States, and in part account for its fingular healthfulness. Winter commonly commences, in its feverity, about the middle of December-fometimes earlier, and fometimes not till Chriftmas. Cattle are fed or housed, in the northern parts of New-England, from about the 20th of November, to the 20th of May; in the fouthern parts not quite fo long. There have been frofts in almost every month in the year, though not in the fame year; but not very injurious.

The difeafes moft prevalent in New-England are the following,

Thefe diforders, of which the pulmonary confumption is much the most deftructive, are commonly the effect of imprudent expofures to cold and rainy weather, evening air, and the wearing of damp linen; or from frequent exceffes in the use of strong liquors, especially of fresh diftilled rum, which in too many intances prove the bane of morals, and the ruin of families.

The fmall pox, which is a fpecific, infectious difcafe, is not allowed at prefent to be communicated by inoculation, except in hofpitals erected for that purpofe in bye plices, and in cafes where there is a probability of a general fpread of the infection in a town. Nor is this difcafe permitted to be communicated generally by inoculation, in any of the United States, except New-York, New-Jerfcy, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and SouthCarolina.

In populous towns, the prevalent difeafes are more numerous and complicated, owing to want of fresh air and exercife, and to luxurious and fashionable living.

Dr. Foulke has obferved, that "in other countries, men are divided according to their wealth or indigence, into three claffes; the OPULENT, the MIDDLING, and the POOR; the idlenefs, luxuries, and debaucheries of the firft, and the mifery and too frequent intemperance of the laft, deftroy the greater proportion of these two. The intermediate clafs is below thofe indulgencies which prove fatal to the rich, and above those sufferings to

In a difcourfe which he lately read before the American Philofophical Society.

2

which the unfortunate poor fall victims: this is therefore the hippiest divifion of the three. Of the rich and poor, the American States furnish a much smaller proportion than any other diftrict of the known world. In Connecticut particularly, the diftribution of wealth and its concomitants is more equal than eliewhere, and, therefore, as far as excefs or want of wealth may prove deftructive or falutary to life, the inhabitants of this State may plead exemption from difeafes." What this writer fays of Connecticut in particular, will, with very few exceptions, apply to New-England at large.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, MOUNTAINS, &c.

New-England is a high, hilly, and in fome parts a mountaincus country, formed by nature to be inhabited by a hardy race of free independent republicans. The mountains are comparatively fmall, running nearly north and fouth in ridges parallel to each other. Between these ridges flow the great rivers in majestic meanders, receiving the innumerable rivulets and larger fireams which proceed from the mountains on each fide. To a spectator on the top of a neighbouring mountain, the vales between the ridges, while in a ftate of nature, exhibit a romantic appearance. They feem an ocean of woods, fwelled and depreffed in its furface like that of the great ocean itself. A richer though lels romantic view is prefented, when the valleys, by induftrious hufbandmen, have been cleared of their natural growth; and the fruit of their labour appears in loaded orchards, extensive meadows, covered with large herds of fheep and neat cattle, and rich fields of flax, corn, and the various kinds of grain Thefe valleys, which have received the expreffive name of intervale lands, are of various breadths, from two to twenty miles; and by the annual inundations of the rivers which flow through them, there is frequently an accumulation of rich, fat foil, left upon their furface when the waters retire.

There are four principal ranges of mountains, paffing nearly from north-caft to fouth-weft through New-England. These consist of a multitude of parallel ridges, each having many spurs, deviating from the courfe of the general range; which spurs are again broken into irregular hilly land. The main ridges terminate, fometimes in high bluff heads, near the fea-coast, and some times by a gradual defcent in the interior part of the country. One of the main ranges runs between Connecticut and Hudion rivers. This range branches and bounds the vales through which flows the Houfatonick river. The moft eaflern ridge of this

range terminates in a bluff head at Meriden; a fecond ends in like manner at Willingford, and a third at New-Haven. In Lyne, on the caft fide of Connecticut river, another range of mountains commences, forming the eastern boundary of Connecticut vale. This range tends northerly, at the distance, generally, of about ten or twelve miles caft from the river, and paffes through Massachusetts, where the range takes the name of Chickabee Mountain; thence croffing into New-Hampfhire, at the distance of about twenty miles from the Maffachusetts line, it runs up into a very high peak, called Monadnick, which terminates this ridge of the range. A weftern ridge continues, and in about latitude 43° 20′ runs up into Sunipec mountains. About fifty miles further, in the fame ridge, is Moofcoog mountain. A third range begins near Stonington in Connecticut. It takes its course north-easterly, and is fometimes broken and difcontinued; it then rifes again, and ranges in the fame direction into NewHampshire, where, in latitude 43° 25', it runs up into a high peak called Cowfawaskog. The fourth range has a humble beginning about Hopkinton in Maffachusetts. The eastern ridge of this range runs north by Watertown and Concord, and croffes Merrimack river at Pantucket-Falls, In New-Hampshire, it rifes into feveral high peaks, of which the White mountains are the principal. From these White mountains a range continues north-eaft, crofling the caft boundary of New-Hampshire, in latitude 44° 30', and forms the height of land between Kennebeck and Chaudiere rivers. Thefe ranges of mountains are full of lakes, ponds, and fprings of water, that give rife to numberlefs ftreams of various fizes, which, interlocking each other in every direction, and falling over the rocks in romantic cafcades, flow meandering into the rivers below. No country on the globe is better watered than New-England.

On the fea-coaft the land is low, and in many parts level and fandy. In the valleys, between the forementioned ranges of mountains, the land is generally broken, and in many places rocky, but of a strong rich foil, capable of being cultivated to good advantage, which alfo is the cafe with many fpots even on the tops of the mountains,

SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c.

The foil, as may be collected from what has been faid, must be very various. Each tract of different foil is diftinguifhed by its peculiar vegetation, and is pronounced good, middling, or bad, from the fpecies of trees which it produces; and from one fpecies generally predominating in each foil, has originated the

deferiptive names of oak land, birch, beech, and chefnut lands, pine, barren, maple, afh, and cedar fwamps, as each fpecies happens to predominate. Intermingled with thofe predominating fpecies are walnut, firs, elm, hemlock, magnolia, moofe wood, failafras, &c. &c. The beft lands produce walnut and chefnut; the next, beech and oak: lands of the third quality produce fir and pitch pine; the next, whortleberry and burberry bushes; and the poorest produce nothing but marfhy imperfect fhrubs, Among the flowering trees and fhrubs in the forefts are the redflowering maple, the faffafras, the locuft-tree, the tulip-tree, honeyfuckle, wild rofe, dogwood, elm, leather-tree, laurel, hawthorn, &c. which in the fpring of the year give the woods a most beautiful appearance, and fill them with a delicious fragrance. Among the fruits which grow wild, are the feveral kinds of grapes; which are fmall, four, and thick skinned. The vines on which they grow are very luxuriant, often overfpreading the highest trees in the forefts; and, without doubt, might be greatly meliorated by proper cultivation. Befides thefe, are the wild cherries, white and red mulberries, cramberries, walnuts, hazelnuts, chefnuts, butter-nuts, beech-nuts, wild plumbs and pears, whortle-berries, bilberries, goole-berries, ftrawberries, &c.

The foil in the interior country is calculated for the culture of Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, flix, and hemp (for which the foil and climate are peculiarly proper) buck-wheat, beans, peas, &c. In many of the inland parts wheat is raifed in large quantities; but on the fea-coaft it has never been cultivated with fuccefs, being fubject to blasts. The fruits which the country yields from culture, are, apples in the greatest plenty; of thefe cyder is made, which conftitutes the principal drink of the inhabitants; allo pears of various forts, quinces, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, &c.

Dr. Cutler has furnished the following catalogue of flowering fhrubs and plants in New-England, which, from the attentention he has paid to natural hiftory, we have reason to rely upon as accurate.

Blue flag, Iris virginica,-Globe Flower, Cephalanthus occiden talis,-Pigeonberry, Ciffus firyoides,-Cornel, Cornus Canadenfis, -American Honeyfuckle, Azalea vifcofa,-American Tea, Ceanothus Americanus,-Cherry Honeysuckle, Lonicera diervilla,Great Convolvulus, Convolenas arvenfis,-Stag's horn Sumach Rhus typhinum.-Mealtree, liburnum lantana,--White flowered Elder, Sambucus nigra,—Red berried Elder. Sambucus Cinadenfis, Meadow Blue-bells, Gattana ciliata,-Lilies, feveral ipecies,

Lilium,-Bethlem Star, Ornithogulum luteum,-American Senna, Rhodora Canadenfis,-Great Laurel, Kalmia latifolia,-Dwarf Laurel, Kalmia anguftifolia-White Pepper Bush, Andromeda arborea, Bog Evergreen, Andromeda calyculata,-Sweet Pepper Bath. Clethra alnifelia,-Mountain Laurel, or Sorbus-tree, Sorbus aurapora,-Meadow Sweet, Spirea falicifolia,-Queen of the Meadows, Spiran tormentofa,-Service Tree, Mofpilus Canadenfis -Wild Rofe, Rofa Carolina,-Superb Raspberry, Rubus odoratus,-Baneberry, Artea fpicata,-Side-faddle Flower, Saracena purpurea, Red Columbine, Aquilegia Canadenfis,-Anemone, feveral species, Anemone hepatica, fylveftris et nemorofa,—Traveller's Joy, Clematis Virginica,-Dragon's Head, Dracocephalum Virginicum,-Snap Dragon, Antirrhinum Canadenfis,-American Cardamine, Cardamine Virginica,-Lupin, Lupinus anguftifolia, -Locust, Robinia pfeud-acacia,—Beach Pea, Pifum maritimum, -Pied Pea, Pifum ochrus,-Wood Pea, Orobus fylvaticus,— Variegated Pea, Lathyrus heterophyllus,-Meadow Sunflower, Ageratum ciliare,-American Amaranthus, Gnaphalium helian themifolium,-New-England After, After Nova Anglicum,Smooth-leaved Golden-rod, Solidago altiffima,-New-England Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus,-American Pride, Lobelia cardinalis,-Ladies Plume, Orchis pycodes,-Ladies Slipper, Cypripedium calceolus,-Blue Eye, Sifyrinchium Bermudiauna,Swamp Willow, or Dog-Wood, Salix cinerea.-Red flowered Maple, Acerubrum.

New-England is a fine grazing country; the valleys between the hills are generally interfe&ted with brooks of water, the banks of which are lined with a tract of rich meadow or intervale land. The high and rocky ground is, in many parts, covered with clover, and generally affords the fineft of pafture. It will not be a matter of wonder, therefore, that New-England boafts of raifing fome of the finest cattle in the world; nor will she be envied, when the labour of raising them is taken into view. Two months of the hotteft feafon in the year, the farmers are employed in procuring food for their cattle, and the cold winter is fpent in dealing it out to them. The pleafure and profit of doing this is, however, a fatisfying compenfation to the honeft and induftrious farmer. Butter and cheele are made for exportation; and confiderable attention has lately been paid to the sailing of sheep.

RIVERS.

The principal rivers in New-England are Penobscot, Kennebeck, Androfroggin, er Ameritcoggin, S.co, Merrimack Piica