The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-03

year. Stony Brook, which flows through Lincoln
and Weston, and which gives its name to railway
station In the latter town. originates in Sandy Pond.
The water falls into Charles River, in Waltham.
| Sandy Pond is connected with Beaver Pond cover
| ing some fifty acres, by Lilly Brook.
The revolutionary history Of Lincoln shows that
she made great exertions and sacrifices in behalf Of
the common cause, and vastly out Of proportion to
education has always been large, the smalness of
the place considered. There has been no material
change in the amount Of population for upwards Of
sixty years. 1t has rather diminished than increased
| in that time. The town is pretty and quiet, and
eminenty rural in all its characteristics. 1t can be
safely recommended as place Of residence to any
| one who is fond of strict retirement.
Carlisle is the twin sister OF Lincoln being set of
from Concord in 1884 though 1t set back to that
town three years later and its existence as corpo-
rate town dates from 1906; 1t is a small town. with
property from ls4oto 1850 was 1925 900; that value
| rising from $l9S 1893 95 to 1929 524. The amount
OF stock in banks, &C., owned there in 1850, was up
wards Of al 900. Indian corn, oats and hay, are
| the chief agricultural productions. The farmers
find ready sales for all their surplus articles in
Lowell. which is about nine miles distant. II was
thought some six years ago, that copper ore could
be found at Carlisle in large quantities, but the
working of the mines was soon abandoned.
All the four towns of which have written in this
letter, Acton, Bedford, Carlisle and Lincoln, have
their property to the construction Of railroads the
first and the last being in the line of the Fitchburg
road. Acton has been made quite another place by
that road, South Acton being literally built up under
in Acton-one at West Acton and the other at South
Acton-from which cars run several times each day.
Had the road been carried through the middle Of the
town as was originally planned the benefit of its
construction to the place would have been CON-
| paratively small Lincoln has not extensively
profted from the Fitchburg railroad as Acton, but
ford is about four and a half miles from the Boston
and Lexington railroad, and Carlisle is five miles
from the Fitchburg.
NoTE.-It was early in june l776 almost month
before the declaration of independence that the
people of Acton, in town meeting assembled, de-
clared in favor of republican form of government
for this country, which implied severance Of the
connection between the mother country and the
colonies. This is said by some Of our most eminent
scholars and public men, to have been the first
movement of the kind made in the present United
Nti9n to British rule carried among the farmers Of
nonda England who were probably ready for indie
munity. "i' 90" CHARLES liz CuAuyE.
WORCESTER COUNTY, ,soss, June "a, 1853.
The Counties of Massachusetts, Cou,,v of
Worcestr-Hs Position, Settlement ana Ir;story
Number Of Farms-Lacrease Of Population.
and Property-Industrial Character of the Coun-
ty-Agricultwal Productions-1 The distribution
of Land-1foney, Stock, Buildings, Horses, Cat
tie, Sheep, &c.-Manufa ctures-IH Number of
Cotton Factoriss-Manufactnr,ng 1oWns-
Wooles Factoies-Paper Mills Gard Facto-
ries-L inen--Othey Manufactured articles
Lesser Agricultural articles Water-Ice-Fo-
rests-Nlilk-Butter and Cheese Meats--P Poultry
Fruit-Railroads in the County-Ihe Valley Of
the Blackstonc-Statc Lunatic Hospital-State
Reform School-Conclusion.
The counties Of Massachusetts,, as its first divisions
considered politically geographically particu
larry deserving the attention Of any one who under
takes to convey any idea, however crude in itself
imperfect in details of the State. Each county has
some distinctive peculiarly, more or less strongly
marked, though to distant observer all appear to
form homogeneous mass while nothing can be
more heterogeneous to the traveller, who examines
things infinitely, or to the citizen who shall pay due
regard to the facts that are accessible to ALL speak
mainly however, with reference to the modes of in
dustry in the different countless which are very va
rious, and show how ingenious are the people, and
how ready they are in turning the circumstances Of
their several positions to account. Suffolk county is
about the same thing as Boston, and may be passed
over. Middlesex is both agricultural and manufactur
ing and very successful in both ways. Her interests
in shipping is but small Essex is manufacturing and
agricultural but she is also largely interested directly
IN commerce, and especially SO in the fisheries Barn.
stable is o thorough maritime county and there is
not nation on the globe to which her sons do
not penetrate yet is she far from being destitute
Of agricultural resources. Bristol and Plymouth
are agricultural and manufacturing and maritime,
the former containing New Bedford, whose people
fish in the Pacific, and as far of as Behring's
Straits. Nantucket and Dukes are essentially mari
time, though there good farms in the last named
county Norfolk is rich in agriculture and in manu-
features, and has a various industry. The western
ounties-Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire, and
Hampden-are generally looked upon as the richest
that we have in farms but it is hard to say whether
taken as a whole, they excel most as manufacturing
or agricultural communities for though they have no
great Cities yet each Of their towns is the Of
much labor not Of an agricultural character.
The county Of Worcester is called" The Heart Of
the Commonwealth" o title which it deserves, not
more from its geographical position than from its
character in other respects. In it the pecuiarites
Of Massachusetts are perhaps more strongly de-
veoped than in any other county. 1t has generally
given tone to the politics of the State, and at one
time it was few men in the city of Worcester who
governed Massachusetts,. The free soil movements,
which led to the prostraton Of the long triumphant
whig party, was commenced in Worcester, and here
the free soil party has always been stronger than
elsewhere 1t was because the coalitionists in the
Worcester towns would not agree in support of the
candidates for representatives, that the wings
, returned this year TO honor.
The first settlement in what now forms the county
Of Worcester was made, believe, in 1861 precisely
two centuries ago. The anniversary Of the event
celebrated last week at Lancaster, the place first
founded. Thst town was then in the county of Mid
desex, or what ultimately was made county Of that
name. The county of Worcester dates from July TO-,
1871, an act authorizing its erection having been
PASSED April 2, that year. It then contained six
teen towns, among which was Woodstock, now In
Connecticut What is more, the city Of Worcester
did not become the shire town of the county without
considerable dispute and trouble. Its central posi-
ton decided the question in its favor and it has al
ways exercised great influence over the county. In
the revolution, Worcester county took conspicuous
common cause. General Gage, at one time thought
Of marching against Worcester to seize stores there