MASSAC 
falls ; the other, called the Lower Canals, for improving 
the navigation of the river between the head of the falls 
at South Hadley and the mouth of Chickapee-river. 
Iron-ore, in immenfe quantities, has been found in va¬ 
rious parts of this date, particularly in the old colony of 
Plymouth, which has become the feat of the iron-manu- 
fatlures. In the towns of Taunton, Bridgewater, Mid- 
dleborough, &c. nails have been made in I'uch quantities 
as to prevent, in a great meafure, the importation of them 
from Great Britain. This manufacture has engaged 
very particular attention 5 and machines have been con- 
faruded for facilitating and expediting it. Copper-ore, 
black-lead, white pipe-clay, yellow and red ochre, alum- 
done, ruddle or red-earth, lime-done, marble, albedos, 
and pyrites, are fupplied in different parts of this date. 
Several mineral fprings have alfo been difcovered. Ma¬ 
nufactories of cotton and woollen have been attempted, 
with various fuccefs, at Beverley, Worceder, Bolton, and 
Newbury. There are in this date upwards of twenty pa¬ 
per-mills, which make more than 70,000 reams of writ¬ 
ing, printing, and wrapping, paper, annually. At Bof- 
ton, Cambridge, Lynn, Ipfwich, Dedham, &c. are other 
manufactories for cotton and wool cards, playing-cards, 
fhoes, lace, wire, &c. There are alfo feveral fnuff, oil, 
chocolate, and powder, mills, in different parts of the 
date; and a variety of mills for fawing lumber, grind¬ 
ing grain, and fulling cloth. In 1792 there were lixty- 
two didilleries in this date, employed in didilling.from 
foreign materials. The number of gallons diddled in 
one year has been 1,900,000, which at a duty of 11 cents 
a-gallon, yields a revenue to the government of 209,000 
dollars. 
The commerce of Maffachufetts is extenlive and lucra¬ 
tive. Her (hips vilit almoft all parts of the world. Her 
principal exports, of her own productions, con fid of pot 
and pearl allies, flax-feed, whale-oil, fpermaceti, whale¬ 
bone, fpermaceti-candles, filh dried and pickled, beef, 
pork, cheefe, butter, and various other kinds of provi¬ 
sions, live dock, American rum, cotton and wool cards, 
men’s and women’s fhoes, fnuff and manufactured to¬ 
bacco, houfehold furniture, various kinds of lumber, as 
boards, planks, oars, and rafters, oak and pine timber, 
fningles, daves, and heading, Ihip-timber, &c. Of thefe 
articles, and others, the produce or manufacture of the 
dates, together with articles of foreign growth, imported 
for exportation to other countries, were exported in the 
year ending September 30, 1791, to the amount of 
2,445,975-$ dollars; befides (hoes, cards, hats, faddlery, 
and various other manufactures, and feveral articles the 
produce of the country to a great amount, exported to 
the fouthern and other dates, not included in this 
amount. In the year ending September 30, 1793, the' 
exports from this date (with the fame exceptions and 
qualifications as above) amounted to 3,676,4.12 dol¬ 
lars; in 1799, to 11,4.21,591 dollars; and in 1804 to 
26,894,379. 
This date owns more than three times as many tons 
of (hipping as any other of the dates, and more than 
one-third part of the whole that belongs to the United 
States. Upwards of 29,000 tons are employed in car¬ 
rying on the filheries ; 46,000 in the coalting bufinefs, 
and 96,564 in trading with' aimed all parts of the world. 
Pot and pearl alh, daves, flax-feed, bees-wax, &c. are 
carried chiefly to Great Britain, in remittance for their 
manufactures 5 mads and proviiions to the Ead Indies ; 
filh, oil, beef, pork, lumber, candles, &c. are carried £0 
the Weft Indies, for their produce ; and the two fil'd ar¬ 
ticles, filh, and oil, to France, Spain,and Portugal; roots, 
vegetables, fruits, and fmall meats, to Nova Scotia and 
New Brunlwick; hats, faddlery, cabinet-work, men’s and 
women’s flioes, nails, tow-cloth, barley, hops, butter, 
cheefe, &c. to the fouthern Oates. The negro-trade was 
rohibited by law in 178!; and there is net a fingle flave 
elonging to the commonwealth. 
The principal fources of revenue are land and poll 
XIV. No. 991. 
HUSETTS. 509 
taxes, and the fales of new lands. Taxes are levied on 
all males upwards of fixteen, except fuel) as are exempted 
by law ; alfo on the number of acres of improved and un¬ 
improved land, on dwelling-houfes and barns, warehoulcs, 
dares, See. Thefe are all valued ; and upon this valua¬ 
tion taxes are laid, at the rate of fo many pounds for 
every 1000I. 
The militia of Maffachufetts is compofed of all the 
able-bodied white male citizens from eighteen to forty- 
five years of age; excepting from the enrollment, within 
thofe ages, clergy, fchool-mafters, civil officers of im¬ 
portance, either under the date or federal government, 
and alfo thofe who have held any military commiflion 
whatever. The whole is formed into ten divifions, 
which, in January 1805, comprehended 58,879 infantry, 
2679 cavalry, and 2581 artillery. Thefe divifions are 
fubdivided into twenty-two brigades, ninety regiments 
of infantry, fifty-nine troops compoling eighteen fq-ua- 
drons or battalions of cavalry ; and fifty-four companies 
of artillery; the latter are furnilhed each with two light 
brafs pieces attached to the brigades, with tumbrils and 
apparatus complete ; and have charge of various other 
heavy field-pieces, dationed all along the fea-coad. There 
is an annual return made of the whole militia to the ad¬ 
jutant-general, who makes out duplicate abdra&s for the 
governor, and for the prefident of the United States. 
The religion of this date is edabliftied by their confti- 
tution on a liberal and tolerant plan. All perfons, of 
whatever religious profeflion or fentirrients, may worfhip 
God agreeably to the di&ates of their own conferences; 
urimoleded, provided they do not difturb the peace. 
The great body of the people are Congregationalifts, pro- 
felling Calvinidic doftrines ; but fome are avowedly Ar¬ 
menians, and fome Unitarians ; and, as Morfe fays, the 
latter it is fuppofed are increafing. 
This date is famous for its literary, humane, and other, 
focieties ; fuch are the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences, incorporated May 4, 1780; the Maffachufetts 
Charitable Society, incorporated December x6, 1779; the 
Bodon Epifcopal Charity Society, incorporated Feb. 12, 
1784; the Maflachufetts Medical Society, incorporated 
Nov. x, 1781 ; the Humane Society, incorporated in 
1791 5 the Society for propagating the Gofpel among the 
Indians and others in North America, incorporated Nov. 
19, 1787; the Maflachufetts MilTionary Society, inftitufed 
in 1799 5 the Hamplhire Miffionary Society, indituted 
about the yearx8oo; the Berklhire and Columbia Milli¬ 
onary Society; the Maffachufetts Baptid Miffionary So¬ 
ciety, indituted in 1802; and the Maflachufetts Society 
for promoting Chriltjan Knowledge, founded in 1804, 
To thefe we may add, the Maffachufetts Society for pro¬ 
moting Agriculture, incorporated in 1792; the Hiftorical 
Society, eitablilhed in 1791 ; a Marine Society; the Maf¬ 
fachufetts Congregational Society, for the relief of wi¬ 
dows and children of deceafed clergymen, the Middlefex 
Medical Society, founded in 17905 a Society for the Aid 
of Emigrants, inftituted in 1793 ; the Maffachufetts Cha¬ 
ritable Fire Society, indituted in 1794; the Bodon Me¬ 
chanic Affociation, eftablilhed in 1795, See. ,&c. Schools 
and academies are very numerous. See alfo th# article 
Maine. 
_ MASSACHUSETTS FO'RT, a fort of United Ame¬ 
rica, on the borders of Vermont and New York : nine 
miles fouth of Bennington, and fourteen north-weft of 
Deerfield. 
MASSACHU'SETTS SOU'ND, a bay on the wed coalt 
of North America, fouth of the Quadras i(lands. 
MASSACIUC'COLI, a town of the republic of Lucca t 
nine miles fouth-welt of Lucca. 
MASS A COT. See Scherbro. 
MASS'ACRE, f. \majfacre, Fr. from mazzare, Ital.J 
Carnage} (laughter; butchery 5 indifcrjminate deftru&ion; 
Slaughter grows murder, when it goes too far. 
And makes imajacre what was a war, 
6 0 
Drydtn. 
Mar? 
