14 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



You will notice in the last product referred to, almost the 

 entire product of the State belongs to this county, at least with- 

 in less than fifty thousand dollars. We might refer also to that 

 of britannia ware. We will now sum up these seven of the 

 leading products of the State, viz. : whale fishery ; sperm, whale, 

 lard and linseed oil ; manufacture of copper ; metal sheathing ; 

 britannia ware ; tacks and brads ; shovels, spades, forks and 

 hoes; and we shall find that they amount to the sum of fifteen 

 millions two hundred seventy-two thousand nine hundred and 

 twenty-one dollars, while for the whole State the amount is only 

 118,985,530,— within $3,712,609 of that of the whole State. 



I can mention other products in which this county exceeds 

 any other in the Commonwealth, — flouring mills, corks, nails, 

 manufacture of cotton. The facts as to this last product, I 

 trust, will be made very plainly to appear before I close my 

 remarks on the present occasion. 



I desigu to speak of the early history and rapid growth of our 

 city. There are many interesting incidents connected with the 

 original transfer of this territory by the aborigines. I could 

 speak of the Freeman's purchase and Pocassett purchase, all 

 embraced within the circuit of a few miles from where we are, 

 and the paltry sum paid for them in pots and kettles ; but these 

 noble warriors have passed away, and but few traces are left to 

 perpetuate their memory. Their names, however, are attached 

 to many of our noble structures, erected from the very material 

 they once delighted to dance upon in their war songs. Among 

 the early inhabitants of this place were the Bordens and Durfees. 

 They were at one time (1680), almost the entire proprietors of 

 what was called the Pocassett purchase, which included nearly 

 the whole of the then town of Tiverton. The Bordens, as early 

 as the year 1714, owned the lands on both sides of the stream, 

 together with all the water power. 



And it is a remarkable incident, that this most valuable 

 water power remained unimproved (with the exception of saw- 

 mills, grist-mills and a fulling mill), for the period of a whole 

 century, — from 1714, the time of the purchase, until 1814, when 

 the Troy and Fall River Companies were incorporated. The 

 town of Fall River was set off from Freetown, February, 1803, 

 and incorporated by the name of Fall River. The first town 

 meeting was called by my father, Charles Durfee, April 4, 1803. 



