whole cluster, it is neceffary to travel more than feventy miles, and to ford eight confiderable rivers, befide many finaller ftreams. The diftance between the heads of rivers, which pursue fuch different courfes, from this immenfe elevation, and which fall into the fea, fo many hundred miles afunder, is fo fmall, that a traveller may, in the course of one day, drink the waters, of Saco, Amarifcoggin and Connecticut rivers. Thefe waters are all perfectly limpid and fweet, excepting one brook, on the eastern fide of Mount Washington, which has a faponaceous taste, and is covered with a very thick and strong froth. It is faid, that there is a part of the mountain where the magnetic needle refufes to traverfe; this is probably caused by a body of iron ore. It is also said, that a mineral, fuppofed to be Icad, has been discovered, near the eastern pass; but that the spot cannot now be found. What ftores the bowels of the mountains contain, time must unfold; all fearches for fubterraneous treasures, having hitherto proved fruitlefs. The most certain riches which they yield, are the freshets, which bring down the foil, to the intervales below, and form a fine mould, producing, by the aid of cultivation, corn and herbage, in the most luxuriant plenty.

CHAP.

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CHA P. V.

Rivers and other Waters.

ATURE has formed fuch a connection between mountains and rivers, that in defcribing one, we are unavoidably led to fpeak of the other.

New-Hampshire is fo fituated, that five of the largest rivers in New-England, either take their rife within its limits, or receive much of their water from its mountains. These are the Connecticut, Amariscoggin, Saco, Merrimack and Pafcataqua.

Connecticut river rifes in a ridge of mountains, which extends northeasterly, to the gulf of St. Lawrence. It has been furveyed, about twenty-five miles beyond the forty-fifth degree of latitude, to the fpring head of its northwestern branch. This river extends, on the western border of New-Hampshire, about one hundred and feventy miles. Its general course, for the first thirty miles, is fouth; for the next thirty, fouthweft; for the next fifty, fouth-fouthweft; and for the remainder of its course, it inclines more to the fouth; but there are numerous ferpentine curves, of almost every direction, in the extent of thefe gen

eral

eral lines.

Befides many ftreams of less note, it receives, on its eastern fide, feven very confiderable rivers; upper Amonoofuck, Ifrael and John's rivers, lower Amonoosuck, Sugar river, Cold river and Afhuelot, all which originate within the limits of New-Hampshire, on the western part of the height of land.

Amarifcoggin river, rifes near the end of the dividing line, between New-Hampshire and the old Province of Maine. The lake Umbagog, and feveral fmaller ponds, flow into it. From that lake, the river runs in a fouthern direction, nearly parallel to Connecticut river, and distant from it, about twenty-five miles; but it is deeper, wider, and more rapid. In croffing the country, from Canada, travellers have paffed Connecticut river, thinking it only a brook, and then ftriking on Amarifcoggin, have mistaken it for Connecticut, and followed its courfe. The mistake, however, may be discovered, by obferving, that after these rivers have run parallel about twenty miles, the inclination of Amarifcoggin, is to the east, and of Connecticut, to the weft. After Amarifcoggin begins to take an eafterly direction, it foon croffes the line, into the Province of Maine, and having watered a great extent of country, in which many new townships are now fettling, it forms a junction with Kenebeck, and flows into the fea at Sagadahock.

The

The head of Saco river, is in the White mountains, at the western pafs, commonly called the notch; near which, alfo, rifes the lower Amonoofuck, which runs wefterly, into Connecticut river. Saco takes a foutherly direction, down the mountain. A large branch of it, called Ellis river, rifes at the eastern pafs of the mountains, where alfo originates Peabody river, a branch of Amariscoggin. The fountain heads of these two rivers are fo near, that a man may set his foot in one, and reach, with his hand, to the other. In lefs than half a mile, fouthward from this fountain, a large stream, which runs down the highest of the White mountains, falls into Ellis river, and in about the same distance from this, another falls from the fame mountain; the former of those ftreams is Cutler's river, the latter New river. The New river first made its appearance during a long rain, in October, 1775. It bore down many rocks and trees, forming a fcene of ruin for a long courfe. It has ever fince, been a conftant ftream, and where it falls into, Ellis river, presents to view a noble cafcade, of about one hundred feet, above which, it is di-s vided into three streams, which iffue out of the. bowels of the mountain. Several other branch-. es of Saco river, fall from different parts of this immenfe cluster of mountains, and unite, about twelve or fifteen miles from their fource,

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at

at the plain of Pigwacket. These ftreams have a steep defcent, and a rapid current, and the river Saco is obferved to rife and overflow very fuddenly, in a time of rain, and to fubfide as fuddenly, after the rain has ceafed. It paffes, in a very ferpentine course, through the township of Conway, then croffes the line, înto Brownfield and Fryburg, and its course from thence to the fea, is about forty-five miles, southeast. It receives, on its western fide, two rivers, called the great and little Offapy; the former of which, comes from a large pond, under a high mountain, both of which bear the fame name; the latter flows out of a fmaller pond, on the divifion line, and falls into Saco river, about nine miles below the mouth of the other. In fome maps, the leffer Offapy is laid down as a branch of the greater, but they are two diftinct branches of Saco river.

Merrimack river is formed by the confluence of Pemigewaffet and Winipifeogee rivers; the former flows from the eastern part of the ridge called the height of land. To one branch of it, Moofehelock mountain gives rife; another comes from the S. W. extremity

of the White mountains, and a third from the township of Franconia. The general courfe of this river, from its fource, is fouth, about fifty miles. It receives, on its western