MASSACHUSETTS. 407 



that belongs to the United States. Upwards of 29,000 tons are em- 

 ployed in carrying on the fisheries, 46,000 in the coasting business, 

 and 96,500 in trading with almost all parts. of the world. Pot and 

 pearl ashes, staves, flax-seed, and bees-was, are carried chiefly to 

 Great Britain, in remittance for their manufactures; masts and pro- 

 visions to the East Indies ; fish, oil, beef, pork, lumber, and candles, 

 are carried to the West Indies for their produce, and the two first 

 articles, fish and oil, to France, Spain, and Portugal ; roots, vege- 

 tables, and fruits to Nova Scotia and New-Brunswick; hats, saddlery, 

 cabinet-work, men's and women's shoes, nails, tow-cloth, barley, hops, 

 butter, and cheese, to the southern states. The value of exports in 

 the year 1791, was 2,445,975 dollars, in 1794, 5,380,703 dollars, in 

 1802, 13,492,632 dollars, and in 1810, 13,013,048 dollars. Great 

 quantities of nails are made in this state. The machine invented by 

 Caleb Leach, of Plymouth, will cut and head 5000 nails in a day un- 

 der the direction of a youth of either sex. There is also a machine 

 lor cutting nails at Newburyport, invented by Mr. Jacob Perkins, 

 which will turn out two hundred thousand nails in a day. The nails 

 are said to have a decided superiority over those of English manufac- 

 ture, and are sold 20 per cent, cheaper. There are in this state up- 

 wards of twenty paper-mills, which make more than 90,000 reams of 

 writing, printing, and wrapping-paper, annually. There were in 

 1792, 62 distilleries, which distilled in one year 1,900,000 gallons. 

 In 1810, the number of gallons distilled from molasses was 2,472,000, 

 and from fruit and grain, 380,210. There are several snuff, oil, cho- 

 colate, and powder-mills ; there are indeed few articles which are 

 essentially necessary, and minister to the comfort and convenience 

 of life, that are not manufactured in this state. 



Government. ..The legislature of Massachusetts consists of a se- 

 nate, and a house of representatives ; which, together with the go- 

 vernor ^nd lieutenant-governor, are elected annually by the people ; 

 electors must be twenty-one years of age, have freeholds of the an- 

 nual value of three pounds, or personal estate to the* value of sixty 

 pounds. To be eligible to the office of governor or lieutenant-go- 

 vernor, the candidate must have resided in the state seven years, and 

 during that time have been seised of a freehold of one thousand 

 pounds. Senators must have resided five years in the state, and have 

 possessed a freehold to the value of three hundred pounds, or per- 

 sonal property to the value of six hundred pounds. A representa- 

 tive must have resided one year in the town which he is chosen to re- 

 present, and have been seised therein of freehold estate to the value 

 of one hundred pounds, or been possessed of personal property to the 

 value of two hundred pounds. From the persons returned as senators, 

 being forty in all, nine counsellors are annually elected, by joint 

 ballot of both houses, for the purpose of advising the governor in 

 the execution of his office. All judicial officers, the attorney and 

 solicitor-general, sheriffs, &.c. are; with the advice of the council, 

 appointed by the governor. The judges (except justices of the peace, 

 whose commissions expire in seven years, but may be renewed) hold 

 their offices curing good behaviour. 



Religion.... There is no established religion in Massachusetts, but 

 every sect of christians is allowed the free exercise of its religion, 

 and is equally under the protection of the laws. The body of the 

 people are congregationalists, professing Calvinistic doctrines. The 

 other denominations are quakers, baptists, universalists, methodists, 



