union, witnessing and applauding the disinterested efforts of individuals, have made munificent donations to their historical societies, enabling them to enlarge their libraries and to publish their collections. Of such munificence, history will not fail to speak in terms of merited praise; and what must be far more grateful to the patriot, the encouragement afforded will ensure the transmission to posterity of many honorable names, and many virtuous deeds, which time would otherwise leave behind in its course; and will embalm in glowing language, sentiments and principles which, so long as they are remembered, will preserve in all their purity, those free institutions which are the pride and boast of our country.

Uring's Notices of New-England-1709. Communicated by Mr. S. G. DRAKE, Boston.

[Having met with a copy of the voyages and travels of Capt. Nathaniel Uring, which being both curious and scarce, and conceiving it within the design of your Society to promulgate whatever has value relating to N. England, I have copied out that part of it which purports to be "A Voyage to Boston in New-England and the West-Indies, in 1709; with a short Description of New-England, their Trade and Products, and the Nature and Manners of the Indians, who are the natives of that Country." The notes are such observations or explanations as occurred to me while copying it. The book from which the following is copied was printed at London 1726, in 8vo. The author seems to have been a man of account in his time, and sustained important trusts. He was the Duke of Montagu's deputy governor in the unfortunate attempt to establish settlements in the Islands of St. Lucia and St. Vincent in 1722. He advertises the reader that "he should not have troubled the world with an account of his travels, nor of the particular misfortunes he met with in 'em, if some of his friends had not almost obliged him to it. The falsities and inventions that are too often found in books of this kind, (particularly the many Sea-Voyages and Travels lately published by persons unknown,

which are all made stories on purpose to impose on the world, and to get money) made them desire to see one on which they could rely; which they did him the honor to say, they doubted not but they might expect from him." Note by Mr. D]

*

In April 1709, I set out from London for Plymouth, where a ship was bought for me of 150 tons and 16 guns, which I was fitting in order to make a voyage to the Streights; but the government at that time wanting a vessel to send Express to New England, hired her for that purpose, having provided the ship with all the necessaries for such a voyage. I received my Lord Sunderland's orders and dispatches (who was then one of the principal Secretaries of State) and set sail for Boston in New-England, in May following ;* and in about a month arrived at that Port, and delivered my dispatches or Letters as I was directed. My errant was to carry the government's letters to the Men of War, and the person who had engaged to provide provisions for the Navy and Army, which was then ready to embarque in England for an intended Expedition on Quebeck in Canada; but about that time the Confederate Troops being defeated in Portugal the Army intended for that Expedition was ordered thither, and the design against Canada did not go forward till two years after; the ill success of which is too well known for me to take any Notice of here.

Boston is the chief Town in the province of Massachusetts Bay; it standsupon a Peninsula, at the bottom of a Bay, which runs in about eight miles, and is fenced with islands, rocks, and sands, which makes it a very secure Harbour; the entrance into it is narrow, and some shoals lie on the South side: Some small rocky Islands which are called the Brewsters, makes the North

*"Early in the spring, Mr. Dudley was advised, by letters from the earl of Sunderland, that the queen had determined upon an expedition," &c. against the French. See Hutchinson's Hist. Mass. II, 160, edition of 1795.

side of it, on one of which Islands stands a Light-House, to give notice to Ships who may arrive on that coast in the night, and be a guide to them; where might be also built a Fortification, which would command the mouth of the Harbour, when the inhabitants think it proper; but at present their Fort stands upon an Island, two miles and a half * below the Town; the Channel for Ships lies very near it, so that no Ships can pass by it but what the fort is able to command. It is a strong regular well built Fort, mounted with about 100 pieces of cannon, where they keep a garrison, who are paid by the country. The situation of the town is such, that it is capable of being fortified, and made as strong as any in Europe, there being only a narrow Isthmus or neck of land of about 40 yards broad, which has a communication with the country, and is so low that the spring tide sometimes washes the road; which with little charge might be fortified and made so strong, that it would be impossible to force it, and no way of coming at it by land, but over that neck. The town is near two miles in length, and in some places three quarters of a mile broad, in which are reckoned 4,000 houses; most of them are built with brick, and have about 18,000 inhabitants; the streets are broad and regular; some of the richest merchants, have very stately, well built convenient houses; the ground on which the town stands is moderately high, and very good water is found all over it. It is much the largest of any in America under the British government; they have built several wharfs which jut into the harbour for the conveniency of shipping, one of which goes by the name of the Long wharf, and may well be called so, it running about 800 feet into the harbour, where large ships, with great ease may both lade and unlade.

*It is nearly 2 3-4 miles from the end of long wharf.

On one side of which are warehouses, almost the whole length of the wharf, where the Merchants store their goods, which they unlade, and those they ship off, and where more than 50 sail of vessels may lade or unlade at the same time with great conveniency; and the town altogether is most excellently situated for trade and navigation. It is very populous, and has in it 8 or 9 large meeting-houses, and a French Church, and but one English, and that built of wood; but I am informed since I was in that country, they have another building with brick.† I need say nothing of the religion of this country, by reason it is so well known. This town and Charlestown are marts for most of the commodities which the country produces. Charlestown is divided from Boston by a large navigable river, which runs several miles up the country; it is near half as big, but is not so conveniently situated for trade, though it is capable of being made as strong, it standing also upon a Peninsula: it is said that 1000 vessels clear out annually from these two towns only. There are several other towns of considerable trade, viz. Marble head, Salem, Ipswich, and Newbery, which are all good harbours, some of which rivers run up more than one hundred miles into the country, and there are several other lesser towns, to describe all which with their polity, manners, and nature of their trade; would take up a volume; that being not my design, I hope the reader will excuse me with giving this short account. The town of Boston is plentifully supplied with good and wholesome provisions of all sorts, not inferior to those in England, and have plenty of several sorts of good fish very cheap; but though the town is so large and populous,

*That is, but one of the Church of England.

The first meeting house in Boston was built in 1632, which must have been an exceedingly rude structure; before that, public worship was performed beneath the branches of trees or in private dwellings.

they could never be brought to establish a market in it, notwithstanding several of their governors have taken great pains to convince the inhabitants how useful and beneficial it would be to them; but the country people always opposed it, so that it could not be settled: the reason they give for it is, if market days were appointed, all the country people coming in at the same time would glut it, and the town's people would buy their provision for what they pleased, so rather choose to send them as they think fit; and sometimes a tall fellow brings a turkey or goose to sell, and will travel through the whole town to see who will give most for it, and it is at last sold for 3s 6d or 4s and if he had stayed at home, he could have earned a crown by his labour, which is the customary price for a day's work: so that any man may judge of the stupidity of the country people.† The inhabitants are very industrious and carry on a very considerable trade to the southern plantations, viz. to all the Caribee Islands and Jamaica, which they supply with lumber, as plank, horses, dried fish, and salted mackerel, some beef and pork, pitch, tar and turpentine; tallow and bay-berry, wax, candles; which last is made of wax extracted from a berry that grows in plenty in that country. They send also several ships to the bay of Honduras to load logwood, and have some trade to Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York; they likewise send many ships to Portugal and the Streights, with dried cod-fish, which is commonly called Poorjack or Baccalew; and have a very good trade to the isles of Azores and Madeira, whom they fur

A considerable part of the inhabitants to this day make no dependence on the regular market, but are supplied from carts at their own doors, or shops in the neighborhood. As early as 1634," by order of court a market was erected at Boston to be kept upon Thursdays," (Winthrop's Jour. 62.) but every day in the week still continues to be a market day, and every street a market.

+ This is rather too much in time with the judgment of modern travellers, that is, a little too De Roosean.