New-England. Other ftates have felt the effects of their villany. Hence they have characterifed the New-Englanders as a knavih, artful, and difhoneft people. But that conduct which diftinguishes only a fmall clafs of people any nation or flate ought not to be indifcriminately afcribed to all, or be foffered to Ramp their national character. In New-England there is as great a proportion of honest and industrious citizens as in any of the United States.

in

The people of New-England generally obtain their eftates by hard and perfevering labour: They of confequence know their value, and spend with frugality. Yet in no country do the indigent and unfortunate fare better. Their laws oblige every town to provide a competent maintenance for their poor, and the neceffitous franger is protected, and relieved from their humane inftitutions. It may in truth be faid, that in no par; of the world are the people happier, better furnished with the neceffaries and conveniencies of life, or more independent than the farmers in New-England. As the great body of the people are hardy, independent freeholders, their manners are, as they ought to be, congenial to their employment, plain, fimple, and unpolifhed. Strangers are received and entertained among them with a great of artless fincerity, friendly, and unformal hofpitality. Their children, thofe imitative creatures, to whofe education particular attention is paid, early imbibe the manners and habits of thofe around them; and the ftranger, with pleafure, notices the honeft and decent refpect that is paid him by the children as he paffes through the country.

deal

As the people, by reprefentation, make their own laws, and appoint their governments which own officers, they cannot be oppreffed ; and living under have few lucrative places, they have few motives to bribery, corrupt canvasfings, or intrigue. Real abilities and a moral character unblemished, are the qualifications requifite in the view of most people for officers of public trust. The expreffion of a wifh to be promoted, is the direct way to be disappointed. The inhabitants of New-England are generally fond of the arts, and have cultivated them with great fuccefs. Their colleges have flourished beyond any others in the United States. The illuftrious characters they have produced, who have diftinguished themselves in politics, law, divinity, the mathematics and philofophy, natural and civil hiftory, and in the fine arts, particularly in poetry, evince the truth of these observations.

Many of the women in New England are handfome. They generally have fair, fresh and healthful countenances, mingled with much female foftnefs and delicacy. Those who have had the advantages of a good education (and they are confiderably numerous) are genteel, eafy, and agreeable in their manners, and are sprightly and fenfible in their converfation. They are early taught to manage domeftic concerns with neatness and economy. Ladies of the firft rank and fortune make it part of their daily bufinefs to fuperintend the affairs of the family. Employment at the needle, in cookery and at the fpinning-wheel, with them is honourable. Idleness, even in thofe of independent fortunes, is univerfally difreputable. The women in the country manufacture the greateft part of the clothing of their families. Their li nen and woollen cloths are ftrong and decent. Their butter and cheese is not inferior to any in the world.

Dancing is the principal and favorite amufement in New-England; and of this the young people of both fexes are extremely fond. Gaming is prac tifed by none but those who cannot, or rather will not find a reputable em

ployment. The gamefter, the horse-jockey, and the knave, are equally defpifed; and their company is avoided by all who would sustain fair and irreproachable characters.

In the winter feason, while the ground is covered with fnow, which is commonly two or three months, fleighing is the general diverfion. A great part of the families throughout the country are furnished with horfes and fleighs. The young people collect in parties, and, with a great deal of fociability, refort to a place of rendezvous, where they regale themselves for a few hours with dancing and a focial fupper, and then retire, Thefe diverfions, as well as all others, are many times carried to accefs. To thefe exceffes, and a fudden expofure to extreme cold, after the exercise of dancing, phyficians have afcribed the confumption, which are fo frequent among the young people in New-England.

TRADE.

NEW-ENGLAND has no one flaple commodity. The ocean

and the foreft affords the two principal articles of export. Cod-fifh, macka'rel, fhad, falmon, and other fifh-whale oil and whale bone-mafts, boards, fcantling, flaves, hoops, and fhingles, have been, and are fill exported in large quantities. The annual amount of cod and other fish, for foreign exportation, including the profits arifing from the whale-fifhery, is eftimated at upwards of half a million.

Befides the articles enumerated, they export from the various parts of New England fhips built for fale, horfes, mules, live-Rock-pickled beef and pork, pot-afh, pearl-afh, flax-feed, butter and cheefe-New-England diftilled rum, and other articles which will be mentioned in their proper places. The balance of trade, as far as imperfect calculations will enable us to judge, has generally been again ft New-England; not from any unavoidable receffity, but from her extravagant importations. From a view of the annual imports into New-England, it appears that the greateft part of them confifts of the luxuries, or at best the difpenfible conveniencies of life; the country affords the neceffaries in great abundance.

The pallions, for the gratification of which thefe articles of luxury are confumed, have raged fince the peace of 1783, and have brought a heavy debt upon the confumers. Neceffity, that irrelflible governefs of mankind, has of late in a happy degree checked the influence of these paffions, and the people begin to confine themfelves more to the neceffaries of life. It is wifhed that the principles of indaftry and frugality may gain fuch flrength as to make those wants, which at firit may be painful, become fo familiar as to be no longer felt.

HISTORY.

SIR Walter Raleigh had given the name of North Virginia to the

whole caftern coast of North America, in honour of Elizabeth, the virgin queen. A company was afterwards formed in England, called "the North Virginia company." Having obtained from James I. a grant of thofe terri tories, in 1614 the company employed fame fhips to fifh on the coafts; when the commanders found it expedient to go on fhore, they were in general kindly received by the Indians who frequented thofe parts, Whilst things were on this footing, one captain Thomas Hunt, enticing a number of the natives

No. 24.

• on board his fhip, made them prisoners; and, setting fail, proceeded to Malaga, where he fold them for flaves, referving only one man, who was called Squanto, and who was afterwards carried back to his native country; and having been kindly treated whilft in England, his mediation with his coun trymen ferved to abate their refentment of this outrage.

When fome years had elapfed after this tranfaction, a religious fociety, known by the name of Brownifts, confifting of one hundred and twenty perfons, having obtained a grant of land from James I. arrived in November 1621, at Cape Cod, near to which they landed and built the town of Plymouth; fo called from the fea-port of that name in England, at which they had embarked.

Great numbers, of different fects, of those who are called Puritans, from that time went over every year from England to fettle in America. In the year 1629 the town of Salem was built; and foon after Charles I. granted thefe new fettlers a patent, incorporating them by the name of the governor and company of Maffachufett's Bay. They were empowered to make laws for the good of the plantation, not repugnant to thofe of England, and liberty of confcience being granted to all who would fettle there, great numbers of those who could not obtain that privilege in England went over and in a little time new fettlements were made; particularly one flyled Charles Town, on the fouth fide of Charle's river, and that of Dorchester at the bottom of Maachufett's Bay. Soon after, part of the inhabitants of Charles Town, paffing over to the oppofite fhore, erected Bofton, the prefent capital of New England.

That toleration which thefe Proteftants claimed as their natural right, they denied to those who held tenets repugnant to their own. Their rigid feverity obliged a number of fettlers to withdraw themselves, and form a separate colony, which they called Providence, upon Newport-river, near Rhodeland. The increasing population of thefe colonies foon after caufed the town of Hartford to be built, in order to form a frontier against the incurfions of the Indians who, however had, in general, lived on a friendly footing with their new neighbours. The towns of Windfor, Weathersfield, and Springfield, rofe foon after.

A feparate government was formed in 1635 on Connecticut-river, which afterward obtaining a charter from Charles II. the province of Connecticut was founded. The charter authorized this colony to elect their own governor council, and magiftrates, and to enact fuch laws as fhould be most advantageous to the colony, provided they were not repugnant to those of England.

The perfecution of the Proteftant Diffenters in England kill continuing great numbers of people removed to New-England; and the old colonies being overflocked, there was an abfolute neceflity of forming new plantations; and therefore, in 1637, Theophilus Eaton, Efq. and the Rev. Mr. Davenport, finding there was not room at Maffachusetts Bay, purchafed from the Indians the lands lying on the fea-coaft between Connecticut-river and Hudfon's or the North River, where they built a town, and named it New-Haven, from whence the colony derived the name of the New-Haven celony.

While the fouthern parts of New-England were thus filling with inhabitants, other emigrants, induced by the profits arifing from the fur trade, feled to the N. E. between the rivers Merrimac and Kennibes, forming two Vol. IV. Ff

diflinct colonies, one named New-Hampshire, and the other fill farther to the eastward, was called the Province of Main.

In the space of no more more than twenty years, New-England had above forty towns, and the English had taken poffeffion of this country from the river Kennebec on the N. E. almost to Hudfon's river on the S. W. an extent of upward of four hundred mile, on the fea-coal. Such was the first rife and origin of the New-England colonies, which from thefe fmal! beginnings, became populous, wealthy, aud important.

In this colony the firft diffenfions with the mother country arose, on the Britif parliament impofing ftamp-duties on all papers and parchments made ufe of in law-proceedings, and in money-tranfactions between man and man, in the year 1765. This act being repealed the following year, caufed the general ferment to fubfide; but in the year 1769 it revived with accumulated force, on fresh internal taxes being laid, particularly a duty of gd. per pound on all teas. The populace at Boflon affembling, refifted the officers appointed to collect the cuftoms, and deftroyed great quantities of tea; for which offences an act of parliament paffed, prohibiting all commerce being carried on at the port of Bofton. The provincial affembly had for fome years been on ill terms with Mr. (afterwards Sir Francis) Barnard, the governor of the province, and he being recalled, was fucceeded by general Gage, and a body of forces, amounting to about 2000 men, which failed from Ireland aud Halifax, arrived foon after. But neither the new governor, who was known and refpected in the province, was capable of allaying the ferment, nor could the appearance of the troops ove-rawe that Spirit of oppofition to arbitrary powers, which had now become unusually prevalent, and this oppofition, as we have already mentioned in the fketch we have given of the hiftory of the United States, ultimately terminated in the emancipation of the former British colonifts.

We fhall close this general hiftory of New-England with a few remarks refpecting the Indians.

We cannot even hazard a conjecture refpecting the Indian population of New-England, at the time of its fettlement by the English. Captain Smith, in a voyage to this coaft in 1614, fuppofed that, on the Maffachusetts Ifland, there were about 3000 Indians. All accounts agree, that the fea-coaft and neighbouring islands were thickly inhabited.

Three years before the arrival of the Plymouth colony, a very mortal ficknefs, fuppofed to have been the plague, or perhaps the yellow-fever, raged

with great violence among the Indians in the eastern parts of New-England.

Whole towns were depopulated. The living were not able to bury the dead; and their bones were found lying above ground, many years after. The Massachusetts Indians are said to have been reduced from 30,000 to 300 fighting men. In 163, the fmall-pox fwept off great numbers of the Indians in Maffachusetts.

In 1763, on the Ifland of Nantucket, in the fpace of four months, the Indians were reduced, by a mortal fick nefs, from 320 to 85 fouls. The hand of Providence is notable in thefe furprising inflances of mortality, among the Indians, to make room for the English. Comparatively few have perished by wars. They wafte and moulder away-they in manner unaccountable disappear.

The number of Indians in the ftate of Connecticut in 1774 was one thousand three hundred and fixty-three. But their number is now doubtless

mnch leffened. The principal part of their prefent population in this state is at Mohegan, in New London county.

the

The number of Indians in Rhode Island in 1683, was only five hundred and twenty-five. More than half of these live in Charleton, in thẻ county of Washington. In 1774, the number of Indians in Rhede-Ifland was one thousand four hundred and eighty-two; fo that in nine years decrease was nine hundred and fifty-feven. We have not been able to afcertain the exact fate of the Indian population in Maffachuferts and New-Hampshire. In 1784, there was a tribe of about forty Indians at Norridgewalk, in the Province of Main, with fome few other fattering remains of tribes in other parts; and a number of towns thinly inhabited round Cape Cod.

When the English firft arrived in America, the Indians had no times no places fet apart for religious worship. The first fettlers in New England were at great pains to introduce among them the habits of civilized life, and to inftruct them in the Chriftian religion. A few years intercourfe with the Indians introduced them to establish several good and natural regulations, They ordained, that if a man be idle a week, or at moft a fortnight, he shall pay five fhillings. Every young man, not a fervant, fhall be obliged to fet up a wigwam, and plant for himself. If an unmarried man fhall lie with an If any woman shall not unmarried woman, he shall pay twenty fhillings.

pay

five fhillings, &c.

have her hair tied the fhall up The Rev. Mr. Elliot of Roxbury, near Boston, who has been flyled the great Indian Apoftle, with much labour, learned the Natie dialect of the Indian languages. He publifhed an Indian grammar, and preached in Indian to feveral tribes, and in 1664 tranflated the Bible and feverat religious books into the Indian language. He relates feveral pertinent queries of the Indians refpecting Chriftian religion. Among others; whether Jefus Chrift, the mediator or interpreter, could underftand prayers in the Indian language? If the father be bad and the child good, why fhould God, in the fecond commandment be offended with the child? How the Indians came to differ fo much from the English in the knowledge of God and Jefus Chrift, fince they all fprang from one father? Mr. Elliot was indefatigable in his labours, and travelled throgh all parts of Maffachufetts and Plymouth colonies, as far as Cape Cod. The colony had fuch a veneration for him, that, in an act of the general affembly, relating to the Indians, they exprefs themselves thus, By the advice of the faid magiftrates, and of Mr. Elliot.' M. Mayhew, who alfo learned the Indian language, was very active in propagating the knowledge of Chriftianity among the Indians at Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Elizabeth Ifland.

Mr. Brainard was a truly pious and fuccefsful miffionary among the Indians on the Sufquehannah and Delaware rivers. In 1744, he rode about four thousand miles among the Indians, fometimes five or fix weeks together, without feeing a white perfon. The Rev. Mr. Kirtland of Stockbridge has been laboriously engaged, and greatly ferviceable in civilizing and Chriftianizing the Oneida and other Indians.

Concerning the religion of the untaught natives of America, Mr. Brainard who was well acquainted with it, informs us, that, after the coming of the white people, the Indians in New-Jerfey, who once held a plurality of deities, fuppofed there were only three, becaufe they faw people of three kinds of complexions, viz.-English, Negroes, and themfelves.