Suppofing the account of 1782 which flates the number then to be 209,144 to have been taken correct, the increase for eight years, ending in 1790, will be twenty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-fix; on the moft moderate calculation we may, therefore, rate the prefent number of inhabitants in Conne&icut at 300,000, or about 60 perfons to every fquare mile.

Religion and Character.

THE Religion of this flate is happily adapted to a republican go

vernment; for as to the mode of exercising church government and difci pline, it might not improperly be called a republican religion. Each church has a feparate jurifdiction, and claims authority to choose their own minifter to exercife judgment, and to enjoy gofpel ordinances within itself. The churches, however, though independent of each other, are affociated for mutual benefit and convenience. The affociations have power to license candidates for the miniftry, to confult for the general welfare, and to recommend measures to be adopted by the churches, but have no authority to enforce them. When difputes arife in churches, counfels are called by the parties to fettle them; but their power is only advisory. There are eleven affociations in the ftate, and they meet twice in a year. These are all combined in one general affociation, who meet annually.

All men in this ftate are upon a footing of equality with refpect to religion; difqualifications for officers in the fate on account of religious opinions are unknown. Every felt whofe principles do not militate against the peace of fociety, enjoy here the full liberty of confcience; and a fpirit of liberality and catholicifin is increafing. There are, however, very few religious feets in this flate. The bulk of the people are Congregationalifts, the reft are Epifcopalians and Baptifts. Formerly there was a fociety of Sandimonians at New-Haven; but they are now reduced to a very small number.

The inhabitants are almost entirely of English defcent. There are no Dutch, French or Germans and very few Scotch or Irish in any part of the State.

In addition to what has been already faid it may be obferved, that the people of Connecticut are remarkably fond of having all their disputes, even thofe of the most trivial kind fettled according to law.-The prevalence of this litigious fpirit affords employment and fupport for a numerous body of lawyers.-The number of actions entered annually upon the several dockets. in the State juftifies the above obfervations. That party fpirit, however, which is the bane of political happiness, has not raged with fuch violence in this State as in Maffachufetts and Rhode-Ifland. Public proceedings have been conducted generally, and especially of late, with much calmnefs and candour. The inhabitants are well informed in regard to their rights, and judicious in the methods they adopt to fecure them. The State enjoys a great fhare of political tranquility; the people live under a free government, and have no fear of a dignified tyrant. There are no overgrown eftates with rich and ambitious landlords, to have an undue and pernicious influence in the election of civil officers. Property is equally enough divided, and muft continue to be fo as long as the eftates defcend as they now do. No perfon qualified by law is prohibited from voting. He who has the moft merit, not he who has the moti money, is generally chofen in public office. As inftances ofthis, it is to be observed, that many of the citizens of Connecticut, from the

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humble walks of life, have arifen to the first offices of the State, and filled them with dignity and reputation. That bafe bufinefs of electioneering, which is the curfe of England, and directly calculated to introduce the most wicked and defigning men into office, is yet but little known in Connecticut. A man who wishes to be chofen into office, acts wifely, for that end, when he keeps his defires to himself.

A thirst for learning prevails among all ranks of people in the State. More of the young men in Connecticut, in proportion to their numbers, receive a public education, than in any of the flates of the Union befide.

Trade and Manufactures.

THE trade of Connecticut is principally with the West-India islands,

and is carried on in veffels of from fixty to an hundred and forty tons burden. The exports confift of horfes, mules, oxen, oak flaves, hoops, pine boards, oak plank, beans, Indian corn, fifh, beef, pork, &c. Horfes, live cattle and lumber, are permitted in the Dutch, Danish and French ports.

Connecticut has a large number of coafting veffels employed in carrying her produce to other flates. To Rhode-Ifland, Maffachufetts, and NewHampshire, they carry pork, wheat, corn and rye; to North and South Carolinas and Georgia, butter, cheese, falted beef, cyder, apples, potatoes, hay, &c. and receive in return, rice, indigo and money. But as New-York is nearer, and the flate of the markets always well known, much of the produce of Connecticut, especially of the weftern parts, is carried there, particularly pot and pearl-afh, flax-feed, beef, pork, cheese and butter, in large quantities. Moft of the produce of Connecticut river, from the ports of Maffachusetts, New-Hampshire and Vermont, as well as of Connecticut, which are adjacent, goes to the fame market. Confiderable quantities of the produce of the eaftera parts of the State are marketed at Bofton and Providence.

The value of the whole exported produce and commodities from this State, before the year 1774, was then eftimated at about two hundred thoufand pounds lawful money annually. In the year ending September goth, 1791, the amount of foreign exports from this State was feven hundred and ten thousand three hundred and ten dollars, befides articles carried to differ

ent parts of the United States to a great amount. This State at prefent owns and employs in the foreign and coafling trade more than forty thousand tons of fhipping.

The farmers in Connecticut and their families are mostly clothed in plain, decent, homefpun cloth. The linens and woolens are manufactured in the family way, and although they are generally of a coarser kind, they are of a fronger texture, and much more durable than thofe imported from France and Great-Britain. Many of their clothes are fine and hand fome.

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A woollen manufactory has been eflablifhed at Hartford. The legislature of the State have encouraged it, and it bids fair to grow into importance. In New-Haven are linen and button manufactories, which flourish. Hartford are glais works, a fnuff and powder mill, iron works, and a flting mill. Iron works are established alfo at Salisbury, Norwich, and other parts of the State. At Stafford is a furnace, at which are made large quan aties of hollow ware and other ironmongery, fufficient to fupply the whole State. Paper is manufactured at Norwich, Hartford, New-Haven, and in Litchfield county. Nails of every uze are made in almost every town and village in Connecticut, fo that confiderable quantities can be exported to the

neighbouring States, and at a better rate than they can be had from Europe. Ironmongery, hats, candles, leather, fhoes and boots, are manufactured in this S.ate. Oil mills, of a new and very ingenious conftruction, have been erected in feveral parts of the flate. A duck manufactory has allo been ellablifhed at Stratford, and, it is faid, is doing well.

Learning.

IN no part of the world is the education of all ranks of people more

attended to than in Conneclicut; almost every town in the flate is divided into diftricts, and each district has a public fchool kept in it a greater or less part of every year. Somewhat more than one-third of the monies arifing from a tax on the polls and rateable eftate of the inhabitants is appropriated to the fupport of fchools in the feveral towns, for the education of children and youth. The law directs, that a grammar-ichool shall be kept in every county town throughout the State.

There is a grammar fchool at Hartford, and another at New-Haven, fupported by a donation of Governor Hopkins. This venerable and benevofent man, in his laft will, dated 1657, left in the hands of Theophilus Eaton, Efq. and three others, a legacy of one thoufand three hundred and twentyfour pounds, as an encouragement, in thefe foreign plantations, of bringing up and educating youths both at the grammar-fchool and college. "In 1664 his legacy was equally divided between New-Haven and Hartford, and grammar-schools were erected, which have been fupported ever fince.

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Academies have been eftablished at Greenfield, Plainfield, Norwich, Wyndham and Pomfret, fome of which are flourishing.

Yale College was founded in 1700, and remained at Killing fworth ubtil 1707; then at Saybrook until 1716, when it was removed and fixed at NewHaven. Among its principal benefactors was Governor Yale, in honour of whom, in 1718, it was named Yale College. Its firft building was erected in 1717, being one hundred and feventy feet in length, and twenty-two in breadth, built of wood. This was taken down in 1782. The prefent college, which is of brick, was built in 1750, under the direction of the Rev. Prefident Clap, and is one hundred feet long and forty feet wide, three flories high, and contains thirty-two chambers, and fixty-four ftudies, convenient for the reception of one hundred fludents. The college chapel, which is alfo of brick, was built in 1761, being fifty feet by forty, with a fleeple one hundred and twenty-five feet high. In this building is the public library, confifting of about two thoufand five hundred volumes; and the philofophical apparatus, which, by a late hand fome addition, is now as complete as moit others in the United States, and contains the machines neceflary for exhibiting experiments in the whole courfe of experimental philofophy and af

tronomy.

The college mufeum, to which additions are conflantly making, contains many natural curiofities.

This literary inftitution was incorporated by the General Affembly of Connecticut. The firft charter of incorporation was granted to eleven minifters, under the denomination of trustees, in 1701. The powers of the truffees were enlarged by the additional charter, 1723. And by that of 1745, the trustees were incorporated by the name of "The prefident and fellows of Yale College, New-Haven." By an act of the General Affembly No. 25.

for enlarging the powers and increafing the funds of Yale college," paffed in May, 1792, and accepted by the coporation, the governor, lieutenant-governor, and the fix fenior affiflants in the council of the ftate for the time being, are ever hereafter, by virtue of their offices, to be trustees and fellows of the college, in addition to the former corporation. The corporation are empowered to hold eftates, continue their fucceffion, make academic laws, elect and conftitute all officers of inftruction and government ufual in univer fities, and confer all learned degrees. The immediate executive government is in the hands of the prefident and tutors. The prefent officers and inftruetors of the college are, a prefident, who is also profeffor of ecclefiaftical history, a profeffor of divinity, and three tutors. The number of ftudents, on an average, is about 130, divided into four claffes. It is worthy of remark, that as many as five-fixths of thofe who have received their education at this univerfity were natives of Connecticut.

The funds of this college received a very liberal addition by a grant of the General Affembly, in the act of 1792 before mentioned; which will enable the corporation to erect a new building for the accommodation of the students, to fupport feveral new profefforfhips, and to make a hand fome addition to the library.

The course of education in this univerfity comprehends the whole circle of literature. The three learned languages are taught, together with so much of the sciences as can be communicated in four years.

In May and September, annually, the feveral claffes are critically exami ned in all their claffical ftudies. As incentives to improvement in compoùtion and oratory, quarterly exercifes are appointed by the prefident and tu tors, to be exhibited by the refpective claffes in rotation. A public com mencement is held annually on the fecond Wednesday in September, which calls together a more numerous and brilliant affembly than are convened by any other anniversary in the State.

About two thousand two hundred have received the honours of this univerity, of whom nearly feven hundred and fixty have been ordained to the work of the gospel miniftry.

Inventions and Improvements..

EARLY in the war Mr. David Bushnel, of Saybrook, invented a

machine for fubmarine navigation, altogether different from any thing hitherto devised by the art of man; this machine was fo conftructed as that it could be rowed horizontally, at any given depth, under water, and could be raised or depreffed at pleasure, To this machine, called the American turtle, was attached a magazine of powder, which was intended to be faftened under the bottom of a fhip, with a driving fcrew, in fuch a way as that the fame ftroke which difengaged it from the machine should put the internal clock-work in motion; this being done, the ordinary operation of a gun lock, at the diftance of half an hour, or any determinate time, would cause the powder to explode and leave the effects to the common laws of nature. The fimplicity, yet combination, difcovered in the mechanism of this wonderful machine, have been acknowledged by thofe fkilled in phyfics, and particularly hydraulics, to be not less ingenious than novel. Mr. Bushnel invented feveral other curious machines for the annoyance of the Britifh fhipping, but from actidents, not militating against the philofophical principles, on which their fuoVol. IV.

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cefs depended, they but partially fucceeded. He deflroyed a veffel in the charge of Commodore Symmonds. One of his kegs alfo demolished a veffel 'near the Long Island fhore. About Chriftmas, 1777, he committed to the Delaware river a number of kegs, deftined to fall among the British fleet at Philadelphia; but this fquadron of kegs, having been feparated and retarded by the ice, demolished but a single beat. This catastrophe, however, produced an alarm, unprecedented in its nature and degree, which has been fo happily defcribed by the late hon. Francis Hopkinfon, in a fong ftiled" The Battle of the Kegs," that the event it celebrates will not be forgotten, fo long as mankind fhall continue to be delighted with works of humour and tafte.

Mr. Hanks, of Litchfield, has invented a method of winding up clocks, by means of air or wind only, which is ingenious, and practised in New-York, and other places.

Mr. Culver, of Norwich, has conftructed a dock drudge, which is a boat for clearing docks and removing bars in rivers a very ingenious and useful machine; its good effects have already been experienced in the navigation of the river Thames, the channel of which has been confiderably deepened; this machine will, no doubt, be productive of very great advantages to navigation throughout the United States.

The Rev. Jofeph Badger, while a member of Yale College, in 1785, conftructed an ingenious planetarium, (without ever having feen one of the kind) which is depofited in the library of the univerfity.

Mr. Chittendon, of New-Haven, has invented a useful machine for bending and cutting card teeth; this machine is put in motion by a mandril twelve inches in length, and one inch in diameter; connected with the mandril are fix parts of the machine, independent of each other; the firft introduces a certain length of wire into the chops of the corone; the fecond fhuts the chops, and helds faft the wire in the middle until it is finished; the third cuts off the wire; the fourth doubles the tooth in proper form; the fifth makes the laft bend; and the fixth delivers the finished tooth from the machine. The maudril is moved by a band wheel five feet in diameter, turned by a trunk. One revolution of the mandril makes one tooth; ten are made in a fecond; thirty-fix thousand in an hour. With one machine like this, teeth enough might be made to fill cards fufficient for all the manufacturers in NewEngland.

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Conflitution and Courts of Juftice.

HE Revolution, which fo effentially affected the governments of meft of the colonies, produced no very perceptible alteration in the government of Connecticut. While under the jurifdiction of Great Baitain they elected their own governors, and all fubordinate civil officers, and made their own laws, in the fame manner, and with as little controul, as they now do. Connecticut has ever been as perfect and as happy a republic as has ever exifled. While other states, more monarchical in their government and manners, have been under a neceflity of altering their old, or forming new conflitutions, and of changing their monarchical for republican manners, Connecticut has proceeded in her old track, both as to manners and government; and by thefe means has avoided those convulfions which have divided other States into violent parties.

* See Hopkinson's Works, lately published in Philadelphia.