lars averfe to the attack of Fort Edward camp and meets our detachment. He p prifoner-Gallant behaviour of M'Gimnes Mapag Frevennes b ftreet gives intelligence of the enemy's defign to attack Ofwego. - Description of Wiscaffet, and of the river Sheepscot, Lift of public offices, ecclefiaftical preferments, &c. in Union of the British American colonies, as proposed - - Report of a committee of the affembly of Connec- An Account of the trade and fhipping of Newfound- - A Bill for better regulating of charter and proprietary Dedications to the Rev. John Eliot's Indian version Heads of Inquiry, relative to the state and condition of Connecticut, fignified by his majefty's fecretary of state, in 1773, with the answers, returned by the governor, in 1774, 231 Some account of the fevere drought in 1749, COLLECTIONS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, FOR THE YEAR 1800. THE HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGE. BY ABIEL HOLMES, A. M. A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. -forfan et hæc olim meminiffe juvabit. CAM VIRGIL. A topographical Description of Cambridge. * AMBRIDGE is a fhire town, in the county of Middlefex. It lies in 42°. 23'. north latitude, and 71°. weft longitude from London. It is bounded on the northeaft by Charlestown; on the north-weft by Lexington; on the weft by Watertown; on the fouth-weft by Newton; on the fouth by Brookline, and on the fouth-eaft and eaft by Cambridge bay to Charlestown line. It is about three miles diftant from Boston, on a right line; eight miles, as measured on the road leading through Brookline and Roxbury; about four miles and a half through Charlestown; and three miles, one quarter, and fixty rods from the old ftate-house, by the way of WeftBoston bridge. The foil is various. In the fouth-west part of the town, within a mile of Charles river, the land is hilly, and abounds in fprings. The foil is loamy, and natural to grafs. In the *For this Defcription, I am principally indebted to my worthy friend, and refpectable parishioner, CALEB GANNETT, Esquire. B the north-west part of the town, the land is hilly, and fimilar to that in the fouth-weft part. The hills, in each part, afford large quantities of ftone for mafon's work. From the foot of the hills on the fouth fide of Charles-river, excepting a quantity of marsh of about 300 acres on each fide, the foil is moftly light, and intermixed with loam, lying upon a ftratum of clay, at the depth of fifteen or twenty feet, though at fome places it runs to or near the furface. The foil is the fame through the first parish, and Menotomy plains. On the fides of the rivulet, which divides the firft and fecond parishes, there is a large quantity of meadow land, producing but little grafs, and of an inferior quality. This meadow, however, abounds with peat, which is used by the poorer inhabitants for fuel. The original growth of the land was oak, walnut, and pine. The orchards, planted by the firft fettlers, flourished greatly. The few ancient trees now remaining, being of a much larger fize than any planted within half a century, denote vegetation to have been much more vigorous in former than in later years. From this cause, the quantity of fruit is greatly diminished. The plains, though not fruitful in grafs, are well adapted to the raifing of Indian corn, winter rye, and the common efculent vegetables. From the hilly and diverfified furface of feveral parts, and the paffage of Charles river through the middle, of the town, it might be fuppofed that the air is very pure. Experience confirms the fuppofition. Many of the inhabitants have attained great longevity; and invalids, from other towns, have realized the beneficial effects of a falubrious air from a temporary refidence in the town. Perfons afflicted with chronic diforders have also received additional advantages, and fometimes effectual relief, by the use of the waters in a chalybeate spring in the fouth-weft parish. The largest river in Cambridge is Charles river, which is navigable to the bridge leading to Brookline, for veffels of ninety tons, and for lighters to Watertown. Three ponds head a rivulet, which divides the first and fecond parishes, and which empties itself into Mystic river. The fifh, ufually to be found in fresh rivers and ponds, may may, in their feason, be caught in thefe waters. Anciently, the alewife fishery was of confiderable value. Exclufive of the purpose of exportation, the fifh were used as manure for the land.* This fishery is, at prefent, of little consequence. In the north-weft parish, in Cambridge, on a small brook, which originates in Lexington, and empties itself into Myftic river, there are one faw mill, and three grift mills. Perfons, tranfporting their grain from the north-weft part of the state to Boston, might avail themselves of these mills, with convenience, to convert it into meal; and thus render it more faleable in the market. In the fame parifh, there is a card manufactory which does great honour to American ingenuity. The machine, ufed in this manufactory, by à fimple operation, bends, cuts, and sticks the card teeth. It was invented in the fpring of 1797, by Amos Whittemore, of Cambridge; and, on the first of September, 1799, William Whittemore and company commenced bufinefs. Twenty-three machines, now in operation, stick two hundred dozen pairs of cards, on an average, every week. Forty perfons, male and female, employed in this manufactory, complete the abovementioned number, weekly, for fale. The building, in which the whole work is done, is 46 feet fquare; and the average price of the cards is 7 dollars per dozen pairs. About fifty rods below the bridge leading to Brookline, there is a very commodious wharf, owned by William Winthrop, Efquire, at which great quantities of wood and lumber are annually unladen, to the great convenience of the mechanical interefts, and to the general accommodation of the town. The breadth of Charles river here, is twenty-two rods. Weft-Bofton bridge, connecting Cambridge with Bofton, is a magnificent ftructure. It was erected at the expenfe of a company incorporated for that purpofe; and coft 76,700 * This fingular fpecies of manure appears to have been much used in the infancy of the country. An early writer, in reference to the first fettlers of Concord, obferves: "The Lord is pleafed to provide for them great ftore of fifh in the fpring time, and efpecially alewives, about the bignefs of a herring many thousands of thefe they ufed to put under their Indian corne." Wonder-working Providence of Sion's Saviour in New-England. |