Indian corn, back from the river, is frequently injured by the froft; but on the river it is raised in as great perfection as in any part of New-England, owing in a great measure to the fogs arising from the river, which either prevent or extract the froft: these fogs begin as foon as the corn is in danger from frofts, and last till mild weather commences. Fruit trees, in the northern counties of this State, do Hot profper.

CIVIL DIVISIONS, &c.

This State is divided into feven counties, viz. ADDISON, BENNINGTON, CHITTENDON, RUTLAND, ORANCE, WINDSOR, and WINDHAM; the four first of these are on the weft fide of the Green Mountain, and the three latter on the east.

These counties are divided into upwards of two hundred townfhips, which are generally fix miles fquare; in every township is a referve of two rights of land, of three hundred and fifty acres each, one to be appropriated for the support of public schools, the other to be given in fee to the first minister who fettles in the township. A part of the townships was granted by the govern ment of New-Hampfire, and the other by that of Vermont. In thofe townships granted by the former, a tight of land is reserved for the fupport of the gospel in foreign parts; in those granted by the latter, a college right, and a right for the fupport of county grammar fchools, are reserved in these reservations liberal provifion is made for the fupport of the gofpel, and for the promotion of common and collegiate education,

In a

CHIEF TOWNS AND CURIOSITIES.

new and interior country, large, populous towns are not to be expected. Bennington, fituated near the S.W. corner of the State, is one of the largeft; it contains a number of handsome houses, a congregational church, a court house and gaol. A famous battle was fought in or near this town, during the late war in 1777, between Brigadier. general Starke, at the head of eight hundred undifciplined militia, and a detachment of General Burgoyne's army, commanded by Colonel Baum: in this action, and the one that fucceeded it, in the fame place, and on the fame day, between a reinforcement of the British, under Colonel Breymen, and General Starke, who was re inforced by Colonel Warner, with a continental regiment, were taken four brafs field pieces, and other military ftores, and feven hundred prifoners. The overthrow of these detachments was the first

link in a grand chain of causes, which finally proved the ruin of the royal army. This is one of the oldeft towns in the State, being first settled about the year 1764, and was till lately the feat of go

vernment.

Windsor and Rutland, by a late act of the legislature, are alternately to be the feat of government for eight years. The former is fituated on Connecticut river; the latter lies upon Otter Creek ; both are flourishing towns. Guilford, Brattelborough, Putney, Westminster, Weathersfield, Hartland, Norwich, and Newbury, are confiderable towns, lying from fouth to north, on Connecticut river. Newbury is the fire town of Orange county, which comprehends about three-eighths of the whole State; it has a court-house, and a very elegant meeting-house for Congregationalists, with a steeple, the first erected in the State. Newbury court-house stands on the high lands back from the river, and commands a fine view of what js called the groat Ox Bow, which is formed by a curious bend in the river; it is one of the most beautiful and fertile meadows in NewEngland; the circumference of this bow is about four miles and a half; its greatest depth is seven-eighths of a mile, containing about four hundred and fifty acres: at the feafon when nature is dressed in her green attire, a view of this meadow from the high lands is truly luxuriant.

Shaftsbury, Pownal, Manchester, Clarendon, Poultney, Pawlet, Danby, and Charlotte, are confiderable and flourishing towns, west of the mountain. In the town of Orwell is Mount Independence, at the fouthern extremity of lake Champlain, oppofite to which is Ticonderoga, in the State of New-York.

There is a very remarkable ledge of rocks in the town of Bradford, in the county of Orange; it lies on the weft bank of Con. necticut river, and is as much as 200 feet high; it appears to hang over and threaten the traveller as he paffes; the space between this ledge and the river is fcarcely wide enough for a road.

In the township of Tinmouth, on the fide of a fmall hill, is a very curious cave; the chafm at its entrance is about four feet in circumference: entering this you defcend one hundred and four feet, and then opens a fpacious room, twenty feet in breadth, and one

*General Bayley and Colonel Thomas Johnfon enterprifed the first fettlements into this part of the country, about the year 1762. At this period there was no road nor human inhabitant for feventy miles down the river, nor for as many miles eastwardis now thickly inhabited by thriving farmers.

hung

hundred feet in length; the angle of defcent is about 45 degrees. The roof of this cavern is of rock, through which the water is continually percolating. The ftalactites which hang from the roof ap pear like icicles on the eves of houfes, and are continually increafing in number and magnitude. The bottom and fides are daily incrusting with fpar and other mineral fubftances. On the fides of this fubterraneous hall are tables, chairs, benches, &c. which appear to have been artificially carved. This richly ornamented room, when illuminated with the candles of the guides, has an enchanting effect upon the eye of the fpectator. The general caufe of these aftonifiing appearances, we conclude, from the various circumstances accompanying them, is the water filtrating flowly through the incumbent ftrata; and taking up in its paffage a variety of mineral fubftances, thus becoming faturated with metallic particles, gradually exfuding on the furface of the caverns and fiffures, in a quiefcent state, the aqueous particles evaporate, and leave the mineral fubftances to unite according to their affinities.

At the end of this cave is a circular hole, fifteen feet deep, apparently hewn out in a conical form, enlarging gradually as you defcend, in the form of a fugar loaf; at the bottom is a spring of fresh water in continual motion, like the boiling of a pot; its depth has never been founded.

In fome low lands over against the great Ox Bow, a remarkable fpring was difcovered about twenty years fince; it dries up once in two or three years, and bursts out in another place; it has a strong Imell of fulphur, and throws up continually a peculiar kind of white fand, and when the water is left to fettle, a thick yellow fcum rifes on

The population of Vermont, according to the cenfus taken in 1790, was as follows:

ADDI