A General History of the British Empire in America (Volume 1); Containing, an Historical, Political, and Commercial View of the English Settlements, Including All the Countries in North-America, and the West-Indies, Ceded by the Peace of Paris (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: who were male-contents, either in regard of religion, or politics, of all who were made uneafy by their private circumftances at home, or who by a difpofition for roving, chofe to feek their fortunes abroad: before fuch adventurers all toils and dangers feemed to vanifh, or even when they really felt them they were generally afhamed to complain of the choice they had made, and were only diligent in proportion as they had more difficulties to encounter with. Thus, one fettleinent producing another by a laudable induftry they laid the foundation of a great empire, and equally benefited themfelves and their mother country. ' . But in this place we will flop to give the reader fome account of the climate and natural productions ', of New England. The fummer fcafon is warm, but of fhort duration. For the fpace of two months, the fky continues perfectly clear, which renders the country fo healthy, that it is reported to agree better with Britim conftitutions, than any other of the American provinces. The winters are long and fevere, the wind often boifterous, and the air extremely fharp, but not intolerable. Naturalifts af- cribe the early approach, the length, and the leve- rity of the winter feafon, to the large frefh water lakes, lying to the north weft of New England. Towards the fea, the land is low and marihy; but, as you approach the interior country, it riles into hills, and on the nprnh-eafl becomes altogether rockyrocky and mountainous. Round Maffathufets Bay, the foil is black, and as rich as in any part of England; and the firft planters found the grafs above a yard high, but rank for want of mowing. The uplands are lefs fruitful, being for the moft a mixture of fand and gravel, inclining to clay; though even there a fufficient quantity of com, and culinary vegetab...