Connecticut Historical Collections

'• The day was tine, and the apartments and galleries ot the Stale House allbrded an agieeable j.lace of meelmg, m which the members of the Assmiblv and others awaiied the coming ol the governor. At aluuit eleven o'clock, his excellency entered the blaie House, and shorily afiei took his pkice ai the head of a ).rocession, which Avas made to a meelmg hou.se .ir church, at .something less ihan half a mile disiant. 1 tie procession was on loot, and was composed of the ])erson of the governor to- gether with the lieulenant governor, a.ssisiants, hiuh ^ilerllls, membeis of ihe lower hou.se ol assemhiy, and unless with accidental e.xce|)iions, all the cler-y ot the Slate J t was preceded by the foot guards, and followed by the horse; and attended by ga- zers, that, consuienng the si/e and population of the city, inav be said to have been niimerons. The cluiich, which from its situation is called the South Meeting House, isasiuill one, and was lesi.iicd lo on ihis occasion, only because that more ordinarily Us,.,i was at Ihe lime lel.uildiiig. The edilice is of wood, alike unornameiited within niut wuhoui; and when Idled, iheie u:is Mill presented lo the eve nothing l.ut what h.nl the plain .si appearan-e. The mihlaiy i.'imimed inihesireri, with the exception 1^1 .; leu- olhr,,-, ,„ vvh.nn no plac' of h,„.,.r .„• d,M„n-t..,n wa.s assigned; neither the g.e.t-inm noi .iiher magisn ;,!cs u ei e a<cump;mi.;d wuh an y insiL'iiia ol' ollice ; the clergy had im canonical cosiume, and ihn,- u ,.,•,■ nn innalcs iu the church, except a lew (rather more than twenty in nnmln-i ) who wnc siaiion.d by themselves in a gal- lery opposite the pulpit, ill (puility of singers. A decent onler was the highest eliar- aeteristic that juesenled itself. " The pulpit, or, as It is here called, the desk, was Idled by three, if not four clergy- men ; a number which, by Us foim and dimensions il wa.s able lo accomniodaie \n' these one opened the service will, a prayer, another delivered a .sei mon, a thiid made a concluding prayer, and a louiih pionoimecd a benedietiun. Several hymns weie sung; and among others an oce-a.sional one. The loial number of sin^'cis was be- tween hnly and liliy, .u\TV'''T'\'' 1" ''■'" '''■ .-^"I'lH-ed, r.nehed upon maUeis ui ;.'overnmei,l. When all was hnished, tie procession iclurned to the Slale ilou.se. 'Ihe cleigy uho^^alked were about a hundred in number. '•Ituas in the two bodies of guuids alone, llial any suitable approa<-h nnna-iii/i- cence .li.scoveis it.self The governor was full die.ssed, in a suit of bku k ; b,a the lieutenant g(,veriior wore ruling boots. All, however, was e„,is..iemlv I-lam, and in miison Willi iisell, e.xc-pt thedress swords which weie woin by hi-h"sl,erilis ahni" wuh then village l.abiliineius: and of which ihe la.shu.n and the materials were mai^- VcKuisly diyeisUied, Arrived in front of the Stale House, the militarv formed on eacli side ot the sircet ; and as the governor passed them, presented aim's. The .sev- ei a) parts ol the proce.ssion now sepaiaied ; each retiring lo a dinner prepared for ilselt at an adjoining inn; the governor, lieutenant governor, and assistants to their table, tlie clergy to a second, and the representatives to a llurd. The time of day was about two 111 the afternoon. " f)nly a short lime elapsed before business was resumed ; or railicr, at length com- •aeneed. 1 he General Assembly met in the council i oom, and ihe written votes being cytmined and counted, the names of the public ollicers elecie.l were formally declar- ed, liey \vtn; in every mslaiice the .same as those which had been successful the preceding year, and for several years before. '• ThisdoiKv Ihe lieiiienani governor administered ihe oath to ihe governor elect, who ueingsuorn, luoeeeded to administer their lespeciive oaths to the lieulenant governor .mu ilie lesi; and here terminated the affairs of the election day. Soon after six o clock-, Ihe nuliiary bred thiee /cii.r. dc iiuc.-., and were then dismissed. "On Ihe evening following that of the election dav, there is an annual ball at Hart- lord, called the election ball ; and on ihe succeeding Mondav, a second, whndi is more select. 1 he election day i:, a holiday thiuughoul tlie Stale ; and even ihe whole re- mainder ol the week is regarded in a similar li-hl. Servants and oiheis are now in- demniliedl.-rthe loss of the festivals of Chrism, as, l^asier, and WhitsuniKle which Ihe ))rineiples ol iheir church deny ihem. fVonilies e.\eh;iiige visits, and treat their giiesis vMth slices ol eleclioii cake; and thus preserve some portion of the luxuries 54 M A li T 1- OKI). oftlie forgotten feast of the EpipliJiiy. Tlie uhule itay, like the inornin-!;, and like the evening wliich preceiied it, was line. In Ilaiil'urd, ilie degree of bustle wassutti- cient to give an air of ini|)uitanee to the scene; a scene that taken altugetlier, was nut unlilted to leave on the mind a pleasing and respecllul impression. I'lie follow- ing are the words of the occasumal hymn, wiiieh as 1 have said was sung: " Hail, happy land ! hail, happy Slate! Whose free-bt)rn sons in salciy meet, To bless Ihe Lord Most High! Willi one icin.^ent nuw lei us rui^e The thankful tribute of our prai.>e To hiin who rules the sky ! " The mercies He to us hath shown — The wonders He for us hath done, His sovereign hand proclaim ; Come, and with grateful heai li adore The God who saves us by His power, And bless aloud las name I " Come, let us kneel before His face, Devoutly supplicate His grace. And His higii aid imjdore ; That he, our nalion, state, and land, May sav-e by His Almighty Hand, Till time shall be no more !" EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS. Jfaj/f, '/■(!, MiiijHIh, 17(;G. Last Monday evening the long expected, joyful news of the total rei)eal of the Stamp Act arrived in town; upon which hajipy event, the tieneral i\ssembly of this colony, now sitting here, aiipoinled the Friday lullow ing as a day of general rejoicing. The morning was ushered in by the ringing of bells — the shijiiiing in the river dis- playeil their colors — at I'J o'clock twenty one cannon were dl^cllalged, and the great- est preparations in-ik'ing for a general illumination. Joy smiled in every lace, and universal gladness dillused itself through all lanks and degrees. iJut sudden was the transition from the height of joy to extieine .soriow ! A number of young gentlemen were preparing lire works for the evening, in the chamber of the huge brick school house,* under which a quantity of powtler gianled by the Assembly for the purposes of the day, was dejiusited. Two companies of militia had ju.it received a p(nind a man, by the delivery of which a train was scattcicd lioni the ])owder cask to the di.s- tance of three ruds frwin the luMiNr, wIhtc a number ol boys wure collected, who unde- signedlv and unnoiiml, .^.'i lii i' to the M-aiLinl powder, w I irh was .^ooii cuuiMiunica- l.-d to tlial witlnii (hiois, and in an la-iaiit uduccd the building to a heaji ol lubbish, and buried the lollowing p.iM.ii.s in il,-. ruiiii, vi/. Mr. Levi Jones, John Knowles, (an ap]>reiiiice to Mr. I'hoinas Sloan, blacksmith,) and Richard Lord, second son to Mr. Joiui Hans. Lord, died of their wounds soon after they were taken from under the luiiis of the building. Mr. William Gardiner, merchant, had both his h'g:^ broke. Docl. Nathaniel Ledyard, had one ol his thighs broke. Mr. Samuel Talcotl, Jun. veiy much burnt in his face and arms. Mr. James Siley, goldsmith, had one of his shouideis dislocated and some Inuises in the other parts of his body. Mr. John Cook, Jun. had his back and neck much hurt. Ephiaim Perry, slightly wounded. Thomas Forbes, wounded in his head. Daniel Lluiler, (the tavern keeper's son,) had one of his ankles put oulid'joint. Richard Huniham, son to Mr. Elisha Rurnham, had his thigh, kg and ankle broke. Eh Wadsworih, (Cnpt. Samuel's son,) is much wounded and burnt, in his face, hands, and other parts of his body. John Cunee, Jun. (an apprentice to Mr. Church, hatter,) wounded in the head. Normond Morrison, (a lad that lives witii Capt. Siley,) a good deal burnt and bruised. Roderick Lawrence, (Capt. Lawrence's son,) slightly wounded. William Skinner, (Capt. Daniel's son,) had both his thighs bndce. Timothy Phelps (.son to Mr. Timo- thy Phelps, shop joiner,) had the calf toin oif one of his legs. Valentine Vaughn, (son to Mr. Vaughn, baker,) had his skull terribly broke. Horace Seymour, (Mr. Jonathan Seymour, Jun. son,) two sons of Mr. John Goodwin, a son of Mr. John Walson, and a son of Mr. ivellogg, hatter, were slightly wounded. Tuomulaiio and two negro boys were also wounded. — Cuan. (iuzclle, iMaij 'M, HOG. * This building stood where the Hartford Hotel now stands. n A U T F () R o . 55 ^ , II" rt ford, September 22,1, net]. ' IHKRE are the greatest number of bears comednun iutiong ihe towns iliat ever was known; they destroy great quantities ul' Indian corn, and make great havoc among the sheep and swine. Last Tuesday mcnning a large he bear was discovered m an enclosure opposite the Treasurer's, and being pursued, he took to the main street winch he kept till lie got to tlie lane that turns eastward by the south meetini^ housed (notwiihslaniling his being pelted from every part ot the street, with stones, clubs, &c.j and was folK)wed into the south meadow, where he was shot. The number ol' peo- ple that were out of doors, to see so uncommon an animal in the ti.wn nuid.- it dan- gerous to tire at him in the street. In the evcmiig he was roastetl winile, and a lai-e company supped on him.— iS'tw Loiuhni (la:. Oct. \Oth, 177ti. .Vc. Vsl. , ° ,, „ ^ , II.ir/for,I, June 21, 11G8.