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roaring like thunder, and shaking the earth like
a mighty earthquake. The inhabitants of Barton
hearing the roar, looked up toward the lake, and
beheld the torrent coming down upon them,
bearing a whole forest upon its top. The cattle
for many miles round, ran bellowing to their
homes, and all the neighbourhood were thrown
into the greatest terror. No lives were lost, but
a vast amount of damage was occasioned.xe2x80x94
The winter begins here about the first of
December, although the frosts appear as early as
the first of September. From the first setting in,
to the breaking up of the winter, there is scarce-
ly any thaw. The winter continues till April.
Snow storms are frequent, yet little snow falls at
a time : they come from all points of the compass
except the East, and are generally ovpr in a few
hours. The cold is here more steady and uniform
than in the other New England states. On the
mountains, the snow is commonly three or four
feet deep, and lies till the end of April. On the
low grounds, it is from 1 to 2 1-2 feet in depth,
and continues till about the 20th of March. The
severest cold never kills the young trees, and the
chilling easterly winds of spring seldom reach so
far inland as to be felt here ; west of the Green
Mountains they are totally unknown. Droughts
are uncommon ; the crops more frequently suf-
fer from too much moisture. During April and
May the weather is mild with frequent showers.
Through the summer it is fair and serene. The
wind at this season is mostly from the S. W. be-
ing regulated by the direction of the mountains,
and the shores of lake Champlain. The heat of
the day is excessive, but the nights are ever cool
and agreeable. The soil is generally rich and
loamy. On the borders of the rivers are fine tracts
of interval land, which consists of a deep, black,
alluvial deposit; these are sometimes a mile in
width, and are very productive in maize, grain,
grass, and garden vegetables. The uplands are in
many places scarcely inferior to the intervals, and
Are in general sufficiently free from stones to ad-
mit of easy cultivation. The hills and mountains
which are not arable on account of their steep-
ness, or the rocks, afford the best of pasturage
for sheep and cattle. There is hardly any part of
the country better adapted to the rearing of hors-
es, horned cattle and sheep, than the mountainous
parts of this state. Wheat is raised more abund-
antly on the western side of the mountains, than
on the eastern. The soil and climate of all parts
are very favourable to the growth of the apple and
other fruits. The greater part of the state is bet-
ter fitted for grazing, than tillage. |
Iron is abundant in this state, and lead, zinc,
copper and manganese are found in many places.
Sulphate of iron,or copperas is very plentiful. The
best iron is found at Peru in the southern part of
the state, and has the highest reputation for its
ductility and toughness. It is worked into
chains, bolts, &c. but the bed of ore having been
much reduced of late, and the manufacture of iron
increased, an inferior sort is now mixed with the
Peru iron, by which its quantity has much de-
teriorated. It is still, however, of high exee.
lence. A quarry of fine marble exists in Middle
bury. It rests upon a bed of argillite, and rises
in many places above the surface of the ground.
The marble is of various colors, and has beeD
wrought ever since 1806. It is now in the pos
session of an incorporated company, and the ma
chinery for sawing it is driven by water. Al
Swanton on lake Champlain in tbe N. is an inex
haustible quarry, which covers an area of more
than 300 acres. The marble is of a beautiful
black, and sometimes of a bright blue clouded
color. 100 saws are occupied at the mills in this
town, in working it into various forms. On a
small island in lake Memphremagog, is a quarry
of novaculite, known by the name of Magog oil-
stone ; it is several hundred feet in length, and
interspersed with quartz. A manufactory of this
stone has been established in the town of Burke.
The oil-stones when manufactured, sell for 50
cents per pound. Quarries of slate are wrought
near Brattleboro’. The surface of the state is
highly diversified. From the mountainous ridge
which occupies the centre of the state, the land
slopes, toward the Connecticut and lake Cham-
plain. Adjoining the rivers are extensive plains,
but the elevated country forms the greater pro-
portion of the surface.
In the northern parts, the population is thin,
and the country still unsubdued by the plough.
Innumerable stumps, the remains of the pris-
tine forests, deform the fields. Pines and other
trees, girded, dry, and blasted by summers heat,
and winters cold, scorched-and blackened by fire,
or piled in confusion, on fields cleared half oy
the axe, and half by burningxe2x80x94these with the
rude low huts of the inhabitants, indicate a coun-
try imperfectly subdued by man. But if we con-
fine ourselves to merely physical observations,
and consider the natural formation of hill,
mountain, valley, lake and stream, we shall find
this state to be among the most picturesque por-
tions of North America.
This state is divided into 13 counties. The
population is 280,679. Montpelier is the capital.
The other large towns are Windsor, Brattleboro,
Burlington, Middleburv, Benington and Rutland.
The agriculture resembles that of the other New-
England states. Wheat is only cultivated W.
of the mountains. Maize thrives best on the
intervals, but is also raised abundantly on the
uplands. Farmers who are industrious, seldom
fail of having their barns filled with hay and flax ;
their granaries with maize, wheat, rye, oats, bar-
ley, pease and beans, and their cellars with the
best of cider, potatoes and other esculent roots.
The raising of wool has lately much increased.
Lake Champlain affords facilities for a considerable
commerce between this state and Canada. The
trade in this quarter is chiefly with Montre-
al ; the exports are pot and pearl ashes, beef,
pork, butter and cheese, flax, live cattle, &c. The
domestic trade is mostly with Boston, New York
and Hartford. Except the domestic fabrics of lin-
en and woolen which occupy almost every family
the manufactures of this state are not considera-
ble. There are however above 100 woolen and
cotton manufactories, paper mills and oil mills |
