favored the views of Alexander Hamilton, an eminent statesman, who was supposed to incline to a more consolidated government, giving more power to the Execu tive and to Congress, while the Democrats favored the more purely democratic views of Mr. Jefferson. The leading Federalists were also charged with favoring monarchy and the British Government. The unpopularity of some of the measures of Mr. Adams, tended to fill the democratic ranks. Some of the best and purest men in the country, of both parties, suffered abuse from the violence of party rancor.

The party divisions of the present day, although producing licentious abuse in the press, do not so much as the former, encroach upon and interrupt the kindly intercourse of society and the relations of social life.

The following brief table will show how the parties stood here during a portion of the times alluded to :-

The votes continued nearly in the proportions of the latter year, until during the Presidency of Mr. Munroe, party spirit subsided.

In 1808, a memorial of great length was forwarded to Congress asking a suspension or repeal of the Embargo Law. It was in strong and glowing language, evidencing a high degree of excitement and alarm at the existing state of the country, as though every thing was tending to a state worse than the worst despotism; the elements of society rushing to anarchy and chaos, and the bonds which had hitherto held the people together for mutual aid and protection, were about to be broken up and dissolved. This and others may be found on the Second Book of Records of the town.

NEW COUNTY.-The County was divided in 1811,

and this town was finally fixed upon as the shire town, although a majority of the towns were in favor of Cheapside.

MINISTERIAL. In 1813, the town, by a unanimous vote, concurred with the church in inviting Rev. Gamaliel S. Olds, to settle as colleague pastor with Mr. Newton, with a salary of $700. Mr. N. relinquished $100 of his salary. See under title Ecclcsiastical.

1816. MEETING House.—A committee which had been chosen the previous year, from the different school districts, to fix upon a place for building a new meeting house, reported in February, that they were unable to agree by a majority, upon any place. Upon a motion made to repair the old one, the town was equally divided. A vote was then passed to choose a committee from without the County to fix upon a place. Ezra Starkweather, Ebenezer Mattoon, Samuel Porter, all of Hampshire County, were chosen.

"some

The committee met and having taken a view of the town, made a report dated in May, fixing upon part of one acre of ground" next north of the house of Elijah, Alvord, Esq. as the place where the new meeting house ought to be erected. A subscription was made by several individuals, amounting to $3,150, whereby the subscribers thereto agreed that if the town will accept the report, to pay that sum for the support of the ministry.

At a meeting held June 12, a motion was made to accept the report on condition that the signers of the subscription shall secure the payment of the sum subscribed, which was negatived, 82 to 46. A motion to build a new meeting house was also negatived.

At a meeting held in October, a vote was obtained declaring the proper place on which to erect a new meeting house, to be between the house of Samuel Newton and Robert Nash, (now of D. Long, senior) in Silver street, a large minority dissenting.

That part of the society residing in the village, commenced forming a new society or Poll parish, and peti tioned for an act of incorporation in June; signed by Samuel Wells and 50 others, which was granted.

Under these circumstances a meeting was held to see if the people would "concur with Mr. Olds, in submitting to a council, whether it is expedient, under all existing circumstances to dissolve his pastoral relation to the church and people." They concurred in this and a council was called for the purpose, of this council, held Oct. 30, Rev. John Emerson of Conway, was the moderator, and Rev. J. W. Canning of Gill, Scribe.

The council say :-" On inquiring it appears that this question of expediency arose from an appointment received by Mr. O. to an important professorship in Middlebury College, Vt. on the one hand, and the peculiar state of the church and society in G. on the other, and that it appears from the records of the town book and other documents, that fruitless attempts have been made by the society to unite either in repairing the present meeting house where it now stands, or in assigning some other place for erecting a new one; that a portion of the society have already obtained an order of notice from the Legislature for erecting themselves into a poll parish and the remaining portion have in view to petition to be incorporated into a separate town, and have actually obtained the consent of the town therefor," &c. &c. The result was a vote that the connection between the pastor and the society be dissolved. This took place accordingly.

DIVISION.-The same month in which the council was held, and a little previous, a town meeting was held to see if the town would consent to approbate the setting

* The society comprehended the whole town, or nearly so, excepting the Episcopal Parish, then but recently formed.

off of all the north, and west, and east parts of the town, as far south as certain lands owned by people residing in the village and lying directly north of it, so that a line drawn from the south line of the town near Russell & Co's. cutlery works, by the road as it runs through the village to the south line of the new town, would, in places, not have been a mile long. The territory included every inhabitant in the town, not living in the village.This would have been a real Gerrymander-a stately corporation—a smart little town.

The town voted that they give their consent that the territory mentioned, together with its inhabitants, be set off and incorporated by the name of Green Meadow.

A petition was sent to the Legislature signed by Moses Arms and over one hundred others for an act of incorporation, which failed of being granted.

The summer of this year is distinguished in the annals of New England, as the COLD SUMMER. There was a frost every month ;-few fields of corn ripened; -this was the golden age of small bills, shin plasters, so called, some of which were as small as one sixteenth of a dollar. All the small change had been picked up on a miserably small speculation,' which an honorable would despise. He would as soon be caught cheating at playing pin, as in this small trade. The winter of 1819, was very remarkable. were ploughed in January; flies and grasshoppers were seen abroad; and every thing had the appearance of spring.

man

Lands

The summer of 1820, is memorable as being remarkably dry. In May, from the 11th, it rained for twenty successive days, with scarce the intermission of a day. June, July and August were remarkably dry months, and a great drowth prevailed through the country. The grasshoppers became a burthen, devouring the fruits of the earth, eating even the standing corn. In several of the hill towns, it became necessary to feed cattle with . hay to preserve them alive.

CHAPTER VII.

Ecclesiastical History.

"In the first settlement of New England, when the people judged their number competent to maintain a minister, they then surely seated themselves, and not before; it being as unnatural for a right New England man to live without an able ministry, as for a smith to work his iron without fire."-JOHNSON.

For the little that is to be known of the early days of the church in this town, we are indebted to tradition and scanty gleanings from the town records. Previous to the incorporation of the town, in one instance, perhaps in more, a small sum had been voted by the parent town, to the Green river people, as they were called, which they had liberty to apply to the "support of preaching or for a school." What the number of inhabitants was, at the time of the passing this vote, we have no means of ascertaining, known to us, yet it must have been small, since, in 1763, ten years after incorporation, the town, including Gill, contained but three hundred and sixtyeight. But, as appears by the records, they immediately set themselves in good earnest about the work of settling a minister.

In two months after their incorporation, and at their second meeting, Aug. 7, 1753, the following vote was passed :

"Voted that the 16th day of this instant be set apart and kept by us as a day of prayer and fasting and yt the Rev. Jonathan Ashley of Deerfield, Joseph Ashley of Sunderland, Mr. Abercrombie of Pelham, be invited to assist us in the work of the day, and give their advice for some meet person to settle in the work of the ministry among us."