ton, and 95 west of Boston. The value of brooms manufactured in this town in 1837 was $28,600.

Hatfield, like other ancient towns in this vicinity, has passed through many scenes of distress and danger. On October 19, 1675, in Philip's war, between seven and eight hundred Indians approached the outposts of Hatfield, flushed with their recent successes in Deerfield and other places. Having cut off several parties who were scouring the woods in the vicinity, they made a rapid attack on the town in various directions. Fortunately, two companies, under the command of Captains Mosely and Poole, were at this time in the village. While Poole bravely defended one extremity, Mosely with no less resolution defended the center, while Captain Appleton, arriving with his company from Hadley, protected the other extremity. After a severe contest, the Indians were repulsed at every point; many were driven across Mill river in confusion, and in their hurry, attempting to carry off their dead and wounded, lost many of their guns in the river. They however found time to fire several buildings, which were consumed, and to drive off a number of cattle and sheep. Their retreat being made at the dusk of the evening, their loss could not be ascertained; the loss of the English is not given. Captain Appleton had a narrow escape, a ball passing through the hair of his head; his sergeant at his side was mortally wounded. On the 30th of May, 1676, a body of 6 or 700 Indians fell upon Hatfield again, and burnt about a dozen houses and barns in the skirts of the town. One party attacked the fortified houses to which the inhabitants had fled, the other drove away the cattle belonging to the inhabitants. In the mean time twenty-five young men from Hadley crossed the river, and with invincible resolution broke their way through the enemy, and assisted in repelling the savages.

In the expedition of Captain Turner and others, in 1676, against the Indians at the falls in the vicinity of Greenfield, Rev. Mr. Atherton of Hatfield accompanied him as chaplain. In the confusion of the retreat from Greenfield, he was separated from the troops, and became lost in the woods. After wandering at random and despairing of finding his way home, he came to the resolution of delivering up himself to the Indians. Approaching a party of the savages, he by signs offered to surrender himself a prisoner; but, as unaccountable as it may appear, they refused to receive him. When he approached and called to them, they fled from his presence, and appeared fearful of his approach, and Mr. Atherton was left to his fate. Upon this he determined if possible to find the river and follow it to Hatfield. This he effected, after a wandering march of several days of excessive fatigue and hunger, and arrived in safety among his people. The Indians, probably, knowing Mr. Atherton's profession by his dress, and having some knowledge of the sacredness of his office, considered him as a sacred person, whom they dare not injure.

On the 19th of September, 1677, about fifty Indians, who had descended Connecticut river, fell upon Hatfield, as the people were

raising a house, killed and captured about twenty, including among the latter several women and children. Among the prisoners were the wives of Benjamin Wait and Stephen Jennings. Having received authority from the government to ransom the captives, they commenced their hazardous journey on the 24th of October, and followed the enemy through New York by the lakes into Canada. They returned, after an absence of eight months, with nineteen of the prisoners.

On the 22d of August, 1786, a convention of delegates from fifty towns in Hampshire county assembled in Hatfield, and passed certain seditious resolutions. "This was the first important blow struck against the government, in Shays' insurrection; it was soon followed up by attempts, some of which were successful, to stop the proceedings of courts in various counties." The convention continued for three days. This body voted that the essential branches of the three legislative departments of the state were grievous; "material proceedings upon national concerns erroneous; obvious measures for paying the debt blindly overlooked; public moneys misappropriated, and the constitution itself intolerably defective. The directions for transmitting these proceedings to the convention of Worcester, and to the county of Berkshire, displayed a design in this assembly of doing more than passively representing their own grievances."-Minol's Hist. Insurrection.

The following inscriptions are from monuments in this town:

In memory of the Hon. ISRAEL WILLIAMS, Esquire, who departed this life 10 January, 1788, in the 79 year of his age. High and low, rich and poor, are death's equal prey, and no valuable distinction survives his resistless attack, but that, which ennobles an angel, the love of God.

All on earth is shadow, all beyond

Is substance; the reverse is folly's creed.
How solid all, where change shall be no more!

To the memory of Mr. JACOB WALKER, who, respected by the brave, beloved by his country's friends, dear to his relations, while manfully defending the laws and liberties of the commonwealth, nobly fell by the impious hand of treason and rebellion, on the 17 of February, 1787, in the 32 year of his age. Citizen passing, drop a tear, and learn to imitate the brave.

MIDDLEFIELD.

THIS town, which is situated on a range of the Green mountains, was incorporated in 1783. Rev. Jonathan Nash, the first minister, was settled in 1792, and died in 1834. His successor, Rev. Samuel Parker, was installed pastor in 1832, and resigned in 1833. He was succeeded by Rev. John H. Bisbee, in 1834. Besides the Congregational, there is a Baptist church in the central part of the town. A Methodist church is situated in the south-eastern section of the town.

This town is watered by two branches of Westfield river. The stream called Middle river divides this town from Worthington.

Soap-stone and an extensive bed of serpentine, or rock of various colors, are found in the town. In 1837, there were two woollen mills, 4 sets of woollen machinery; cloth manufactured, 26,000 yards, valued at $54,000; males employed, 26; females, 24; capital invested, $36,000. There were 9,724 Saxony sheep; wool produced, 26,741 lbs.; average weight of fleece, two and threefourths lbs.; value of wool, $17,381 65; capital invested, $120,945. Population, 710. Distance, 24 miles from Northampton, 17 from Pittsfield, and 110 from Boston.

NORTHAMPTON.

THE Indian name of Northampton was Nonotuck. It formerly included Southampton, Westhampton, and Easthampton, since incorporated as towns. The fertility, extent, and beauty of the fine intervals in this region attracted the attention of settlers at an early period. The township was purchased in 1653, and conveyed to John Pynchon, Esq., for the planters, by Wawhillowa, Nenessahalant, Nassicohee, and four others, (one of whom was a married woman,) styled "the chief and proper owners," for one hundred fathom of wampum by tale, and ten coats, besides some small gifts, in hand paid to the sachems and owners, and also for ploughing up sixteen acres of land on the east side of Quonnecticut river the ensuing summer. These "all bargained for themselves, and the other owners by their consent." The original planters were twenty-one in number, and the legal grant was made to them in 1654, by "John Pynchon, Elizur Holyoke, and Samuel Chapin, commissioners for laying out Nonotuck, by the general court," and the settlement of the town commenced the same year.* In 1656, "towns men" (or selectmen) were chosen, and in 1657 three commissioners were chosen at a town meeting (6 as a court to end small causes." The same year, the town employed an agent "to obtain a minister, and to devise means to prevent the excess of liquors and cider from coming to the town." In 1662, at the formation of the county of Hampshire, consisting of the three towns of Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley, Northampton was made a half shire, and in 1794 was made the county town.

The village of Northampton is situated about a mile from Connecticut river, a little elevated above the surrounding meadows. These meadows are some of the best land in New England, and are in the highest state of cultivation. The village, although very irregularly laid out,† is one of the most beautiful and best built

*There is a tradition that one English family came to Northampton in 1652, and lived on land which is east of what is now called Hawley street.

"It has been said that they [the streets] were laid out by the cows, and that wherever these animals, when going to feed in the forests, made their paths, the inhabitants located their streets. The probability is, that the first planters, being both inclined and obliged to build near to each other, placed their houses wherever the ground