Indian corn, back from the river, is frequently injured by the froft; but on the river it is raised in as great perfection as in any part of New-England, owing in a great measure to the fogs arifing from the river, which either prevent or extract the froft: these fogs begin as foon as the corn is in danger from frofts, and laft till mild weather commences. Fruit trees, in the northern counties of this State, do not prolper.

CIVIL DIVISIONS, &c.

This State is divided into feven counties, viz. ADDISON, BENNINGTON, CHITTENDON, RUTLAND, ORANGE, WINDSOR, and WINDHAM; the four first of these are on the weft fide of the Green Mountain, and the three latter on the east.

These counties are divided into upwards of two hundred townfhips, which are generally fix miles fquare; in every township is a reserve of two rights of land, of three hundred and fifty acres each, one to be appropriated for the fupport of public schools, the other to be given in fee to the first minister who settles in the township, A part of the townfhips was granted by the government of New-Hampshire, and the other by that of Vermont. In those townships granted by the former, a right of land is reserved for the support of the gospel in foreign parts; in those granted by the latter, a college right, and a right for the fupport of county grammar schools, are referved: in these reservations liberal provifion is made for the fupport of the gofpel, and for the promotion of common and collegiate education,

CHIEF TOWNS AND CURIOSITIES,

In a new and interior country, large, populous towns are not to be expected. Bennington, fituated near the S.W. corner of the State, is one of the largest; it contains a number of handsome houses, a congregational church, a court house and gaol. A famous battle was fought in or near this town, during the late war in 1777, between Brigadier, general Starke, at the head of eight hundred undifciplined militia, and a detachment of General Burgoyne's army, commanded by Colonel Baum; in this action, and the one that fucceeded it, in the fame place, and on the fame day, between a reinforcement of the British, under Colonel Breymen, and General Starke, who was re inforced by Colonel Warner, with a continental regiment, were taken four brass field pieces, and other military ftores, and seven hundred prifoners. The overthrow of thefe detachments was the first

link in a grand chain of causes, which finally proved the ruin of the royal army. This is one of the oldeft towns in the State, being first settled about the year 1764, and was till lately the feat of go

vernment.

*

Windfor and Rutland, by a late act of the legislature, are alter nately to be the feat of government for eight years. The former is fituated on Connecticut river; the latter lies upon Otter Creek: both are flourishing towns. Guilford, Brattelborough, Putney, Westminster, Weathersfield, Hartland, Norwich, and Newbury, are confiderable towns, lying from fouth to north, on Connecticut river. Newbury is the fhire town of Orange county, which comprehends about three-eighths of the whole State; it has a court-house, and a very elegant meeting-house for Congregationalists, with a steeple, the first crected in the State. Newbury court-house stands on the high lands back from the river, and commands a fine view of what is called the groat Ox Bow, which is formed by a curious bend in the river; it is one of the most beautiful and fertile meadows in NewEngland; the circumference of this bow is about four miles and a half; its greatest depth is feven-eighths of a mile, containing about four hundred and fifty acres: at the season when nature is dressed in her green attire, a view of this meadow from the high lands is truly luxuriant.

Shaftsbury, Pownal, Manchester, Clarendon, Poultney, Pawlet, Danby, and Charlotte, are confiderable and flourishing towns, weft of the mountain. In the town of Orwell is Mount Independence, at the fouthern extremity of lake Champlain, oppofite to which is Ticonderoga, in the State of New-York.

There is a very remarkable ledge of rocks in the town of Bradford, in the county of Orange; it lies on the weft bank of Connecticut river, and is as much as 200 feet high; it appears to hang over and threaten the traveller as he paffes: the space between this ledge and the river is fcarcely wide enough for a road.

In the township of Tinmouth, on the fide of a fmall hill, is a very curious cave; the chafm at its entrance is about four feet in circumference: entering this you defcend one hundred and four feet, and then opens a fpacious room, twenty feet in breadth, and one

General Bayley and Colonel Thomas Johnfon enterprifed the first fettlements into this part of the country, about the year 1762. At this period there was no road nor humar inhabitant for seventy miles down the river, nor for as many miles eastward— It is now thickly inhabited by thriving farmers.

hung

hundred feet in length; the angle of defcent is about 45 degrees. The roof of this cavern is of rock, through which the water is continually percolating. The ftalactites which hang from the roof appear like icicles on the eves of houfes, and are continually increafing in number and magnitude. The bottom and fides are daily incrusting with spar and other mineral substances. On the fides of this fubterraneous hall are tables, chairs, benches, &c. which appear to have been artificially carved. This richly ornamented room, when illuminated with the candles of the guides, has an enchanting effect upon the eye of the fpectator. The general caufe of these astonishing appearances, we conclude, from the varicus circumstances accompanying them, is the water filtrating flowly through the incumbent firata; and taking up in its paffage a variety of mineral fubstances, thus becoming faturated with metallic particles, gradually exfuding on the furface of the caverns and fiffures, in a quiefcent ftate, the aqueous particles evaporate, and leave the mineral fubstances to unite according to their affinities.

At the end of this cave is a circular hole, fifteen feet deep, apparently hewn out in a conical form, enlarging gradually as you descend, in the form of a fugar loaf; at the bottom is a fpring of fresh water in continual motion, like the boiling of a pot; its depth has never been founded.

In fome low lands over against the great Ox Bow, a remarkable fpring was discovered about twenty years fince; it dries up once in two or three years, and bursts out in another place; it has a strong fmell of fulphur, and throws up continually a peculiar kind of white fand, and when the water is left to fettle, a thick yellow fcum rifes on its top.

POPULATION.

The population of Vermont, according to the cenfus taken in $790, was as follows;