96 C O N N E 
governor, and afliftants, The lower houfe of the repre- 
i'cntatives of the people. No law can pafs without the 
concurrence of both houfes. 
Connecticut has ever made rapid advances in popula¬ 
tion. There have been more emigrations from this, than 
from any of the other dates of North America ; and yet 
it is at prefent full of inhabitants, This increafe may 
be aferibed to feveral caufes. The bulk of the inhabi-. 
tants arc induftrious fagacious hufbandmen. Their farms 
furnifh them With all 'the neceffaries, mod of the con¬ 
veniences, and but few of the luxuries of life. They, 
of courfe, mud be generally temperate, and, if they 
choofe, can fubfift with as much independence as is con¬ 
fident with happinefs. The fubddence of the farmer is 
lubdantial, and does not depend on incidental circum- 
dances, like that of mod other profedions. There is no 
necedity ol ferving an apprenticediip to the bufinefs, 
nor of a large dock of money to commence it to advantage. 
Farmers, who deal much in barter, have lei’s need of 
money than any other clafs of people. The eafe with 
which a comfortable fublidence is obtained, induces the 
hulbandman to marry young. The cultivation of his 
farm makes him drong and healthful. He toils cheer¬ 
fully through tire day ; eats the fruit of his own labour 
with a gladfome heart; at night devoutly thanks his 
bounteous Maker ; retires to red, and his deep is fweet. 
Suoh circumdances as thefe have greatly contributed to 
the amazing population of this date. The revolution, 
which fo elfentially affeCted the government of mod of 
the colonies, produced no very perceptible alteration in 
the government of Connecticut. While under the ju- 
riIdiCtion of Great Britain, they elected their own go¬ 
vernors, and all fubordinate civil officers, and made 
their own laws, in the fame manner, and with as little 
controul, as they now do. Connecticut has ever been a 
republic ; and perhaps as perfect and as happy a repub¬ 
lic as lias everexided. While other dates, more monar¬ 
chical in their government and manners, have been under 
-a neceliity of undertaking the difficult talk of altering 
their old, or forming new conditutibns, and of changing 
their monarchical for republican manners, Conneticut 
has uninterruptedly proceeded in her old track, botli as 
to government and manners ; and, by thel’e means, has 
avoided thofe convuldons which have rent other dates 
into violent parties. 
The prefent territory of Connecticut, at the time of 
the firlt arrival of the Englidi fettlers, was poflefled by 
the Pequo’t, the Mohegan, Podunk, and many other 
fmaller tribes of Indians. In 1774 there were of the 
defendants of the ancient natives, only 1363 perfons; 
the greater part of whom lived -at Mohegan, between 
Norwich and New London. From the natural decreafe 
of the Indians, it is imagined that their number in this 
date does not now exceed 400. The fil’d grant of Connec¬ 
ticut was made by the Plymouth council to the earl of 
Warwick, in 1630. The year following the earl adigned 
this grant to lord Say and Seal, lord Brooke, and nine 
others. Some Indian traders fettled at Windfor in 1633, 
The fame year, a little before the arrival of the Englidi, 
a few Dutch ’traders fettled at Hartford, and the remains 
of the fettlement are dill vifible on the bank of Connecti¬ 
cut river. In 1634, lord Say and Seal, &c. fent over a fmall 
number of men, who built a fort ax'Saybrook, and made 
a treaty with the Pequot Indians for the lands on Con¬ 
necticut river. Mr. Haynes and Mr. Hooker left Maifa- 
chufetts-bay in 1634, and fettled at Hartford. The fol¬ 
lowing year Mr. Eaton and Mr. Davenport feated them- 
felves at New-Haven. In 1644, the Connecticut adven¬ 
turers purchafed of Mr. Fenwick, agent for lord Say 
and Seal, , and lord Brooke, their right to the colony, for 
1600I. Connecticut and New-Haveri continued two did 
tinet governments for many years. At length, John 
Winthrop, efq. who had been cliofen governor of Con¬ 
necticut, was employed to folicit a royal charter. In 
1662, Charles II. granted a charter, coyftituting the two 
1 
CTICUT, 
colonies for ever one body corporate and politic, by the 
name of “ The governor and company of Connecticut.” 
New-Haven took the affair ill ; but in 1665, all difficul¬ 
ties were amicably adjufted ; and,, as has been already ob- 
ferved, this charter Hill continues to be the bafis of their 
government. 
CONNECTICUT, the mofl confiderable river in the 
eaftern part of the united ftates of'America, rifes in the 
highlands which feparate the ftates of Vermont and New 
Hampffiire from Lower Canada. It has been furveyed 
about twenty-five miles beyond the 45th degree of lati¬ 
tude, to the head fpring of its northern branch ; from 
which, to its mouth, is upwards of 300 miles, through a 
thick fettled country ; having upon its banks a great 
number of moft floiirifliing and pleafant towns. It is 
from eighty to one hundred rods wide, one hundred and 
thirty miles from its mouth. Its courfe between Ver¬ 
mont and New Hampffiire is generally louth-fouth-weft, 
as likewife through Maflachul’etts, and part of Connecti¬ 
cut, until it reaches the city of Middleton ; after which 
it runs a fouth-fouth-eaft courfe to its junction with the 
fea. The navigation of this beautiful river, which, like 
the Nile, fertilizes, the lands through which it runs, is 
much obftrutted by falls. Two of thefe are between 
New Hampfliire and Vermont, the firft is called the Fif¬ 
teen-mile falls. Here the river is rapid for twenty miles. 
The fecond remarkable fall is at Walpole, formerly 
called the great fall, but now named Bellows’ falls. 
Above thefe, the breadth of the river is in fome places, 
twenty-two, in other places not above fixteen rods. The 
depth of the channel is about twenty-five feet; and 
commonly runs full of water. In September, 1792, how¬ 
ever, owing to the fevere drought, the water of the river 
paffied within the ipace of twelve feet wide, and two and 
a half feet deep. A large rock divides the ftream into 
two channels, each about ninety feet wide. When the 
river is low the eaftern channel is dry, being crofted by a 
folid rock; and the whole ftream falls into the weftern 
channel, where it is contracted to the breadth of fixteen 
feet, and flows with aftoniffiing rapidity. There are le- 
veral pitches, one above another, in the length of half a 
mile ; the largeft of which is that where the rock divides 
the ftream. A bridge of timber was projected over this 
fall, by colonel Hale, in 1784, 365 feet long, and fupport- 
ed in the middle by the illand rock ; under which the 
higheft floods pafs without injuring it. This is the only 
bridge on the river, but it is contemplated to ereCt ano¬ 
ther thirty miles above, at the middle bar of Agar falls, 
where the pa'ffiage for the water, between the rocks, is 
above one hundred feet wide. This will conned: the 
towns of Lebanon in New Flamplhire, and Hartford in 
Vermont; as the former bridge connects Walpole in 
New Hampffiire, with Rockingham in Vermont. Not- 
withftanding the velocity of the current at Bellows’ falls, 
the falmon pafs up the river, andLare taken many miles 
above; but the (had proceed no farther. On the fteep 
flues of the illand rock, at the fall, hang feveral arm 
chairs, fecured by a counterpoife; in thefe the filhermen 
fit to catch falmon with filhing nets. In the courfe of 
the river through Maflachufetts, are the falls at South 
Hadly, around which, locks and canals were completed 
in 1795, by an enterprifing company, incorporated for 
that purpofe in 1792, by the legiflature of Maffiachufetts. 
In Connecticut the river is obftruCted by falls at Enfield ; 
to render which navigable in boats, a company has been 
incorporated, and a him of money railed by lottery, but 
nothing effectual has yet been done. The average defeent 
of this river from Weathersfield in Vermont, 150 miles 
from its mouth, is two feet to a mile. The rivers and 
dreams which fall into Connecticut river are very nu¬ 
merous. At its mouth is a bar of land which confidera- 
bly obftruCis the navigation; it has ten feet water on it 
at full tides, and the fame depth to Middleton, from 
which the bar is thirty-fix miles diftant. Above iMiddle- 
ton, there are Ilioals which have only fix feet Water at 
