THOUGH it is not the purpose of this work to enter minutely into the history of the territory of which it treats, it still becomes necessary to invite the gentle reader among the cobwebs of time, and to retrace with him some of the half-hidden paths that lead back down the misty vale, of centuries, to the days when the grand old Green Mountains towered above an unexplored wilderness, to the time when the majestic forests of the present proud State of Vermont echoed only the voices of nature, when its beauty-teeming lakes and charming streams reflected from their bosoms only the bark canoe of the wily savage. Enroute we purpose to enquire into the causes that brought the great commonwealth into existence, and to briefly notice its progress from the first settlement of its territory by civilized people, to the time of its admission as a member of the Federal Union. Two of its fourteen grand divisions we purpose to more particularly notice, viz.: Lamoille and Orleans counties. Here we shall endeavor to trace in outline the lives of a few of their hardy pioneers, enquire into their early proceedings, trace the erection of each one of the townships therein, and to hand down to future generations the name and occupation of each of their present residents. 

  It has been aptly said, that “that country is the happiest which furnishes fewest materials for history;” yet, if rightly considered, the duty of the historian will be found not limited to the narration of the dramatic events of war, but equally applicable to the arts of peace, and that the true heroes of man-kind are those who have manfully encountered and overcome the difficulties which might have hindered them from arriving at honorable ends by honest means. Viewed in this light, the pioneer who has subdued the wilderness of nature, and surrounded his home with the luxuries of a well-directed husbandry, is socially far above the victorious warrior, and his toils, privations and successes are more worthy of record. Still, to those who dwell with interest on the recital of scenes of blood, this district is classic. Tradition relates that in ancient times it was the scene of long and bloody wars between its savage possessors, who fought for the supremacy of its soil, and doubtless many a stealthy march and midnight massacre, had they but had their historian, would now thrill the blood of the reader. But we have to leave this period of the buried past, through which the stream of time has coursed its way, without leaving more to mark its path than the scattered relics and obscure traces, which tell nothing, but that something was, and is not, to approach the period of authentic history; and even here we find many links wanting in the claim of events, which might have enabled us to trace the progress of the discovery, and the settlement and the changes of dominion, which our country has undergone. 

      There are good reasons for believing that the first civilized people who visited New England were a colony of Norwegians, or Northmen, who emigrated thither, according to the original Icelandic accounts of their voyages of discovery, as follows:—
 

“In the spring of A. D., 986, Eric the Red, so named from the fact of his having red hair, emigrated from Iceland to Greenland, and formed a settlement there. In 994, Biarne, the son of Heriulf Bardson, one of the settlers who accompanied Eric, returned to Norway, and gave an account of discoveries he had made to the south of Greenland. On his return to Greenland, Leif, the son of Eric, bought Biarne's ship, and, with a crew of thirty- five men, embarked on a voyage of discovery, A. D., 1000. After sailing sometime to the southwest, they fell in with a country covered with slaty rock, and destitute of good qualities, and which, therefore, they called Hellu- land (Slateland). They then continued southerly until they found a low, flat coast, with white sand cliffs, and immediately back, covered with wood, whence the called the country Markland (Woodland). From here they sailed south and west, until they arrived at a promontory, which stretched to the east and north, and sailing round it turned to the west, and sailing to the westward, passed between an island and the main land, and entering a bay, through which flowed a river, they concluded to winter there. Having landed, they built a house to winter there, and called the place Leifsbuthir (Leifs booths). Soon after this they discovered an abundance of vines, whence they named the country Vinland, or Wineland, which corresponds with the present country at the head of Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island.”

      Other discoverers and navigators followed this expedition, attempts at colonization were made, and the country was explored, in some localities, quite a distance back from the coast, but dissension’s among themselves, and wars with the savages, at length put an end to these rude attempts at civilization, and except a few records, such as the above, and a "rune stone" found here and there throughout the territory, marking a point of discovery, or perhaps, the grave of some unhappy Northman, the history of these explorations are wrapt in oblivion. Even the colonies that had been established in Greenland were at length abandoned, and the site upon which they flourished, became, for many years, forgotten. Finally, however, the fifteenth century was ushered in, marking an era of great changes in Europe. It put an end to the darkness of the middle ages; it witnessed the revival of learning and science, and the birth of many useful arts, among which not the least was printing. The invention of the mariner's compass in the preceding century having enabled sailors to go out of sight of land with impunity, a thirst for exploring unknown seas was awakened. Long voyages were undertaken, and important discoveries made. 

    It was during this age of mental activity and growing knowledge, that Christopher Columbus undertook the most memorable enterprise that human genius ever planned, or human skill and courage ever performed. On the third of August, 1492, a little before sunrise, he set sail from Spain for the discovery of the western world. A little before midnight, on the thirteenth of October, he descried a light on the island of San Salvador. From this moment properly dates the complete history of America. From this time forward its progress bears date from a definite period, and is not shrouded in darkness, nor the mists of tradition. 

      Two years after the discoveries of Columbus became known in England, Henry VII engaged John Cabot, a Venetian merchant, to sail in quest of discoveries in the west, and this navigator, in 1497, reached the coast of Labrador, which he named Prima-vista, thus making, probably, the first visit of Europeans to this coast since the days of the Norsemen. This voyage was succeeded by others under Sebastian Cabot, son of John, in 1498; and by Gasper Cortereal, from Portugal, to whom the discovery of the St. Lawrence some authorities claim is due. This adventurer returned to Lisbon in the month of October of that year, laden with timber and slaves, seized from among the natives of the coasts he had visited. On a second voyage he perished at sea. In 1504, the French first attempted a voyage to the New World; and in that year some Basque and Breton fishermen began to ply their calling on the banks of Newfoundland, and along its adjacent coasts. From these the island of Cape Breton derived its name. In 1525, Stefano Gomez sailed from Spain, and is supposed to have entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to have traded upon its shores. A Castilian tradition relates that finding neither gold nor silver upon the coasts, nor anything which conveyed to these sordid adventurers an idea of mines of wealth of any kind, they frequently exclaimed " aca-nada," signifying "here is nothing" and that the natives caught up the sound which was repeated by them when other Europeans arrived, and thus gave origin to the designation of Canada. 

      In 1534, Francis I., king of France, listening to the urgent advice of Philip Chabot, admiral of France, who portrayed to him in glowing colors the riches and growing power of Spain, derived from her Trans-Atlantic colonies, despatched Jacques Cartier, an able navigator of St. Malo, who sailed April 20, 1534, with two ships of only sixty tons each, and a hundred and twenty men, reaching Newfoundland in May. After coasting along for some time, without knowing that it was an island, he at length passed the straits of Belleisle, and traversed the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Having spent part of the summer on these coasts, he sailed on the 25th of July, highly pleased with the hospitable reception he had received from the natives, with whom he traded for furs and provisions. His report induced the French king to attempt a colony in the newly discovered regions; and in May, 1535, Cartier again sailed with three small ships, with a numerous company of adventurers, and arrived on the coasts of Newfoundland much scattered and weakened by a disastrous storm of July 26th. Here they took in wood and water, and proceeded to explore the gulf, but were overtaken, August 1st, by a storm which obliged them to seek a port, difficult of access, but with a safe anchorage, near the mouth of the "Great river." They left this harbor on the 7th, and on the l0th came to a gulf filled with numerous islands. Cartier gave to this gulf the name of St. Lawrence, having discovered it on that saint's festival Jay. Proceeding on his voyage, he explored both shores of the St. Lawrence. Pleased with the friendly disposition of the natives and the comfortable prospects for a winter's sojourn, Cartier moored his vessels where a little river flowed into a "goodly and pleasant sound," which stream he named the St. Croix, near the Indian village of Stadacona, the site of the present city of Quebec. Subsequently, October 2d, he ascended the river to a populous Indian village called Hochelaga, upon the site of which the city of Montreal now stands. Here, Donnacona, an Algonquin chief, conducted Cartier to the summit of a mountain situated about two miles from the village, and to which he gave the name of Mount Royal, or Montreal, and showed him, "in that bright October sun," the country for many miles south and east, and told him of great rivers and inland seas, and of smaller rivers and lakes penetrating a beautiful territory belonging to the warlike Iroquois. This beautiful country, which the chief called Iroquoisia, included the present State of Vermont. Thus, to Jacques Cartier, a French navigator and explorer, is due the honor of having been the first European to gaze upon the Green Mountains of Vermont. 

      In May, Cartier returned to France, taking with him the Indian chief, Donnacona, and two other prominent natives of the village, as prisoners; and they, who had treated him with such uniform kindness, died in a strange land, exiles from their homes and friends. 

      During each succeeding year, for some time after, expeditions were sent out to the newly discovered river, but misfortune attended them all, and no efficient attempt at colonizing the country was made until 1608, when DeMonts, a Calvinist, who had obtained from the King the freedom of religious faith for himself and followers in America, but under the engagement that the Catholic worship should be established among the natives, after several perilous voyages, and much opposition, despatched Champlain and Pontgrave, two experienced adventurers, to establish the fur trade and begin a settlement. Samuel Champlain reached Quebec, where Cartier had spent the winter nearly three-quarters of a century before, on the 3d of July. On the 18th of the following April, 1609, in company with two other Frenchmen, and a number of the natives, he started up the St. Lawrence, and, after a time, turned southward up a tributary, and soon entered the lake which perpetuates his name. 

      Thus entered the first European upon the territory now included within the limits of Vermont, unless, perhaps, we accept the testimony of the curious document found a few years since, on the banks of the Missisquoi river in Swanton, as fo11ows; In December, 1853, as Messrs. Orlando Green and P. R. Ripley were engaged in excavating sand on the left bank of the Missisquoi, near the vi11age of Swanton, they discovered a lead tube about five inches long, and an inch and a half in diameter, embedded in the earth. Enclosed within this tube was found a manuscript, of which the fo11owing is an exact copy:–

      This document had every appearance of being genuine, and nothing has occurred since to point in an opposite direction. It certainly does not seem improbable that a party of sailors should wander away from their ship, or for some cause be left behind, and that they should then become lost and finally die in the forest; and it is also very natural that a sailor should leave some record to tell of his fate. But be that as it may, there is, of course, no positive evidence that the manuscript is genuine. 

      The early explorations and discoveries we have mentioned, led to much litigation and controversy on the part of the several European countries under whose auspices they had been conducted. The English, on the ground of the discoveries by the Cabots, claimed the territory from Labrador to Florida, to which they gave the name Virginia; but their explorations were confined principally to the coast between Maine and Abermarle Sound. The French confined their explorations principally to the country bordering on the St. Lawrence and its tributaries, which they named New France, while the Dutch, by virtue of the discoveries of Henry Hudson, afterwards laid claim to the country between Cape Cod and the Delaware river, which they called New Netherlands. 

      Attempts at colonization were made by England during the reign of Elizabeth, but they proved abortive, and it was not until the Tudor dynasty had passed away, and several years of the reign of James I., the first of the Stuarts, had elapsed, before the Anglo-Saxon gained any permanent foothold. Stimulated by the spirit of rivalry with France, England pushed her explora- tions and discoveries, while France, from her first colony on the St. Lawrence, had explored the vast region from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and established among the savages missions and trading posts, first in Canada, then in the West, and fina11y in New York and Vermont. 

      But the rivalries and jealousies that had made France and England so long enemies in the Old World, were transplanted to the New Continent. The French made allies of the savages and waged war against the English, and years of bloodshed followed. The first of these hostilities, which are now known as the Old French Wars, began with William's accession to the throne of England, in 1690, and was terminated in the peace of Ryswic, in 1697. Queen Anne's war, so called, came next, commencing in 1702, and terminating in the peace of Utrecht, in 1713. The third controversy was declared by George II, in 1744, and continued until the preliminaries of peace were signed at Aux-la-Chapelle, in 1748. The last conflict was formally declared by Great Britain, in 1756, and terminated by the capture of Montreal, in September, 1760, when the whole of New France was surrendered to Great Britain. 

      During the progress of these wars, the territory of Vermont was often crossed by portions of both armies, and a few settlements sprang up. The first of these was in 1665, on Isle LaMotte, where a fort was erected by Captain De LaMotte, under command of M. De Tracy, governor of New France. In 1690, Captain De Narm, with a party from Albany, N. Y., established an outpost in the present town of Addison, at Chimney Point, where he erected a small stone fort. The first permanent settlement, however, was made at Brattleboro, in 1724, when Fort Dummer was built. For six or seven years the garrison of this fort were the only white inhabitants. In 1730, the French built a fort at Chimney Point, and a considerable population settled in the vicinity. In 1739, a few persons settled in Westminster, and about the same time a small French settlement was begun at Alburgh, on what is now called Windmill Point, but was soon abandoned. The colony at Westminster increased but slowly, and in 1754, the whole population, alarmed by the Indian attack upon Charleston, N. H., deserted their homes. Forts were erected, and small settlements were commenced in several other places, but fear of the Indians prevented any large emigration till after the last French war, when, the Province of Canada being then ceded to Great Britain, the fear of hostile incursions subsided, and the population rapidly increased. 

      During this period of rapine, the early settlers of Vermont, few though they were, were constantly exposed to the depredations of the savages, for the frontiers of both New England and Canada were one continued scene of massacre and devastation. The most memorable of these massacres was the sacking of Deerfield, Mass., in 1704. A party of about 300 of the enemy under De Rauville, set out from Canada, against this ill-fated place, in the dead of winter. They proceeded up Lake Champlain  to the mouth of the Winooski river, and following up that stream, they passed over to the Connecticut river. Proceeding down the river on the ice, they arrived in the vicinity of Deerfield on the 29th of February. Here they concea1ed themselves till the latter part of the night, when, perceiving that the watch had left the streets, and that all was quiet, they rushed forward to the attack. The snow was so high as to enable them to leap over the fortifications without difficulty, and they immediately separated into several parties so as to make their attack upon every house at the same time. The place was completely surprised, the inhabitants having no suspicion of the approach of the enemy till they entered their houses. Yet surprised and unprepared as they were, the people of Deerfield made a vigorous defense; but were at length over come by the enemy. Forty-seven of the inhabitants were slain, the rest captured, and the village plundered and set on fire. 

      The old bell captured at this time and carried by the savages to the vicinity of Burlington, there buried in the sand, and at last carried into Canada, is an historical fact known to almost all school children. To show something of the character of the savages at that time, and partly on account of its weird fascination, we print the following interesting legend, found some years since in an old English publication:- 

      During these wars, also, grants of land lying within the present limits of the State had been made by the Dutch, at Albany, by the French, and by the colonies of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, and each claimed jurisdiction over them. All of these claims, except that of New York, however, were relinquished without much controversy, of which more will be spoken on another page. But at the sessation of hostilities the lands were sought so eagerly by adventurers, speculators, and settlers, that in a single year subsequent to 1760, Gov. Wentworth, of New Hampshire, granted in the name of King George III, not less than sixty townships of six miles square, and two years later the number of such grants amounted to 138. The territory now began to be known by the name of the "New Hampshire Grants," and the number of actual settlers soon became quite large. The affairs of these settlers were managed by committees in the several towns, who met in general convention, when occasion required, to provide for their common defense and welfare. The decrees of these conventions were regarded as law, and violations of them were punished with extreme severity. While the Revolutionary war was in progress, the land title controversy was suspended, and all efforts were directed toward the common enemy. But soon after the war broke out it became apparent that the settlers of the Grants needed some better organization than was possible by means of committees and conventions. Accordingly, in 1776, a convention was held at Dorset, and an address was prepared, declaring the unwillingness of settlers to be regarded as subjects of New York. This was not favorably received by Congress, whereupon the more resolute of the people determined to assume the powers of an independent State, and risk the consequences. Another convention was held at Dorset, in June, and met again by adjournment in September, when such measures were taken, that at a convention held in Westminster it was decided, on the 16th of January, 1777, that the following declaration should be adopted:— 
 

"This convention, whose members are duly chosen by the free voice of their constituents, in the several towns, on the New Hampshire Grants, in public meeting assembled, in our names, and in behalf of our constituents, do hereby proclaim and publicly declare, that the district of territory comprehending and usually known by the name and description of the New Hampshire Grants, of right ought to be, and is hereby declared forever hereafter to be considered, as a free and independent jurisdiction or State, by the name and forever hereafter to be called, known and distinguished by the name of New Connecticut, alias Vermont: and that the inhabitants that at present are or may hereafter become resident, by procreation or emigration, within said territory, shall be entitled to the same privileges, immunities, and enfranchisements, as are allowed; and on such condition, and in the same manner, as the present inhabitants, in future, shall or may enjoy; which are, and forever shall be considered to be such privileges and immunities to the free citizens and denizens, as are, or, at any time hereafter, may be allowed, to any such inhabitants, or any of the free and independent States of America: and that such privileges and immunities shall be regulated in a bill of rights and by a form of government, to be established at the next adjourned session of this convention."

      This independence Vermont pursued, asking no favors, enjoying no benefits of the Union, and sharing none of her burdens, until March 4, 1791, when she was admitted as one of the Federal States, with the full rights and immunities belonging thereto. Thus the State exists today -- so may it always exist. 

      The territory whose history we have thus attempted to briefly outline, is situated in the northwestern corner of New England, and lies between 42° 44', and 45° of north latitude, and between 3° 35', and 5° 29' east longitude, reckoning from Washington, the most eastern extremity being in the town of Canaan, and the most western in the town of Addison. Its length, from north to south, is 157 1/2 miles, and the average width from east to west, 57 1/2 miles, thus giving an area of 9,056 1/4 square miles, or 5,795,960 acres. 

      The constitution of the State was adopted July 2, 1777, and has remained without very material alterations, the chief being the substitution of a senate of thirty members, apportioned to the several counties according to population, and chosen by a plurality of the freemen of the several counties, in lieu of a council of twelve members chosen by a plurality of the votes of the State at large; and in 1870, a change from annual to biennial State elections and meetings of the legislature. The frame of government now provides for: 1st. The executive, the chief officers of which are governor, lieutenant-governor, and treasurer, all of whom are elected biennially, by the freemen of the State. 2d. A senate of thirty members, elected as before mentioned. 3d. A house of representatives, consisting of one member from each organized town, elected by the freemen thereof. 4th. A judiciary, the officers of which are all elective, the judges of the supreme court, (who are also chancellors,} by the senate and the house of representatives, in joint assembly; the assistant judges of county courts, (a judge of the supreme court presides in each county court,) judges of the probate courts, sheriffs, State's attorneys, and high bailiffs, by the freemen of the respective counties; and justices of the peace by the freemen of the several towns. The State election is held in September, biennally, and a majority of all the votes cast is required to elect every officer, except senators and other county officers, including in the latter justice of the peace elected by the several towns; but in March, the freemen of each town meet for the transaction of the public business of the town and the election of all town officers. Every term of town officers is limited to one year, or until others are elected, and all town elections are therefore annual. The governor's power of appointment is very limited, embracing, ordinarially, his secretary and military staff only; but he has power to fill any office created by law, where the appointment is not fixed by the constitution or a statute, a case which has rarely occurred; and also to fill any vacancy occurring by death or otherwise, until the office can be filled in the manner required by constitution or laws. By recent statutes, the governor may nominate, subject to approval by the senate, various officers. The heads of the various State bureaus, (except the treasurer) and generals of divisions and brigades, are elected by the senate and house in joint assembly, --  the former officers biennially, and generals when vacancies occur. The general assembly meets in the even years, on the first Wednesday in October. 

      The first officers in 1778, were as follows: Thomas CHITTENDEN, governor; Joseph MARSH, lieutenant-governor; Ira ALLEN, treasurer; T. CHANDLER, secretary of State; Nathan CLARK, speaker; and Benjamin BALDWIN, clerk. 

      Lamoille county, as now constituted, once formed a part of the original counties of Albany, Charlotte, Bennington, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Orleans, and Washington. The old Dutch county of Albany, with Albany, N. Y., as its capitol, extended north to the Province line. During the controversy between New York and the New Hampshire grantees, numerous writs of ejectment, executions, and other legal processes were issued out of, and made returnable to the courts at Albany, and were served, or at least were attempted to be served, by the sheriffs of that place. On March 12, 1772, New York, in order " that offenders may be brought to justice, and creditors may recover their just dues,"proceeded to set off from Albany, and erect a new county, called Charlotte, on the western side of the mountains. Skeensboro, now Whitehall, N. Y., was made the shire town, and Philip SKEENE appointed chief judge of the court of common pleas. After the organization .of the State, however, on February 11,1779, Vermont was divided into two counties, the Green Mountains forming the dividing line, the portion on the east being called Cumberland, and that on the west Bennington county. Each county was divided into two shires, that on the east into Westminster and Newbury, and Bennington and Rutland, on the west. This division remained till the extra session of the legislature, in 1 February, 1781, when the county of Rutland was incorporated from Bennington, and Windsor and Orange counties were incorporated from Cumberland, and the name of Cumberland altered to Windham. Rutland county in turn extended through to the northern line of the State, for a period of four years, eight months, and five days, during which time courts were held at Tinmouth. The State then, on October 18, 1185, dismembered the old county, incorporating from it a new one, called Addison, and made the towns of Addison and Colchester half shires. Chittenden county was then in turn set off from Addison, October 22, 1787, and November 5, 1792, Franklin and Orleans counties were incorporated. In 1834, Nathan SMILIE, Isaac GRISWOLD, Nathaniel READ, John FASSETT, R. READ, Joseph WATERMAN, Thomas WATERMAN, Joshua SAWYER, W. P. SAWYER, Almon TINKER, Joseph SEARS, Thomas TAYLOR, P. G. CAMP, and others, petitioned the legislature for a new county, and the bill passed the house, but was laid over in the council. The next year, however, it passed both branches of the legislature, and Lamoille county was incorporated October 26, 1835. It then embraced twelve towns: Eden, Hyde Park, Morristown, and Wolcott, from Orleans county; Belvidere, Cambridge, Johnson, Sterling, and Waterville, from Franklin county; Elmore and Stowe, from Washington county; and Mansfield, from Chittenden county. In 1848, Mansfield was annexed to Stowe, and in 1855, Sterling was divided between Johnson, Morristown, and Stowe, leaving the county with but ten towns.

      Lamoille county, next to Grand Isle the smallest in the State, lies north of the central part of the same, between latitude 44° 24', and 44°46', and longitude 4° 7', and 4" 34', bounded north by Franklin and Orleans counties, east by portions of Orange, Caledonia, and Washington counties, south by Washington county. and west by Franklin and Chittenden counties. Its extent from north to south is about 27 miles, and nearly the same from east to west, thus giving it an area of about 420 square miles, or 268,800 acres, which contains a population of 12,684. 

      In surface it is varied by all the charms of nature, from towering cloud-capped mountains to the sylvan dales and silvery lakelets that adorn its nestling valleys. Turn which way you will, the lover of the beautiful in nature cannot fail to meet with that which will both charm and captive the senses. Upon the north and west rise Mansfield, Sterling, and White-face mountains in their splendor. Upon the south and east are Hogback and Elmore mountains, while between them extend broad intervales of excellent farming land. 

      Mount Mansfield, consisting of three distinct peaks, lies in the southern part of Cambridge, extending also into the towns of Underhill and Stowe. Its summit, 4,389 feet above tide water, is the highest point of land in the State. The name Mansfield is derived from the contour resemblance of the mountain to the face of a human being, the three peaks being designated as the Chin, the Nose, and the Lips. The Chin furnishes one of the grandest and most extensive views in New England. Standing upon its summit in a clear day, the observer looks down upon the country extending from the base of the mountain to Lake Champlain as he would upon a map, and beholds in the outspread panorama an agreeable diversity of hills and villages, forests and cultivated fields, villages and streams of water. Further along in the picture may be seen Lake Champlain, which at intervals is observed, far to the north and south, peering out in the blue distance like inlaid masses of highly polished silver, to give light and beauty to the scene. The valley of the lake may be traced its entire length, beyond which arise the majestic and picturesque Adirondacks, which give a romantic beauty to the background of the picture, and terminate the vision in that direction by their numerous pointed summits. Turning to the east, the wavy line of the horizon is broken by the sharp outlines of the White Mountains, which rise up in the dim distance sixty miles off, and form a marked feature in the landscape, while the intervening space is filled with innumerable summits of hills and mountains, with deep extended valleys, showing the location and courses of the Connecticut, Winooski and Lamoille, and their numerous tributaries. To the north can be seen the wide-spread valley of the St. Lawrence, and by the aid of a glass in a clear day steamers may be seen gliding upon its waters. The well-known figure of Montreal mountain, from which Cartier first looked upon the mountains of Vermont, rises in the hazy distance. 

      Sterling Mountain is about four miles northeast from the chin, in the township of Morristown. Its altitude is a little less than 4,000 feet, and were it not for the proximity of Mansfield, would doubtless be regarded as one of the favorite resorts for “sight-seeing;" for the same enchanting glories are visible from this peak that meet the eye on Mansfield. Between these two mountains a deep gorge intervenes, known as Smuggler's Notch, through which, in the early settlement, a bridle road was kept open, and tradition says contraband goods were secreted in and found their way through it; but latterly no one disturbs its solitude, except those seeking an exhibition of nature in her wildest and most romantic haunts. 

      The country is well watered by numerous ponds and rivers. The Lamoille river forms the principal water-course. It enters in the southeastern part of Wolcott, and receives two streams from Eden -- Wild branch and Green river; thence it flows through Morristown, and receives three other streams from the south; and the Gihon, from Eden, empties into the Lamoille, in Johnson, and at Cambridge, Waterville branch on the north, and Brewster river and Seymour branch on the south. It leaves the county in Cambridge, entering Franklin county. In Johnson and Hyde Park are some large intervales, and the stream moves slowly; in Morristown and Wolcott the meadows are small and the stream is swifter. In Johnson there are two falls in the river. Cady's and Safford falls in Morristown are fine water-powers, and there are many small branches that afford good mill-privileges. Waterbury river and its branches water Stowe, and there leaves the county. Ponds are very numerous. Among the most interesting are Bear Head and Lake of the Clouds, on Mt. Mansfield; Sterling, one mile in length by half a mile in width; Elmore, which lies in Elmore, one mile or more in length—on one side a neat village, and on the other a craggy mountain; in Belvidere, at the base of Belvidere mountain, a pond a mile and a half in length, and one small pond in the western part of Waterville. In Hyde Park there are twelve ponds, and in Eden there are twenty, large and small. 

GEOLOGICAL

      Nearly the whole county overlies a bed of rocks of the talcose schist formation. In the western part this bed is cut by a range of gneiss which has an average width of about five miles and extends the whole length of the county. In the eastern part there extends a parallel vein of clay slate, bearing a mean width of about one mile. Soapstone is found in Waterville, Johnson, and near Sterling pond. In Wolcott there is an inexhaustible whetstone ledge. Wolcott and Elmore have a large copper-bed which will be, some day, a great place for mining. Ochre is found in Hyde Park and Cambridge, and near Sterling pond. Lead is also said to have been discovered by the Indians in Belvidere. Veins of gold and silver have also been discovered, but not in quantities sufficient to warrant remunerative working. 

STAPLE PRODUCTIONS

      Most of the county is an uncommonly fine farming territory, with a soil varying from clay and gravel to the finest alluvial deposits, and well adapted to grazing purposes and the manufacture of butter and cheese. Considerable attention is also given to raising fine bred horses and cattle. As the soil, etc, will be found more particularly mentioned in connection with the several town sketches, we will, at this point, only give some idea of the extent of the products by the following statistics, taken from the census reports of 1870. During that year there were 106,638 acres of improved land in the county, while the farms were valued at $5,675,180.00 and produced 18,257 bushels of wheat, 2,740 bushels of rye, 61,836 bushels of Indian corn, 168,103 bushels of oats, 2,777 bushels of barley, 20,224 bushels of buckwheat, and 333,185 bushels of potatoes. There were also 2,703 horses, 8,886 milk cows, 1,375 working oxen, 9,377 sheep, and 2,480 hogs. From the milk of the cows was manufactured 984,378 pounds of butter, and 39,199 pounds of cheese, while the sheep yielded 50,022 pounds of wool. 

      An Agricultural Society was organized at an early date, and has been continued in various forms since, though it has nearly dwindled out several times. In 1872, it was reorganized as the Lamoille Valley Fair Ground Company, with R. R. WAITE, of Stowe, president; Alger JONES, of Wolcott, treasurer; and A. A. NILES, of Morrisville, clerk. The fair ground is situated in Morristown, and is one of the best located and finest arranged in the State. The present officers of the society are as follows: Ron. George W, HENDEE, of Morrisville, president; W. S. POND, of Eden, vice-president ; R. D. W; DOTY, of Hyde Park, treasurer; and A. A. NILES, of Morrisville, clerk. 

      The first manufacturing in the county was purely domestic. It was in the early days when the beautiful spring weather always found the men busy at the "break and swingle-board," and within doors the busy hum of hetcheling, carding, and spinning, was constantly heard. The early settlers were obliged to raise their flax and manufacture their own wearing apparel, for it must be remembered it then required sixty-four bushels of barley to buy one yard of broadcloth, and one bushel of wheat to purchase a yard of calico. The first general business and article of commerce was potash or salts of lye, which was manufactured in every town. Following this, as grain became more abundant, was the manufacture of distilled liquors. This business was carried on quite extensively, there being at one time ten distilleries in the town of Cambridge alone. The great mart for this article was at Montreal. Next came the hemp trade. A large manufactory for dressing the hemp for market was erected in Waterville; but this soon died out and the factory was converted into a woolen-mill. The manufacture of starch has also been conducted quite extensively, and is carried on to a considerable degree at the present time. All through this period, however, as is common in all timbered districts, the manufacture of lumber has received great attention. The principal manufacturing interests of to-day are lumber, in its various branches, starch, woolen goods, butter, cheese, etc., all of which will be found noted in connection with the sketches of the several towns wherein they are conducted. According to the United States census report of 1870, the county had 106 manufacturing establishments, operated by four steam engines and eighty-one water-wheels, giving employment to 251 persons. There were $229,775.00 invested in manufacturing interests, while the manufactured products were valued at $403,825.00. 

COURTS AND COUNTY BUILDINGS

      The act of the legislature incorporating the county provided that when some town should erect a suitable court-house and jail, the county should be deemed organized. This of course gave rise to much competition, as each town would naturally wish to secure to itself the advantages and dignity appertaining to the county seat. The lower portion of the county considered it the most advantageous to have Johnson made the shire town, while the northern portion wished to have it vested in Morristown. Finally the mooted question was left for a committee to settle, and. Joshua SAWYER, a member of the bar, who exerted a great influence in public matters, secured the county seat for Hyde Park, and the buildings were erected there. The town bore the expense of erecting the buildings, and the court-house was built, and the county courts held there in December, 1836, where the supreme court now meets on the third Tuesday in August, and the county court on the fourth Tuesday in April, and first Tuesday in December. Thc building is a wood structure, containing a convenient court-room, jury room, etc., and the county clerk's office, and office of the probate judge. In 1875, an addition of twenty-five feet was made to the length of the building. 

      The first county officers were as follows: Judges, Jonathan BRIDGES, Morristown; Joseph WATERMAN, Johnson; State's attorney, O. W. BUTLER, Stowe; judge of probate, Daniel DODGE, Johnson; sheriff, Almerin TINKER, Morristown; bailiff, Luther H. BROWN, Eden; clerk, Philo G. CAMP, Hyde Park. The other chief county officers, since its organization, have been a" follows:— 

SHERIFFS

    *Died, 1883

  Lamoille has never been prolific of crime, and the county has yet never convicted a person of a capital offense. In 1867, two men in Eden, MCDOWELL and FINNEGAN, quarrelled about some land, and at last attacked each other with axes. The fight was short. MCDOWELL received a slight wound, then buried his axe in Finnegan's side, inflicting a wound that resulted in his death in an hour. He was tried, and discharged on the ground that the deed was done in self-defense, for, it was claimed, had he not struck the fatal blow, Finnegan would.

      Those who from age, infirmity, or otherwise, become unable to support themselves, and are so unfortunate as to be obliged to rely upon public charity for support, are cared for, in conformity with the laws of the State, by the towns wherein they reside. 

      The St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain railroad, extending from Maquam bay to St. Johnsbury , crosses this county, passing through the towns of Cambridge, Johnson, Hyde Park, Morristown, and Wolcott. It was formerly called the Lamoille Valley railroad, and was completed through to Swanton, and the first train of cars passed over it on Tuesday, July 17, 1877. Soon after this, the road was completed from the village of Swanton to the bay, about two miles. The first train passed over this portion of the road August 23, 1877. The present officers of the company are Horace FAIRBANKS, of St. Johnsbury, president; A. B. JEWETT, superintendent; W. P. FAIRBANKS, treasurer; and G. H. STEVENS, general freight and passenger agent. 

      The Burlington & Lamoille railroad connects with the St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain railroad at Cambridge Junction. The company was organized February 24, 1875, under the general laws of the State, with William B. HATCH, of New York, president; N. PARKER, of Burlington, vice-president; E. W. PECK, of Burlington, treasurer; and D. C. LINSLEY, of Burlington, general manager. The construction of the road was commenced in May, 1875, and it was finished and opened for traffic July 2, 1877, extending from Burlington to Cambridge, a distance of thirty-five miles. 

      The Burlington & Northeastern railroad company was chartered last year, 1882, authorizing the construction of a road from Cambridge Junction to North Troy and Newport. Owing to uncertainties then existing regarding desired connections at Troy, Newport was named as a terminus, as a precautionary measure, though it will probably extend to North Troy. The locating survey for the first ten miles, from Cambridge Junction to Johnson, has already been made, (March, 1883,) and as soon as the season opens, work will be begun in earnest.