be made for water, of at least one hundred thousand acres.

Holland's furvey was made in 1773, and 1774, at the expenfe of the Province. The refult of it is contained in a large map, engraven in London, 1784, by the direction and at the expenfe of Paul Wentworth, Efq. Those parts which were actually furveyed by Holland or his affiftants, are laid down with great accuracy. The eastern boundary line and the parts connected with it were not furveyed, but taken from fuch materials and information as could at that time be collected. In the map annexed to this work, thofe parts are more full and correct, excepting the lines of townships and locations, which in fo fmall a draught could not be introduced without confufion. For the fame reafon, the names of fome townships are omitted, chiefly fuch as have no fettlements made in them.

The State is divided into five Counties, viz. Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Chefhire, and Grafton, the boundaries of which are not noticed in Holland's, but are marked on this map by dotted lines.

The straight line of Mafon's patent is alfo described. The history of it is as follows: It was observed in the courfe of the preceding work, that the Mafonian proprietors claimed.

*Vol. II. p. 266.

pre

claimed a curve line as their western boundary; and that under the royal government no perfon had controverted that claim. When the war with Great-Britain was terminated by the peace of 1783, the grantees of fome crown lands, with which this line interfered, petitioned the Affembly to afcertain the limits of Mafon's patent. The Mafonians at the fame time fented a petition, fhewing the pretenfion which they had to a curve line, and praying that a furvey of it, which had been made in 1768, by Robert Fletcher, might be established. About the fame time, the heirs of Allen, whofe claim had long lain dormant, for want of ability to profecute it, having confulted Council, and admitted fome perfons of property into partnership with them, entered and took poffeffion of the unoccupied lands within the limits of the patent; and in imitation of the Mafonians, gave general deeds of quitclaim, to all bona fide purchasers, previously to the first of May, 1785; which deeds were recorded in each County, and published in the news papers. They alfo petitioned the Affembly to establish a head line for their patent.

After a folemn hearing of thefe claims, the Affembly ordered a furvey to be made of fixty miles from the fea, on the fouthern and eaftern lines of the State, and a ftraight line to be run from the end of one line of fixty miles, to the

end

end of the other. They alfo paffed an act to quiet all bona fide purchasers of lands, between the ftraight and curve lines, fo far, as that the State fhould not disturb them. This furvey was made in 1787, by Jofeph Blanchard and Charles Clapham. The line begins on the fouthern boundary, at lot No. 18, in the town of Rindge. Its courfe is north 39 caft. Its extent is 934 miles. It ends at a point in the eastern boundary, which is feven miles and two hundred and fix rods, northward of Great Offapy river. This line being established, as the head line, or western boundary of Mafon's patent, the Mafonians, for the fum of forty thousand dollars in public fecurities, and eight hundred dollars in fpecie, purchased of the State, all its right and title to the unoccupied lands between the ftraight line and the curve, The heirs of Allen were then confined in their claim, to those wafte lands only, which were within the traight line. They have fince compromifed their difpute, with the proprie, tors of eleven of the fifteen Mafonian fhares, by deeds of mutual quitclaim and release, This was done in January, 1790.in

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CHAP.

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HE air of New-Hamphire is generally pure and falubrious. During the winter months, the prevailing wind is from the north west; which is dry, cold and bracing; it rare, ly brings fnow, but when it does, the degree of cold is increased. That the coldness of our northwest wind is owing to the great lakes, is a vulgar error, often retailed by geographical writers, and adopted by unthinking people, All,the great lakes lie weftward of the N. W point, and fome of them fouthward of W. It is more natural to fuppofe that the immenfe wilderness, but efpecially the mountains, when covered with fuow, give a keennefs to the air, as a cake of ice to a quantity of liquor in which it floats, and that this air, put in motion, conveys its cold as far as it extends.

The deepest fnows fall with a northeast wind, and forms from that quarter are most violent, and of longeft duration; after which, the wind commonly changes to the N. W, and blows brifkly, for a day or two, 'driving the fnow into heaps. This effect is produced on2.! ly in the open grounds; in the foreft the fnow

fnow lies level, from two to four feet in depth, throughout the winter. On the mountains, the fnow falls earlier, and remains later than in the low grounds. On thofe elevated summits, the winds alfo have greater force, driving the fnow into the long and deep gullies of the mountains, where it is fo confolidated, as not to be easily diffolved, by the vernal fun. Spots of fnow are feen on the fouth fides of the mountains as late as May, and on the higheft till July.

Light frofts begin in September; in October they are more frequent, and by the end of that month, ice is made in fmall collections of water; but the weather is mostly ferene. November is a variable month, alternately wet and dry; the furface of the ground is frequently frozen and thawed. The fame weather continues through a part of December, but commonly, in the course of this month, the rivers and the earth are thoroughly frozen, and well prepared to receive and retain the fnow. January often produces a thaw, which is fucceeded by a fevere froft. In February we have the deepest fnows, and the coldest weather; but the lowest depreffion of the thermometer is generally followed by wet and mild weather. March is bluftering and cold, with frequent flights of fnow; but the fun is then fo high as to melt the fnow at noon. In April the

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