1799.) 
and diverfions: hither, as in other places, 
refort the Bofton fair, who, in beauty of 
~complexion and feature, are juitly ac- 
knowledged to excel all others on the ¢on- 
tinent. 
Confidering the capital of Maffachufetts 
in the aggregate, I prefer it, as a place of 
refidence, to any other town or city I 
have vifited on that fide of the Atlantic ; 
for while it poffeffes neither the beauty 
nor the regularity of Philadelphia, nor 
the elegant buildings and delightful pic- 
turefque f{cenery to be found about New 
York; you have, to compenfate for thefe 
defects, people of your own colour to attend 
on you, are but little peftered with muf- 
quitves and other vermin; nor is the 
{corching heat of fummer felt fo intenfely; 
and, above all, it has hitherto been much 
Jefs afiiGed with that-baneful and infec- 
tious autumnal fever, which of late years, 
in both the other places, more particu- 
Jarly in the former, has made fuch ter- 
rible ravages. 
On my return to New York, leaving 
the States of Maffachufetts and Rhode 
Ifland, which in general had the appear- 
ance of being well fettled and in good 
cultivation, I arrived, after a tedious 
journey, from the badnefs of the roads, 
at the town of Norwich, in the State of 
Connecticut. 
gonfiderable magnitude, neither does it 
exhibit the appearance of recent improve- 
ment: it ftands, however, in a pleafant 
and well fheltered fituation, and has an 
excellent inn, with good accomodations. 
The landlord is Colonel Brown, a very 
public {pirited and uleful citizen. It ap- 
pears fingular to an Englifhman on a tour 
through the United States to find the heft, 
in many, even the moft ordinary houfes 
of entertainment, a ci-devant general or 
colonel, &c. Thefe titles are not al- 
fumed, but were really poffeffed by the 
parties in the revolutionary war: and, 
indeed, they are not a little proud of 
them; for Ihave remarked, that on neg- 
jeGting thefe appellations, the fame alacrity 
has not been fhewn, as when their full 
title, or rather, one exceeding it, was given 
them. 
In this part of New England, the ob- 
fervance of the fabbath and religious du- 
ties is rigidly adhered to, neither public 
nor private travelling being allowed on 
that day ; and it is confidered as in fome 
meafure difreputable to neglect attendance 
on public worfhip. ‘This ftriét obfer- 
vance of the Sunday is, however, chiefly 
confined to the ftate of Connecticut, as it 
does not extend generally even through 
Recent Tour in New England, 
This is not a place,of any 
197 
the New England ftates. In many part> 
of the latter, but more particularly in the 
midland and fouthern provinces of the. 
United States, irreligien, with its ufuak 
attendant, immorality, feem to be ad- 
_vancing with -hafty ftrides, more efpe~ 
cially among the rifing generation. 
Proceeding’ on my journey from Nor- 
wich to Hertford, the capital of this 
ftate [Connecticut], diftant about forty 
miles, I remarked in general a fertile foil 
and large farms, breeding great numbers 
of cattle, with a few very pretty villages 
interfperfed. Stopping at one of thefe ta. 
dine, and having received the ufwal fala- 
tation, not lefs prevalent, than unman- 
nerly, not to fay unpertinent, among the 
inhabitants of New England, of, ‘ Sir, 
I perceive you are from the old country ? 
——where are you going ?—-what is your 
bufinefs?”” &c. &c. I was requefted by 
my good landlady to walk into an ad- 
joining room, to aét the part of an inter-: 
preter to a country-woman of mine, who 
a few days before had landed at Bofton. 
Fortunately for my good hoftefs we were 
both literally from, the fame county, 
otherwife ncn: of us would probably 
have been the wifer; for this woman, 
with her four children, I found, had juft 
arrived from Lancafhire in fearch of her 
hufband, who had written for her, hav- 
ing fettled here advantayeoufly ; but fhe 
{poke the provincial dialect fo very broad 
and coarfe, that very few of her words 
were intelligible. Having explained the 
language of the Lancafhire woman to my 
inquifitive landlady, fhe was dehrous of 
knowing why, both coming from Eng- 
land, we fhould talk fo differently ? The 
reafon why this appeared fo very fingular 
tomy hoftefs was, that, confidering the 
vaft difference in extent of country im the 
United States, the Englith language is 
{poke there very plain, and what is yet 
more furprifing, in general, pretty gram- 
matically. 
Hertford, the capital of this ftate, isa 
populous and well built town ; the ftreets 
are fpacious and regular; it enjoys a 
confiderable trade, which will no doubt 
increafe rather than otherwife, if we con- 
fidei its advantageous pofition, on a fine 
navigable river, and lying in a line di- 
reétly centrical with New Y ork and Bofton; 
it is likewife, from its fituation, the 
grand mart to the capital of the ftate of 
Vermont. From hence to Newhaven, 
which is in the fame ftate, about thirty 
miles diftant, the country appeared more 
fettled than any I had yet feen en the con- 
tinent. We pafied along the banks of 
tee 
