These isolated hills rise in spherical form, are easily ascended, and afford fine  views of the surrounding country from their summits.  The range of Green  mountains bound the prospect on the east, and the Adirondacks on the west; and  between these two elevated ranges, the valley of Lake Champlain extends to the  north and south as far as the eye can reach : and affords a prospect of great  beauty.  The placid waters of the lake, bearing upon its surface, the various craft  that navigate it--the sail boats and steamers; the bays, points, islands, and villages  upon the shore--the church spires--the locomotive, dragging its train of cars, and  puffing its fiery breath--the cultivated fields, the flocks and herds--the farm house,  orchards, and groves--the dark forests rising upon the mountain sides--and the  mountains themselves, with their serrated peaks; afford a picture, not easily copied  by a human artist. 

      As we pass east beyond the first range of townships, the country is more  uneven and broken; yet it has no hills of any great height, and hardly a spot can be  found which is not valuable either for tillage or pasture, until you arrive at the  base of the Green mountains--which cover the extreme eastern part of the county,  and ascend to the highest point of land in the state.  Between the spurs of these  mountains, there are valuable tracts of land for timber and pasturage, indeed, far  more valuable for the dairy and the raising of neat stock, than they have generally  been reputed.  The amount of capital employed in the purchase of these lands, is  comparatively small; and for grazing purposes, they will pay a greater per centage  on the money invested, than our high priced lands--if not an equal profit per acre.   Moreover, these lands are not affected by drought, and always afford rich pasture  and very abundant crops of hay.  But as you ascend the mountains, the timber  begins to shorten, and gradually diminishes in height, until the limbs of the trees,  extending horizontally near the surface of the ground, form a network of  interwoven branches, upon which a person may often walk with safety.  He will  sonn, however, reach an altitude where vegetable life does not receive sufficient  heat and moisture to support it, except here and there a few starved and stinted  lichens, that find a scant and dreary abode in some niche or crevice in the rocks. 

      The east line of the county cuts along just east of Camels Hump mountin, and  of the highest points of Mount Mansfield--the chin of the latter, being 4359 feet  above the level of the sea, according to the trigonometrical admeasurement of Mr.  Johnson.  Upon this mountain near the county line, a house for the entertainment  of visitors, has recently been erected; and from the excellent accommodations  afforded by its enterprising proprietor, has become a place of fashionable resort.   Roads have been opened to it, both upon the east and west side of the mountain;  and it is now accessible by horse, from the east.  It furnishes a healthy place of  resort for invalids, and presents a view said to be far superior to that of the White  mountains, and has already become a place of note in the annals of the pleasure  seeking world. 

      The county is watered by numerous springs, that gush ofrth fromt he surface  of the ground at almost every point desired, and abundantly irrigate and fertilize  the soil; and there are also several streams that water the county, and at the same  time afford ample power for driving mills and factories.  The Winooski river takes  its rise in the county of Caledonia; and after passing across the county of  Washington, and breaking through the Green mountains near the east line of this  county, it passes nearly through its centre, and falls into the lake between the  towns of Burlington and Colchester.  The Lamoille passes through the north  westerly part of the county, and enters the lake near the sand bar bridge.  The sand  bar, which for so long a period of time formed an inconvenient and perilous ford  between the island and the main land, was doubtless formed by the debris deposited  by this stream. 

      There are also numerous streams of smaller capacity, some of which  discharge into the above rivers, and others directly into the lake.  Brown's river  empties into the Lamoille, and waters a large portion of the north eastern part of  the county--Huntington river waters the south east, and La Plotte river and Lewis  creek, the south west part; these two last fall into the lake, the former at the head  of Shelburne bay; Mallet's creek and Day brook unite and empty into Mallet's bay;  and Huntington river, Mill brook, Muddy creek, and Sunderland brook, each empty  into the Winooski.  Most of the above streams are of sufficient capacity for driving  mills and factories--the numerous saw mills, grist mills, and manufactories of  various kinds, have been erected upon them.  Indeed the water power in the  county, particularly on the Lamoille and Winooski rivers, is sufficient to turn the  wheels and spindles, and work the looms, in the manufacture of cotton and woolen  fabrics, to an extent equal to the Merrimac.  The falls on the above streams are but  in part occupied, and will afford immense power. 

      The agricultural interests of the county, especially since the opening of the  several lines of rail way through it, have been highly prosperous, and give  employment to the main portion of the population.  Two lines of rail road pass  through the county from the north to south parallel with the lake, and from the  east to west along the Winooski river.  They afford a surprising advantage to the  farmer, ever his old mode of transportation to market now seeks him.  Numerous  depots and points of trade exchange are opened at convenient stations along the  lines, where purchasers for the Boston, New York, and Montreal markets, post  themselves to buy up the various productions of the country; thus the beef, pork,  butter, cheese, poultry, wheat, rye, corn, live hogs, horses, cattle, sheep, and  various articles of lesser importance, are sold, in a few rods, as it were, of the  farmer's door.  This gives greater opportunity and interest in the improvement of  his soil and crops; and he adds to this interest, by comparing his experiments with  others at the meetings of our agricultural societies, and public fairs. 

      These advantages have resulted in much greater profit to the tillers of the  soil, and a proportionate advance in the value of real estate in the county,  especially of farming lands.  The husbandman is encouraged with the assurance  that ample returns will reward his labor--and truly, the habitual industry of our  farmers, and general fertility of the soil, "fill their garners to overflowing."  This  high degree of prosperity attending the agriculture of our county and state, is not  fully appreciated by us--it is difficult to realize our advantages in this branch of  industry, without turning our thoughts back, and comparing our present facilites  for market, (the all in all to the producer) with the old mode of carting our produce  over a long and wearisome journey, and using the proceeds of our merchandise to  pay the expenses of our pilgrimage. 

      The county of Chittenden has better advantages, meanwhile, over the commerce and navigation of the lake, than any other portion of the state.  This is  owing to its proximity to the broadest part of the lake, which affords the most  accessible points of shipment on its eastern shore.  The harbor of Burlington is the  natural stopping place of the steamers and other craft, that pass along the lake, in  either direction--it is protected by a breakwater, constructed at the expense of the  general government; and the lines of rail road concentrate at the wharves here,  where they have their principal depots.  This has already become an important  point of inland trade, from which a large amount of produce is shipped, and the  merchandise landed in return, for the use and consumption of this section of the  country and it has also become the depot of an immense lumber trade, with the  province of Canada.

      At some future time, when the long projected canal from Lake Champlain to  the St. Lawrence, shall unite those waters, and open a free navigation between  them, in connection with a ship canal from the lake to the Hudson, it will make  Lake Champlain one of the most busy thoroughfares of inland trade and commerce,  on the continent.  The time is not distant, owing to the entire practability of the  scheme, and of its comparative economy of expense, when this will be  accomplished.  The increase of population and the progressive opening of te  resources of Canada, constantly urge upon the attention of the public, new  reasons for the construction of this great work of intercommunication.  The  tributaries of the St. Lawrence and upper lakes, that water a country not adapted  ot the purposes of agriculture, will bring down the productions of the forest; and  from present indications, that country will become the chief source of supply to the  lumber trade, in the larger portion of the states of this Union.  Our trade with these  provinces must soon require greater facilities for transportation, and when this is  effected, it will make this harbor one of the principal points of business between  the cities of New York and Montreal. 

      As the means of commerce and navigation are extended, the natural  resources of the county of Chittenden will be more and more developed.  Its  agriculture will be greatly increased, and a field of labor, now dormant and  unproductive, may be opened.  In this respect, the mineral productions of the  county, may be regarded as holding an important place.  It is true we have no  deposits of coal, or of iron, to compete with the inexhaustible beds of that mineral  upon the opposite side of the lake; and it is to be admitted, that iron and coal,  considered in an economical point of view, are the most valuable of all mineral  substances for man's use.  But we have excellent building stone, slate, marbel,  water lime or hydraulic cement, and carbonate of lime; all of which, in addition to  the domestic supply, may become very extensive articles of trade.  The red sand  stone that forms the shore line of the lake through a considerable part of the  county, is easily quarried and split into blocks of any desirable size or shape--its  color is attractive, and it forms one of the most durable and safe building materials  known.  It is very solid and compact, not splintered by frost, or abraded by heat and  moisture; and cannot be crused by the weight of superincumbent walls, however  high or massive.  This stone should find its way into our towns and cities, as a  building material, far superior to the loose friable rock so extensively used.  From  its adaptedness to split with even and square surfaces, it is specially valuable for  that kind of work, where it is an object to save the expense of cutting; and with the  exception of granite--the most desirable, perhaps, of all building materials, where  cut stone is required--there is nothing superior to it for the walls of buildings or  public works. 

      A range of siliceous lime rock extends through the county parallel with the  lake shore, and from two to three miles from it; which, from actual experiment,  proves to form the basis of water lime, or hydraulic cement, and has been worked  and satifactorily tried for that purpose.  This is a material extensively used, and is  manufactured in the state of New York, as an important article of trade.  According  to the geological reports of that state, as long ago as 1839, there were 60 kilms in  the county of Ulster alone, that made during that year 600,000 barrels of this  article.  It is also manufactured in several places along the line of the western  canal, and used in building and repairing its locks and sluices and for shipment  abroad; and in the town of Waddington in the county of St. Lawrence, they  annually turned off $40,000 worth of this cement.  Immense quantities were used in  the construction of the Victoria bridge at Montreal, and New York furnished the  article; while inexhaustible quantities of the raw material lay undisturbed, in  convenient proximity to our wharves. 

      Thewhite carbonate of lime lies next east of the water line, and from 3 to 5  miles from the lake; and also extends through the county.  This has been burned  into quick lime, and used to meet the home demand, since the first settlement of the  country; and now, since the rail roads enable it to find a more distant market, it has  become an article of considerable commerce with the interior and eastern parts of  the state, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  It is not merely used for building  purposes, but is sought as the most desirable material for bleaching cotton fabrics;  and is sent to the various manufacturing towns for that purpose.  The demand will  be likely to keep pace with the business of the country, and this indespensable  article of consumption, will always afford a source of production to the county. 

      The county of Chittenden has also inexhaustible deposits of white and  variegated marble.  These quarries may furnish employment to a large number of  hands, and be made a source of industry and production, more extensive than any  other in the county, with the exception of its agriculture.  Indeed there is every  reason to believe, that our advantages in the quality and variety of our marbles,  are superior to those of any other county in the state.  And while Rutland county  turns off annually an amount, that brings over a million of dollars in return, our  quarries, both white and variegated, not surpassed in richness and beauty by any  in the world, lie wholly neglected.  And there are very certain evidences that  roofing slate, to any desirable extent, may be obtained by making the necessary  appliances for quarrying and preparing it. 

      With the above sources of industry, the county may also avail itself of the  manufacture of iron in its various forms, from ore shipped from Port Henry and  Peru; which may be worked by steam at the wharves at Burlington, or by water at  the lower falls of the Winooski or Lamoille rivers, with equal facility and advantage  as at the falls of the Ausable at Keesville.  Mineral coal, now extensively used for  smelting iron and working both iron and steel, together with the ore itself, may,  certainly, be landed as cheaply at any of the above places, as at Keesville, with  their heavy expense of cartage from the wharf at Port Kent. 

      How interesting it would be to the county of Chittenden, to see these several  sources of industry and wealth, in a state of successful development; and hundred  of industrious artizans and laborers employed in the work.  While these facilities  for business lie dormant, only a part of the county is represented, as it were, on the  credit side of its stock account.  The revenue of county may be immensely  enhanced by a reasonable application of enterprise and capital from our own  citizens directed to the unfolding of our natural resources; but so long as capital  seeks investment abroad, and the sinews of business are drained from the county,  just so long these elements of wealth and industry will lie neglected at our feet.  By  comparing the census of 1850 and 1860, we can very readily see the effect of this  suicidal policy, as we notice that the population of the county is 865 less than it  was 10 years ago.  Our pure air and water, so congenial to activity and health, and  the opening of new and additional sources of enterprise, should keep our young  men at home. where in the wide world does the rich variety of natural scenery tend  more to elevate the soul to a sense of personal freedom and independence, and  inspire it with the associations and contentments of home, than in Vermont?  Yet  our young men week the western prairies, and often set themselves down in an  abode of malaria, and of eternal sameness at every point of the compass, to find  employment. 

      It may be added that we have in every town in our county one or more  villages, of neat New England aspect, with their churches, school houses, post  offices, stores, mils, mechanic shops, and houses of entertainment.  These villages  are connected, moreover, by safe and pleasant public roads, the result of continual  labor and improvement, since the first settlement of the county.  And, indeed, so  numerous are the public highways that traverse the county, that every facility  desired is afforded to the inhabitants, in all their business relations and intercourse  with each other.  And the inconvenience of opening roads in a new country is here  substantially overcome. 

      In turning from the natural resources to the civil history of the county, we  find that  the territory embraced within the present boundaries of the county of  Chittenden forms but a small part of the territorial limits of the earlier county  jurisdictions, that held authority over us.  The counties of Albany and Charlotte,  under the authorities of New York; and Bennington, Rutland, and Addison under  the laws of Vermont, have in turn extended their jurisdiction over this section of  the state--and last of all, after the county of Chittenden was first incorporated, its  liberal proportions were divided and subdivided, until we were narrowed down to  the speck of earth that bears that honored name.  And it may not be wholly  destitute of interest or utility at the present time, to fling into a condensed and  tangible form, the original outlines of these successive county jurisdictions, within  which the county of Chittenden has, from time to time, been included. 

      Under the broad charter granted to the Duke of York, the state of New York  claimed the Connecticut river as her eastern boundary; and up to July 3, 1786,  when the county of Cumberland was incorporated upon the east side of the  mountain, the old Dutch county of Albany claimed east to Connecticut river; or to  be more definite, as far east as there were any Christian inhabitants [see act of New  York legislature, Oct. 1, 1691, in which the boundaries of Albany county were  described as follows:  "The manor of Rensellaerwick, Schenectady, and all the  villages and neighborhoods and Christian plantations on the east side of Hudson  river, as far as Roeloffe Jansen's creek; and on the west side from Sawyer's creek to  the uttermost end of Sarahtoga."  Roeloffe Jansen's creek empties into the Hudson  from the east nearly opposite Kaatskill.]  She was bounded on the north by New  France; but previous to the treaty of Paris, and the proclamation of George III,  establishing the southern boundary of the province of Quebec, she was in doubt  whether her northern boundary extended farther north than the French outposts  and settlements at Crown Point and Ticonderoga; but the establishment of the 45th  parrallel as the southern boundary of the province of Quebec, and the northern  boundary of New York, fixed her limits at the north.  Her western boundary  extended to the Delaware river, and in the direction of western New York, as far as  white people resided.  And her southern boundary was designated by a line  stretching across the entire state, from the west side of the colony of Connecticut  to the Delaware river; commencing near the northwest corner of Connecticut,  crossing the Hudson about 2 miles north of the mouth of Esopus creek, and thence  in a direct line to the Delaware river, at the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. 

      This immense territory of course embraced the county of Chittenden; and  Albany being the shire town, and most northerly seat of justice in this great  wilderness, naturally extended her court jurisdiction over the territory; not so  much in obedience to any positive enactments on the subject, as from the necessity  of administering justice to all, who were not otherwise provided for.  Thus we have  it recorded, that during the controversy between New York and 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 this great but somewhat  indefinite county. 

      As may be inferred, her excercise of county jurisdiction over Vermont, was  not acknowledged as lawful by the settlers under New Hampshire; under which  state they held their titles and to which they owed their allegiance; and instead of  obeying their writs and going down to Albany to seek justice at the hands of their  enemies and pre-judgers, they chose rather to depend upon their own limited means  of self defence, and courage, for the adjudication of their rights. 

      New York, however, persisting in her right of jurisdiction over them, and  finding a practical difficulty in the execution of the duties of her magistrates and  sheriffs, and especially, "that offenders may be brought to justice, and creditors  may recover their just dues;" proceeded March 12, 1772, to erect a new county of  Albany.  At the same time she had proceeded to erect the county of Gloucester on  the east side of the mountain; and had also as before seen, erected the county of  Cumberland.  The county of Cumberland embraced the present counties of  Windham and Windsor, with New Hamstead (now Chester) as the shire town; and  the county of Gloucester extended from the county of Cumberland north to the  province line, with Kingsland (now Washington) as the shire. 

      The boundaries New York allotted to the county of Charlotte as laid down by  the charts of the authorities of that state, purporting to be compiled from actual  survey now before us, commenced on the Green mountain range near the  southeast corner of the present township of Winhall, thence northerly in a direct  line to a point at the east base of Camel's Hump mountain, thence northeasterly  direct to the south end of Lake Memphremagog and on in its course to the province  line, which it interesected a few miles east of the lake in the township of Derby;  thence due west to the St. Lawrence river, which it struck near the Indian village  of St. Regis; thence southerly in a straight line to the Mohawk river, about 10 miles  above Schenectady; thence down the Mohawk to the Hudson, up the HUdson to the  mouth of Batten kill, and up the Batten kill, following the south branch to a point  near its source, to the southwest corner of the old town of Princeton, as chartered  by New York; thence to the southeast corner thereof; and thence in a direct line to  the place of beginning. 

      It will be seen that this additional set off from the old county of Albany, had in  itself very liberal proportions; and it requires search to find that fraction of it  which forms the present county of Chittenden.  But time and events change  together, and on modern charts we find that the great county of Charlotte is not  found, and the little county of Chittenden is distinctly marked. 

      While we formed a part of the county of Charlotte, Skenesborough (now  Whitehall) was made our shire town; a rather poor exchange for the venerable and  famous city of Albany--and on the organization of the county of Charlotte, Philip  Skene, the arch tory, was commissioned by his majesty the king, as the first chief  judge of our court of common pleas.  But so numerous were the rioters, as the N. H.  grantees were styled, who sought freedom not only from the tyranny of New York,  but of the king, that it made the Skenesborough rather an unsafe place for a  hostile court to set in.  Its proximity to these rioters, with the Bennington mob  hanging upon their southern flank, became a source of alarm to the royal  magistrates of Skenesborough; and they made application to Gen. Haldimand, then  commander in chief of his majesty's forces in New York, for a military force to  protect them.  Gen. Haldiman very quaintly replies:  "That the idea, that a few  lawless vagabonds can prevail in such a government as that of New York, as to  oblige its governor to have recourse to the regular troops to suppress them,  appears to me to carry with it such reflection of weakness, as I am afraid would be  attended with bad consequences, and render the authority of the civil magistrate  when not supported by the troops, contemptible to the inhabitants."  On receipt of  this discouraging, and in no wise very flattering dispatch, the court without any  unnecessary delay was removed from Skenesborough, "to be held annually in the  county of Charlotte at the house of Patrick Smith esquire, near Fort Edward; on  the third Tuesdays in the months of October and May."  This retreat from the  advanced post of judicial warfare, set up among those who had honestly bought  and once paid for their lands, with a view to drive them from their homes and  means of subsistence, for the benefit of New York land speculators, was, no doubt,  wisely made--but on prudential considerations alone.  And it seems evident, that  even Gen. Haldiman, unlike James Buchanan in the Kansas controversy, was not  for settling questions of law, between the provinces of New York and New  Hampshire, by military force.  The court for the county of Charlotte, however, after  finding a resting place in a better disposed neighborhood, held its first session, at  Patrick Smith's, on the third Tuesday of October, 1773. 
 
 

      There was no time when the civil power of the county of Charlotte was  acknowledged by the settlers under New Hampshire; and it was so feeble as hardly  to be known as a living power.  In addition to the refugee court, however, there  were several justices of the peace, appointed under the authority of New York, who  resided in the county; and when any of these attempted to exercise their powers as  magistrates, they were chastised and driven off by the settlers.  Indeed, the settlers  under New Hampshire took law and justice into their own hands, in spite of the  civil magistrates and sheriffs of the county of Charlotte, or any aid they could  bring to their assistance.  This is clearly shown by the arrest and trial of civil  magistrates and their abettors, as abundantly appears in the historical records of  those times: such as the case of Benj. Hough, a justice of the county, who was  brought to trial before what Ethan Allen was pleased to style the judgment seat,  convicted of course, and sentenced to the ordinary punishment of the beach seal  and banishment from the territory; which sentence was carried into effect; also of  Dr. Adams of Landlord Fay's sign-post and catamount notoriety; and the  punishment and driving off of many other persons; and the breaking up of the  settlements of Durham, Socialborough, and other places on Otter creek, held under  New York titles--all which incidents followed each other, with similar  demonstrations in the chasing and driving off the surveyors and other  functionaries, who presumed to act under the authority of New York.  These bold  and energetic measures of the N. H. grantees, virtually extinguished the  jurisdiction of Charlotte county over them, and resulted in the notion that they  were capable of establishing and maintaining a govenment of her own, as the best  method of settling the question of jurisdiction between New York and New  Hampshire.  [To keep up a show of jurisdiction over this section of the country, the  state of New York, however, as late as March 7, 1788--even after the county of  Chittenden was incorporated--passed an act rebounding the counties of  Cumberland and Gloucester, and dividing the county of Charlotte into two  counties, by the name of Washington and Clinton.  We then, under New York  authority, formed a part of the county of Clinton--but that authority was a dead  letter.  See Statute Laws of New York, 11th session, pp. 133-136.] 

      After this resolve  of the grantees had been acted upon in a convention of  delegates, chosen by the people, and the disputed territory had been declared a free  and independent state, under the name of Vermont (Jan. 16, 1777) and separate  state government initiated, the new legislative body proceeded to divide the state  into counties, without regard to any previous county organizations under New  York.  On the 11th of February, 1779, they divided the state into two counties,  Bennington on the west, and Cumberland on the east side of the mountain; both  extending from Massachusetts to the province line.  Bennington was bounded on  the west by the west line of the state up to the line of Canada; thence east on said  line 50 miles; "thence southerly in a direct line to the north east corner of  Worcester; thence southerly on the east line of Worcester, Middlesec and Berlin, to  the south east corner thereof; thence on a straight line to the north west corner of  Bradford (Barnard); thence in the westerly line of Bradford and Bridgewater, to the  south westerly corner thereof; thence southerly in a straight line to the north east  corner of Shrewsbury, and thence to the south east corner thereof; thence west to  the north east corner of Wallingford; thence southerly on the east lines of  Wallingford, Harwick, Brumley, Winhall, and Stratton, to the south easterly corner  of the latter; thence southerly to the north west corner of Draper; thence southerly  in the west lines of draper (now Wilmington), and Cumberland (now Whitingham),  to the north line of the Massachusetts bay;" and Bennington and Rutland were constituted half shires of the county. 

      We were only two years under the jurisdiction of Bennington county, before  we were separated from our good cousins there, with whom we had been associated  in so many hard trials.  We cherish as a part of our own history, how the  Bennington boys  rescued our brave Baker from the hands of New York kidnappers;  and how many of the first settlers of Chittenden county were made up of those  intrepid men, who stood together in the defence of their persons and property at  Bennington, against proclamations, posse comitatus, words and bayonets, gus,  pitchfords, and various other implements of war, both of paper and steel; the same  men who fought shoulder to shoulder, also, with the enemies of our common  country at Willoomsuck, in the defence of their wives and children, and firesides,  reaping the victory and joy together.  We cherish, also as part of our history, how  our own Ira Allen, the youthful poineer of chittenden county, and Thomas  Chittenden, one of our earliest settlers in the county, and first governor of the  state, the latter the head, and the former the sould of the old council of safety,  labored with their brethren in the county of Bennington, for the protection of the  people, and the independence of the state.  How for many a day, month, and year,  they worked together, in that original self-created body, with no fixed government,  or code of laws, for their guide; but acted, and acted justly too, on the time honored  maxim of the Roman law, Salus populi suprema lex; arbitrary and despotic as it  was--a maxim as sound to day, in the cabinet at Washington in its efforts to  preserve the safety of the Union, as it was in the days of Justinian, or in the the  council chamber at Landlord Fay's in Bennington, in the days of the Revolution. 

      With all these early associations, it may well be supposed, that we parted  reluctantly with our Bennington friends--but like other young adventurers, we had  gained sufficient strength to set up for ourselves, and consequently left the old  homestead.  The inhabitants of Otter creek, the lake shore, and Onion river, in  short, all of the people residing on the west side of the mountain north of the  present county of Bennington, united in applying for a new county at the October  session of the legislature of Vermont, 1780, to be called the county of Washington. 

      At that same session of the legislature, a bill was drawn up and presented to  the house, defining the boundaries of the county as follows:  "The territory or  district of land hereafter described (viz):  beginning at the south west corner of  Pollet; thence north on the west line of this state to latitude 45 degrees; thence on  Canada south line to the north west corner of the county of Gloucester (formerly  known by the county of Cumberland); thence south on the Bennington county line (formerly so called) to the north east corner of the town of Bromley (Peru); thence  west to the first mentioned bounds; to be known and called by the name of  Washington."  The bill passed Nov. 8, 1780, both by the assembly and council, but  under the recommendations of the council it was to be printed, and not put upon  record, until after the next session of the assembly.  At the next session of the  legislature holden at Windsor, a new bill was passed, Feb. 13, 1781, by which the  name of Washington was changed to Rutland. 

      The old county of Rutland as described in the above boundaries kept itself  together for 4 years, 8 months, and 5 days; during which time the courts were held  at Tinmouth. 

      It was during this period that Abraham Ives, the sheriff of the county of  Rutland, sold such large quantities of land at public vendue, for the collection of  taxes; and many titles in the county of Chittenden are now held under that sale.   The sale was made in a very loose and imperfect manner, hardly in any respect  answering the formalities and requirements of the law; yet from the necessity of  the case, the court determined to establish the sale as valid, and it became the  origin of the title to a vast amount of land, on the west side of the mountain.  The  population of the county of Rutland continued rapidly to increase, especially along  the streams and borders of the lake, up to the province line; and the convenience,  as well as the interest of parties, required a more economical mode of settling their  disputes, than making a semi-annual pilgrimage, with their lawyers and witnesses,  to attend the trial of their causes at Tinmouth.   To obviate this difficulty and meeet  the reasonable requirements of the increasing settlements at the north, the  legislature of the state on the 18th of October, 1785, dismembered the old county of  Rutland of most of its territory, and incorporated a new county, by the name of  Addison. 

      The boundaries of the county of Addison as described in the above act are as  follows:  "Beginning at the north west corner of the township of Orwell; thence  running eastwardly on the noth line of Orwell, Sudbury, Brandon, and  Philadelphia, and then so far east as to intersect the west line of the first town that  is bounded in its charter on some town or towns which are dependent for their  original bounds on Connecticut river; then northerly in the westwardly line of the  several towns that are dependent on Connecticut river as aforesaid, to the south  line of the province of Quebec, which is the north line of this state; then  westwardly on said line through Missisquoi bay, &c., to the centre of the deepest  channel of Lake Champlain; then southwardly in the deepest channel of said lake  till it intersects a west line from the north west corner of said Orwell; then east to  the bounds began at."  [Note:  See act of October 18, 1785, in the office of the  secretary of state.  Dr. Williams and Prof. Thompson, in their respective histories of  Vermont, give the date of the incorporation of Addison county Feb. 27, 1787, instead  of Oct. 18, 1785--in other words they took the revised act of 1787 as the original act  of incorporation in this case.  As well might they have given the same date to the  counties of Bennington, Windham, Windsor, Orange, and Rutland.  As to Addison,  the error which originated with Dr. Williams doubtless arose from the fact, that the  act of 1785 did not come to his notice; and he mistook the act of 1787 as the first act  incorporating Addison county, whereas it simply modified and defined the  boundaries more clearly, and reorganized the counties already formed.  Mr.  Thompson assumed the data of Dr. Williams as correct; and did not discover the  mistake until after the publication of his reference to pre-existing counties, and  purports to divide the state into six counties, three upon the east and three upon  the west side of the mountain; whereas all of said counties had been previously  chartered.]

      The west line of the towns dependent on Connecticut river, also formed the  west line of the county of Orange, as then established; except Rochester, which lay  in the northwest corner of Windsor county.  soon after, by the act of Feb. 27, 1787,  the counties were rebounded, and this line was better defined.  It was then  described as passing along "the west line of Rochester, Kingston (now Granville),  Roxbury, Northfield, and Berlin to Onion river, then up Onion river about 1 1/2  miles to the southwest corner of Montpelier; then north 36º east in the west line of  Montpelier, Calais, Woodbury, Hardwick, and Greensborough, to the northwest  corner thereof, and then in the most direct course on town lines to the north line of  the state." 

      By the act incorporating Addison county, the towns of Addison and  Colchester were made half shires, and the courts were to be held on the 1st Tuesday  of March and 2d Tuesday of November.  The act made special provision for the  organization of the county, by making it the duty of the governor and council "to  appoint the county officers and commissionate them for the time being," and  limiting the number of judges to three instead of five as required by the act of 1781.   John Strong of Addison was appointed chief justice, Gamaliel Painter of  Middlebury and Ira Allen of Colchester, assistant justices, Noah Chittenden of  Jericho, sheriff, and Samuel Chipman, Jr., of Vergennes, clerk; and no states  attorney of record--and the first court was held at Addison on the 1st Tuesday of  March 1786. 

      This appointment of county officers and organization of the court, was a  mere temporary measure, to supply the vacancy up to the following March, when  the people would elect their own county officers, under the general law; and but  one term of the court intervened (the 1st Tuesday of March, 1786), which was held  just three weeks before the new judgees and county officers were elected, which  election took place at the annual March meeting, then held on the last Tuesday of  March.  At the meeting in march, 1786, the act of 1781, requiring five judges, was  still in force; and they proceeded to elect John Strong, chief justice, William Brush,  Hiland Hall, Abel Thompson, and Samuel Lane, assistant justices; and Gamaliel  Painter sheriff; Roswell Hopkins was appointed clerk; and at this term also there  was no states attorney; and the second term of Addison county court was held by  the newly elected judges and county officers, at the dwelling house of Capt. Thomas  Butterfield, in Colchester, on the 2d Tuesday of November, 1786--this being the first  county court held within the limits of Chittenden county. 

      The third and only remaining term of Addison county court while we  remained a part of that county, was holden at Addison on the second Tuesday of  March, 1787, where the same judges held their seats, and Seth Storrs was appointed  states attorney; but there were no more elections of judges by the people.  By the  new constitution as adopted July 4, 1786, by the convention holden at Manchester,  and ratified by act of the legislature of March 8, 1787, it became the duty of the  general assembly and council to elect the judges of the supreme and county courts,  sheriffs, judges of probate, and justices of the peace; limiting the number of judges  both of the supreme and county courts to three, and fixing upon the 1st day of  December, 1787, and annually thereafter, as the time for the county offices to  expire.  And by a special act of the same date, "the county officers, then in office, or  to be appointed for the remainder of the ensuing year, were to continue in the  exercise of their said offices until the 1st day of December next." 

      As we notice the complications this network of legislation and change  presented, it is not strange that an apparent mystery should hang over the history  of our first Addison county courts.  The puzzle as to the holding of those courts  before there was a county, and the jumble of judges, both in their time of office and  numbers, have, however, had no foundation in fact; but have arisen from errors in  dates, in our state histories. 

      But our connection with the county of Addison only continued for the term of  two years; and Colchester had not the honor of holding the courts of that county  but one term.  Before the next stated term, at colchester, the county of Chittenden  was set off from Addison and incorporated into a distinct county, Oct. 22, 1787.  It  then embraced all ther territory between the north lines of Ferrisburgh, Monkton,  Bristol, Lincoln, and Warren, and the province line, was bounded on the west by  the west line of the state, which followed the deepest channel of the lake, passing  east of the Four Brothers, and west of Grand Isle, and Isle la Motte, and on the east  by the west lines of Northfield, Berlin, Montpelier, Calais, Woodbury, Hardwick,  and Greensborough to the north west corner thereof, and then in the most direct  course on town lines to the north line of the state.  By the same act provision was  made "that the supreme court be held on the first Tuesday of August, and the  county courts on the last Tuesday of February and second Tuesday of November,  annually, at Colchester in said county for the time being."  It also provided further,  "That all causes now pending, or writs that have been or may be served, until the 4th day of November next, returnable to the county court of Addison county at  Colchester, be returned, heard, and determined at the term of the court to be holden  at Addison, on the 2d Tuesday of November next.  And all causes appealed from  Chittenden county, shall be heard and determined by the supreme court in Addison  county, until the further order of the legislature. 

      The next fall, however, this last clause of the act was repealed by the passage  of an act Oct. 21, 1788, restoring the supreme court to the county of Chittenden,  with all actions and appeals from this county, pending in the county of Addison, to  be heard, tried, and determined in said court, to be holden at Colchester, and fixing  the stated terms of the court on the 1st Tuesday of August annually.  The supreme  court held two annual sessions in Colchester, commencing with August term,  Nathaniel Chipman presided as chief justice, and Noah Smith and Samuel Knight  as assistant justices; and at the third term held at Burlington, Elijah Paine was  chief justice, and Samuel Knight and Isaac Tichenor assistant justices.  The county  court held six terms at Colchester, commencing with the February term, 1788; the  four first terms (1788-1789), John Fassett, Jr., of Cambridge, presided as chief  justice, and John White of Georgia, and Samuel Lane of Burlington, assistant  justices, John Knickerbacor, clerk, Noah Chittenden of Jericho, sheriff, Samuel  Hitchcock of Burlington, states attorney.  John McNeil of Charlotte, was judge of  probate, Isaac McNeil, register, and Stephen Lawrence of Burlington, county  treasurer.  The next fourt terms of the court, the two last held at Burlington, at the  inn of Gideon King (1790 and 1791), John Fassett, Jr. presided as chief justice, and  John White and John McNeil assistant justices, Martin Chittenden, clerk, Stephen  Pearl, sheriff, Samuel Hitchcock, states attorney for 1790, and William C.  Harrington for 1791, Col. Jon. Spafford, county treasurer; and the county still  retaining its original limits, which extended over the counties of Grand Isle,  Franklin Lamoille, and parts of Washington and Orleans, had been divided into  three probate districts, and Matthew Cole of Richmond, Jonathan Hoyt of St.  Albans, and Timothy Pearl of Burlington, were appointed judges of probate, in  their respective districts. 

      The first jury trial in the county of Chittenden after its organization, ws at  the February term of the court, 1788, being an action of trespass quare clausum  fregit, in favor of John Collins vs. Frederick Saxton; in which case David Stanton,  Jonathan Bush, John Doxy, Alexander Gordon, John Martin, John Chamberlin,  John Fisk, David Whitcomb, David Warren, Eben. Barstow, Wm. Smith, and Allen  Hacket, were empaneled as jurors. 

      By special act of legislature, passed Oct. 27, 1790, the courts were removed  from Colchester to Burlington--fixing the session of the supreme court on the 4th  Tuesday of August, and the county court on the last Tuesday of February, and last  save one in September.  The county officers continued the same up to February  term, 1794, when Martin Chittenden took his seat as one of the assistant justices in  place of John White, and Solomon Miller was appointed clerk, which office he held  for the next 18 years in succession (save the year 1808 by William Barney), to his  credit as a very accurate and efficient officer.  And until 1794, the same judges of  the supreme court presided. 

      In the meantime the county of Chittenden had grown so much in its business  and population, that it became its turn to be cut down in its territory; and on the 5th of November, 1792, a new county on the north was incorporated, by the name  of Franklin.  [Franklin county was not organized until 1796.]  The line that  separated Chittenden from Franklin county, commenced "on the west line of  Orange county (as then established), at the north east corner of Worcester; thence  westerly on the north line of Worcester, Stowe, Mansfield, Underhill, Westford, and  Milton, to the waters of Lake Champlain; thence across to the north of South Hero  by the deepest channel between that and North Hero; and thence on to the west  line of the state."  But the act that removed the courts to Burlington, did not make  that place the permanent shire of the county; and after the division of the county  as above, it seems that there was a controversy on the subject of locating the  county town and buildings.  To settle the question, a special act of the legislature  was passed Nov. 4, 1793, "appointing Thompson J. Skinner and Samuel Sloan of  Williamstown, and Israel Jones of Adams, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,  a committee to fix on the place for holding county and supreme courts in the  county of Chittenden; and to stick a stake, for the place of building the court  house."  The decision of this committee resulted in the establishment of the courts and court house at Burlington. 

      Since the permanent locations of the county buildings, however, still further  deductions have been made from the original limits of the county.  Oct. 20, 1794,  Starksborough was annexed to the county of Addison.  Nov. 9, 1802, the county of  Grand Isle was incorporated, and the towns of Grand Isle and South Hero and  adjacent islands, were set off to form a part of that county.  In addition, the county  of Jefferson (now Washington) was incorporated Nov. 1, 1810, and the towns of  Mansfield, Stowe, Waterbury, Duxbury, Fayston, Waitsfield, Moretown, Middlesex,  and Worcester, were taken from the county of Chittenden, to form a part of that  county.  In 1839, the west part of the town of Mansfield was annexed to the town of  Underhill, and reannexed to the county of Chittenden. 

      Thus after such a series of changes from the old county of Albany--the first  that claimed jurisdiction over us--we have settled down at last to our present  narrow limits, comprising only 15 towns, all told. 
 
 

[1]  In 1798, a petition was presented to the legislature of Vermont signed by  twenty chiefs, representing, as they said, "the seven nations of Lower Canada  Indians," among which were the Abenaquis and Coguahwaghahs, in which they  claimed all the land west of the Green Mountains and between Ticonderoga and the  province line.  The Coguahwaghahs originally formed a part of the Mohawks; but  revolted from that tribe, joined the French, and settled at the Sault St. Louis above  Montreal.  If they had any claim it must have been under the Iroquois title; while  the Abenaquis claimed under the title of that nation who once inhabited the whole  country east of Lake Champlain, south of the St. Lawrence, and embracing the  northern part of New England.  This would seem to favor the idea, that the  Iroquois--as Champlain represents when he discovered the lake--might then have  occupied this country on its eastern border.  If so, the Abenaquis must have gained  possession of it, and occupied it afterwards, until they joined their brethren at St.  Francis.    Their petition to the legislature was rejected, on the ground that these  Indians had revolted from the English and joined France; and when the country  was ceded to the English by right of conquest, the title of these tribes followed the  fate of the surrender--and that the subsequent surrender of the country by England  to the United States, vested the property in the state.  But the Indians did not  thereupon abandon their claim, and have in several instances renewed their  petitions since [See William's History of Vermont].            Transcribed by     BACK    TO PART ONE