The Prefident of New-Hampshire, like the Governor of Maflachusetts, has not the power of negativing all bills and refolves of the Senate and House of Reprefentatives, and of preventing their paling into laws, unlefs approved of by two-thirds of the members prefent. In New-Hampshire " the Prefident of State prefides in the fenate," in Maffachusetts the fenate choose their own Prefident.

There are no other differences worth mentioning, except it be in the mode of appointing militia officers, in which NewHampshire has greatly the advantage of Maffachusetts.

To preferve an adherence to the principles of the conftitution, and to make fuch alterations as experience might point out, and render necessary, provifion was made, that at the end of seven years a convention fhould be called to revife the form of government, agreeably to which, in 1791, & convention was called, who fettled the conftitution on the fame general plan; for which,-fee Maffachusetts.

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STATE OF

MASSACHUSETTS.

SITUATION, EXTENT, AND BOUNDARIES.

MASSACHUSETTS, which may be confidered as the parent

State of New-England, is fituated between 41° 30' and 43° north latitude, and 1 30 and 5° 40' longitude, caft of Philadelphia: its length is about one hundred and twentyfive miles, and its breadth about fifty; it is bounded on the north by the States of Vermont and New-Hampshire, on the eaft by the Atlantic ocean, on the fouth by the Atlantis, Rhode-Ifland, and Connecticut, and on the weft by NewYork; its air and climate the fame as already defcribed in the general account of New-England.*

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, SEA-COAST, &c.

This State, like the other States of New-England, is high and hilly Wackhurft mountain, in Prince-Town, is at its top two thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine feet from the level of the fea, and the town itfelf one thoufand three hundred and thirty-two feet. The whole ftate is well watered with numerous rivers and fprings; many of the former are of the utmost importance to the inhabitants, by the ready and eafy carriage they afford for their different articles of produce.

A

Houfatonick river rifes from feveral fources in the western parts of this State, and flows foutherly through Connecticut into Long Ifiand found. Deerfield river falls into Connecticut river, from the weft, between Deerfield and Greenfield. moft excellent and beautiful tract of meadow lies on its banks. Weftfield river empties into the Connecticut at WeftSpringfield. Connecticut river paffes through this State, and interiets the county of Hampshire: in its course it runs over the falls above Deerfield, and between Northampton and Springfield. A company, by the name of "The Proprietors of

See pages 2 and 3

of the Locks and Canals on Connecticut river," was incorporated by the general court in 1792, for the purpose of rendering Connecticut river paffable for boats and other things, from Chicapee river northward to New-Hampfhire. Miller's and Chicapee rivers fall into Connecticut on the east side; the former at Northfield, the latter at Springfield.

In the eaftern part of the State is the Merrimack, which we have already in part described. It is navigable for vessels of burden about twenty miles from its mouth, where it is obftructed by the first falls, or rapids, called Mitchell's Eddy, between Bradford and Haverhill. Vaft quantities of hip timber, ranging timber, plank, doals, clapboards, fhingles, ftaves, and other lumber, are brought down in rafts, fo conftructed as to pafs all the falls in rhe river except those of Amuskaeg and Pantucket. In the fpring and fummer confiderable quantities of falmon, shad, and alewives are caught, which are either used as bait in the cod fishery, or pickled and shipped to the West Indies. There are twelve ferries across the river in the county of Effex. The bar across the mouth of his river is a very great incumbrance to the navigation, and is especially terrible to ftrangers. There are fixteen feet water upon it in common tides. In 1787 the general court granted a fum of money for the erection of two fufficient light-houses, and made the maintenance of them a public charge. The houses are wood and contrived to be removed at pleasure, fo as to be always conformed to the fhifting of the bar; and thus the fingle rule of bringing them in a line will be the only neceffary direction for veffels approaching the harbour, and by this direction they may fail with fafety until they are abreast of the lights, where is a bold fhore and good anchoring ground. The bridges over this river will be mentioned under that head.

Nafhua, Concord, and Shawfheen rivers rife in this State, and run a north-easterly courfe into the Merrimack. Parker's river takes its rife in Rowley, and after a course of a few miles, paffes into the found which feparates Plum Inland from the main End. It is navigable about two miles from its mouth. Ipfwich and Chebacco rivers pafs through the town of Ipswich into Ipfwich bay. Miftick river falls into Bofton harbour, eaft of the peninfula of Charlestown: it is navigable three miles to Medford.

Charles river is a confiderable ftream, the principle branch. of which rifes from a pond bordering on Hopkinton; it pafies through Hollifton and Bellingham, and divides Medway from

* See Page 9.

Medfield, Wrentham and Franklin, and thence into Dedham, where, by a curious bend, it forms a peninfula of nine hundred acres of land; and what is very fingular, a ftream called Mother Brook, runs out of this river, in this town, and falls into Neponset river, which answers to a canal uniting the two rivers, and affords a number of excellent mill feats. From Dedham the courfe of the river is northerly through Newton, paffing over romantic falls-it then bends to the north-east and east, through Watertown and Cambridge, and paffes into Bofton harbour, between Charlestown and Bofton: it is navigable for boats to Watertown leven miles.

Neponfet river originates chiefly from Muddy and Pankapog Ponds in Stoughton, and Mashapog Pond in Sharon, and after paffing over falls fufficient to carry mills, unites with other small streams, and forms a very conftant fupply of water for the many mills fituated on the river below, until it meets the tide in Milton, from whence it is navigable for vessels of one hundred and fifty tons burthen to the bay, diftant about four miles. Neponfet river, from Milton to the Bay, forms a regular and beautiful furpentine, interfperfed with hillocks of wood fo regularly placed, that from Milton Hill it affords one of the finest prospects in the world. Paffing fore and Back rivers in Weymouth, you come to North river, which rifes in Indian-Head pond, in Pembroke, and running in a ferpentine courfe between Scituate and Marfhfield, paffes to the fea. This river for its fize is remarkable for its great depth of water, it being in fome places not more than forty or fifty feet wide, and yet veffels of three hundred tons are built at Pembroke, eighteen miles, as the river runs, from its mouth. This river is navigable for boats to the firit fall, five miles from its fource in Indian-Head pond; thence to the neareft waters which run into Taunton river is only three miles. A canal to connect the waters of these two rivers, which communicate with Narraganfet and Maffachusetts bays, would be of great utility, as it would fave a long and dangerous navigation round Cape Cod.

Taunton river is made up of feveral ftreams which unite in ar the town of Bridgewater. Its courfe is from N. E. to till it falls into Narraganfet bay at Tiverton, oppofite the end of Rhode Island. It receives a confiderable tributream at Taunton from the north-weft. The head waters Pantucket and Providence rivers in Rhode Island, and of and Shetucket rivers in Connecticut, and feveral reams, which run in various directions and poles, are in this State,

The only capes of note on the coaft of this State, are Cape Ann on the north fide of Maffachusetts bay, and Cape Cod on the fouth. Cape Cod, fo called from the quantity of cod fifh which are found on its coaft, is the fouth-eafterly part of the commonwealth of Massachusetts; in fhape it refembles a man's arm when bended with the hand turned inward towards the body. The Cape comprehends the county of Barnstable, and is between seventy and eighty miles in length.

Province-town is the hook of the Cape, and is generally narrow, the wideft place not being more than three miles in extent. The harbour, which is one of the best in the State, opens to the fouthward, and has depth of water for any fhips. This place has often been in a state of rapid improvement, and as often gone to decay; it is now rifing. It contains about ninety families, whofe whole dependence is upon the sea for their fupport: they employ about twenty fail of veffels, great and fmall, in the cod fishery: they have been remarkably fuccefsful of late. Ten of their veffels employed in 1790 upon the grand Bank, took eleven thousand quintals of cod fish. They have fcarce loft a veffel or a man in the business since the

war.

The houses stand upon the inner fide of the hook of the Cape, fronting fouth-eaft, and looking into the harbour; they are fmall, one story high, and fet up on blocks or piles, that the driving fands may pals under them, otherwise they would be buried in fand. The houfes ftand in one range upon the beach; the flakes on which they dry their fifh are round them; the veffels run in upon the fhore, which is a foft fand, throw their fith over, were they are wafhed from the falt, and carried to the flakes on hand-barrows.

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They raise nothing from their lands, but are wholly dependent upon Bofton market and other places for every kind of vegetable production.

There are but two horfes and two yoke of oxen kept in the town; they have about fifty cows, which feed in the spring upon beach grafs, which grows here and there upon the shore; and in fummer they feed in the funken ponds and marfhy places, that are found between the fand hills. Here the cows are feen wading, and even fwimming, plunging their heads into the water up to their horns, picking a scanty fubfiftence from the roots and herbs produced in the water. They are fed in the winter on fedge cut upon the flats.