Connecticut Historical Collections

Nciv London, Con. Jour, Sept. 21lh, 1771. About three or four years ago a few Mackerel were discovered to be in New Lon- don Harbor and River, thu' chidly very small, which have every year since been in- creasing, both in size and in ([iiantity :— and such a plenty has theie been of Ihose val- uable fish the present year, as that fiom forty to seventy boats have been daily em- ployed below the town in catching them. And by the best computation thrit can be made about IJOO barrels have alieady been caught in this s'-ason, Irom the fi^t of Au- gust to the pievent liiui', m.Mrlv equal in si/e to tho^e of Boston Bay. Last Tuesday sii b.irrels of ihoie lish wcie drawn in a srine at Noi wkIi Landing. /V(i/« the ConnedLCiU Gazette, No. 7t');'>, Julii 10, 1778. About three weeks ago, Mr. Robert Shetheld of Sioningioii, made his c>cape irom New York, after a shoit confineinent on board a prison ship. Alier this young gen- tleman was taken, he with his crew, 10 in number, were put into irons and thrust into the forepeak ; on their arrival at New York, they were carried on board a prison ship and to the hatchways, on opening of which tell not of Pandora's box, for that mu.st be compared to this, an alabaster box, in comparison to the opening of these hatches. True there were gratings, but they kept their boat upon them. The steam of the hold was enough to scald the skin, and take away tl^e breath — the stench enough to poison ihe air all around. On his descending these dreary mansions of woe, and beholding the numerous spectacles of wretchedness and despair, his soul fainted within hiiu. A little epitome of hell — about S.^O men confined between deck, of which about one half were Frenchmen : and he informed that there were three more of these vehicles of contagion, which contained the like number of miserable French- men also, who are treated if possible worse than Americans. The heal so intense, (the hot sun shining all day on deck,) that they were all naked, which also served the well to get rid of the vermin, but the sick were eaten up alive. Their sickly countenances and ghastly looks were truly horrible; some swearing and blaspheming; some crying, praying, and wringing their hands, and stalking about like ghosts and apparitions; others delirious and void of reason, raving and storming; some groaning and dying — all panting for breath ; some dead and corrupting. The air was .so foul at times that a lamp could not be kept burning, by reason of which the boys were not missed till they had been dead 10 days. One person only is admitted on deck at a NEW LONDON. 287 time after sun-set, which necessarily occasions much filth to run into ihe hohi, and mingle with the bilge water, which to his ceiiain knowledge iiail not been pumped out while he continued on board; notwithstanding the decks were leaky, and the prisoners begged for permission to let ui fresh water and pump it out again ; but all in vain, their hearts are callous and dead to their cries, prayers and entreaties; five or six died every day Mr. SheHield was on board. He was only six days on board, and three of his people died in that short time. He was sent for on shore to attend as evidence at the Court of Admiralty for condemnation of his vessel, and happily made liis escape from the horridest of deaths. He was informed in New York, that the fresh meat sent in to the piisoners by our commissary, was taken by the men of war for their own use. This he can say, that he did not see any on board the siiip he was in ; but acknowledged that they were well supplied with soft bread /roin our commissary on shore. But the provision, (be what it will,) is not the complaint. Fresh air and fresh water, Gou's free gift, is all their cry. .\cio London, August. ISih, 1779. We hear from Saybrook, tliat a boat lately returning into (..'onnectieiit river, from Long Island, where she had been on an illicit trade, was stopped by the fort at Say- brook, when a ijuantily of goods were taken out of the boat, and loilgud in the custody of one Mr. Tiilly, an oliicer of the fort, who stored them inhisdwellinghou.se; and on Sunday night, 8th instant, eight men broke into the house with a view of carry- ing off the goods; on which the oliicer fired on them, killed two at the tirsl shot, and wounded another with a bayonet. On this the others made off, carrying the wounded man with them. — A warnin>s to this kind of ^cnlnj. Nev} London, November lllh, 1781. Last Saturday evening a flag of truce returned here from New York, and bro'l 132 American priMiners, among them are Ebene/er Ledyard, Esij. and Lieut Jabez Stow, on parole, with the remainder of the prisoners who were captivated and carried off from New London and Groton by Benedict Arnold's burning party : But the prisoners are chiefly from the prison sliip, and are mostly sick. Captain Jonathan Budington, jun. late of the Brig Favorite, Mr. George Worthj'- lake, and Daniel Slianlcy, (son of Cant. Adam Shapley,) all (jf this town, lately died on board the prison ship; and Mr. John Monroe, of this town died on board the flag the night it arrived. .\cw London, Julij I, 178.3, (923.) Tuesday evening was tried before the Court of Coininon Pleas, now sitting here, a cause brouglit by a Mrs. Eggle.iion of Stdinngion, against one Reuben Ralhbnn, an exhorter among the people called the Shaking Cluakers, for defamtag her, by uttering sundry expressiuns of and concerning her, at a miblic meeting in Stonington. After n I'ull hearing, the Jury retired, and lu about an hour reiunied w ith a verdict ui favor of the pluinlifl" lor £-10 damage, and her cost. Connecticut Gazette, No. 1787. New London, Pehrnartj 7, 1798. John Kunkapot, a chief of the tribe of Oneida Indians, arrived here last week. "We were informed by him, that he had been on a mission to the Mohegan tribe, being au- thorized to invite them to sell their lands in Montville, and move among the Oneidas, where they would be received as members of their tribe, without any reward. The Mohegans, excepting one or two who are very old, have determined to remove if they can obtain permission from the Legislature to sell their lands. The remnant of this once powerful tribe is reduced to about 200 souls. They pos- sess upwards of 5000 acres of land, the most of which is of an excellent quality, and cannot be alienated without permission from the State Legislature. ProjR the Connecticut Gazette, No. 1501, {New London,) September G, 1792. Tlie trade and manufactures of this state, (says a correspondent,) have long strug- gled under the want of a capital proportioned to the industry and enterprise of its citi- zens;— that want may now be supplied by means of the banks established at New Lon- don and Hartford. Every useful occupation and every industrious citizen maybe assisted with money, as circumstances may require and justify: but in order to carry the means of the bank into the fullest elTect, their bills must circulate among all ranks of people freely as money: it behoves, therefore, every well vvi^ller to the prosperity of the community, to give credit to the notes of the bank. Although trade may moie immediately, and in a more considerable degree, be benefitted by these instiiuijons, yet every other branch of business will come in for a proportionable share; a flourish- / 28S NEW LONDON. ing commerce dispenses blessinj,'s to all wiihin the sphere of its operations, and adds to the value of the landed interests, as well as the arlicles in which it principally deals. The notes of the hanks will he foiiiul more convenient for a circulaiing medium, and raay be kept by the owners in greater safety, than hard money, and none need be ap- prehensive of any deception in them, as the jiromise on the face of them will be care- fully and punctually fullllled. New London, Dec. 20, 1797. On Saturday last, at 1 o'clock, P. M. a smart shock of an earthquake was felt in this city, accompanied with a report that broke upon the ear like the explosion of a heavy cannon at a short distance. The sound and motion continued but a i&w mo- ments. Jn the street near the meeting house in Norwich, two fis.su les, one or two inches wide, and several rods long, were made in the earth, within twenty rods of each other. New London, Sept. 5, 1798. At length our city, for so many years remarkable for salubrity of air and the health- iness of its inhabitants, is dressed in shrouds and sackcloth. A deleterious fever has. prevailed here for abuut ten days; the lirsi vicliui to it was Capt. Klijah Bingham,, whose death we inenliuiied in our last, together with three eluldreii— since which there have died twenty-one, sixteen of whom died by the lever. The cuntagiou, if there be any, appears confined to Bank street, Ifoni the Market to Golden Jlill street ; those who have died either lived in, kept store, or were particularly connected in that street. Yellow Fever in New London. The following account of the yellow fever in this place, in 179S, is extracted from a pamphlet, written and printed at New London, by Charles Holt, immediately after the fever had subsided.