an extensive view of the adjacent country, it evidently combines the pleafure of fight, with a pure and falubrious air.

By their charter, the corporation of this feminary, confills of two branches with diftinct and refpective powers, viz. the Truflees and fellows of the college.

The number of Trustees is thirty-fix, twenty two of whom must be Baptifts, five Quakers, five Epifcopalians and four Congregationalifis, and this proportion according to their charter is to be obferved forever.

The number of the fellows, (including the Prefident, who is always to be one) is twelve, of whom eight must be Baptifts, and the other four may be of any other denomination. The Prefident must be a Baptift but the other teachers may be of any denomination.

In order that any act may be vailed, it is neceffary, that it fhould be agreed to, by a majority of the Truflees and fellows; but the conferring degrees, is exclufively left with the latter branch, who being a learned facul ty, are fuppofed to be the best judges of literary merit. There is annually a general meeting of the corporation, on the firt Wednesday in September, when the public commencement is held, and upon this occafion, a greater concourse of people is collected, than upon any other anniverfary. The following extracts from a charge delivered to the graduates, in 1791 by David Howell then Prefident of the college, are introduced here as they difcover the principles introduced in this Seminary, while they proclaim the benevolent difpofition of the author.

"The pittance of time alloted to a collegiate education, can fuffice only to lay the foundation of learning: the fuperftructure must be reased by the alliduous attention of after years.

"Let the rights of man ever be held facred. A moments reflection will convince you, that other's rights are as invaluable as your own; and a fmall degree of virtue will lead you to respect them. He that ferves mankind moft fuccessfully, and with the best principles, ferves his Creator moft acceptably. Be cautious of bandying into parties: they regard neither the abilities nor virtues of men, but only their fubferviency to prefent purposes, they are a fnare to virtue, and a mifchief to fociety. With this caution on your minds, you will never speak evil of whole fects, claffes, or focieties of men.

Forget not this precious motto,

Nihil humanum a me pnto alienum.”

"Confider every one in human fhape, as your brother, and Let charity with the golden links of love connect you with the brotherhood of man." Let your benevolence be broad as the ocean, your candour brilliant as the fun, and your compallion and humanity extenfive as the human race."

These fentiments are not confined to Mr. Howell; the charge of Prefident Maxey in 1793, breathes the fame spirit of freedom and philanthropy. What are the advantages fociety may not expect, when principles like thefe are impreffed with all the energetic force of precept and examples on the minds of the rifing generation,

From December 1776, to June 1782, the college edifice was used by the French and American troops for an hofpital and barracks, so that the courfe of education was interrupted during that period. No degrees were conferred from 1776 to 1786. From 1786, the college again became re gular, and is now very flourishing, containing upwards of xty Dudents, Vol. IV.

This inflitution is under the inftruction of a prefident, a profeffor of divinity, a professor of natural and experimental philofophy, a profeffor of mathematics and aftronomy, a profeffor of natural hiftory, and three tutors. The inflitution has a library of between two and three thousand volumes containing a valuable philofophical apparatus.

At Newport there is a flourishing academy, under the direction of a rector and tutors, who teach the learned languages, English grammar, geography, &c.

A marine fociety was eftablished at Newport in 1752, for the purpose of relieving diftreffed widows and orphans of maritime brethren, and fuch of their fociety as may need affiflance.

The Providence fociety for promoting the abolition of flavery, for the relief of perfons unlawfully held in bondage, and for improving the condition of the African race, commenced in 1789, and was incorporated the year following. It confifls of upwards of one hundred and fifty members, part of whom belong to the State of Maffachusetts.

Chief Towns.

NEWPORT and Providence are the two principal towns in the

flate. Newport lies in lat. 41° 35'. This town was firft fettled by Mr. William Coddington, afterwards governor, and the father of Rhode Island, with seventeen others, in 1639. Its harbour, which is one of the finest in the world. fpreads weftward before the town. The entrance is easy, and fafe, and a large fleet may anchor in it and ride in perfect fecurity. The town liesh and fouth upon a gradual afcent as you proceed, caftward from the water, and exhibits a beautiful view from the harbour, and from the neighbouring hills which lie weftward upon the Main. Weft of the town is Goat-Ifland, on which is a fort. Between this ifland and the town is the harbour. Front or Water Street is a mile in length, and level.

Newport contains about 1100 houfes, but chiefly of wood, and 5530 inhabitants. It has ten houses for public worship; four for the Baptilis, two for Congregationalifts, one for Epifcopalians, one for Quakers, one for. Moravians, and a fynagogue for the Jews. The other public buildings are a flate-houfe, and an edifice for the public library. The fituation, form, and architecture of the late house, give it the preference to moft public bulldings in America. It flands fufficiently elevated, and a long wharf and paved parade lead up to it from the harbour.

The library is likewise an elegant building, and was founded in the year 1747, by Abraham Redwood, Efq; who gave 1294 volumes, valued at 5ool. fterling, as the foundation. Several other valuable donations were afterwards given. These books were depofited in the above defcriptive edifice, which was erected for the purpose of receiving them. A number of gentlemen were incorporated into a body politic by the name of the Company of the Redwood Library,' with power to choose annually eight directors, a treasurer, fecretary and librarian. This elegant building is now much out of repair, and one third of the books in the library were either carried off, or deftroyed by the British during the war.

Providence is fituated on Providence river, about thirty miles northwest of Newport, in latitude 41° 51' north. It is at prefent by far the moft flourifhing town in the flate. It contains 700 houfes, and upwards of 4300 in

habitants. Its public buildings are a college, an elegant church for baptifs, two for congregationalifts, befides others for other denominations. This town carries on a large foreign trade, and an extenfive and gainful traffic with the furrounding country. The town is fituated on both fides of the river, and is connected by a commodious bridge.

The inhabitants of Providence, the leaft year, manufactured 100,000 yards of cloth more than in any year fince the peace. This cloth, at a moderate valuation, will amount to 200,000 dollars.

This town, and Newport, and a few others, have, from the fift, firmly oppofed the late iniquitous meafures of their infatuated legiflature.

Briftol is a pleafant little town, about fixteen miles north of Newport, on the Main. It has an excellent foil, and is almoft as remarkable for the production of onions as Wethersfield in Connecticut.

THIS

Hiftory.

HIS flate was first fettled from Maffuchufetts. Motives of the fame kind with thofe which are well known to have occafioned the fettlement of moft of the other United States, gave birth to this. The emigrants from England who came to Maffachufetts, though they did not perfectly agree in religious fentiments, had been tolerably united by their common zeal against the ceremonies of the church of England. But, as foon as they were removed from ecclefiaftical courts, and poffeffed of a patent allowing Liberty of confcience, they fell into difputes and contentions among themfelves. And notwithstanding all their fufferings and complaints in England, excited by the principle of uniformity, (fuch is human nature), the majority here were as fond of this principle, as thofe from whofe perfecution they had fled.

The true grounds of religious liberty were not embraced or underflood at this time by any fect. While all difclaimed perfecution for the fake of tonfcience, a regard for the public peace, and for the prefervation of the church of Chrift from infection, together with the obftinacy of the heretics, was urged in juftification of that, which, ftripped of all its difguifes, the light of nature and the laws of Chrift in the moll folemn manner condeinn.

Mr. Roger Williams, a minifter, who came over to Salem in 1630, was charged with holding a variety of errors, and was at length banished from the then colony of Maffachufetts, and afterwards from Plymouth, as a diflurber of the peace of the church and commonwealth; and, as he fays, a bull of excommunication was fent after him.' He had feveral treaties with Myantonomo and Canonicus, the Narraganfett fachems, in 1634 and 1635, who affured him he fhould not want for land. And in 1634-5 he and twenty others, his followers, who were voluntary exiles, caine to a place called by the Indians, Moofhaufick, and by him Providence.

Here they fettled, and though fecured from the Indians by the terror of the English, they for a confiderable time greatly fuffered through fatigue and

want.

The unhappy divifions and contentions in Maffachufeits fill prevailed; and, in the year 1636, governor Winthrop strove to exterminate the opinions which he difapproved. Accordingly a fynod was called at Newtown, (now Cambridge) on the 30th of Auguft, when eighty erroneous opinions were prefented, debated and condemned; and a court holden in October following,

at the fame place, banished a few leading perfons of those who were accufed of thefe errors, and cenfured several others; not, it feems, for holding the fe opinions, but for feditions conduct. The difputes which occafioned this dif turbance were about the fame points as the five queftions debated between the fynod and Mr. Cotton which are thus defcribed by Dr. Mather: They were about the order of things in our union to our Lord Jefus Chrift; about the influence of our faith in the application of his righteousness; about the use of our fanctification in evidencing our juftification; and about the confideration of our Lord Jefus Chrift by men yet under a covenant of works; briefly, they were about the points whereon depend the grounds of our affu- ̧ rance of bleffednefs in a better world.

The whole colony of Maffachusetts, at this time, was in a violent ferment. The election of civil officers was carried by a party fpirit, excited by religious diffention. Those who were banished by the court, joined by a number of their friends, went in queft of a new fettlement, and came to Providence where they were kindly entertained by Mr. R. Williams, who, by the affilance of fir Henry Vane, jun. procured for them, from the Indians, Aquidnick, now Rhode Ifland. Here, in 1638, the people, eighteen in number, formed themfelves into a body politic, and chole Mr. Coddington, their leader, to be their judge or chief magiftrate. This fame year the fachems figned the deed, or grant of the ifland; for which Indian gift, it is faid, they paid very dearly, by being obliged to make repeated purchafes of the fame lands from feveral claimants.

The other parts of the flate were purchased of the natives at several succellive periods.

In the year 1643, the people being deflitute of a patent, or any legal authority, Mr. Williams went to England as agent, and by the affiftance of Sir Henry Vane, jun. obtained of the Earl of Warwick (then governor and admiral of all the plantations) and his council, "a free and abfolute charter of civil incorporation, by the name of the incorporation of Provi dence plantations in Narraganfett bay." This lafted until the charter granted by Charles II. in 1663, by which the incorporation was filed the English colony of Rhode Island and Providence plantations in New England." This charter, without any effential alteration, has remained the foundation of their government ever finces

As the original inhabitants of this flate were perfecuted, at least in their own opinion, for the fake of conscience, a moft liberal and free toleration was effablifhed by them. So little has the civil authority to do with religion here, that, as has been already hinted, no contract between a minif. ter and a fociety (unless incorporated for that purpofe) is of any force. It is probably for these reasons that fo many different fects have ever been found here; and that the Sabbath and all religious inflitutions have been more neglected in this, than in any other of the New England fates. Mr. Williams is faid to have become a Baptift in a few years after his fettling at Providence, and to have formed a church of that perfuafion which, in 1653. difagreed about the right of laying on of hands; fome holding it neceffary to church communion, and others judging it indifferent; upon which the church was divided into two parts. At Newport Mr. John Clarke and fome others formed a church, in 1644, on the principles of the Bapuls; which church was afterwards divided like that at Providence.

In 1720, there was a congregational church gathered at Newport, and

the reverend Nathaniel Clap was ordained as paftor. Out of this church arother was formed in 1728. The worthip of God, according to the rites of the church of England, was inftituted here in 1706, by the fociety for propagating the gospel in foreign parts and in 1738 there were feven worthiping affemblies in this town, and a large fociety of quakers at Portfmouth at the other end of the island.

In 1730, the colony was filled with inhabitants; and chiefly by the natural increase of the first fettlers. The number of fouls in the state at this time was 17,935 of which no more than 985 were Indians, and 1648 negroes.

In 1738, there was above an hundred fail of veffels belonging to Newport.

The colony of Rhode Island, from its local fituation, has ever been lefs expofed to the incurfions of the neighbouring Indians, and from the French from Canada, than their neighbours in Maffachufetts and Connec titut. Many of the colony have, from its first establishment, poffeffed the principles of the quakers which forbade them to fight. For thefe reafons, the colony has been very little concerned in the old wars with the French and Indians. In the expedition against Port Royal in 1710, and in the abortive attempt against Canada in 1711, they had fome forces. Towards the intended expedition against Canada in 1746 they raised 300 men, and equipped a floop of war with 100 feainen; but, in their voyage to NovaScotia, they met with misfortunes and returned. Soon after, their defign was dropped.

years

The rage for paper money in Rhode Island is not peculiar to the 1785 and 1786, &c. From 1710 to 1750, Dr. Douglafs obferves, that the moll beneficial bufinefs of the colony was banking or negociating a bafe, fraudulent, paper-money currency, which was to contrived, that amongst themselves it came out at about two and an half per cent intereft, and they lent it to the neighbouring colonies at ten per cent; a most barefaced cheat. The intereft of thefe public iniquitous frands went one quarter to the feveral townships to defray their charges; the other three quarters. were lodged in the treafury, to defray the government charges of the colony."

In 1741, there was an emiffion of 160.000l. in paper bills of credit, under pretence of the Sparifn and impending French war. But it was diftributed among the people by way of loan at four per cent. intereft for the firft ten years, after which the principal was to be paid off by degrees in ten years more without intereft. This foon depreciated.

In 1750, the current bills amounted to 525,335. which in its precipitated flate was then fuppofed, by the wife and honeft, fufficient for all the purposes of the colony: yet it was then meditated to emit 200.000l. more upon loan. This Dr. Douglafs fupposes could not have been designed as further medium of trade, but a knavih device of fraudulent debtors of the loan of money, to pay off their loans at a very depreciated value.

a

Soon after the termination of hoftilities between the United States and Great-Britain, a cry was again raifed in favour of paper money, becaule of the alleged fcarcity of hard cafh. An emiffion was accordingly made of one hundred thousand pounds, on very improper principles and attended by the moft difaftrous effects. The merchants and men of the best information firenuously oppofed the meafure; but to no purpose. Paper was made a tender