COLLECTIONS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, For the Year 1794. VOL. III, BOSTON: PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1794. RE-PRINTED BY MUNROE & FRANCIS, NO. 4 CORNHILL, Printers to the Massachusetts Historical Society. -- 1810. CONTENTS. Page Two original Letters from Dr. Benjamin Franklin, to the Hon. 5047 A Topographical Description of Topsham A Topographical Description of Machias An Historical Account of Middleborough A Topographical Description of Nantucket Account of the Settlement of Nantucket, &c. Births, Marriages, and Deaths, in Nantucket Progress of the Whale Fishery at Nantucket Letters from Granville Sharpe, Esq. on the subject of American A Letter from Rev. Isaac Ba kus, on the subject of Iron Ore Advertisement of an intended History of the Colony of Plymouth. ! COLLECTIONS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. VOLUME 111. DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBOROUGH, IN THE COUNTY M IDDLEBOROUGH is bounded S. by Rochester and Freetown, W. by Freetown and Taunton, N. by the river which divides Middleborough from Raynham and Bridgwater, and by Halifax, E. by Plympton, Carver and Wareham. This place, before the said town was incorporated, went by the name of Namaskett, which was an ancient Indian name, and was formerly plentifully inhabited by the Indian natives, who were governed by the noted sachem Tispacan. But when the town was incorporated, and began to be settled by the English, the natives began to scatter and decrease; but there is now a settlement of them which descended from the ancients of Namaskett, which inhabit a part of said town, known by the name of Betty's-neck (which place took its name from an ancient Indian woman by the name of Betty Sasemore, who owned that neck) where there is now eight Indian houses and eight families. The general number of the Indians, old and young, that live there, is between thirty and forty. Their houses are poor, they own some land, they live imprudent are very fond of liquor. They till their land, which produces good crops of corn and rye, which they trade off for spirituous liquors, with any retailer that is so destitute of principles as to trade with them, so that by the middle of the winter, their corn and grain is generally gone. Then, by their baskets and brooms (which they make) they purchase it to supply immediate necessity. They are very subject to hectical complaints, for more than half that are born are carried off young with consumptions. In this town is one whole Congregational precinct, where the Rev. Joseph Barker is settled as minister. One precinct, containing part of VOL. III. A |