lest the citizens, unless they were attacked; in which case, he was ordered to destroy every house in the village. The suddenness and surprise of this irruption produ tablishment. There are 3 Clothiers' works, 2 Carding Machines, 7 Grain Mills and 6 Saw Mills. The mercantile business of the town is respectable, there being in the several Societies, 14 Dry|ced a scene of confusion, which Goods and Grocery Stores. obstructed the organization of any efficient means of resistance; and the party was left to proceed in their work of destruction. They burned all the vessels in the harbour, amounting to 23, and vå The civil divisions of the town consist of 4 Parishes or located Congregational Societies and 20 School Districts. Besides the located, there are 2 Societies of Methodists, 1 of Baptists and 1 of |lued, subsequently, at $200,000. Episcopalians. They also destroyed or stove seve In the Society of Pettipaug,ral hogsheads of rum, and carried there is a considerable village, of off several thousand dollars worth the same name, situated at the of cordage. landing, upon Connecticut riv- The population of the town, in er, eight miles from its mouth. 1810, was 3926; and there are This is a place of considerable about 450 Electors, 5 Companies commercial and navigation busi- || of Militia, four of Infantry and 1 of ness. Ship building also is carried Artillery, and about 600 Dwelling on here very extensively. houses. The aggregate list of the town, in 1816, was $75,857. There are 2 Post offices in the town, one in the first Society, and the other in Chester; and, in addition to the county or public roads, it is accommodated with a convenient turnpike, leading thro' Haddam to Middletown; and another is now opening from this town to New-Haven. This village is memorable from the attack made upon it by the British, during the late war, and the entire destruction of the shipping in the harbour, which seems to have been the object of their friendly visit. This event occurred on the 8th of April, (being Good Friday, and a public Fast day,) 1814. A detachment from the British blockading squadron, then lying off New-London, consisting of several hundred soldiers and marines, made an excursion up the river, in six large barges, This is one of the most ancient with muffled oars, and arrived at towns in the State. Lords Say and the landing in this village, about Seal and Brook, having purchased 3 o'clock in the morning. About the tract of land upon the mouth 270 men were immediately land- of Connecticut river, previously ed, who rushed into, and took pos-to the year 1635, caused a fort session of the village. The com- to be erected at the Point, this manding officer informed the inha-and the succeeding year, in which bitants, that his orders were to a garrison of about 20 men was burn the shipping, but not to mo-maintained. The garrison made There are, in this town, 20 primary Schools, 6 Clergymen, 5 Physicians and 1 Attorney. ment began to flourish; a number of families removing here from Hartford and Windsor. The original limits of the town extended upon the east side of the river, for several miles, and included a part of the town of Lyme. In some improvements; and it was contemplated immediately to prosecute the settlement. But the war with the Pequots, and the condition of the colony, retarded it. In the summer of the year 1639, Mr. George Fenwick, with his family, arrived in a ship from Eng- BIOGRAPHY. Gen. William land, with a view to take posses- Hart, distinguished for his entersion of the country, and establish prise, as a merchant, his wealth, a settlement, in behalf of the pur- and the high estimation of his felchasers or patentees thereof. A low-citizens, was a resident of this settlement was soon commenced, town. He was in the service, duand in honour of their lordships, ring the revolutionary war. Say and Seal & Brook, was named 1795, he, together with Oliver Saybrook. Messrs. Fenwick and Phelps, and their associates, purThomas Peters, who was the first chased of the Governor of this minister in the settlement, Capt. ||State the tract of land in the State Gardiner, and Capt. John Mason, of Ohio, called the "Western were among the first and principal Reserve," amounting to about settlers. The town was indepen-3,300,000 acres; the consideradent of the government of Con- tion of which was $1,200,000. necticut, until after the purchase Gen. Hart attained to a high of Mr. Fenwick, in 1644. The rank in Society, and unusual pubfirst tax, levied by authority ||lic consideration; having, at one of the colony, was at the Oc-period of his life, for several years, tober session, the year after. been a candidate for Governor of Soon after this period, the settle-this State. He died in 1817. TOLLAND COUNTY. TOLLAND, an inconsiderable || ty of New-London, and on the west and recently organized county, is by Hartford county. The county of Tolland has an average length of more than 22 miles, and a mean breadth of about 15 miles; comprising an area of The following TOPOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLE exhibits a view of the several towns in the county; their situation, with relation to Tolland, the seat of justice; their population, at the census of 1810; number of dwelling houses; religious societies; school districts, and post-offices. Towns. Post- Popu- Dwelling Religious School Distance from offices. lation. houses. societies. districts. Tolland. the growth of grain, and affords new fields for industry and new great facility of cultivation. The sources of wealth. Domestic maeastern section embraces the ex-nufactures receive universal attentensive granitic range which ex- tion, and are an important source tends through the State. This both of industry and economy; the section is elevated and mountain- inhabitants being remarkable for ous, and some parts of it cold and their hardy and persevering habits sterile. A considerable proportion of industry. Of the manufacof it has been suffered to remain tures, those of cotton and iron are to forests, which are more exten- the most important. There are sive here than in any other part 9 Cotton Factories, 2 Forges and of the State. The trees are of 3 Furnaces, most of which are upthe deciduous species, and the on a considerable scale. There timber is generally of an excellent are 11 Fulling Mills, 20 Carding quality. The improved lands, in|| Machines, 4 Woolen Factories, 36 this section of the county, afford Grain Mills, 2 Glass Factories, 3 tolerably good grazing; but in ge- Paper Mills and 2 Oil Mills. Reneral do not admit of a grain cul-cently, the manufacture of straw ture. Upon some of the streams, braid has been introduced, and rehowever, there are small intervals, ceives great attention in some suitable for arable purposes. In towns in the county. This busithis section of the county, the ag-ness is the more important, as it ricultural productions consist of contributes to the aggregate indusbutter, cheese, cattle, sheep, beef, try; the labour being performed pork, and some others; and in the by those persons whose services western section, rye, corn and are not usually profitably employoats, constitute the staple produc-ed, and thereby avoids any interference with other departments of labour. tions. The waters of the county consist of numerous small streams, There are, in this county, 25 and are principally embodied, in Religious Societies of every desthe eastern section, in the Willi- cription, 14 School Societies, divimantic and Hop rivers. These ded into a suitable number of rivers and their numerous branch-School Districts, of which there es intersect and water a considera- are 100, and 10 Social Libraries. ble proportion of the county. In There are about 40 Mercantile the western and southern sections, Stores. the waters are principally embodied in the Scantic, Hockanum and Salmon rivers. The former of these streams has considerable tracts of alluvial, and the others afford many water privileges. The manufacturing interests of the county are flourishing, and constantly extending; developing The population of this county, in 1810, was 13,770; and the amount of taxable property and polls, in 1817, was $327,282. This county originally belonged to the counties of Hartford and Windham, and was incorporated in 1786. TOLLAND, the seat of justice ||es across the former, and four for the county, is situated 18 miles across the latter of these rivers. east from Hartford, 52 northeast Snipsick pond is a large body of from New-Haven, and 42 north-water, being 2 miles in length, west from New-London. It is and 100 rods in width. There is bounded east on the Willimantic also a pond called Skungamug in river, which separates it from Wil- the town. lington, west by Vernon and Ellington, south by Coventry, and north by Ellington. It contains about 35 square miles; being more than 6 miles in length, and 5 and a half miles in breadth. The town is uneven and rough, being mountainous and stony. The soil is gravelly; but some of the valleys and borders of streams consist of loam which is warm and fertile. The civil divisions of the town are 1 located or Congregational Society and 13 School Districts. In the centre of the town is a pleasant village, having an elevated and prospective situation. It is about half a mile in length, and contains a Court House and Gaol, for the county, 2 Churches, a Post office, and about 30 Dwelling houses, some of which are neat and handsome buildings. There are several turnpike roads The lands are best adapted to grazing, being too rough and sto-which pass through this town; ny for plowing, although some corn, oats, rye and flax are raised. The forests, which are extensive, consist principally of oak and chesnut; comprising, however, various other deciduous trees. Hartford and Tolland turnpike, There were, in 1810, 1610 in- The geological structure con-habitants in the town. sists of granite, schistus and other now 250 qualified Electors, 3 comrocks of a primitive formation.panies of Militia and about 300 Large masses of granite appear || Dwelling houses. upon the surface, some of which are detached and insulated, others of a connected stratum. Iron ore is found in many places in this range of mountains; but we have not ascertained that any has been discovered within this town. There is 1 Furnace, for casting iron, 3 Grain Mills, 3 Saw Mills, 3 Distilleries, 3 Tanneries, 2 Fulling Mills, 1 Carding Machine and 4 Mercantile Stores. There are 3 Churches; one for Congregationalists, one for Baptists and one for Methodists, 1 So||cial Library, 13 common or District Schools, 2 Clergymen, 3 At There is a mineral spring in the town, the waters of which possess similar medicinal qualities to those of Stafford; but it has not acquir-tornies and 4 Physicians. ed any celebrity abroad. The general list of taxable polls and estate of the town is The town is watered by the Willimantic and the Skungamug $37,335. rivers, and innumerable small Tolland was incorporated as a streams. There are three bridg-town in the year 1715. |