190 NATURAL HISTORY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF GROTON, MASS. 



ble consequence to our readers, for both, we believe, furnish good 

 accommodations, and, such is the competition between them, that 

 they both carry passengers from Worcester to Lowell, a distance of 

 46 miles, for one dollar. With the same money a horse may be 

 hired in Worcester to go eight miles, or a horse and chaise to go about 

 five miles. This low rate of stage fare has a tendency to increase 

 travelling, so that, although two lines run on the same day, both 

 generally are well filled with passengers. . . . 



After changing horses we again pursued our journey through 

 Shirley, a town noted for nothing in particular but a small settlement 

 of Shakers, and arrived at Groton in season to dine. 



Groton is a rich and pleasant agricultural town, the seat of an 

 academy, and of an institution of some note for the education of 

 females. The peace and harmony of the town have recently been 

 much disturbed, by a bitter and acrimonious theological controversy, 

 which has led to a division of the old society, and the establishment 

 of a new one. The inhabitants have heretofore anticipated that it 

 might become the shire town of a new county, to be formed from 

 towns taken from the counties of Middlesex and Worcester. At 

 present, there does not appear to be much prospect of realizing their 

 anticipations. Too much importance, we apprehend, is generally 

 attached to the circumstance of a town being the shire of a county. 

 If it does not possess the other requisite advantages for a place 

 of business, merely being a shire town can never make it flourish, 

 and, if it does possess them, it is of but little consequence to 

 it, that the county business is transacted at another place. Several 

 illustrations of this opinion may be found in our own state and 

 elsewhere. 



From Groton, we passed through Westford to Chelmsford. In the 

 latter town, the Middlesex Canal unites with the Merrimack River. 

 At the junction, are three stone locks through which some boats 

 were passing into the canal while we were there. The time occupied 

 in passing a boat through one lock was about six minutes. . . . 



In the issue of the same newspaper is an advertisement of 

 two different lines of stage coaches, which used to run from 

 Worcester to Lowell, one of which went by the way to Groton ; 

 and this was the line taken by Mr. Earle. The advertise- 

 ment is headed by a cut representing an old-fashioned stage- 

 coach drawn by four horses, with the driver sitting alone on 



