The Press., 1885-07-23
.sTHE DAYS OF AULD LANG sYNE.o
WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAW IN HOLLAND
 COUNTY EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

WHAT AN ENGLIsHMAN SAW IN HOLLAND
 COUNTY EIGHTY YEARS AGO.
 Albert Sharpe, Esq, of Wilmington, al- lows us the use of we'll preserved volume owned by him, being the first of three vol umes entitled, Travels Through the North ern Parts of the United States in the years 1867 and 1909, by Edward Augustus Kendall, Esq.," This first volume being entirely devoted to Connecticut, we print the closing chapters of the volume, which relate to this section of the state
 CHAPTER xxxIn.
 Conaecttcut- Wiadham- Wallis.gten
 On thenorthern boundary of Connecticut. is Stafford, town abounding in iron-ore. and in which, on the banks of the Wili- mantle, there is chalybeate spring. Be- tween Lebanon and Stafford, I passed through Windham and Willington.
 Windham is the county town of the county of Windham and its principal viii lage, were it not not built of wood, might be said to bear the general appearance of a small English market-town. It contains court house, gaol, grammar-school and congregational church. &@5
 
 Judge Swift, one of the judges of the su- preme court, and an inhabitant of Wind ham, wish to visit the gaol, that gentle man was so obliging as to accompany me there. On ascending into one of the apart ments occupied by the prisoners, we found in it three white men and one black Two of the white men were charged with felo- nies. The black man stood in a corner of the room, at humble distance: but two of the white men were sitting on the side of bed, where continuing to sit, they sa- luted the judge with friendly nod, and hOaU do ye? and held out their hands. which common courtesy therefore required him to shake. The walls of the gaol are of triple or quadruple plank, and are thought to be strong. Judge Swift pos sesses a very handsome residence, little out of the village. The house stands in in the middle of lawn, and in that and other respects bears more resemblance to an English gentleman's country residence than any other that saw in Connecticut. It commands one of those prospects that are not only extensive but rich, though without water. At the inn in Windham, I met the Reverend MT. Samuel Austin of Newhaven, who had arrived in a cotton morning gown, to preach before before a lodge of freemasons on the following day, the twenty fourth of June.
 Stopping for short time in Wilmington, the town that lies between Windham and Stafford, and asking for something at an inn, the mistress called upon Aiaaerva to fetch it; and I afterward found that names, of this and other profane origins, are common among the female part of the community in New England; while those borne by the male are almost uniformly scriptural few of the old puritanic in ventions remain as Return, Increase, &c., but Elizur Abner, Jared and Enoch are amongst the most common always saving Jonathan, which is known to be synonymous with NeV Esaglord.
 In Wilmington, the following manuscript advertisement met my eye:
 Wilmington, June 1st, 1897.
 ''The subscribers wish to informe the pub- lick, that we are erected on the blue Dyes at ''Peck's Miles; and we would thank the ''peoblick for their custome.
 ''Emery WAite "WtNlans Ramsay" It would be idle to notice, as in this in- stance, the defects of rustic orthography, except with the view of correcting any false impression that may be made on the readers mind, by my account of the schools in Connecticut. I have already said, that the benefit is limited. The truth is, that the schooling, as from the nature of the thing it must be, though very general, is very humble In the bill of an inn-keeper and physician, one of the items charged me was, Medso7a .toa' yoat7 hors.
 Stafford Springs are distant about twen- ty miles from the village of Windham. In the course of the few days that spent at them, made retrogade journey into Wilmington, to anabaptist meeting-h house. The building had never been the most sumptuous, and it was now much out of repair. The exterior presented unpainted boards and broken windows. On entering, seat was immediately offered me, and I accepted it. At my back was the gallery that fronted the pulpit, and which, there fore, by fixed usage, contained the sing CTS, and these, of course, were the fairest of the nymphs and the come]iest of the swains. One circumstance long distressed me. All the swains, as is common with all, the swains in Connecticut, chewed to. bacco. In consequence, they had an overfowing secretion of saliva to discharge. 1t was discharged, as is usual in like cir cumstances, on the floor of the middle aisle; but, as there was only the wainscot of the pew between myself and the aisle. election after election, incessant from twen. ty mouths, kept me in constant alarm. In- deed, soon perceived that the skill of my friends above was exquisite, and that the black juice, which presently covered the floor of the aisle, was always directed with so true an aim, as to arrive precisely at its place. ought to say it's precise point-of destination. But, alas :! the demonstra- tions of experience and reason do not al. ways remove, as they ought, the misgiv- ings of our hearts.
 Meanwhile, my eyes and ears had still other employment. Those who filled the pews below were generally elderly. The day was warm, but damp, and even rainy. Under the pulpit, on the left, sat gentle man with patch on one eye., Behind him, two panes of glass were out. To keep the wind from his neck, his hat was thrust through one of the apertures: and his coat, which the general temperature of his body enabled him to dispense with. was taken off, and applied to the other. Thus, he sat in his shirt sleeves: but. to prevent cold in his head, that part was covered with a coloured handkerchief. In a corner, sat neighbour, with his coat hung over his arm and those that were near the windows had in most instances guarded their heads with handkerchiefs.
 After hymns and long prayer. in which. as IS usual, in extemporaneous prayer, k,.Nn,0