taqua, and Connecticut, befides many fmaller ones, which, we fhall notice when treating of the different States.

PENOBSCOT.

This river has its fource in the diftrict of Maine, a short dif. tance weft of Union river on the high lands; it rifes in two branches, running for a confiderable distance, and then uniting in one noble and majestic ftream. Between the fource of the weft fork, and its junction with the caft, is Moofehead lake, thirty or forty miles long, and fifteen wide. The eastern branch paffes through feveral fmailer lakes. From The Forks, as they are called, the Penobscot Indians pafs to Canada, up either branch, principally the weft, the fource of which they say is not more than twenty miles from the waters that empty into the river St. Lawrence. At the Forks is a remarkable high mountain. From the Forks down to Indian Old Town, fituated on an island in this river, is about fixty miles, forty of which the water flows in a ftill, smooth stream, and in the whole distance there are no falls to interrupt the paffage of boats. In this distance, the river widens, and embraces a large number of small islands; and about half way receives two confiderable tributary streams, one from the caft and the other from the weft, whofe mouths are nearly oppofite to each other. About fixty rods below Indian Old Town are the Great Falls, where is a carrying-place of about twenty rods; thence, twelve miles to the head of the tide, there are no falls to obstruct boats. Veffels of thirty tons come within a mile of the head of the tide. Thence, thirtyfive miles to the head of the bay, to the fite of Old Fort Pownal, the river is remarkably ftraight, and easily navigated. Paffing by Majabagadule on the eaft, feven miles, and Owls Head, twenty miles farther, on the weft, it enters the ocean by Penobfcot Bay.

KENNEBECK.

This is one of the finest rivers in this country, and has its origine, like the former, in the diftrict of Maine; its fources are two ftreams, one of which rifes in the highlands, a fhort diftance from a branch of the Chaudiere, which empties into the St. Lawrence; another branch rifes in Moofe Head lake. In its courfe, it receives Sandy river from the weft, and Sebafticook and feveral others from the caft, and paffes to the fea by Cape Small Point. It is navigable for velfels of one hundred and fifty wards of forty miles from the sea.

ANDROS COGGIN.

This river, fometimes called Amerifcoggin, properly speaking, is but the main western branch of the Kennebeck; it rifes near the end of the dividing line between New-Hampshire and the Old Province of Maine. The lake Umbagog, and several smaller lakes, flow into it. From this lake its courfe is foutherly, till it approaches near the White Mountains, from which it receives Moole and Peabody rivers, and then turns to the eaft, and foutheaft through the province of Maine, in which courfe it paffes within two miles of the sea coaft, and turning north runs over Pejepfkaeg, Falls, into Merry Meeting Bay, where it forms a junction with the Kennebeck, twenty miles from the fea, and one hundred and forty-fix from the fource. Formerly, from this bay to the fea, the confluent ftream was called Saggadahock.

SACO.

This river is one of the largest rivers in the district of NewHampshire. The principal part of its water falls in different ftreams, from the White Mountains, which unite at twelve or fifteen miles diftance. Its course, some distance from its fource, is foutherly; it then fuddenly bends to the caft, and croffes into the diftrict of Maine, then makes a large bend to the north-east, caft, and fouth-weft, embracing the fine township of Fryeburg, in the country of York. Its general courfe thence to the fea is about forty-five miles S. E. Great and Little Offapee rivers fall into it from the west, making a great addition to the original ftream. This river is navigable for fhips to Saco Falls, about fix miles from the sea.

MERRIMACK.

MERRIMACK RIVER is formed by the confluence of Pemigewaffet and Winnipifeogee rivers; the former is a very rapid river, and fprings from a white mountain, weft of the noted mountains of that name; and before its junction with the Winnipifcogee branch, it receives from the weft, Baker's river, a plealant ftream, forty miles in length, and several smaller ftreams. The Winnipileogee branch rifes from the lake of the fame name. The ftream which iffues from the lake is finall, and in its courfe paffes through a bay twelve miles long, and from three to five broad. A few miles from its entrance into the Vol. II.

C

The river is

course of the narrow channel,

Pemigewaffet is a place called the Weres, remarkable for the number of falmon and fhad which are there caught. wide, and fo fhallow that the fishermen turn the river in a fhort time, or compress it into a where they fix their gill nets, and take the fish as they pass up the ftream. After the Pemigewaffet receives the waters of Winnipifcogee, it takes the name of Merrimack ; and after a course of about ninety miles, first in a southerly, and then in an eafterly direction, and paffing over Hook fet, Amufkeag, and Pantucket Falls, empties into the fea at Newburyport. From the weft it receives, Blackwater, Contoocook, Pifcata quoag, Souhegan, Nashu, and Concord rivers; from the eaft, Bowcook, Suncook, Cohas, Beaver, Spicket, and Powow rivers. Contoocook heads near Monadnock mountain, is very rapid, and ten or twelve miles from its mouth is one hundred yards wide. Juft before its entrance into the Merrimack it branches and forms a beautiful ifland of five or fix acres.

PISCATAQUA.

This is the only large river whofe whole courfe is in NewHampshire. Its head is a pond in the N. E. corner of the town of Wakefield, and its general course thence, to the fea, is S. S. E. about forty miles. It divides New-Hampfhire from YorkCounty, in the district of Maine, and is called Salmon-fall river, from its head to the lower falls at Berwick, where it affumes the name of Newichawannock, which it bears till it meets with Cocheco river, which comes from Dover, when both run together in one channel to Hilton's Point, where the western branch meets it. From this junction to the fea, the river is fo rapid that it never freezes; the diftance is feven miles, and the courfe generally from S. to S. E. The western branch is formed by Swamfcot river, which comes from Exeter. Winnicot river, which comes through Greenland, and Lamprey river, which divides Newmarket from Durham; thefe empty into a bay, or miles wide, called Great Bay. The water in its further grels is contracted into a leffer bay, and then it receives Aer river, which runs through Durham and Back river, ich comes from Dover, and at length meets with the main cam at Hilton's Point. The tide rifes into all these bays, and canches as far as the lower falls in each river, and forms a most rid current, cipecially at the feafon of the freshets, when the Comes about two hours longer than the flood; and were

e numerous eddies, formed by the indentings of the ries would then be impaffable.

At the lower falls in the feveral branches of the river, are landing places, whence lumber and other country produce is tranfported, and veffels or boats from below difcharge their lading; fo that in each river there is a convenient trading-place, not more than twelve or fifteen miles diftant from Portsmouth, with which there is conftant communication by every tide. Thus the river, from its form and the fituation of its branches, is extremly favourable to the purposes of navigation and com

merce.

CONNECTICUT,

This river gives name to one of the five colonies of this province. It rises in a fwamp on the height of land, in lat. 45. 10. W. long. 71. 30. After a fleepy courfe of eight or ten miles, it tumbles over four feparate falls, and turning weft keeps clofe under the hills which form the northern boundary of the vale through which it runs. The Amonoofuk and Ifrael rivers, two principal branches of Connecticut river, fall into it from the east, between the latitudes 44 and 45°. Between the towns of Walpole on the east, and Weftminifter on the weft fide of the river, are the great Falls. A large rock divides the ftream into two channels, each about ninety feet wide on the top of the fhelving bank. When the water is low, the eastern channel appears croffed by a bar of folid rock, and the whole stream falls into the western channel, where compreffed between two rocks. fcarcely thirty feet afunder, it shoots with amazing rapidity into a broad bafon below. Above Deerfield in Massachusetts it receives Deerfield river from the weft, and Miller's river from the eaft, after which it turns wefterly in a finuous course to Fighting Falls, and a little after tumbles over Deerfield Falls, which are impaffable by boats. At Windior in Connecticut it receives Farmington river from the west; and at Hartford meets the tide, From Hartford it paffes on in a crooked course, until it falls into Long-Ifland found, between Saybrook and Lyme.

The length of this river, in a straight line, is nearly three hundred miles. Its general courfe is feveral degrees weft of fouth. It is from 8 to 100 roods wide, 130 miles from its mouth. At its mouth is a bar of fand which confiderably obftructs the navigation, Ten feet water at full tides is found on this bar, and the fame depth to Middleton. The distance of the bar from this place, as the river runs, is thirty-fix miles. Above Middleton are feveral fhoals which ftretch quite across the river. Only fix feet water is found on the fhoal at high tide,

and here the tide ebbs and flows but about eight inches. About three miles below Middleton the river is contracted to about forty rocds in breadth by two high mountains. Almost every where else the banks are low, and spread into fine extensive meadows. In the fpring floods, which generally happen in May, thefe meadows are covered with water. At Hartford the water fometimes rifes twenty feet above the common furface of the river, and having all to pafs through the above-mentioned ftrait, it is fometimes two or three weeks before it returns to its usual bed. These floods add nothing to the depth of water on the bar at the mouth of the river: this bar lying too far off in the found to be affected by them.

On this beautiful river, whofe banks are fettled almoft to its fource, are many pleafant, neat, well-built towns, which we shall notice when treating of the particular States on which they ftand.

This river is navigable to Hartford, upwards of fifty miles from its mouth, and the produce of the country for two hundred miles above is brought thither in boats. The boats which are ufed in this bufinels are flat-bottomed, long, and narrow, for the convenience of going up ftream, and of fo light a make as to be portable in carts. They are taken out of the river at three different carrying places, all of which make fifteen miles.

Sturgeon, falmon, and fhad, are caught in plenty in their feafon, from the mouth of the river upwards, except fturgeon, which do not afcend the upper falls; befides a variety of fmail fifh, fuch as pike, carp, pearch, &c.

From this river are employed feveral brigs of one hundred and eighty tons each, in the European trade; and about fixty or leventy fail of from fixty to one hundred and fifty tons, in the Well-India trade; belides a few fishing veffels, and forty or fifty coafting veffels.

In addition to thefe, there are in this province many other rivers, which, though inferior in point of magnitude, yet are notice, as they afford, in many inflances, either exceligation or prefent the means of improving of it." the beauty of the country, and value of the foil; h fituations peculiarly defirable for the erecting introduction of manufactures, there we fhail cating of the different States in which they printheir course, or take their me.