the two parts of the town, and was executed under the direction of the late Honourable Judge CHOATE, in a ftyle of ftrength and neatnefs hitherto unequalled in this country. This was heretofore a place of much more confideration than at prefent. Its decline is attributed to a barred harbour and fhoal rivers. Its natural fituation is very pleasant, and on all accounts excellently well calculated to be a large manufacturing town. The fupreme judicial court, the courts of Common Pleas and Seffions, are held here once in a year; and from its central fituation, appears to be the most convenient place, for all the courts and public offices of the county.

CHARLESTON.

Charleston, called by the aboriginal inhabitants, Mifhawum, lies north of Bofton, with which it is connected by Charles river bridge, and is the principal town in Middlefex county. The town, properly fo called, is built on a peninfula, formed by Myftic river, on the east, and a bay, fetting up from Charles river on the weft. It is very advantageoufly fituated for health,* navigation, trade, and manufactures of almost all the various kinds. A dam across the mouth of the bay, which fets up from Charles river, weft of the town, would afford a great number of mill feats for manufacturers. Bunker, Breed's, and Cobble, now Barrel's, hills, are celebrated in the hiftory of the American Revolution; and no less fo for the elegant and delightful profpects which they afford of Bofton, and its charmingly variegated harbour-of Cambridge and its colleges, and of an extenfive tract of highly cultivated country.

The deftruction of this town by the Britifli, in 1775, we have mentioned in the hiftorical sketch we have given of the war. Before its deftruction, feveral branches of manufactures were carried on to great advantage, fome of which have been fince revived; particu. larly the manufacture of pot and pearl afh, rum, fhips, leather in all its branches, filver, tin, brafs and pewter.

CAMBRIDGE AND CONCORD.

Thefe are the most confiderable inland towns in the county of Middlefex, the former is four miles from Bofton, and is a pleasant town, and the feat of the university. The latter is nineteen miles

*In three years, ending 1791, eighty perfons died, nineteen of whom were upwards of fixty years old; ten were upwards of feventy; four upwards of eighty, and one ninety.. VOL. II.

U

N.W.

N. W. of Bofton, and is alfo a pleafant, healthy, thriving town. The Provincial Congrefs fat in Concord in 1774, and the general court have frequently held their feffions here when contagious diseases have prevailed in the capital. This town is rendered famous in hiftory by its being the place where the firft oppofition was made to the British troops, on the memorable 19th of Apri', 1775. The public buildings are, a congregational churcli, a spacious stone gaol, the beft in New-England, and a county court houfe. The town is accommodated with three handfome bridges, one of which is two hundred and eight feet long, and eighteen feet wide, fupported by twelve piers, built after the manner of Charles river bridge; in 1791, there were one thousand five hundred and ninety inhabitants in this town, eighty of whom were upwards of feventy years old. For thirteen years paft, the average number of deaths has been seventeen, one in four of whom were feventy years old and upwards.

PLYMOUTH.

Plymouth, the principal town in the county of the fame name, and the capital of the old colony, fo called, is forty-two miles S. E. of Boston, and contains about three hundred houses. Before the war, the inhabitants of this town employed ninety fail of veffels, chiefly in the fishing business. But in the course of the war, they were mostly taken or destroyed by the enemy, and their feamen captured, and many of the inhabitants reduced to indigence. They have fince, in a great meafure, emerged from their diftreffed ftate. The har bour is fpacious, but the water is not deep. The town is famous for being the first place fettled by the pious ancestors of the NewEnglanders, in 1620.

WORCESTER.

Worcester, the fhire town of the county of the fame name, is the largest inland town in New-England, and is fituated about fortyfeven miles westward of Bofton. The public buildings in this town, are two congregational churches, a court house, and a strong stone gaol. The inhabitants carry on a large inland trade, and manu facture pot and pearl afh, cotton and linen goods, befides fome other articles.

Printing, in its various branches, is carried on very extenfively in this town, by Ifaiah Thomas, who, in the year 1791, carried through his preffes two editions of the Bible, the one the large royal quarto, the first of that kind published in America, the other a large

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folio,

folio, with fifty copper plates, befides feveral other books of confe quence. His printing apparatus confifts of ten printing preffes, with types in proportion; and he is now making preparations for the printing of bibles of various fmaller kinds, which will cause him to make a great addition to his works, of both preffes and types. This printing apparatus is now the largest in America.

On Connecticut river in the county of Hampshire, there are a number of very pleasant towns, among which are Springfield and Hadley, on the east fide of the river; Northampton, Hatfield and Deerfield on the weft. Courts are held in all these places in their turn, except Hatfield. Springfield is the oldeft of these towns, having been fettled as early as 1636. Its public buildings are a congregational church, court house, and gaol. A large proportion of the military ftores of the Commonwealth are lodged here. A clear meandring brook runs through the town from north to fouth, and adds much to its beauty and pleasantness.

Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Lenox, are the principal towns in Berkshire county, and lie from forty-five to fifty-miles W. N. W. from Springfield. Befides thefe, there are many other towns in Maffachusetts that are in a rapid ftate of improvement, to enumerate the particulars of which would extend this work far beyond the bounds proposed. A pretty correct idea of their magnitude and importance will, however, be formed by the following account of their population, trade, &c.

POPULATION.

The number of inhabitants, &c. in this State, according to the eenfus taken in 1790, was as follows :