love knowledge, I hope you did not feel disposed to complain of the number of questions. If, however, you find the questions at the end of any letter, so many or so hard, that you cannot conveniently answer them all at one lesson, you may answer a part of them, and leave the rest for another time. In this letter I shall tell you some other things relating to the counties, which I wish you to remember. The Commonwealth is divided into counties for convenience in holding courts. In every county there is at least one town, called the shire town, having a jail, a houseof-correction, and a court-house. A jail is a strong building, having a number of small rooms, in which persons who are supposed to be very wicked are confined. If a person is accused of some great crime against the law of the Commonwealth, then he is taken and locked up in jail. He is kept there till the judge comes to try him; that is, comes to see whether he is guilty or not. The judge goes to the court-house, and other persons go with him, and he holds what is called a court. Then the person locked up in jail is taken out, and brought to the court-house to be tried. If he is found to be guilty of the crime of which he is accused, then he is condemned to

be punished. The most common punishment is to be sent to the state-prison for a longer or shorter period, according to the nature of the crime of which a person is found guilty. Persons found guilty of murder, and of some other crimes, are hanged.

The house-of-correction is for idle, drunken, quarrelsome, and disorderly persons. Such persons are taken to the house-of-correction, and made to work. They are guarded in the day time, and at night they are confined. Naughty boys, who throw stones, break windows, fight, steal, or do other mischief, are sometimes carried to the house-of-correction. If you should ever conduct yourself in such a manner as to be taken and carried away and locked up in the house-of-correction, you would make all your friends very unhappy, and beside this, you would be very unhappy yourself. You would offend God, and expose yourself to punishment here and hereafter. My prayer is, that you may always remember and believe, that there is no real happiness in being wicked; that you may always remember and God is angry with the wicked

believe, that

every day.'

What is the town called, in which the jail is?

What is the house-of-correction for?

When a person is found guilty, how is he punished?

LETTER VII.

You have already learned, that Massachusetts is divided into fourteen counties; and I suppose by studying the map, you have obtained a pretty good knowledge of the situation of each of them. I shall now go on to tell you a great many things about the towns; and I have no doubt you will be pleased with what I shall say.

Towns which are so situated that vessels can sail to and from them, are called sea-port towns. There is a considerable number of such towns in Massachusetts. The people who live in the sea-port towns, are employed in a great variety of business; but the most important business is connected with the sea. Many persons in these towns own vessels, and are engaged in loading them with various articles for the purpose of sending them to sea. The men who go in the vessels are called sailors, and the person who has the particular care of any vessel, is called the master, or captain. Vessels are sent to sea with their cargoes, or loads, in order that they may sail over the wide ocean, to distant parts of the world. They have sails made of strong,

coarse cloth; and the wind blows them across the water. They are sent to a great many different countries. Their cargoes are sold, and the price laid out for other things to bring home. Among the articles brought from distant countries in vessels, are sugar, tea, coffee, wine, molasses; silk, fine linen, cotton and woollen cloths, calicoes; hemp, iron, crockery ware, knives and forks, penknives, pins, needles; cinnamon, alspice, cloves, pepper, and a great many other things. Pepper is brought from a large island, ten thousand miles off. Tea and china ware are brought from a distance equally great. Many kinds of fruit are likewise brought from distant countries in vessels; such as lemons, oranges, figs, raisins, and pineapples. These fruits all grow in countries where the so cold as in Massachusetts.

winter is not

But then we

have apples, pears, peaches, and plums, which do not grow where lemons and oranges are found.

The vessels that sail on the ocean are of various sizes and kinds. Some have three masts, and are called ships; others have two masts, and are called brigs. But a great many vessels with two masts masts are called schooners. Vessels with one mast are called

sloops. Beside these vessels, there is another very curious kind of vessel, which is carried along through the water, by means of wheels set in motion by steam. This vessel is called a steamboat.

When the weather is fine, and the water smooth, it is delightful to stand upon the seashore, and see the vessels sailing by. But the weather is not always fine, nor is the sea always smooth. Sometimes the wind blows very hard, and the waves roll as high as the tallest tree. Sometimes the wind splits the