from inattention or inexperience; but every thing is conducted in the most exact order, as if every step and movement of the body was directd by a guage and rule. Dances are sometimes held in private houses, when variations are frequently introduced. On some occasions it is said their movements are so rapid that the eye can scarce follow or keep pace with their swift motions.

"The principal doctrines of the Shakers are a belief in the second appearance of Christ in the person of the holy mother. They admit of but two persons in the Godhead, God the Father, and God the Mother, which they say is according to the order of nature, being male and female. To redeem the depraved race of man, they believe that it became necessary for God to take upon him the real character of human nature as it is, male and female, and that his first appearance was in the person of man, and the second in the person of woman, whereby the work of redemption was finished and completed. The confusion and wickedness that prevailed in the Catholic Church, during the long period which preceded and followed the reformation, they ascribe to the work of redemption not being completed in Christ's first appearance, it being the necessary period that must intervene between the making and fulfilment of the promise of Christ, that he would establish his law of righteousness on earth. They believe in perfect holiness, and insist that salvation from sin here is necessary to salvation from misery hereafter. They regard the Bible as a testimony of Christ's first appearance, but deny that it contains the word of God, or of life, as they consider a belief in the second appearance of Christ, or in the spiritual character and mission of the holy mother, as indispensable to salvation.

The following inscriptions are from monuments in the burying ground a little north of the Congregational church.

In memory of that pious, excellent and amiable man
The Rev. Mr. PETER RAYNOLDS,

Who after serving Christ in the work of the gospel ministry with great fidelity in this town more than forty two years, fell asleep in May 11th, 1768, Anno. Æ. 68. RAYNOLDS thy name, thy memory shall survive,

The fading honors marble statues give,
When this frail stone's decay'd, forgot this verse,
Posterity thy virtues shall rehearse;
Thy conjugal, paternal, social love,
Religious zeal with charity imoove,

Shall speak the generous, gentle temper'd, kind,
Blest with much science in an humble mind.

Thy purity of morals, sacred fear

Of GOD, and fervent love of man declare;

Tell from thine hallow'd tongue how wisdom flow'd,
How with inspir'd discourse, each bosom glow'd,
How thy sweet converse gladden'd every heart,
And sentiment instructive did impart.

Bless God that here thy bright example's giv'n
A Guide to lead mankind to thee in Heav'n.

Sacred to the memory of

Dea. JOSEPH KINGSBURY,

who died June 8th, 1806, aged 85 and 2 months.

Here lies a man, no one priz'd Religion more,

The same our Fathers brought from Europe's shore,
A strict supporter of the good old ways

Of Puritans, in their most early days.

FARMINGTON.

THE first settlers of Farmington were from Hartford, being emigrants from Boston, Newtown and Roxbury, in Massachusetts. They began the settlement in 1640 being probably attracted at this early period by the fine natural meadows upon the Tunxis or Farmington river. The town was incorporated in 1645. The land was purchased of the Tunxis tribe of Indians, who were a numerous and warlike tribe, by eighty four proprietors, and divided by them and their heirs according to their respective interests. The township at the time of its incorporation was about fifteen miles square.* Since this period five new towns have been formed from it, viz. Southington, Berlin, Bristol, Burlington and Avon. The present length of Farmington is 7 miles from north to south and averages upwards of four in breadth. The town is situated principally between two mountainous ridges which stretch N. N. East to S. S. West, indented by vallies; the mean distance between the mountains is about four miles. The east mountain, on the base of which the village is built, presents a mural front to the west, and has two convenient passes through it; the road to Hartford passing through the north, and the road to Middletown through the south pass, distance from each other about 4 miles. The Farmington river, about 45 yards

* Pease and Niles's Gaz.

wide, enters through the West mountain from the N. W., and runs S. E. to the central part of the town; where meeting the East mountain turns an acute angle and runs northward through the town, parallel with the mountain. On the east side of the East mountain, opposite a peak called Rattlesnake hill, rises the Quinnipiac or North Haven river. The great flat or natural meadow, from the river westward, from 1 to 2 miles broad, is alluvial, a rich loam and sand, and is one of the most fertile tracts in the state.

N. W. view of Farmington, from Round Hill.

The above is a view of the central part of the village, showing the Congregational and Methodist churches. The main street on which they are built, extends about two miles from north to south, on an elevated plain from 50 to 75 feet above the level of the river, the course of which is seen by the row of trees standing below the level of the houses. The Farmington canal passes between the river and the houses, its course being elevated above the level of the river. There are about one hundred handsome dwelling houses within the limits of something more than a mile, some of which are elegant edifices. The Academy in the village, and the Methodist church, (recently erected,) both stand near the Congregational church.-The above view was taken from Round Hill, a singular elevation in the meadows, about half a mile distant from the main street. This hill is a natural curiosity; it covers about 12 acres; it rises abruptly to the height of about 60 feet, and is nearly circular in its form. It was once probably an island in the center of a lake, which covered the whole of the present meadow.* At the first settle

These meadows are now occasionally overflowed.-During the freshet Feb. 14th, 1807, a cry of distress was heard by some persons on the bank of the river. Pomeroy Strong and George Treadwell, went about five o'clock P. M. in a canoe to relieve the sufferers. They proceeded to Round Hill where they heard the cries of a man named Bebe, to the north west, where they found a span of horses and part of a waggon, and a man by the name of Atwater in a bunch of willows, in the middle of a current, about

ment of the town, Round Hill was fixed on as a central point of departure in all measurements in laying out the divisions of land.

The town is bounded N. by Avon, E. by Hartford and Berlin, W. by Bristol and Burlington, and S. by Southington. The central part is 10 miles west from Hartford. "The number of inhabitants is 2000, and has not varied much within the last thirty years."

He

The first minister in this place was Roger Newton, settled in 1647-8, who officiated nine years, and then removed to Milford. The second was Samuel Hooker, who was ordained in 1658 and died in 1697. Samuel Whitman was ordained the next minister, in 1706. officiated 45 years, and died in 1751. The next year Timothy Pitkin, from E. Hartford, was ordained; he officiated till 1785 and was then dismissed at his own request. He was succeeded by Allen Olcott, in 1787, who in 1795, was succeeded by Joseph Washburn.

This town has at present a school fund, besides what is received from the state, amounting to nearly $10,000; the annual interest of which is applied to the payment of teachers. In 1695-6 the town voted a certain sum for the support of a teacher for half the year, and in the directions to the committee for procuring one, a clause was added, "that he should be so gifted as to be able occasionally to step into the pupit.' "The native Indians must have been very numerous, in and about the town, when the first settlers arrived. The hunting grounds and fishing places, were peculiarly attractive. Their burying grounds were on two sandy hills, one on the west side of the great meadow, and one on the east, and near the center of the present village. In excavating the canal, many of their bones were discovered, and some domestic articles, as cups, &c. In 1691 a committee was chosen by the town to designate houses to be fortified against them. It appears that seven such houses were used for that purpose. The doors were made of double plank, united by nails driven closely together, so as to prevent their being cut through with hatchets. In 1763 the number of Indians was about 100, a considerable number having previously removed in a body to Stockbridge, Mass., and another division of them have since removed to the same place."

two rods from the shore; with a good deal of difficulty they got Atwater into the canoe. As they were passing a tree, Atwater in a fright seized one of the branches, in doing this, he overset the boat. He succeeded in climbing the tree, while the others swam to the hill, where they called for help. About 9 o'clock, Dr. Eli Todd, William Hill, and Joel Warner, manned a canoe, and alternately drawing and navigating it, reached the hill. After a number of attempts to relieve Atwater, a bridge of ice was formed from the tree to the shore, on which he was enabled to pass. Todd, Hill and Warner sailed in the course of the road north west, in search of Bebe; they found the currents so rapid they were obliged to return without effecting their object, though they came within speaking distance and exhorted him to be silent through the night except when they should call to him; his cries before had been distinctly heard through the town for nearly three miles in length: he remained on a cake of ice about two rods in length through the night.

At the first dawn of day the people assembled, a flat bottomed boat was procured and manned by Erastus Gay, Timothy Root, Jr. Timothy Cowles, Sidney Wadsworth and Henry Woodruff, who relieved Bebe from his perilous situation, and brought the others on shore.

GLASTENBURY.

GLASTENBURY was incorporated as a town in 1690; it was previously included within the limits of Wethersfield. It is bounded N. by East Hartford and Manchester, E. by Hebron and Bolton, S. by Chatham and Marlborough, and W. by Connecticut river and Wethersfield.* Its length from east to west averages about nine miles, being about six in breadth. There are some fine meadows upon the borders of the Connecticut, back of which, upon the rise of land the soil is a sandy loam, generally fertile and productive. In Eastbury, the east society in the town, the lands to a considerable extent, are rough and stony. There are five houses of worship, 2 Congregational, 2 Methodist and 1 Episcopal. Population in 1810 was 2,776; in 1830, it was 2,980.

Glastenbury was originally purchased by the proprietors from the Indians. The deed from the chief, granted a certain number of rods in width north and south, "butting on the Great River, and running three miles into the wilderness." These lots have many of them presented the same general features to this day, although subdivided among descendants and purchasers, until some of them are only eight rods wide, though three miles long. The principal proprietors and first settlers were of the name of Welles, Wyllis, Hale, Kimberly, Hollister, Smith. and Talcott. Thaddeus Welles, Esq. now resides upon the land which his ancestor, Thomas Welles, purchased of Sowheag, the great sachem at Middletown. These lands have descended from father to son, and have never been out of the possession of the family for almost two hundred years. Samuel Welles the celebrated banker of Paris, and the late Gen. Arnold Welles, son-in-law of Gen. Warren, who fell on Bunker Hill, were of the same family, and very recently owned another tract purchased by the same ancestor.

About the year 1690, the Legislature gave permission to all the inhabitants of that part of Wethersfield, lying east of Connecticut river to associate together and be invested with town privileges "so soon as The Rev. they could procure and settle a good orthodox minister." Timothy Stephens was ordained their first minister in October, 1693. Mr. Stephens appears to have died in 1725, at the age of 60.-An old house is now standing in the town, upwards of half a mile north of the Congregational church, and is called the "Talcott house," and is believed to be one of the oldest in the State. It was formerly stockaded, and it is said to have been once attacked by the Indians-marks of the assault are stated to be still seen. This house belongs to Col. Talcott, of the U. S. army, superintendent of the U. S. Arsenal at Watervliet, N. Y., and has been in possession of the family about one hundred and fifty years.

* A small tract within the bounds of Glastenbury lies on the west side of Connecticut river; the cause of this will be explained in the account of Wethersfield.