eastern division of the United 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 Christmas.

Cattle are fed or houfed, in the northern

parts of New-England, from about the 20th of Nov. to the 20th of May; in the fouthern parts not quite fo long. There have been frosts in almost every month in the year, though not in the fame year; but not very injurious.

The diseases moft prevalent in New-England are the following, viz.

Thefe diforders, of which the pulmonary consumption is much the moft 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 ufe of ftrong liquors, efpecially of fresh diftilled rum, which in too many inftances prove the bane of morals, and the ruin of families.

The small pox, which is a specific, infectious disease, is not allowed at present to be communicated by inoculation, except in hofpitals erected for that purpose in bye places, and in cafes where there is a probabilky of a general spread of the infection in a town. Nor is this disease permitted to be communicated generally by inoculation, in any of the United States, except New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsyl vania, Delaware, and South-Carolina,

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 idleness, luxuries, and debaucheries of the firft, and the mifery and too frequent in temperance of the laft, destroy the greater proportion of these two. The intermediate clafs is below thofe indulgencies which prove fatal

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

to the rich, and above thofe fufferings to which the unfortunate poor fall victims: this is therefore the happieft 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 elsewhere, and, therefore, as far as excess or want of wealth may prove destructive 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 mountainous country, formed by nature to be inhabited by a hardy race of free independent republicans.-The mountains are comparatively small, running nearly north and fouth in ridges parallel to each other. Between thefe ridges flow the great rivers in majestic meanders, receiving the innumerable rivulets and larger streams 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 state of nature, exhibit a romantic appearance. They seem an ocean of woods, fwelled and depreffed in its furface like that of the great ocean itself. A richer though less romantic view is prefented, when the valleys, by induftrious husbandmen, have been cleared of their natural growth; and the fruit of their labour appears in loaded orchards, extenfive meadows, covered with large herds of sheep and neat cattle, and rich fields of flax, corn, and the various kinds of grain. These 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-east to fouth-weft through New-England. Thefe confift of a multitude of parallel ridges, each having many fpurs, deviating from the courfe of the general range; which fpurs are again broken into irregular hilly land. The main ridges terminate, fometimes in high bluff heads, near the fea-coast, and fometimes by a gradual defcent in the interior part of the country. One of the main ranges runs between Connecticut and Hudson rivers. This range branches and

bounds

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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 eaft 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 Massachusetts 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 fame direction into New-Hampshire, where, in latitude 43° 25′, it runs up into a high peak called Cowfarafkog. 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 northeaft, croffing the eaft 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 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 NewEngland.

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 also is the cafe with many spots even on the tops of the mountains.

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, ash, and cedar fwamps, as each fpecies happens to predominate. Intermingled with those predominating fpecies are walnut, firs, elin, 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 marfhy imperfect fhrubs. Among the flowering trees and fhrubs in the forefts are the red-flowering maple, the faffafras, the locuft-tree, the tulip-tree, honeysuckle, wild rofe, dogwood, elm, leather-tree, laurel, hawthorn, &c. which in the fpring of the year give the woods a moft beautiful appearance, and fill them with a delicious fragrance. Among the fruits which grow wild, are the several kinds of grapes; which are small, four, and thick skinned. The vines on which they grow are very luxuriant, often overspreading the highest trees in the forests; 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, goofe berries, 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. many of the inland parts wheat is raised in large quantities; but on the fea-coaft it has never been cultivated with fuccefs, being fubject 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; alio pears of various forts, quinces, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, &c.

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

Blue flag, Iris virginica,-Globe Flower, Cephalanthus occidentalis, ---Pigeonberry, Ciffus fiyoides,-Cornel, Cornus Canadenfis,-American Honeysuckle, 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, Ornithogalum lutcum,-American Senna, Rhodora Canadenfis,-Great Laurel, Kalmia latifolia,-Dwarf Laurel, Kalmia anguftifoliaWhite Pepper Bush, Andromeda arborea,-Bog Evergreen, Andromeda calyculata,-Sweet Pepper Bufh, Clethra alnifolia,—Mountain Laurel, or Sorbus-tree, Sorbus aucupora,-Meadow Sweet, Spiræa falicifolia, -Queen of the Meadows, Spiraea tormentofa,-Service Tree, Mefpilus Canadenfis,-Wild Rofe, Rofa Carolina,-Superb Rafpberry, Rubus odoratus,-Baneberry, Actea fpicata,-Side-faddle 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, Antirrhinum Canadenfis,-American Cardamine, Cardamine Virginica,-Lupin, Lupinus anguftifolia,—Locust, Robinia pfeud-acacia,-Beach Pea, Pisum 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 cinerca,-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 boafts of raifing fome of the fineft 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 pleasure and profit of doing this is, however, a fatisfying compenfation to the honest and industrious farmer. Butter and cheese are made for exportation; and confiderable attention has lately been paid to the raifing of theep.

RIVERS.