Rhode Island 



climate of North America. The winters are severe, 

 though not equally so with those of the other prov- 

 inces; but the summers are delightful, especially in 

 the island; the violent and excessive heats, to which 

 America is in general subject, being allayed by the 

 cool and temperate breezes that come from the sea. 

 The soil is tolerably good, though rather too stony; 

 its natural produce is maize or Indian corn, with a 

 variety of shrubs and trees. It produces in particu- 

 lar the button-tree*; the spruce-pine, of the young 

 twigs of which is made excellent beer; and the pseudo- 

 acacia, or locust-tree; but none of those fine flower- 

 ing trees, which are such an ornament to the woods 

 in Carolina and Virginia. It enjoys many advan- 

 tages, has several large rivers, and one of the finest 

 harbours in the world. Fish are in the greatest 

 plenty and perfection, particularly the tataag or 

 black-fish, lobsters, and sea bass. In its cultivated 

 state, it produces very little, except sheep and horned 

 cattle, the whole province being laid out into pas- 

 ture or grazing ground. The horses are bony and 

 strong, and the oxen much the largest in America, 

 several of them weighing from i6 to 1,800 weight. 

 The butter and cheese are excellent. 



The province of Rhode Island is divided into 

 counties and townships; of the former there are four 

 or five, but they are exceedingly small; of the latter 

 between twenty and thirty; the towns themselves 



* See Appendix, No. i. 



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