number  of  the  upper  branches  of  the
west  branch  of  Westfield  river,  and
manufacturing  establishments  are
found  planted  along  their  banks.  The
value  of  woollen  goods  and  leather
produced  in  this  town  in  1836,  was
seventy-five  thousand  dollars.
The  first  minister  in  Middlefield
was  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Nash,  in  1792  ;
the  second,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Parker,
in  1832 ;  the  third,  the  Rev.  John  H.
Bisbee,  in  1834.
MIDDLESEX    COUNTY.
Concord,  CAMBRmoE,  and  Lowell,  are  the  shire  towns.  The  surface  of
this  county  is  uneven,  and  the  soil  various.  It  presents  a  great  variety  for
the  admiration  of  the  patriot,  scholar,  farm«r,  mechanic,  and  the  painter.
It  is  bounded  north  by  New  Hampshire  ;  north-east  by  the  county  of  Essex  ;
south-east  by  Charles  river,  Boston  harbor,  and  Norfolk  county,  and  west  by
the  county  of  Worcester.  The  principal  riyers  in  this  county,  are  the  Merri-
mack, Charles,  Mystic,  Sudbury,  Concord,  and  Nashua.  The  Middlesex
Canal  passes  through  its  north-eastern  section,  and  the  Boston  and  Maine,
the  Fitchburg,  and  the  Worcester  railroads,  traverse  the  county  in  various
directions.  Some  idea  of  the  value  of  its  hydraulic  power  can  be  formed,  by
the  value  of  its  manufactures,  which  was,  in  1837,  between  fifteen  and  sixteen
millions  of  dollars.     See  State  Tables.
202


GAZETTEER    OF    MASSACHUSETTS.
COURTS  IN  MIDDLESEX  COUNTY.
Supreme  Court.  Law  Tekm.  At  Cambridge,  on  the  third  Tuesday  next
after  the  4th  Tuesday  in  September.  Nisi  Pkius  Term.  At  Lowell,  on  the
second  Tuesday  in  April.
Court  of  Common  Pleas.  At  Concord,  on  the  second  Mondays  in  March
and  June.  At  Lowell,  on  the  first  Monday  in  September,  and  third  Monday
in  October.  At  Cambridge,  on  the  second  Mondays  in  February  and  De-
cember.
