was carried on there a few years since, but of late it has been nearly relinquished. The houses, with few exceptions, are occupied only in the warm season. The village is compactly built on a level grass plat, near the edge of a steep cliff; the land rises in the rear so as to cut off a view of the town of Nantucket. This place presents uncommon attractions in the warm season for invalids. It has a fine bracing air and excellent water. In front of the village "the eye rests on a broad expanse of the Atlantic, and below, the surf, rolling and breaking, gives animation to the scenes by day, and lulls to repose by night.... From a neighboring eminence, called Sancoty Head, the eye commands almost the entire horizon. In the distant west is seen the town and shipping;... a view from this place, at a clear sunset, can hardly be surpassed in beauty and grandeur. The rich coloring of the sky, reflected by the distant waters, the distinct outlines of the town with its steeples and busy wind-mills, the repose of the surrounding plains, contrasted with the gloom which broods over the rolling and roaring ocean in the rear, give rise to sensations which can be felt but not described."* Blue and yellow clay is found on the island, and also good iron ore.

The original right of Nantucket was obtained by Thomas Mayhew of James Forrett, agent of William Earl of Sterling, in 1641, at New York. In May, 1660, Wanachmamak and Nickanoose, head sachems of Nantucket, sold to Thomas Mayhew and others the land lying from the west end of the island to a pond called Wagutaquab, and from that pond upon a straight line unto a pond situate upon Monnumoy Creek, and from the north-west corner of the pond to the sea. This territory includes the town. The first Englishman who settled at Nantucket was Thomas Macy, in 1659. He removed with his family from Salisbury, in the county of Essex, to Madakit Harbor, at the west end of the island. Soon after there went from Martha's Vineyard Edward Starbuck, James Coffin, and John Daget to the island for the sake of gunning, and lived with him as boarders. The following is a list of the first proprietors to whom the island was granted by Gov. Mayhew, in 1659 :

Many of these proprietors moved to the island in 1660. At a meeting of the proprietors, held at Nantucket, in 1661, it was determined "that each man of the owners should have liberty to choose his house lots at any place not before taken up, and each house lot should contain 60 rods square." At first the settlers located themselves at the west end of the island. In 1671, a patent was granted, confirming the land to the proprietors, by Francis Lovelace, governor of New York. It was incorporated a town by the name of Sherburne in 1687, and as a county in 1695.

At the time of the settlement by the English, there were nearly 3,000 Indians on the island. They were divided into two tribes, one at the west and the other at the cast end. The western tribe is supposed to have found its way thither from the main by the way of Martha's Vineyard, and the eastern to have crossed the sound from the southern shore of Barnstable county. Concerning the discovery of Nantucket by the Indians, they had the following fabulous tradition, which was related to the early English settlers.

* Nantucket shoals stretch away to the south-east of the island, 45 miles in width, to the distance of 50 miles, and are a dangerous place for vessels unacquainted with the coast. Very many vessels have been wrecked and lost on them in former years.

In former times, a great many moons ago, a bird, extraordinary for its size, used often to visit the south shore of Cape Cod, and carry from thence in its talons a vast number of small children. Maushope, who was an Indian giant, as fame reports, resided in these parts. Enraged at the havoc among the children, he on a certain time waded into the sea in pursuit of the bird, till he had crossed the sound and reached Nantucket. Before Maushope forded the sound, the island was unknown to the red men. Maushope found the bones of the children in a heap, under a large tree. He then, wishing to smoke a pipe, ransacked the island for tobacco, but finding none, he filled his pipe with poke, a weed which the Indians sometimes used as a substitute. Ever since the above memorable events, fogs have been frequent at Nantucket and on the Cape. In allusion to this tradition, when the aborigines observed a fog rising, they would say, "There comes old Maushope's smoke."* This tradition has been related in another way: that an eagle having seized and carried off a papoose, the parents followed him in their canoe till they came to Nantucket, where they found the bones of their child, dropped by the eagle. There is another Indian tradition that Nantucket was formed by Maushope, by emptying the ashes from his pipe after he had done smoking. The two tribes on the island were hostile to each other. Tradition has pre served a pleasing instance of the effect of love. The western tribe having determined to surprise and attack the eastern tribe, a young man of the former, whose mistress belonged to the latter, being anxious for her safety, as soon as he was concealed by the shades of night, ran to the beach, flew along the shore below the limit of high water, saw his mistress a moment, gave the alarm, and returned by the same route before day-break; the rising tide washed away the traces of his feet. The next morning he accompanied the other warriors of the tribe to the attack: the enemy was found prepared, and no impression could be made on them. He remained undetected till, seve. ral years after, peace being restored between the two tribes, and the young man having married the girl, the truth came to light.

Soon after the English had settled on the island, attempts were made to convert the Indians to the faith of the gospel, and in a course of years all of them became nominal Christians. They were, during every period, generally friendly to the Eng lish, who, though they were sometimes alarmed, never experienced any thing from them really hostile. In 1665, King Philip came to this island to kill an Indian, whose name was John Gill. He landed at the west end, intending to travel along the shore, under the bank, undiscovered, to the east part of the island, where John lived. But an Indian, happening to discover his plan, ran and gave John word, in consequence of which John ran to the town, and got Thomas Macy to conceal him. John's crime was speaking evil the name of the dead, who was supposed to be one of King Philip's near connections; for the Indians had a custom that no one should speak reproachfully of the dead. The English held a parley with Philip, and all the money which they were able to collect at that time was barely sufficient to satisfy him for John's life.

These Indians had a singular way of punishing their children and servants. It was laying them on their backs, and putting a knee on each arm; then, holding back the boy's head, by laying hold of the hair, they ejected a decoction of bayberry-root bark from their mouths into the noses of the boys. This was repeated a number of times, till the boys were near strangled. After a while, however, they would recover. mode of punishment was called by the Indians medom-humar, or great punishment.

This

The whale fishery began here in 1690. One Ichabod Paddock came from Cape Cod to instruct the people in the art of killing whales in boats from the shore. This business flourished till about the year 1760, when the whales appear generally to have left the coast. In 1718 the inhabitants began to pursue whales on the ocean, in small sloops and schooners, of about from 30 to 50 tons. The blubber was brought home and tried or boiled in tryhouses. In a few years after, vessels of a larger burthen were employed, and the oil boiled out in try-works at sea.

"At the breaking out of the Revolution, in 1775, Nantucket had 150 vessels, and employed in them 2,200 men, on whaling voyages. They took annually about 30,000

*Col. Mass. Hist. Soc. vol. v. first series, p. 57.

barrels of oil. The peculiar interests of the island suffered severely by the war, at the close of which the number of whaling vessels was reduced to 30. The enterprise of the people received another check in the late war, but has since again restored the business of the island to its accustomed channels and extent. In 1822, there belonged to the town 88 whaling vessels, averaging 300 tons each.

"The Nantucket whalemen now extend their voyages to the coast of Brazil in South America, and frequently to the Pacific Ocean, and are often absent two or three years. The vessels designed for these distant voyages are generally navigated by 20 or 30 men. The terms on which the men are employed are somewhat peculiar. The owners of the vessel and its appurtenances receive a certain stipulated part out of the profits of the voyage, and the remainder of the proceeds is divided among the officers and seamen, according to certain rules previously known and understood by all parties. So that if the vessel meets with great success, the pay of the men, who navigate it, will be high; but if the vessel have less success, their pay will be proportionably less.

"Whales are sometimes found 200 feet in length, but generally are less than half that size. These monstrous animals are attacked by only six or eight men in an open boat. When in the region frequented by whales, the crew of the vessel in pursuit of them keep a sharp look-out, with all things ready for an attack. The instant a whale is discovered upon the surface of the water, a boat is manned for the pursuit. One man, the most daring and dexterous in the business, is armed with a harpoon, an instrument five or six feet long, with a barbed point. He stands up, with his weapon in his hand, in the bow of the boat, while the others row, under his direction, with all possible despatch toward the enemy, and usually to within eight or ten yards of him. The harpooner, having taken his position to the best advantage, and made all things ready for the blow, hurls his weapon with all his strength, and aims to strike some part of the whale least protected by his thick skin. This is a moment of intense interest, for the success of a whole voyage may essentially depend upon a single stroke of the harpoon. It is also a moment of imminent danger; for one blow from the tail of the wounded and enraged animal might upset the boat and dash it into a thousand pieces. The men, therefore, hastily withdraw a short distance from their danger, and wait the effects of their first onset.

"As soon as the whale becomes sensible of his wound, he dives into the water with incredible velocity for so heavy and unwieldy an animal, carrying the harpoon, held fast in his wound by its barbed point. Several hundred fathoms of line, fastened at one end to the harpoon and the other attached to the boat, are frequently run out be fore the whale is exhausted and obliged to return to the top of the water for air. The harpooner stands ready to attack him again the moment he appears, and fastens another weapon in some part of his body. The whale again dives for a short time, and returns only to receive a new attack. At length, exhausted by his wounds and the loss of blood, which colors the water for some distance around him, he yields to his conquerors. He is then towed by the boat to the vessel, which keeps as near as possible to the scene of the battle, the crew witnessing with the deepest interest its progress and result. Several days are then spent in dissecting the prize and disposing of the valuable parts, when the crew are ready for a new and similar exploit. The profits of a voyage have frequently been from $30,000 to $50,000, and sometimes more."

The following notice of Peter Folger, one of the first settlers of the island, is taken from "a short Journal of Nantucket, by Zacheus Macy," in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. iii. page 159.

"When the English first came to Nantucket, they appointed 5 men to divide and lay out 20 acres of house lot land to every share, and Peter Folger was one of the five. But it appears by the records, that any 3 of the 5 might do the business, provided the said Peter Folger was one of them, from which it is plain the people saw something in him superior to others. It is observable also that the old deeds from the Indian sachems were examined by Peter Folger, and he wrote at the bottom of the deed and signed it in addition to the signature of the justice; for he understood and could speak the Indian tongue. Thus it is evident that both the English and the Indian had a great esteem for Peter Folger, who was grandfather to the famous Benjamin Franklin, the Printer, Statesman and Philosopher. His mother was the daughter of Peter Folger, and it seems that the whole of North America prides itself as much in Benjamin Franklin as the people of Nantucket did in his grandfather, Peter Folger."

NORFOLK COUNTY.

THIS County was incorporated in 1793, previous to which time it formed a part of Suffolk county. This name was formerly applied to a county composed of the towns in this state north of the Merrimac, with others in New Hampshire. After the separation of the states by a line three miles north of the Merrimac, the towns in this state were annexed to the county of Essex. The principal streams are Charles and Neponset rivers, with their branches. Much of the surface of Norfolk is broken and uneven, but no part can be considered mountainous. The ridges called the Blue Hills are the most noted elevations. Much of the soil is strong and rocky. That part of this county in the vicinity of Boston is generally in a high state of cultivation, as there is a good market for agricultural productions in the capital. The manufacture of boots and shoes is an important branch of business in this county. In 1837, there were 5,259 persons engaged in this manufacture. The following is a list of the towns, which are 22 in number.

In 1820, the population of this county was 36,471; in 1830, it was 41,901; in 1837, it was 50,399.

BELLINGHAM.

THIS town was set off from Dedham, and incorporated as a town in 1719. Rev. Jonathan Mills was ordained in 1727 over a Congregational church which had been previously formed in this place. He continued here about ten years, though not in the most harmonious manner, and was dismissed in 1737. He retired to Boston, where he died, in 1773. The people had occasional preaching after the dismissal of Mr. Mills, till 1774, when the meeting-house was demolished. For about the period of sixty years past, no Congregational minister has statedly held meetings in the town. Congregational church has long been extinct. Some families of this order, however, are religiously associated with the west parish in Medway.

The

In the center of the town there are 2 churches, and 10 or 12 dwelling-houses. Distance, 5 miles from Mendon, 18 from Dedham, and 28 from Boston. Population, 1,159. In 1837, there were 2 cotton mills, 1,672 spindles; 427,470 yards of cotton goods were manufactured, valued at $35,110 25; males employed, 20; females, 34: one woollen mill, 2 sets of machinery; 24,000 yards of cloth

were manufactured, valued at $62,000. There were 14,570 pairs of boots and 220 pairs of shoes manufactured, valued at $28,077; straw bonnets manufactured, 1,450, valued at $2,650.

BRAINTREE.

THIS town formerly included Quincy and Randolph, and was at first called Mount Wollaston, and is one of the most ancient places in the state, the first settlement being made in the town as early as 1625. The ancient history of Braintree now properly comes under the head of Quincy, as Mount Wollaston, the place where the first settlement was made, is within the limits of that town. Braintree was incorporated in 1640, Quincy in 1792.

The soil of this township, though not very fertile, is strong, and well repays cultivation. The Maniquot river, after passing through this town and affording many mill sites, meets the tide-waters of Weymouth Fore river at Braintree landing. In the town are

manufactories of cotton, satinet, shovels, paper, nails, and chocolate; large quantities of shoes are made here. There is excellent granite found here, and large quantities are exported; ship-building is also carried on to some extent. There are 3 churches, one of which is Unitarian. On the eastern line of the town is situated the flourishing settlement of Weymouth village; about one third of it lies within the limits of this town. A view of this village is given in the account of Weymouth. (See Weymouth.) Population, 2,237. Distance, 12 miles S. E. of Dedham, and 10 southerly from Boston. In 1837, there were 65,604 pairs of boots, 71,117 pairs of shoes, manufactured in this town, the value of which was $202,363 03; males employed, 357; females, 265. There were two paper-mills; stock manufactured, 182 tons; value of paper, $25,000; one nail factory; nails manufactured, 215 tons; value of nails manufactured, $33,460; hands employed, 19; value of cotton gins manufactured, $15,000; hands employed, 30.

"A survey between the tide-waters of this town and those of Taunton river, to unite Massachusetts and Narragansett bays by a ship canal, was commenced by the United States government in 1827. From the tide lock at Somerset, 13 miles below Taunton, the distance is 36 miles. The summit level between the bays is at Howard's meadow, in Randolph, 134 feet above high-water mark at Braintree or Weymouth landing. A ship canal in this direction, or one across Cape Cod at Sandwich, would save many lives and a vast amount of property."-Hayward's Massachusetts Directory.

BROOKLINE.

THIS town, before its incorporation in 1705, belonged to Boston, from which it was separated by a bay formed by Charles river.