returning from church, in company with several gentlemen, Mary Prince called to him from a window of the prison, railing at and reviling him, saying, "Woe unto thee, thou art an oppressor;" and denouncing the judgments of God upon him: not content with this, she wrote a letter to the governor and magistrates, filled with abusive language. The governor then sent for her from the prison to his house, and took much pains to persuade her to desist from such extravagancies. Two of the

ministers were present, and with great moderation and tenderness, endeavoured to convince her of her errors; to which she returned the grossest railings, reproaching them as hirelings, deceivers of the people, Baal's priests, the seed of the serpent, of the brood of Ishmael, and the like.

At this time there was no saw for the punishment of the Quakers; but in virtue of a law which had been made against heretics in general, the court passed sentence of banishment against them all. Afterwards other severe and unjust laws were enacted, among which were the following:-Any Quaker, after the first conviction, if a man, was to lose one ear, and for the second offence, the other; a woman to be each time severely whipped, and the third time, whether man or woman, to have their tongues bored through with a red-hot iron. But, as ever has been, and ever will be the case, religious persecution increased the number of the persecuted. Thus it was with the Quakers; the spectators first pitied their sufferings, and then adopted their sentiments, till their growing numbers induced the legislature to pass a law, punishing with death all Quakers who should return after banishment. Under this impolitic and tyrannical law, four persons only suffered death; and these had, in the face of prudence as well as of law, returned after having been banished: it may be here added, that it was with reluctance that this unnatural edict was carried into execution.

But it must be confessed, that the conduct of some of these infatuated people at this time, was such as rendered them proper subjects for a mad-house; and it is to be lamented that ever any greater severities were used. One or two instances of their behaviour may be mentioned, which clearly manifests a species of madness:-Thomas Newhouse went into a place of public worship at Boston, with a couple of glass bottles, and while he broke them before the congregation, declared with a loud voice, "Thus will the Lord break you into pieces." Another

time, M. Browster came in with her face smeared as black as a coal; and Deborah Wilson went through the streets of Salem naked as she was born! While we condemn the severity with which the Quakers were treated on the one part, we cannot avoid censuring their imprudent, indelicate, and fanatical conduct on the other. These unhappy disturbances continued, until the friends of the Quakers in England interposed, and obtained an order from the king, dated September 9th, 1661, prohibiting all capital or corporal punishments of his subjects called Quakers. From this time the Quakers became an orderly, peaceable people, and have been long distinguished for their exemplary morals, benevolence, and attachment to civil and religious liberty; but particularly for their unwearied exertions to procure the abolition of Negro slavery.

In 1660, in consequence of complaints against the colonists, Charles II. demanded that agents should be sent by them to answer to the charges. These agents were favourably received, and returned with letters from the king, commanding an alteration in some of the laws and customs, and directing the administration of justice to be in future in his name. The king's orders not being strictly obeyed, and new complaints coming to his ears, four commissioners were dispatched to the colony, in 1665, with absolute authority to hear and determine every This new power met with merited opposition, and the commissioners left the country dissatisfied and enraged. Their report, however, occasioned no trouble from England, on account of the jealousies of government which then prevailed there; together with the misforfortunes of the plague and the fire of London. The colony now attained a more prosperous condition than it had hitherto known; a spirit of industry and economy pervaded the people, and many of the magistrates and merchants became opulent.

cause.

The war, commonly called Philip's war, which continued several years, occasioned the next disturbances in the colony. The Indians having meditated the general destruction of the English, were numerously engaged in this contest, and much cruelty was exercised on both sides, until a period was put to hostilities by the death of Philip, the Indian chief, in 1676. In the height of the distress occasioned by the war, complaints were renewed in England, which struck at the power of the colonial government; an inquiry was instituted, and continued from time to time till 1684, when judgment was given against the charter.

In 1686, a commissioner arrived, appointing a president and divers gentlemen of the council, to take upon them the power of government; but this administration was short, and productive of no grievances. In December, the same year, arrived sir Edmund Andros, with a commission from king James for the government of New England; Con necticut, however, was not included in his charge. From his kind professions, the people anticipated much good; but he soon exhibited his real character, and, together with his couneil, did many arbitrary acts to the oppression of the inhabitants, and the enrichment of himself and followers. The press was restrained, public thanksgiving, without an order from the crown, was prohibited, fees of all officers were increased, &c. &c. The colony was greatly disquieted by these and similar tyrannical proceedings; and when news arrived of the accession of William III. to the throne of England, in 1689, the governor and about fifty others were seized and confined, and afterwards sent home, and the old magistrates reinstated in their offices.

The affairs of the colony were now conducted with prudence, according to the old charter, until 1692, when they received and adopted a new one. This new charter comprehended all the territory of the old one, together with the colony of New Plymouth, the province of Maine and Nova Scotia, and all the country between the latter province and the river St. Lawrence; also Elizabeth islands, and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. By the new charter the appointment of the governor was in the crown, and every freeholder of forty shillings sterling a year, and every inhabitant of forty pounds sterl. personal estate, was a voter for representatives.

The French of Quebec instigating the Indians, and joining with them to plunder and kill the English, and the French of Acadia (now Nova Scotia) infesting the coasts, and taking many vessels, the general court, in the winter of 1689, meditated an attack upon Port Royal, now called Annapolis Royal, and upon Quebec. But the season was so far advanced, the French so superior in number, the weather so tempestuous, and the sickness so great among the soldiers, that this expedition was attended with greatloss. While the troops were gone out of the colony, a truce was concluded with the neighbouring Indians; but hostilities were soon renewed.

In 1692, the spirit of infatuation respecting withcraft was again revived in New England, and raged with great violence. Several hundreds were accused, many were

condemned, and some executed. That the odium of this tragic conduct may not rest upon the New Englanders alone, it must here be observed, that the same infatuation was at this time current in England. The law by which witches were condemned was a copy of the English statute; and the practice of the courts was regulated by precedents there afforded.

In 1711, some ships and soldiers being sent over, the colony troops joined them, and an attempt was made upon Canada, in which the greater part of them perished. This disaster was very grievous to the people of New England, and many persons, in consequence of it, abandoned every expectation of conquering Canada. Frequent excursions on the frontiers immediately followed; but as soon as the peace of Utrecht was known, the Indians of the various tribes requested to be at peace with the English, asked pardon for their breach of former treaties, and engaged for the future to demean themselves as good subjects of Great Britain articles of a general treaty were drawn up and signed by both parties. But the prospect of a long peace, which this treaty afforded, was interrupted by the plots, of one Ralle, a French Jesuit, who instigated the Indians to make fresh incursions on the borders of the colony in 1717;. nor was there any real cessation of hostilities until the death of Ralle in 1724.

In 1725, a treaty was made with the Indians, and a long peace succeeded it; but the length of the peace is to be attributed to the favourable acts of government, made soon after its commencement, respecting the Indian trade. About this time, the small pox made great havock in Boston and the towns adjacent; of 5,889 who took the disease in Boston, 844 died. Inoculation was introduced on this occasion, in direct opposition to the minds of the inhabitants in general; nor would any of the physicians, except Dr. Boylston, practise the operation. To shew his confidence of success, he began with his own children and servants, and succeeded with them all. Many pious people were struck with horror at the idea, and were of opinion, that if any of his patients should die, he ought to be treated as a murderer.

In 1745, according to a proposal and plan of the governor of this colony, Louisburg, the capital of Cape Breton, was besieged and taken. The possession of this place appeared necessary for the security of the English fishery, and prevented an attack upon Nova Scotia, which the French had meditated and threatened. The reduction of Louisburg by an English colony, surprised Great Britain

and France, and occasioned both powers to form important plans for the next year. The British government had in view the reduction of Canada, and the expulsion of the French from the northern continent. The French ministry intended the recovery of Louisburg, the conquest of Nova Scotia, and the destruction of the English sea-coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia. Great preparations were accordingly made by both nations, and a very formidable French fleet sailed for the American coast, where a British squadron was long expected to oppose them, but expected in vain. The colonies were now in immediate and imminent danger; but, fortunately for them, the French fleet was so much damaged by a violent storm, that the ships were obliged to return to France, or retire to the West Indies to refit. By the time the fears of the colonists, which had been excited by the French armament, were removed, the season was too far advanced to prosecute the Canada expedition; but the inactive prosecution of the war in Europe at this time, on both sides, indicated peace to be near, which in the next year was effected.

Here governor Hutchinson ends his history of Massachusetts, from which the preceding account has been abstracted. Several of the important events which have occurred since that period, may be found in the history of the United States, between pages 140 and 281 of this Work.

DISTRICT OF MAINE.

Extent, Boundaries, and Situation.

THE district of Maine is politically connected with the state of Massachusetts, and is of considerable extent; being in length, from north to south, 216 miles, and in breadth, from east to west, 162 miles; containing about 31,750 square miles, or 19,720,000 acres. It is situated between 43° 5′ and 47° 45′ N. lat. and 5° 55′ and 10° E. long.; and is bounded on the north and north-west by Lower Canada; south-east, by the Atlantic ocean; east, by New Brunswick; and west, by New Hampshire.

Bays, lakes, rivers, &c.-The sea-coast of this district is indented with numerous bays, the principal of which are, Penobscot-bay, in Hancock county, which is about