^^0^ 5.0-; O N O ^^^^ ^-^^^' V"^^ .* ^^ o^ * "^0^ .' .^"^^^ ''^.*. '"^* .N* .s'^^^^. ,^^ -^^ / o_ • .^^ 1^ - < ' ^-^^^^ .Nl" »' lit' 'v*>- ^ .-^ s* .• ^. V "•• JuNE. 1848.)— We spent a few hours on this* lovely spot a week ago. It looked as natural and blooming as it did three years ago — perhaps a few shades more beautiful. Mr. B. was preparing to receive company for the summer, and had already made arrangements for their recep- tion. A few days afterward, however, his wife was severely attacked with the pleu- risy fever, and had to send to Hingham for a physician ; while Mr. Bruce himself was visited by his old enemy, the rheuma- tism. This domestic trouble defeated all his plans, and induced liim to abandon the idea of taking boarders the present season. Last year his house was thronged with the beauty and fashion of the city. The Cutter Hamilton. Captain Sturgis's cutter Hamilton was in the roads, at anchor. She had recently been painted, inside and out, and looked as comely and inviting as a city belle with a delicate touch of rouge. The cutter is a janty craft, for the service she is in, and has as line a set of olhcers, and as clever a crew, as ever doubled Cape Cod. The short extract which follows speaks volumes Captain Sturgis had gone to the city, to dine with the Ancient and Honorable Ar- tillery Company, and to make a speech in commendation of the successes of our gallant army in Mexico. He always has to speak on such occasions. The Boston Post, of the 13th of this month, speaking of the progress of the cutter boys, says : — "The present calling of eighteen of the young men who have served on board of the revenue-cutter Hamilton, under Capt. Sturgis, since 1840, are as follows : five OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 19 LETTER III. The ministers of Hull from its first settlement — protection to fisJiennen by the colonial legis- lative assembly — names of some of the early settlers — condition of the town during the revo- lutionary war — destruction of the meeting-house by the September gale of 1815 — slate (f political parties — the richest widow in Hull — Steamer Britannia passing tip light-house channel at day break — wreck of a French 74 — miliiuri/ spirit in Hull — origiti of the Ancient and Honor- able Artillkry Company. Hull, July, 1845. In looking over a long account of the early settlement of Nantasket, or Hull, in the Hingham Gazette of October 15, 1830, from the pen of Solomon Lincolon, Esq. — a gentleman celebrated for his antiquarian researches — and some other works on the subject, I find that a church was formed captains of merchantmen, four chief mates, two second mates, one warranted sailma- ker in the navy, one temperance hotel keeper, one large eating-house keeper, one superintendent of a factory, one instructer of a normal school, one on the U. S. coast survey, and one lieutenant in the regular army." New Quarantine. About two years ago, on account of the prevalence of the ship fever, the quaran- tine and hospital were removed from Rains- ford Island to Deer Island, and the city authorities let the former to Capt. Bruce, for a trifling consideration, as a place of public entertainment. The captain has the reputation of having done pretty well there for two years past. We copy from the Evening Traveller the anne.ved remarks relating to the new establishment : — " The committee of the Aldermen and Common Council on the Hospital at Deer Island, paid a visit to that place on Wednesday, it being the anniversary of the Hospital there. Ttiey found the different wards in good order, the ventilation of the apartments all that could be desired, and the patients in general doing well. Dr. Moriarty, the etii- cient superintendent and physician, de- votes himself to the duties of his station with much assiduit}', and much to the satis- faction of his numerous patients." The Traveller might have added — "'some of whom live and some of whom die !" here as early as July, 1644. About the same time, according to Winthrop, "Na- tascot," (the name by which it then went) "being formally made a town, and having twenty houses and a minister, was, by the general court, named Hull," — in honor, as is supposed, of one Joseph Hull, of Hing- ham.. Marmaduke Matthews is said to have been the name of this minister. He was afterwards called to the church at Maiden. It should be remarked, that, according to the best historians, Hull was settled as early as 1624-'25, by a seditious or disaffected company from Plymouth, who came over in the Mayflower, and left their associates in a passion. Ministers of Hull. Rev. Zechariah Whitman, a graduate of Harvard University, was the first regularly ordained minister at Hull, in 1670. His salary was forty pounds. He oflliciated until near the time of his death, which took place in 1726 — a period of 56 years. He appears to have secured the affections of his people, for the town voted, after his decease, to pay his children for his main- tenance "while he lived and did not preach." In November, 1725, about a year pre- vious to the death of Mr. Whitman, who had been a long time sick. Rev. Ezra Carpenter was ordained in the ministry at Hull, smA fifteen poumds were appropriated to defray the expenses of the ordination. This is probably almost as great an amount of money as has been paid for preaching at Hull, during the last two years. Mr. Carpenter continued to watch over the souls of his congregation until 1746, from which time until the year 1753, a period of seven years, the town does not appear to have had any settled minister, although invitations were extended to Mr. Elisha Eaton, Mr. Samuel Hill, and others, grad- uates of Harvard, to settle there. Mr. Carpenter removed to New- Hampshire, where he preached — at Swansey and Keene, on alternate Sundays — and, after many years of hard labor in the cause of religion, he calmly resigned his life to the 20 NOTKS OX THK SKA-SilORK ; hands of God who gave it, in the full faith of a blessed immortality. He has left many descendants. In January, 1753 Rev. Samuel Veazie, of Duxbury, accep- ted an invitation to settle at Hull, and he was ordained in April of that year. Twelve years afterwards, 17G5, didiculties arose respecting? his salary, and he was obliged to sue the town for it. The matter was compromised, and in 1077 he was dismissed by an ecclesiastical council. Rev. Solo- mon Prentice succeeded him. and was employed until the fall of 1772. In 1773, Rev. Eikanah Winchester was invited to preach for a few months. It is supposed that no regularly ordained minister was supported by the town after Mr. Veazie was discharged, as^ the inhabitants had, at that early day, began to entertain different religious opinions ; in addition to which, they suffered much by the war of the rev- olution. All the ministers who were settled at Hull, from 1670, to 1773, a period of over one hundred years, were graduates of Harvard University. In 1774, the town authorised the select- men " to provide a preacher for the term of six months, with the qualiiication, that none of the Baptist persuasion be debarred the pulpit because of his being of that denomination, but on the other hand rather to be preferred on that very account." At the same meeting, an arrangement was made to accommodate such of the inhabi- tants as were favorable to a congregational preacher only. Dreadful Hurricanes. In 1734, the inhabitants erected a meet- ing house in the " middle of the village, near a piece of water" — a small pond. This " piece of water" is in its pristine beauty, and daily visited by dogs, horses, and COWS; for the purpose of bathing and drinking but the meeting house was blown dovv-n in the great gale of September 1815 — a gale almost unprecedented for its violence in the annals of New England. I shall never forget that gale, nor its gene- rally disastrous effects, in Boston harbor and along our whole coast. The account of its destructive course in Providence river, and elsewhere, when we read of it at this distant day, appears more like romance than reality. That gale was indeed terri- ble. The hurricanes which took place in December 1839, have also been spoken of as being among the most severe that ever occurred on this coast. The meeting house was not rebuilt at Hull ; and the ordy place of worship in the village, at present, is a small eighteen foot building, standing on the margin of the aforesaid " piece of water," and nearly opposite the site of the old one. There is, also, a small building at the S. end of the beach, near VVorrick's, which is sometimes used for religious worship, by a small congregation of Methodists. Protection to Fishermen. As early as the 26th of May, 1647, the General Court passed a law for the encour- agement and protection of fishermen in the town of Hull — so that, in the words of the order, " such fishermen as are already there, and others which shall come thither, may have all such reasonable privileges and encouragement as the place will afford." To this very day, the spirit and letter of this order are preserved. Every facility is given to fishermen who visit Hull, whether they are mere amateurs from the city, who come to spend a day, or men who follow the business of fishing for a livelihood. Hall in Ancient Times. " Among the early settlers in Hull, who received grants of land from the General Court previous to 1640," (says Mr. Lincoln in his elaborate account) "were Messrs. Stone, Jones, Benson, Chamberlyn, Bos- worth, Stubbes. Baker, Collier, Loring, Chaffee, Bunne, (supposed Binney) Wanl, Prince, and Vickere. The names of Phip- penny, Goold, Binney, Soper, Nightingale, Street, Green, Lobdell, Barllett, Rider, Dilley, (Dill) Di.xon, Whitman, Snow and Milton afterwards appear in the records, and most of them before the year 1700. I All these names are now extinct in Nan- on RANDOM SKETCHES. 21 taskef, excepting those of Jones, Binney, Loving, Gould and Dill.'' The olde.st man in Hull is Mr. Samuel Reed.* He tells me he is eighty years of age. He is a smart man, and works in the fields daily. The oldest woman is Mrs. Dill, who is rising eighty. A public school is supported by the town six months of every year, the teacher gen- erally being a female, of moderate intel- lectual capacity and of modest pretensions — and she receives a small salary. She has forty scholars, embracing the flower of the youth of the town — the sons and daughters of hardy fishermen. Decline of Ilidl. Hull suffered much duiing the revolu- tionary war, at the commencement of which there were as many as twenty fishing ves- sels owned there. The inhabitants were then engaged chiefly in ship-building and the fisheries ; but they were patriotic, ap- proved of the war, and gave it a zealous support: some of them served in the con- tinental army. Their means of living A Smart Old Man. (*NoTE— June. 1848.) We saw this old man planting potatoes a few days ago, and had some agreeable conversation w^ith him. He was bright as a new dollar. Having heard that Hull had changed her political character, we said to him — "friend Eeed, I suppose you voted the whig ticket at the last election '^"' He looked up for about a minule, and then commenced planting a;^ain. We repeated the question, as well as the old maxim — '' as goes Hull, so goes the state." He again looked up, and, after a short pause, replied — " I am dreadfully hard of hearing; most men are so at my age !'' This was a capital answer to our question, and it made us laugh heartily, for, at our previous conversations, in 1845, he was decidedly democratic — and even at this interview, he understood, quickly and distinctly, every question we put to him except the one named. We shall always respect the old man for his shrewdness. It is related of him that, during the revolutionary war, he made powder for the American army : in drying a quantity of it one day by his kitchen fire a spark tlew into it, and blew the house up, frightening the manufacturer most aw- fully, fie then lived in Weymouth. having been entirely broken up by the war, their trade and commerce prostrated, they were compelled, in 1776-77, to peti- tion the General Court for assistance. Their distress and sufl'ering, at this time, must have been great. The decline of the town commenced about 1775, at which time there were fifty houses in Hull : now, there are about half that number. There are ten or twelve schooners owned here, besides several pink-stern boats, and they are employed in the lumbering, lightering and fishing business. Thomas Jones, Esq. represented the town in the convention which approved the Constitution of the United States, in 1788. He died a year or two since, leavinsa pro- perty estimated at over one hundred thou- sand dollars. He left a widow and two daughters, who are now single. The steamer Britannia, from Liverpool, passed up Light House channel this morn- ing, at 5 o'clock, and made a beautiful appearance from the fort. As she was passing through the Narrows an old man remarked to me — " there, she is now oppo- site the wreck of the French 74, which was cast away and sunk during the revo- lutionary war. I remember it well." The place where this ship was wrecked is now called 74-bar.* I find that there is something of a mili- tary spirit in Hull. Some of its early set- tlers were among the original founders of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com- pany. (*NoTE — June, 1848.) A few weeks since Capt. Solomon Dill and his crew, while at anchor in Hull Bay, off Petlick's Island, grappled an anchor of immense size, and, alter several ineflectual attempts, finally succeeded in raising it. It weighed about 8000 pounds — the shank was nine- teen feet long, and the ring about eighteen in diameter. It was carried to Boston and sold to Mr. Alger for 150 dollars. This belonged to a French 74, which was at ar.chor in Hull bay in the revolutionary war. Mrs. Reed, one of the oldest ladies in Hull, remembers the fact distinctly, and slates that she went on board the ship sev- eral times, by invitation of the commodore. She was then in her prime. 22 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIOUE ; LETTER IV. The town of Hull, again — its situation, ^fields, vegetation, fruit trees, roads, population, and its jnihlic school — employment of its f males, and the severeireatmentthcy receive from tico or three con- tractors connected uilh large tailoring establish- ments — the cause of temperance — anecdote of Mr. Mitchell, the suspected smuggler, and John Minot, the vigilant ex-custom house officer — sketch of Mitchell's life — one of Father Bates's temper- ance anecdotes. Hull, Julv, 1815. The location of the village of Hull is a highly favorable one for the purposes of agriculture. The houses and gardens all lie between two prominent hills, of great length, running from S. to VV. ; they are conseqenily shielded from the searching N. and NE. winds. These hills are com- posed of rich pasture lands, of M'ell culti- vated and productive fields, fruit trees, &c. The soil is said to be equal to any in New England. This is probably true, as every thing appears to have a rank and vigorous growth. There is a large number of win- ter pear trees in full bearing, some of which are one hundred and fifty years old : the last year's crop of this fruit brought 300 dollars. Next to fishing, the chief employ- ment of the inhabitants is agriculture. The hills are covered with flocks of sheep, and the pastures give sustenance and comfort to numerous cows, horses and o.xen. Hull will often remind one of a thriving agricul- tural town in the interior. I would here remark, that the residents sell their barn manure to farmers in Dorchester and Rox- bury, and spread upon their own lands kelp and rockweed, which are found in abundance all along the shore. The tem- perature of the weather at Hull is, gener- ally, several degrees colder than that at Boston, except in the winter, when it is comparatively milder. The roads are good and the water excellent. Population of Hull. The population of Hull in ISIO was 1.32; in 1820, 172; 1830,198; 1840,230; at this time it is supposed to be about 270. These statistics show that there has been a gradual increase in the population since the commencement of the present century ; but the number of inhabitants now is pro- bably not more than it was in 177-5, when there were fifty houses in Hull, each house doubtless containing five or six souls. The town has the honor of having given birth — or, to speak more correctly, one of its women claimed that honor — to one gradu- ate of Harvard Univerisity — the Rev. Israel Loring, who died in 1772, at Sudbury, (where he was settled 6(i years) at the ad- vanced age of 90. Employment of Females. The females of Hull are mostly employ- ed in sewing. Having no Broadway or Washington-street, no Battery or Common to walk in, they seldom make their appear- ance in public. They are expert with the needle, and take in slop-work. Some of them have informed me that the work they do all goes to Boston. There are three men in Hingham, they say, who contract to do a large portion of the work of several extensive establishments in that city, at certain prices for cash. These men dis- tribute the work among the poor females of Hingham, Hull and Cohasset, and pay in goods ! — for making drawers 6 cents, overalls 8, shirts 8, thin pantaloons 10, thick woollen ditto 20, 25, and sometimes 30 — the contractors, who are doubtless well paid by their Boston employers, always making the prices. This is enough lo make the blood of an honest, humane fel- low run cold. In the language of the great poet of nature — Are there not some hidden curses in the stores of Heaven, red with uncommon wrath, to blast these men, who owe their greatness to the unpaid labor, the mental and bodily suffering, ol destitute, dependent females'? Temperance in Hull. The temperance cause was early agita- ted in Hull, from which fact I infer that some of the first settlers, their children, or their gra!idchilih(>n, were addicted to .sip- OK KANDOM SKETCHES. 23 ping ^'bimboi''' and other strong drinks from tin cups. In 1721, one hundred and twenty-five years ago, the town voted that no tavern or public house should be kept within its limits. And from that day to this, intoxicating drinks have rarely been sold in the town of Hull. At the other end of the beach, perhaps, a different story might have been told when you and I were young — " long time ago." When the fish- ermen of Hull, or any of its inhabitants or transient visiters, want a " drop of com- fort," they have to go or send to Boston for it. New England rum is the favorite bev- erage of most of the consumers, who take it in the pure, natural state, as many of of our farmers in the interior do while mak- ing hay,* {*NoTE— June, 1848.)— The cause of temperance has made considerable pro- gress at Hull within a few years For- merly, many fishing vessels that were fitted out, carried a generous stock of pure New England among their small stores : now, the fishermen go to sea without any excit- ing beverage, except occasionally a little in their medicine chests. This is the most approved method of doing it ; and it is excusable — as others, standing in more elevated positions in society, do the same thing. At a temperance gathering a short time since several persons signed the pledge, after a very agreeable anecdote from i^'ather Bates. It ran thus. There Was a man in Hingham by the name of S , who had successfully followed fish- ing for almost half a century. He was generally a pretty temperate man, but would now and then descend from the dig- nity of a true fisherman to wallow in the mire of drunkenness. One afternoon, re- turning home full of liquor, he fell into a frog-pond, where the water was about a foot and a half deep. Unable to extricate himself from this disagreeable fix, and swallowing dirty water freely, he bellowed most piteously. Two of his neighbours went to his assistance, and, with some dif- ficulty, rescued him from a watery grave. When found, he had almost " given up the ghost," and was muttering to iiimself — " This is too bad — by a jug-full V^ (Hie !) " Forty years to the Grand Bank, and to be drowned in such an infernal hole as this at last. Oh !" He was about to turn over and die, when his neighbours seized him by the throat. Mr. S. thinking he was in Anecdote of Mitchdl. In a previous letter I spoke of Mr. Mitch- ell, the wrecker, who has sometimes been considered a little crafty, and has therefore been watched pretty closely by the officers of the customs in Boston. I have a chat with him very often. He is somewhat un- popular in Hull, and isduly sensible of the fact. It is sometimes jokingly said, that " he never exposes himself to the night air!" But, with all his alleged faults, I consider him one of the most enterprising men in this town. He is a stanch Whig. A few days since he related to me the fol- lowing rich anecdote. INIinot, the inspec- tor, (said he) was always dogging me, and always suspected me of smuggling. One day I thought I would be up with him ; so I went to the beach and filled four coffee bags with gravel and sand, and off I started for Boston. Arrivin^r off the end of Lone- wharf, who should I see, the first man, but Minot. " Ah, ha, Mitchell!" he exclaim- ed, " I have got you now." Well, I moved on, tied my boat to the wharf, and began to make a fuss about the matter. This sharpened Minot's appetite, and he would not listen to a word I had to say, but or- dered a couple of lumpers to take the bags ashore. I said nothing more; but, by and by, Minot cut open one of the bags, and, to his surprise, discovered nothing but sand and gravel fresh from the beach at Hull. I cut and run, instanter. Mitchell tells this story with a good deal of gusto. It is a capital joke, and all who are acquainted with the zeal and fidelity of our friend Mi- not will relish it much. II^^A brief notice of the life of Mitchell, intended to follow this anecdote, will be found in the Appendix. ■ On some future occasion the writer will endeavor to do that gentleman justice. the hands of the devil, showed fight, but he was soon undeceived. A useful moral lesson may be drawn from this little story. The turn Father Bates gave it, after throw- ing away a generous quid of tobacco, was, to touch not, taste noi the poisonous liquid, but go the whole figure on total abstinence, and stick to that as the only safety. 24 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; LETTER V. The Massachusetts ITitntane Society, and its im- portance to One huvtan race. Hull, August, 1845. A BKiEF account of this excellent society, "which I referred to in my last letter, would not probably be uninteresting to your read- ers. A pamphlet of one hundred octavo pages, on this subject, has been recently published. I have examined it with some attention, and, I will add, with much gra- tification. It appears that the society was instituted in 1786, in imitation of two kindred socie- ties, — one existing in England, the other in Holland, — and the object of its founders was to give encouragement to those who succeeded in "restoring life to persons ap- par(intly dead." Gov. James Bowdoin was its first president. For a long series of years, the most respectable and influential men in the state were enrolled among its members. In 1810, it had over six hun- dred: at the present time the number is very small, and there is not, in my humble opinion, that interest taken in its welfare which, on account of its usefulness, it so eminently deserves. In looking over a list of the benefactors of the society, I lio not find that a single donation has been made to its funds since 1831, when the venerable Isaiah Thomas, of Worcester, the father of New England printers, gave it 300 dollars. The last pre- vious donation, 5000 dollars, was a legacy from Mr. A. Trouro — a Jew, I believe ; but whether Jew or not, it was a Christian act. And whether its funds are ample or not, for all its benevolent purposes, is not sta- ted. Since the organization of the society, "many hundreds" of premiums have been dispensed; this fact alone speaks volumes in favor of its importance — because it fol- lows, that many hundreds of human lives have been saved. The annexed extract will show what the people of old Massachusetts thought of the Humane Society half a century ago. The reminiscence is interesting : — " The most distinguished professional gentlemen, lay as well as clerical, were selected for its orators ; liberal contribu- tions to its funds showed the sense enter- tained of the importance of its design; while its anniversaries, in the pleasant month of June, which tiie Executive, with the legislature of the slate, then in session, repeatedly adjourned to attend, were hon- ored by crowded assemblies, and attended by somewhat of the ' pomp and circum- stance' belonging to those days, but which, with familiarity and changes in the habits of society, have now passed away." Among the earliest duties of the society was one to establish Humane Houses, or huts for the shelter of shipwrecked mari- ners ; but these, then — as at the present day — were often plundered, disfigured, or had their materials destroyed. This might bo termed double-distilled rascality. The society has now several of these houses, and about twenty life-boats, in different ex- posed and dangerous situations on the South and North shores. One of the boats at Hull has been the means of saving forty or fifty lives, from seven different vessels. The society has recently presented Moses B. Tower, of this place, with a gold medal, for his exertions in saving the crew of the brig Tremont. It may be added, in this connection, that the Humane Society was mainly instrumental in establishing the Boston Infirmary, the Lying-in Hospital, and the Asylum for the Insane. The list of premiums in the pamphlet before me occupies thirty pages ; and those published comprise, it is stated, only about one quarter part of the whole number awarded. I perceive that Mr. Lawrence Nichols, of Boston, received a gold medal for extraordinary exertions in saving the lives of two men. near Boston Light, in 1815. Mr. William Tewksbury, of Deer Island, has been several times rewarded, for very extraordinary exertions in saving the lives of his fellow men. His wife and some of his sons have also received premi- ums for their successful labors in the good cause. In 1817, Lieut. Salter, Midship- men Howell and Dodds, and Boatswain McCloud, of the U, S. ship Independence, received medals for saving the lives of two OR RANDOM SKETCHES- 25 women and one man in Boston harbor, un- der remarkable circumstances. In 1818, Mr. Wyman, of Utica, N. Y. was presented with a medal, for saving the life of our friend J. P. Bigelow, while in imminent danger of drowning in the Middlesex canal. In 1820, the society gave Mr. Edmund R. Smith and others forty-five dollars for sav- ing seven men from drowning at S. Boston. In 1822, Capt. Nickerson, of Dennis, was presented with twenty-five dollars, for sav- ing the lives of Mr. Samuel Topliff and Solomon G. Low — the former of the news room, the latter printer of the Daily Ad- vertiser. In 1824, Mr. Thomas Ward was presented with twenty dollars, for great judgment and presence of mind in saving eleven men upset in Boston harbor. Mr. Abraham Rich was presented with a gold medal, in 1837, for saving a man and three women, who were clinging to a boat upset near Deer Island. These instances are merely taken at ran- dom from a thousand others of a similar character. Indeed, I am surprised at the extent of the business that has been done in saving human life, on the New England <;oast, within the last fifty years, as every one must be who reads the History of the Humane Society of Massachusetts.* I cannot close this notice without stating that Mr. James Beers, in 1832, received a certificate of thanks, and a present of one hundred dollars, for his "singular skill, courage and benevolence, by which, with the blessing of Divine Providence, fifteen persons were rescued from imminent dan- ger, in a night of extreme severity, and when their condition seemed hopeless." * The following is the title page of a little pamphlet publislied in P»oston, in 1840 : — "Aw- ful calamities, or the shipwrecks of December, 1839; being a full account of the dreadful hur- ricanes of December 15, 21 and 27, on the coast of Massachusetts, in which were lost more than 90 vessels, and nearly 200 dismasted, driven ashore, or otherwise damaged, and more than 150 lives destroyed." O;;^ Speaking of mackerel, the Glou- cester Telegraph, a few days since, stated that the mackerel fishery of New England has not for many years been so poor as the present year. We are sorry to hear it. LETTER VL Disastrous effects of tJie sea upon the islands in Boston harbor — the Great Brewster, Point Alder- ton^ Long Island Head — an appeal to Congress in favor of sea-ivalls — the hills and islands in and about Hull Bay — boat sailing— prospect from the old fort at Hull — pleasure parties— Ware River — the berry region in Hingham andCohasset — terrible shipivreck of an Eastern packet schooner, with all her passengers, on LovelVs Island, some twenty -five years ago — Gallop's Island. Hull, August, 1845. It is painful for a Bostonian to stand on the old fort, or on the brow of Point Alder- ton — the views from which are very com- manding — and to see the manner in which the islands in our beautiful harbor are crumbling into pieces, and obstructing nav- igation, by filling up the main channels to the ocean. The Avant of substantial sea- walls is almost everywhere observable, and, if something be not speedily done, it will not be many years before every ves- tige of several of the islands is swept away by the constant and often terrible washing of the sea. Why is it that Congress does not do something to protect a harbor into whose bosom are annually poured millions and tens of millions of the riches of every clime, giving strength and dignity to the general government, and wealth and honor to the whole people ? I am surprised at their delay ; and I cannot but think that, if the subject were properly enforced upon the mind of every western and every south- ern member of Congress, by an agent com- petent to the task — by one having a correct knowledge of the matter, and who could explain it so that it could be understood ; by one acquainted with all the localities, and all the islands requiring immediate attention ; 1 cannot believe, I say, but something liberal would be done, and that promptly, too, to put a check to the disas- trous inroads of the sea upon the exposed islands in Boston harbor. The subject is one richly deserving the action, not only of the chamber of com- 26 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; merce, but of the whole body of merchants and ship owners and inulrwriters in the city of Boston, I believe the harbor bill, injudiciously vetoed by President Tyler, contained an appropriation of $40,000 or $50,000 for the purpose of building a sea-wall at Point Alderton. From President Polk I confi- dently expect a more just and liberal policy. He surely cannot doubt, that a revenue collecting district which holds the second rank in this mighty nation is entitled to have its islands protected from total anni- hilation, when the expenditure of one or two hundred thousand dollars, a mere tythe of what she annually pours into the national treasury for the support of the interests of our common country, will ac- complish the object. Hull Bay and its vicinity. In Hull bay there are several islands, on which are produced yearly many tons of excellent hay, besides large quantities of corn, oats, barley and rye ; and the hills on the main land are also productive. These prominent and beautiful eminences, when our pilgrim fathers landed on these shores, and the Indian trod the soil in the majesty of his nature and his strength, with none to molest or make him afraid, were crowned with vigorous oaks. Now, we see no sign of the Indian or the oak ; both have long since been swept away, by the march of civilization and the hand of modern improvement, and in the places they once occupied we see the tall grass waving in luxuriance and the corn ripen- ing in the sun. " Of the eminences in Nanlaskct." (re- marks Mr. Lincoln) " Strawberry Hill lakes its name from the abundance of the deli- cious berry of that name formerly found there. Sagamore Hill was probably the residence of some Indian sachem. Point Alderton was named for Isaac Alderton, the first assistant of Plymouth. Skull Head was so named, tradition says, in commemoration of a great Indian battle fought between the natives of the north and south shores; the bones of the killed were to be seen there at the settlement of the country." The sea has made tremendous inroads upon Skull Head, several acres of which have been washed away within the last thirty years. The gravel has disappeared, but there are hundreds of large stones and rocks on the beach — "the remains of beauty once admired" — to remind the inquisitive passer-by that such things once were, and were probably most dear to the hearts of the Indians and the early settlers of this country. Hull bay is one of the most favorable sheets of water for boat-sailing that I have ever seen. Surrounded as it is by hills and Islands, you are well protected, even in the roughest of weather. I have never seen the wind too high, nor the waves too heavy, for comfort, in the summer season, except when a thunder storm prevailed. There is a striking contrast between the smooth- ness' of the water in this bay and the rough- ness of that outside : but it is easily ac- counted for. ]Varc River. Numerous parties of gentlemen are in the habit of visiting these waters in the summer months, from Boston and the towns in its vicinity, for the purpose of spending a week in fishing, clamming, gunning, etc. They bring with them their own provisions, cooking utensils, bimbo, (the Indian name for strong drink) and ginger pop — pitch their tents on the grass near the shore, and apparently enjoy solid comfort. Ware river is a place of very general resort for such parties ; and I can conceive of no recreation more delightful, none more in- nocent, economical and healthful, than tha^ which they enjoy. After exposure to the sun, on the water or on the beach, they repair to their tents, or seek the shade of some comfortable tree, and there they will joke, relate anecdotes, laugh, and enjoy the simple food they have brought with them from their respective homes — with the addition, perhaps, of some well cooked tomcod, perch, clams and chowder.* What could be more rational ? * Speaking of sickness produced by eat- ing clams, Deacon Doleful of Hull thinks that those on the North shore are aifected with the ship fever. The idea is original. OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 27 A sail up Ware river is an excursion worth enjoying. I have noticed from my window, with the aid of my mast-head spy- glass, as»the late Marshal Prince used to say when speaking of the sea-serpent, — which, by the by, is daily expected at Hull to regulate the eel fishery, — that some of the crack yachts of the city visit that river daily with large parties. The land in the vicinity is covered with berry bushes, in full bearing, to an extent of many hundreds of acres. There is good picking there, de- pend upon it.* The Hingham steamer takes up to Boston every summer thousands of bushels of the product of this great berry region, as it is called. The berries are picked by children, who barter them for family stores, and get but little for them. This is another way in which the people on the South shore contrive to live. Dreadful Shipwreck. A story is told in these parts of a distress- ing shipwreck which took place on Lov- elPs island some twenty-five years ago, the thermometer at the time below zero. A packet schooner from Maine for Boston, struck on Ram's Head at midnight. Her passengers, fifteen in number, were safely landed on Lovell's island, and they sought shelter from a piercing north wind behind a rock six or eight feet high, with the loca- tion of which every one who has been on the island must be acquainted. The next morning, Mr. Thomas Spear, of George's island, discovered the bodies, all huddled (*NoTE — J0LT, 1848.) We remember that one of the pleasantest days we over passed was among the berry bushes in this region, tlu-ee or four years ago, in the month of August. Tak- ing with us our " better-half," and five little " re- sponsibilities," together with a basket of refresh- ments, we left Boston in the Hingham steamer in the morning, and in an hour and a half after- wards our whole party were engaged in picking berries. In an hour or two each young laborer brought in his contribution to the general stock, and we found that they had gathered over a peck of tine blackberries, and about half a bushel of whortleberries — more than enough to furnish us with " high feed" until the afternoon, when we retiirned home, having enjoyed a rational, eco- nomical, agreeable Jomili/ pic-nic. We advise others to do the same thing, at least once every summer. We found one or two springs of pure water in the berry region. together, and when he went over to the island, there was not the least sign of life in any one of them — they were all frozen to death. The most romantic part of the story is to be told. Two of the passengers, a young gentleman and lady, were clasped in each other's arms. They were about to be married," and were on their way to Bos- ton to purchase furniture for house-keeping. Gallop's, or Newcomb's island, is near the place I have spoken of — the entrance of the Narrows. It is a beautiful spot in the summer season, and one which might be advantageously improved as a place of public resort. I have understood that an agent of the general government has offered the owner of this island SI 0,000 for it — his price is .$12,000. The ballast sold every year amounts to about §300, and there are probably a hundred tons of the island washed away annually to fill up the chan- nels in the neighborhood. Mrs. Newcomb often has boarders at her house during the summer, and it is said to be an excellent retreat for invalids afiiicted with mental or physical infirmities. An extensive hotel there would pay well. The trees are nu- merous, of vigorous growth, and vegetation thrives well. The old lady is glad to see her friends, at all times ; and she takes much delight in accommodating them. LETTER VII. Public and private houses in NantasJcet, their situation and conveniences — reflections touching the enjoyment of life and the sea breeze, on the sea- shore — mosquitoes— disagreeable lodgings and poor fare, at some of the boarding-houses— the fishing philosopher at Cohasset— poetry — Mr. Webster's country seat, and choiuders, at 3Iarshfleld—prop shaking near Worrick's twenty years ago, on Sun- day, and the remarkable discovery of the party — telegraphic establishment at Hull, and that at Bos- ton—Mr. Pope and Capt. Brown — the channels in Boston harbor — Dearborn's Chart of the islands and bay. Hull, August, 1845. The public and private houses at Nan- tasket, and all along shore, are overrun with 28 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; company, chiefly from Boston. Indeed, ! selves, although the ocean lies before them tnere appears to be quite a rush for the sea- and, within half a mile of their houses, the shore tins summer, as well on the north as water swarms with all kinds of the finny the south side of it : but there are some tribe : and they are loo mean to hire men houses on the sea-shore," where the wea- to catch fish for them regularly. They too tier IS as warm as it is in Boston. They j often depend upon the efforts of their male are supposed to be on the sea-shore, and | boarders for a supply; and when these yet they are a considerable distance from it. ; gentlemen feel lazy, also, the whole affair And some of our fashionable people, as the lis a dead failure-there are no fish to be rich are vulgarly called, will leave their airy, cool, well-appointed establishments in Boston, with every luxury the market affords, in the vain hope of finding comfort in such houses as those 1 speak of. They will leave their city palaces, their large and convenient rooms, comfortable bedsteads and mattresses, and all the delicacies of the season, and submit to being stowed away on straw beds or cots, even upon the floor, half a dozen in a small chamber, or four deep in an entry, and be half starved to death into the bargain, upon badly cook- ed fish and other equally cheap comrnodi- ties, for the mere sake of being able to think that they are enjoying the "sea breeze !" At this season of the year the wind blows from the E. and NE. but a small portion of the time, and it is only when the wind is J seen. These remarks apply to only a por- tion of the boarding houses on the shore — , the others are admirably conducted. But "evil be to him who evil thinks" — or, as the clown translated the French of that maxim, '•' Honey, suet, quills, malt, and pease !" Mosfftitoes. There is another trouble which it requires some ingenuity to correct ; and, as a ma- chine has been invented for extracting the bones from a cooked shad, I shall not des- pair of seeing some Yankee invent one that will extract the teeth of mosquitoes, and make them " gentle as a sucking dove." I dislike to see my fair countrywomen eaten up by these mischievous, prying, offensive insects, while enjoying the sea breeze. To see the white neck and the fair face of a pretty girl taken rank hold of by them, is from these quarters that a majority of the | enough to make a young fellow jealous, if visiters, at Cohasset for instance, can enjoy J not positively mad : old as I am, the flame the sea breeze. Why, my dear colonel, I , of indignation mantles on my cheek at the have seen in the entry of a small house on I very thought ! this shore five young ladies and a matron stowed away in an entry, on cot bedsteads, enjoying this kind of sea breeze — their del- icate fiands and faces horribly disfigured by mosquito bites, and the scratching inci- dent thereto. And this is life on the sea- shore ! But more than this. When breakfast or dinner came, the table, instead of being handsomely furnished with two or three But the requisitions of fashion are so ar- bitrary, that every one must yield to them. I do not complain of any one : I only mean to say that there is a choice of situations. The Fishing Philosopher. The fishing philosopher is at his old quarters, on the lower or Jerusalem road. Every morning before sunrise you will find him in his boat, half a mile from the shore, rappling with sturdy cod and haddock, or kinds of well-cooked fish, had but little on j quietly pulling in an inoflensive mackerel, it— the boarders were fobbed off with a He is an experienced, skilful fisherman, salt mackerel, and a few perch, done as I and takes much delight in tickling the dry as an ancient Digby herring. I have j gums of the monarchs of the deep with his often seen such things. ingeniously ganged hooks. He probably The fact is, some of the men who keep I makes more than his expenses every year, houses of this kind are too lazy to fish them- j by his constant labors at the line; the plea- OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 29 sureof fishing, of course, costs him nothing. The exercise he receives is a healthy one, and well calculated to prolong his days, if a shark does not visit him unceremoni- ously some morning before breakfast, jirk him out of his dory, and make a flesh chow- der of him. Stranger ihings have hap- pened; but we desire not to alarm him. Like a delicate old maid in the street after •dark, our friend always has a pair of sharp scissors with him to scare away these vo- racious monsters. Sometimes he has only to shake his straw hat at them and they are otT. He is as brown as a berry — a picture of perfect health. In fact, I know of no man in the whole scope of my acquain- tance, who appears to enjoy life so ration- ally as he. With a moderate competence, he leaves the bustle of the city five or six months of every year, and repairs to the coast; and, on its very borders, enjoys the manly and healthful exercise of fishing, wholly regardless of what is going on in the political world, and totally indifferent to the squabbles of his fellow citizens about pure fresh water, so long as he can enjoy his favorite sport upon thai which is equally pure, but not quite so fresh. If he is not a philosopher, show me who is one. There is not one man in a thousand who has the good sense to know when he has money enough, or who can enjoy it when he has earned it, or plundered it from the pockets of others. ]VorricJc. I ought to remark here, that Worrick is in excellent health, and doing well. He whistles as merrily, and listens to well related anecdotes with as much attention as he did twenty years ago. I always liked Worrick, because he has a knack of putting a generous quantity of fat pork into his chowders. He once excelled all other men on the south shore in that respect. Mr. Webster^ s Farm. Mr. Webster's house, at Marshfield, has undergone quite a renovation since I saw it last. It is much improved in appearance and continues to be the abode of generous and elegant hospitality. The distinguished senator has recently given two or three ex- cellent dinners to some of his friends and neighbors, who speak in high terms of his chowders. No doubt they are first rate. I do not think, however, that port wine, or any other wine, improves a fish or a clam chowder. To a pure taste the flavor of the fish alone, -and of the common and neces- sary ingredients, is sufficient, without the "aid of foreign ornament" But it is a very difficult thing to make a chowder that will please every body. I might add, that it is quite as difficult to find a family cook in Boston who understands the art of mak- ing chowder at all ; and I can truly say, that some of the very worst chowders I ever tasted were made by professional or educated cooks, at our public hotels, who seem to take Noah Webster's (not Daniel's) definition as their guide — '■ a mixture, of which fish and crackers are the principal ingredients." In my next, 1 will give you my own ideas about making fish and clam chow- ders, and of cooking some other kinds of fish, eels especially. Prop Shakhuj at Hull. But before I close this letter, permit me to tell you a brief story in relation to what occurred near Worrick's hotel, on a Sun- day, some twenty years ago. It was then fashionable for several of our bank and in- surance clerks to leave the city on Satur- day afternoons, and, after spending their Sundays agreeably at Nantasket, return home in seasoii for business hours on Mon- day. One Sabbath day, about noon, a dozen of them were accidentally discover- ed, under the brow of a rock, by a president of one of the banks, who was in company with a respectable lawyer from Dedham, playing props. And what a discovery ! Such a scattering as there was, such a blushing and burning, and such elongated visages, it is quite impossible to describe. Most of the party are now dead. The bank president is alive, but the lawyer died sev- eral years since. It was considered at the time one of the most unfortunate occurren- ces of the season ; and, I may add, the 30 NOTES ON THE SEA-SnORE ; noise made about it in State-slreet, on the following day, by some of "our first men," had the desired effect: it put a stop to all similar proceedings thereafter. The Telegraphic Ealablishments. The telegraphic establishment at Hull is superintended by Mr. Pope, who appears to be a very faithful man in his business. He is always " on hand,'"' at the earliest dawn, and never quits his high office so long as there is any chance of his being' useful to the mercantile interest, and that of his employers. Capt. Brown, with whom he is often in telegraphic communication, and has his quarters on Central-wharf, is also a very faithful man. Mr. Pope says he rarely finds him absent from his post. I know him to be vastly more intelligent than most of the individuals with whom he daily comes in business contact. He has a very extensive and most correct know- ledge of the islands in Boston harbor. And here I must be permitted to say a word in commendation of the miniature chart published several years since by Mr. Nathaniel Dearborn. It appears to have been prepared with great care, and is a useful little work. Besides giving the names of all the islands, and the different channels, it points out accurately the pop- ular fishing grounds in. the lower harbor. I commend it, on this account, to the notice of young fishermen, and all others who have a taste for fishing and sailing, and would avoid shoals and breakers. LETTER VIII. The way to make fish and clam chowders, arid to cook eels — remarks on the decline of tite noble science of cooking among the young ladies of the present day— a laughable note about chowders — remarkable fish stories. Hull, August, 1845. I proceed to fulfil the promise I made in my letter of yesterday ; and the reason I meddle with the subject of cooking chow- ders is this. Such a thing as a chowder is unknown in Ireland — and, as you are well aware, nine-tenths of all the "cooks," in the private families of Boston, came from the Emerald Isle. I have been a house- keeper myself about twenty years, and out of thirty or forty girls who came to my house to undertake the cooking, I never had one who could make a chowder Fish Chowders. A Fish Chowder is a simple thing to make. For a family of twelve or fifteen persons, all you have to do is this : In the first place, catch your fish — as Mrs. Glass would say — either with a silver or some other kind of a hook; a codfish, not a haddock, weighing ten or twelve pounds. There is more nutriment in the former than in the latter. Have it well cleaned by your fish-monger, (keeping the skin on)] and cut into slices of an inch and a halff in thickness — preserving the head, whicl: is the best part of it for a chowder. Take a pound and a half of clear or fat pork, and cut that into thin slices ;. do the same with ten or twelve middling-sized potatoes'. Then make your chowder, thus : — Take the largest pot you have in the house, if it be not " as large as all out-doors ; " try out the pork first, and then take it out of the pot, leaving in the drippings. Put three pints of water with the drippings ; then ■ a layer of fish, so as to cover as much of the surface of the pot as possible; next, a lay- er of potatoes ; then put in two table- spoonsful of salt, and a tea-spoonful of pepper ; then, again, the pork, another lay- er of fish, what potatoes may be left, and fill the pot up with water, so as to com- pletely cover the whole. Pnt the pot over a good fire, and let the chowder hoil twenty- five minutes. When this is done, put in a quart of sweet milk, if you have it handy, and ten or a dozen small hard crackers, split. Let the whole boil five minOtes longer — your chowder is then ready fotthe table, and an excellent one it will be. Let this direction be strictly followed, and every man and every woman can make their own chowders. Long experience en- ables me to say this, without pretending to OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 31 be a " cook's oracle." There is no mistake ! about it. An onion or two may be used, where people have a taste for that unsavory vegetable ; but our New England ladies, those of Connecticut perhaps excepted, although extravagantly fond of onions, do not like to have their male friends approach them too closely when they have been partaking of the "unclean root" and their breaths are impregnated with its flavor.* Clam Chowders. With regard to clam chowders, the pro- cess is very different, but very simple. Procure a bucket of clams and have them opened : then have the skin taken from them, the black part of their heads cut off, and put them into clean water. Next pro- ceed to make your chowder. Take half a pound of fat pork, cut it into small thin pieces, and try it out. Then put into the pot (leaving the pork and drippings in) about a dozen potatoes, sliced thin, some salt and pepper, and add half a gallon of water. Let the whole boil twenty minutes, and while boiling put in the clams, a pint of milk, and a dozen hard crackers, split. Then take off your pot, let it stand a few minutes, and your chowder is ready to put into the tureen. This is the way Mrs. Tower makes her excellent chowders. Clams should never be boiled in a chowder more than five minutes : three is enough, if you wish to have them tender. If they *A few days since, the very polite and gentle- manl}' keeper of one of the hotels on the sea- shore, made an ineft\;ctual attempt to give a lady boarder some idea about making chowders. He remarked that he thought " about a dozen India crackers improved a fish chowder." " Why ! " exclaimed the lady — " I should think they Avould explode." " I mean, madam, he replied, with characteristic suavity, "crackers made of meal and flour, in equal parts." He no doubt meant what is called on the south shore Indian crackers, in conti'adistinction to thoai made entirely of flour. But, after all, there are no settled rules about making chow- ders, especially among the cooks at our large hotels. Capt. Beal of the Mayflower, and Hon. Mr. Webster, are doubtless, two of the best chowder makers in this country — that is, they are considered the most scientific — because they can eat well, as well as cook well. It is a rare thing to find two qualities so valuable combined in the same person. Far better than all is the fact that they can clean their own fish. are boiled longer than five minutes they become tough and indigestible as a piece of India rubber. Let even an Irish lady- cook practise upon this direction for mak- ing chowders, and our country will be safe I In seasoning chowders it is always best to err on the safe side — to come "tardy off," rather than overdo the matter. Too much seasoning is offensive to many peo- ple, the ladies especially, Eds — the icay to cook them. I have a great mind to enlarge upon this subject, but will not at this time. I will only remark that the eel is a much abused and a much despL-^ed fish ; and yet, when properly cooked, it is as sweet as any that swims. Many, from ignorance, cut eels up and put them into the frying-pan with- out parboiling them ; of course they are rank and disagree with the stomach. They should be cut up, and then put into scald- ing hot water for five minutes, when the water should be poured off, and the eels remain at least half an hour — to reflect on what the cook intends to do next! They are then fit for cooking — the meat is white and sweet, and free from that strong rancid flavor which is peculiar to them before they go through this steaming process. They are commonly used as a pan fish ; but they make a delicious pie, (with very little but- ter) or a good chowder. Decline of the science of cooking. I hope your readers will not laugh at me for discoursing so " learnedly" on the mode of cooking fish a||^ clam chowders, and eels. The fact is, my dear colonel, forty years ago it was customary for the mothers of Boston to teach their girls to make chowders, to do every kind of cooking, and every kind of domestic labor — well know- ing how to do those things themselves, for they were brought up in " times that tried the souls" of women as well as those of men ; and you cannot find a " Boston girl," and I might add a " country girl," of forty years of age, at the present day, who, in domestic matters, does not understand every rope in the ship. But come down one generation — look into the spawn which 32 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE is now coming forward, and tell me how many of our city '-young ladies" — the danghters of our ministers, lawyers, mer- chants, traders, mechanics &c., know or care anything about cooking, making bread and cake, washing and ironing, of mending children's clothes, and the thous- and other little minutiiP incident to a well regulated domestic establishment and its accomplished head. I know of some who have to " take their turns in the kitchen ;" but, for the most part, our young ladies are early sent to school to learn the Italian and French languages — they have their musical instructers — tliey will attempt to play on the piano forte, with no skill at their fingers' ends, and to sing without any natural or acquired voice, and but iittle knowledge of the notes; and, generally speaking, with an inditlerent " fashionable education," they are sent into the world, wholly ignorant of dome&tic matters, a prey to "help" hardly less ignorant than them- selves. And, in after life, if misfortunes come upon them, they will begin to see how unwisely they were brought up. But, upon the subject of cooking I have said enough; hereafter, I may serve up a dish of lish stories.* Remarkable Fish Stories. (*NoTES— June, 1848.) The Angler's Guide, a very clever work published in New York in- 1S45, .stiucs, that " the large.st eel taken, on re- cord, was cauglit in one of tlic bays in Long Island, andweiiihed sixteen and a half pounds. They also, in some instances, grow very large in fresh water streams, and liave been taken from sovcn to ten pounds li^ijnht.'' The eel spo- ken of above must liav^ecu a " rou'^er" — a young sea-serpent. During lui experience of many years. l)oth in the market and out of it, on tlie water and elsewhere, we "have never seen any thing of the eel kind that weighed over six or seven pounds. ]t takes a pretty large codfish to weigh si.xteen and a half l)ounds-. there is considerable diftercnce, how- ever, in tlie solidity and weight of fish; l)ut wc doubt tlic story, all together — fresh water eels included. A pickcnl, weighing fifteen and a half pounds, forty-one inches long and eighteen in circum- ference, was brouglit to this city in May, 1848, from Deerfield, IMass. Speaking of fish stories, the annexed items are worth remembering: — "One day last week, Messrs Davidson and Kussell drewin at a sin- gle haul, on Mr. Ilallock's shore, west side of New Haven harbor, says the Journal of Com- merce, 2,000000 of white fish, as nearly as could be esduuited, weighing on an average ' about .3-4 of a pound each. The total Aveight : of die haul therefore was about 1,,'JOO,000 lbs. or i 750 tons ! It is the greatest haul of fish ever i made in that harl)or, and we suspect it will not be easy to match it any where The farmers from the neighl)oring country were engaged three or four days in carrying "them oft' in im- mense cart loads. They sell at 50 to 75 cents the 1000." The Evening Post states that the seine was drawn in by horses, attached to a windlass, and fastened: when the tide receded, tlie fish were left high and dry on a sandy beach, ready to be carted away. Wc have seen about thirty loads of mnnhaden drawn in on Nantasket Long Beach at one pull of the seine, and sold for manure at one dollar per load. These fish are plenty all along the New England coast, and wc suppose are what the New York editors call white Jish. The Centinel, of August 2, 1820, has the fol- lowing remarkable fish story : — " On Monday four uncommon bass were caught, with the hook, from the rocks of Nahant — one of them weigh- ing ./f/^^-AtrcH lbs., one forty-six, one thirty-nine, and the smallest twenty-two." When taken, the sea-serpent was in hot pursuit of them for a luncheon. We have seen a liass, in Catherine market, New York, which weighod si.\ty-four pounds, and the man who had it for sale inform- ed us that he, a few years since, cut one up that weighed eighty-three pounds. And while upon the subject of fish stories, we must be permitted to mention a single fact, which occurred in our presence a few days since. IMr. Harrington, of the new hotel at Hull, was fishing for cod and haddock oft' George's Island. He pulled tip, within fifteen minutes of each other, two mammoth sculpins, which looked enough alike to 1)C twins, as aunt Deborah used to say. They measured two feet in length, and weighed about twelve pounds a piece. As we had never read of nor seen such uon-descripts, we had the curiosity to examine their bodies af- ter death. We found in the pouch of one of them, among other things, four large sized crabs, and a tape-worm four feet long — its liver was of a deep yellow, an inch thick, six inches longand four wide — in its jaws were several rows of well set teeth, giving the fish great power. In the ])oiich of the other, we found two large flounders, in a state of partial decom])osition, but nothing else remarkable — its liver was more healthy dian that of the other, which no doubt had been troubled with the " liver complaint" for some time, by over-tasking its stomadi — a warning this to all bipeds. In all other respects the monsters looked alike. The dissection took place in the pircsciuc of several old fishermen, one of whom pronounced them " bellows fish." They had feet extending from the breast, which resembled those of a chicken. One "item" more and we shall have finished our fish stories. One afternoon, a few weeks since, an expert gunner, on Long Beach, fired into a shoal of porpoises, and killed one of them. OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 83 It was soon washed ashore — the ball had enter- ed its head between the viglit eye and the jaw. Mr. Tower canied it home in his wagon — it weighed over one hundred and fifty pounds. The next morning we had a dish of steaks upon the table, cut from the back of this fisli — the meat was very tender. Some of the boarders thought it was fried liver, and others said it tasted like pork. This porpoise yielded three and a half gallons of pure oil. At sea, when a porpoise is taken, it is a very common thing to cut steaks from a portion of it ; but it is not every one who knows where to " dig for the meat" on land. About fifty clams were taken from the sand on the afternoon we speak of, most of which were si.x inches long, and three ancF a half in breadth. They were measured by our friend Deacon Loring. But to change from sea to land stories. "We liave seen it stated in the papers that, a few d.ays since, an eagle, measuring seven and a half feet from tip to tip, was shot at Hull. We remem- ber to have seen Mr. Joel Walker kill a swallow on the wing there, at the first fire, to settle a bet of a dollar. He is an accomplished sportsman. We once saw him catch fourteen large frogs within an hour. In the fall and winter, Hull is much resorted to by gunning parties, who find capital sport in shooting ducks, which are generally abundant at the proper season, as are numerous other kinds of game. LETTER IX. The fort at George's Island— description of the zvorks there — progress made in the work — the dungeon for prisoners — the sea wall — the Great Brewster, once more— Nix's Mate — the fort at Castle Island — a negro forced to ride a loooden horse there. Hull, August, 1845. T VISITED George's Island yesterday af- ternoon, with a matrimonial party from Weymouth. The love and affection evinced on the occasion, among the " geese and the ganders," were of an excruciating charac- ter, and interested me much. The young ladies, when they get away from home, as you and I know, are always ripe for inno- cent frolic ; and if I had not been a very old man, like King Lear, I should have participated in their fun. George's Island is but a short distance from Hull, and the sail is a pleasant one. I made merely a flying visit, to see the fort, and had not an opportunity to make 4 all the inquiries I wanted to. Our party was there only an hour and a half: I could spend half a day profitably in examining the works. As far as the fort is finished, it is proba- bly the most substantial and magnificent piece of masonry in this or any other coun- try. It goes entirely ahead of the one at Newport, which is of the same class, and of the same model, with a few trifling ex- ceptions. The dry dock at Charlestown is a splendid piece of workmanship, but it bears no comparison to the fort at George's Island, the foundation walls of which are twelve feet thick, and the superstructure eight. It will have a most perfect com- mand over the two principal entrances to Boston harbor. Description of Fort Warren. The principal material used in building this fort, which was commenced twelve years ago. is granite, the best of which is from Quincy, and the inferior qualities, used for filling up, are brought from Cape Ann. The fronts are all neatly hammered and the workmanship of the mason is as even and as perfect as it possibly can be. The filling up, too, shows good materials and excellent mechanical skill. About a thousand barrels of cement are used annu- ally. Indeed the walls, like their founda- tions, are firm and impregnable. Two sides of the fort, the most important in case of invasion, those fronting Broad Sound and Light House channel, espe- cially the ramparts, are so far completed that the cannon intended for them can be placed there in two or three months.* (*NoTE — June, 1 848. ) The fort is now near- ly finished ; but, for want of money, the labor- ers have been compelled to suspend operations. There is but one cannon mounted, the same as in 1845. There are a few loose ones, however, ready to be mounted. If Congress would make the necessary appropriation, the works could be completed in one year from this time. George's Island is well worth looking at even in its un- finished condition. The fort at Castle Island is finished, and several guns are mounted. The materials of the baiTacks and other old build- ings have recently been removed to Hull, and will be worked up in a hotel about to be erected by Mr. Gould, New buildings are to be erected on Castle Island, as soon an appropriation is made for that object. 84 NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; If our shores should ever be invaded, by the war ships of a hostile foreign nation, depend upon it that the fort on George's Island will give the American people a good account of them. When finished, it will have cost between three and four mil- lions of dollars. It is intended to mount several hundred guns there. One of the most interesting points of, at- traction to strangers at the new fort is what is called the prison. It is semi-subterra- nean, and situated on the NE. side ; to reach it you have to descend a long flight of stone steps. Having touched the ground, you walk about forty feet, and then turn to the left, when you find yourself in the "prison-house" of the fort, which extends, through several apartments or sections, a distance of over one hundred feet, and is capable of accommodating one thousand prisoners, if we should ever have as many in New-England, which is at least pro- blematical — unless the foul fiends disunion and insurrection should raise their bloody and unsightly crests on the soil of the Pil- grims. God forbid ! This prison is lighted and ventilated by apertures in the wall, two feet long and four inches wide, through which our infantry could keep up a brisk fire upon an enemy, if we should ever have one on the island, which I also very much doubt. But, " in peace prepare for war," ■was one of the cherished maxims of the immortal Washington. The cost, to a great and powerful nation like the United States, of such defences as this fort, ought not to be thought of for a moment. The Workmen. Mr. Gould, who feeds the workmen, has to purchase his groceries and provisions by wholesale, potatoes by the ship load, flour by the fifty barrels, molasses by the hogs- head, tea by the dozen chests, coffee by the dozen bags, salt pork and beef by the twenty barrels, sugar and every other article in proportion. He has a large ice-house, which he finds very useful in preserving his meats. He has, also, a number of cows, and as fine a lot of four-legged live hogs as ever thrived in N. England. And when I speak of a four-legged hog, my dear colonel, I wish you to understand that I use the expression in contradistinction to two-legged hogs ; that I know several bi- peds in our goodly city of Boston, who are decidedly more hoggish in their manners and their feelings, than are the worst spe- cimens of the swinish multitude that I have ever seen.* Even in Ohio and Ken- tucky, where hogs run wild, they oboerve a proper respect for all who come in con- tact with them. I hope the bipeds I allude to will try to do better. I say I iwpe, for " moral suasion" is much belter than the "forcing system." (Note — June 13, 1848.) Speaking of 'the swinish multitude, it may not be inuldjiropos to mention, that Mr. Tower killed a porker this moiniing which weighed 200 pounds. It was a delicate and symmetrical creature. Mr. Knights, of New Hampshire, officiated as master of the bloody ceremonies; these were witnessed by a large crowd of citizens, including Brother Bates, whose attention was accidentally drawn to the scene, which was of a very thrilling character. In the first place, Knights attempted to entice the hog from a pasture to the place of slaughter ; he took it by the ears, and tried to pull it out — it was no go. The fishermeu here intefered. He then changed his position, and seized it by the tail, which was as long as an old-fashioned queue — such as our good old grand father used to wear. The excitement here commenced. After two or three hearty grunts, the hog made for the opening in the fence, and dragging Knights with him, -with the velocity of lightning, he soon l)rought up in the cow-yard. The spec- tators followed, shouting, " we've got him !" " we've got him !" Two or three of the stoutest men of the party rolled the creature over, and Mr. K. drawing a long knife from his bosom, deliberately plunged it into the throat of the victim — pretty much .as our friends in the South and West serve each other, in cases of emergen- cy. The gash was three inches long, and one and a half deep. Such a '• getting up stairs" as there was, at this moment, it is impossible to describe : the hog, with bloody throat, yelling most pitcously, bolted from the ring, among the crowd, but was soon brought back, and, in a few moments, drew its last breath. It ajiparcnt- ly suft'ered some at first, but its last moments were tranquil and it died easy. The spectators were sorrow-stricken at tlie sipht, and some of them thought it was a pity to kill so tine a pig, by cuttin;;' its throat — others tliOu;;ht that the change from life to death would lie attended with gratifyinj; results, to the stomaclis of the inmates of INlr. Tower's house esiieeially. The practice of throat-cutting, by the human species, was very generally denounced ; and it was con- ceded, even by the friends of the dead porker, Oa RANDOM SKETCnES. 35 The Sea Wdl. But to return to the fort on George's Is- land. Since last year the sea-wall, which extends from the south point to the north point of the island, and securely defends that part of it which faces the sea, and is exposed to its fury during a gale from the N, N E, or E, has been nearly completed. It is a strong piece of work, as strong as stone and iron can make it. If the sea, in its sauciest mood, when lashed into a ^'per- fect fury," can make an inroad there, or move a single stone, I never shall attempt to guess again. When the " foundations of the mighty deep" are broken up, and not till then, will this wall be shaken in pieces. The stones are each of them six feet long, three wide, and over a foot deep ; they are closely laid, and fastened together with heavy bars of iron, strongly riveted. It appears to me that no power under Heaven could move them ; and yet there is at times a fearful, terrible, unaccountable force in the sea — a force that makes us feel that it had, at different times, evinced much ob- stinacy, but particularly on the present occasion. Here Father Bates related an anecdote, and likened a few of the human family unto the swinish multitude. He mentioned one case in point. A few years ago (said he) there was a man in Vermont who had a verj' obstinate, fac- tious wife. In one of her worst fits, she threw herself into a neighboring river, and was drowned. Her disconsolate husband went to the water, and tried to find her body ; but, in- stead of following the stream, down the bank, he took an opposite direction. A neighbour ac- cidentally met him, and inquired his business at such an hour. " I'm looking for the body of my wife," said he — " she jumped into the river this morning, and was drowned." " Then," replied the other, " you must go the other way if you want to find it." " No, no !" exclaimed the hus- band — ■' my wife was so infernal contrary and obstinate that she would never go down stream, if I wanted her to — she is up there, somewhere, I guess : I'll go that way." This case reminded me of hog-catching, said Father Bates, and of some of the great human race, who resemble the swinish multitude. Mr. Tower then had his hog thrown into a scalding tub, rubbed down, dressed, and cut up. Some of the Ilullonians lingered about the scene of slaughter until after sunset. To some of the company, however, there was very little novelty in the transaction, while in the minds of others it awakened many painful associations, for they had lost some of their best friends m the same way. our own feebleness, and instinctively leads us to build our hopes and safety on Him who ''controls the whirlwind and directs the storm," rather than upon granite and iron, though to all appearances as strong as adamant, and indissolubly bound togeth- er.* In front of the wall, the whole extent of it, have been placed thousands of tons of large stones or rocks, to break the force of the sea before it strikes the wall ; an excellent idea. I trust the time is not far distant when we shall see a similar sea-wall at Point Alder- ton, and round the exposed parts of several other islands in Boston bay. The Great Brewster, near the lower lighthouse, is fast washing away on both sides. It is a mel- ancholy sight to look at. I have thus given you all the facts that I could pick up during my short visit to George's Island. You will bear in mind, that it is quite impossible to describe a thing, unless the thing exists ! This is the case with the fort, of the merits of which I have been attempting to furnish your readers an imperfect description. The fort at Castle Island is nearly finished. About twenty-five hands are bringing the work to a close, and the fort will be in a condition to have its guns mounted in a few weeks.t *Mr. Alonzo Lewis, describing a winter-gale at Nahant, has this remark ; — " Standingat such an hour upon the rocks, / have seen the waves bend bars of iron an inch in diameter^ double — and float rocks of granite, sixteen feet in length, as if they ivere timbers of wood." We almost wonder that he was not carried away by the force of the wind and tide. If he, good fellow as he is, had not also been a good poet — " his eye in a fine frenzy rolling" — we probably should never have heard of him again. More substantial than granite himself, may he live a thousand years. tSpeaking of Castle Island, we are reminded of the fact that, many years ago, a "colored gentleman," then called a negro servant, gave otience to the commanding officer, who ordered him to ride a wooden-horse, which was cruelly constructed for the purpose. The exercise was so severe, and so injurious withal, that Cuff barely escaped with his life. His friends took it in hand, sued the commander, and recovered heavy damages for the outrage, which was deem- ed so brutal by the populace, as the facts were developed in court, that a portion of them tlireatened to Lynch him, even after lie had been sentenced to pay a fine. The " law and order" party prevailed, however, as they generally do, except on great occasions. S6 NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; Effects of the Sea. The Great Brewster, -which has long been considered by homeward bound ma- riners as one of the most prominent, as •well as important points and land-marks in Boston bay — it being situated in the direction of the Graves, as they approach Boston light— belongs to Mr. Brackett, of Quincy, who lets it out. Hundreds of ves- sels load there, annually, with stone ballast and gravel. Within the recollection of many people in Hull, that island extended as far as the Spit, and cattle used to graze upon it; and I have been informed that, since Mr. Brackett became owner of it, fifteen or twenty acres of it have been washed away — probably to fill up the lighthouse channel or the Narrows ! Fifty years ago, where the monument called Ni.x's Mate now stands, there was an island, on which the grass grew luxuriantly; it was entirely washed away by the sea in a heavy N. E. gale about forty years ago. The Narrows, our principal ship channel, it is said, are fast filling up. It is the opinion of several of our most intelligent pilots, that a deposit of Jive or six feet of stones and gravel has been made there by the force of the sea within thirty years. In a few years it will cost a million, perhaps millions of dollars, to do that which might now be accomplished by the expenditure of one or two hundred thousands. LETTER X. Farther remarJcs in relation to the town of Hull and lis products— frog fishing — clam digging on Long Beach — anecdote about large clams — gunning parties — sites in ITidlfor cottages — salt uxirks of Mr. Henry Tudor — the industrious shoemaker — neio wharf and new hotel — sea bathing — an expert female dicer and swimmer — politics in Hull — its representative in the legislature, Mr. Tower, who made Marcus Morton governor of Massachusetts by his single vote. Hull, August, 1845. This letter will conclude my labors. I believe I have, somewhat hastily to be sure, alluded to almost everything of in- terest in Hull and its vicinity. I have formed a very favorable opinion of Hull, as a place of resort for recreation ai>d the improvement of the health of invalids. A lady does not have to make her toilet half a dozen times a day here. On many ac- counts, to my mind, it is superior to almost every other watering place I have visited ; and, if some of the enterprising men of Boston should turn their attention to it, and build a few cottages, and a large edifice for a private boarding house, it would not be long before it would be as popular a place of resort as Nahant. There is gen- erally a good breeze at Hull, which, come from what quarter it may, sweeps over the salt water. On several days during the past fortnight, while the good people of the city were sweating and broiling, with the thermometer at 90 to 100, the weather here has been quite cool and comfortable. Frog Fishing. There is good frog fishing at Hull. A friend of mine caught fourteen of these in- teresting fellows in one of the ponds, a few days since, in less than an hour, and we had them served up the next morning for breakfast — a "private arrangement." Per- haps some of your readers would like to know how to catch frogs. Let me instruct them. Take a fine line, about a yard and a half long, and tie it to the end of a very small pole of about the same length : put on a smelt hook, and bait it with a piece of salt pork of the size of a common pea : approach the pond cautiously, and then, as cautiously, put your bait directly over the mouth of the frog, as you see its head sticking out of the water: in nine cases out of ten the frog will snap at the bait, at once, and it is a gone case with his nimble majesty. As soon as it reaches the land, the frog contrives to divest itself of the hook, and makes for the pond again with the velocity of lightning. But you must be quicker than the frog ; you must seize it by its hind legs and beat its brains out ; it will not bite. When a frog shows no disposition to jump at your bait, all you OU RANDOM SKETCHES. 37 have to do is to lower it gently so that the hook will fall below its chin : then give a scientific jerk, the hook does its perfect work, and the prize is yours. A dressed frog resembles a human being — except, perhaps, that the phrenological develop- ments of its head are somewhat more prom- inent and intellectual than those of most men. Its hind quarters furnish very deli- cate eating, if broiled and buttered, as you cook a chicken, or they may be made into a fricasee, as the French almost invariably cook them : the other part of it is not con- sidered wholesome. Frogs should never be overdone, for they then become taste- less. But enough of this. I will only add, that a frog ready for the gridiron, is a beau- tiful creature to look at, and always reminds me of the picture of Eve in the garden of Eden ! Clam Digging. I have been clamming once since Icame down from the city, on Long Beach. The clams dug there are very large — some of them are six and a half inches long. Their meat is coarse and tough, like that of the quohog or Southern clam. The smaller clams, which are found in great abundance in this vicinity, are decidedly preferable for cooking. There is something about the history of the sand clams that will inter- est you. They lie generally within three or four inches of the surface ; and when you tread upon the surface under which a clam lies, it feels the pressure, and almost instantly you will find a hole open of the size of a five cent piece. This tells you where to dig. If you do not dig, the hole closes again in a minute or two, and there is no sign of a clam being there. I dug a dozen of these large clams, and left them together in a pile, while I moved on to find more. When I returned to the spot, the whole of them had disappeared. I asked mycompanion if he had put thera into his basket. He said, no ; but told me, at the same time, that they had probably dug into the sand again, which I found to be the case — all of them were below the sur- face, an inch or more ; and this was the work of five minutes only. Curiosity prompted me to try them again. I found that almost as soon as one of these clams was thrown upon the beach, it would ex- tend from its shell a hard piece of flesh, about an inch long, which the fishermen here call its tongue. With the aid of this it would turn itself over gradually, and make down into its natural bed.* In every heavy NE. storm there are thousands of these clams washed up, but they find their way into the sand again with as much facility as a thirsty gentleman can find a bar-room in Boston or New- York. Thin shelled clams have not the power that I have spoken of; besides, they always keep their holes open, like old snuff-lakers, to let you know they are ready for a pinch. Tudor' s Salt Works. The salt works of Mr. Tudor, at the Point, are an object of some interest to visiters at Hull. Mr. T. may be considered an ama- teur salt manufacturer, for he certainly cannot make much money by his works. There are about 5000 feet of vats and the quantity of salt made is 1500 bushels, which sells at $3 per hhd., or 40 cents per bushel, at retail. In larger quantities the price is less. It is a beautiful article, and in much request by fishermen; probably no better coarse salt is made in this coun- try. A few years since there were 9000 feet of works in operation, and in one year 3000 bushels of salt were made. There is a large reservoir on the beach, which is filled at every high tide. The water from this is forced some distance through logs into the vats, by a windmill. The young man who superintends the works has much leisure time, which he occupies in making shoes : he is an excellent workman, and gets twenty -three cents a pair for making men's dress shoes — such as sell readily in Boston for SI 50 and SI 75. The private (*NoTE^JuNE, 1848.) Quohogs, at Wel- fieet, where they are plenty, as at other places on Cape Cod, do the same. Fatlier Bates says he has often seen one crawl a foot on the sand, and then dig into it. We are learning some- thing every day, in relation to electricity, clam- ology, or the progress of steam. 38 NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; residence of Mr. Tudor, in the summer season, is a delightful one : in his garden are raised corn, peas, beans, beets, carrots, onions, squashes, and all other vegetables in common use. This is remarkable, when its bleak and exposed situation is taken into view. Every gale that blows visits it roughly ; but it is closed about si.x months in the year. His salt works are a great accommodation to fishermen in this quarter, and he deserves credit for keeping them in operation. Sea BaOiing. The advantages for salt water bathing here are great. The beach, in Hull bay, extends a distance of about two miles, and any part of it can be used at high water or at half tide. It is especially favorable for ladies and children. There is a good bathing house a short distance from Tow- er's, in which they can adjust their bath- ing dresses; and he has a smart girl, who generally goes in with them, and who can swim, and dive, and flounder in the water \with as much skill as the best of Braman's pupils. She tells me she learned to swim and dive in the river Clyde, Scotland. I have never seen a female who could do so well in the water. Margaret is the pretty name she goes by. If she were to open a swimming school, all the young fellows in Boston would rush down to Hull to take lessons of her. But it is now " nothing new'' for females to swim gracefully. Mr. Braman, for a year or two past, has been in the practice of learning young ladies to swim ; and \ have understood that he has several pupils who evince much talent in that healthful exercise. His school, as you know, is thronged during the summer by our most respectable females. Political Importance of ITull. I cannot close my labors without alluding to the fact that the town of Hull, through her representative, Mr. Tower, made Mar- cus Morton governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is this fact which has given her much of the notoriety she possesses. I understand, from a good source, that there are about fifty voters be- longing to the town, in all. The limits of the town extend as far east as the salt- works, beyond Worrick's, and there are several voters in that vicinity. It embra- ces three or four islands in the vicinity, in- cluding the light-house, connected with which there are a number of voters, who have to deposit their votes in the village of Hull — some of them travelling a distance of six miles by land, and others two or three by water, to discharge this most im- portant duty of a freeman. Add to this the fact, that one half the voters are en- gaged in lightering and fishing, as long as it is safe to run their vessels, and the reader will readily perceive, that it is easy to ac- count for the small number of votes cast at our gubernatorial elections — a fact which has given rise to the expression, " As goes Hull, so goes the State!" When Mr. Tower was elected, there was a great po- litical excitement — it was "diamond cut diamond ;" but the democrats outwitted their opponents, after a hard struggle — be- tween the Atlas party and the ofBce holders — q;^ by getting down from Boston the crews of several vessels belonging to Hull. They reached home the evening previous to the election, (the second trial) and, by their votes the next day, they established the political character of the Bay state for the following year. And let it be remem- bered, too, that this was done by a single vote — by the representative of the smallest town in the commonwealth, chosen under the peculiar circumstances I have men- tioned. This is History. There are some of the most beautiful sites for cottages in Hull that can be imag- ined, and land is cheap. There is no gro- cery or other store here — no fire depart- ment — and no mechanical branch of busi- ness is followed. Every fisherman is his own mechanic. The whole population de- pend upon Boston and Hingham for their family stores, which they lay in in pretty generous quantities, so as not to have to go up to town often ! OR, RANDOM SKETCHES. 39 LETTERS FROM HINGHAM. The new steamboat Mayflower Capt. Beal — trav- elling on the South Shore — Ilingharti, Cohasset, Weifmoiith, Sj-c. — the manufacturing establish- ments in that region — hotels, and private boarding houses. HiNGHAM, August, 1845. I HAVE been spending a few days agree- ably on the South shore, where I found hundreds of our citizens enjoying them- selves, and inhaling the pure and beautiful sea breeze. Our old friend Capt. Beal has a first-rate boat in the Mayflower. She was christened in compliment to the noble vessel which brought our Pilgrim fathers to Plymouth rock, and bears upon her stern an appropriate and beautiful name for a boat that is daily crowded with the sons and daughters of the Old Colony. The Mayflower was built in New York, and is decidedly the finest boat that was ever driven by steam in the waters of our harbor and bay. She has very little motion — her machinery moves like clock work — even in the roughest of weather, sea-sickness is entirely unknown among her passengers. And in Mr. Cozzen, she has a skilful pilot and an accomplished engineer, while Mr. Siders, the clerk, is a gentleman of intelli- gence, quiet and agreeable manners, and is all attention to the passengers. To say any thing in praise of Capt. Beal would be an act of supererogation. He is so univer- sally known, so generally respected, for his many good qualities, that nothing I could say would add to his well-deserved popularity. Within the last twelve years, he has carried more children in his arms than all the nurses in Boston and Hingham put together: and the attention he ever bestows upon his lady passengers, has deservedly made him a great favorite with those "dear creatures" M'hose smiles and charms are considered one of the greatest comforts of domestic life. The crew are all neat in their dress, prompt in their duties, and civil to passengers. Nearly the whole deck of the Mayflower is shielded from the influence of the weather, the scorching sun, and the driving rain, by a solid ceiling, extending from near the bow of the boat to its stern. One thousand persons can be safely accommo- dated in her cabins, and other parts of the boat, in the worst of storms. The prom- enade deck affords a comfortable lounge in fair weather, to all who are fond of making observations, and "enjoying the scenery," as she runs between the numer- ous islands on her passage to and from Hingham. On the arrival of the Mayflower at Hingham — in the morning, at noon, and in the evening— stages are in wailingto con- vey passengers to their respective places of destination, at reasonable rates; to Cohasset, Sciluate, Weymouth, Marshfield, &c. A ride from Hingham to either of these places will repay the man of leisure, or the invalid in search of recreation and health, for the time and money he devotes to it. The good-natured countenances of Messrs. Furguson, Jones and Smith, the stage proprietors, are as familiar to travel- lers on the South shore as their old psalm books. Being active and prudent men themselves, they always employ civil and careful drivers ; and I have been informed that no accident has ever occured, from carelessness on their part. All along the shore, are good public houses and accom- modating landlords ; a plenty of good feed, "for man and beast" — fresh fish, clam chowder, and pure air. Go in whichever direction he may, it would be difficult for a stranger to make a mistake, if in search of innocent pleasure, of improved health and pretty women, or of an intelligent, industrious, thriving population. Vehicles, of every description, can always be readily obtained at Hingham, by those who desire to enjoy a drive to either of the neighbor- ing towns, to Nantasket beach and, '-though last^ not least, in our esteem," the fa- mous city of Hull. There has been quite a rush for the South shore this summer ; the public and private boarding houses 40 NOTES OX THE SEA-SIIORE ; have all been crowded, and mosquitos, like mackerel, have been unusually numerous, and active, and sharp-set. To a man of delicate taste, there is nothing so interest- ing as to slay one of these mischievous inserts, while in the act of fastening itself upon the pure white bosom of a beautiful girl. I have watched many a long minute to get a chance to brush one of them away! In Hingham there are two excellent ho- tels, one of which, near the Cove, is kept by Mr, Little, and is much frequented by parties frorri Boston and the neighboring towns : it is a very quiet establishment, the rooms are airy and well furnished, and the beds comfortable. A sojourn of a few days at this hotel must be of advantage to those who are in search of cool and refreshing breezes, and renewed health and strength. The Old Colony House is known to ev- ery one who has visited Hingham, that flourishing land of boxes, buckets, and new laid eggs. Its fame, as a place of genteel summer resort, has extended to every part of this country — even to the new state of Te.xas. Its present proprietor, Mr. Bryant, although quite a young man, has had con- siderable experience in one of the best hotels in Boston. Although he does not possess the legal knowledge of a Mans- field, yet it may be truly said of him, that he was brought up at the feet of Lord Ba- con, the Goliah of the bar — of the Exchange CofTee House. He is at all times very po- lite, and, unless some uncultivated mind or a tin pedler approaches him, there is al- ways a playful smile about his lips, and a graceful, good-natured nod of the head, which are at the service of every one.* (*NoTK— .JcNE, 1848.) Poor Bryant hcing deail, the Old Colony House was sold at auc- tion on tlic first of May Inst for about $7500, and was purchased by Mr. Edward Kiddle, an enterprising auctioneer of Boston, who has leased it to Mr. Dudley S. Locke, formerly of the Exchange Coftee House, a gentleman every way fitted to do justice to the ])ublic, and to please all who may favor him with a call. iWe hope he may succeed well at the Old Colony. Speaking of the Exchange Coflfee House, wc are pleased to learn that the reputation of this old establishment is handsomely sustained by its present proprietors, Messrs. McGiil & Fear- The extensive grove back of the Old Colony House is visited, almost daily, by pic-nic parties from the city and elsewhere : it is a beautiful and very popular place for such gatherings. Within a short distance from the house there are thousands of black and whortleberry bushes, in full bearing, which are free to all who choose to pick the fruit. The afternoon I returned home, one of these parties came up in the Mayflower, richly laden with the product of their industrious labor. There were sev- eral hundred men, women, and children belonging to it, and a happier, more cheer- ful, and fun-loving set of human beings, I never before looked upon. Some of them, after filling their baskets and tin kettles with berries, tore np bushes, roots and all, and bore them away in triumph! That was a fault ; but as they probably belonged to our party, their motto was — " to the victors belong the spoils of the victory." While I was in Hingham, I had an op- portunity to make a few observations and inquiries. I was agreeably struck with the fine appearance of the burying-ground, which has been much and tastefully im- proved within a few years. It shows a commendable spirit in those through whose exertions so agreeable a change in this "quiet resting place of the dead" was ef- fected. There have been few or no build- ings put up in Hingham since I was last there, four years ago ; in this respect, there are no signs of improvement. The mack- erel fishing is still carried on successfully, giving employment to a large portion of the active population of the town. The day I was there a schooner had just arrived, af- ter an absence of only three weeks, with one hundred barrels, Nos. 1 and 2 — giving about $75 to each of the crew — almost as much as an ordinary seaman would earn on an India voyage ; and I learned tiiat all the vessels from that port had been quite ing, who, witli their legal adviser and head book-keeper, are considcrtil by the travelling public ns among the best hotel keepers in the United States. And what is more, their cliar- ges are uncommonly reasonable — their table excellent. OH RANDOM SKETCHES. 41 as successful this year. I was informed that the keel of a ship of 750 tons and a bark of 350 were about to be laid for mer- chants in Boston, at the yard, in the vicin- ity of the steam-boat landing. The fe- males of Hingham, many of them, support themselves by sewing and knitting: they are quite industrious.* The same remark (* Note— June, 1848.) "We paid a visit to Hingham a few days since, ami saw many things to admire. The establishment of Messrs. J. Baker & Sons, for the manufi\cture of silk and worsted tassels, fringes, &c. does an exten- sive business, and gives employment to fifty persons, mostly females. It is directly opposite the Union Hotel, and is well worth examining. There are some pretty girls employed in this factoi-y — several of them are from Maine and New-Hampshire. While looking about the large room on the second floor we noticed that some of the girls were full of fan, which appear- ed to be made at our expense, for, as we sud- denly turned our eyes round to one of the tables, we saw a bright, dark-eyed maid making queer movements with her fingers — her thumb resting on her nasal organ — as much as to say, " No you don't, old fellow — you can't come it !" When she caught our eyes, she dropped her hand at once, and blushed like a blue bean. Mention- ing this occun-ence the next day to Father Bates, tliat worthy man said — " Sir, there was a meaning in her motions; they were purely masonic ; these females have their secret signs, the same as the masons did before the death of Morgan ; beware of them." We had not anoth- er word to say about the matter. The extensive bucket raanufiicturing estab- lishment of the Messrs. Wilder, near the Great Plain, is altogether a very interesting concern. We spent an hour or two there. It employs about twenty-five hands the year round, who work ten hours per day, at fair prices ; and they are a healthy set of men. The machinery is driven by water power — and it takes a consid- erable number of men to make a bucket, from the rough to its completion. The logs, spruce and cedar, are procured within a few miles of the factory ; they are then sawed up into blocks of diflPerent sizes, from 10 inches to 20 long ; these blocks are piled up in the yard to season, and then are cut up into slabs, Avhieh are turned into neatly curved staves, when they undergo a farther seasoning process. Hundreds of cords of this kind of stuft" are piled up near the main building, Avhilc tlie workmen inside are driving ahead with the seasoned stock. One man puts a bucket together, another hoops it, and passes it over to still another, who trims it oft' — some- times the hoops and handles are made of hard wood, and sometimes of iron or brass ; the brass mounted are the handsomest, and most costly. The establishment is a hive of industry, but most of the heavy work is done by ingeniously contrived machinery. We saw but few of the old tools in use, such as the hand-saw, the fore- 6 may be mad(; in relation to the young ladies of the neighboring towns, in all of which the shoe business is carried on ex- tensively, and, I am happy to add, profita- bly. The umbrella manufactory of Col. Cazeneau, gives employment to a large number of females. The coopering trade and other mecha?nic branches are carried on successfully there. At East Weymouth, in addition to the shoe business, there is an iron foundry in full operation, which gives constant employment to about one hundred persons. This region of country is celebrated for its remarkable enterprise and industry in the shoe trade, which gives constant em- ployment to thousands of men and women, who enjoy all the comforts, and many of them even the elegancies of life. There are many beautiful girls here, who would make excellent wives, for they can cook, wash, iron, bake, and sew, as well as wax the ends of their husbands if they do wrong. plane, the adz, &c. The workmen turn out three hundred l)uckcts daily, diftering in size and quality, and in prices from $2,50 to $10 per dozen. When we called upon our friends they were finishing large contracts made with traders in the Southern cities as far as New-Orleans. It would take more room than we can well spare at this time to give a full account of all we saw at this establishment, which is worthy of honorable mention. There are other estab- lishments of the kind in Hingham, we believe ; but none so extensive as that we have spoken of, whose proprietors arc polite and attentive to visiters. Connected witli their factory, is a large building in which the buckets are painted. After our visit to the Wilders, we went to the house of one of their neighbors, who owns two hundred hens. Hereafter, we shall give some account of the manner in which they lay their eggs, for Hingham eggs as well as buckets are celebrated all the world over. The view from Prospect Hill in Hingham. cannot well be surpassed — it o'ertops every thing of the kind on the South shore. The only difficulty about it is, it is too far from the Cove, the " centre of civilization," to make it a place of much resort to strangers. Among the stereotyped editions of human nature at Hingham, we were glad to see at the steamboat landing our old friend Capt. Harris who bears his age Avonderfully Avell, and is as' active as he was twenty-five years ago. This gentleman was formerly in the East India trade, and commanded a ship helongii>g to the entej- prising house of Bryant & Sturgis. H© has been in the employ of the steamboat company, as a faithful agent, for many years, and is a very useful man. 42 NOTES ON TIIE SEA-SIIORE ; LETTER II. Plymouth — tJie new hotel there— the rail road be- tween Plymouth and Boston — the towns, and islands, on the South shore passed by the May- flower, on her trips from Boston to Ilingham — . 1 • , Ul- \^ , rr -1 ' c- ,1 r> J J ji \ hearts, and as pure morals, in those public Dorchester Heights, South Boston, and the\ ' / r i . i Dui]uin2;9, as there are out of them. And brothers — The Houses of Correction, In- dustry, and Reformation for Juvenile Offen- ders, the Hospital, the Lunatic Asylum, &c. All these the traveller will gaze upon with interest, and he will naturally say to him- self — There are as good men, as warm Houses of Correction, Industry, and Reformation for Juvenile Offenders, the Hospital, Lunatic Asylum, ^-c. — the Farm School — Deacon Grant — Dangers attending boat sailing — the old Pace Course at Neponsct — Horse racing in general — Squantum, as it was some thirty years ago, and as it is at the present time — the toivn of Qitincy — the late John Adams, his wife, and Mr. John Quincy Adams — the Granite Ledges, jf-c. §'c. HiNGHAM, August, 1845. Evert person who visits Boston should take a trip to the South shore, in the steamer Mayflower, or on the rail road. There are always stages in waiting at Hingham to take passengers to every town along shore, as far as Plymouth ; and a visit to that place — the spot where our Pilgrim fathers first landed, after their perilous voyage across the Atlantic — will well repay the traveller for the time and money he may expend in making it. Be- sides, the new rail road is nearly comple- ted, and it will not be many weeks before one can make a trip to Plymouth — enjoy a good dinner at the new hotel — examine Plymouth rock: Col. Sargent's celebrated painting of the " Landing of the Pilgrims," and a number of other historical paintings ; all the curiosities in Pilgrim Hall, many of which were brought over in the May- flower ; and return to Boston again the same day.* In going from Boston to Hingham, the Mayflower passes a number of interesting points on her right, which cannot fail to attract the attention of travellers. Not the least of these, are the public institutions at South Boston, which cluster together when he says this, he will not be very far from the truth. Workmen, it is said, are building a new jail in that vicinity to take the place of the one in Leverett-street — and when that is finished South Boston will be perfect ! The asylum for the blind, a private establishment, stands upon a hill just before you reach the city institutions. This is one of the most useful establish- ments in New England ; its fame has ex- tended through the whole country. Col. Thomas H. Perkins has been one of its greatest benefactors and most liberal friends.* After leaving Castle Island on the left, the next interesting point the Mayflower (*NoTE— July, 1848.) Dorchestcr'Heights, celebrated in the revolution, now a part of South Boston, are seen on the right as you pass to Hingham. With many other apprentice boys, I " M'orked for my country" on those Heights, and at Williams's Island, during the last war, when Boston was threatened by an inva-sion by the war ships of Great Britain, which were " plenty as blackberries" in our waters during those days of trial and excitement. I was able to shovel gravel, carry two or three sods and wheel a barrow half full of dirt. I mention this incident, not from a feeling of self-glorification ! but merely to impress upon your mind the import- ant fact, that I labored sotne for my country in the last war — " honor enough" for any patriotic lad in the country ; and, if / don't tell the story, ivho shall 1 How will my posterity get at the fact 1 I did not do much during the revolution, to the best of my recollection, not having been in existence at that time ; but I have been acquainted with several old men who did, and some who were so foolish as to think they did, and used to say that they belonged to the famous tea-party which threw his majesty's tea over- board in the port of Boston ; but 1 had as much to do with that affair, probably, as many of ... 1 1 t I 1. ■» ui them, who made stouter proffessions. You will hke so many benevolent and charitable I ^^^; j^^,^^ ^1,^ 1^^^^ ^f ^ J p^^y. A new can- didate for public sympathy and favor will be *Sf,e Appendix — Book II — for an ac- raised every year, undl another Avar with Great count of a ride over the rail road, a des- Britain takes place, or the character of human cription of Plymouth, the Pilgrim Hall, nature is radically changed for the better. This the new hotel &c. ^'ill "ot be in your Ume nor mme. OR EANDOM SKETCHES. 43 passes is the Farm School, which was in- corporated in 1835. This is on Thompson's Island, and lies on the right — a large four story brick building, painted green. It is called the Boston Asylum and Farm School for Indigent Boys, and is strictly a private establishment. Its object is the ed- ucation and reformation of boys who have committed no crime, but who, from loss of parents or other causes, are exposed to extraordinary temptations, and in danger of becoming vicious and dangerous mem- bers of society. The House of Reforma- tion for Juvenile Offenders, at South Bos- ton, is a municipal institution ; and none but young criminals, who have been con- victed of offences against the laws, can be admitted there. The difference between the two institutions will at once be seen. Since the opening of the Farm School, in 1835, over four hundred boys have receiv- ed the benefit of its instructions, and most of them been bound out as apprentices, either to mechanics or farmers. During the past year^ there were about one hun- dred boys on the island : at present there are seventy. They attend school one week, and the next work on the farm — and in this way they receive a good English education, and^ become acquainted with farming. Their food is simple and good. The sales of hay, potatoes, and other pro- ducts, lastyear, after supplying the warits of the island, amounted to over f 600. The island contains one hundred and forty acres of land. The children attend pray- ers, morning and evening, and religious services on Sundays. There has been no physician on the island for three years, and only one death. The probability is, that there would have been more deaths if there had been more physicians ; but this must be spoken in an under tone. For want of funds the managers are constrained to refuse many applications for admission. A few years ago. Mr. Jacob Tidd, of West Roxbury, took one of the boys from the Farm school, to " bring up : " he was a poor orphan. By his exemplary conduct he gained the confidence of his master, who, at his death, having no family, left him his well-stocked farm and his comfort- ably furnished house, together with other property, valued at several thousand dol- lars. One of the teachers at the Farm school, by the name of Locke, a few years since was detected in inflicting upon some of the pupils the most exquisite cruelty that can be imagined : he was a finished brute in his education and* feelings, and was murdering the poor creatures by inches, when his nefarious conduct came to the knowledge of the public, who were so incensed against him that he had to clear out suddenly from the city, to " parts un- known." 1 believe he died recently in one of the Western states. On another occa- sion, some twenty of the boys were sailing in a boat belonging to the island, when it was accidentally swamped, and all but two of them were drowned. And before this accident, as I have been informed, two of the boys, were killed by lightning ; and one broke his neck, by falling from -the great beam in the barn. Deacon Moses Grant is the active manager of this excellent charitable institution, which is now con- ducted with more prudence than it former- ly was. The deacon's whole soul is devo- ted to this establishment, and to the glo- rious cause of temperance. He gives but little away in charity, of his own means ; but in dispensing the contributions of others he is considered a faithful and zealous agent ; and liberal as a prince. To the right of Thompson's island is Neponset, which, in its palmy days, was a place of considerable consequence. When I was a boy, there was a race-course in the vicinity of the hotel, which was patro. nised by many respectable ladies and gentlemen of Boston and the neighboring towns. The "jockey club," then in exis- tence, embraced the names of Stackpole, Whiting, Bigelow, Soper, Spurr, senior, and many other noble spirits, most of whom have long since "gone to that bourn whence no traveller returns." About the same time, if I remember rightly, there was a course in Brookline, just beyond the old 44 NOTES ON THE SEA-SHOBE Punch Bowl tavern, and in the direction of the Mill Dam, which was also much patronised by the people of Boston. The best blood horses of New Englaud were often seen on our turf, which was managed with a proper regard to decency and order. Finally, however, horse-racing became unpopular in this section of the country, and the courses spoken of were broken up. From that time to this, the large hotel at |Neponset has been unproductive property, and has been appropriated to almost every kind of use that can be thought of or mentioned. The Punch Bowl tavern, also, has long since been abandoned. It was once a gay place — and, to the "best of my knowledge and belief," all kinds of sport were carried on there. I believe it is now over thirty years since the last "trial of speed" between running horses, took place among us. Several efforts have since been made to introduce that kind of amusement; but T remember of 'no regular running matches, with the exception of now and then one, on the South Boston turnpike — single heats of two miles. There have been many trotting matches, however, within the last twenty years, on the Salem turnpike — betvi^een Chelsea and Lynn; on the Mill Dam, and at the course in Cambridge. And I could name several individuals, now dead, peace to their ashes ! who were most unmercifully cheated in some of these matches. On one occasion, through the advice of a "kind friend" — as he supposed him to be at the time — a good-hearted young gentleman, vr as milked OMi of three thousand dollars; and, as was afterwards ascertained, his "friend" and adviser, who was the stake- holder, shared the spoils with the winner! It takes years of severe experience to learn all the tricks of professional jockies. I have even known riders of fast-trotting horses to be sometimes bought up for a "valuable consideration" — thus not only deceiving their employers, but injuring the reputation of their horses. In such cases there is no remedy for the losers, who must "grin and bear it," or, like Jem- my Green in the play, be the laughing stock of every dealer in horse flesh, far and near. The fact is there are many simpletons in the habit of betting at horse races, and of buying what are called fast horses, who think they possess a con- summate knowledge of horse flesh, of the speed of horses, and of the tricks of those who make a living by riding and selling them, when, in fact, they know as little of the matter as the very turf over which their horses are made to trot. But it is now many years since I beheld a horse race. I have been present at many — on Long Island, at Camden in New Jersey, in Washington city, and other places at the South, and seen some of the best con- tested matches that ever took place in this country; but I have always considered that between Eclipse and Henry, in 1822, as decidedly the most interesting and thrilling. I shall never forget that race. Mr. Purdy had always previously rode Eclipse ; but, on the occasion to which I refer, at the first heat, that noble animal had a new rider, and, as you may remem- ber, he was beaten. Among other gentle- men on the judges' stand at the time, was John Randolph of Roanoke, and it was amusing to see him and his South- ern friends exult at the triumph — mo- mentary, as it turned out to be — of Henry, a beautiful creature, over the crack horse of the northern turf. Purdy, on the other hand, was sensibly affected — he shed tears profusely. I recollect the incident well. And when he mounted Eclipse, for the second heat, there was a new feeling, a new confidence, among the friends of the northern horse. Bets, however, ran de- cidedly in favor of Henry — two to one, and three to one. For the first and only time in my life did I risk money at ahorse race on this occasion, by betting in favor of the northern horse. The result is well known. Eclipse won the second and third heats, and took the purse of $25,000, in presence of some seventy-five or a hundred thousand persons. I have seen other races since, on OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 45 the Long Island course, but never one that j interested me half so much as did that 1 1 have just spoken of. Besides, at that day, the races were patronised by the best fam- : ilies in New York. • It is an easy matter to account for the ^ fact mentioned above, that the sports of the turf fell into disrepute in New Eng- land at an early day. There was always more or less gambling carried on at the races here — the same as there is now on Long Island, in New Jersey, at Washing- ton, and other places south, where th<3 gaming table appears to be an indespensa- ble appendage of the turf. There is no disguising this fact. If roulette, faro, and other tables are not allowed on the ground, in plain sight to all who have eyes to see, they are to be found under cover within a few rods of the course, in great abundance. The races over, a portion of the crowd as naturally flock to these tables as another portion do to their drinks and their dinners. On one occasion, at the south, in a building adjoining the race-course, I remember to have counted over twenty gambling tables in full and succe-ssful operation, and some of the bettors were men who stood high in the councils of the nation. The tables were all surrounded by an.xious sportsmen, and each table had upon it piles of gold, and silver, and bills. Is it to be wondered at, then, that this kind of amusement has never been able to take root in the soil of New England 1 I say nothing of the fact, that, at the south, the races are generally celebrated as a gala season by the vilest of the female population. After this digression, I come to the cel- ebrated place called Squantum, which for a long time antecedent to 1820, was a favorite resort of all the " choice spirits" of Boston and the country round, who were in the habit of assembling in great num- bers — from five to eight hundred — to enjoy a " feast of the good things of the sea, the sand, and the orchard. It was called the *' Squantum feast," and was intended as a celebration in honor of the Indian tribes who inhabited the soil over two centuries ago.* I was present at the feast of 1819, and that of 1820 — and as your young read- ers know but very little of what their fath- ers did, I shall take some pains to enlight. en them, especially as the present genera- tion have no amusements of the kind to engage their attention. As the world grows older, it appears to me, the people become more cautious in their amusements, and are compelled to do those things stealthily which their fathers did above-board. I regret to see this state of things. If the old men, and the young men, of the pres- ent day, were to join in a " Squantum feast," they would be unceremoniouly de- nounced, by a large portion of the commu- nity, as crazy and dissipated. The pulpit would thunder its anthemas at their devo- ted heads, and a portion of the press, pro- fessing to be more pure than the rest, would cry out, shame ! But^ as you are some few years younger than myself, my dear colonel, and came " from the country" Greene, permit me to tell you what " our first men" used to do at the Squantum feasts. My extracts shall embrace a pe- riod of only eight years, commencing in 1812. The Columbian Centinel of August 26, of that year, has this paragragh on the subject, which v;ill give you some idea of the quality of the men who participated in those feasts : — "Squantum Festival. This feast was celebrated on Monday last by between 500 and 600 citizens from the country and town, in ample and ancient form. Every thing conspired to render the day harmo- nious and agreeable. Of the invited guests, were Gov. Strong, Lieut. Gov. Phil- lips, Mr. Secretary Bradford, Com. Bain- bridge, Rev. Dr. Morse, Hon. Messrs. Rice * " At Massachusetts, near the mouth of Charles river, there used to be a general rendez- vous of Indians. The circle which now makes the harbors of Boston and Charlestown, round by Maiden, Chelsea, Nantasket, Hingham, Wey- mouth, Braintree and Dorchester, was the cap- ital of a great sachem, much reverenced by all the plantations of Indians round about. * * * * The tradition is, that this sacliem had his seat upon a small hill, or rising upland, in the mid- dle of a body of salt-marsh, in the township of Dorchester, near to a place called Squantum. Hittchinsori's History of Mass., Vol. I. 46 NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; and Fiske of the Council, Hon. Mr. Bart- lett, and many gentlemen from the southern stat3S. At 5 o'clock, the Governor and Lieutenant Governer returned, when an es- cort was formed, under the direction of IMaj. Josiah Quincy and Capt. Charles P. Phelps, who conducted the guests to town, followed by a long train of carriages and chaises. Neponset bridge was handsome- ly decorated on the occasion. The good ship Washington (a miniature ship) was saluted and cheered, and the salute and cheers were returned." This was in 1812, about the commence- ment of the last war with Great Britain. During that war, as is well known, politics ran high, and parties were much divided. This had some effect upon the Squantum celebrations, the democrats having absent- ed themselves from them; but the federal- ists kept possession of the field, and held a feast annually during the war, giving to strong water, [bimbo) she delivered the fol- lowing TALK : — "BiioTHEiis — Open your ears ! Squan- tum is very glad to see the wliite men of the ocean once more united. '•Brothers — Many moons have gone away since we have seen each other. The white men have been divided into parliei, and Squantum will not come amongst those who hate one another. "Brothers — The great Sagamore of the nation (President Monroe) has visited you. He has united all hearts. You have again become a band of brothers: and Squantum can now offer you the pipe of union. '•Brothers — Listen! You are all wel- come. You have come to bury the tom- ahawk OF PARTY. Dig deep the grave of it; and let the rock of Squantum keep it buried, as long as the grass grows, or the waters run in the Neponset. "Brothers — Open a kind ear! The Great Spirit guided the white men across the great deep to these shores of Mattapan ; 1 • , 1 i ^"J '^16 children of the forest, who once their proceedings a decided party tone. A ! possessed the country, have been driven year or two after the war an effort was ! beyond where the sun goes to rest. Of made by some of the prominent men of i the whole race of the red people, Squan- ■k«*v. v..,..*;^^ ♦„ v,.,,r „„• r , t u ' turn only is left, and she has no place Dotn parties to nave a union least, to bury , •', , , ' , i u * .v ^ i- i /^ ' •' whereon tc lay her head, but that on which the hatchet, and smoke the calumet of she now stands. She goes soon to her peace. The annexed extract from the' brothers in the west ; but before shegoeSj Centinel will show how they succeded in ' ^^e leases this spot to the white men for their peaceful efforts : — From the CoI'mbian Centikel, of July 30, 1817. FEAST OF SQUANTUM. The anniversary of this ancient Feast ■was celebrated on Monday last, at the I three times thirteen moons — on condition that they celebrate her feast once in every year, and smoke a pipe to the memory of her grandfather, the great king Squanto — the best friend of the white men. Brothers — Enjoy the good things of usual spot in Mattapan bay, in aboriginal! the sand and the sea. Smoke the pipe of style. The federal committee of arrange ments, desirous that the celebration might be in the spirit of the times, and that the tomahawk of party should be buried deep, made their invitations general, and the celebrators were very numerous, and em- braced functionaries, citizens and strangers of all parties. The day was fine, and the cood things of the sea and sand, of the first quality, were served up by Mr. Seaton, union and good feelings; ana receive Squantum's blessings, and her leave to fry as many fish as you can catch, and boil as many clams as you can dig. Farewell ! " A rock had been previously loosened and rolled from the highest clilT of Squantum, to form the tombstone of the tomahawk which the celebrators had convenetl to burv. At the proper time, Squantum cast a tomahawk and hatchet into the grave in great abundance, and in e.vceilent order, i dug for the purpose, which the celebrators all day long. After the second repast, a immediately buried, and rolled thereon a Sanop anounced that Squantum was ap-! rock from the cliff. The usual ceremonies preaching to brighten the chain of friend- 1 of smoking and parting succeeded, and ship, and to hold a talk with the white men j Squantum and her train retired to the west, assembled on her domain. She was ac-| A translation of the talk was then read by cordingly introduced to the president of the president of the day, who put the ques- Uie day, by the head marshal, and was ac- 1 tion, if the white men confirmed the con- companied by five of her tribe, bearing tract ? when Marshal Prince, in a very an- ohve branches, and all dressed in thehab-, imated speech, expressed a wish that the iliments of her race. After having smoked , tomahawk might be buried forever, and a pipe of union and partaken of a cup of that henceforth the only emulation among OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 47 brethren of the same great family might be. who should best serve their country and one another. This was confirmed by three hearty cheers. Every thing went on harmoniously the next year; and. until the feasts were aban- doned, somewhere about the year 1822, the hatchet of party discord continued to re- pose in quietness, in the grave which was dug for it by Major Russell and Marshal Prince, and other prominent politicians of that day. The Centinel, of August, 1819, containa this notice : — FEAST OF SQUANTUM. The ancient Feast of Squantum will be celebrated this year on Monday next, at the rural spot, on the banks of the Nepon- set, consecrated time out of mind to this festival. High water at 2 o'clock. The Council have thought it best that the badge delivered by the scribes to the celebrators shall entitle them to the well provided good things of the sea, the sand, and the orchard, at $1. Those, therefore, who desire other beverage than good cider will please to bring it with them, or pur- chase it at the wigwams which will be erected for their accommodation. The first course of good things will be served up at 10 o'clock, and continued until the falling of the waters. The Council have examined the tomb of the hatchet, and report — " That it continues buried in the bowels of the earth, with the huge rock still over it, and cannot rise while the grass grows and the water runs." The scribes will attend at their usual booth, on the ground, and the celebrators will be introduced by the marshals. Rocks of Squantum, August 2, 1819. The feasts at Squantum were finally abandoned, as I have been informed, be- cause they became " too common ;" and because scenes of rowdyism were intro- duced into them by professional sportsmen and idlers, of the lowest kind, whose bois- terous rudeness and vulgarity, and whose propensity to gamble, drove away all de- cent men. The celebrations fell into dis- repute, and were finally abandoned, with much reluctance, by those who for more than a quarter of a century had participa- ted in them. The late Major Russell, who, for half a century, filled an enviable place in the public eye, often officiated as the sachem. Many of the characters in the feasts — law- yers, merchants and mechanics — were of- ten dressed in Indian costumes, and their grotesque appearance afforded an infinite degree of amusement to all present. Squantum is now a place much resorted to, by fishing and other parties. There is a good house of entertainment there, with lodging-rooms, a long dining hall, bowling allies, &c. j and it is considered by many as the most romantic spot in the vicinity of Boston. A hungry man, in search of a good fish or clam dinner, will be always sure to find one at Squantum. By water, it is about five miles from Boston — by land, over good roads, six or seven. Between Squantum and Boston lies old Spectacle — an island more resorted to, by sailing and afternoon fishing parties, than any other in Boston harbor. It is four miles from Boston, and there is an excel- lent hotel there, kept by Mr. Woodroffe, a gentleman of popular manners, who does an excellent business. I remember to have gone ashore there, several years ago, with the " veteran whist club," and some other old bo-hoys, who hired a colored gen- tleman, who happened to be there with Dorcas, Dinah and Phillis,to fiddle for them. The agility of my venerable friends, in the jig, reel, cotillion and waltz, was highly commended by the colored ladies, who stood at a distance. The next towns on your right, as you pass Squantum, are Quincy, Braintree and Weymouth, and then comes Hingham, which I have already spoken of. Quincy was formerly a part of Braintree, where John Adams, of revolutionary memory, was born, before that town was divided. He died, it will be recollected, on the fourth of July, 1826 — the same day on which the illustrious JefTerson died. His last words were, "this is a glorious day !" The house in which Mr. Adams was born, a small two story building, is now in what forms a part of Quincy : it is a place of much interest to the good people of that town, as well as to others. His body was deposited under the Unitarian church, by 48 NOT£S ON THE SEA-SHORE J the side of his wife, Mrs. Abigail Adams, who died some years before the old patri- ot. There is a tablet near the pulpit in that church, bearing the following chaste inscription, from the pen of his son, Mr. John Quincy Adams : — Liberiatan, jhnintinm Fidem Betenebis. I). O. M. Beneatli these walls are deposited the mortal remains of John Adams, son of John and Su- sannah Bovlston Adams ; second president of the United States. Born 19-30th October, 17.3.5. On the 4th of July, 1776, he pledeare was for writing good plays, or Dr. Channing for preaching excellent sermons. Mr. Henry Tudor, at his end of the town, which, as the Hon. Tom ShufHelon would say, is the West end, has just completed a spacious hotel, near the Point, which will accommodate sixty lodgers. It has been taken by Mr. Harrington, an enterprising, competent young gentleman from Boston, who has tilled the liouse up in a neat and handsome manner : from kitchen to garret every article is new, and his facilities for accommodat- ing large i)ariies equal to those of any hotel on the seaboard. His dining-room i.s large, his kitchen roomy and theappendatres well arranged, and, under the supervision of his wife and com- jietcnt assistants, will tell a good story to visiters. The parlor and other rooms on the lower floor are well arranged, and cannot liiil to attract atten- tion. His parlors and sleeping rooms on the se- ■ coiid and third floors, thirty-eight in number, are ■ all newly furnished, with hair mattresses, wind- less bedsteads, fine bed-linen, (Jcc. This estab- lishment cannot fail to be popular with the pub- lic, and be considered tpiite an acquisition to the venerable town of Hull It is wiihin fifteen minutes sail of the fishing ground, off George's Island, and the shores abound wiih small fish. Mr. Harrington has several fine sail-boats, and good carriages for those who prefer riding to sail- ing or tishing The Hingham steam-boat stops at Hull two or three times a day. Parlies from the country can take that boat, go to Hull, fish several hours, partake of an excellent dinner, en- joy the town and the scenery, and be back again in Boston in season to take the evening railroiid trains for home. There has been some curiosity excited touching the style of architecture adopted by the builder of the new hotel. Our friend Deacon Bubble, and other Hull architects, have pronounced it the pure Tudorean. Mr. Harrington settles in Hull under very fa- vorable auspices ; and if the Whigs do not give him a generous supjiort, they ought to be beaten at the next presidential election. He has a comely wife, active and intelligent in her movements; and this good lady, some si.x months ago, blessed her husband and her country with two beautiful, chubby, blue-eyed boys, at one birth ; one of them has received the name of Zachary Taylor, the oihcr that of Winlield Hcotl They are called by the military men of Hull the " two generals " We have had the little fellows in our arms, and, as the people of the interior say, " they look like two peas from the same pod:" there is not a shade of diflerence in their appearance. It is well worth a visit to Hull to see them. Harring- ton will make his fortune by these boys : if they were girls, the whigs would not probably give a doubloon for the lot ! But speaking of babies, we ought to mention that the " better half" of our friend Tower adds something to the rising gene- ration every now and then : her little Moses, now five months old, is as athletic, pretty an infant, as there is in Hull ; and it is possible that he may grow up to serve his country, in some future war, under ane of the little generals at the new hotel. He will soon be in the bulrushes. We shall see, as Father Ritchee says. Among other improvements in Hull, since 1S45, it should be mentioned that two wharves, for the accommodation of vessels, steam-boats, and fish- ermen, have been built ; one by Mr. Mitchell, a short distance from Tower's hotel, which is 170 feet long and 100 wide. It is a substantial siruc- ture, well put together, and built partly of stone : it cost about 2000 dollars. Mr. Tudor has extend- ed his wharf, by adding an L to it, 50 by 60 feet : his wharf is now about 200 feet long — the depth of water at the end of it, at low tide, is from 10 to 12 feet. This wharf, vvliicli appears to be an ex- cellent piece of wovkmanshij), and as strong as iron and heavy oak and spruce spiles can make it, was built by Mr. Cushnian, of East Boston, a faithful and ingenious mechanic. In addition to the improvements spoken of, it may be stated that two handsome cottages, for private residence, have just tieen erected back of Mr. Tower's ; Mr. Mitchell has built two fine bowling allies on tlie old fort, and many beautiful pleasure boats have been added to the squadron of last year. The Marcus Morton is still without her promised suit of colors : she belongs to young Cook, as fine a fellow, and as a safe a boatman, as there is in Hull. And then there is our friend Sawyer, of the same school — one of the best ))ilots of his age in Boston harbor: his new and beauti- ful Belle, ill her dress of briglit green, '"walks the water like a thing of life." The Henry Clay has taken her old name, the Bare- Foot; and the Susan Hawes, belonging to Mitchell, a fine boat, and the Chip- Hat, are about to be added — the latter will lu) doubt [irove the fastest sailer in the bay. It is jiroposed to get up a Regatta at Hull in a few weeks, under the direction of Skipper Hayden. Hull bay is the best and most favorable sheet of water on our coast for purposes ol' that kind, either for rowing or sailing it is often graced with the presence of Gen. Winchester's Northern Lij,'ht and other beautiful yachts from Boston. The Hull boatmen, than whom there are none more skilful, will probably despatch their challenge soon, and extend it to the North shore as far as Cape Ann. A new town-hall is in progress near the pond in front of Main-street, which will cost about a thousand dollars. The upper room is to be devo- APPENDIX. 53 Jed to town-meetingf!, and tlie lower one to edu- cation and religion. We have thus shown, we think, that llnil is going ahead. She only wants a little more enterprise among some of lier old and wealliiiest citizens, a sure and regular intercourse with Boston, and a lew thousand dollars ("rom the ca|)italists of that flourishing city, and she v.'ill loom u|j like an ocean-ni-onarch making for the shore under full sail The Mayflower, Capt. Beal, will touch atHuU daily, during tlie summer months, on her way from and to Boston. Tlirec years ago, it was said in a letter published in a Bo.-ston paper, com- pliiTientary to the captain, that he had held more babies in his arms than all the nurses on the South shore. M'e are glad to find that our old and re spected friend has lost none of his gracefulness in this respect, and none of his love and afleclion for babies and yoiingchildren, since the period we refer to. What a bles.een doing a prosperous business. Our ancient friend Worrick. too, upon whose head the frosts of fifty winters have acciunulated but few grey hairs, he is as bright, agreeable and thrifty as ever, and has a generous share of patronage ; while the houses all alongshore, at Cohasset, (he Glades, &c contiime to sustain themselves hand- somely, and during the summer months are over- run with customers. The dig-nityan^\ -^^^^ .^,^m^'^ ^^^^ y£m>^\ '^^^^ o, ■* ■0.'' "tif * ~''^is/\^it^ \ . '^ ^' ♦ Js "y ' * /*>i^'"^- ^^/^<>- ./*:^;^^\ ^' -^ DKMAN |±J lERY INC. |S| ^ AUG 89 W N. MANCHESTER, ^ INDIANA 46962