Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

CON .[ 55
eli- pafling through this hilly country, it tumbles over
many falls, and affords a vaft number of mill feats.
The fource of the Shetucket is not far from that of
Quinnabog. It has the name of Willamantik while
palling through Stafford, and between Tolland and
Willington, Coventry, and Mansfield. Below Wind¬
ham it takes the name of Shetucket, and empties as
above. Thefe rivers are fed by numberlefs brooks
from every part of the adjacent country. At the
mouth of Shetucket is a bridge of timber i 24 feet in
length, fupported at each end by pillars, and held up
in the middle by braces on the top, in the nature of an
arch.
ours. The two principal harbours are at New London and
New Haven. The former opens to the fouth. From
the light-houfe, which Hands at the mouth of the har¬
bour, to the town, is about three miles; the breadth is
three quarters of a mile, and in fome places more. The
harbour has from five to fix fathoms water, a clear
bottom, tough ooze, and as far as one mile above the
town is entirely fecure and commodious for large
fiiips. New Haven harbour is greatly inferior to that
of New London. It is a bay which fets up northerly
from the found about four miles. Its entrance is about
half a mile wide. It has very good anchorage, and two
and a half fathoms at low w ater, and three fathoms and
four feet at common tides. The whole of the fea
coaft is indented with harbours, many of which are fafe
and commodious, but are not fufliciently ufed to merit
a defcription.
e Connecticut, though fubjeCt to the extremes of heat
d and cold in their feaforjs, and to frequent hidden
changes, is very healthful. As many as one in 46
of the inhabitants of Connecticut, who were living in
1774? were upwards of 70 years old. From accurate
calculation it is found, that about one in eight live
to the age of 70 years and upwards 5 one in 13 to
the age oi 80 years, and one in about 30 to the age
of 90.
In the maritime towns the iveather is variable, ac¬
cording as the wind blows from the fea or land. As
you advance into the country, the fea breezes have lefs
effeCt upon the air, and confequently the weather is
lefs variable. The Ihorteft day is 8 hours and 58
minutes, and the longeft 13 horns. The north-weft
winds, in the winter-feafon, are often extremely fevere
and piercing, occafioned by the great body of fnow
which lies concealed from the diffolving influence of the
fun in the immenfe forefts north and north-weft. The
clear and ferene temperature of the fky, however,
makes amends for the feverity of the weather, and is
favourable to health and longevity. Connecticut is ge¬
nerally broken land, made up of mountains, hills, and
valleys 5 and is exceedingly well watered. Some fmall
parts of it are thin and barren. It lies in the fifth and
fixth northern climates, and has a ftrong fertile foil.
Its principal productions are Indian corn, rye, wheat
in many parts of the ft ate, oats, and barley, which are
heavy and good, and of late buck-wheat, flax in large
quantities, fome hemp,- potatoes of feveral kinds, pump¬
kins, turnips, peafe, beans, &c. &c. fruits of all kixids,
which are common to the climate. The foil is very
well calculated for pafture and mowing, which enables
the farmers to feed large numbers of neat cattle and
i ] CON
horfes. Actual calculation has evinced, that any given Cortnech-
quantity of the belt mowing land in Connecticut, pro- , (Ut''
duces about twice as much clear profit as the fame
quantity of the heft w'heat land in the ftate of New
York. Many farmers, in the eaftern part of the ftate,
have lately found their advantage in railing mules,
which are carried from the ports of Norwich and New
London to the Weft India iftands, and yield a hand-
fome profit. The beef, pork, butter, and cheefe, of
Connecticut, are equal to any in the world. ^
The trade of ConneCHcut is principally with the Trade.
Weft India iflands, and is carried on in veffels from 60
to 140 tons. The exports confift of horfes, mules,
oxen, oak ftaves, hoops, pine boards, oak planks, beans,
Indian corn, fifh, beef, pork, &c. Horfes, live cattle
and lumber, are permitted in the Dutch, Daniih, and
French ports. Beef and fifh are liable to fuch heavy
duties in the French iflands, as that little profit arifes
to the merchant who fends them to their ports. Pork
and flour are prohibited. As the ordinance making
free ports in the French Weft India illands extends to.
all foreigners, the price of molaffes and other articles
has been greatly enhanced by the Englifh purehafers
for Canada and Nova Scotia •, fo that the trade of Con¬
neCHcut with the French Weft India illands is not pro¬
fitable. Cotton, cocoa, indigo, and lugars, are not
permitted to be brought away by Americans^ The
feverity with which thefe prohibitory laws-are ad-
miniftered is fuch, as that thefe articles cannot be
fmuggled.
ConneCHcut has a large number of coafting veffels
employed in carrying the produce of the ftate to other
ftates.—To Rhode Ifland, Maffachufets, and New
Hampfhire, they carry pork, wheat, corn, and rye.
To North and South Carolinas and Georgia, butter,
eheefe, falted beef, cyder, apples, potatoes, hay, &e>.
and receive in return rice, indigo, and money. But
as New' York is nearer, and the ftate of the markets
always w'ell known, much of the. produce of Connec¬
ticut, efpecially of the Weftern parts, is carried there j
particularly pot and pearl afhes, flax:-feed, beef, pork,
cheefe, and butter in large quantities. Mcft of the
produce of Connecticut river, from the parts of Maf¬
fachufets, New’ Hamplhire, and Vermont,, as w'ell as
of ConneCHcut, which are adjacent, goes to the fame
market. Canfiderable quantities of the produce of the
eaftern parts of the ftate are marketed at Bofton and
Providence.
The value of the whole exported produce and com¬
modities from this ftate, before the year 1774, w'as
then eftimated at about 200,000!. lawful-money annual¬
ly. Since this time no accurate eftimate. has been made,
fo that it is impoflible to tell whether the amount has
fince been increafed or dimimfbed.
In 1774, the number of . (hipping in ConneCHcut
was 189 5 their tonnage 10,317 j leafaring men 11625
befides upwards of 20 fail of coafting veffels, which
employed about 90 feamen. This ftate is not yet fully
recovered from the eonfufion in which it was involved
by the late war y fo that the number of (hipping, &e,
has not, at any period fince 1774, been afeertained
with accuracy. It is probable, however, confidering
the Ioffes fuftained by the war, the decay of the fliip-
building bufinefs, and the number of unfortunate (hip-
wrecks, .