FITCH, John (1743-1798), one of the first inventors in connexion with steam navigation, was born at Windsor, Connecticut, January 21, 1743. He was the son of a farmer, and received the usual common school education. At the age of seventeen he went to sea, but he discontinued his sailor life after a few voyages, and became successively a clock maker, a brassfounder, and a silversmith. During the rebellion he followed the trade of sutler to the American troops, and amassed in that way a considerable sum of money, with which he bought land in Virginia. He was appointed deputy-surveyor for Kentucky in 1780, and when returning to Philadelphia in the following year he was captured by the Indians, but shortly afterwards regained his liberty. About this time he began an exploration of the north-western regions, with the view of preparing a map of the district; and while sailing on the great western rivers, tho idea occurred to him that they might be navigated by steam. He endeavoured by the sale of his map to find money for the carrying out of his projects, but was unsuccessful. He next applied for assistance to the legislatures of different States, but though each reported in favourable terms of his invention, none of them would agree to grant him any pecuniary assistance. He was successful, however, in 1786, in forming a company for the prosecution of his enterprise, and shortly afterw ards a steam-packet of his invention was launched on the Delaware. His claim to be the inventor of steam-navigation was disputed by James Rumsey of Virginia, but Fitch obtained exclusive rights in steam-navigation in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, while a similar privilege was granted to Rumsey in Virginia, Maryland, and New York. A steam-boat built by Fitch conveyed passengers for ...

FITCHBURG, a city of the United States, one of the capitals of Worcester county, Massachusetts, is situated on a branch of the Nashua river, 40 miles W.N.W. of Boston. It includes the villages of Crockerville, Rockville, South Fitchburg, Traskville, and West Fitchburg. It is the terminus of four railways—to Boston, Worcester, Brattleboro, and Keene and Bellows Falls. The principal buildings are the masonic hall, the city hall, the jail, the court-house, and the high school. It has woollen, cotton, and paper mills, machine shops, chair manufactories, iron foundries, and brass foundries. Fitchburg was originally included under Lunenburg. It was incorporated as a separate town in 1764, and became a city in 1872. The population in 1860 was 7805, and in 1870 it amounted to 11,260, 2517 being foreigners.

or VETCHES, a kind of tare. There are two words in Hebrew which our translators have rendered _fitches_, קצח and כסמת: the first occurs only in Isaiah xxviii, 25, 27, and must be the name of some kind of seed; but the interpreters differ much in explaining it. Jerom, Maimonides, R. David Kimchi, and the rabbins understand it of the _gith_; and rabbi Obdias de Bartenora expressly says that its barbarous or vulgar name is ניילי. The _gith_ was called by the Greeks μελάνθιον, and by the Latins _nigella_; and is thus described by Ballester: “It is a plant commonly met with in gardens, and grows to a cubit in height, and sometimes more, according to the richness of the soil. The leaves are small like those of fennel, the flower blue, which disappearing, the ovary shows itself on the top, like that of a poppy, furnished with little horns, oblong, divided by membranes into several partitions, or cells, in which are enclosed seeds of a very black colour, not unlike those of the leek, but of a very fragrant smell.” And Ausonius observes, that its pungency is equal to that of pepper:-- _Est inter fruges morsu piper æquiparens git._ Pliny says it is of use in bakehouses, _pistrinis_, and that it affords a grateful seasoning to the bread. The Jewish rabbins also mention the seeds among condiments, and mixed with bread. For this purpose it was probably used in the time of Isaiah; since the inhabitants of those countries, to this day, have a variety of rusks and biscuits, most of which are strewed on the top with the seeds of sesamum, coriander, and wild garden saffron. The other word rendered _fitches_ in our translation of Ezek. iv, 9, is כסמת; but in Exod. ix, 32, and Isaiah xxviii, 25, “rye.” In the latter place the Septuagint has ξέα, and in ...