Hayward’s New England Gazetteer (1839) page 307
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NEW ENGLAND GAZETTEER.

tains from the southwest to north-
east passes through the central part
of the town. The inhabitants are
generally substantial Yarmers, and
property is very equally distributed.
The face of the township is gene-
rally hilly, but the soil is strong and
fertile. . It lies 9 miles E. from
New Haven. Population, 1SS2,
1,100

About a mile southeast of the
Northfordchurch,on
Tetoket moun-
tain, there is the appearance of hav-
ing 'been, at’same, remote period,
some violent convulsions in nature;
the rocks appear to have been rent
asunder, and are thrown about in
great disorder. Lead is said to have
been found near this spot, a mfcss
of it being discovered by a person
who was hunting, at the time of
the first settlement of the parish:
he hung up a pair of buck’s horns
to designate the spot, but the place
could not be found afterwards.

Nortlibrldge, Mass.

Worcester co. The Blackstone
river and canal pass- through this
pleasant manufacturing and agri-
cultural town. It has some excel-
lent intervale land, and the soil of
the uplands produces grass, grain,
and vegetables in abundance. The
river here is beautiful, and produces
a great hydraulic power. The
manufactures of the town consist
of -cotton and woolen goods, cotton
machinery, boots,.shoes, &c.: val-
ue, the year ending April 1, 1S37,
$281,000.

Northbridge lies 85 miles S. W.
by W. from Boston, and 13 S. E.
from Worcester. Incorporated,
1772. Population, 1830, 1,053;
1837, 1,409.

North Bridgewater, Mass.

Plymouth co. This town lies 20
miles S. from Boston, 24 N. W. from
Plymouth, and 10 S. S. W. from
Weymouth Landing. Population,
1830, 1,953; 1837, 2,701. It is
well watered by Salisbury river
and other small streams which emp-
ty into the Taunton. The surface of
the town is uneven, but the soil is
of a good quality, particularly for
grazing. Incorporated, 1S21.

The manufactures of the town
consist of cotton goods, boots, shoes,
hats, chairs, shoe tools, forks, hoes,
cabinet and wooden wares, &c.:
total amount, the vear ending April
1, 1837, $236,700"

We regret that this very pleas-
ant town was not called
Titicut
or JVunketest, one of the Indian
names of the ancient territory.

This town was the first of the
three Bridge waters thathave sprung
from Old Bridgewater, named after a
celebrated English Duke. We can
see no good cause for attaching a
cardinal point of the compass to the
name of any town, particularly one
of foreign derivation, when somq
beautiful Indian name meets the ear
on the -bank of almost every stream.
Had .the noble Duke bequeathed to
good old mother Bridgewater and
her three handsome daughters, (as
he did to the city of Manchester,)the
perpetual privilege of obtaining 140
pounds of coal for
four pence, there
would appear some* reason for per-
petuating and extending the name.

Some just remarks on the names
of towns appeared in the
Provi-
dence Journal
, which are worthy
of repetition.

“ Indian Names. The new
state of Michigan has passed one
of the most sensible laws that was
ever enacted. Its object is to pre-
serve the noble and harmonious old
Indian names, which have been giv-
en to every fiver and. lake and for-
est and mountain in our country,
and which, by a bad taste, have in
many instances, been displaced by
the hackneyed names of European
cities, or of distinguished men. The
law provides that no town shall be
named after any other place or af-
ter any man, without first ob-
taining the'consent of the Legisla-
ture. The consequence is, that




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