The History of New-Hampshire. Volume III.

The chapter containing a description of the white mountains, is a copy, with fome enlargements, of a memoir prefented to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, and published in the fecond volume of their tranfactions. This memoir was quoted in the London Monthly Review, for February, 1787. p. 139; and the word freshet occurring in it, the Reviewers added this note, "We are not acquainted with this word." In the next number, a correfpondent kindly attempted to correct, what he imagined to be an error of the prefs,' by fubftituting the word fresh in its place; meaning a tide or flowing of frefh in diftinction from falt water. But the Reviewers were not fatisfied that there was any error of the prefs; and in fact there was not; the word freshet is a term familiar to the people of New-England, as it was to their fore-fathers, who brought it from England, where it was equally familiar in the last century.

From the following authorities it may be feen how the nouns frefhet and freshes, were used by writers of the laft, and beginning of the present,

century.

The former is found in Milton's Paradise Regained, Book II. line 345.

All fifh from fea or fhore,

Frefhet or purling brook, of fhell or fin,' It feems this Author, by a frefhet, meant a spreading collection of fresh water, diftinguifhed from a

brook.

In a description of New-England, written and published in England, 1658, by Ferdinando Gorges, the word is ufed precisely in the sense in which it is now understood in New-England.

p. 29. Between Salem and Charlestown, is fituated the town of Lynn, near to a river, whofe strong

Arong frefhet at the end of winter filleth all her banks, and with a violent torrent vents itself into the fea.'

In a letter written by William Penn, 1683, and printed in his works, he fpeaks of the freshes of the Delaware, thus, The Dutch inhabit thofe parts of the Province that lie on or near the Bay, and the Swedes the freflies of the Delaware.' N.B. All the Swedish settlements were fituate below the City of Philadelphia.

In Oldmixon's British Empire in America, vol, I. p. 151, printed at London in 1708, it is faid, The firft town below the falls is Newton, and next to it is Pennsbury over against Burlington. This part of the Delaware is called the freshes.'

N.B. Burlington is twenty miles above Philadelphia,

In Beverley's Hiflory of Virginia, printed at London, 1720, we find the fame word, p. 105. The damage occafioned by the worms in the rivers of Virginia, may be avoided by running [the fhips] up into the freshes during five or fix weeks that the worm is above water.'

From these authorities, I conclude that the noun freshes was underfood to distinguish thofe parts of a river, below all the falls, where the fresh water which comes down from above is flopped by the flowing of the fea, and at the ebb, refumes its natural course; and which therefore, rifes and falls with the tide. But the word frefhet has another fignification; it means a river fwollen by rain or melted fnow, in the interior country, rising above its ufual level, fpreading over the adjacent lowlands, and rufhing with an accelerated current to the fea. In this fenfe it is underflood in New-England, and as it is a part of the language of the age and country

in which I write, it is frequently used in this vol. ume. If fome of the words which our fathers brought from Britain, and which were in vogue a century ago, be there loft or forgotten, it is no reafon that they fhould be difufed here, especially when they convey a definite sense.

I know not whether as much can be faid in vindication of another word, which I have frequently used, and which perhaps is not more known in England, viz. intervale. I can cite no very ancient authority for it; but it is well understood in all parts of New-England to distinguish the low-land adjacent to the fresh rivers, which is frequently overflowed by the frefhets; and which is accounted fome of our most valuable foil, because it is rendered permanently fertile, by the bountiful hand of nature, without the labour of man.

tion.

There is another deviation from the ftri&t letter of the English dictionaries; which is found extremely convenient in our discourses on populaFrom the verb migro are derived emigrate and IMMIGRATE; with the fame propriety as from mergo are derived emerge and IMMERGE. Accord. ingly the verb IMMIGRATE and the nouns IMMIGRANT and IMMIGRATION are used without fcruple in fome parts of this volume.

In the 235th page, the number of inhabitants taken by the cenfus of 1790, is faid to be 142,018. This number was given to me in May, 1791, by the late Marshall John Parker, Efq. Afterward it was discovered that a mistake had been made by one of his affiftants in returning the town of Burton twice, viz. in the County of Strafford and the County of Grafton. In the former it was fet down as containing 133, in the latter 141. The latter is retained; and the former being deducted from 142,018

142.018, leaves the fum total 141,885, which is the number returned to Congrefs and published by authority.

Twenty years have now elapfed fince this work was first undertaken; during which time it has ftruggled with many embarraffments, and has, more than once, been thrown by, as impracticable; but the favourable reception it has met with from the public and the continual importunity of its friends, have prevailed on me to complete it; for which purpose no pains have been fpared. The receipt on the fale of the volumes hitherto falls fhort of the actual expenfe of the impreffion. How productive it may prove in future is uncertain. As fome encouragement to the work, the Legislature of New-Hampshire have granted fifty pounds, which I have received and for which they again have my thanks.

In the course of my hiftorical researches I have found fome materials for an AMERICAN BIOGRA PHY; and have entertained thoughts of purfuing my inquiries, with a view to prefent fuch a work to the public; if gentlemen in different parts of the American Continent and Islands, will favour me with suitable communications. The object is to delineate the characters and actions of remarkable perfons deceafed, and the events connected with them. Among those perfons will be ranked Statesmen, Literary Perfons, Warriors, Inventors, Navigators and Travellers, whether among the European Nations who have poffeffions in America and their defcendants, or the original Natives. The names will be disposed alphabetically; but how voluminous or expensive the work will be, or how long time will be required to complete it, cannot at present be ascertained.

Bofton, April 23, 1792.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. I.

SITUATION, extent, boundaries and divifions. Pageģ.

II. Air, climate and feafons.

III. Face of the country, fea coaft, mountains.

IV. Particular defcription of the white mountains.

V. Rivers and other waters.