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In 1692, Colonel Samuel Allen was commiffioned governor of NewHampshire, eight years after he came over to America to profecute his claim, but died before the affair was concluded.

The inhabitants about this time fuffered extremely from the cruel barbarity of the Indians. Exeter, Dover, and the frontier fettlements, were frequently furprized in the night-the houfes plundered and burnt--the men killed and fealped-and the women and children either inhumanly murdered or led captives into the wildernefs. The first feulers on other parts of New-England were alfo about this time, harraffed by the Indians, and it would require volumes to enumerate their particular fufferings,

In 1737, a controverfy, which had long fubfilled between the two governments of Maffachufetts and New-Hampshire, refpecting their divifional line, was heard by commiflioners appointed by the crown for that purpose. These commiffioners determined that the northern boundaries of Maffachufetts fhould be a line three miles north from the river Merimak, as far as Pantucket fails, then to run west to north, until it meets NewYork line. Although Massachusetts felt them felves aggrieved by this decifion and attempted feveral ways to obtain redrefs, the fine has never been altered, but is, at prefent, the divifional line between the two ftates. Douglafs mentions, "That the governor of Maffachufeits, for many years, was alfo governor of New-Hampshire, with a diflinct, commiffion." This muft have been many years after New-Hampshire had been erected into a feparate government in 1679. He adds, that New-Hampfire entered a complaint to the king in council against the joint governor, relative to fettling the boundaries between the two provinces. This complaint was judged by the king to have been well founded, and therefore a feparate governor for New Hampshire was commillioned anno 1740."

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Miles.
Length 190

Breadth 190}

Degrees,

41° 20′ and 42° 50' North Latitude.

Between {4

{.122, and 5 11 E. Lon. from Phil.

BOUNDED northwardly by New-Hampshire and Vermont,

on the caft by the Atlantic on the fouth by that ocean, Rhode-Island, and Connecticut, and on the Weft by New-York.

eaftern

MERRIMAK

RIVERS.

ERRIMAK river, before defcribed, runs through the northpart of this state. Charles river rifes from five or fix fources, on the fouth-east fide of Opaiuton and Holliftin ridge. The main stream runs

The diftrict of Main is part of the fate of Massachusetts, but is not here included.

north-eaft, then north and north-eastwardly, round this ridge, until, in Natick township, it mingles with Mother-Brook, which is a confiderable branch of Charles river. The river thus formed runs weftward, tumbling in falls across the south-west end of Brooklyn hills, and paffing near Fram ingham pond, runs north-eaft to Cambridge; hence winding round in a finuous courfe, falls into Bofton harbour. Taunton river rifes in the Blue

mountains, which lie back of Milton and Braintree, and forms the prin cipal drain of the country lying eaft of these mountains-the river runs nearly a ftraight courfe fouth-weft, under the foot of the mountains, to Tiverton on Naraganfett bay. Concord river is formed by three branches, one iffuing from Framingham pond, and the other two from the mountains about Marlborough. Thele fireams united run north, and fall into the Merrimak river a little below Pantucket falls.

Myftic and B dford rivers run from north to fouth into Bofton harbour. Ipfwich river, rifing in Willmington in Middlefex county, runs eaft, and then north-eaft into the Atlantic at Ipfwich. Weftfield river, from the northweft, empties into Connecticut river at Springfield. A little above, the Chicabee from the north-eaft empties into the fame river. Deerfield river rifes in Vermont, and running fouthwardly through Wilmington, Charlemont and between Shelburne and Conway, enters and paffes through a large tract of the finest meadow in the world. In these meadows it receives Green river, from the mountains, which is about four rods wide; hence they país on together, in a broad smooth ftream, about three miles into Connecticut river.

Capes and Illands.

THE principal Capes on the coaft of Maffachusetts are Cape Ann

on the north fide of Bofton Bay, and Cape Cod on the fouth. The latter is the terminating hook of a promontory, which extends far into the fea, and is remarkable for having been the first land which was made by the firft fettlers of Plymouth on the American coaft in 1620. In the beard of the hook, which is made by the Cape, is Cape Cod harbour. This promontory circumfcribes Barnftable bay, and forms Barnftable county. This county

is almoft an island. The isthmus which connects it to the continent, is between Sandwich bay on the north, and Buzzards bay on the fouth. The diftance between them is but fix or seven miles. Herring brook almost croffes this neck or ifthmus, fo that a canal of about one mile only would infulate the country, and fave several hundred miles dangerous navigation in palling from New-Port to Befton, and be otherwife of immenfe advantage to trade. Such a canal has been talked of for more than a hundred years past. The caftern coaft of this promontory is fubject to continual changes. Large tracts of fand bank, in the course of forty or fifty years, by the conflant accumulation of fand and mud, occafioned by the coil and recoil of the tides, have been transformed into folid marsh land. The fand banks extend two hundred miles into the fea, forming dangerous fhoals.

Among other iflands which border upon the coaft, are Kappawak, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Kappawak, now Dukes county, and the neighbouring ifles, were discovered as early as 1602, by Bartholomew Gofnold. In honor of Queen Elizabeth, he called a clufter of finall iflands near the Cape. Elizabeth ifles. To another neighbouring island he gave the name of Martha's Vineyard. Dukes county is twenty miles

This lit

in length, and about four in breadth. It contains feven parifhes. Edgarton, which includes the island Chabaquidick, is the fhire town. the island is about half a mile from the harbour, and renders it very fecure. This county is full of inhabitants, who, like their neighbours at Nantucket, fubfift principally by fishing. They fend three reprefentatives to the general affembly, and one fenator.

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Nantucket lies fouth of Cape Cod, and is confiderably less than Dukes county. It contains, according to Douglafs, 23,000 acres, including the beach. No mention is made of the difcovery and fettlement of this ifland under its prefent name, by any of our hiftorians. It is more than probable that this is the ifland which is ufually called Nautican by ancient voyagers. It formerly had the most confiderable whale fishery on the coaft; but the war almoft ruined them. They are now beginning to revive their former bufinefs. Moft of the inhabitants are whalers and fishermen. As the island is low, fandy, and barren, it is calculated only for thofe people who are willing to depend almoft entirely on the watery element for fubfiftence. The illand of itfelf conflitutes one county, by the name of Nantucket. It has but one town, called Sherburne, and fends one reprefentative to the general affembly.

Civil Divifions, Population, Religion, &c.

THIS flate is divided into twelve counties and fub-divided into 355

townships. The names of the counties are as follow, Suffolk, Norfolk, Effex, Middlefex, Hampshire, Plymouth, Bristol, Barnftable, Duke's Iland), Nantucket (land) Worcester and Berkshire, and the total number of inhabitants was according to the late cenfus eftimated at three hundred and feventy eight thoufand feven hundred and eighty-feven, of whom upwards of feventy thousand are fuppofed capable of bearing arms. The number of horfes of all ages found in this flate in the year 1784 was 49.417, and the number of horned cattle of all kinds amounted to 286,990. There were then in this #tale, 1,087.373 acres of improved land, and 3.185,857 acres unimproved. The fituation of this flate with refpect to religion is the fame as in the others. Eftablishment there is none, as all who behave themselves peaceably and whofe practices under pretence of religion does not interrupt the publie tranquillity, are equally entitled to the protection of the legislature-Of the different denominations of Chriftians, the congregationalifts have fince the firft fettlement of this ftate, been by far the moft numerous. To define with precifion the prefent ecclefiaftical conflitution of the congregational churches might be attended with fome difficulty; but they appear pretty generally to agree in this opinion, that "Every particular congregation of vifible faints, in gofpel order, being furnished with a paftor or bithop, and walking together in truth and peace, has received from the Lord Jefus, full power and authority, ecclefiaftical, within itself, regularly to adininifter all the ordinances of Chrift and is not under any other ecclefiaftical jurifdiction whatever." This being their profeffion, with refpect to church government, one would be apt to clafs them with the religious denomination called Independents. This appellation, however, they in general reject, as they claim a fifterly relation with one another. The greateft part of the congregationalifts, with refpećt to principals are Calvinifts, and the only difference between them and the Prefbyterians who hold the fame opinion, appears to be this, that each individual congregation is governed by thofe of its own fociety, while focieties of

the latter are governed by church feffions, feveral of these feffions conflitute a prefbytery, a number of prefbyteries form a fynod, and a meeting of feveral fynods meet in a general affembly, which is the fupreme court of their church. The number of congregational churches in 1749 was 250, and in 1760 the proportion of the different fects in this flate was nearly as follows, viz.

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Suppofed number of

fouls of each Sea.

225:426
16,192

14.723

8,598

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268,853

Total 365

Since that time the number of congregationalifts and Bapufis have confiderably increafed. A new feet has likewife fprung up, called Univerfalifts, who believe in the final falvation of all men. The molt numerous congrega

tion of this fect is at Boflon under the care of the Rev. Mr. Murray. There are alfo feveral others in this ftate, and feveral others fcattered throughout different parts of the union. Their churches are governed by an ecclefiaftical conflitution formed by a convention of their minifters and elders held at Philadelphia in the year 1782.

Literary and Charitable Societies.

MASSACHUSET

ASSACHUSETTS may, in feveral refpects, be confidered as one of the first flates of the union, and is diftinguished, amongst other circumflances, by numerous affociations for the moft laudable purpofes. Amongst thefe the fociety for propagating the gospel among the Indians and others in North America; which was incorporated November 19 1787, deferves particular applaufe. The fuccefs of this fcheme has afforded great fatisfaction to its authors. Several thousand books upon religious fubjects have been purchased and diftributed amongst the inhabitants of the more remote parts of the ftate, who in general were but little acquainted with the doctrines of chriftianity. Miffionaries have been likewife appointed and fupported by this fociety to vifit the eaftern parts of the diftrict of Main, where the people were generally deflitute of the means of religious inftruc tion, and we are happy to learn, that the labours of thefe millionaries have been crowned with great fuccefs.

The Maffachusetts charitable fociety inflituted November 16, 1779, for the purpofe of raifing a fund to be appropriated to the relief of its members and their families in the time of diftrefs and calamity; the Bofton epifcopal charitable fociety incorporated February 12, 1794, and inflituted with a fimilar view as the former; the Maffachusetts agricultural fociety; their medical, hiftorical and marine focieties; and the Maffachufetts charitable fire fociety inftituted in 1794, for the purpose of relieving unfortunate perfons, who may have fuffered by fire, and of rewarding men of genius for inventing difcoveries beft calculated to prevent the direful effects of that devouring element; all thefe in a remarkable degree evince the philanthropy and patriotifm of the inhabitants of this metropolis.

After mentioning the above focieties, which, as might be expected from the benevolent views with which they were founded, have profpered exceed.

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