from several barges, and launches which had taken their stations at different points. The fire continued without intermission until midnight, and was occasionally answered from the battery as the light of the rockets presented a view of the object. During this period, the non-combatant inhabitants of the village, having taken shelter in the neighboring houses and barns, were waiting the event in trembling anxiety; expecting every moment to witness the conflagration of their dwellings. At twelve o'clock the firing ceased; no building was consumed, or person injured. In the course of the night the militia and volunteers assembled in considerable numbers. At day light on the 10th, the approach of the British was announced by a discharge of rockets from several barges and a launch, which had taken their stations on the east side of the village, and out of the reach of the battery. A number of volunteers with musketry and one four pounder hastened across the point to meet the enemy supposing they would attempt a landing from the barges. Colonel Randall of the 13th regiment, who was at this time approaching the battery with a detachment of militia, ordered his men to assist the volunteers in drawing over one of the eighteen pounders to the extreme end of the point, the fire from which soon compelled the barges to seek their safety by flight: during this time the brig was working up towards the point, and at sunrise dropped anchor within half a mile of the battery. This was now manned by only about twenty men; and their ammunition being expended, they spiked the guns and retired. The brig now continued deliberately to pour into the village her thirty two pound and grape shot, and the bomb ship to throw her shells for an hour without a shot being returned.

"At eight o'clock a supply of ammunition having arrived, the eighteen pounder was drilled, and such an animated and well directed fire opened on the brig, that at three o'clock, having received several shot below her water mark, and much damage in her spars and rigging, she slipped her cables and hauled off, out of the reach of the battery. In this contest two Americans only were slightly wounded. The flag which was nailed to the staff on the battery was pierced with seven shot; the breast work was considerably damaged, and six or eight dwelling houses much injured. Considerable bodies of militia arrived in the course of the day: and Brigadier General Isham took the command. The inhabitants had recovered from the consternation of the first moments; things assumed a more regular and orderly aspect. Every one capable of bearing arms was at the post of danger, and the others employed in removing their effects.

"The Ramilies and Pactolus now hauled up and took stations within two miles of the village; and threatened it with instant destruction. The magistrates sent a deputation on board the Ramilies with a note addressed to Commodore Hardy, informing him, that the town was now cleared of unoffending inhabitants in consequence of his note of yesterday, and wishing to know his determination respecting the fate of the village. The deputation consisting of Colonel Williams and Mr. Lord, were detained on board an hour, their own boat sent back; and at the expiration of the time, they were conveyed in a flag from the ship with a note to the magistrates, stating, that the deputation having given assurances that no torpedoes had been fitted out from that port, and having engaged that none should be in future, or receive any aid from the town; that further hostilities should cease, and the village be spared in case they sent on board his ship, by eight o'clock in the morning of the 11th, Mrs. Stewart, a lady then resident at New London, wife of the late British consul at that place and her family. But in case of failure, he should proceed to destroy the village effectually; for which he stated that he possessed ample means. The magistrates and citizens of the borough were in a singular state of embarrassment on receiving this demand; being required to procure and send on board the commodore's ship, a lady over whom they had no control. Mrs. Stewart was under the protection of the government of the United States; had ever been treated with respect at New London, where she had long resided; her personal safety was never in the least at hazard; and her husband's application to have his family sent on board the squadron had been received by the commanding general and transmitted to the executive, and no doubt would be granted; but the borough of Stonington had no concern or authority on the subject, and possessed no powers to comply with the required condition. At eight o'clock in the morning of the 11th, the magistrates, under the direction of the commanding general, sent a flag on board the Ramilies with the foregoing representation. The commodore replied, that he should wait until twelve o'clock, and if the lady was not then sent on board, hostilities would re-commence. At this period, three regiments of militia had arrived, and the town was well secured against a landing. At three o'clock, the bomb ship having taken a station out of the reach of the guns of the battery, commenced throwing shells into the village and continued until evening. At sunrise on the 12th, the bomb ship renewed her operations, while the Ramilies and Pactolus were warping in; at eight o'clock these ships opened their fire. This heavy bombardment, continued until noon, when the ships ceased firing. At four in the afternoon they hauled

off to their former anchorage, and the contest ended. The Vice Consul was obliged to resort to other, and more appropriate measures to obtain his wife and family, than that of desolating an unoffending village. The ships taking a station out of the reach of cannon shot from the battery, the citizens were obliged to witness the scene without the power of resistance. The troops withdrew from the point excepting & guard of fifty men, who were kept to patrole the streets and extinguish fires. The cannon from the battery were ordered up to the north end of the point, to be in readiness in case of an attempt at landing: this hazardous service was performed by volunteers of the Norwich artillery, who instantly offered themselves, under the command of Lieutenant Lathrop. This party, though exposed the whole time to the enemy's fire, accomplished the enterprise without loss. During the whole scene no lives were lost, and but two or three wounded. The houses were several times set on fire by the rockets and shells, but were soon extinguished by the patrole. Many of the buildings were much damaged, and few remain without some marks of the bombardment. The judicious arrangements of general Cushing, and the spirit and alacrity with which the militia turned out to defend Stonington, and guard the other exposed points, prevented those ulterior operations of the British, which were apprehended by that general, and which no doubt, were designed as the ultimate object of the expedition. The citizens of Connecticut, when called upon to defend their dwellings from conflagration, manifested a zeal and bravery worthy of freemen in defense of their soil. The reception which the British met with at Stonington, deterred them from any further attempts on the coast of Connecticut."

WATERFORD.

WATERFORD was formerly included within the limits of New London. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1801. It is bounded N. by Montville, W. by Lyme, E. by New London and the Thames, on the S. by Long Island sound. Its average length is 7 miles, and its average breadth about five miles. Its surface is uneven and the soil a gravelly loam, better adapted to grazing than grain, of which there is little cultivated, excepting Indian corn. There are two woolen factories in the

town.

There are three houses for public worship in this town, all of which are for the Baptist denomination; one of which is for the Seventh day Baptists so called, from their observing Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, instead of the first day.

The following is from Backus' history of the Baptists, vol. 1, published in Boston in 1777.

"A new sect came out from among the Baptists about this time, who have caused not a little trouble to themselves and others, of whom I have collected the following brief account, chiefly from the letters preserved by Mr. Samuel Hubbard. In the close of the year 1674, the family of Mr. James Rogers of New London, called Mr. Crandal over from Westerly, who preached among them, and baptized his sons John and James, and an Indian named Japhet. This alarmed the other denomination, and Mr. Bradstreet, minister at New London, said he hoped the next court would take a course with them. They sent to Newport, and elder Hickox, Mr. Hubbard and his son Clarke were sent to visit them in March, 1675, when Jonathan Rogers was also baptized, and all four of them were received as members of their church by prayer and laying on of hands. Hereupon John Rogers' father-in-law, took his wife and children from him; and upon her complaints against him, he was carried before their deputy governor, and committed to Hartford goal, from whence he wrote to Mr. Hubbard, April 6th, 1675. How long he continued there I do not find, only he visited the church at Newport, the next September. On September 18th, 1676, those four members went with a boat, and brought elder Hickox and Mr. Hubbard to New London again, when old Mr. Rogers, his wife, and daughter, were all baptized and received into that church; whereupon they were called before the magistrate, but were soon released; though from that time they began to imprison the Rogerses for working on the first day of the week. And

when Mr. Hickox and Mr. Hubbard visited them again, and held worship with them two miles out of town, on their sabbath, Nov. 23, 1677, and Joseph Rogers' wife had next morning given them a satisfying account of her experiences, John must needs have them go up to town to baptize her there. Mr. Hubbard opposed it, but John carried the day; and while Mr. Hickox was preaching at town, the constable came and took him, and they all went before the magistrate; where also was the minister, Mr. Bradstreet, who had much to say about the good way their fathers had set up. Upon which Mr. Hubbard, obtaining leave to speak, said, 'you are a young man, but I am an old planter of about forty years, a beginner of Connecticut, and have been persecuted for my conscience from this colony, and I can assure you, that the old begin ners were not for persecution, but we had liberty at first.' After further discourse, the magistrate said could you not do it elsewhere? 'A good answer,' says Mr. Hubbard; and so they were released and went to Samuel Rogers' house, where his brother John put himself forward, prayed, and then went out to the water and baptized his sister: upon which Mr. Hickox was seized again, as supposing he had done it, but John came before the magistrate, and was forward to make known his act therein; so the others were released and returned home."

"Jonathan Rogers, had married Naomi Burdick, grand daughter to Mr. Hubbard, and on March 2, 1678, elder Hickox baptized her at Westerly, together with James Babcock, George Lamphere, and two others, and on the 5th of May following, Joseph Clarke wrote from thence to his father Hubbard, that John and James Rogers with their father were in prison; having previously excommunicated Jonathan, chiefly because he did not retain their judgment, of the unlawfulness of using medicine, nor accuse himself before authority, for working on the first day of the week." Hereupon the church at Newport sent messengers to New London about this matter, who reported on their return that, "a practice was started up (out of conscience,) that because the world, yea, most professors, pray in their families mornings and nights, and before meats and after, in a customary way, therefore to forbear prayer in their families, or at meats publickly except some are led forth upon some special occasion; saying they find no command in the word of God for it.". "The church repeatedly sent and labored with them but to no effect.". "From this beginning proceeded a sect which has continued to this day, who from their chief leader have been called Rogerenes. In their dialect, and many other things, they have been like the first Quakers in this country (?) though they have retained the external use of baptism and the supper, and have been singular in refusing the use of means and medicines for their bodies. Their greatest zeal has been discovered going from meeting to meeting, and from town to town, as far as Norwich and Lebanon, (the one 14, the other 24 miles,) to testify against hireling teachers, and against keeping the first day of the week as a sabbath, which they call the idol sabbath. And when the authority have taken them up and fined them therefor, and have sometimes whipt them for refusing to pay it, they have soon published accounts of all such persecutions, which has been the very means of keeping their sect alive. When the Small Pox was very terrible in Boston, in 1721, and great fear of it was discovered in the country, John Rogers their founder, was confident he could go in where it was and not catch it: and to prove his faith, went 100 miles to Boston, but catched the distemper, came home and died with it, and scattered it in his family: yet his successors still kept on in their way. So late down as 1763, some of them repeatedly came and clapped shingles and pieces of boards around the meeting house in Norwich town, as well as delivered messages to Besides these there the worshippers against their keeping of the Lord's day. have been some sabbatarian Baptists in that place, from the beginning to the present time, though not a distinct church."

45

FAIRFIELD COUNTY.

FAIRFIELD County is bounded N. by Litchfield County, N. E. and E. by the Housatonic river, which separates it from the county of New Haven, on the S. E. and S. by Long Island Sound, and westward by the state of New York. The county lies in a triangular form and has an average length from east to west of about 30 miles, and a mean breadth from north to south of about 21 miles. It extends about 40 miles on Long Island Sound, and abounds with bays, points, and harbors, affording many interesting and beautiful landscapes. Proceeding from the Sound into the interior, there is a very gradual rise to the most elevated sections of the county, which overlook the intervening tract. The face of the country is generally agreeably diversified with hills and valleys. The soil, which in general is a primitive gravelly loam, is, with few exceptions, strong and fertile, and this county may be considered as a rich farming district, containing abundant natural resources of agricultural wealth. Manufactures of various kinds receive considerable attention in various parts of the county, and the business is increasing. The following is a list of the several towns in the county, with their population in 1830.

Population of the county in 1820, 42,739; in 1830, 46,950.

FAIRFIELD.

FAIRFIELD was discovered by the pursuit of the Pequots, in 1637. Mr. Ludlow, who went with the troops to the Sasco, the great swamp in this town, was so well pleased with the fine tract of land in the vicinity, that he soon projected a settlement. In 1639, he with a number of others, began a plantation at Unquowa, the Indian name of the place. At first there were but eight or ten families. These, it appears removed from Windsor with Mr. Ludlow,* the principal planter. They were shortly after joined by another company from Watertown. A third company removed into the plantation from Concord; so that the inhabitants soon became numerous, and formed themselves into a township under the jurisdiction of the colony of Connecticut. The first adven

Mr. Ludlow came from the west of England with Warham and his company. In 1634, he was chosen deputy governor of Massachusetts colony: the next year he came into Connecticut, and was twice elected deputy governor of the colony, and was compiler of the first Connecticut code, printed at Cambridge, in 1692. He removed with his family to Virginia, in 1654. Being town clerk of Fairfleld, he carried off their records and other public writings.

turers purchased a large tract of the natives, and soon after Connecticut obtained charter privileges, the General Assembly gave them a patent. The purchase comprised the parishes of Fairfield, Greenfield, Green's Farms, and that part of Stratfield lying within the town of Fairfield, all the town of Weston, and a considerable part of Reading.

Having obtained this patent, the proprietors soon after divided the territory purchased into lots, which run from near the shore of the Sound, back about ten miles, reserving suitable highways, running parallel to, and at right angles with these lots, the course of which was north, 28 degrees west. These highways were laid entirely straight for ten miles, but have since been altered in many places."

"As but a small part of this extensive tract of land had been occupied previously to the time when Sir Edmund Andross made his appearance in Connecticut, the inhabitants of this town adopted this plan of dividing their purchase, to prevent their wild lands back from being taken from them; supposing that as they were actually in the occupation of the front of their lots, they might be considered as possessing the whole, so far as to render it private property, and not subject to the disposal of the British government. The lots were of different widths; some being about ten rods wide, while others were fifty rods in width. Each proprietor had set to him a lot, the width of which was probably regulated by the amount of the money paid by such proprietor; and in the measuring of these lots, regard was had to inches, which shows a precise arithmetical calculation. Each of these lots has to this day been called by the name of the first proprietor, although a very considerable proportion of them are owned by persons of different names. Nearly in the center of this town was reserved a tract one mile in extent, which was not divided, and was called the mile of common. Greenfield Hill is within the limits of this tract."

Fairfield is bounded northerly by Weston, northeasterly by Bridgeport, westerly by Westport, and southerly by Long Island Sound. It has a mean length of upwards of six miles from northeast to southwest, and a breadth of six miles. It is a rich agricultural township, and in general in a high state of cultivation. The original growth of timber was at an early period, from a common but lamentable improvidence, entirely destroyed, so that the forests now existing are of recent growth, and comprise but little timber fit for building. Wood and timber therefore, command a high price. The surface of the town is undulating, presenting an agreeable succession of moderate eminences and gentle declivities. Upon the Sound are some tracts of salt marsh; proceeding back, the surface has a gradual elevation; but no portion of the town is mountainous, and it is in general free from stone.

Black Rock harbor, about 1 miles from Fairfield Court House, is with the exception of New London, one of the best harbors in the Sound; being safe and commodious, and having 19 feet of water at summer tides, below what is called the middle ground. There is a light house on Fairweather's Island, which forms the easterly chop of the harbor. Vessels can enter and depart from this harbor at any time of the tide. During the last war with Great Britain, a small fort was erected on an eminence cominanding the entrance of the harbor, in