to be erected there; thefe Greenlanders + in this ship had vifited the brethren in feveral parts of Europe, in England, Holland, and Germany, and returned from Philadelphia in the fame fhip to Greenland. The moravians have a miffion at Barbice in Surinam, and two Indian converts from thence, with the Greenland converts, and fome converts of the Delaware Indians, met at Bethlehem.

1. The moravians have among them in Penfylvania fome men of letters; Mr. Spenenbergh was a profeffor of some science in Germany at Hall; but they chiefly confift of handicrafts, by which they carry on their improvements cheap. They encourage marriage amongst their young people; but to marry by cafting of lots to preferve an equality among themselves, which they affect very much, is not natural. By late act of parliament they are indulged with an affirmation inftead of an oath in these words, "I A. B. do declare in the prefence of Almighty God, the witness of the truth I fay;" but if convicted of wilful and falfe affirming, fhall incur the fame pains and penalties as are enacted by law against wilful and corrupt perjury; but shall not by their affirmation be qualified to give evidence in criminal cafes (quakers affirmation is good both in criminal and civil cases) and not to ferve in juries.

After the general defcription of our plantation fectaries, these in each colony fhould have been enumerated but by anticipation they are generally to be found, 1. Thofe of the four colonies of New-England are at full

Here we may tranfiently obferve, that at this cafual congrefs of Indians from lat. 5, lat. 40, and lat. 65, their hair, eyes and complexions were the fame; only the further north the complexions were a small matter paler: but their languages were entirely diftine. The Greenland or Davis's Straits converts were clad in feal fkins, hair on, but in general were a nafty fort of christians.

* So called from Moravia, a country adjacent to Bohemia; they feem to be a fprout from the old ftock of the Huffites; the Huffite', difciples of Hufs and Jerome of Bohemia, followed the terets of the Waldenfes who appeared about 1310, and of Wickliffe an English Lollard middle of 14th century.

length.

length. 2. In the province of New-York, befides the church of England, there are the mode of the kirk of Scotland, Dutch calvinifts, and fome lutherans of the confeffion of Augsburgh in Suabia of Germany. 3. In the Jerfies there are the church of England miffions, the Scots prefbyterians and quakers rule the roaft. 4. Befides the church of England miffionaries in the country of Penfylvania, there is one English church in Philadelphia, a very large congregation. In Philadelphia (and many in the country) there are two prefbyterian meetings, one called new light of Whitefield's inftitution, the other according to the Scots prefbyterian mode; and befides at a great diftance in the country there is a congregation of cameronians or covenanters, who renew the folemn league often, and deny all fubmiffion to magiftrates from the fovereign to the conftable, becaufe at the revolution the king by law affumed to be head of the church, and contrary to their covenant, in England established prelacy inftead of prefbytery. The quakers have two large meetings in Philadelphia, and a meeting almoft in every township of the three first fettled counties; in the other three counties they do not prevail; but every where preferve power by their two irresistible maxins of riches and unity; they have the fecret of keeping their young people up to thefe, and let them think and talk otherwife as they pleafe. 5. In Maryland there are feveral parishes according to the way of the church of England, and the moft beneficial of any in our plantations, becaufe as the number of taxables or congregation increafes, being taxed at fo much tobacco per head, the value of their livings grows: whereas in Virginia the parfons are fixed at a certain falary of 16,000 wt. of tobacco per ann. without any regard to the increase of the congregation in Maryland are ten or a dozen publick Roman catholick chapels, many prefbyterians, and fome quakers. 6. In Virginia there are no diffenters from the church of England, a few quakers excepted, their clergy are not noted for their piety

and

aud morality or exemplary life, and require miffionary reformers more than the congregationalifts of New England; it is faid that many of them are a fcandal to the profeffion of the church of England. 7. In North-Carolina fcarce any religion; there are two miffionaries and a few quakers. In South-Carolina there are church of England miffionaries, and the progeny of fome Scots prefbyterians. 9 In Georgia DE NIHILO NIHIL.

A few Miscellany Obfervations.

All charities, excepting to poor orphans, other impotent poor, and children of indigent parents, are charities ill applied; charities towards converting people from one mode of religion to another, where both are confiftent with fociety, are not laudable.

By a general naturalization, foreigners may be imported to all our colonies; but to be intermixed with the British fettlers, their publick worship of any denomination, and schooling to be in English; thus in a few years, they will not differ from the British only in family

names.

In New-England the congregationalists at first acted with too much feverity, which occafioned fome inhabitants of Boston to petition K. Charles II. anno 1679, for a church of England, modeftly called the king's chapel, (thus it is with ambaffadors chapels,) fignifying not an eftablished, but tolerated or privileged place of worship.

The clamours concerning the perfecutions of diffenters from the congregational way were very ill founded; for inftance, 1725, the affeffors of Tiverton and Dartmouth were by a proper warrant from the province treasurer committed to jail for not affeffing the township towards

common rates.

A late propofal in Penfylvania of eresting German schools was moft abfurd.

SECT.

0 860.

SECTION XI.

Concerning the COLONY of

CONNECTICUT.

TH

HIS is the laft of the four colonies formerly called, The dominions of New-England. It is a plantation. of induftrious fagacious hufbandmen, notwithstanding that fome of the meaner fort are villains, corruptio optimi peffima, especially in not paying their just debts to the inhabitants or dealers of the neighbouring colonies; in all their elections of governor, councellors, reprefentatives, judges, and other publick officers, by custom, they generally prefer the moft worthy. Their eaftern townThips have been tainted by the adjacent paper-moneymaking colonies of Maffachusetts-Bay and Rhode-Inland, and followed that fraud inftead of going into the better currency of their weftern adjoining province of New-York; the Connecticut administration are at prefent fenfible of this error, and have reduced all their publick fees and fines to proclamation money.-I could not avoid this preamble, by way of eulogy upon the prefent adminiftration in their exemplary jurisdiction. They have fubfifted as a government about ninety years, and from oeconomical experience, have formed a body of laws lately revised and published anno 1750, in a fmall folio of 258 pages, of the moft natural, equitable, plain and concise laws for plantations, hitherto extant.

This colony at prefent is by royal charter, a coalition of two diftinct voluntary focieties, formed from articles

articles by fubfcription of many planters, then called Hartford and New-Haven colonies. That of Hartford was from an emigration of fome difcontented rigids of fome townships adjoining to Bofton (fee vol. I. p. 444-) they went west southwardly, and planted the lands now called Springfield, Suffield, Enfield, Windfor, Hartford, Wethersfield, &c. fome of these were within the Maffachusetts jurifdiction: those who were without the jurifdiction, by fubfcription of articles formed themfelves after the model of Maffachusetts-Bay into a voluntary but not legal jurisdiction; their firft election of magiftrates was 1636; 1637 people from England under the direction of Mr. Eaton, Mr. Davenport, &c. purchased of the Iadians, and began another diftinct voluntary jurifdiction upon Long-Island found called the colony of New-Haven, and continued one of the * united colonies of New-England until the restoration of king Charles II. and was then with the faid colony of Hartford by royal charter incorporated into the prefent colony of Connecticut.

John Winthrop, fon of John Winthrop, governor of Maffachusetts-Bay, as agent from the lords Say and Brook, arrived at fort Saybrook 1635, and was afterwards chofen governor of Hartford colony. Upon the restoration of king Charles II. he went home and obtained a royal charter incorporating Hartford and NewHaven colonies into one united colony; he was fourteen years governor of this united colony. †

The united colonies of New-England from 1643 to 1663, were Maffachusetts-Bay, Plymouth, Hartford, and New-Haven.

During the confufions or civil war in England, the colonies in America were neglected, and acted at pleasure.

+ John Winthorp, formerly governor of Connecticut, died in Boston, April 5, 1676, æt. 73, eldeft fon of Mr. Winthrop, governor of Maffachusetts, who died March 26, 1649.

He was much given to experimental philofophy and medicine; feveral of his recipes are ftill used by that family in charity to the poor; fome of his pieces are to be found amongit the first philofophical tranfactions of the London royal fociety; he was a great admirer of Van Helmont, and dealt much in antimonials.

The