bounds the vales through which flows the Houfatonick river. The most eastern 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 Lyme, on the east fide of Connecticut river, another range of mountains commences, forming the eastern boundary of Connecticut vale. This range tends northerly, at the diftance, generally, of about ten or twelve miles east from the river, and paffes through Maffachusetts, where the range takes the name of Chickabee Mountain; thence croffing into New-Hampshire, 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 western ridge continues, and in about latitude 43° 20 runs up into Sunipee mountains. About fifty miles further, in the fame ridge, is Moofcoog mountain. A third range begins near Stonington in Connecticut. It takes its courfe north-easterly, and is fometimes broken and discontinued; it then rifes again, and ranges in the same direction into New-Hampshire, where, in latitude 43° 25′, it runs up into a high peak called Cowfawafkog. The fourth range has a humble beginning about Hopkinton in Maffachusetts. The eaftern ridge of this range runs north by Watertown and Concord, and croffes Merrimack river at Pantucket-Falls. In New-Hampshire, it rises into feveral high peaks, of which the White mountains are the principal. From these White mountains a range continues northeaft, croffing the east boundary of New-Hampshire, in latitude 44° 30′, and forms the height of land between Kennebeck and Chaudiere rivers. These ranges of mountains are full of lakes, ponds, and springs of water, that give rife to numberless streams 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 NewEngland.

On the fea-coaft the land is low, and in many parts level and sandy. 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 also is the cafe with many spots even on the tops of the nrountains.

SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c.

The foil, as may be collected from what has been said, must be very various. Each tract of different foil is diftinguished by its peculiar

vegetation,

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 defcriptive names of oak land, birch, beech, and chefnut lands, pine, barren, maple, afh, and cedar fwamps, as each fpecies happens to predominate. Intermingled with those predominating fpecies are walnut, firs, elm, hemlock, magnolia, moofe wood, faffafras, &c. &c. The best lands produce walnut and chefnut; the next, beech and oak; lands of the third quality produce fir and pitch pine; the next, whortleberry and barberry bushes; and the poorest produce nothing but marshy imperfect fhrubs. Among the flowering trees and fhrubs in the forefts are the red-flowering maple, the faffafras, the locust-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, cranberries, walnuts, hazelnuts, chefnuts, butter-nuts, beech-nuts, wild plumbs and pears, whortle-berries, bilberries, goofeberries, ftrawberries, &c.

The foil in the interior country is calculated for the culture of Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, flax, 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 subject to blafts. The fruits which the country yields from culture, are, apples in the greatest plenty; of these cyder is made, which conftitutes the principal drink of the inhabitants; alfo pears of various forts, quinces, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, &c.

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

Blue flag, Iris virginica,-Globe Flower, Cephalanthus occidentalis, -Pigeonberry, Ciffus ficyoides,-Cornel, Cornus Canadenfis,—American Honeyfuckle, Azalea vifcofa,-American Tea, Ceanothus Americanus,-Cherry Honeyfuckle, Lonicera diervilla,-Great Convolvulus, Convolvulus arvenfis,-Stag's horn Sumach, Rhus typhinum,—

Mealtree,

Mealtree, Viburnum lantana,-White flowered Elder, Sambucus nigra, -Red berried Elder, Sambucus Canadenfis,-Meadow Blue-bells, Gentiana ciliata,-Lilies, feveral fpecies, Lilium,-Bethlem Star, Or

bogulum luteum,-American Senna, Rhodora Canadenfis,-Great Laure', Kalmia latifolia,-Dwarf Laurel, Kalmia anguftifolia-White Pepper Bush, Andromeda arborea,—Bog Evergreen, Andromeda calyculata,-Sweet Pepper Bush, Clethra alnifolia,-Mountain Laurel, or Sorbus-tree, Sorbus aucupora,--Meadow Sweet, Spirea falicifolia, -Queen of the Meadows, Spiraa tormentofa,-Service Tree, Mefpilus Canadenfis,-Wild Rofe, Rofa Carolina,-Superb Raspberry, Rubus odoratus,-Baneberry, Actea spicata,—Side-saddle Flower, Sarracena purpurea,—Red Columbine, Aquilegia Canadenfis,—Anemone, feveral fpecies, Anemone hepatica, fylveftris et nemorofa,-Traveller's Joy, Clematis Virginica,-Dragon's Head, Dracocephalum Virginicum, -Snap Dragon, Autirrhinum 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 belian 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 interfected 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 boasts of raising some of the finest cattle in the world; nor will he be envied, when the labour of raifing them is taken into view. Two months of the hottest season 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 compenfa tion to the honest and induftrious farmer. Butter and checfe are made for exportation; and confiderable attention has lately been paid to the raifing of sheep.

RIVERS.

RIVERS.

The principal rivers in New-England are Penobscot, Kennebeck, Androfcoggin, or Amerifcoggin, Saco, Merrimack, Piscataqua, and Connecticut, befides many fmaller ones, which we shall notice when treating of the different States.

PENOBSCOT.

This river has its fource in the district of Maine, a short distance 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 eaft, is Moofehead lake, thirty or forty miles long, and fifteen wide. The eastern branch passes through several smaller 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 still, smooth stream, and in the whole distance there are no falls to interrupt the paffing of boats. In this distance, the river widens, and embraces a large number of small islands; and about half way receives two confiderable tributary ftreams, one from the east and the other from the weft, whose 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, thirty-five miles to the head of the bay, to the fite of Old Fort Pownal, the river is remarkably straight, and easily navigated. Paffing by Majabagadufe on the east, seven miles, and Owl's Head, twenty miles farther, on the weft, it enters the ocean by Penobscot Bay.

KENNEBECK.

This is one of the finest rivers in this country, and has its origin, Like the former, in the district of Maine; its fources are two streams, 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 several others from the east, and paffes to the fea by Cape Small Point. It is navigable for vessels of one hundred and fifty tons upwards of forty miles from the sea.

ANDROSCOGGIN.

This river, fometimes called Ameriscoggin, 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 course is foutherly, till it approaches near the White Mountains, from which it receives Moose and Peabody rivers, and then turns to the eaft, and fouth-eaft through the province of Maine, in which courfe it paffes within two miles of the sea coast, and turning north runs over Pejepíkaeg 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 stream was formerly 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 streams from the White Mountains, which unite at twelve or fifteen miles distance. Its courfe, fome diftance from its fource, is foutherly; it then fuddenly bends to the east, and croffes into the district of Maine, then makes a large bend to the north-eaft, east, and southweft, embracing the fine township of Fryeburg, in the county 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 weft, making a great addition to the original ftream. This river is navigable for fhips to Saco Falls, about fix miles from the fea.

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 Winnipifeogee branch, it receives from the west, Baker's river, a pleasant stream, forty miles in length, and several smaller streams. The Winnipifeogee branch rifes from the lake of the fame name. The ftream which iffues from the lake is finall, and in its course paffes through a bay twelve miles VOL. II. Long

C