year, and of each hundredth year every fourth is to be a leap year, of three hundred and sixty-six days, commencing with the year 2000.

The manner of computing time, (to 1751,) commonly called the Julian calendar, had been in use from the time of the general Council of Nice, in the year of our Lord three hundred and twenty-five. By the Julian Calendar every fourth year was a leap year of three hundred and sixty-six days, which calendar was discovered to be erroneous, by means whereof the spring equinox, which, at the time of the Council of Nice, in 325, happened on or about twenty-first of March, did happen in 1751, about the ninth or tenth day of the same month; hence the necessity of omitting the eleven nominal days in September, 1752.

The correction of the calendar made by Pope Gregory the Thirteenth, in 1582, was immediately adopted in all Catholic countries. Although not established in England until 1752, from this cause arose the custom of indicating the change by the use of double dates between the first of January and the twenty-fifth of March in each year; thus January 23, 1660–1, has been written as the time of the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers's death; the day being after the commencement of 1761, new style, and before the end of 1660, old style. The difference of style may be adjusted by adding eleven days to all dates previous to September 2, 1752; for example, eleven days added to the 23d of said January brings it to February 3d, it follows, that Mr. Rogers has been dead 179 years on the 3d day of February, 1840.

ANNEXATIONS.

1784. Moses Bradstreet, Widow Hannah Bradstreet, Timothy Harris, and David Hammon, by an alteration of the line between Rowley and Ipswich, were all annexed to Rowley.

1785. Jonathan Pearson, with his sons and estates, from the South Parish in Ipswich, were annexed to the First Parish in Rowley.

Other families in Ipswich Village, so called, had previously been annexed to said First Parish in Rowley.

ITEMS.

1644. Law made against the Baptists in Massachusetts. 1646. Law against heresy.

1656. Quakers first appeared in Massachusetts.

1658. Law with penalty of death against them.

1659.

Several Quakers were executed in Boston.

1661. King Charles the Second forbids further persecution of them.

1665. First Baptist Church gathered in Boston.

1692. Plymouth annexed to Massachusetts.

1704. April 24, the first number of the Boston "News Letter" was issued, being the first newspaper printed in America.

1710. Quakers build a meeting-house in Boston.

1714. Great drought in New England.

1716. Aurora Borealis first seen in England.

1717. Feb. 18 to 24. The great snow in New England. 1719. Aurora Borealis first seen in New England. 1721. Inoculation for small-pox first practised in Boston. 1745. Slaves were most numerous in Massachusetts.

1749. Great drought in New England.

1774. A bill passes the General Court of Massachusetts, prohibiting the importation of slaves, to which the Governor did not give his assent.

1750. Paper money was suppressed in Massachusetts; issues of which had been made at various times by the General Court. First, in 1690, as before stated, page 196. In 1720, the Court made another issue of £50,000, called Bills of Credit, and distributed the same to the several towns in the Province. Jonathan Bailey, James Todd, and Thomas Lambert, were appointed Trustees, to receive the proportion coming to Rowley, and to loan the same to citizens of the town, in sums of not less than £ 10, or more than £20 to any one person, at a rate of interest of five per cent. per

annum.

In 1728, the General Court made a further issue of £60,000, which was distributed and loaned in the same manner, and at the same rate of interest.

In 1740, the towns were required to pay in to the Province Treasurer, their several proportions of the £ 60,000, both principal and interest.

In 1755, the whole number of British subjects in America was estimated at one million and fifty-one thousand, about forty thousand of which were considered fighting men.

1763. The number of Indians in Massachusetts was estimated at two hundred and twenty; in 1786, they were reduced to about one third that number.

1769. John Wesley sends two Methodist preachers to America. They were the first regular co-preachers who came to America of this order.

1771. Twenty-five newspapers are now printed in America, says Dr. Franklin.

1775. April 19. Lexington battle as before stated.

May 10. Colonel Ethan Allen takes Ticonderoga. The same day Crown-Point is taken by Colonel Seth Warner. 25. British Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton arrive at Boston.

June. The American army in the neighbourhood of Boston, consisted of about twenty thousand men.

12. General Gage declared the Province of Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion.

17. Battle of Bunker Hill, and Charlestown burnt. What number of Rowley men were in this battle is not known. The number of Rowley men then stationed in the vicinity of Boston, have been given on pages 282 and 283. A part of them were in the battle.

July 2. General Washington arrives at Cambridge, and takes command of the American army.

20. A Continental Fast was kept throughout the States. August. Paper money was first issued by Congress. November 7. A second petition of Congress is laid before the House of Lords.

12. General Montgomery takes Montreal.

December. Parliament declares the Colonies to be in a state of rebellion.

31. An unsuccessful attempt is made against Quebec, when General Montgomery is killed, and Colonel Arnold taken prisoner.

1776. March 5. Heights of Dorchester occupied by a body of American troops.

17. The British troops evacuate Boston.

23. Congress grant permission to fit out privateers. April. General Wasington arrives at New York.

July 2. General Howe lands his army on Staten Island. 4. Congress declares the United States independent. The same month they send three commissioners to France.

6. Congress recommend to the several States to settle their forms of government. Virginia is the first to comply. The Constitution of Massachusetts was adopted in 1780.

10. General Gates takes command of the Northern Department, and orders the troops to retreat to Ticonderoga. General Howe appoints Commissioners to grant pardons, and despatches Colonel Paterson with letters to General Washington; but not being properly directed, he refused to receive them. His conduct was approved by Congress.

20. Colonel Paterson had a second interview with Gen

eral Washington.

August 27. Battle of Long Island.

29. General Washington retreats from Long Island to New York.

September 11. A committee of Congress held a conference with Lord Howe, at Staten Island.

15. General Washington abandons New York, of which General Howe takes possession.

20. A part of New York was destroyed by fire. During this month several Cherokee towns were destroyed by the Carolinians, and many Indians captured and killed.

October 13. Battle between the British and American fleets on Lake Champlain, when the British became masters of the Lake.

20. The British regain possession of Crown-Point.

28. Battle of White Plains.

November 28. An action in New Jersey between a body of British troops and a party of the Pennsylvania militia. December 8. British troops take possession of Newport, R. I. General Washington, with his army, now reduced to a small number, crosses the Delaware.

15. Battle at Williamsburg, Virginia. Congress, apprehensive that the Royal army will obtain possession of Philadelphia, publish an address to the people. Congress removes to Baltimore.

26. Battle of Trenton.

1777. January 3. Battle of Princeton.

March 23. Royalists, under Colonel Bird, destroy Continental stores at Peeks-kill.

April 5. American troops at Bound-brook, being attacked by the Royalists, were obliged to retreat.

May 25. Colonel Meigs makes a successful expedition to Long Island.

August 16. Battle of Bennington.

September 11. Battle of Brandywine.