. The genteel people in Plymouth have the same charac- teristics with those of the same class along this coast The middle class, composed of fishermen and mechanics, are re- i^ctable for good morals, and civility of deportment. To the inhabitant the fishery is an object of primary importance* To some it is a source of wealth, and to multitudes of a com- fortable, cheerful living. The most valuable branch of it is the cod fishery : the next, those of mackarel and herrings. All these are sold in Spain and Portugal, or on the islands belonging to these countries. Formerly, they were carried to the Boston market. Mr. H. commenced the business of exporting them to foreign countries in his own vessels, fellow citizens have followed this profitable example. . irODB OP CURING CODFISH. 105 Tlie oomnifflve of Pljmouth may be estimated from tbe fol- lowing^ abstract of duties. y«Mi. Dades. 1801 DoUars, 21,764 1802 19,228 1808 30,305 1804 34,417 1806 08,411 1806 98,511 1807 62,692 1808 21,994 1809 32,975 1810 29,224 The mode of curing fish on tbe flakes is a curiosity to a itranger. A fish flake is a platform, made in this manner. Posts are set upright in the ground, about two and a half feet iDgh. A rail, inserted in holes made in these posts, connects tkem as in field fences. These are multiplied to such an extent as the business demands; and are covered with a nattily of alders, woven so closely as to support the fish. In a field, belonging to Mr. H., about three acres were co- hered with these flakes. The level margin of the ocean, for ibont two miles above and below the town, is, during the pro- per season, wholly devoted to this business. When tbe codfish are opened, and cleansed, which is done ii sea-water, they are salted, packed, and suffered to lie a ibort time. Hiey are then carried to the flakes, where they a« spread in the sun to dry. When rain is approaching, they oe always housed ; and in cloudy days are not carried out. Aft^ they are sufiiciently dry, they are longed in stores, and picked for exportation. The present year has been propi- tious to the fishermen. The number caught is great, and the ■srket good. On the mfll-stream, mentioned above, which is called Town kooky and has its source in a small lake, named Billington's iMi» there is erected a rolling and slitting mill, together with leveral other water-wori(s. The mill is said to be very pro- ductive property, and is plentifully supplied with water round the year. In the town clerk's oflBce we saw the earliest records of the 106 JOURNEY TO PROVINGfi TOWN. colony ; and its original charter, in the box in which it has been kept from the beginning. On Sunday we found a large and very decent congregation in the old church. A sing^ar custom was here exhibited to us. More than fifty bills were read by the clergyman, de- siring the prayers of the congregation for families in afflictioD. They were principally occasioned by the death of nine in- habitants, almost all of them at sea, which had either hap- pened, or been first heard of during the preceding week. In such a case, it seems, a bill is presented for every branch of a family, which is particularly interested in the melancholy event. The township of Plymouth includes three Presbyterian congregations. In 1790, it contained 2,995 inhabitants ; in 1800, 3,524 ; and, in 1810, 4,228. I am. Sir, &c. LETTER XIII. Kmgsitm. Marshfield* Sciiuaie. Hingham. Weymouth* Bramtree* Quincy. Milton. Dorchester. Its early Seiilement. Fortifications erected by Chneral Washing- ton. Roxhury. Reverend John Elliot, the Apostle of the Indians. Dear Sir; On Monday, October 5th, I set out with one of my companions for Boston, the other two having gone forward on Saturday. A rain, which fell on Sunday evening, left us a delightful day. We rode through Kingston, four miles; Marshfield, six ; Scituate, twelve ; Hingham, six ; to Wey- Doatb, four : thirty-two. During an early part of our journey we lost our way, in consequence of the removal of a post- guide. I ought to have mentioned, that on the mill-stream which naa through Plymouth are erected two grist-mills, an oil-mill, t rolling-mill, a slitting-mill, and a mill for plating iron shovels. The stream, which originates in a large pond, descends ra- pidly, and famishes always an abundance of water. The road from Plymouth to Eongston is generally sandy, hot tolerable. Near Kingston it becomes hard, on a loam mixed with gravel. The soil here is fertile, and the surface pleasant. The town contains several well-appearing houses ; and the whole aspect of the country is sprightly and agree- lUe. Among the pleasing objects which it presented, the re- appearance of thrifty New-England forest trees was not the kast inviting. Kingston contained, in 1790, 1,004 inhabitants ; in 1800, im ; and, in 1810, 1,137. la this tomi lived the Honourable William Seaver, one of ^BOil fespectable men whom I ever knew. 108 JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. From Kingston to Scituate the road was better and harder than any we had ever seen since we had left Rochester. We passed through the western parish of Marshfield, which contains a village of moderate size, compactly and tolerabl; well built, but with few marks either of thrift or poverty. Tbe bouses were of long standing, and imperfectly repaired. In 1790, Marshfield contained 1,2^ inhabitants ; in 1801, 1,256 ; and, in 1810, 1,364. As we came near Oakman s ferry, where we crossed North river, we were gratified by a succession of undulating grounds, covered with an excellent soil, and exhibiting the fVilI New- England verdiu-e, for the first time since we had left Rhode- Island. Several well-looking houses showed that the iiiha- bitants had availed themselves of their advantages ; and, tc^e- ther with a collection of thrifty groves, yielded a prospect very pleasing to us. We crossed the river in a small, clumsy boat, rowed by a little boy ; and, although it was no more than forty or fifty jsetiB vride, experienced very serious anxiety. This stream rises in Pembroke ; and, although it runs only between twenty and thirty miles, is so deep as to permit ships of three hundred tons to descend into Massachusetts'-Bay ; eighteen miles distant. Scituate, where we dined, is a collection of scattered pkin- tations. The houses are generally decent; but the whole re* gion wears remarkably the appearance of stillness and retire^ ment, and the inhabitants seem to be separated in a great mea- sure from all active intercourse with their country. Scituate contains three congregations; two Presbyterioe, and one Episcopal. The number of its inhabitants, in 1790, was 2,856; in 1800, 2,728; and, in 1810, 2,969. Hingham is a pretty village, neatly built around a handsotne church, and exhibiting proofs of wealth and taste. The glPottnd on which it stands is however unpleasantly broken by seP^eml small elevations, formed by collections of rocks, some of tlien very large and unsightly, thrown together in a disagreeabto confusion. It is built at the head of a bay, which is an ann of the great bay of Massachusetts. The township is about ft>ur miles square, and includes two parishes and three congrega^ tions. In 1790, it contained 337 houses, and 2,065 inha- A CARD PARTY. 109 kitants : in 1800 the number of inhabitants was 2,112 ; and, in 1810, 2,382. We arrived at Weymouth a little after sunset, and found tolerable accommodations, at a yery handsome price. At the ion where we lodged, a considerable number of men and wo- men of different ages from the neighbourhood had assembled around a table, and were employed in playing at cards. Our first parents themselves, with all the advantages of innocence and solitode, were scarcely less anxious to be concealed from iospection» or more perfectly at their ease, while pursuing the employments of Paradise. The prospect, however, was I presume singular ; for in the numerous inns at which I h^ve lad occasion to lodge, while travelling more than fifteen thou- sand miles, I have never in any other instance seen such a collection so employed. Weymouth, originally named Wessagusset, was first planted by Mr. Weston, an English merchant, in 1622 ; but the set- tlement being soon broken up, it was not incorporated till 1685^ X^ saifiace is undulating and stony, and the soil pretty good. Excellent cheese is made here, and a little commerce cap- vied on. The township includes two parishes. In 1790, it contained X,4e9 inhabitants ; in 1800, 1,803 ; and, in 1810, 1,889. The next morning we rode to Charlestown to dinner; tinoogh Braintiee, Quinoy, Milton, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Xoston ; seventeen miles. At Weymouth the land begins to be uninterruptedly good, ^aad the agriculture to assume a higher character. The houses also make a better appearance, are generally neat, and some- times ^iproach towards elegance. The country everywhere exliibits the aspect of thrift, and often of wealth. The surface it wpdalftting and pleasant. The groves of oak and hickory, being taD and flpii7» make, together with many beautiful sin- gle treea, a most pleasing impression on the traveller. At the MBiB time tfiere is a succession, at different intervals, of rocky (litabefaiiees, which are remarkably ragged, and follow each odier fo firequenlly, as materially to disfigure the prospect The beauty of this country, both natural and artificial, in- oeaaed as we approached towards Boston. TThe surface be- cunemoie soft and smiling, the houses more brilliant and more no JOURNBY TO PROVINCE TOWN. numeroiui ; their appendages more beaatifiil ; and the w&i and the taste displayed superior. Indeed, from Wejmoi the country may; with little extravagance, be considered one continued village, raised up by the commerce of Best and forming a kind of suburb to that capital. Quincy is a pretty town, built on a handsome plain, ardi a neat church* This is the residence of Mr. Adams, la? president of the United States. We called on this gentlen and had evety reason to be gratified with our reception, has, in the literal sense, become a farmer, and pursues business with much spirit This employment, originally i tined for man, and therefore so well adapted to his natun undoubtedly the happiest resort for a gentleman retiring £ the bustle of life ; and is perhaps the only one which will f ply the chasm left in an active mind, when separated fioi long course of vigorous exertion. Every mind must b some engagement, or it will be unhappy. This, to a mai sense, must be rational and useful ; to a man of curiosity, stractive ; to a man of dignity, honourable. I know not 1 '* otium cum dignitate** can well be found, particulariy in country, by such a man, when declining in age, in any sa except those of agriculture. In a counting-room his app ance will be awkward and troublesome; From tiie bat will be almost pushed away. In the legislature he will ] under the visible loss of reputation and influence. An a wUl weary him with fatigue and perplexity. Besides, cency demands that he, who is seen to stand immedia before the gates of eternity, should not spend the littie pe which is l^t him in the scramble of the present world. * very heathen seem to have felt this : it certainly ought ti felt by those who call themselves Christians. Quincy was, till lately, a part of Braintree, and is the t beautiful part. The present Braintree b a collection of fiu distinguidied from the rest of this region by nothing nnc mon. The original township was settled in 1625, by a Cap Wollaston, and from him was named ** Mount Wollast The next year he became discouraged, and went to Vhrgjl appointing a Mr. Pitcher his agent. Thomas Morton, i as Mr. Prince says, had been a kind of pettifogger at Fi val's Inn, and was one of the company, excited a sedi MKRRY MOUNT. Ill FHelier, and eompelled him to flee. Morton then the control of the plantation ; and, having received MHne goods from England, began to trade with the natives. He trade was lucrative ; and the company devoted their gains to rioting and dnmkenness, and changed the name of the place to ** Merry Moiinf Soon after they began to sell arms to flie savages^ Ths alarmed die other plantation^. The colony of Flymontli wrote to him very civilly, and repeatedly, request- ing turn to desist from this commerce, but Morton treated the pfopootion with contempt Upon which Captain Standish, with a small force, came to Mount Wollaston ; dispersed the lioters, leaving a few of the more sober and industrious ptant- en ; took Morton, and carried him to Plymouth. The next jev he was sent back to England* Bnintree was incorporated in 1640, and Quincy in 1792* Each of these townships includes a single parish. The ori- ginal township of Brain tree contained, in 1790, 420 dwelling- kwses, and 2,771 inhabitants ; in 1800, Braintree contained 1,SS5 inhabitants, and Quincy 1,081 ; total 2,366 : in 1810, Brmntree contained 1,S51, and Quincy 1,281 ; total, 2,632. Whether any part of the inhabitants have been annexed to any odier townsUp, I am ignorant. Idton lies immediately north of Quincy. It was anciently faiown by the name of " TJncataquisset,'" and was incorporated in Ike year 1662. The prospects from Milton are remarkably fae. Much of the surface is elevated, and overiooks a great part of the sorroimding region. A range of bills particularly, known here by the name of the " Blue Hills," presents, in full view, Boston and its environs, its harbour, Massachusetts'- Bay, togeA<^r with the peninsula of Gape Cod, and the moun* tan Watchnset in the interior. IGiton was the summer residience of Mr. Hutchinson, the wHkoT t( the History of Massachusetts'-Bay, and the last nyal governor but one of that province. T%e letters of this fHrtlctaian ooncerning the political aflairs of America, particu- kriy of Massachusetts'-Bay, which have made so much noise ii 4he worid, wcto found in his house by Samuel Henshaw, 1m|., who then occupied it. These letters have been generally Mpposed seriously to affect the character of Mr. Hutchinson. 113 JOURNEY TO PROVINCB TOWN. If I have not been misinformed, the first paper-mill built America was erected here. In 1790, Milton contained 153 houses, and 1,089 inhabi ants ; in 1800, 1,148 inhabitants ; and, in 1810, 1,264. Dorchester is separated from Milton by the river Neponse^ navigable for vessels of 150 tons, and eminently asefnl for mill-seats which it famishes. The surface is a succession hills and vallies, and the landscape various and pleasant, considerable quantity of mechanical and manufacturing busS- ness is carried on in this and the two last mentioned townahiper/' particularly of leather, paper, shoes, snufi^, chocolate, &c. Dorchester was incorporated in the year 1780, and %iBi settled a short time before Boston; being the oldest town, except Salem and Charlestown, in the colony of Massachusettir- Bay. It has given birth to several persons of eminence in t&is country. The late Rev. Thomas Clap, president of Yale ebllege, was of the number. Dorchester may be considered as the cradle of Connecticut /ohn Oldham, afterwards murdered by the Pequods, and damuel Hall, two of its inhabitants, had the honour of first exploring the country on Connecticut river, about Hartford, in the year 1683; and, in 1636, about one hundred persons, chiefly inhabitants of Dorchester, the rest from Cambridge and Watertown, with the Rev. Mr. Hooker at their head, planted themselves in Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield. ' A considerable part of the first settlers in Suflblk county, on Long-Island, were also inhabitants of Dorchester. A beautiful neck of land, commonly known by the name of ** Dorchester .Heights," on the south side of the basin winch borders the south-eastern shore of Boston, is celebrated for b^ing the spot whence General Washington, by the erecti<MD of two batteries^ compelled the British army to quit Boston. Tke sight of these works, thrown up in a single night, asto- nished the British commander, and threw his army into oon* * fusion. When he first beheld them, in the morning of March 5t!i, 1776, he is said to have exclaimed, " The rebels bavd done more in one night than my army would do in a fortnij^t.^ The importance of these batteries be perfectly understood*, and knew that it would be. impossible for him to keep his post INSTANCE QF FEMALB HBROI9M. 118 m, angle day afler they should be opened on the town. He therefore made vigorous preparations for attacking the works the next morning, but was prevented by a violent storm from csarrying the design into execution. Had he made the attempt, be woold not improbably have failed of success. By an order erf the American general, a great number of barrels had been filled with sand, and were to be rolled down upon the British 0-anks, whenever they should approach within the proper dis- -Cance. As the declivity is everywhere sufficiently steep, and ^-emarkably smooth, this singular attack must have been made -^rith every advantage, and could not, I think, have failed of destroying many of the assailants, nor of throwing the rest into confusion. A general discharge of cannon and musketry was ^Ikb to have been opened upon them ; and must, it would s«eo, at such a crisis have completed their overthrow. In X.776 I examined the ground with attention, and was entirely ^^<niTiDced, th&t the storm was propitious to the real interests of tlie British army. Alter the storm was ended, the works were so far advanced AS to render the prospect of success, in the opinion of General Bowe himself, too improbable to permit the intended attack. Be therefore began immediately the necessary preparations ftr leafing Boston. Dorchester originally included the townships of Milton, StoQghton, Sharon, Canton, and Foxborough. In 1792 it coBtaiiied within its present limits 256 houses, and 1,722 in- Uiitants ; in 1800, 305 houses, and 2,347 inhabitants ; and, ^1810, 2,980* * lbs following tpectmcn of female prowess deserves to be recorded. biiibiidBed from a KaatikiU paper, July 1804. A ptrty of X^anbagauset Indians, hunting on the borders of Dorchester, i^iped at the house of Mr. Minot, and demanded food and drink. Being i^fiacd, tbej want away with evident marks of resentment, and Ohquam- ■M^ead, the sachem, swore that ho would be revenged. For this end, he left ■tW boilMt, near the house, an Indian named Chicataubutt, to seize the ^ oppMtmuty ofeiectiting his purpose. The next morning, Mr. und Mrs. WMCwent, as is supposed, to Boston. The Indian observ^ them, and F^fttcd himself for mischief. Mr. Minot, apprehensive of danger, had V**B Hb maid servant a strict chaige to confine herself, with their two ^MRi, to the house, and to open the door to no person until he should '*'■■• She obeyed the orders exactly. Soon after, she saw Chicataubutt ^'I'o the Any, and proceed towards the house. After lookin;; about liim ^•U III, I 114 JOURNEY TO PROVINCE TOWN. Roxbnry lies between Dorchester and Boston, nearly at an equal distance from both, and is connected with the latter of these towns by the isthmus, which is called Boston Neck. The town of Roxbury is compactly built, the houses being ' in many places contiguous, and has the appearance of a pretty suburb of a large city. Many of the houses are good, and the church is handsome. The period is not very distant, when these towns may be united to the eye of a traveller, as the buildings on the Neck are fast increasing. The rest of the township is a collection of farms of a pros- perous appearance. Roxbury is one of the oldest towns in this State, having been incorporated September 28th, 1630, three weeks after Boston, Dorchester, and Watertown. I know of nothing re- markable in its history, except that the celebrated John £lliot, commonly styled the " Apostle Elliot," and the " Apostle of the Indians," was its minister. This distinguished man was bom in England in 1604, arrived in New- England in 1631, and was inducted into the ministry at Roxbury in 1632. He was naturally qualified, beyond almost any other man, for the business of a missionary ; possessed a sound understanding, singular patience, fortitude, and zed, attempered with the gentlest afifections ; was ardent in his benevolence ; sufficiently vigorous to endure almost any fatigue ; and sufficiently per- severing to surmount almost any difficulty. He was not only «pt to teach, but peculiarly fitted to instruct such as were slow « with the greatest caution he rushed to the door, and finding it barred^ at- tempted to get in through the window. Tlie young woman had placed her 'master*8 children under two brass kettles, directing them not to stir nor to make the least noise, and then loaded a musket belonging to the house, and stood upon her defence. The Indian, probably perceiving her design, fired at her, but missed his nuirk. She then shot him through the shoulder. Still he persisted in his design, but as he was entering the window she threw m shovel full of live coals into his fisice, and lodged them in his blanket. The pain which they created was too great even for a savage to endure. Chicft* taubutt fled, and the next day was found dead in a wood on the borders of the town. The adventure being made known to the government of Massachusetts - Bay, this '' fbrtissima Tyndaridanun'' was by their order presented with a silver wristband, on which her name was engraved, with this mottxi, " She slew the Narrhaganset hunter/' TRR RfiV. JOHN Bf.LfOT. Il5 of ainmhemioti and biased by prejadice. His addmMc^irer^ fhni, and Teraarkably intelligible. They were flie Ifm^imge of (he heart ; the spontaneons effnsions of erang^lieral good-will ; and were therefore deeply felt by all who heard them. Hw treatment of the Indians was that of a sincere, wprigfht, affec- tionate parent. In providing for their wants; in adjusting Aetr differences ; in secnring them permanent settlemeirfcl ; in defending their rights ; in preserving them from the depreda- tions of their savage neighbomm, on the one hand, artd those of the coIon»ts, especially about the time of Philip's war, on the other ; in promoting among them agriculture, health, morals, and religion ; and in translating the Bible into their language ; tins great and good man laboured with a constancy, faithful- ness, and benevolence, which place his name, not unworthily, among those who are arranged immediately after the apostles of onr Divine Redeemer. He began his ministerial labours among these unhappy people in 1646, and continued them as long as the vigour of life permitted; successful beyond every hope, and against erery discouragement. He died in 1690, aged eighty-six, and Qodonbtedlv went to receive the benedictions of multitudes, who, but for him, had finally perished. To his own people he was, as yon will easily believe, a pastor pre-eminently excellent and nsefril. Few men have ever seen religion so prosperous ander their labours. Of his charitable disposition the follow- ing story is a sufficient proof: — ^The parish treasurer, having paid him his salary, put it into a handkerchief, and tied it into as many hard knots as he could make, to prevent him from giving it away before he reached his own house. On his way ke cdled upon a poor family, and told them that he had Immght diem some relief. He then began to untie the knots ; kit finding it a work of great difficulty, gave the handkerchief bthe mistress of the house, saying, '* Here, my dear, take it; I bdieve the Lord designs it all for you." Mrs. Elliot, however, was an excellent economist. Bv her pnident attention to his affairs he was enabled, notwithstanding b liberality, to educate four sons at Harvard college, two of vkom were ministers of the Gospel, and, as preachers, inferior to none of the age in which they lived. The attachment of the people of Roxbnry to Mr. Elliot may i2 116 JOfTSHKT TO PftOTIMCK TOWK. be vndentood froB tUs £Kt. When br the ewToachments of age he had become miaUe to preach, he pnyposed to his people to lefinqiosfa his salary. To their bnmortal honour they answered.'that they though his presence among them amply worth the moner. Who would not radier be such a man than m a conqueror! Roxbury is distributed into three parishes, and contained, in the year 1790, 287 houses, and 2J226 inhabitants; in 1800, 2,765 inhalMtanU; nd, in 1810, 3,600. I am. Sir, &c. LETTER XIV. Dedham. Honourable Mr. Ames. Medfield attached hy the Indiana. Medway. Bellingham. Mendon. Peculiar kind of Sheep. Uxhridge. Douglas. Forests. Thomp- son. The Quinibaug and Country on its borders. Pom/ret. Ashford. Mansfield. Coventry. Bolton. WiUington. Gap in the Bolton Hills. Dear Sir; We continued at Charlestown a week, and spent our time very pleasantly among the interesting objects there ftnd in the vicinity. On Tuesday, October 13th, we com- menced our journey homeward, and passing through Bgston, Roxbory, Dedham, Medfield, and Medway, reached Mendon in the evening ; thirty-eight miles. Bedham is a neat town, situated pleasantly on a plain, the south side of Charles river, eleven miles south-west of the capital. It is compactly built, the houses are generally good, dud several of them are handsome. Dedham is the shire town of the connty of Norfolk, and ^Dtains three Congregational and one Episcopal churches, a court-house, and a gaol. Its aspect is that of sprightliness and prosperity. Several productive intervals, forming the margin of Charles river, add not a little to its beauty. In Dedham lived the Honourable Fisher Ames, several yean a member of the American congress. This gentleman ^ bora here, April 9th, 1758, of respectable parents, and ^as educated at Harvard college, where he took the degree of ^B. ml774. He then commenced the study of the law, ukI soon after he beg^n the practice was regarded as an ad- vocate of distinguished talents. In 1788, he was chosen a inember of the convention, summoned for the purpose of ratt- ^ the federal constitation, and a member of the house of 118 JOURNEY TO PROVINCB TOWN- representatives in the state legislature the same year. The following year he was elected a representative from the dis- trict of Suffolk to the national legislature, and was regularly re-elected during the presidency of General Washington. In all these situations, particularly the last, he distinguished him- self by sound wisdom, most impressive eloquence, immoyable integrity, and exalted patriotism. After his speech on the necessity of making appropriations for carrying into effect the treaty with Great Britain, delivered April 2Sth, 1796, on« of his antagonists objected to taking the vote, which was to decide the question at that time, because the house was borne away by the power of his eloquence. From this period he generally declined public business on account of the imperfect state of his health, yet he several times accepted a seat at the council board. This, however, was evidently done to serve his coun- try, not to gratify himself. He loved retirement aad delighted in his family. For public life, at the same time, he had little relish; and although for political sdence he felt an attachment, which approximated to enthusiasm, yet he regarded actrve politics vrith disgust The state of his health also continued to be such while he lived, as in a great measure to forbid his enter- ing anew into the field of political controversy. During his retirement, however, he never forgot the interests or the dangers of bis country. Feeble as he was, he published within a few years before his death a series of political essays, which were then highly esteemed as specimens of original thought and superior wisdom. Few men have so much good sense as Mr. Ames possessed, and none, with whom I have conversed, a mind so ready to furnish, at every call, the facts which should be remembered, the truths which should be de- clared, the arguments which should be urged, language in which they might be clearly and forcibly expressed, and images with which they might be beautifully adorned. His imagina- tion was perhaps too brilliant and too rich. It could hardly be said, that any of the pictures which it drew were ill-dravni or out of place ; yet it might, I think, be truly said, that the gallery was crowded. The excess was not, however, the con- sequence either of a defective taste or a solicitude to shine, but the produce of a fancy ever creative, always exuberant, and exerting its powers more easily in this manner than in my THB HONOURABLE PI8HBR AHB8. 119 other. To speak and write, as he actually spoke and wrote, was only to permit the thoughts and images which first offered th^Dsehres to flow from his lips or his pen. Mr. Ames was distinguished by a remarkable and very smiabie nmpiieity of character. In circles where any man n^oiild have thought it an honour to shine, and where be always shone with superior lustre, he appeared entirely to for^ get himself, and to direct all his obsenrations to the entertains vent of the company, and the elucidation of the subject* Wherever he conversed, it was impossible to fail of rec^ving both instruction and delight. But the instruction flowed not fiom the pride of talents, or the ambition of being brilliant. Whatever was the field of thought, he expanded it ; whatever was die theme of discussion, he g^vo it new splendour ; but the manner in which he did both showed irresistibly, that they Were the most obvious, and the least laborious, employments of such an understanding and such a fancy. His moral character was still more estimable. His integritjr Appeared to be direct without effort, and even without deli-^ deration ; it appeared to be straight, because it had never been i^arped ; to dictate what was right, because it had not yet 'earned to do what was wrong. His sense of rectitude, both Public and personal, was not only exact, but delicate and ex- ^^lisite. His patriotism was glowing. As a pubUc man, Mr. Ames was a distinguished object^ ^H^th of envy and praise. But eminent as he was among those ^'ho were eminent, I should more strongly covet his private cha- ^"^cter. In the several relations of life which most endear, refine, ^nd exalt human nature, he appeared with singular advantage. Of the inspiration of the Scriptures he was firmly satisfled. ^t ought to be observed, that although he had read extensively "Uia aUest works on the external evidences of revelation, yet ^tbe divine origin of the Scriptures was most deeply impressed %m his mind by their contents. ** No man," said he, *' ever did, ^MT ever will, become truly eloquent, without being a constant leader of the Bible, and an admirer of the purity and sim- plicity of its language.'' To a mind like his it was imposrible that the dictates of a book thus regarded should be indifferent Aecordingly, he professed publicly the religion which it enjoins, and adiMrned hii profession with a life irrefiroaehable. Through I'* > 190 JOVJtNBT TO PROYINCB TOWN. the great and the gay worid he passed withoot a stam. Od its follies he looked with pity, on its splendours with self-posses* sion. No opinion, no practice was adopted by him, because it was fashionable. In the devotions of his closet, and in the duties of Christian benevolence, he found a satisfaelioii ^bieh grandeur rarely knows, and i^lause can never confer. Qumble, sincere, and submissive, be often shed m intimate iDeligioiis cooversation the tear of contriti<m, and lamented fab want of fervour in his addresses to God. When his end was approaching, with a cpnscionsness that it was near, he sidd, \* I have peace of mind. It may arise from stupidity ; farnt I believe. it is founded on a belief of the Gospel. My hope is in the mercy of God through Jesus Christ** The divinity of dn Saviour he admitted without a question, and, it would seem, » from a minute investigation of the subject. The infidel and the worldly Christian, if I may be permitted to use this phraseology, will regard the last part of his charactei with feelings of contemptuous superiority. You^ I am per* suaded, will rejoice to learn that he was thus divinely wise, and will contemplate, with exquisite satisfaction, his glorious destiny, which, commencing in this manner here, will hereafter become brighter and brighter for ever. Mr. Ames was married in the year 1792, to Frances, tfae third daughter of the Honourable John Worthington, formerly mentioned in my account of Springfield. By this lady he had six sons and one daughter, all of them still living. A volimie of his works was published at Boston in the year 1809. Dedham is divided into three parishes, and contained, a 1790, 255 houses, and 1,659 inhabitants ; in 1800, 1,973 in- habitants ; and, in 1810, 2,172. In the first parish there died in forty years, viz. betw^eeft 1756 and 1796, 529 persons. Of these 529 persons, 9 lived above 90. 42 60, and 74 70. Of the whole number, therefore, there lived above 90 ..... Iin69. » ,- . 80, almost . . • ... . 1 in 1(K - : -i ' ^ 70, almost ...... > Vm; .4it^ * . -^^ IMDIAK ATTACK ON MKBFIBLD. iSd[ Fram DedkaBi to Medfidd die country is chiefly a forest, dwSk io its appearaiice» mtSt in some places rough mi stony^ The soil is poor, and the road indiflerent. MedfieU is a small, bat pleasant township, bounded on the^ ^vest fay Charles rirer, and on the east by Dedham. The' sarfaoe is formed of easy, gracerul hills and open valliM. Otf the borders of the riyer is a chain of handsome interrals, HM ^aanaH distmce from the road is bfiilt> the town, a deeeAf M edway was formcArly a part of Medfield; btt iv^as incoi^ porated 'as a tdwushij^ in 1719, and no*w contains two parishes.* Its .appeaiance is noi uidike that of Medfield, except that wc^ aar nothing which could be called a village. ITie infaabitanti of both these townships appear to be in good circumstanceis. - - In the early part of Philip's war the savages, after they had dettroyed Lanoentery attacked this town dso. On the night preoeding the 21st of February^ ITSK, thejr formed an ambudl k the forests wUch surrounded it, and at day-break fell unex^ pectedly upon several of the houses. The inhabitants imme*^ diateiy fled toward the garrisons for shelter, t. e. houses en^ Qrdecl by palisadoes. Severd of them were killed in thelJt flight ; one, a very aged man, was taken prisoner and bunrf •live* About eighteen persons were slain, a considerable ^nodber of cattle destroyed, and from forty to fifty buildings Coaaomed. Fortunately the inhabitants had a field piece ift tlie town, at the second or third discharge of which the Indians fled. Hubbard informs us, that they left on the bridge a 'Written note, declaring their determination to carry on thewair iGar twenty years to come, and subjoining, that '^ fliey had ^^ottoBg to lose, whereas the English had com, bams, an& liouses." This assault was, I tfunk^ made upon wtuit is ndlir .matted the town of Medfield. MedMd contained, in 1790, 781; in 1800, 745; and, & 1810, 786 inhabitants. Medwi^ contained, in 1790, 1,0B5; in 1800, 1,050;^ wd, in 1810, 1,213 inhabitants. Medfield was incorporated in 1660 ; and Medway in 1718. Bdlingham, so for as it is visible on the rbad^ difibirs little frmn Medway, ekoept that the soil is more sandy and the sur- bee less pleasant Ft contained, in 1790, 785 inhabitants ; in UOO, 704 ; ani, inlSlO, 766. 122 JOURNEY TO PROVINCB TOWN. Mendon is situated on and between several ridges, numing north and south. The highest of these grounds furnishes extensive prospects, possessed, however, of little variety or beauty, and of no other grandeur, except that which consists in mere amplitude. Two or three lively mill-streams munnur at the foot of these ridges, and, while they enliven the sceneiy^ furnish seats for a considerable number of mills. The soil is eKher sandy, or, where it is rich, encumbered with rocks. The manners of such inhabitants, as we saw, were rather coarse and unpromising. A thinly built village of decent houses surrounds the church. Mendon was incorporated in 1767; is divided into two parishes ; and, in 1790, contained 222 houses, and 1,555 in* habitants ; in 1800, 228 houses, and 1,628 inhabitants ; and, in 1810, 1,819. In this township, if I have been correctly informed, an ewe, belonging to one of the farmers, had twins, which he observed to differ in their structure from any other sheep in this part of the country, particularly the fore legs, which were much shorter, and were bent inward, so as distantly to resemble what are called club-feet. Their bodies were, at the same time, thicker and more clumsy. During their growth they were observed to be more gentle, less active, less inclined to wander, dian other sheep, and unable to climb the stone walls, with which diis region abounds. They were of different sexes. The proprietor, therefore, determined on an attempt to produce a breed of the same kind. The attempt was successful. The progeny had all the characteristics of the parents, and, although they have since multiplied to many thousands, have exhibited no material variation. I am further infonned, that the breed has been crossed with a breed of a sheep common in this country, and in all instances, to the date of my last infonnatioii, the lambs have entirely resembled either the sire or the dam ; and have never exhibited the least discernable mixture. These sheep are called the otter breed, from a resemblance in their structure to the cmimal of that name. Their flesh is said to be good mutton, and their wool not inferior to that of common sheep, either in quantity, lengthy or fineness. But Aeir peculiar value consists in the quietness with which they continue in any enclosure. In a country, where stone wtSU DOCTOR LEVI WILLARD. 128 are so general as in many parts of New-England, it would seem, that sheep of this description must be almost invaluable. We left Mendon the next morning, October 14th, and rode €o Pomfiret to dinner, through Uxbridge, Douglas, and Thomp- son ; twenty-two miles. A turnpike road has been laid from Soston to Hartford, in the course which I have thus far de- scribed. We found it finished in parts. It has since beea completed, and is sufficiently well made ; but throughout most «f the distance it winds disagreeably over hills and Tallies, "which make the travelling laborious and uncomfortable. Uxbridge is possessed of a rich soil, and a surface not un- pleasant. The agriculture is superior to that of any township tiirough which we had passed. The inhabitants are accordingly wealthy and prosperous, as a traveller may easily discern by tke appearance of their buildings and- enclosures. Doctor Levi Willard, an inhabitant of Uxbridge, has, for a Kfies of yean, been engaged to a considerable extent in the melancholy, but useful business, of restoring persons afflicted with delirium. In this employment he has had considerable success. One or more hospitals, for the reception of such nnhappy beings, would be a valuable acquisition to New- Bngland. Uxbridge was originally a part of Mendon ; and was incor- porated in 1727. In 1760, it contained 179 houses, and 1,908 inhabitants ; in 1800, 1,404 mhabitants ; and, in 1810, 1,404. An iron mine of some value is wrought near its south- western border. Douglas is an unusually rocky, unpleasant spot of ground ; Ob which, however, a considerable number of people appear to gain a comfortable living. Man must, indeed, earn his bread here with the sweat of his brow. The inhabitants must, 1 think, be eminently industrious, for neither their houses nor their church wear the marks of penury. In the south-western part of this township is a large tract of forest, known by the name of the Douglas Woods. The trees, which are of oak, chesnut,8cc. are of moderate size, and prove the soil to be indifferent. In the year 1805, when I passed dvough this region again, I perceived that the inhabitants had faegn to make wawm depredations on this traet. European 1S4 40URNBY TO P&OVINCB TOWN. travellers frequently express their dissatisfaction, at seeing m considerable a part of this country, even where we think i populous, covered with groves and forests. This, undoubted!} is the result of their habits ; in other words, the countries i which they have lived are in a less degree covered with wood My own taste and wishes are directly opposed to theirs, for i our ancient settlements I never see a grove cut down, nor forest converted into fields, without regret. The tracts on th eastern coast of Massachusetts are, to my eye, sensibly lei pleasant, on account of their naked appearance. Many grovei and those of considerable size, might be planted betwea Boston and Newburyport, with not a little advantage to th< aspect of the country. Douglas was incorporated in 1746; and contained, in 1790 165 houses, and 1,079 inhabitants ; in 1800, 164 houses, smi 1,083 inhabitants ; and, in 1810, 1,142. The three last-mentioned towns are in the county of Wer cester. All those which I have mentioned after Hingham and which have been described on this journey, are in Um county of Norfolk. Douglas borders southward and westward on the stati of Connecticut ; and is also partly bounded on the south, to* gether with the two preceding townships, by the state o Bhode-Island. Thompson is the north-eastern comer of Connecticut. TIm eastern part of this township has a light soil. The nativi growth is composed of pines. The surface is alternated witl plains and hills, which are small, round knolls. These are le plenished with stones, firom the size of pebbles to the diameta of a foot, all of them rounded as if heretofore washed fori long time by a mass of superincumbent water. Wheretei I have found a surface formed of such knolls, the stones, ai far as I remember, have uniformly answered this desoriptioB I do not recollect, that I ever met with an angular stone bi such grounds, unless when it had been recently broken. As we advanced farther westmard, the hills, the soil,, and die forests, in this township, were speedily and essential^ changed. The soil became a rich loam ; the groves a ooUdotkn of fine thrifty oaks, &c. ; the hills were lofitier and more irte- golav, and a ganeral appearance erf* proqieiity ovjnpreai Ai BBAUTIK8 OP THB QUINIBAUG. 125 country. The houses in the eastern division are small, and of one story ; but generally neat, appearing as if the inhabitants liad made the best of their circumstances. With the change <rf the soil the houses were changed proportionally, in their ^ixe aod appearance. There are three churches in Thompson, a Methodist, ^«rhich is small ; a Baptist, small also ; and a Presbyterian^ large, decent, and surrounded by a well-built village. The -xeai of the township is distributed into farms. In the year T1790, Thompson contained 2,267 inhabitants ; in 1800, 2,341 ; snd, in 1810, 2,467. Pomfret is a beautiful township, lying principally on the west »de of the Quinibaug, south of Woodstock, south-west of "Hiompflon, and west of Killingly. This fiver rises in Sturbridge, in the county of Worcester, in a small lake, called Lead Ore Pond. Thence it passes throagh Holland, the south-east comer of the county of Hamp- sUie, and enters Union, in the state of Connecticut Here, iritk an accumulation of waters, it commences a north-western course, and, entering Massachusetts again, passes through a pot of Brimfield, whence it recrosses Holland and Sturbridge, coming within a little more than a mile of its head-waters. From Sturbridge it proceeds to Woodstock in Connecticut, thence to Thompson, and, separating Pomfret, Brooklyn, Canteriiary, liabon, Norwich, MontviUe, and New-London, on the west, from Killingly, Plainfield, Preston, and Groton, OB die east, enters the Sound at New-London. Its whole kigth is from ninety to one hundred miles. I have mentioned, tfad at Nonrioh it joins the Shetucket, and that the united stream is oaUed the Thames. This ia a beantifril stream. Its waters are everywhere pure, neet, aahibiious, and well stocked with fish, and its bed is dean nod or gravel. It m asppoaed to be capable of being rendered navigable for boats ai fiur as Woodstook, with no other serious difficulty, eka^ what aiiaea from its length. A project for this purpose hs been foiMed, and will hereafter, perhaps, be carried into The Qnifiihmiy, taua liabon almost to its source, is gene- idf VmdA mOk hMdaonw intervals. From Aese die oounlry 126 JOUBNBY TO PROVINCfi TOWN. rises on both sides, with erer-Tarying gradations, into hills of every form, and of heights, changing from the small knoll to the lofty eminence. No country of any considerable extent, which has fallen under my eye, when unaided by mountains, large rivers, lakes, or tbe^cean, can be compared with this (on the beauty of its scenery. The Terdure, which here overspreads a great part of ttie whole region, is of the finest tint, and produces the most cheerful sense of fruitfulness, plenty, and prosperity. Trees, remarkable for the straightness and tbriftiness of their stems, the length and beauty of their boughs ntd branches, and, wherever of sufficient age, for their height also, whether standing single, in groves, or in extensive forests, variegate, the slopes and vallies, and cover the summits of the hills. Handsomei groves, it is presumed, cannot be found. Orchards, also, everywhere meet the eye. Herds of cattle are seen grasing the rich pastures, or quietly ruminatittg in the shade. Neal farm-houses, standing on the hills; a succession of prettj Yittages, with their churches omamented with steeples, nvosl of them white, and therefore cheerful and brilliant, lend the last touches of art to a picture, so finely drawn by fte band of nature. From many eminences, bordering the valley of the Qtiini- baug, extensive and very inviting views may be taken of ^bk country. In a few instances the summits of the hills are r^e, rocky, and of a steep ascent, a circumstance which adds a sufl- able variety to the scenery, so generally soft and elegant The river, it ought to be added, winds its course between #« intervals which form its banks, fringed with wiBow shniMberf, and at times ornamented with stately trees. Hie fiurmers, throughout this tract, are more gettendly wealthy than those of any other part of Connectiettt. Theii farms are chiefly devoted to grazing ; and Aeir dairies, it h believed, are snperior to any others spreading over the same e:Lt&ttt of cotmtry in the United States. The largest dairy, within mj knowledge, is that of Major D^nfel Ptatn^ttn, soff xA ^be late Major €renerid Putnam, so distingimhed in Amerieatt history for his military character and achievements. Tbtt geudeman fives in Brooklyn. The cheese made iet thfirre- gioff is* net exeellied by any onr fhb side of the Atlfflfib, md BXCBLLBNCB OP BROOKI^YN CHBKSE. 127 pot ofteD by the best English cheese imported into this coun- try. Mr. Matthewson, who received in Philadelphia a gold medal, for producing in the market five hundred weight of cheese, equal to the very best English cheese, according to a proposal published by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Agriculture in that city, is an inhabitant of Brook- lyn, and may be considered justly as having materially im- proved the art of cheese-making among his neighbours. Of the townships iu this region, Pomfret is to my eye one of the most beautiful. The hills are universally arched ob- tttiely from north to south, with a narrower arch from east to vest, and in both cases remariLably exact, and regularly ekgant J^closores of stone, which in many instances are very good, especially those lately made, often describe, as they bend over the hills, what appears to the eye the perfect arch of a circle. Pomfret contains a pretty village, lying partly on this road, sod partly on the Norwich road, which joins it at right-angles. The inhabitants are principally a collection of sober, industrious farmers. The township is divided into two parishes, Pomfret and Abington. In 1756, when it included Thompson, the ouniber of its inhabitants was 1,727, blacks 50; in 1774, Xaoe, blacks 65 ; in 1790, 1768; in 1800, Pomfret contained 1.802; and, in 1810, 1,905. We were detained at Pomfret by rain until Friday, October 16th, when we set ont for Hartford, and passing through ish&rd, the skirts of Mansfield, Willington, and Coventry, and then through Bolton and East-Hartford, we arrived at Hartford in the evening : forty-two miles. The cQuntry, after we left Pomfret, wore one general as- pect, until we descended the hills of Bolton into the Connecti- est valltty.. The hills are the Lyme range, and are every- where Ugh, and, together with the vallies» are rough and rocky, with the exception, however,, of some softer scenery aloMig WtUimantic river, iihich crosses die road on the eastern boondary of the county of Tolland, and on the western boun- dny of Mansfield. The road passes through the centre ci jUUoid. mad of Bolton. In each of these townships there isa viUaga» The soil of the na^^oft between Pomfinet and 19B JOURMBY TO PROVINCB TOWN. Bolton is generally cold, but is tolerably good grazing gronndi; That of Bolton is better. Many of the houses on this road are good farmers* dwellings. The prospects from the hi^ grounds are extensive, but neither diversified nor handsome. There is, however, a noble view from the western declivity ol the Bolton hills, over the second great expansion of the Coa- necticut valley, substantially the same with that from the hilh in ToUand, formerly described. Ashford contained, in 1756, 1,346 ; in 1774, 2,243; u 1790, 2,588; in 1800, 2,445; and, in 1810, 2,532 inh^ bitants. Mansfield contained, in 1756, 1,614 ; in 1774 2,466 ; in 1790, 2,685; in 1800, 2,560; and, in 1810, 2,570 inhabitants. Coventry contained, in 1756, 1,635 ; in 1774^ 2,066; in 1790, 2,130 ; in 1800, 2,130; and, in 1810, 1,988 inhabitants. .Bolton contained, in 1766, 766; in 1774, 1,001; in 1790, 1,293; in 1800, 1,452; and, in 1810, 700 inb». bitants. Willington contained, in 1766, 650 ; in 1774, 1,001 ; in 1790, 1,212; in 1800, 1,278 ; and, in 1810, 1,161 inha- bitants. Between the two last periods Vernon was taken frooi Bolton. 'Ashford and Mansfield are in the county of Windhni (, Bolton, Coventry, and Willington, in the county of Tolland. Willington contains one parish, Coventry three, B<4tM two, Mansfield two, and Ashford three, and two Baptist cob* gregations. tin Mansfield both wool and silk are manufactured in com- derable quantities. Silk is converted into sewing silk, and iB this state is carried to the market. It is inferior to none which is imported. The wool is made into flannel. The passage from the Bolton hills into the Connecticut valley is a curiosity. A gap, formed perhaps at the deluge, or at some subsequent convulsion, exhibits a sudden and violent separation of the westernmost ridge. In the Lyme range, on the north side, a perpendicular precipice almost im- mediately overhangs the road. At the foot lies a collection of rocks, tumbled from the summit and sides ; some of them large, and, by the confusion in which they were thrown toge- ther, strongly suggesting to the imagination, that they were shaken off by an earthquake. Several others appeared as if GAP IK THB BOLTON HILL8. 139 thej w»e prepared to take tbe same leap. One particularly juts oat 8o far, and is so nearly dislodged from the summit, as 'to seem waiting only for a signal to plunge, at any moment, into tlie Talley beneath. Few traTeller»*fail to take notice of this passage. The dle»ent is easy, and^bt this spot, highly romantic. The con^ xBoikpeoplii, with that direct good sense for which they are so often distinguished, familiarly remark, that Providence made 'tins gjiEip.oA purpose to ffamish a passage firom the hills into the eountry below. It is extensively true, that the objects foaad in this world were made with a particular reference to the most important purposes which they are seen to accom- fGsL For the Creiator intended, not only to accomplish such yaxfoieSf but to make Aem visible to us as proofs of his wis- don and goodness. The end here suggested is of more im- jwrtaaee dian we are able to estimate. Had not a passage 1)Mn famished by this gap between the countries eastward tal westward, every traveller, to the number of several thou- nnds annually, would have been obliged to climb a steep and dificalt aecHvity. Horsed would . have . grained the summit vith extreme difficulty, and carriages could scarcely have g^ked k at-aO. The descpsnt would have been little more oon- Tenittit, while it would have heeai obviousfy less safe. Tbe IUerenee between these two cases, during a course of centn- rieiybeoeaies incalculably greats and present^ an object of suf* fieient importance to be considered, without any irreverence, a» not beneath the r^ard of that Being, by whom ii inferior wants of nuuikind are amply supplied. I am. Sir, &c. jL- ^OL. III. LETTER XV. Brooklyn. Mt^ofOtntral Ptttnam» CaHterbury, > Dear Sir; In the year 1805 1 made a jonniej to Boston, ai^ccuD ptoied by Mr. M— -^ , of Norfolk, in Vii^^inia. On. op return we came through Providence to Plainfield, and tbeno through Canterbury to Brooklyn ; whence, returning to CSan terbmry again, we passed Windham, and a skirt of Coventi^ Ip Bolton. Brooklyn is a beautiful township on the western side of ik Quinibaug. The soil is excellent, the cultivation good, th houses generally well built, and the inhabitants in (urospermi circumstances. The town is neat and pretty, and its sitnatiai handsome. In Brooklyn lived the Honourable Israel Putnam, for 8<MP years before his death the oldest Major-Greneral in the anaie of the United States. As General Humphreys has given ^ public a particular and interesting account of the life of thi gentleman, I shall pass over it with a few summary obsei vations. General Putnam was bom at Salem, Massachusetts, ja nuary 7th, 1718. With only the advantages of a domesti education, in a plain farmer's family, and the usual instmctioi of a common parish school, he raised himself from the ma nagement of a farm to the command of a regiment in this ka Canadian war, and, in the revolutionary war, to the seconi command in the armies of the United States. To these sta tions he rose solely by his own efforts, directed steadily to th* benefit of his country, and with the cheerful as well as unilei suffrages of his coimtxymen. Every employment, in which he engaged, he filled witi reputation. In the private circles of life, as a husband MAJOU GBNBBAL PUTNAII. 181 father, friend, and companion, he was alike respected and be- loved. In his liiailnetv, though somewhat more direct and blnnt than most persons who hare received an early polished ednca- tioD, he was gentlemanly and very agreeable. In hiis dis- position he was sincere, tender-hearted, generous, and noble* It is not known that the passion of fear ever found a place in liis breast. His word was regarded as an ample security for any thing for which it was pledged, and his uprightness com- manded absolute confidence. His intellect was vigorous, and his wit pungent, yet pleasant and sportive. The principal part of his improvements was, however, derived from his own ob- servation, and his Correspondence mA. the affairs of men. During the gayest and most thoughtless period of his life he ftfll r^arded religion with profound reverence, and read the Scriptores with the deepest veneration. On the public wor- diip of God he was a regular and very respectful attendant. In the decline of life he publicly professed the religion of the Gospel, and in the opinion of the respectable clergyman of Brooklyn, the Rev. Dr. Whitney, from whose mouth I received Ike infonnation, died hopeffaUy a Christian. It is not so extensively known, as it ought to be, that General Putnam commanded the American forces at the battle of fteed's hill, and that to his courage and conduct the United States are particularly indebted for the advantages of that diy ; one of die mbst brilliant in the anrials of this country *. * Tbe iukUmiogu a note to the Rev. Dr. Whitney's Sermon on the death ofGeoend Putnam. " The frieeds of the late General Putnam feel themselves not a little cbfiged to his worthy and respectable biographer, for giving to the public the <tfing)Hisiiing features in the General's character, and the memorable ac- tiMM €f hli lile, yet wnh that a more perfect and just account had been ni cb* battle oa Banker's Hill, so far as General Putnam was con- miL In pafs 107 of his life are the following words, * Tbe pro- gepenls baring received advice* that the British commander in chief to take possession of the heights on the peninsula of Charlestown* a tboosand men in the n%ht of the 16th of June, under the orders Wanen, to entrench themselves upon one of those eminences ;* llOthf * In thb battle the presence and example of General who arrived .with the reinforcement, were not less conspicdoin FvoHi the first of tb«e patsagas the reader is led to conclude^ that tbe de» tadMaaat wee inl put nnder the orders of General Warren : from the coad that Otneial Potnam came to General Warren's aid with a k3 188 JeURMBY TO PROVINCE TOWN. G«neral Putnam was interred in the cemeter]^ at Br lyn. On his monument is engraYed, with some triflinj terations, made merely to consult the capacity of the stone following inscription : " This monument Is erected to the memory of The Honourable Israel Putnam, Esq. Major-Greneral in the armies of The United States of America ; Who was born at Salem, In the province of Massachusetts, On the 7th day of January, 1718 ; And died at Brooklyn, In the state of Connecticut, On the 29th day of May, A. D. 1790. Passenger, If thou art a soldier. Go not away Till thou hast dropped a tear Over the dust of a hero. Who, Ever tenderly attentive To the lives and happiness of his men, Dared to lead Where any one dared to follow. ment. The true state of the case was this. The detachment at fifst wttSfMK under the command of General Putnam. With it he took poMession 6#llke hill, and ordered the battle from the beginning to the end. OenenJ Wi^ ren (one of the most illustrious patriots) arrived alone on the MU, and'to't ▼olanteer joined the Americans just as the action commenced ; and- fVJdiin half an hour received a mortal wound, while he was waxing valiant i» brtde, and soon expired. These facts General Putnam himself gave me aoott^iiAer the battle, and also repeated them to me after his life was printed. Calb- uel Humphries, in page 109th, justly observes, ^ Few instances can be)MR>- duced ill the annals of mankind where soldiers, who had never belbre faced an enemy, or heard the whistling of a ball, behaved with such delibeMte and persevering valour.* The General, who encouraged and animated tbem by his words and example to prodigies of bravery, is highly to be honoored, and the praise not given to another, however meritorious in odier reapetito. Other evidence, to confirm what I have said here, I am ahle to produee if any should call for it.'' CHARACTBR OP 6BNBRAL FUTMAM. UJB If thou art a Patriot, Remember with gratitude How much thou and thy Country Owe to the disinterested and gallant exertions Of the Patriot, Who sleeps beneath this marble. If thou art an honest, generous, and worthy man. Render a sincere and cheerful tribute of respect To a Man, Whose generosity W9S singular ; Whose honesty was proverbial ; And Who, With a slender education. With small advantages, And without Powerful Friends, Raised himself to universal esteem, And to Offices of eminent distinction, By Personal worth, And by the diligent services of a Useful life*. * The foUowiiig accoont of General Putnam's character, given by Dr. ^^^^itoej ID the sermon above-mentioned, cannot fail of giving pleasure to ^/neodsy and to multitudet of others by whom ho was unknown. ^He was emineDdy a person of a public spirit, an unshaken friend to wty, and was pioof agininst attempts to induce him to betray and desert V couDtiy. The baits to do so were rejected with the utmost abhorrence. fie was of a kindy benevolent disposition, pitiful to the distressed, chari- Ma to the needy, and ready to assist all who wanted his help. In his ^hidy he was the tender, aflfectionate husband, the provident father, an of indastry and close application to business. He was a constant apon the public worship of God from his youth up. He brought kis hmdy with him when he came to worship the Lord. He was not ■ihiaed of fiuaily leligpoo : his house was a house of prayer. For many years ht was • professor of religion. In the last years of his life he often ex- pMiiBd a Kraat regard for God and the things of God. There is one at least IB wboai he fiaelj disclosed the workings of liis mind — his conviction of «V las grief for ity his dependence on God through the Redeemer for pardon, las hope of a future happy existence whenever hb strength and heart fiul him. This one makes mention of these things for the satisfac- lioaaadooiiifiMt of his children and friends, and can add, that being with the a litde before he died, he asked him, whether his hope of future VH 4011 RN£Y TO PROVIHGR TQWH. There are two congregations in Brooklyn ; a Presbyterian and an Episcopal. The latter is small In 1790> this lownr sUp contained 1,328 inhahitants; in 1800» 1»202; and, in 1810, 1,900. Canterbury lies immediately south of Brooklyn. The town is pretty and well-built, around a very neat church, and a handsome academy. Its situation is a pleasant, rising ground, on the western side of the Quinibaug ; but rather rough ; and the streets are very irregular. The people of this town were long without a clergyman* It is hardly necessary to add, that they experienced the usual consequences of this misfortune ; the want of harmony, and the declension of morals. Possessed of a beautiful country, and of a soil scarcely inferior to any in New-England, with aSl the bounties of Providence emptied into their lap, tliey were still destitute of some of the best blessings, and Bn£- feted some of the most serious evils*. Canterbury is divided into two parishes. The number oF inhabitants, in 1756, was 1,280; in 1774, 2,444, blades 52; in 1790, 1,881; in 1800, 1,812; and, in 1810, 1,812. A part of this township is supposed to have been taken off since the year 1774. The western parish of Canterbury is both less beautiful and less fertile, bqf more united, peiiceful, and happy. Scotland, the eastern parish of Windham, lies immediuto^ west of Canterbury, and is composed of an interchange of hiUs and rallies. The hills are of considerable height, and hand- some. Every thing here wears the aspect of fertility and ttiiift, of industry, sobriety, and good order. A strong imagQ of peaceful, agricultural life, is presented by this pariah.to the eye of a traveller. It is whoUy made up of scalteiied plimtations. The township of Windham is bounded eastward on CanteN bury, northward on Hampton, southward on Lisbon and la- happineBS, as formerly expressed, tiow attended him. His answer was iu tha affirmative ; with a declaration of bis resignation to the will of God, aad his willingness even then to die.*' * The inhabitants of Canterbury have within a few yean settled a re- spectable clergyman, and there is some reason to hope that hb ministry in thn town will be continued. rmsamir MAT! 09 wiiidhaii. UA wettward oo ManiflekL Tlie fint {miiili u Mm- pooed on the east of hills and Tallies, and on the west is ott WLffinsive pUdn, borderiiig^ Shetuoket river. The former diVi- sioo is excellent land ; the latter is light, dry, and apparently fitted tow the predaotioB of gram; but it is said has hitherto raebted the elBEbacy of cnltmrey and disappointed the hopes of the koflixuidmaD. 'The town of Windham is bmlt partly on the western side, and partly at the foot of a hill. The houses are more ohis-' teied than those of most New-England villages in the interior. Some ef them are decent buildings; but there are many imarks of decay in diflTereat parts of this town» and many proofs e# Ae want of that thrift, so common in this country, and of Ae mdiwtry and prudence by which it is generated. Tiie public buildings are a church, an academy, a comt hoose, and a gaol : all of them decent. The spot iu which the first of these is posited bears not a little resemblance to a pound; and appears as if those, who pitched upon it, in- tended to shut the church out of the town, and the inhabitants oat of the church. Windham was settled in 1686 by some planters from Nor- wich ; and was incorporated in 1702. In 1756 it contained S,446 inhabitants, blacks 40 ; in 1774, 3,528, blacks 91 ; in 1790, 2,765; m 1800, 2,684; and, m 1810, 2,416. Since 1774 the township of Hampton, formerly one of its parishes, kas been taken from it. In 1800, both these townships con- tained 4,013 inhabitants, blacks 99 ; and, ia 1810, 3,690. We dined at Windham, and in Ihe afternoon pursued our course along the Shetucket, and after crossing the Natchaug, one of its branches, in the western part of this township, ascended for several miles another branch of the same stream^ viz. the Willimantic, mentioned above. Then ascending the hiBs in Coventry, we speedily rejoined our former road, near the borders of Bolton. The country along these rivers is most of it pleasant. The valley is prettily bottomed with iatervals. The hills, on the eastern side, are rou^, barren^ and dismal ; but those on the western present an extensive slope, covered with fine farms and lofty groves, and set with a considerable number of good fanners' houses, apparently the seats of comfort and prosperity. )86 ^OURNBT TO PROyiNGE TOWN. We lodged at BoltoD, and the next morning proceeded to Hartford. The lands below the gap, mentioned above, dope insensibly for several miles, until they reach the plain. They are formed to a great extent of earth, deeply red, and ratiber dry. Until lately they were esteemed of very little value ; and the proprietors were poor and unenterprising. The adoption of a better husbandry has, however, totally changed both this opinion and the circumstances of the owners. By the use of gypsum, and other manures, they have been covered with rich harvests, and converted into beautiful meadows and pastures. Few farmers in the state appear to be advancing more evi- dently or more rapidly towards the attainment of wealth. The rest of the country on this road I have described else- where ; and shall only add, that my companions and myself, in both of these journies, arrived at New-Haven the day fol- lowing that on which we reached Hartford. I am. Sir, 8cc. JOURNEY TO WHITESTOWN. LETTER L Journey io New-Lebanon. Shakers. Dbar Sia ; On Tuesday, September 19, 1799, I set out, in crompaoy with Mr. W. S. H.— — -, of Charleston, S. C« on St joomey to the western parts of the state of New-YcM-k, and the same day to Litchfield. The next day we proceeded, company with the Rev. Mr. Backus, of Bethlem, to Sheffield. *^K7faursday we reached Stockbridge. Here we continued until *riday morning ; when Mr. Day, now professor of mathema- ics and natural philosophy in Yale college, and Mr. C , f South-Carolina, joined us from Barrington, where they had detained by the rain of the preceding day. After break- tbe whole company rode to New-Lebanon to dinner. As e crossed the Taghkannuc range, we were presented with delightful prospect of the beautiful valley which wears that From thb height the traveller casts his eye over a seoop, five or six miles in extent, having the fine figiure of an obtuse arch inverted, filled with an uninterrupted succession of farms, highly cultivated, and covered with the most luxuriant vegetation. On these farms many good houses are erected, and every thing wears the appearance of cheerfulness and prosperity. In our way to the spring, to be mentioned here- after, we passed a village of the Shakers, or Shaking Quakers. It consists of a small number of houses, moderately well-built, and kept, both within and without doors, in a manner very creditable to the occupants. Every thing about them was dean and tidy. Their church, a plain but neat building, had aconrt-yaid belonging to it, which was a remarkably " smooth 188 JOURNBY TO WHITBtTOWN. shayen green.'' Two paths led to it from a neighboiiriBg bouse, both paved with marble slabs. By these, I was !■• formed, the men enter one end of the church, and the women the other. Even their stables, the fences which sarromid their fields, and the road whieh passes tfirou|^ lihdr vilkge, are all uncommonly neat The history of these people has, in a summary manner, been published by themselyes, in an octavo volume, entitled " The Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing;" the preface te which is subscribed by David Darrow, John Meacham, and Benjamin S. Youngs. It is supposed to have been written by a man, whose name is Wells ; who is said to have been educated to some extent, I know not how great, in learning and science. In the introduction of this work we are infonHied, that ** a few of the French prophets came over to England, about the year 1706. A few of tfie people" who became, H would seem, ultimately their followers, at Bolton and Man' ehester, in Ei^land, united themselves '' in a society, under the special ministry of James and Jane Wardley." These persons were both tailors by occupation, and of the sect oi Quakers ; ** but, receiving the spirit of the French prophets, their testimony, according to what they saw by vision and re* velation from Grod, was, that the second appearing of Cfarisi was at hand ; and that the church was rising in her frill anfl transcendant glory, which would effect the final downfal td Antichrist" Tlie meetings of these people were held aker- nately in Bolton and Manchester, and sometimes in Maytn^ town. The manner of public devotion practised by them at ttiese places was the following: ** Sometimes, after assembling together, and sitting awhile in silent meditation, they were taken with a mighty trembling, under which they would ex- press the indignation of Grod against all sin. At other tioM they were affected, under the power of God, with a miglity shaking ; and were occasionally exercised in singing, AoQtiiigi or walking the floor, under the influence of spiritual tigOM, shoving each other about, or swiftly passing and repassing each other, like clouds agitated by a mighty wind. From tbese strange exercises the people received the name of Shakers. '' The work which God promised to accomplish in Ae latter day," diey say, ** was eminently marked out by the proplieti ▲GOOUNT OF ANNA LBK. IgQ Id be a w<urk of thakiiig ; and hence the name was very pr»-> periy applied to the people, who were both the subjects and instmments of the wori^ of God in the latter day.'' In con- fiimation of this opinion they quote a number of texts, which have no apfriication to the subject, except that they contain the word " shake." If jthe first yerse in the first book of Chroniclea had contained that word, it mig^t have been alleged widi exaetly the same propriety. Among them is the passage, Haggai li, 1, ** I will shake all nations, and the desire of all BBtions shall come ;" a prediction, which they suppose began Id be fulfilled at this period. *' The efiects of Christ's firat appearing," they obserre, " were far from fulfilling the pro- ■ises contained in the passages alluded to, in their full extent Neither was the appearing of Christ, in the form of a man, so prupeily ' the derire of all nations ;' but bis second appear- isg," they sqr, '' was to be manifested in that particular object, vonan^ which is eminently the desire of all nations." About the year 1770, we are informed, that '* the present testimony of salvation and eternal life was fully opened, ao*- oording to the special gift and revelation of God, throngfa Anne Lee, that extraordinary woman, who at that time was Teeeiwed by their society as their spiritual Mother." TUa ^voman was bom at Manchester, in England. Her father, John Lee, was a blacksmith. Her husband, Abraham Stanley, '^ras also a blacksmith. She was a cutter of hatter^s fur. About the year 1758 she joined herself to the society of Shakers ; *' and there, by her perfect obedience to aU that ahe was taught, attained to the full knowledge and experience of thoae who stood in the foremost fight." Still, it seems, ** finding in herself the seeds or remains of human depravity; aad a lack of the divine nature, she was frequently in such ertwnne i^pony of soul, that, clinching her hands together, the blood would flow tiffoogh the pores of her skin." At length, hawmwmtp she received, by special and immediate revelatioB fias €hkU flbe tastimony of God against the whole corruption ofBMninan. From ^ the light and power of God which attended her niaistiy, she was received and acknowledged as the Sni nsthsr, or apiritiial parent, in tiie line of the female ; and the in the covenant of life, according to the present 140 JOURNBY TO WHlTfiSTOWN. display of the Gospel." This has been her only title amoB her followers to the present day. To such as addressed her by the customary titles used b the world, she would reply, " I am Anne, the Word." On would scarcely have imagined, that this blasphemous arrogatio could have met with countenance from (iny inhabitant, hon ever degraded, either of Great Britain or the United State After having been imprisoned in England, and confined in mad-house, she set sail for America, in the spring of 1774 with a number of her followers ; particularly Abraham Stank her husband, William Lee her brother, James Whitaker, an John Hocknell, and arrived at New-York the foUowin August. During the voyage the ship sprang a leak. Whe tiie seamen were nearly wearied out, Mather and her con panions put their hands to the pumps, and thus prevented th ship from sinking. From this circumstance, plain intimatioi are given, that their working at the pumps was somethin supernatural. Mother remained in New-York, as we are ii formed, almost two years. She then went to Albany, an thence, in the following September, to Nisqueuna. In 178 Ae began a progress through various parts of the coimtr particularly of New-England, which lasted, we are told, abot two years and four months. The following year, " havin finished the work which was given her to do, she was take out of their sight," t. e. the sight of the believers, " in tl ordinary way of all living, at Water Vliet, on the eighth ds of the ninth month.*' In honest English, she died. Since the death of Mother, the afiairs of the society haii been under the management of several successive persons, c whom the leading gift in the visible administration has d< scended. This woman has laboured under very serious imputatioa In a book, published by a Mr. Bathbone, he mentions that h had found her and one of these elders in very suspicious ci cumstances. She professed that she was inspired ; that A carried on a continual intercourse with the invisible world, an talked familiarly with angels. She predicted, in the bolde terms, that the world would be destroyed at a given time : I remember right, the year 1783. During the interval In tween the prophecy and its expected fulfilment, she direote DOGTItlNKS OP THE 8HAKBRS. 141 tfaem to cease from their common occupations. The direction was implicitly obeyed. As the earth, however, presented n* appearances of dissolution, and the skies no signs of a confla- gration, it was discovered that the prophecy had been mi»- calcolaled, and her followers were ordered again to their employments. From that period they have been eminently indostrioiis. She also professed that she was able to worii miracles, and that she was endued with the power of speaking with tongues, in the manner recorded of the apostles. Pretensions to miraculous powers, at this period, excite not only in persons of intdEgence, but in most men of sober thought, indignatioin or contempt. In ignorant persons, especially those who have warm feelings and lively imaginations, they awaken wonder, alarm, and ultimately confidence. With the aid of a cunning, which leveb its efibrts directly at their degree of understanding, a ready, voluble eloquence, and a solemn air of mystery, such pretenders have usually made considerable impressions on peiw sons of this character. Among those who assembled to hear lier teach, she persuaded a small number to admit her preten- sions, the sanctity of her character, and the reality of her mis- sion from Grod. To these people she appears to have taught a doubtful reverence for the Bible, blended with a superior veneration for her own dictates. Wherever it sanctioned, or was supposed to sanction her own instructions, she seems to have appealed to it with readiness, as to conclusive authority. Such is evidently the conduct of her followers : but wherever it directly opposes their system, and conveys a meaning which rejects every equivocal comment, they pass it by in silence. To enthusiasts of all countries and nations, mystery has been the universal, as well as absolutely necessary resort in every difficulty ; and the trick, though almost endlessly exposed, is still played off with the same success. Of the doctrines received by her followers, besides thoie which are either expressed or implied in the preceding para- graph, the following appear to be among the principal : That Christ has appeared a second time in Anne Lee : that those who follow her, and they alone, understand the nature and law of God. They say, that " the throne of God was never fiOed by one alone ; that wisdom was the helpmeet of the us JOURNBY TO WHIT£8TOWIf. Falker, and held the place of the mothet** and that by thei^ two the creation was made ;" that the corruption of man is te attachment between the sexes; and that Christ was conoeiwd by the Holy Ghost, not by the power of the Holy Ghost, and proved his heavenly descent by a spirit of ceKbacy • The tntth^ they say, was kept nndefiled for four hundred years by the true church, till Antichrist began his reign ; which, Aey infbrni us, has lasted iq>wards of thirteen hundred years. During this period, they say^ the mysterious three-fold God trod the troth under foot { but even during this period a few righteous^ per* secuted persons adored the everlasting Two. Christ, they say^ first appeared in the Son; but, before this, the Anoint&ig Power, which constituted Christ, dwelt in the Eternal Woid, which was communicated to the patiiarchs and prophets by the ministry of angels. In the same manner was the Holy Ghost given unto the apostles and true witnesses, as a spirk of promise, until the substance should be revealed and made known by the actual existence of the daughter in Christ's second appearing. They further say, that as in the fbhiess of time the Spirit of God descended, and abode in the Son, in whom dwelt the fulness of the Deity pertaining to man's re^ demption, so also in the fulness of time the Holy Ghost dc*- scended, and took up her abode in the daughter, in and- by whom, united in a correspondent relation to the Son, the per- fection of order in the Deity was made known, and ihe mystety of God finished, pertaining to the foundation of man's redenip- tion. This daughter they call the anointed one, the seoMd henr, a virgin soul, a modier pure and undefiled ; and they say, that the Holy Ghost did bear the same pure virgin, who wart the wife of a blacksmith, and the mother of four children, wh^ grew up in the same fallen nature with the rest of mankind, and who, after having perfectly obeyed, tot a length of tiffilf^ all that she was taught, yet found in herself the seed or vti^ mains of human depravity to such a degree, that for about the term of nine years she frequently clinched her hands togetfidT, and the blood flowed through the pores of her skin. The book, in which these extraordinary things are contained, informs us further, that the name Holy Gliost expl^ses thfe substance, not the order, of the mother : that by whaieif6ir ntime the Holy Ohast was called, under the dispensations DOOTRIMBS OP THE SHA&KR8. 148 wfaick pfeeeded ber revelatioii* $he is unchangeably one with tke Faiker ; and, tbat the Fatiier it repealed by the Soii» and tiki Bother by the daughter. The book is diTided into eight parts: four parts of which^ togedier with many passages in other parts, are emfdoyed in niling at Tarioos classes of Christians, particulariy those who ha? e been generally denominated orthodox, both in ancient ifld modem times. For those, who haye been denominated heietiGS^. they appear to entertain much charity, particularly for the Maaicheans. The style of the work is grave, remark- lUy abatraot and mysterious ; and the doctrines, taken toge* tkar» a siiigQlar combination of mysticism* The spirit with vUoh it ia written is vain, arrogant, and self-righteous, without a parallel. The opinions, it is hardly necessary to observe, tte not meiely weak and silly, but monstrous beyond any modem example, and appear to transport the reader to Mani- ebean ground. Yet the writer discovers, in several req>ectB, a cooaidemble degree of shrewdness, and often evades a diffi- onlty in an ingenious manner. The scheme appears plainly to bave been made up by minds of a very different texture from Xhat of the writer. Materials were furnished by others, and lie has put them together in the best manner he was able. The Scriptnres he has distorted in every form, and often with Ae fpmeeeii violence, to given seeming consistency to the system, «nd he has nasacked ecclesiastical history, particulariy ** The Eodesiastieal Researches of Robinson," for examples of gross esndnet in individuals, with which he loads the character of orthodox Christians without discrimination. Were he as able to exert power as to deal in obloquy, there is little reason to doabt* tiwt he would renew the persecution of which he sd bitterly eompkuns. From the peculiar opinion which these people, hold Goneemmg human depravity, they forbid, as yo« vmU natnraDy oonjectnre, the cohabitation of husbands and viv«a» Their chuieh is, of course, to be supplied with all ita teiire asemben, either by the voluntary accession of adults, or \j chiUien adopted from the fieunilies of others, or from what they emphntif ally call the worid. Their property is in common ilioekt and* together with Ihdr religious concerns, under the aqMnrteodenoe of their leaders. WIhb Mather ooaaienced her exhortations at Nisquenna, 144 iOVRMBY TO WHITB8T0WN. the extraordinary nature of her pret^iaionSy the noTeliy of her doctrmes, and the zeal and confidence with which she urged them, soon became objects of attention. A iuuiiip0Kf||£|pQpple were allured tp this spot by cariosity, others w<i»^ • — * •" enthusiasm and religious expectation, if I ma^ phrase; an indefinite apprehension, that son x^ligioDy something peculiarly important, some the spirit of wonder could fasten, something better satisfy th^ own wishes, than any thing % j^Hmd elsewhere, might be derived from the i ^uine Lee* Out of this class she soon gainm adherents from various parts of the country. « bM their farms, and transported themselves and tp.Nisqneuna, where they were joined by othen fiurms to sell. Such of her disciples as were le found a removal too inconvenient, visited Nisqm seasons. On those occasions they showed that enemies to good eating and drinking, for they ^ efvexy where to load their sleighs and waggons^ Igxpensive as this was to those who had propert If as convenient to those who had none. . J)unqg . the season of leisure, which was fum approaching destruction of the world. Mother ma tllrough various parts of the country, which, it. lasted about two years and four months. In this q is said. tp have collected from her followers all epr-ringSy and other ornaments, which were form^ gt^d, or gems. .Among, their other early peculiarities this Was on wj&re always under the immediate and inspiring tl|^. Spirit of Grod. The direction of this divine made known to them by an involuntary extension aivn^ pointing always towards some object, or bush though absolutely unknown to themselves, demaU' caft irom Heaven, their immediate attention. A actiuaintance, whose mind had always been wand had gone from sect to sect, to find one sufiicientl; and from doctrine to doctrine, to find a scheme suifieieHtlf:' rigwl.fbr^is own taste, ultimately attached himself to tfak fii^ ternity. .fA gentleman, at whose house he was wiAf- ACCOUNT OF THB SHAKBR8. 14ff 6tker oompany, asked him to drink some pimcb* He declined tke proposal, and said, that the Spirit did not move him to lirink punch, but to something else. In an instant his right arm was stretched out, and he arose and followed the direction. It led him out of the door, in a straight line, to a hog-trough, by the side of which he dropped upon his knees, and made a lieartT draught of the swill, with a number of pigs, who were itsgaiing themselves on the same beverage. Within a few years after die establishment was formed at 3(isqiieaDa, another was begun at New-Lebanon ; a third, as S have been told, at Jericho, in the county of Berkshire ; and ^1 fourth at Enfield, in Connecticut. There are, I believe, ^Mme other establishments of these people in this part of the ^American Union, and some others upon the Ohio. Each of m onder the administration of one or more individuals, possess what they call the leading gift. The head of the tfBoeiety in New-Lebanon, we were informed, is a Mr. Meacham^ #Toai Enfield, formerly a Baptist. The deportment of this vital is said to be like that of Mohammed, solemn, distant, and ■uyiterious, and perfectly fitted, therefore, to make reverential upressions on the minds of his adherents. Of theology, and ^wery thing else which is called knowledge, he must be very igtoonnit. from a very defective education. But he certainly «Mlt be allowed to manage his fraternity and their economical aftirs with skill and success. Under his direction, I was in- fomed, the society have acquired considerable and valuable PttMsnons ; consisting of good houses, and lands of the best ^vality, well enclosed and well cultivated. The members of tteftatemity are principfdiy fanners, gardeners, and mechanics, «id the basiBess of all is done in the neatest and most effectual NMer within their knowledge. Whenever they hear of an iU)Mteiiieiit in any business, pursued within their pale, they vegibriy possess themselves of it, if within their reach. Of ^Qane, whatever they do is well done, and whatever they offer itIlteBiaiketis in good reputation, and sold at a good price* AuHooi^ themselves they are said to be very harmonious and Usrty, and ia their treatment of others to be fieur, sincere, ^ tUigiiig. In seasons when the yellow fever has prevailed i> New Yoifc, they have distinguished themselves by very ^Wvahb and Kb«iai donations to the poor of that city. VOL. III. L ( Ii6 JOURNKY TO WHlTBft'^'OWK. ... . InocediUe aa it may-seanit one is temptedi from th9,m99mil /liiicerity of these people in other oases, to belieye them nfifne in the adctption of those mental vagaries ^ by .wbich> fii#yf4w 4istingi^shedjtsa religious society. They profets^* .andaDpear ^believe, that thfiy are . regularly inspircid. io^ .th^ir^Fornl^ that they are enabled to speak and t^ sing in .Ainkpp^ Ii9;^viage$; that they derive their sentiments^theu^ka^vf ledge* •their devotion, their unnatural actioas, and even thi^ir;ft,pi|^ <froin the same divine source, . , .>:•./ I • I was once detained*^ by a snow storm at an inn» in.CheqijMr fpee, a small village mentioned heretofore in the accpiiiit.,qf Springfield. . A considerable number of theae people weija nisb eompelled to stop at, the same house* As my cpmpaniQDji, apd myself had shojvi^ tiiem spme civility, tbey» in thi^irtiyn^ ^WJ^tp ifMi al80». and. became fmnk apd conm^nicatiye beyoB^ihf^ common custom. Onef of their considerable men WMfjif^ ^mit, at least one .who thought hipiself of ^his charibater* fipfl 1^ ipa(ssed with his companionSt as ,wq)1 a^ .with himself^, ififfr'f theologian of no commpn att^nment#. In.the. course. of. #{lQ|pg fOOqyersation, however, I. found him aoqu^mpt^ mtk thie. Bil^ jiiat as. parrots are acqoaiiyted with worda. Wimt hj^tlwciif^h^ ^kiiersv! only by .rote, and . without meaniog». end was .d§fltitajt9. f^ lysy .coherent views concerning relig^us subjeote,,|uiil^f#l9 ^urguments to support his opinions. At the same tUnp JiQiWW replenished, with spiritual pride and self-tfuffidenGgr^ and-wlmi 4ilir4)y pushed betook himself, like all other enthnwaM^ to idiflittgenuous methods, in order to avoid aokiioiwjbdf ingi^lMt thei was vanquished^ . .^a itii ■'<:. In tbek wofeh^^ these people sung kk What thef a^HML^ '4ff unknown language." It was a succession trf ipprnpaiti^g '^sounds, frequently repeated, half artioulated, and pjhithdr \jgottea by heait, foe they all uttered the same sounda<iiL;.9|io* lOession* The tune .with which they were at tbis.tiiBeiQiqJip^ nnM '* Nancy Dawson." . • #ii.,r!: h As I found by various trials that arguments wer^.loylr w^ffffk 4heir leader,; I determined to make an expcucivieiKt.-itfr Ifae (eflSoaoy of contempt, and was not .disappointed^ Jbi. .qpit^^fT' /hit professions, be felt the pungency of tins weaiMn mfaaUf * Jmim^jiV t763. t •'ohn Maaduun. AOOOUNT OF THK SHAKKRB. 147 '^rith otter men. From the moment that I appeared to lum. he laboured solicitoosly to obtain my favoarable opinion^ amd did not desist from his efforts nntil we finally parted. Here dao I learned, that these people attached a religions chamcter to modes of dress, and esteemed it criminal to hare dotlies made according to any existing fashion. In tiieir worship they practised many contortions of the body, ^md distortions of the countenance. The gesticulations of the "^omen were violent, and had been practised so often, and in maeh, a degree, as to have fixed their features in an imnatural ^KMition; made them goggle-eyed; suffused their eyes with Iriood ; covered their faces with a sickly paleness ; and made ^^heoi appear like persons just escaped, or rather just escaping^ ^nm a violent disease. The motions of the men were very WBoderale, and seemed rather to be condescendingly than ''^aineady made. These people confidently informed me, as a proof that their " iiatetnity possessed miraculous powers, that they had restored Ihs broken limb of a youth at that time living in Enfield. I - was soon after at Enfield, and was informed by some of the MpeetaUe inhabitants, that the friends of this youth, who weie Shakers, had bees induced, by the importuuities of their kethren, to trust his cure to their prayers, instead of com- ■irting him, as they intended, to the care of a surgeon. The m of the limb was lost, and the patienfs health rained. Tim power of working miracles they still claim, and in the Viik wUch I have so often mentioned, a number of instances mt prodnoed, in which the effects of these powers are said to hie btea leaBsed by several members of the firatemity. The ililer espremly says, that ** the gifts of healing, working of l» fNTophesying, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of the Inteipretiligof tongues, &c., have been abundantly thraogh Mother and the first witnesses; and firom IhsBi to otherSi and firequently used on various occasions.'* f* hminlini^i in which pefsoas have professedly been healed it vnriMa woonds and diseases are recorded. Five of these W-tMified to by dba patients themselves t four are testified kf twe-odlarlrilaets to each, beside the patient; two by two together with the patient; and one, by two witnesses, l2 148 aOURNBY TO WillTBSTOWN. witboat the testiinony of the patient, who was achtU o£ yoars old. . . The first of these cases existed in 1780 ; three of them i 1781 ; three in 1783; one in 1785; and two in 1789. 0£ lemaining two cases, one was a child two years old^ and other a boy nine or ten years of age« . , . ^, .\" The testimony, such as it was, was all taken on the SSUC^ 22d, 23d. and 25th of April, 1808. . , . .,,^. . The witnesses are all Shakers. The testimony is tak^i^ bj two men, leputed to be leaders of the brotherhood ; i>m pf fthem supposed to be the writer of this book, and waa fimtij taken for the mere purpose of giving currency to the h99h» /and to the system. Upon the whole, it deserves just almijt-flB fmuch credit as those stories which begin with " Once. ^Me was a man." I have mentioned, that the conqpeny^at wjipae worship I was present, declared that they could speak, xitk tongues, and that both the words and the tune which thejaniig were inspired. It is unnecessary to add any thing concerning the tune. I observed to them, that the sounds which tiliey made, and which they called language, could not be words, be* cause they were not articulated. One of the women replied, ** How dost thee know, but that we speak the Hotmatot lan- guage i The language of the Hotmatots is said to be made up of such sort of words." I challenged them to speak either Greek, Latin, or French, and told them, that if they would do this, I would acknowledge that they had the power of speaking with tongues, but they were silent. They professed, not onij that Mother was perfect, but that a considerable number at least of the fraternity were perfect also. I accosted the only man among them, who appeared to have any sincerity, in dus manner. ** Look me directly in the face, and remember that you are in the immediate presence of the all-seeing Grod, who is your judge and mine, and tell me, if you dare, that yon are perfect, or that you ever saw any person whom you believed to be perfect." The man trembled like an aspen leaf, and after declaring that ho did not consider himself as a perfect man* refused to say, and most evidently was afiraid to say, that he ever had seen any person, even Mother herself, whom he h^ lieved to be perfect. ACCOUNT OP THE 8HARKRS. 149 Probably there never was a sillier euthusiasm than this ; yet, by a singular combination of circumstances, it has become to society the most harmless, and in some respects the most useful perhaps, of all the mental extravagances of this nature, recorded in history. The doctrines are so gross that they can never spread far; while the industry, manual skill, fair dealing, and orderly behaviour of the brotherhood, render them useful members of society. I ought to add, that Mother was boldly pronounced by them to be immortal. But after " she was taken out of their si^t in the ordinary way of all living,** this magnificent story, of iduch she was undoubtedlv the author, was told no more. Had Christ ottered such a declaration concerning himself, and it had terminated in the same manner, it would have ruined all lis ptetensions in a moment. But this event has never dis- tnbed the fiedth of the Shakers at all. Of her they plainly Amk as faTouiably as if she had been actually immortal. T am, Sir, &c. p • •I • ■.. LETTER IL Accaumt of the Shak§rMt continue* Dbae Sir; In several subsequent joorneys through Hew^Lfahm^ ■oo I found the reputation of tlie Shakers, for fiaineas of ehaDf meter, sensibly lowered in the estimation of these diaereet people in the neighbourhood with whom I had opportnnify t» converse. From the sequestered state of the sofietj^ and Ib^ little and cautious intercourse which they cany on with^ll|S| rest of mankind, you will easily determine, that it must be difficult to obtain an accurate knowledge of what passes witUii their walls. Several individuals, however, who were once members of the brotherhood, and finally left them, have pub* Itshed.aocounts of some things which took place behind Hm curtain, drawn between them and the rest of mankind. Fffom these accounts their character has begun to be better undei>* stood, and an opportunity is furnished for the acquisition df a better knowledge of some parts of their history. One of tkeae accounts is before me, entitled, ** An Account of the People called Shakers, their Faith, Doctrines, and Practice ; exem^ plified in the Life, Conversations, and Experience of the Author, during the time while he belonged to the Society ; im which is added, a History of their Rise and Progress, to thn present day. By Thomas Brown, of Cornwall, Orange County, State of New-York." The book is a dnodecuno volume, of three hundred and seventy-two pages, clooeiy printed. It is written with a very commendable spirit of deration, with strong appearances of integrity, and with respectable share of good sense and information. The was originally a Quaker, and thoagh plainly enthusiastie to a eonsiderable degree was not sufficiently so to yield his fiutl^ nitimately, without conviction, or against the dictates of Ui ACCOUNT OF THB SHAKERS. 161 own judgment. For this reason, only, be was dbmissad. They were very desirous to retain him ; but he had too much seiL^e, integrity, and independence, to become a victim to the doctrines of implicit fmtb and f^a^iye obedience. Aflter he had written his book, he oSfered the manuscript to the Shakers for their examination; promising to correct every error, which they would point out/ They replied, that they had no desire to examine his writings; that it was sufficient, that they knew him ; and that they were far from considering him as competent to the task, which he had undertaken. They added, that they explicitly declared their disapprobation of hii andertaking; together with several other observations, (Mutly- argnnMatative, and partly contemptuous ; which :tbe; «mdMitly hoped would discourage him from publishing hit ^^MTork. To tUs lettler he replied with moderation, but wilb vigour and good sense; and with the same good sense prov execute his design. r.; Ift ihe year 1796 he first become aoquainted with the Sha< idcomtihaed with them about seven years. During period he appears to have examined every thing, which heaidi or saw; relative to the Shakers, their doctrines; rir practice, their origin, and their progress, with great cans tandoar ; and' the result of his investigations he has given ^ tha wiorM in this book. " ToaaaUe you to form a more just and comprehensive view cf Ail exireordinaiy society, I will give you an account of tone Of'theb opinions and practices, as they are exbilMted by Jfr. Brown. * . " ' :TiM> of Aeir prime doctrines are, that '' all the membeis of tke cfadidi'must'be impfiekly obedient to the direction of the «Uen, and ibbi sabordinate elders to the principal ;" and ' ^WlM ** wepetMd confessions of sm to the elders, oonfea- •in' which every sin tliat was remembered must be sp^ are firom dmo to tinle to be made by every believer, vheaeTOr the superior elders require them." A strict cos- ^bnuty'to these doctrines they consider as indispensable to nivation. ThooUef is possessed of an authority, which seems abso- htoly despotic. •^Tlhii njfchmt paiticnhriy ^Iwr chief, assert, that 4hflry feoahro. » beVie^ei to r^''''\:^^i both the*^ ^ bf the brethren atej^ „, ,V»e direct«.n of S..« mow"""" ^^ ... _i., win" "^ This IS ^n® ' , -p tJaey i^s^^* ' , .jbeybo\tt»'' ACCOUNT Of THE 8HAKBB6.^ 158 kne fhlished themselves, and which has been mentioned ■bofe. This diey consider as written bj inspiration, and re- gard as saperior to the writings of the prophets and apostles; AU writers, who wrote before the date of their church, they pronounce to have been ignorant of the truth, and under whiUt they call a back dispensation : on this account they declare dba Scripture to be no better than an old almanack. But, with all their contempt for learning, they have de» dared a learned convert to be worth a thousand unlearned wies; because, forsooth, he can do more towards building up Ae church* There is a striking conformity in their conduct to these priaciples. The following instances will show this suf- deady : — In every family there is a person called elder brother; who presides over it, and communicates to the elders the faith sod behaviour of those with whom he is conversant. In this mmer the elders obtain a minute acquaintance with the ehracter and knowledge of the believers. This knowledge Hkv declare to have been communicated by revelation. Thus Hkv carry on a continual course of gross fraud, for the ac- complishment of their primary purpose— •the subpgation of these miserable men and women to their domination. la conformity to the grand doctrine of illnminiHm, that the end sanctions the means, they actually falsify Scripture in a veiy gross measure ; lie in the most palpable manner ; retain tile property, imd refuse to pay for the labour, of such as leave ftesA; allegittg for it this reason, that they will only spend ^ property on their lusts. Antecedently to the year 1798, the men and women, on a nriety of occasions, danced naked. On a particular occasion, William Lee, after a drunken iR>lie, professed, that he had a revelation, which required him- self, and about twenty of the brethren, to dance naked. Mo- ther Anne came to the door, and insisted on coming into the« loom. William pushed her out, and shut the door. She tben attempted to get in at a window. William prevented her. She then forced the door open with a stick of wood. Wilham met her at the door, and Anne struck him with her William said, ** The smiting of the righteous is like |niik>ii8:ouitiii0iit/''^ iHor.fatolKg; iiofivvwF^Ta^Wflsddidi^^ ncH'iHipid shooeaBioii* thnt he at leagthoeHiediroiiiVMlfonip tlMa^tktfabtext; .and^ findiiig lbs bkK)d<riiiinJng<&«iBiiH[it fiMte» lie . replied with huifist* and knodud heraliDMt dotnBL* ^|3lifirhrejllirta..iheii <parted: them^ and a&99.iMomm'is thtt^lctaiap ott. fcoA aidegy iIm cefofoing aaded.^' j - . ^^ » ^^^0 .In another imianee William Lee aad James Whitdoer a^diBpnle eonoeniiiig wUch shoaU be finikin the lead, hrtsffered; andthe affidr tenninated in a {ntohed batda^ he^ tsveen all three. a ' '^li ]< in-s It Anne was repeatedly intoxicated, as was also her hiqihMr WJUiam* • •: "h •«' Anne was peevish and cross. . 'i ^ 'i^ix I' ;Whilaker seldom drank to excess. ••.. ] T-Amie nsed to 8ay>"that spirituous liquor was one of Gad*« ^aod creatures.' ... iiiTheyjastified all their immoral condttel by obsenring^ dMi *.^«to^1he pure aU things 'are pure ;" 'tfaat every things- mikik Ihey.did, .wasi done in faith, with ap«reeoascienoe,:;to iha glory of God; and that no man could judge them ^ithnif aghl jodgment, any more than men, formerly, were abIe<to jadge Christ . : ■ « im •' The last instance of rwhipping persons naked wn^ GNis- qKona, about the year 1798. Three youngwomea #to0 ecdered by an eldress to whip both thonselyes attd«ach;otheK 32he. sentence was carried into execution in die*presance» aasd widi the approbation, of elder Timothy Hubbard^ andJoail** than Slosson, one of the bretlnen. Elder Joseph Meaehanij arriving from Lebanon soon after, told diem, that the g]ft*filf snipping and labouring, i. ei daneing naked, and asidg eorx pereal punishment, or whipping naked, had entirely raH'Ooti fior,.^as they could not keep such oonduct secreted frooi the WNdd, the church had afaready stiSbred mhch-persecution^eo aeeount of it, therefore there must be no such proceedings.^..^ 1 1 Anne, William, and Whitaker, taught thehr converts, thsit tto praoiice is wrong, nor any oath false, which is adopted'ts gath the cause of the truth, or to defend the Oospei agdooit tecor ; though it might appear directly opposite to tmft in tfa^ eybt.of the^worid, yet, as done for the eanse of ' the IratlMA kbtoAffttigsMiiluf ud is tnMe. " '■•■'*- "-•■■^^^-^ ^^-^^i AOGOUNT OP THB 6IIAEBS8. Ufr : TkftfoUowiiigfacti aie aainMlnition of thii doctrine :--T1m OQBfwU were at times ordered to whip themselves, and at tans ware whipped by others^ not only as a punishment, but br the parpose of mortifying the flesh. In conformity to this psvt of their sohame, a young woman was scourged hy a maa» imned Noah Wheaton. Wheaton was prosecuted 1^ her fik and her sister, who was present at the infliction, was med as a witness. She went to Whitaker, and asked wlmt she should say. He answered, ** Speak the truth, wdd spare the truth, and take care not to bring the Gospel into dinepnte." Accordingly she testified, that her sister was not naked. She was justified in giving this testimony, because her alter had a fillet on her hair. They hold, that natural afiection is sinful, and ought by all to be exterminated. When children have by any been induced to attach themselves to this society, and parents have come to see them, the children have been imtracted to treat them with gross filial imjnety and abuse, md that in a manner which decency forbids to be mentioned. They have also refused a sight of their children to parents, ihea soliciting it with anguish, and have also concealed them, IB Older to prevent them from being taken away. - After the death of Whitaker, Joseph Meacham succeeded tft the principal eldership in 1787. He seems to have po»- nsed more shrewdness than any of his predecessors, and to hue bronghl the body into better order and better drcum- inmes than any they had known before. Under his direction thej threw their property and their labours into a common ftsok ; first by a verbal, and afterwards, in the year 1785, by 8 written covenant In this they intended to invest the ckarchwith a power to do what it should think right, whenever fhsrgm slionld he brought against it In the year 1800, an ■aslant deacon observed before some of the brethren, that as they were not an incorporated society, any one might recover wsges for his services, or a compensation for the property wkioh should be deposited in the hands of the church. Thb aialed a serious alarm. The elders told him, that he had at* tinpted to corrupt the brethren, and to discredit the covenant been given to elder Meacham by revelation. The >daaflon » was shut out of union, »••#.. eieommaniaalad ; m jourNby to whitastown. and* in order to be restored, was obKged to confess on lus knees that he had done wrong. They had, ho^eter, so much of their wits left as to form a new covenant, Meacham's revelation notwithstanding, and to compel every member of the brotherhood to engage, that he never would make any ehaige, either against the deacons or against any private brother. Heacham was believed to be the Son of Man, spoken of by Biekiel, and the destroyer of Gog and Magog. Hd died' August 16, 1796, and prophesied, that before the then exist- ing generation should pass away, the world would acknow- ledge this Gospel, or, in other words, become Shakers. liucy Wright, alias Lucy Goodrich, succeeded Meacham. iTiey style her Mother Lucy. . 'Next to her was Henry Clough. From this time they sent preachers abroad. Clough died in 1798, and was succeeded by Abiathar Babbot. Elder Hocknell, one of the original four, died February 9y 1799. Anne, William, Whitaker, and Hocknell, were piro-- nounced to be the four living creatures mentioned by EsekieK* • During the religious vagaries which took place in Ken- incky, in 1800, and several following years, elders John Mea- chain, Benjamin S. Young, and Issachar Bates, we're tent into Ae states of Kentucky and Ohio, to make convertn. Their success seems to have been considerable. One of their tenets has certainly a claim to respect. Hey hold, that a dirty, slovenly, careless, indolent person cantiot be religious. Accordingly every member of the brotheriiodd, and every sister, must be continually employed in modcHrate labbur. ' I believe that they are more decent than they were ih the cttilier periods of their estabUshment. Mr. Brown observes, diiat several things which took place are omitted in his book for the sake of modesty ; but he says diey stopped every aVcM nue of their houses, so that the world's people could not see diem, and had one or two of the brethren out to watch. What passed within will probably be imperfectly known until the final disclosure. Anne called some persons who opposed her dogs, dtanb dogs, and damned dogs. Several of the brodieiliood professed to have gifls to curse such as censured their conduct. ACCOUNT OP THB SHAKKR8. ISff and to tell others to go to Hell. There are also gifts for trembling, shaking, whirling, jerking, jumping, stamping, rolling on the ground, running with one or both hands stretched out, barking, crowing, hissing, brushing and driving the devil out of their houses, groaning, crying, laughing, loud shouting^, and clapping their hands. These ridiculous extra- vagances seem gradually to be passing away ; and instead of them there has been adopted a regular scheme of industry, of aiequiring wealth,, and of improving in agricultural and mechar nical business. From the administration of Joseph. Meacham the affairs of the brotherhood have been formed into a system. The love of domination appears to have taken a final possession of the elderhood, and absolute submission of the brethren. The wish to rule begets of course the wish to make converts. The spi- rit of proselyting is now very evidently the controlling princi- ple. Occasionally they have been, and will hereafter be joined by some shrewd individucds, who will find their pas- sidis more gratified than they can expect them to be in any other situation. By these their excesses will from time td time be pruned away; the inconveniences which obstruct their prosperity removed, and measures adopted in their stead of a more promising nature. For all this they are furnished with Ae most convenient of all pretences. It is only for the prin-; G^>al ehler to say that he has a gift, t. e. a revelation for any cbinge, and the thing is accomplished. As in other sects, ori- gioallj enthusiastic^ policy will here take place of extrava-; gance. The reserve, the distance, the mysticism of the elders ; the profound ignorance, habitual submission, and Asiatic vene- tfttion of their votaries ; and the strong propensity of indivi- daals scattered throughout the world, to relish what is strange and mysterious, merely because it is so, will in all probability prolong this delusion until it shall be terminated by the Mil- l^nniam. I am. Sir, &c. LETTER III. .1 Journey from New-Lebanon to Mindtn. Vatleyof tke Mohawk. Canajoharie. Minden. ThoughiM on Jtefi- gious Persecutioui Palatines. Gerwum Flats. Utica. • New-^HartfordU Brothertoum. Brother town ImdUmi. ' Oheervations on the Differences of CompUxios^ w' tie ^^•- Shman Race. • Dear' Sir; * Wb dined at die spring, a mediciiitti ^terkfDg m^ febrated in this oountiy for nutnerons ctures. It ig situated^ M tke western deolivtty of the Tagbkamiuc rasgei and' pocn a '^^ibtasiderable brook down its side. The temperattire of flie virtiter iftTS^ on Fahrenheit's scale. It contains^ aceofdbif to tdl'tmalysig made by Doctor Seaman, one ^' the siirgiwi'tf #te^19ew-York hospital, asotic gas, and asnaftpirdpoit&iitof nMsdui^ matter. It has be«i fomid eflfeaeio«a in « varidtjr of 'Mm]ilaints^ particulatiy in serend oataneous -aifectsabB*^ It tan rito b^en beneficial t0 person afBioted with the nhnmis rheumatism. The resort to this spring has heretofcre Imms I^Ht; bat has been much lessened in cootequenoe of the mipeh fiMr reiMMtibfr of Ao waters of Ballstowa, ' - * •-'. ^i^ " t(dw-Lebaoott is in the townsUp of Canaan^' Thfe ^totm Otatoided, in the year 179^, 6,002 inhabitants; ialSOOi ft,105 ; and, in 1810, 4,941. It has been divided. i *^ • ? "> After dinner we rode to Schedac. Tho next monu^'^wo preceded to Albany ; and after dinner Mr, D' ■ w.iiuril atfyself proceeded to Sdlienectady, where we lodged with Hie Rev. Dr. Edwards, lately erected president of Unloii college. ' On Monday September 22d, having been rejoined by bur dblnpRttiotts, we left Schenectady; and, ciXMudng the Mohawk, proceeded up that river. When we had rode about four AN UNHAPPY AGCIDKNT. ISO ■utes, we were stopped by rain, although we had set out with a fresh north-west wind ; a proverbial sign throughout almost all New-England of fair weather. A small, dark cloud hung over a mountun, rising six or seven n^ies south-west of the inn, and elevated about six hundred feet above the Mohawk. Tins cloud, after preserving for some time a settled form, began to spread with rapidity, and soon overcast the greatdst part of the hemisphere. Within half an hour it began to rain, ■tad drove us to a shelter. The evening before we arrived at this house (Schwart2fsX ^ waggoner, attempting to get off from his waggon, put his kmd oQ the beck of one of his horses, to support himself while ta was alighting. Both horses started ; the man fell ; and the ws^;on, passing directly over his head, killed him outright. The name of the man was Fisk. He lived on the borders of Cayiqj^ lake. We saw his unhappy son, who had borne him ioiBpaiiy« and whose oountenance wore the appearance of as deep and unfeigned socrow as I ever beheld. .We were detained at Schwartz's until after two, when we Hide to T^ripe'a hill, in Johnstown, sixteen miles; in the •vkola twenty. Here we lodged at Putnam's, a Dutchman, 'fhsoeadadprobably from one of those unfortunate people who M from Kngland to Holland, in order to escape persecution* i The load from. Schenectady, after we left the. beautiful fans rf Sootia, passed over a hard pine plain, and presented nothing ipsedble. The plain is uninhabited, the soil lean, aiMl thie ■ai indileieDt. ^ - ' pKMaiSehwarta's it lay partly on the intervals which border the Mohawk, and partly m the oak lands which border the We found it generally tolerable, but made unplea- by a nnmber of small bridges, in such bad repair as &H|QeDtIy td ahum the traveHer for his safety. '•-^Tpeadayt September 28, we rode to Canajobarie b^ore diBDeB, sixteen miles ; and to Hudson's* in Minden^ in the lAvnogii^ tfahrleen more: here we lodged. The following iky-ite dinad at the German Flats; and lodged in.Utio% tvaaty-nine miles. ... 1 Alte we deseeaded from Tripe's hilt the read paawd «Mfhkr intervab ^ the Mohawk, principally, to Cawoebariab 160 JOURNEY TO WHITS8TOWN. Here it crofised the river; and after oocupyiDg the ground five miles farther, left the river, and passed ovet tte hills of Minden. A little before we arrived at Hudson's, it returned to the river again, and thence kqit along its boiden most of the way to Utica. On the intervals it is good in dry weather ; but in wet is muddy, and extremely disagreeable. On the hills it was indifferent, but perhaps as good as ooqU be expected in a country so recently setded. The valley of the Mohawk is rarely more than a mile and a half in breadth, and generally not more than a mile, tt i$ bounded by two long ranges of hills, or rather bro>ws» iriAck border it with little variety and less beauty. These are ahttOiC covered and crowned by trees, neither thrifty nor handsoaafa Beyond these limits the eye is rarely permitted to wander, and soon becomes wearied by such a constant snceeasio&^of the same objects. To compensate the traveller, the n$et ii for a great extent in full view ; a sprightly^ noble^sCreaat^'slity' rods in breadth .at Schenectady, and gradually lessening'^ about twelve or sixteen at Utica. Its waters are-al#ayA'4^ lightful, and are often ornamented with etegant islaCdds; 'Tbe intervals on both sides are rich and handsome* At tile €iM» of our journey particularfafv the 'niflmero«s'>meadoW^;'>aftetf having been scorched by drought, had been clothed^ hfiSWtSbi^' sive rains with a fresh verdure, pecuKarij vi^idj T4ie sMlkP' ' ments along this river are almost universally ^Mttened'idsMlb^' tions; almost all the inhabitants -being farmers, of'*Diilbb'^ extraction. In most of the older settlements the holueimm' generally good- comfortable Dutch houses. The cultivatkHi-itf ' moderately good also; and is pursued in exactly the MuM^'" manner in which it was begun fay their ancestors, and.co&flil^ almost entirely to wheat,, peas, and grass ; the latter -of whfldi^-i however, is always an inferior object of attentioiir TSie-dlN - cumstances.of the inhabitants appear to be easy, addtlieirlKtf ■ ' quiet. and unenterprising. .^:*!i'' Between Schenectady and Utica (eighty nsles Vwv SMT - only three churches, and only fourplaces^ which could? with- '■ any propriety be called villages ; one at Caghnawaga, eoObUM^ ing fifteen or twenty houses, with, a small ehuroh ; a settlement around the church . in Canigoharie ; a third. .,T LOW 8TATK OP MORALS. 161 i^oo^NicI, at tho Gterman Flats ; and a fourth on the opposite side of the Mohawk, at Herkimer. We passed also a few mverdily-loofciiig school-houses, which plainly owed their ap- pearance to the want, not of wealth, but of a sufiicient attach- ' ment to education. An observing traveller could not fail to conclude, that these people must be extensively destitute both of knowledge and morals*. If the information, which, from respect«ihle sources, I received on tho spot, may be credited, low vices are un- bappiiy prevalent among them. Fathers have not very un- fieqiieBtly been seen at the gaming table with their sons, endeavouring to win money from each other, swearing at each other, charging each other with cheating and lying, and both at very late hours intoxicated. What must be the sentiments of a child towards a parent, whofla he habitually sees in these attitudes ; and with the idea of whom, instead of that venerable character, which alone ought ever, to meet his eye, or recur to his remembrance, these ingredieots of deformity must be necessarily associated i All the Hithorily which such a father can retain must be derived firoA hodily strength, or the possession of property. The pa- reaCjl churaoter he can never assume; religious instruction and reproof he can never give. The inestimable benefit of a virtoons example from him, in whom it would have more in- fluenee than ki half mankind, his children can never receive. Ob die coBtraiy, be himself becomes their corrupter, both by his conversation and his conduct. The guide, who should conduet them to Heaven, takes them bv the hand and leads then to perdition. Among the causes, which here assemble multitudes with high pulsations of hope and pleasure, a horse-race is one of the most memorable. This diversion, when least exceptionable, it a deplorable exhibition of human debasement. The gen- tleman here dwindles at once into a jockey ; imbibes his spirit; Miinifi his station ; and, what is worse, sinks to the level of b morality. The plain man, at the same time, becomes a ttttfe bmie ; swears, curses, cheats, lies, and gets drunk ; ex- ^iBgpiifaiiig at once virtue, reason, and character. Horse- • 1799. ^<Jt. HI. M m iOURNMY TO WHITBftTOWN. racing is the box of Pandora, from which more and grriajrw mischiefs flow than any man ever counted or measured. Yovi are not to conclude that this is the uniyersal character of ike&e people. The exceptions are numerous; but fewer, I am afraid, than a man of candour would expect to find. I have mentioned that we lodged at the house of a Dirieh- man, named Putnam, and also at Hudson's^ a Greiman firom the Electorate of Hanover. Both of these men, descended from English ancestors, were driven out of their native ooqq- try by religious persecution. While I was conversing with Hudson, I could not but reflect upon the effects of this out- vage upon human society, whether dictated by religion or pol^- tkss. The number of those who have been forced to quit their home, property, and friends ; nay, the number of those who have been robbed of life, can scarcely be estimated. The arts which the persecuted have carried with them, the sufferings which they have undergone, the hospitality and an- kindness which they have alternately received, the colonies which they have formed, the changes which they haye pro- duced in the people to whom they have fled, and the amalga- mation of their descendants with the various nations among whom they have fixed their final residence, wouId» if fairly exhibited, present one very interesting picture of human destiny. Religious persecution commenced on the plain of Dura*. Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image as the favonrite oh^ ject of his own worship, and resolved that his subjects should j worship it also. To ensure their compliance, he constructed furnace of vast capacity, and raised its fires to the most i tense heat which the ingenuity of the age could supply. T * This, at least, is the first example which I remember recorded id thentic history. But Achior, captain of the Ammonitish bands in the of Hulofcmes, relates in the book of Judith, chapter 5th, verse Bth, to currence of this nature, which took place more than thirteen centuries 'that which is mentioned in the text. Speaking of the anceitorStQ^ Israelites, he says, ** They left the way of their ancestors, and worshij the God of Heaven, the God whom they knew. So they (the Chaldeans]^ cast them out from the face of their gods; and they fled into Mesopol and sojourned there many days/' If the records of history had been uka extended and more correct, it is not improbable that we should find many other instances of the saiiic kind. ON RBLIOIOU8 PBRSBOXJTION. 188 lUi engine of tortoie he consigned those who shonid refuse their homage to his idol. The three friends of Daniel, with n mdependenoe of soal, a sublimity of virtaot demanding the admiration of all succeeding ages, refused to bow before this senseless god, and bj the wrathful monarch were plunged hifo the flames. This simple tale is the history of all religious persecution. The god, really set op, is always equally senseless, and the demand equally brutal. No man, in the indulgence of this spirit, ever intended to compel the objects of his persecution to embrace the real religion, or worship the true God. Real lieligion discerns, at a glance, that Jehovah is the only Lord rfthe conscience, and feels, of course, that this high preroga- life cannot without the grossest impiety be challenged by man. At the same time its afiections towards its fellow-men are only kiad, and the only instruments by which it induces upon man- kind a change of their faith are the sound arguments by which iCs doctrines are supported, its fervent prayers to Heaven, and its own lovely, persuasive example. In every attempt of this nature we intend, whatever we may fffofess, to make others worship what we worship, and to believe what we believe. The design, whether understood by us or not, is to make them bow to ourselves, and not to God. Political persecution springs from exactly the same source. The object proposed is in its own nature incapable of being aeeompUshed. It is physically impossible, that faith should how to force. The only effect of this instrument of domination ii to render the reKgpion enjoined, and those who profess it, hatefhl in the eyes of the sufferers. With the unhappy Mexi- ctts, they conclude irresistibly that the religion itself is false, or that it is disbelieved by men, who, to disseminate it, are . giiltjr of soch horrid crimes. . It is on the one hand an object of diversion, and on the otter of equal indignation and contempt, that infidels have ckuned religious persecution to Christianity. That some, who irere really Christians, have been weak, enthusiastic, and lUed, to such a degree as to believe themselves justified in - fenwevting their fellow-men on the score of religion, cannot * W 4enied* It will be readily granted, also, that endless mul- ^Mes, who have taken to themselves the name of Christians, MS 164 JOURNEY TO WHITESTOWN. and a great part of whom were really baptized, have beeo villains enough to persecute others in the exercise of pride, avarice, and wrath ; but what has all this to do with Christi- anity? just as much as pretences with friendship; a pharisaical face with piety, or bullying with bravery. Is any part of this conduct warranted . by the Bible ? Are not the spirit and the practice both forbidden everywhere in the sacred volume^ under infinite sanctions ? This the infidel perfectly knows, and jet, with unblushing impudence, reiterates the same old charge,, just as if it had not been ten thousand times refuted. In the year 1800, Minden, which lies wholly on the soudi side of the Mohawk, contained 2,929 inhabitants ; and, in the year 1810, 4,788, In this township, at a place now called the Old Indian Caade, lived the Mohawk sachem, commonly styled the gre^t Heudrick. The site of his house is a handsome elevation, commanding' a considerable prospect of the neighbouring country. Of this man I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. It will be suf- ficient to observe here, that for capacity, braveiji vigour of mind, and immoveable integrity, united, he excelled all the aboriginal inhabitants of the United States, of whom any knowledge has come down to the present time. A gentleman of a very respectable character, who was present at a council, held with the Six Nations by the governor of New- York, and several agents of distinction from New-England, informed me, that his figure and countenance were singularly impressive and commanding, that his eloquence was of the same superior character, and that he appeared as if bom to control other men, and possessed an air of majesty, unrivalled within his knowledge. The German Flats, originally so called, are two extensive intervals, lying on both sides of the Mohawk, together aboat a mile in breadth, and, perhaps, from three to four in length. They are beautiful and very fertile tracts. A colony of Grer- mans, named Palatines, because many of them came flrom the two Palatinates, left their native country in the year 1709, to escape persecution, and came over to England. They were very kindly received by the Britbh government, and treated with great liberality by Queen Anne. The house of commons, however, complained of squandering away great $ums up<Hi ACCOUNTS OP THB PALATINES. IQ the Falathies, who, they said, were a useless people, a mixtoK of all religions, and duDgerous to the constitutioD. Nay, they weot so far as to declare, that they held those, who advised the bringing of them over, to be enemies to the Queen and kingdom. Brigadier Hunter, being appointed governor of New-Tork, brought over with him 2,700 of these people, a considerable number of whom settled themselves in the city of New- York ; another body in Pennsylvania; another in the manor of liv- ingston ; and a fourth came to this spot. A fifth company settled at Cherry Valley. Those who planted themselves at the German Flats have been subjected to many serious dis- advantages. For a long period this was a frontier settlement, and, of course, exposed during a war to alarms aud invasions, without any assistance at hand. It is said, that they have always behaved with g^at spirit, and have certainly main* tained their ground, in spite of both the French and the nvages. Their distance from other settlements prevented them, also, from all those benefits of knowledge and improvement, which are derived from civilized society. The settlers themselves were extremely ignorant. Their children became, if possible, more and more ignorant ; for they were destitute for a long time even of the means of parochial education. Their own language they spoke with increasing imperfection, and the English tbey scarcely spoke at all. A specimen of their igno- rance was communicated to me by one of their own country- men, who, in more auspicious circumstances, had risen to in- telligence and respectability. He was one day attempting to eonvince some of them, that the congressional stamp-act was a reasonable and useful law, and observed, particularly, that it required nothing to be stamped, except such papers as were employed either to convey or secure property. They answered, that they did not care for that ; if the government stamped fapers now, it would soon put stamps upon their waggons, oa their horses, on their wheat, and on every thing which tkey had. Their village, which is on the south side of the river, is ttnposed of ordinary houses, built in the Dutch manner, with few windows, many doors, dark sheds over the principal doors. ]0S XOURMBY Ta WHiTBttOWN. leantos behind, and awkward additions at tfie eads. Tkey are of one story, and in a few instances of a stoiy and a hi^ and frequently look like a collection of kitchens. In this village is one of three churches, which stand betweeft Schenectady and Utica. The township of Grerman Flats contained, in 1790, 1,807 in- habitants ; in 1800, 1,687 ; and, in 1810, 2,298. Utica, when we passed through it on our journey, was a pretty village, containing fifty houses. In 1794, there were b«t two ; and, in 1795, but six. In 1804, there were one hundred and twenty, beside a numerous train of raerchanti? stores and other buildings. It is built on the spot where Fort Schuyler formerly stood. Its site is the declivity of the UH, wliich bounds the valley of the Mohawk, and here sfopes emOj and elegantly to the interval. The houses stand almost ail Mi a single street, parallel to the river. Generally, di^se wMdl were built before Our arrival were small ; not being intended for permanent habitations. The settlers were almost wfaiAf traders and mechanics, and it was said, that their business had already become considerable. Their expectations of futnrb prosperity were raised to the highest pitch, and not a doid»t was entertained, that their village would at no great distanee of time become the emporium of all the commerce carried on betweeii the ocean and a vast interior. These apprehensions, although partially well founded, appeared to me extravagant Commerce is often capricious, and demands of her votaries a degree of wisdom, moderation, and integrity, to fix her len- deuce and secure her favours, which is much more firequoitly seen in old than in new establishments. We found the people of Utica labouring, and in a iair wagr to labour a long time, under one very serious disadvantagei The lands, on which they Uve, are chiefly owned by peiMM who reside at a distance, and who refuse to sell or to rent tkein» except on terms which are exorbitant. Hie stories which ari^ heard concerning this subject it was difficult to believe, even when told by persons of the best reputation. If the lenanla dream, the landlords are delirious. A company of gentlemen in Holland, who have purehased large tracts of land in this state and Pennsylvania, and amonf them a considerable tract in Ihis neighbourhood, and who asi •OIL OF BSBCH LAND«. 107 known by ttie name of the Holland Company, have built here a bige brick house, to serve as an inn. The people of Utica are united with those of Whitesborou^ ID their parochial concerns. We continued at Utica until near noon the next day, and d^s rode to New- Hartford to dinner, four miles. In the afternoon we proceeded to Laird's, at the entrance of the Oneida woods, sevea miles. New-Hartford is the first New-England settlement, which we foond in this region. Accordingly it presented us a very ■eat ehoich, ornamented with a pretty steeple. The houses, ibo^ are built in the New-England manner, and are generally neat, and for so recent a settlement are unusually good. The Inds are excellent and well cultivated, and every thing wore the cheerful air of rapid improvement. The business of taanng, particulariy, is carried on upon a large scale. No settle- iwnt, merely rural, since we left New- Lebanon, can be com- pared with New-Hartford for sprightliness, thrift, and beauty. Fkem Utica to this village a turnpike is begun, and consi- deiably advanced. It is to be extended hereafter into the western country, as far as the circumstances of the inhabitants will permit. No improvement can be more necessary in this legioo. The land between Utica and Laird's is what in New- England ii called beech and maple land, and here maple and bass land. The sml of such lands so easily admits, and so long retains, water as to be almost always mobt. Fire, therefore, will tearcely spread over them even in the driest seasons: Hence the surface is covered with a thick stratum of vegetable mould, the lesiduam of decayed forests, accumulated for forty cen- Thia mould, as I have elsewhere observed, is a mere imbibing water with the utmost facility, and retaining kior a length of time. Roads, formed on such ground, are riaoit dways soft, in mobt seasons a mass of mud, and in wet iMBons intolerable. Travelling, therefore, in an early period tf their settlement, is not merely uncomfortable and discourag- ag, but an Herculean labour. Before we arrived at Laird's, I had become convinced, that ^etvpiete our intended journey was impracticable. While ^ w«n at Utioa we were told by our host, that it had rained JOURNBY TO WHITJBSTOWN. ierery day for a fortnight before our aniyal. Of the. trotb. of this account we bad the most ample proofs The last thirty- .ftwo miles of our journey, the mud had obliged us to walk ov horses. The travellers, who had come in from the weateni country, had united in representing the seasoa aa mare.iwiy» and the roads as deeper than had ever been known befom* If twe should, proceed^ we must make our way through three hundred and sixty miles of the softest soil in this xoaji1l7» tnuch of it encumbered with roots^ stumps, and other, qoboo- imitants of new roads. My compamoos^ however^ we9e..aii' willing to give up the enterprise; but, while we were, at Xaiid's, ten travellen came in from the west, who satisfied ns ^; that any farther attempt was inexpedient. The roads, 'they informed us, were worse than they had ever beei. Hhek ^horses were drenched in the mire to the hips and shouUem, •and the riders were pale and broken-spirited witibi excessive fa- tigue. To have pursued a journey of pleasure in such ciicum- jitaaees would have been madness. After dinner, ^n^re, Iwe rode to Paris, where I lodged at the house of the -Rev. /Ifr. Kirkland, missionary to the Qneidas. The distance was *>only three miles. .>>. . ;• . In the morning of September 26th, accompaniediby Samuel 'Kirkland, Esq., nephew to the Rev. Mr* Kirkland, we fliade ran exoiirsioa to Brothertown, an Indisoi settlement, jnelwriM in the towaship of Paria. I had a strong incliaaiiou ta see ci- Mrilized Indian life, t^ ev Indian life in the most advanced 4tate "of civilization in which it is found in this country, and waa in- Ibrmed, that it might probably be seen here. • .. '^ Brothertown is a tract of land about six miles square^- • Ori- ginally it belonged to the Oneidas*. By them it wa»givM» and by the state of New- York confirmed, to a collectioo of " ittdihns, who left Connecticut for this place under the conduct of the Rev. Sampson Occum. They w^re chiefly resideMts m Moutville and Farmington, and were in number about one hundred and fifty. The settlement is formed on the declivilgr of a hill, running finom north to south. The land is excell^it, and the spot in every respect well chosen. Here forty families of these people have fixed themselvea in the business of agriculture. They have cleared the ground on both sides of the road aVout a quarter of a mile in breadth. . BROTHSRTOWN INDJAKS. 169 and about four miles in leDg^. Three of them have framed liouaes. One, named Amos Hutton^ has a good house well fnisiied, and a large bam well built* Several others have bams also. The remaining houses are of logs^ and differ Bttie fmtk those of the whites, when formed of the same ma- terials. Their husbandly is generally mueh inferior to that of the white people. Their fenoes are indifferent, and their mea- dows and arable grounds are imperfectly cFeared. Indeed almost everywhere is visible that slack hand, that disposition Jto leave every thing unfinished, which peculiarly charaoteriaea math Indians as have left the savage life. I have observed, that the house and bam of Amos Hutton were both weU Irailt. We had an opportunity to see the interior of the ^oose, and by the neatness which everywhere appeared, both in the building and furniture, were assured that his wife was an mdostrious and thorough housewife. Mr. Kirkland in- fcrmed me, that this man lives well ; that he keeps always one* and sometimes two yoke of good oxen, two or three horses, and three or four cows ; that he is an exact paymaster ; and that although no debt against an Indian is recoverable by law, he 11 readily trusted for any thing which he is willing to buy. He ii probably the fairest example of industry, economy, and pMctnality, which these people can boast. Most of them will leave their own business to labour for the white inhabitants. These are universally civil in their deportment The men aad boya took off dieur hats, and the girb courtesied, as we passed by them. They speak decent English, and much excel the ordhoiary Dutch people in tl^ correctness of their pronun- liatiao. One of them tends a saw mill, built by the state for (Us settlement A Quaker, who is a well-appearing man, and of a good cha- ncter, has eome to Brothertown with his family, and resided here some time, for the benevolent puxpose of teaching the In- fian children to read and write. He told me, that they leam IS readily and rapidly as the children of the whites. Their ichool-honse was built for them by the state, and serves them isadHipch. These people receive annually 2,160 dollars firom the state, Mt of which their schoohnaster is supported, and their super- iW JOURNEY TO WHITB8TOWN. iatendent ^ompoisated for his services* At this season year tbey unite with the Oneidas in gathering ginseo eoUect a thousand bushels annually. It brings them ti hum a busheL Almost all of it goes to Philadelpfai; thence to China. It is howev^ an unprofitaUe bnsia the Indians. They are paid for it in cash, which many s employ as the means of intoxication. This is conmoi lowed by quarrelling^ and sometiines 1^ murder ; but less commonly than among the Oneidas.. You w31 excuse me for giving yo« this sketch of d Indian life, because it presents to you one feature in ik meter of bmi» rarely seen by persons really civilized, i tJherto untouched by the pens of others. From one of my pupils, Mr. Hart, now the minister \ nington, I received the following account of four Brothi bidians, in a letter dated September 5, 1797. ** Among these Indians I observed the following ai facts, viz. four men, whose skin in different parts of thei) has turned white. Where the skin is not exposed to tb and the change has been of long standing, it has com] lost its natural colour, and become entirely white. ** The instance, least remarkable, is Elijah Wampe]f aged thirty-five. On the back part of his left hand is about the bigness of a cent, which four weeks since bej change its colour, and has in this short period approaehe degree of whiteness truly surprising. The part does not way appear affected 1^ the change, excepting the colou is not attended with any degree of pain. ** The next instance is Andrew Carrycomb, aged fiftj sides of his body are white; in other respects similar to tl above-mentioned. ** The next is Ephraim Pharaoh, aged fifly-two, a re ably strong, healthy man. His left breast and shoulder f most entirely white. ** But the most remarkable instance is Samuel Adams fifty-seven. He is almost become a white man. He jga Ihe following account. '' That fourteen years since his skin began in a num' places to change its colour; that it changed gradually, u readied its present degpree of whiteness ; that no pain .WHITB INDIANS. SM. mttended 'Ae Gkenge ; that there was no diflTerence in the fceKng ef the parts aflected from that of those which were not ; tluit the change bad no efieot on his internal feeling ; that his health had been generally sound; and that he had led' a life, and still fdlt no particular weakness, but what at Us time of life, - *' Hie hair on his head still retains its* original Indian eolo«r» excepting a part, which has the same appearance as tiie grey hair of aged white peopie. The appearance of the skin ett the parts changed is different. Where it has been exposed to the son, it appears of a darkish colour. Whefe it hes' not heea exposed, it appears tender and delicately white. The Ain lately changed appears like that of a child, and through apparent stages of changing advances gradually from tofUl age. Aeother circamstanee worthy of notice is, that the parts, are eot exposed to the sun, change more rapidly than wUch are thus exposed. ^ I dare net hazard any conjectures on the causes of these pheoeBeea. The fects cannot be disputed, although die causes and the modus operandi may be unknown. Persons, who have daily intercourse with these Indians, suppose them to be leprous. The facts, however, show that there is no fMmdaliOB for this supposition. The skin is perfectly smooth ftesh, without the least appearance of the white scales hwthsomeDess, which are consequent on leprosy. Besides, Ihsy are all sound, herithy, labouring men. ** So little attention has been paid to these extraordinary hds, that persons, who have been for years intimately ac- qwBled with Aese Indians, have not taken pains to examine them.'' Kram dus account, the accuracy as well as the truth of lUdi BMj be relied on with perfect confidence, it is evident, tWt a change in several of the race of red men, by which in mmj imstance they have become in some degree, and in one Aaost abaolntefy, white men, has actually taken place under tie eye of indubitable testimony. This change has existed dm without the least appearance of disease. AH the subjects rf it being, in the words of Mr. Hart, '' sound, healthy, labour^ 17B JOURNEY TO WHITB8T0WN. ' ' I have myself been an eye witness of flie same great fact in a Uack man. Henry Moss, a native of Yirginia, came in the year 1796 to New-Haven, and to my house. It had been pre- viously declared in a Virginia newspaper, that he was bom in fliat state ; that he was ori^ally black, woolly-headed, of a sober, honest character, and was remarkably changed in fab complexion ; that the change began about four years before, and had gradually spread over the greatest part of his body. ▲U this he confirmed to me in conversation. His under- standing appeared not to be inferior to that of white men ge- nerally, when equally uneducated ; and an unquestionable in- genuousness of character strongly recommended him to ^ esteem of a stranger. According to his own account, he began to become white mider and around the roots of his finger nmls, and had always whitened more and faster where his skin was, than where it was not covered. During the whole period he was in perfect health, and conscious of no peculiar sensation, except a sniall and barely perceptible degree of feeling in tii6 places aflbcted, more than in the other parts of his body. Hid whole app^iir- anoe conresponded with his storj^. His face and hands were partially wbdtened, without any viable regularity in the piV>- cess, and were so spotted with alternations of white and black, as to be hideous. His breast, arms, legs, and tt^;b8,'were irhoUy white, and of a dear, fresh, and delicate compiexioii. Tbe skin was not pale, nor the fln^ blood-vessels at all'dai^ oeciled. Nor i^ a i fresher colour often ' found in " white peof^ nor mote complete evidence of the- ioisi 'abseiiee'eT' disease^ -■■ ■ ■:- ■" '•■■'' " ' *-' '-Wherever die skin wns beodme irhite, the baSMklso-'iinfs totally changed, and was exactly that of fair whitef people; 6fi' flaxen hue, and perfectly free from curling. On hi^' Kelid'a^ spot, beginning at the crown^ and extending towai^ tbe-foft^ head, shaped somewhat like a bowl of a tabIe-sp(^oti, IMt narrower and longer, had become white. Two or thrbe smaller spots exhibited exactly the same changes. Around dl these, limited by an exact line, the skin was black and the hair black and woolly ; in other words, the hair of a black man. Both these appearances extended over the rest of the heiid. The whitening process was still going on, and not VM WHITE INDIANS. 173 rapid&y than at any preceding period. I saw him about four years afterwards, and found him considerably advanced in this progress, and still a healthy, sound man. From these accounts I derive the following observations :— • 1. Tlie whitening process in all these instances began in snail spots, and was gradually extended. 2. All the subjects were, from the beginning, healthy men. 3. They were not sensible of any material change of feeling 10 the parts affected. 4. They were occupied during the whole time, the joumies of Henry Moss excepted, in their usual labours, and were without any change in their modes of living. 5. Disease had no influence towards the accomplishment of the change. 6. The change of the hair was intimately connected with the change of the skin, less strikingly in the red men, but with the fullest evidence in the black man. 7. Hence I argue, that the colour of the skin, and the texture and appearance of the hair, depend on a common cause. This is, indeed, rationally conjectured from the appear- iiice of moles on white persons. These, when Mack, are often covered with black curled hair, differing altogether from that vkkrh is on other parts of the body. 8. From these facts I infer also, that the external appear- Qces of the complexion and hair on the human body are not onginal, nor at all essential to the nature of the body. All these men continued in every other particular the same in body ■id mind, while they were yet entirely changed in complexion to a considerable extent. I except Wampey, on whom the duuge, having veiy lately begun, had extended over a small ipot only. Moss and Adams were almost entirely white, without an alteration in any other respect than that of the Wir, and even without a new sensation, except the trifling one, ■entioned concerning Moss. These appearances, therefore, vere not essential, but incidental ; not original, but super- iidnced upon the human constitution. In other words, men «e not red, black, nor white, necessarily ; but merely as inci- dental circumstances direct. 9. Hence I conclude, that the varieties observed in the eonplexion and hair of the human species, furnish no probable 174 JOURNBY TO WHITKftTOWN. argument, that they sprang from different original stodfc The three g^eat varieties are white, black, and red. On tlie two last classes these changes have here taken place, and oq one of each they have been almost completed. A black man in one instance, and a red man in another, have become almost entirely white men, and without any such change in the in- ternal parts of the constitution as to occasion a single net sensation of any importance. Of white men, therefore, others may have become red, or black men, with changes eq«ali5 unessential. That this has really taken place is ISuHy pre- sumable from the facts here recounted. The ordinary odm^e of Providence, operating agreeably to natural and estaUidie^ laws, has wrought the change here. A similar course of PhH* vidence is therefore justly concluded to have wrought thtf change from white to red, and to black ; or, what is perhaps more probable, from red to white on the one hand, and tnm^ red to black on the other. The change here, so far as it hafl existed, has been accomplished in a few years. How easHy^ as well as how imperceptibly, may it have been accompUabso during the lapse of ages ! The Cushites on the mountains i^ Habesh have been black for thirty centuries. The Colchiaas-a who were black in the time of Herodotus, are now as wbiiaas the people of Europe. The Jews have every tint of eon- plexion, from that of Poland, Germany, and Britain^ to thai o: the black Jews in Hindostan. The change of the blacM'S whose ancestors were introduced into New-England, is aliPeadj very great, as to their shape, features, hair, and compleuop Withm the last thirty years I have not seen a angle peraou^ African descent, who was not many shades winter than, ike blacks, formeriy imported directly from Guinea* The acconnt given above of Henry Moss was written ao^ after he was at my house. At that time be prodmed siiropi3 certificates from respectable men in "Virginia and Maryland^ fldly attesting his integrity, and those parts of his Ustoiy Which I have recited. I am. Sir, 8cc. LETTER IV. Bmrnilian* Oneida Academy. Paris. Iron Mine. The Meaeures adopted for the Support of Religion in this State unhappy t and the Laws imperfect. Rome. Battle between the English and Indians under Sir John Johnson and the American Militia under General Herkimer. Corned, Siege of Fort Stanwix. Dbar Sir; Wb returned to Paris before dinner, and spent tbe lAerDOOD in visiting Hamilton Oneida academy, and in an iirteresting conversation with several of the tmstees concenir mg its present state, its prospects, and the means of increasing fk nsefiilness and reputation. This seminary is already of con- ■derable importance, and contains fifty-two students of both ftses, under the care of two instructors. The scheme of edoealion professedly pnrsued in it includes the English, l4tin, and Greek languages, and most of the liberal arts and iMDces. An academical building is erected for it, eighty- aght feet long and forty-^six feet wide, of three stories, on a loUe, healthy eminence, commanding a rich and extensive fmspect. It is, however, but partially finished^. The townriiip of Paris lies immediately south of Whites- town. It contains four parishes, of which Clinton is the most MHUerahie* This township is part of a tracts more than •MDiiMiiy was ia the year tBli converted into n college, with fundf taomituig to 100,000 dollars, and the assurance of 50,000 more. Half of their present funds was derived from contributions raised by the gentlemen of the neighbouring county ; the other half was given by the state. It u Mined Hamilton college, after the late secretary of the American treasury. Tk Rev. Dr. Backus of Bethlem was chosen president, and has entered on the dnties of his office. There are the best reasons for believing that it will pnvf a aoorce of extensive benefit to the western country of New- York. 176 JOURNEY TO WHITBSTOWN. thirty miles square ; the soil of which is probably not iDferior to any other of the same extent in this state. It is of the same kind with that of Hartford, formerly mentioned, and of the best quality. All the vegetable productions of the cli- mate flourish here. A farmer this year had two hundred bushels of peaches, which he sold for a dollar a bushel. Every other product thrives equally well, except flax ; which grows, indeed, very rankly; but the coat, or rind, is imperfect. Within a short period, when the land shall have been colti- Tated a little longer, this inconvenience will probably cease. The surface of this township is composed of handsome hilb and vallies. The principal valley is watered by the Oriskany, a fine, sprightly mill-stream, flowing at the bottom of two beautiful slopes through a. rich border of intervals, .and fur- nishing a succession of mill-seats. The church, a building honourable to the inhabitants of so new a settlement, stands in a small but pretty village built in this valley. The sur- rounding country is a collection of handsome farms. The forests in this township are composed of beech, maple, bass, 8cc. When these trees are felled, they are often imperfectly replaced by a new growth; and give, therefore, too much reason to fear, that timber and fuel at no great distance of time will become scarce. A Tast multitude of the stones in this township are, to n gpreat extent, composed of small marine shells ; often in tli^r orig^al state, but generally petrified. A fourth, a half, and sometimes three-fourths, of the whole mass are frequently made of these shells, particularly of escallops and musdes. Such as I saw in a state of petrifaction were of a dirty biown colour : the rest were as white as when found on the shore of the ocean. They were aggregated in alkfiositions. These and other marine exuvias are found in vast quantities throogb-. out a great extent of this country, and on the highest grounds. Immense multitudes of oyster shells, a great number of them not petrified, are embodied in large masses of lime stone at Cherry Valley, about sixty miles west of Albany. The water throughout this country is almost universally im- pregnated with lime. One spring only was mentioned to me as