lodged in the treasury to defray the government charges of the colony. PRODUCE. Rhode-Island colony in general is a country for pasture, not for grain; by extending along the fhore of the ocean and a great bay, the air is foftened by a fea vapour which fertilizeth the foil; their winters are fofter and shorter than up inland; it is noted for dairies, hence the best of cheese made in any part of New-England, is called (abroad) Rhode-Island cheese. Anno 1687, when by act of affembly taxes were receivable in produce of certain fpecies, Indian corn was valued at 18 d. per bufhel, butter 4 d. per pound, sheeps wool at 8 d. per pound; currency at that time, pieces of eight at a denomination of 33 3 quarters worse than fterling. The moft confiderable farms are in the Narraganset country. Their highest dairy of one farm, communibus annis, milks about 110 cows, cuts about 200 load of hay, makes about 13,000 wt. of cheese, befides butter; and fells off confiderably in calves and fatted bullocks. A farmer from 73 milch cows in five months made about 10,000 wt. of cheese; befides cheese in a season, one cow yields one firkin of butter, 70 to 80 wt. In good land they reckon after the rate of two acres for a milch COW. In this colony there is no college or fchola illuftris ; lately fome gentlemen, lovers and encouragers of the liberal arts and sciences, to promote literature in the colony, have in Newport, the metropolis of the colony of Rhode-Inland, lately founded a library. That this may be of exemplary ufe to our other provinces and colonies, I fhall give fome account of it. 1747, Abraham Redwood, Efq; bestowed 500 1. fterl. in books, being volumes, 206 folio's, 128 quarto's, 712 octavo's, and 251 duodecimo's; feveral other perfons have bestowed fome valuable books; a gentleman of noted liberality has promised an experimental philofophy apparatus, and to erect a spiral monument with an observatory. Some gentlemen gentlemen incorporated by an ample colony charter have contributed, and upon ground, given by Mr. Henry Collins, merchant, erected a regular building for a library, at the charge of about 8,000 l. currency O. T. The building for the library confists of one large room where the books are kept, 36 feet long, 26 feet broad, and 19 feet high, with two fmall offices adjoining. The principal or weft front is a pediment and portico of 4 columns after the Dorick order; the whole entablature of which, runs quite round the building. The two offices are placed as wings, one on each fide the portico, aud connected with the body of the building, fo as to form two half-pediments proceeding from the lower part of the entablature. These two wings, befides the conveniencies they afford, have a very good effect in extending as well as adding variety to this front. The east front confifts of a plain Dorick pediment fupported by a ruftick arcade of three arches, in the receffes of which are placed three Venetian windows, after the Jonic order. The outfide of the whole building is of ruftick work, and ftands on a base about 5 feet high from the ground, and the entrance is by a flight of fsteps the whole width of the portico. Their charter conftitutes them a body politick, by the name of the company of the Redwood library, with power to chufe annually eight directors, a treasurer, secretary, and librarian ; to admit new members, make laws, &c. It is to be wifhed that a tafte for learning and books with the better fort of people may prevail in all our colonies. In Philadelphia, fome years fince, a company of gentlemen, well-wifhers to letters, have conftituted a confiderable library; of this we fhall give fome account in the fection of Penfylvania. In Charles-town of South-Carolina, is lately formed a library company, April 21, 1750, they confifted of 128 members; their firft general meeting was 2d wednesday of July 1750; they are to have four general quarterly meetings yearly, whereof one is the general annual meeting for election of officers, viz. prefident, H 3 vice vice-prefident, treasurer, fecretary, fecretary, librarian, librarian, correfpondent, and steward. The contributions of the members to be 5 s. currency per week: the books to be lent to any of the fociety, giving a receipt for the fame, to be returned within a limited time, a pamphlet indays, an octavo or duodecimo in-weeks, a quarto in weeks, a folio in-months; of this we fhall give a further account in the section of South-Carolina. Rhode-Island government* pretend to an extent of jurifdiction further north than is at prefent fettled, (this we hinted at p. 91. of vol. II.) and takes off from the jurifdiction of Maffachusetts-Bay, confiderable parcels of the townships of Wrentham, Bellingham, Mendon, Uxbridge and Douglafs. Commiffioners were appointed by the general affemblies of the province and colony, as is ufual, to run their divifional line laft autumn 1749; respectively they did not meet, and the Rhode-Inland commiffioners run the line ex parte, Jonathan Randal, 8d fterl. which is about 34S. fterl. per annum. * The provincial taxes and township rates having lately in the province of Maffachufetts-Bay, from the wrongheaded management of been fo oppreffively great, that, 1. Upon a difpute between the province of Massachusetts-Bay and colony of Connecticut, lately broached concerning fome townships of the province indented with the colony; the Maffachusetts townfhips of Woodstock, Somers, Enfield, and Suffield, did in a voluntary manner withdraw from the jurifdiction of Maffachusetts, and put themselves under the jurifdiction of Connecticut; and by force or menace prevent the civil officers of Maflachusetts from exercifing any authority and gathering of taxes. 2. The Maffachusetts townships adjoining to the northerly line of Rhode Island colony, allowed the Rhode Island men (in an actual trefpafs) to run a line, without any oppofition; chufing rather to be under the jurifdiction of Rhode-Ifland, where the publick or colony taxes are very fmall, and fometimes nothing, and no parish or minifterial rates, a very feunting or difcouraging article in the poor new fettlement: thefe difputes cannot be compofed, but by applying to the court of Great Britain at a great charge. Here we may obferve, that ill devised exorbitant taxes occafion difcontent amongst the people, with a charge, and confufion to the governments. Thomas Thomas Lapham, and, Richard Steern, Efqs; + were appointed in August 1749 commiffioners to run the line according to charter: the commiffioners with Henry Harris, Efq; furveyor, and two chairmen, by themfelves run a line to their own mind, and made report laft Tuesday of February 1749-50; that, 30th of October 1749, no commiffioners from Maffachusetts-Bay appearing, we proceeded: "We could find no ftake or momument of Wood"ward and Safferey, but from the place described in our "commiffion, viz. we found a place where Charles river "formed a large crefcent foutherly, which place is known by the name of Poppolatick pond, which we took to be "the fouthermoft part of faid river; from thence we mea"fured three miles on a plain in Wrentham, one quarter of "a mile N. eafterly from the dwelling-houfe of Thomas Man, and about a quarter of a mile S. eafterly from the "house of Robert Blake, where we marked a pine-tree "and erected a monument of ftones, and found the fame "to be in lat. 42 d. 8 m. north, which we deemed the "N. E. bounds of the colony. From faid pine-tree we ་་ proceeded to run the northern boundary line in a west "courfe of 8 and half d. variation, and in this course "marked many trees, faid line paffing over the fouther"most part of Manchoag pond, * and did terminate "about thirty rods eastward of a small pond called Graffy"Pond at a black oak tree which we marked with a mo"nument of stones about it, as the north western bounds "of the colony, being about twenty-two miles from fore"faid pine-tree to faid black oak." + In Rhode-Ifland government are fquires many, because annually elective, and once a fquire always a fquire; not long fince, a facetious gentleman met upon the road a Rhode-Ifland juftice of his acquaintance, bare legs and feet, driving a team in very foul weather, he faluted him in this manner: your fervant fquire I am furprized to fee a gentleman of your noted frugality, to wear his besttockings and fhoes in fuch dirty weather. Perhaps, according to instructions they defignedly did not find this proper monument. In the northern parts of Douglafs. H4 Some Some time afterwards a new commiffion iffued from each of the governments to perambulate the northern boundary of Rhode-Inland colony, by the stake fet up by Nathaniel Woodward and Solomon Safferey, pursuant to the agreement of the province and colony, Jan. 19, 1710-11. There is a cafe concerning fome MINISTERIAL LANDS in this colony of confiderable value, claimed by the church of England, and by the prefbyterians or congregationalifts; this cafe has been depending almoft 30 years in the colony courts of common law, called the courts below, and before the king in council, and hitherto not iffued a particular account of the cafe may be agreeable to the devotees of both fides. Anno 1657, the chief fachems of the Narraganset country fold to John Parker, Samuel Wilbore, Thomas Mumford, Samuel Wilfon of Rhode-Island, and John Hull, goldfmith of Bofton, Petaquamfcut-Hill for fixteen pound; next year the fachem of Nienticut, fold, for fifteen pound fome lands north of the faid purchase, to the fame purchasers. The whole purchase was about fifteen miles long, and fix or seven miles wide; afterwards they affociated Brenton and Arnold, jointly they were called the seven purchafers. Another company, called Atherton's company, 1659-60, purchased lands of the Indians north of the faid Petaquamfcut purchase; these two companies had feveral controverfies concerning their boundaries; anno 1679, they came to a final accommodation. Anno 1668, the Petaquamfcut purchafers by deed gave 300 acres of their best land, for an orthodox parfon to preach God's word to the inhabitants: from this proceeds the difpute, who is the orthodox minister? By the Rhode-Inland charter all profeffions of chriftians feem to be deemed orthodox;" by one of the first acts of their legislature, 1663, all men profeffing christianity, and of competent eftates, and of civil conversation, and obedient to the civil magiftrate, though of diffent judgment in religious affairs, Roman catholicks only |