NEW JERSEY. 
784 
cnees; and are not compelled to attend or fupport any 
worfbip contrary to their own faith and judgment. All 
Proteftant inhabitants, of peaceable behaviour, are eligi¬ 
ble to the civil offices of the flats. The capital town of 
this province is Trenton. 
The rivers in this ftate, though not large, are numerous. 
A traveller in paffing the common road from New York 
to Philadelphia, erodes three conliderable rivers, viz. the 
Hackinfack and Paflaick, between Bergen and Newark, 
and the Rariton by Brunfwick. Paflaick is a very crooked 
river. It is navigable about ten miles, and is 230 yards 
wide at the ferry. The cataraCt, or Great Falls, in this 
river, is one of the greatefl natural curiofities in the ftate. 
The river is about forty yards wide, and moves in a flow 
gentle current, until, coming within a ihort diftance of a 
deep cleft in a rock, which erodes the channel, it defeends, 
and falls above feventy feet perpendicularly, in one entire 
Iheet. One end of the cleft, which was evidently made 
by fome violent convulflon in nature, is clofed; at the 
other, the water rulhes out with incredible l'wiftnefs, 
forming an acute angle with its former direction, and is 
received into a large bafon, whence it takes a winding 
courfe through the rocks, and fpreads into a broad fmcotii 
ftream. The cleft is from four to twelve feet broad. 
The falling of the water occafions a cloud of vapour to 
arife, which, by floating amidft the fun-beams, prefents 
rainbows to the view, which adds beauty to the tremen¬ 
dous feene. The new manufacturing town of Patterfon 
is ereCted upon the Great Falls in this river. Rariton- 
river is formed by two confiderable ftreams, called the 
north andfouth branches ; one of which has its fource in 
Morris, the other in Hunterdon, county. It paffes by 
Brunfwick and Amboy, and, mingling with the waters of 
the Arthur Kull Sound, helps to form the fine harbour of 
Amboy. Bridges have lately been erected over the Paf- 
faick, Hackinfack, and Rariton, rivers, on the poft-road 
between New York and Philadelphia. Thefe bridges 
greatly facilitate the intercourfe between thefe two great 
cities. 
The greatefl part of the foil of New Jerfey is fandy; 
fome of it barren and unfit for cultivation ; but that near 
the fea-coaft is faid to be many feet deep, in fome places 
fifty, without rocks or ftones, when you come to falt- 
niarlh, and has much the appearance of being artificial; 
the good land in the fouthern counties lies principally on 
the banks of rivers and creeks 5 the foil on thefe banks 
being generally a ftiff clay, which, in its natural ftate, 
produces various fpecies of oak, hickory, poplar, chefnut, 
afli, &c. The barren parts produce little elfe but fhrub- 
oaks, and yellow pines. Thefe fandy lands yield an im- 
menfe calamity of bog-iron ore, which is wrought very 
advantageoufty in the iron-works in thefe counties. The 
falt-meadows along the lower part of the Delaware river 
and bay, afford plentiful pafture for cattle in fummer, 
and hay in winter; but the fwarms of mufkitoes in the 
months of June, July, and Auguft, are very troublefome 
both to man and beaft. The inhabitants along the l’ea- 
coafl fublift principally by feeding cattle on the falt-mea- 
dows, and by various kinds of fifh, abundantly fupplied 
by the fea, rivers, and creeks. They raife Indian corn, 
rye, potatoes, &c. but not for exportation. Their'fwamps 
afford lumber, which is conveyed with eafe to a good 
market. The fugar-maple-tree is common in Suffex- 
county, upon the Delaware. In the hilly and mountain¬ 
ous parts of the ftate, which are not too rocky for culti¬ 
vation, the foil is of a ftronger kind, covered, in a ftate 
of nature, with ftately oaks, hickories, chefnuts, &c. and 
when cultivated, producing wheat, rye, Indian corn, buck¬ 
wheat, oats, barley, flax, and fruits of all kinds common 
to the climate. The land in this hilly country is good 
for grazing, and farmers feed great numbers of cattle for 
the markets of New York and Philadelphia ; and many 
of them keep htrge dairies, as there are large tracts of fine 
meadows between the hills. The orchards in many parts 
ol the ftate are faid to be equal to any in the United States, 
and the cider is reckoned the beft in the world. Thofe 
parts of New Jerfey that are contiguous to New York and 
Philadelphia, fupply their markets with many kinds of 
vegetables, as apples, pears, peaches, plums, ftrawberries, 
cherries, and other fruits; cider in large quantities, but¬ 
ter, cheefe, beef, pork, mutton, and other meats. 
The trade of New Jerfey is carried on almoft folely with 
New York and Philadelphia; though it has fome good 
ports of its own. The articles exported are chiefly wheat, 
flour, horfes,live cattle, hams which are much commended, 
lumber, flax-feed, leather, iron in great quantities, and 
formerly copper-ore. The imports confift chiefly of Weft. 
India goods. The manufactures of this ftate have been 
inconflderable, though they are now improving; and 
they confift principally of the articles of iron, nails, and 
leather. Tanneries are numerous and valuable ; paper- 
mills and nail-manufaCtories are wrought with profit in 
feveral parts of the ftate. Wheat is alfo manufactured 
into flour, and Indian-corn into meal; and thefe are pro¬ 
fitable articles. But iron is the moll ample fource of 
wealth to the ftate. Iron-works are ereCted in Gloucefter, 
Burlington, Suffex, Morris, and other counties. In the 
whole ftate, it is fuppofed, there are yearly made about 
1200 tons of bar iron, 1200 ditto of pigs, and 80 ditto of 
nail-rods, exclufive of hollow ware, and various other 
callings, to a great amount. This ftate affords vaft quan¬ 
tities of iron and copper ore. The iron-ore is of two 
kinds : one capable of being manufactured into malleable 
iron, and found in mountains and low barrens; and the 
other called bog-ore, found in rich bottoms, and yielding 
iron of a hard brittle quality, which is commonly manu¬ 
factured into hollow ware, and ufed fometimes inllead of 
ftone in building. Many copper-mines have been difeo- 
vered in different parts of the ftate. Mines have alfo been 
difeovered of lead and plalter of Paris ; and the ftate is 
laid alfo to contain coal. In the town of Newark and its 
vicinity, there are immenfe quarries of valuable ftone, 
much ufed in building. 
There is a college at Princeton, called Najfuu Hall, 
which has been under the care of a fucceflion of prefidents 
eminent for piety and learning; and has furnilhed a num¬ 
ber of civilians, divines, and phylicians, of the firft rank 
in America. It has confiderable funds, is under excellent 
regulations, and has generally from eighty to a hundred 
ftudents, principally from the fouthern Hates. There are 
academies at Freehold, Trenton, Hackinfack, Orangedale, 
Elizabeth-town, Burlington, and Newark; and grammar- 
fchools at Springfield, Morriftown, Bordentown, and 
Amboy. 
The inhabitants of this ftate are a collection of Dutch, 
Germans, Englilh, Scotch, Irilh, and New Englanders, or 
their defeendants; and of courfe differ much in their 
manners and characters; and this difference is in fome 
meafure increafed by different forms of religion, and alfo 
by intercourfe with the inhabitants of other Hates. The 
people in Weit-Jerfey trade to Philadelphia, and incline 
to the falhions and manners of that city; whilft thofe of 
Eaft-Jerl’ey trade to New York, and acquire a refemblance 
to the inhabitants of this capital. But, whatever differ¬ 
ences may fubfift among them in confequence of thefe cir- 
cumftances and of their different occupations and profef- 
fions, the people of New Jerfey are generally induftrious, 
frugal, and hofpitable. Mr. Morfe adds, that “ this ftate 
was the feat of war for feveral years, during the bloody 
conteft between Great Britain and America. Her Ioffes 
both of men and property, in proportion to the popula¬ 
tion and wealth of the ftate, was greater than of any other 
of the ftates. When Gen. Walhington was retreating 
through the Jerfeys, almoft forfaken by all others, her 
militia were at all times obedient to his orders; and, for 
a confiderable length of time, compofed the ftrength of 
bis army. There is hardly a town in the ftate that lay in 
the progrefs of the Britifli army, that was not rendered 
fignal, by lome enterprife or exploit.” MorJ'e's American 
Gaz., 
NEW 
