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290 townships, containing, by the last census, 472,040 inhabitants, being about fifty-six to the square mile.

Counties.

Townships. Population.

Barnstable......14.....22,211...... Barnstable...... 3,646
Berkshire.......32......35,907......Lenox...

Bristol...

...

Chief Towns. Population.

.16......37,168......Taunton...

Duke's........... 3...... 3,290......Edgarton..

1,310

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Salem.... ..12,613

Essex............. 23......71,888... Ipswich... 3,560

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Newbury-port.. 4,634
Greenfield... 1,165
Springfield...... 2,767

Middlesex.......44.....52,789..

(Charlestown.... 4,954 Concord......... 1,633

Hampshire...... 64......76,275.....Northampton... 2,631

Nantucket ..... 1...... 6,807.....Nantucket

Norfolk....... ..22......31,245.....Dedham.... 2,173
Plymouth... .18......35,169.....Plymouth........ 4,228
Suffolk...... 2......34,381.....Bostou...... ..33,250
Worcester........51......64,910.....Worcester.
.64,910.....Worcester...... 2,577

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290 472,040

Boston, the principal town in this state, is built at the head of Massachusetts-bay, in N. lat. 42° 23. It stands upon a peninsula of an irregular form, and is joined to the main land by an isthmus on the south end of the town leading to Roxbury. It is at one place two miles long, but the broadest part is not quite half a mile. A great part of the town lies low along the bay, but the ground rises considerably in the middle, where the state house is built, which gives it a fine appearance at a distance; and when you approach it from the sea, the view is truly beautiful. The town lies in a circular and pleasingly irregular form round the harbour, embellished with spires, above which the monument on Beacon-hill rises, overtopped by the state-house, situated on an eminence in the Mall. The prospect from the top of this building cannot be surpass ed-the bay, with forty islands, the shipping, the town, and the hill and dale scenery for a distance of thirty miles, present an assemblage of objects really charming. The bridges of Boston merit particular attention, being works of great extent and utility, and constructed at a vast expence; a proof of the sagacity, public spirit, and persevering industry of the people. Charles river bridge

• Laid out since last census.

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STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

connects Boston with Charlestown, in Middlesex county, and is 1,500 feet long, forty-two broad, and stands upon seventy-five piers; it cost the subscribers 50,000 dollars. Malden bridge, over Mystic river, is upwards of 2,400 feet in length. West bridge stands on 180 piers, and is 3,483 feet long, and forty broad, with a causeway of 3,344 feet more; this bridge connects Boston with Cambridge, and cost 76,700 dollars. They are all built of wood, and the toll is very reasonable.

Like most of the old towns in England, Boston is irregularly built, many of the streets being crooked and narrow; but the more modern part is regular, and the streets broad and well paved. The streets, lanes, and alleys amount to about 500, and there are five public squares; none of them of great extent, except the Mall, which is a very elegant piece of ground in front of the state-house. The number of dwelling houses is above 4,000, and by the last census the population amounted to 33,250; at present it exceeds 40,000. The greater part of the houses are built of brick, and many of them are spacious and elegant. The public buildings are the state-house, court-house, concert-hall, Faneuil-hall, alms-house, work-house, brideThere are well, jail, museum, library, and theatre.

twenty-four places of public worship; viz. twelve congregationalists (nine of which are said to be unitarians,) two episcopalian, three baptist, one for blacks, one quaker, one universalist, one Roman catholic, two methodist, and one travelling methodist preachers. These buildings are in general very handsome, and most of the churches are ornamented with spires, clocks, and bells. There being here no peculiar state religion, men may ehoose to which of the sects they shall belong; but they are compelled to support one of them, and should they neither attend to the worship, nor believe in the doctrine of any of them, the payment must equally be made; and then it goes to the funds of the congregationalist body.

The principal societies in the state hold their meetings in this town, and are, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Historical Society, the Athenæum, Agricultural Society, Mechanic Society, Marine Society, Charitable Fire Society, Humane Society, Medical Society, Dispensary, and the Female Asylum. Education is upon There are a number of public an excellent footing. schools, supported at the expense of the town, which are open to the children of every class of citizens, free of expense. They are managed by a committee of twenty-one persons, chosen annually, and are under good regulations.

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Besides these, there are many private seminaries, where all the various branches of education are taught; the expenses at one of which is about 100 dollars per annum; fifty at a best English school; thirty-two for a middling do.; board from two to three dollars per week extra: female education about twelve per cent. cheaper. Upon the whole, Boston may, in this respect, challenge a competition with any city in Europe, Edinburgh perhaps excepted. The fruits of this attention to education are very apparent in the deportment of the citizens, who are intelligent, sober, and industrious; and thongh much attached to the subject of religion, they are extremely liberal on that head. The morals of the working classes are exemplary, and very different from what may be observed among the lower orders in the large towns of Europe. This regular conduct arises in a great measure from the comparative state of independence in which they are placed, by receiving a proper remuneration for their labour; and it appears conspicuous by the infrequency of crimes in that large and populous town. At the monthly sessions held in Boston, for May, 1818, there was only one criminal who had committed any offence whatever; this person, for entering into a merchant's office with a felonious intention, was committed to the state prison for five years. There are no beggars to be seen in the streets, nor any person that seems distressed; all are to be found at work, or going to or from their labour; nor is employment difficult to be obtained by industrious and honest

men.

The markets are well supplied with abundance of beef, pork, mutton, lamb, veal, and poultry, of a quality equal to any in the world; and also with meal, butter, cheese, roots, vegetables, and fruits of various kinds, in great plenty. The fish market is also excellent, and not only furnishes the tables of the rich with some of the greatest dainties, but is also a singular blessing to the poor. The following were the prices of provisions in the first week of January, 1819: beef from 44d. to 7d. per lb.; pork 5 d. to 6d.;. veal, the same; mutton, 4d. to 6d.; lamb, 3d. to 4d.; poultry, 11d. to 13d. each; butter, in tubs, 11d. to 12d.; ditto, fresh, 12d. to 14d.; eggs, per dozen, 9d.; potatoes, per bushel, 1s, 10d. to 2s. 6d.; cod-fish, haddock, &c. per lb. 2d.; ditto, per cwt. 9s. ; hay (best) per ton, twenty dollars; flour, per barrel of 196lb. 10 dollars.

Boston is well situated for foreign commerce, of which it has a very large share. The harbour is spacious, and

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