UNCLE SAM'S FARM. 103 



of the Merrimac river. It is distant from Boston 

 thirty-four miles, and contains a population of about 

 10,000. Many years ago it was a place of great 

 commerce. As many as ninety ships have been in 

 process of construction here at one time. In 1808 

 the tonnage of this place was 30,000 tons. It has 

 several times been visited with severe commercial 

 depressions, as well as a conflagration which destroyed 

 the most valuable portion of the town. It is now, 

 however, recovering its former prosperity. The num- 

 ber of vessels now belonging to this port is as follows : 

 — 21 ships, 17 brigs, 9 barques, 96 schooners and 1 

 steamer : total tonnage, 23,962 tons. There are 

 several cotton mills in operation here, the annual pro- 

 duce of which is, one million five hundred thousand 

 yards of printed cotton, and four million yards of the 

 finest cotton manufactured in the country. They 

 consume about one million four hundred thousand 

 pounds of cotton, ten thousand gallons of oil, and three 

 thousand tons of coal. These mills employ about one 

 thousand operatives. In addition to cotton goods 

 there are other manufactures of almost every descrip- 

 tion. Newbury is connected with Newburyport ; it 

 was once three miles distant, but the buildings now 

 extend from one town to the other. Newbury was 



