in all cafes whatever; and if a creditor fhould refufe accepting it in payment of his debis, the debtor was authorized to depofit it in the hands of a juftice of the peace, giving fix months notice of the fame, in the public papers; in which term, if the creditors did not appear and receive these bills, the debt by the art, was difcharged. The confequences of the act were, that business was flagnated and credit was at an end. What little hard money remained in the fta.e, was locked up and kept from circulation, and of course, confufion univerfally prevailed; but as we have already obferved, fince the adoption of the federal conftitution, this evil is completely remedied.

Through the whole of the late war with Great Britain, the inhabitants of this flate manifefted a patriotic fpirit; their troops behaved gallantly, and they are honoured in having produced the fecond general in the field.*

At the conclufion of the war, when it was propofed to invest congrefs with power to levy an impoft of five per cent. on imports, this flate, by its pertinacious refillance, was the principal means of defeating the measure.

The emillion of paper money in this ftate fince the peace, was productive of fome fhking fcenes of fraud and deception, and was the chief reason why Rhode Island remained fo long ohftinate against the adoption of the federal conflitution. Its obflinacy was finally overcome by the danger of being fubjected to the fame duties in the ports of the other flates, as aliens, a meafure contemplated by congress.

Situation, Extent, and Boundaries.

THIS State is fituated between 41° and 42° 2' north latitude, and

1° 50′ and 3° 40' eaft longitude from Philadelphia. Its length is about 100 miles, and its greatest breadth 72. It is bounded on the north by Maffachufetts, on the eaft by Rhode-Ifland, on the fouth by the Sound, which divides it from Long Island, and on the weft, by the State of NewYork.

Civil Divifions, and Population.

CONNECTICUT is divided into eight counties, viz. Hartford,

New-Haven, New-London, Fairfield, Wyndham, Litchfield, Middlefex, and Tolland; thefe are divided into about one hundred townships. Each township is a corporation, invefted with power to hold lands, choose their own town officers, to make prudential laws, the penalty of tranfgreflion not to exceed twenty fillings, and to choose their own reprefentatives to the General Affembly. The townships are generally divided into two or more parishes, in each of which is one or more places for public worship, and fchool houses at convenient diflances. The whole population of this State in 1790, amounted to 237,946, of whom 2,764 were flaves.

* General Green,

Air and Climate.

CONNECTICUT, though fubject to the extremes of heat and

cold in their feasons, and to frequent fudden changes, is very healthful. The north-west winds, in the winter feason, are often extremely fevere and piercing, occafioned by the great body cf fnow which lies concealed from the diffolving influence of the fun, in the immenfe forefts north and northweft. The clear and ferene temperature of the fky, however, makes amends for the feverity of the weather, and is favourable to health and longevity. In the maritime towns the weather is variable, according as the wind blows from the fea or land; but in the interior of the country, the fea breezes having less effect upon the air, confequently the weather is lefs variable.

Face of the Country, Sea Coat, &c.

CONNECTICUT is generally broken land, made up of moun

tains, hills, and vallies. It is laid out in fmall farms, from fifty to three or four hundred acres each, which are held by the farmers in fee fimple, and are generally cultivated as well as the nature of the foil will admit. The flate is chequered with innumerable roads or high-ways, crolling each other in every direction. A traveller, in any of these roads, even in the molt unfettled parts of the State, will feldom pafs more than two or three miles without finding a house or cottage, and a farm under fuch improvements as to afford the neceffaries for the fupport of a family. The whole State refembles a well cultivated garden, which, with that degree of induftry that is neceffary to happinefs, produces the neceffaries and conveniencies of life in great plenty; it is exceedingly well watered by numerous rivers, but the principal is that which gives its name to this flate; this we have already defcribed.

The Houfatonick paffes through a number of very pleasant, towns in this State, and empties into the found between Stratford and Milford; it is navigable twelve miles to Derby. A bar of fhells, at its mouth, obftrucs its navigation for large veffels. In this river, between Salisbury and Canaan, is a cattaract, where the water of the whole river, which is one hundred and fifty yards wide, falls about fixty feet perpendicular, in a perfect white fheet, exhibiting a fcene exceedingly grand and beautiful.

Naugatuk is a fmall river which rifes in Torrington, and empties into the Houfatonick at Derby.

The Thames empties into Long-Ifland found at New London: it is navigable fourteen miles to Norwich landing here it loofes its name, and branches into Shetucket on the caft, and Norwich or Little river on the west. The city of Norwich ftands on the tongue of land between these rivers. Little river, about a mile from its mouth, has a remarkable and very romantic cataract. A rock, ten or twelve feet in perpendicular height, extends quite across the channel of the river over this the whole river pitches, in one entire fleet, upon a bed of rocks below. Here the river is compreffed into a very narrow channel between two craggy cliffs, one of which towers to a confiderable height: the channel defcends gradually, is very crooked, and covered with pointed rocks. Upon thefe the water fwifly tumbles, foaming with the most violent agitation, fifteen or twenty rods, into a broad bason

which fpreads before it. At the bottom of the perpendicular falls, the rocks are curioully excavated by the conflant pouring of the water: fome of the cavities, which are all of a circular form, are five or fix feet deep. The fimoothness of the water above its defcent-the regularity and beauty of the perpendicular fall-the tremendous roughness of the other, and the craggy lowering cliff which impends the whole, prefents to the fpectator, a fcene indifcribably delightful and majellic. On this river are fome of the fineit mill feats in New England; and thofe immediately below the falls, occupi d by Lathrop's mailis, are, perhaps, not exceeded by any in the world. Across the mouth of this river is a broad, commodious bridge, in the form of a wharf, built at a great expenfe.

Shetucket river, the other branch of the Thames, four miles from its mouth, receives Quinnabogue, which has its fource in Brimfield in Maffachufetts; thence palling though Sturbridge and Dudley in Maffachufetts, it croffes into Connecticut, and divides Pomfret fom Killingly, Canterbury from Plainfield, and Lisbon from Prefton, and then mugles with the Shetucket. In palling through this billy country, it tumbles over many falls, two of which, one in Thompfon, the other in Brooklyn, are thirty feet each; this raver affords a vast number of fine mill feats. In its courfe it receives a great number of tributary fireams, the principal of which are Muddy Brook, and Five Mile river. Shetucket river is formed by the junction of Willamantic and Mount Hope rivers, which unite between Windham and Lebanon. In Lifbon it receives Little river and at a little diftance farther the Quinnabogue, and empties as above. Thele rivers are, indeed, fed by numberless brooks from every part of the adjacent country. At the mouth of Shetucket is a bridge of timber one hundred and twenty four feet in length, fupported at each ene by pillars, and held up in the middle by braces on the nature of an arch.

top, in the Paukatuck river is an inconfiderable fiream which heads in Stonington, and empties into Stonington harbour. It forms part of the dividing line between Connecticut and Rhode-Ifland.

Eaft or North Haven river, rifes in Southington, not far from a bend in Farmington river, and paffing through Wallingford and North-Haven, falls into New-Haven harbour. It has been in contemplation to connect the fource of this river with Farmington river.

Eaft and Weft rivers are inconfiderable ftreams, bounding the city of New-Haven on the eaft and weft.

Weft of the Houfatonick are a number of small rivers, which fall into the found. Among thefe is Byran river, noticeable only as forming a part of the boundary between New-York and Connecticut. But neither this, nor any any of the others, are confiderable enough to merit particular attention.

The two principal harbours in this fiate are at New-London and NewHaven. The former opens to the fouth. From the light-house, which flands at the mouth of the harbour, to the town, is about three miles; the breadth is three quarters of a mile, and in fome places more. The harbour has from five to fix fathoms water-a clear bottom-tough, ooze, and as far as one mile above the town is entirely fecure and commodious for large fhips. New-Haven harbour is greatly inferior to that of New-London. It is a bay which fets up northerly from the found, about four miles. Its entrance is ahout half a mile wide. It has very good anchorage, and two and a half fathom at low water, and three fathom and four feet at common tides,

No. 25.