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successful. The brave Montgomery fell; Arnold was wounded; one hundred men were killed or wounded, three hundred taken prisoners. These general Carlton treated with the most delicate humanity, as he always did his prisoners.

On the night of March 4th, 1776, works were raised on the hills of Dorchester, twelve hundred men were employed, and two hundred teams. So prodigious were their labours that in the morning, the whole seemed to the British "like enchantment and invisible agency." General Howe was seized with consternation. In vast confusion and hurry Boston was evacuated.

In 1777, astonishment and terror spread through New England by the flight of St. Clair from Ti-. conderoga. The rear of his army was attacked at Hubberton, a few miles from Lake Champlain.. The brave colonel Francis, of Beverly, fell, with: a number of his men. General St. Clair was at Castleton, within hearing of the musketry, but. though his officers entreated with tears, that they' might return to succour their brethren, he forbade them. General Stark turned the alarming tide of affairs by his gallant action at Bennington. He routed Col. Baum, and killed or wounded a great part of his detachment. This kindled new courage through the eastern states. It was the first step to the capture of Burgoyne, which procured us succour in Europe, and insured the independence of the country. This year Vermont declared itself a sovereign state.

New London burnt.

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Five hundred British and Hessian troops burned the meeting house in Warren, (Rhode-Island) the church in Bristol, and a number of houses in each town, in 1778. Newport was soon threatened by land and sea. General Sullivan passed to the island with ten thousand troops, in high spirits, and nothing forbade the conquest of the British, who took possession of this island in 1776, but a failure of aid from the French fleet. This brought on them many execrations in New England. General Pigot, the British commander, had so placed himself, that a fleet was necessary to attack them with hope of success. After an action, supported with spirit, Sullivan left the island, with the loss of 2 or 300 men.

In the summer of 1779, governor Tryon landed at New Haven, and plundered the town, proceeding by water, burned Fairfield; continuing the work of destruction, he burned part of Green's Farms, and the pleasant town of Norwalk.

On the 4th of May, 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, now one of the most respectable literary societies in America, was incorporated by the general court of Massachusetts.

Early in the morning of September 6th, 1781, general Arnold landed a detachment of troops on Groton Point, and proceeded up to New London with his fleet. He set fire to the town and immediately sixty houses and eighty four stores were destroyed, without opposition. But the party at

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Groton found more bloody work. The men in Fort Griswold, who had hastened there in the morning, from the neighbourhood, defended themselves to the last extremity. The British finally entered the fort, sword in hand, and killed every man they found. Col. Ledyard resigning his sword, the officer plunged it into his heart. One man escaped by concealing himself in the magazine, another by climbing up a chimney in the barrack; one or two, who fell wounded among the slain, recovered. Awful was this day to Groton. The compact part of the town was in ashes; seventy of her valuable citizens, who in the morning rushed to arms, lay dead in the fort; they were conveyed to their families for interment. Peace between the belligerent powers, put an end to these bloody scenes, in 1783.

In 1784, New Hampshire established a constitution of civil government, as Massachusetts had done, in 1780. Connecticut and Rhode Island, continued their ancient constitutions, and experienced no sensible change by the revolution.

Owing to their embarrassed circumstances, from the decay of trade, the loss of public credit, the weight of public and private debts, in the fall of 1786, the three western counties of Massachusetts obstructed the judicial courts; but were soon brought to submission, and are now very generally among the zealous friends of good government.

The next year the federal constitution was form

Burlington College.

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ed, and afterward adopted by all the states of New England; who, with the other parts of the union, have liberally shared the blessings of that event, in the revival of commerce, and public credit, the increase of wealth, the promotion of the liberal arts, and all that exalts or adorns civil society; long may these enterprising states remain solid pillars in the federal edifice; and long maintain the pure morals, the serious religion, and wise institutions of their pious forefathers.

The emigrants to Vermont, carrying a good portion of the virtue and intelligence of their native states into their new settlements, founded institutions of science as soon as they were able to support them. In 1791, the legislature established a college at Burlington, on Lake Champlain, pleasantly situated on the south side of Onion river. Large sums of money were subscribed for erecting buildings, and the establishment of a fund. Ten trustees were appointed, who have since elected a president, under whom a course of collegiate studies has been commenced by a number of youth. The state has granted about 33,000 acres of new land for the support of a college. In 1800, another college was incorpotated in Middlebury, which is now flourishing under a president and other officers. The college edifice is the largest building in the state.

In 1795, Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, in Maine, was incorporated. Ten thousand dollars

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by the Hon. James Bowdoin, Esq. and six townships by the legislature have been given for the benefit of this institution, beside other smaller donations. It is under the government of two boards, one of thirteen trustees, one of 45 overseers. A building of brick is erected, 50 feet long, 40 wide, 3 stories high. This institution is remote from any other college, and bids fair to be useful under a president and professor of languages.

CHAP. XXVII.

Description of New England, Mountains, Climate, Diseases, Soil, Rivers, Productions, Forests.

NEW ENGLAND is a country which presents to the traveller all the varieties of surface which can be found. There is a plain of great extent in the southeastern part of Massachusetts. Extensive plains are also spread through a considerable part of the counties of York and Cumberland, and along the Merrimack through the interior of New Hampshire. Many others not inconsiderable, exist in other places. Vallies of every size, from the great Connecticut valley to the little bason, constitute of course no inconsiderable part of a country which is so generally undulating, and whose hills are a proverbial description of its sur

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