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Show PIS CAT AQUA. N E \V H A 1\1 P SHIRE. ·never flop upon an y account whatfoever till they arrive at the waters fide. Frequen tly fome of the oxen are taken ill; upon which they immediat ly cut them out of the g ears; and are fometimes obliged, I was told, to defl roy five or fix pair of them.-The forefl:s, where thefe mal1:s grow, are referved to the crown, which appoints a furv eyor of them ;-who is commonly the governor of this p rovi nee. This is not the only expedient employed by gov ernm ent for the preferv ation of fu ch trees as may be of ufe fo r t he roy al navy ; for th ere is an aCt of parliament, I believe, which prohibi ts, un de r pain of cert ain fi nes and penalties, the cutting down, or del1: roying of any white pine-tree of fpecified dimed 1ons, not growing with- in the boundaries of any tow n!hip, without his majefiy's licence, in any of the provin-ces of New England, New York, or New Jerfey ~ a rel1:rietion abfolutely neceifary, whether con .. fide red as {ecuring a provifion for the navy, or as a check upon that very detlruclive praCt ice, taken from the Indians, of fire ·hunting. It ufed to be the cul1:om for large companies to go into the woods in the winter, and to fet fire to the bru.fh and underwood, in a circle of fe.veral miles. This circle gradu ally contracting itfelf, the deer, and other wild animals, ', inclofed, naturally retired from fh e fl ames, till at length they got herded together in a very fmall com pafs. Now, blinded and fuffocated ·by the fmoke, and fcorcbed by the fi re, which every moment came nearer to them, they f orced th eir way, under the greatefl trepidation and difmay, thro ugh the flames; and were no fooner got into the open day-light again, than they were !hot by the hunters, who fiood without, and were in readinefs to fire upon them.-The trees included within the c'rcle, although not abfo1ute1y, burnt down, were fo dried and injured, that they never vegetated any more: and as the fire did no.t only contract itfelf inward1y, but dilated alfo outwardly, G E N E R A L R E F L E C T I 0 N S. outwardly, and fomet imes continued burning for feveral weeks t ill ~ain, or fome accidental circum fiance put it out; it is in~ credtble what injury and devafiation it occafioned in the wood . -1 was once a fpetl:ator of a fimi la r fire in Virginia, whicl: l1appened through accident. Nothing could be more awful and tremendous than the fight. It was of great extent, and burned feveral weeks before the inhabitants could fubdue it. They effected it at lafi by cutting away the under-wood in wide. and long avenues, to leeward of the fire, by which it 'was depnved of the means of communicating or fp reading any far~ her.-In Virginia (and, I believe, the other colonies), there IS an exprefs aCl: of aifem bl y, paired in the 12th year of his late majefiy, to forbid this pra&ice. The province of New Hamplhire, I was informed at Portfmouth, has grown rich during the war, by the lofs of its own veifels; they having been commonly infured above value.The currency here is extremely bad, not better than that in Rhod.e Iiland.- Having travelled over fo lar.ge a traCt of this vail:: conti nent, 'before I bid a final farewell to it, I mufi beg the reader's in-· ·dulgence, while I fl:op for a moment, and as it were from the ·top of a high eminence, take one general retrofpeCl:ive look at .the whole.-An idea, fl:range as it is vifionary, has entered into the minds of the generality of mankind, that empire is travelling wel1:ward ; ".nd every one is looking forward with 'eager and impatient expectation to that defiined moment, when America is to give law to the refi of the world. But if ever an idea was illufory and fallacious, I will venture to pre- dict, that this will be fo. America is formed for happinefs, b ut not for empire : in a courfe of I 200 miles I did not fee a fingle objeCt th at follicited N ch ari tv; .; • |