General History of Connecticut, from Its First Settlement Under George Fenwick to its Latest Period of Amity with Great BritainPeters, Samuel
History
General History of Connecticut, from Its First Settlement Under George Fenwick to its Latest Period of Amity with Great Britain
Peters, Samuel
Connecticut -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; Connecticut -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
Time not having destroyed the walls of the fort at Saybrook, Mr.
Whitefield, in 1740, attempted to bring them down, as Joshua brought
down the walls of Jericho, to convince the gaping multitude of his
divine mission. He walked several times round the fort with prayer,
and rams’-horns blowing; he called on the angel of Joshua to come and
do as he had done at the walls of Jericho; but the angel was deaf, or
on a journey, or asleep, and therefore the walls remained. Hereupon
George cried aloud: “This town is accursed for not receiving the
messenger of the Lord; therefore the angel is departed, and the walls
shall stand as a monument of sinful people.” He shook off the dust of
his feet against them, and departed, and went to Lyme.
_Killingsworth_ is ten miles west from Saybrook, lies on the sea, and
resembles Wadsworth. The town is eight miles square, and divided into
two parishes. This town is noted for the residence of the Rev. Mr.
Elliot, commonly known as Dr. Elliot, who discovered the art of making
steel out of sand, and wrote a book on husbandry, which will secure
him a place in the Temple of Fame.
_Windham_, the second county in the ancient kingdom of Sassacus, or
colony of Saybrook, is hilly; but the soil being rich, has excellent
butter, cheese, hemp, Indian-corn, and horses. Its towns are twelve.
Windham resembles Rumford, and stands on Winnomantic River. Its
meeting-house is elegant, and has a steeple, bell, and clock. Its
court-house is scarcely to be looked upon as an ornament. The township
forms four parishes, and is ten miles square.
Strangers are very much terrified at the hideous noise made on summer
evenings by the vast number of frogs in the brooks and ponds. There
are about thirty different voices among them, some of which resemble
the bellowing of a bull. The owls and whippoorwills complete the rough
concert, which may be heard several miles. Persons accustomed to such
serenades are not disturbed by them at their proper stations; but one
night in July, 1758, the frogs of an artificial pond, three miles
square, and about five from Windham, finding the water dried up, left
the place in a body, and marched, or rather hopped, towards
Winnomantic River. They were under the necessity of taking the road
and going through the town, which they entered about midnight. The
bull-frogs were the leaders, and the pipers followed without number.
They filled the road, forty yards wide, for four miles in length, and
were for several hours in passing through the town unusually
clamorous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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