DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. In the New England states, the great subject of public interest, has been the promotion of internal improvement, by facilitating the means of intercommunication. Already, no part of America, perhaps, for the same extent, possesses roads of so much excellence, and so numerous as these states. But their enterprising and industrious population, devoted to agriculture, commerce, and latterly, manufactures; holding a large disposable capital; and stimulated by the animating example of the neighboring state of New York, have been anxiously engaged in projecting canals and rail roads, to unite the principal seaports and wealthy capitals with the interior of the country. Some of these projects had for their object, to avoid the obstructions occasioned by falls or rapids in the large navigable rivers; others, to create a water communication, existed. where previously none Numerous surveys, undertaken cither by state authority, or by associations of private individuals, while they have established the fact that many, very many improvements of this kind may be effected, of more or less public utility, yet serve also to produce a conviction, that New England contains no region which, being of equal extent with the interior of New York,-is equally well fitted for the construction of a line of canals. Most of the designs are still unaccomplished. Indeed, the multitude of undertakings has contributed to prevent their execution, as they have divided and distracted the resources and intérest of the several states. Among them, are plans for improving the navigation of the Connecticut river, requiring the co-operation of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connec ticut; others, for uniting the waters of the Connecticut and Merrimac, or opening a market for the interior of Vermont and New Hampshire, by means of lake Memphremagog; another, for conducting the trade from the heart of Massachusetts into Rhode Island; others again, confined rather more to individual states, such as Otter creek canal in Vermont; Winnepiseogee canal in New Hampshire; Kennebec and Androscoggin canal, and Oxford and Cumberland canal in Maine; Hampshire and Hampden canal, and Merrimac canal in Massachusetts; and Farmington canal in Connecticut. In short, on every considerable river or other body of water in New England, public attention is fixed, to devise the most practicable means of promoting internal communication. By reason of their extreme eagerness for turning their respective local advantages to the best account, these states neglected to begin by arranging a systematic course of operations, which, concentrating their resources upon a single point, would have better ensured success. Latterly, some of them, as Vermont and Massachusetts, have created a board for internal improvements, and therefore, we may now reasonably anticipate a more judicious direction of their efforts. 1825.] MAINE. An extensive tract of land, in the neighborhood of the St. John's and Madawaska rivers, has been claimed by the British government of New Brunswick, which authorised depredations to be committed upon it, as an assertion of jurisdiction. The question arises from an ambiguity of language in the treaty of limits, in describing the highlands, through which the boundary line of the United States, and the British Provinces should run. A claim at this late day, so unjust and unwarrantable, to a tract of land, which, ever since the treaty of 1783, has been treated by the states of Massachusetts and Maine, as within the territory of the latter, and has been in the course of settlement under their authority, naturally excited much indignation. Extensive conflagrations occurred in the forests of Maine, in August and September, 1825; which not only destroyed great quantities of timber, but even reached many of the settlements, and thus occasioned much immediate distress to individuals. The smoke, from these vast fires, spread far out to sea, in a dense cloud, which, by obscuring the atmosphere, rendered the navigation of vessels, near the coast, inconvenient. The amount of damage sustained, in consequence of the conflagration, took place at Brunswick, in this was immense and unprecedented. It raged still more violently in the British Provinces, where many lives were lost, and whole towns reduced to a total waste. The destruction of property and of life, called loudly for the charity of the wealthy to be extended to the survivers; and the numerous sufferers by the fire obtained liberal assistance, from contributions of money, clothes and provisions, in the New England states. Its ravages exIts ravages extended over more than 2,000 square miles of country, destroying, in its progress, many towns and villages. Several thousands of persons were supposed to have perished in the flames; in the vicinity of Miramichi alone, near two hundred fell victims to the destroying element. In the month of December, a fire, worthy of notice from the amount of property destroyed, MAINE BANKS. Amount of capital stock, actually state. Two cotton factories, a clothier's factory, a fulling-mill, a saw-mill, a lath and clap-board factory, a bucket manufactory, a grist-mill and a carding and machine shop, with a number of other buildings, were destroyed by fire, on the 17th; loss estimated at between two and three hundred thousand dollars.. RIOT. A riot took place at Portland, in the month of December. Many houses occupied by persons of ill fame, were torn down, and one was set on fire. In the affair, there was a regular battle with fire arms, the possessor of a house and some of the mob being armed. An Englishman in the streets was killed, and six or eight other persons wounded; and the house exhibited evidence, that several muskets had been discharged against its tenants. 1824. Jan. 1825. June, 1825. The banks in Maine had deposited in the Boston banks, There are 14 banks-no one of which made a dividend of less than 3 per cent. for the last six months -several 3, one 4, one 4, and one 5. The amount of bills in circulation, returned by all the banks in Maine, was in June, 1825, $1,029272; in January, 1826, $657,581; and, omitting those of the Kennebec bank, in June, 1826, $552, 252. From a report made in the month of March, 1826, it would appear, that there are in this state, 2,449 school districts, 97,237 attending scholars, and 135,344 persons between 4 and 21 years old. The amount raised and expended for schools, in the year 1825, is $135,100. Averaging the amount paid, with those who attend the schools, the cost of each scholar is less than one dollar and ten cents a year! There are twenty incorporated academies for males, and six for females, in this state, some of which are well endowed. In April, 1826, the Passamaquoddy bank at Eastport, and soon afterwards the Kennebec bank at Hallowell, stopped payment; which incidents deranged, for a short time, the circulation in the vicinity of each place. A great fire took place at Port Much attention has been paid in this state, to the raising of sheep, since the duty levied on foreign wool, has assured the farmers, of stability in the home market; and the quality, as well as quantity of the article, is rapidly advancing. Indeed, this mountain-state,though its area is not large, or its soil or climate kind, is about to assume an advanced rank in the union. The canal, which unites lake Champlain to the Hudson, is completed, and has increased the business of that part of the state, which lies west of the Green mountains, many fold already; and the contemplated improvement, in the navigation of the Connecticut river, which washes the whole of the eastern border, will, when accomplished, give to the people of that division of the state, almost equal facilities for access to the ports of the seaboard. The thousand streams of water, running in every direction, are applied to the great business of manufacturing iron, wool, &c.; and the invaluable mines, with which the state abounds, are no longer to be useless, because their products cannot be transported to market. The Vermont iron, on account of its peculiar qualities, is of real national importance, and the quantity is inexhaustible. The manufacture has not hitherto been large, but it is about to become a great business. There is, also, a copperas factory in the state, at which three hundred tons were made in the present year-and the mineral supply is such that any amount to be required can be made. To show to what an extent the raising of wool has been carried, it is estimated, that during the year 1825, in the village of Middlebury alone, seventy tons of wool, were purchased by the merchants, and sent to New York, Boston, &c. Otter creek flows through the town, and the following works are already in operation-three flour mills, three saw mills, one furnace, one marble sawing mill, one paper mill, one oil mill, two cotton factories, and a third building-one of them is capable of holding 10,500 spindles !-4,800 spindles with 68 power looms. At the commencement of this year, there were but four banks, in this state; possessing in all, a ca pital of $450,000. Burlington bank, at Burlington, which was incorporated in October, 1818, with a capital of $150,000; Windsor bank, at Windsor, was chartered at the same time, with a capital of $100,000; Brattleborough' bank, at Brattleborough, possessing a capital of $100,000, was granted in 1824; and Rutland bank, at Rutland, possessing a capital of $100,000, was granted in 1825. During the session of the legislature, three new banks were added to this list; one at Montpelier, one at Danville, and one at St. Albans, with capitals of $100,000 each. There are The population of this state, in December, 1825, was 260,000; in 1800, 154,000. in the state, one hundred different manufacturing companies, fifty turnpike companies, two colleges with three hundred and fifty students, and common schools in abundance. A canal was contemplated to unite the waters of lake Champlain and Connecticut river, by the valley of Onion river; and public notice of an intended application to the legislature, for a charter for that purpose, was published, but nothing farther was done with regard to that subject, during the year. A very valuable iron mine was opened during this year, about ten miles from Vergennes. It is found |