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principal fettlements-one at the landing place, called Chelfen, another one mile and a half north, which is the original and most central fettlement--and a third, about the fame diftance northerly. Thefe compact fettlements are places of trade-the rest of the town confifts of farmers. The town in 1800 contained three thousand four hundred and eighty inhabitants.

359. Commercial parts of Norwich. Chelfea is fituated on a steep hill, at the head of tide water. It confifts of houses and stores clustered together on the declivity, in an irregular manner, and exhibiting a romantic appear. ance. The central fettlement, or town, lies partly around a handfome green, on which is the court house, and part. ly along the foot of a hill, in a circular form, around a meadow; the other fettlement is on elevated ground. All parts of the city exhibit many handfome and fome ele gant buildings. In this city there is a bank and an infurance company.

360. Middletown. Middletown is fituated on the weft bank of the Connecticut, fifteen miles below Hartford; where the river forms an elbow, just above its paffage through the highlands. The city is spread over a gentle declivity, which exhibits the streets and buildings to great advantage. When viewed from the diftant hills, it appears like a vaft amphitheater, prefenting a prospect as delight ful as the fituation is healthful. This town and Haddam are the feats of the courts in Middlesex county. The public buildings in Middletown are a court-house, a congre gational and an epifcopal church. The inhabitants in 1800 were five thousand. In this city is a bank and an

infurance company.

361. Other confiderable Towns. Fairfield and Danbury, the fhire towns of Fairfield county, are handfome towns, altho burnt by the British troops, during the war. Litchfield, the feat of the courts in Litchfield county, has its principal and a very handfome street, on an elevation, which renders it a peculiarly pleafant and healthful fituation, for a fummer's refidence. On this ftreet are the

public buildings, a church and a court-houfe. Weathersfield, the oldest town in the ftate, and Windsor, which was the next fettled, are confiderable and well built towns. Windham a fhire town in the county of that name, and many other towns, are populous and well built.

362. Soil. The foil of Connecticut, excepting fome fandy plains of fmall extent, is rich and productive. The eastern and western parts are hilly and ftony; but contain excellent pafturage..

363. Number of Inhabitants. Connecticut is the most populous ftate in the Union; all its lands having been lo cated and fettled for many years. In 1756, the inhabitants were one hundred and thirty thousand--In 1774, one hun. dred and ninety-eight thousand-In 1790, two hundred and thirty-eight thousand, and in 1800, two hundred and fifty one thousand, exclufive of nine hundred and fifty flaves.

364. Manufadures.. The people in Connecticut are moftly farmers and artificers. The farmers make in their own families, coarse stockings, linnen and woollen cloths ;; but not in quantities fufficient for their own use. Lether, fhoes, faddles, nails and most of the utenfils of farmers are manufactured among themselves. Cannon and pigs are caft at the furnace in Salisbury, a town which contains inexhaustible mines of iron ore. Anchors, bar iron, fteel and nail rods are furnished, in large quantities, by the forges in Canaan, Colebrook, Winchester and other towns, and hollow ware, is made in Stafford and Salisbury. Powder and paper are made in confiderable quantities. Large quantities of wheat moftly purchased in New-York, are floured for exportation at the mills in Stanford. Two miles from New-Haven is a manufactory of mufkets of exquifite workmanfhip, established by Eli Whitney, Efq. and at Derby a manufactory of paper, and cloths of excellent quality established by Col. Humphreys.

365. Fisheries. The fisheries of Connecticut confift in the taking of falmon fhad and alewives, in the months of April and May. The quantities taken furnifh a large portion of food for the inhabitants near the rivers, efpecially along the Connecticut. Confiderable quantities of fhad,

alewives and cod fish are falted for foreign markets. The Connecticut abounds with fturgeon, but no ufe is made of them. Stonington profecutes the cod fishery with advantage, and a fishing company established in 1806 at Derby, is carrying on the fame bufinefs.

366. Commerce. Until within a few years, the trade of Connecticut was confined almoft folely to the WeftIndies; but lately, voyages to the fouth-fea for feal skins and thence to China for a market, and a trade to the Mediterranean, have been profecuted with zeal and fuccefs. No state is better accommodated with water carriage-almost one third of the towns, lie contiguous to navigable and boatable water. The whole Atlantic. fhore of the state is washed by the found, and protected by Long-Ifland which greatly facilitates the coafting trade to New-York. The inland trade is greatly aug mented by the lock navigation on the Connecticut, by which means commodities are tranfported by water to Hartford from the interior of Vermont and New-Hampshire.

367. Exports. The principal articles of export, are beef, pork, cattle, horfes, mules, and fmall live ftock; lumber, especially hoops, ftaves and heading; maiz in grain or in kiln-dried meal, rye, butter, cheefe, onions and potatoes; pot and pearl afhes, flax-feed, fish; foap and candles. The value of the exports directly from Connecticut amounted in 1800, to more than a million of dollars; but two thirds of the articles exported are fent to New-York, in payment for dry goods there purchased, and make a part of the exports from that state.

368. State of Learning. Soon after the fettlement of Connecticut, the general court paffed laws directing schools to be kept in every village, and providing funds to encourage them. Every town or village containing a certain number of families, was directed to maintain a school, and empowered to draw from the treafury of the ftate, a fum equal to one five hundredth part of the amount of the property of the town, as affeffed in the grand lift. By means of this provifion, common schools have been kept in all parts of the state, and every perfon

is taught to read, write, and keep accounts. By the fale of the western referve in 1795, ftill more liberal and permanent funds were provided for the fupport of schools. In winter the larger children are inftructed by men: in fummer, small children attend the schools, and are taught by women;, in general the inftructors are selected from perfons of good families and reputation.

369. Yale College. Yale College, fo called, from a principal benefactor, was founded in the year 1700 at Killingworth, but fixed at New-Haven in 1716. Fi confifts of three colleges, each containing thirty-two rooms, a chapel and lyceum-has a library of about: three thou fand volumes, a philofophical apparatus, and an excellent chemical apparatus and laboratory.. Its funds are ample,. and from thirty to fixty ftudents are: annually graduated at the public commencement in September.. It is under the direction of truttees, confifting of eleven clergymen and eight layment. The vacancies among the clericali members are fupplied by the board of trustees-The lay members are the governor, lieutenant-governor,, and fix fenior members of the council of the state, or upper Koufe.

370: Academies and Grammar Schools. By law a gram.. mar school may be established in any town in the state, by a vote of the inhabitants in legal meeting; and many academies are established and maintained by private funds. In these are taught not only the primary branches. of learning, but geography, grammar, the languages, and: higher branches of mathematics. There are alfo academies for young ladies, in which are taught, the addi-tional branches of needle-work, drawing, and embroidery..

Among the academies of the first reputation are, onein Plainfield, and the Bacon academy in Colchefter, whose funds amount to about thirty-five thousand dollars.. There are many diftinguished schools for young ladies.

371. Government. By the charter of king Charles the fecond, which is the bafis of the conftitution of Connecticut, the legislative power is lodged in two houses, which are denominated the general court. The upp house or

council is compofed of the governor, lieutenant-governor, and twelve affiftants, chofen annually; the house of representatives confifts of deputies from the feveral towns chosen twice a year. Most of the towns fend two deputies. The general court fits twice a year-at Hartford at the general election on the fecond Thursday in May —and at New-Haven, on the fecond Thursday in October. The two houses have a negative on each other. The governor, or in his abfence, the lieutenant-governor prefides in the upper house, with a cafting vote.

372. Qualifications of Ele&ors. The electors are called freemen, whofe qualifications are inhabitancy, legal age, poffeffion of real estate to the value of feven dollars a year, or property in the grand lift to the amount of one hundred and thirty-four dollars, and peaceable behavior. No other qualification is required to entitle a man to any office of honor or profit.

373. Choice of Councillors. The mode of electing members of the council, or upper houfe, is peculiar to Connecticut. At the election of deputies in September, the freemen give their votes for twenty perfons, and these votes being counted at the feffion of the affembly in October, the perfons, having the most votes, ftand in nomination ; that is, form the lift of candidates, out of which twelve perfons are to be felected by the votes of the freemen, in April following, to be the affiftants or councillors for the year enfuing The annual election, when the votes are counted and the officers of government enter on their duties, is on the fecond Thurfday of May. The reprefenta. tives in congrefs are elected in a fimilar manner

374. Executive. In Connecticut, a fmall part of the executive duties of the government, is vefted in the chief magiftrate. The appointment of all judges, juftices of the peace, and all military officers, is made by the general court; and the perfons appointed are commiffioned by the governor. Sheriffs are appointed by the governor and council-the treasurer and fecretary are elected an.

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