ESS 
ESS 
all thefe parts of EtTex to the London markets. The 
northern part of the coaft, between the Stour and Coin, 
which projedts further than the reft, is a more elevated 
and healthy country. 
The principal rivers properly belonging to this county 
are, the Coin, riling near Clare in Suffolk j and, after 
palling Colchefter, emptying into a creek of the lea be¬ 
tween Merfey illandand the main. In the falt-water in¬ 
lets and pools at the mouth of this river are bred the fa¬ 
mous Colchefter oyfters, fo well known as an article of 
commerce and luxury. The Blackwater takes its rife 
near Saffron Walden, and, flowing by Coggelhall and 
Witham, difcharges itfelf at Maldon into an arm of the 
fea called Blackwater. The Chelmer, fpringing near the 
fame place, winds through the middle of the county, 
and, pafting by Chelmsford, terminates at Maldon in the 
fame mouth with the former. The Crouch, after a 
fhort courfe on the fouth-eaftern fide, mixes with the fea 
among the marlhes of Burnham and Foulnefs ifle. The 
Walfleet and Burnham oyfters are the produdl of its 
creeks and pits. The Roddon, which enters the Thames 
near Barking, has been already mentioned. 
The principal harbour on the Effex coaft is that of 
Harwich, fituated on a tongue of land oppofite to the 
united mouths of the Stour and Orwell. It affords an 
eccafional fhelter to the coafting fleets continually palling 
along thefe ftiores, but has not much trade of its own. 
The principal bufinefs of Harwich has arifen from its be¬ 
ing the ftation of the Holland packets, which, in times of 
peace, fail between it and Helvoetfluys. South of Har¬ 
wich is the Naz-e, a hooked promontory, enclofing a few 
low iflands. From hence the land declines welhvard, 
forming the funnel, which terminates in the mouth of 
the Thames. Befides the creeks already noticed, there is 
one within the mouth of the Thames, running up by the 
town and fmall port of Leigh, and forming Canvey ifle. 
The country round Chelmsford is very fertile, and hops 
are cultivated near it. 
Various actions with the Danes happened in this coun¬ 
ty, as well as in many others on the eaftern coaft. One 
of the meft memorable was fought at Aflingdon, or Afh- 
down, near Rochford, in which king Edmund Ironfide 
was .defeated by Canute. Tilbury-fort, oppofite Gravel- 
end, is the principal protection of the Thames. In its 
neighbourhood queen Elizabeth reviewed the army (lie 
had affembled to oppofe the Spanifh armada in 15SS- 
ES'SEX, a county of the American ftates, in Mafla- 
chufetts, bounded nOrth by the ftate of New Hampfliire ; 
eaft and Couth by the ocean, and the town of Chelfea in 
Suffolk county; weft by Middlefex county; in length 
about thirty-eight miles, in breadth twenty-five ; ftiaped 
triangularly, Chelfea being the acute point. The chief 
iflands on its coaft, belonging to it, are Cape Anne and 
Piumb iflands. It is fubdivided into twenty-two town- 
Chips, which, by the cenfus of 1796, contain 7644houfes 
and 57,913 inhabitants : being the mod populous, of 
its fize, of any in the ftate, having about 135 fouls to 
a fquare mile. The firft fettlement in Malfacluifetts 
Proper-was made ir. Salem, the capital of the county, 
in 1628, by John Endicot, efq. one of the original pa¬ 
tentees, and many years governor of the colony. It 
was made a fit ire in 1643, being one of the three into 
which the colony was firft divided. Efiex-county pays 
about one-feventh part of the ftate tax, elefts fix fena- 
tors and counfellors for the government of the common¬ 
wealth, and one re'p re Tentative ir. the legiflature'of the 
United States. The fade of the country is pleafingly va¬ 
riegated with hills, vales-, woods, and plains. The land 
is generally fruitful ; but is more favourable to barley 
than mb ft other parts of the ftate. Quarries of marble 
and limeftone are found in this county ; and the fea coaft 
is indented with a number of good harbours. Merrimack- 
rivpr interjects the north part of Elfex county : between 
it and the New Ham.pfhire line are the towns of Me¬ 
thuen, 'Jiaverill, Arneibury, and Salifbury. 
ES'SEX, a county of the American States, in Virgi¬ 
nia, bounded eaft and north-eaft of Rappahannock-river, 
which divides if from Richmond. Itis about fifty-five 
miles long and twelve broad, and contains, by the cen- 
fus, 9122 inhabitants. 
ES'SEX, a county of the American States, in New 
Jerfey, in the eaftern part of the ftate, and divided from 
Staten Ifland by Newark-bay. It is about twenty-five 
miles in length and fixteen in breadth, and has three 
townfhips, viz. Newark, Elizabethtown and Acquack- 
anack, which contain, by the cenfus, 17,785 inhabitants. 
The foil is fertile, and its fruits and other productions 
meet with a quick fale in New York city. Effex county 
has within it feven Prefbyterian churches, three for Epif- 
copalians, one for Anabaptifts, and two for Dutch Cal¬ 
vin ifts. 
ES'SEX, a county of the American States, in Ver¬ 
mont, and the north-eafternmoft in the ftate. 
ES'SEX, atownfhipof the American States, in Chit¬ 
tenden county, Vermont. It lies between Jericho on the 
fouth-eaft, and Colchefter on the north-weft. 
ES'SEX VAI.LEY MOUNTAINS, mountains of the 
ifland of Jamaica : ten miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Lacovia. 
ES'SEY, a town of France, in the department of Orne, 
and chief place of a canton, in the diftridt of Alengon, 
three leagues north-eaft of Alenin. 
ESSOI'GN, or Essoin, f. [ ejfonium , Lat. e//bine, Fr.] 
In law, an excufe for him that is lummor.ed to appear 
and anfwer to an aftion, or to perforin fuit to a court ba¬ 
ron, &c. by reafon of ficknefs and infirmity, or other juft 
caufe of abfence. It is a kind of imparlance, or craving 
of a longer time, that lies in real, perfonal, and mixed, 
actions : and the plaintiff as well as the defendant fhall 
be elfoigned to fave his default. Co. Litt. 131. The 
caufes that ferve to effoin, and the effoins, are under 
thefe heads. 1. Ejjoin de ultra mare, whereby the defend¬ 
ant fhall have forty days. 2. De terra fanEla, where de¬ 
fendant fhall have a year and a day. 3. De ma!p veniendi , 
which is likewife called the common effoin. 4. Demalo 
leEli, wherein the defendant may by writ be viewed by 
four knights. 5. DeJlrvitio regis : Fleta. lib. 6. And be¬ 
fides the common ejjbign de malo veniendi, i. e. by falling 
fick in coming to the court, and other efloigns above- 
mentioned, there were feveral other excufes, to fave a 
default in real adlions ; as.conftraint of enemies, the fall¬ 
ing among thieves, floods of water, and breaking down 
of bridges, See. 2 Co. Inji. 125. 
After ifl’ue joined in dower, quare Ampedit, Sec. one ef¬ 
foin only fhall be allowed. 52 H. III. c. 13. And in writs 
of aflife, attaints, &c. after the tenant hath appeared, he 
fhall not be efl’oined ; but the inqueft fhall be taken by 
default. 3 Ed. I. c. 42. Fjjbin ultra mare will not be al¬ 
lowed, if the tenant be within the four feas; but it fhall 
be turned to a default, c. 44. There is no effoin permit¬ 
ted for an appellant, it, Ed. l. c. 28. Nor doth efloin 
lie where any judgment is given ; or rite party is dillrain- 
ed by his lands; the fheriff is commanded to make him 
appear; after the party is feen in court, &c. 12 Ed. II. 
flat. 2. An effoin de fervitio regis lies not when the party 
is a woman; in a writ of dower ; where the party hath 
an attorney in his fuit, &c. The effoign day in court is 
regularly the firft day of the term ; but the fourth day 
after is allowed of favour, i InJl. 135. 
Essoign Day of the Term. The firft return in 
every term, is, properly fpeaking, the firft day in that 
term. And thereon the court fits to take effoins, or ex¬ 
cufes for fuch as do not appear according to the fumrnons 
of the writ ; wherefore this is ufualiy called the effoin 
day of the term. But the perfon fummened hath three 
days grace beyond the return of the writ in which to 
make his appearance, and if he appears on the fourth 
day inciufive, th e quarto die poft, it is fufficient* 3 Comm. 
277. 
Essoign de Malo Vill^e. Is when the defendant 
is in court the firft day ; but'goi.e without pleading, and 
being 
