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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/13741-0.txt b/13741-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a0959be --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3413 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13741 *** + +[Illustration: Engraved by Geo. E. Perine, New York. Grover Cleveland] + + + + +THE + +BAY STATE MONTHLY. + +_A Massachusetts Magazine_. + +VOL. II. + +NOVEMBER, 1884. + +No. 2. + + * * * * * + +GROVER CLEVELAND. + +By HENRY H. METCALF. + + +Save only that of Ulysses S. Grant, no name in America has come from +comparative obscurity into national eminence in so short a time as that +of GROVER CLEVELAND. + +The fame of Grant was wrought out through the exigencies of a great +civil war, in which the unity of the Republic was the issue involved. +The distinction which Cleveland has achieved comes of valiant service in +another field of conflict, wherein the issue involves the perpetuity and +dominance of the great principles which constitute the framework and +fibre of republican government itself. Under ordinary circumstances, +probably, neither Grant nor Cleveland would have risen above the plane +of every-day life. The same, too, might perhaps justly be said even of +Washington. In the history of human progress it will be seen that every +great crisis involving the triumph of the principles and tendencies +which make for the moral, social, or political advancement of mankind +has developed a leader endowed with the special qualities demanded by +the occasion. + +The brilliant and self-assertive men who press forward to leadership in +ordinary times, whether impelled by mere love of notoriety, personal +ambition, or an honest desire to promote the welfare of their +fellow-men, seldom become masters of the situation when a supreme +emergency arises. They may set in motion great contending forces; they +may precipitate conflicts whose ultimate outcome brings inestimable +benefit to mankind; but other hands and other minds are required to +direct the issue and shape the result. The master spirit of the occasion +is born thereof. Ulysses S. Grant had absolutely no part in bringing +about that great conflict of ideas and systems which culminated in the +war of the rebellion; nor had he even figured prominently in the field +of military achievement until long after hostilities were commenced, and +the struggle had assumed proportions entirely unforeseen by, and +actually appalling to, not only the people themselves, but those In +control of active operations in the field. But the emergency developed +the man required to meet it, and Grant came to the front. + +So, too, in this later and greater conflict, which is to test the virtue +and determine the durability of popular government--whose outcome is to +decide whether political parties are to be the mere instruments through +which the people express their will, and whose relations can be changed +as the public good may seem to require, or whether the government itself +shall be subordinated to party, and its functions prostituted for the +perpetuation of party ascendency and the aggrandizement of corrupt and +selfish individuals--the leader in whom the hopes of those who contend +for the supremacy of the popular will, the surbordination of party-power +to public welfare, and the administration of the government in the +interests of the whole people, are now thoroughly centred, is one who +has gained no distinction in shaping partisan contests, and won no +laurels in the halls of legislation or the forum of public debate. He +is, simply, the man who, in the last few years, first in one, and then +in another still more important position of official responsibility, has +demonstrated more emphatically than any other in recent times (possibly +because circumstances have more generally drawn attention in his +direction) his thorough devotion to the doctrine that public office is a +public trust; and has, therefore, been selected as the best +representative and exponent of the popular idea in the great political +conflict about to be brought to an issue. + +The purpose and scope of this brief article permit no detailed account +of the private life or public career of Grover Cleveland. Those who have +cared to do so have already familiarized themselves with the same +through the ordinary channels; yet, as a matter of record, a few salient +facts may be presented. + +Grover Cleveland was born in the village of Caldwell, near Newark, New +Jersey, March 18, 1837. His paternal ancestry was of the substantial +English stock. + +I. Aaron Cleveland, an early settler in the valley of the Connecticut. +He was liberally educated, and, ardently devoted to the interests of the +Church, he determined to take holy orders, and returned to England for +confirmation therein. Coming back to America he settled in the ministry +at East Haddam, Conn. Some fifteen years later, in August, 1757, he +died, while on a visit to Philadelphia, at the residence of his friend, +Benjamin Franklin, then publisher of the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, who +spoke of him, in an obituary notice in his paper, as "a gentleman of a +humane and pious disposition, indefatigable in his ministry, easy and +affable in his conversation, open and sincere in his friendship, and +above every species of meanness and dissimulation." + +II. Aaron Cleveland, born at East Haddam, Conn., February 9, 1744. He +was a hatter by trade and located in Norwich, which town he represented +in the Legislature, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of +slavery, of which institution he was a determined opponent. Subsequently +he became a Congregational clergyman, and a power in that denomination. +He died at New Haven in 1815. + +III. William Cleveland, second son of the above, a silversmith by +occupation, also dwelt in Norwich. His wife was Margaret Falley. He was +prosperous in business, respected in the community, and deacon of the +church of which his father had been pastor for a quarter of a century +previous to his decease. + +IV. Richard Falley Cleveland, second son of William, born in 1804, +graduated from Yale in 1824 with high honors. He, too, became a +clergyman, having adopted the Presbyterian faith, and pursued his +studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, after serving a year as a +tutor in Baltimore, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Anne Neale, +daughter of a prominent law publisher of Irish birth, with whom he +united in marriage after completing his studies, in 1829. He was located +in pastorates, successively, at Windham, Conn.; Portsmouth, Va.; +Caldwell, N.J., and Fayetteville, N.Y. Subsequently, moved by failing +health, he sought a change, and, as agent of the American Home +Missionary Society, located at Clinton. Two years later he returned to +pastoral service, though still In feeble health, establishing himself +and family at Holland Patent, a few miles north of the city of Utica. +Here he died suddenly, a few weeks after his removal, leaving to his +wife and nine children no other fortune than the legacy of an honorable +name, and the enduring influence of a true and devoted life. + +V. Grover Cleveland, third son and fifth child of Richard Falley and +Anne (Neale) Ceveland, was sixteen years of age when his father died. +The sad event necessarily marked a turning-point in his career. He was +forced to look life and duty seriously in the face, and he proved +himself equal to the emergency. It had been a cherished hope of his +boyhood that he might secure the benefit of a classical education at +Hamilton College, from which his eldest brother, William (now a +Presbyterian clergyman at Forestport, N.Y.), had then recently +graduated. But this was now out of the question. He had not only to +provide for himself, but he felt bound to aid his mother in the support +of the younger members of the family. The idea of the college course, +for which he had partially fitted himself in the preparatory school at +Clinton, was relinquished, and the battle of life commenced in earnest. +He had already learned something of the lesson of self-reliance, having +served for a year or more as a clerk in a grocery at Fayetteville, and +he soon secured a situation as an assistant in the Institution for the +Blind in the city of New York, where his brother William was then +engaged as a teacher. Here he remained nearly two years, faithfully +discharging the duties assigned him, and promptly forwarding to his +mother such portion of his moderate wages as remained after providing +for his own personal necessities. The situation, however, grew irksome. +As the young man's capabilities developed his ambition was aroused. +There was no way of advancement open before him here, and he felt that +his duty to himself, as well as others, demanded that he make the best +practicable use of the powers with which he was endowed. Returning home +for a short visit, and taking counsel with his mother, he soon set out +for the "West," the field toward which ambitious young men have turned, +with hearts full of hope, for the last half century. + +His proposed destination was Cleveland, Ohio; his cherished ambition the +study and practice of the law. He was accompanied on his journey by a +young friend of kindred aspirations. Arriving at Buffalo he called on an +uncle, Mr. Lewis F. Allen, who had a fine stock farm, just out of the +city, and who finally induced him to remain there, promising to secure +him admission to a law office in Buffalo. He remained with his uncle for +a time, assisting him in the preparation of the manuscript of the +"American Herd Book," a work upon which he was then engaged; but in the +course of a few months (in August, 1855) he secured admission as a +student in one of the best known law offices of the city--that of +Rogers, Bowen, & Rogers. Blessed with good health and industrious +habits, with an earnest determination to succeed, he entered upon the +work before him. For a time he boarded at his uncle's house, taking the +long walk to and from the office at morning and night; but after a few +months he was enabled to be of such assistance in the office in clerical +and other work, that, from the modest compensation allowed, he secured +lodgings in the city and provided for all his humble wants. + +After four years of unremitting study and toil, he was admitted to the +Erie county bar, having laid the foundation for future professional +success in a thorough mastery of legal principles and all the details of +practice, and in those well-established habits of thought and +application by which his subsequent life has been so fully +characterized. He had gained, also, the confidence and esteem of his +preceptors and employers, and after his admission continued with them as +confidential clerk in charge of the office business, receiving a salary +which enabled him, then, to contribute materially to the assistance of +his mother in providing for the wants of the family and maintaining the +comforts of the humble home in Holland Patent, toward which his fondest +thoughts have turned in all the years of his busy life, and where such +periods of recreation as he has felt warranted in indulging have mainly +been spent. + +In 1863 Mr. Cleveland received an appointment as assistant district +attorney for Erie county, a strong testimonial to the legal abilities of +so youthful a practitioner, considering the array of professional talent +in the county and the responsibilities of the position. The war was then +in progress; two brothers, one the next older, and the other younger +than himself, had enlisted in the Union army; and when, a few months +after his appointment, as he had fairly familiarized himself with the +details of important cases intrusted to his care, he was himself +drafted, he pursued the only practicable course, and provided a +substitute for the service. In the fall of 1865, while yet serving as +deputy, he was unanimously selected by the Democratic Nominating +Convention as candidate for district attorney. The county was strongly +Republican, but young Cleveland received a support beyond his party +strength and was beaten, by a few hundred majority only, by the +Republican nominee, Lyman K. Bass, then and since his warm personal +friend. + +Upon the expiration of his term of service as deputy district attorney, +in January, 1866, he entered actively into practice, having formed a +partnership with the late Isaac K. Vanderpoel, a prominent lawyer and +ex-State treasurer. The burden of the labor fell to the share of the +junior partner, and through his close attention to the interests of +clients the business of the firm soon became extensive and the income +fairly remunerative. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, +through the election of Mr. Vanderpoel as police judge, and soon after +the new firm of Cleveland, Laning, & Folsom was formed. In 1870 Mr. +Cleveland was urged by leading Democrats of Erie county to accept the +party nomination for sheriff. The proposition was by no means in +accordance with his desires or inclinations. The office, although a most +important one in a large and populous county, and commanding liberal +compensation in fees, was a most thankless one in many respects: its +duties, always delicate and exacting, sometimes disagreeable in the +extreme, and its responsibilities great. It was felt, however, that the +acceptance of this nomination by one who so thoroughly commanded the +confidence of the people, and whose professional training and experience +gave him superior qualification for the office, would insure to the +county ticket of the party, with due care in the selection of other +candidates, the strength necessary to success in the election. As a +loyal member of the party to whose principles he had ever been devotedly +attached, and in the support of whose cause he had labored in every +consistent capacity since becoming a voter, he finally yielded, accepted +the nomination, and, as had been hoped, was duly elected along with the +entire ticket. He administered the office, upon which he entered in +January following, upon strict business principles, and to the eminent +satisfaction of the courts, the bar, and the public at large, during the +full term of three years. There were no duties, however irksome, from +which he shrank; no responsibilities which he failed to meet in a +becoming manner; and when, on the first of January, 1874, his term +expired and he returned to his legal practice, it was with a larger +measure of popular esteem than he had ever before enjoyed. + +In resuming professional labor he formed a partnership with his friend +and former antagonist, Lyman K. Bass, Mr. Wilson S. Bissel also becoming +a member of the firm. Now thirty-seven years of age, with mental powers +thoroughly developed, and a capacity for labor far greater than that +with which most men are favored, he was eminently well equipped for +substantial achievement in his chosen field of effort; and it is not too +much to say that, in the next seven years, during which he gave +uninterrupted attention to the work, he accomplished as much in the way +of honest professional triumph as any lawyer in Western New York. He +sought no mere personal distinction, but put his heart into his work, +and practically made his clients' interests his own. His judgment was +sound, his industry indefatigable, his integrity unquestioned. He was +eminently well fitted for judicial service, but could never be induced +to put himself in the way of preferment in that direction. He was +always the "working member" of the firms with which he was connected. As +an advocate, he made no pretensions to brilliancy; but in the +preparation of cases, and in the cogent statement of principles +involved, as well as in the effective presentation of pertinent facts, +he found no superiors, and few equals, among his associates at the bar. + +Caring nothing for the pecuniary rewards of labor, beyond the provision +for his own modest wants and the comfort of those, in a measure, +depending upon his assistance, Mr. Cleveland has accumulated no large +fortune; although, with the opportunities at hand, had he made wealth +his object, he might have secured it. On the other hand, he has +befriended many a poor client to his own cost; and, while failing in +many cases to collect the fees which were his due, he has contributed to +public and private charities with a liberal, but unostentatious hand. +Though he has never posed as a "working-men's candidate" for official +preferment, the laboring people of his city and section have long known +him as the true and sympathetic friend of every honest son and daughter +of toil. + +When, in the autumn of 1881, the people of the great city of Buffalo, +the third in the Empire State in population, and the second in +commercial importance, tired of the corruption, the robbery, and +oppression of the ring rule, which had fastened its grip upon them under +long years of Republican ascendency, turned at last to the Democratic +party for relief, the Democracy of the city saw in Grover Cleveland the +one man of all others with whom as their candidate for mayor, they might +reasonably hope to win, not simply a partisan triumph, but a victory for +honest government in which all patriotic citizens might well rejoice. +Much against his own will, after repeated solicitation on the part of +leading Democrats, and many Republicans, who appreciated his character +and fitness, he again consented to become the candidate of his party for +responsible office; and, at the election which followed, so great was +the desire for a change in municipal matters, and so general the +confidence in Mr. Cleveland as the man under whose direction the needed +reform might be effected, that his majority for mayor was about three +thousand five hundred, or nearly the same figure with which the +Republican ticket had ordinarily triumphed. + +Entering upon the duties of his office as mayor, January 1, 1882, he +soon gave practical assurance of the fact that the people of Buffalo had +made no mistake in the selection of their chief municipal servant. In +his first message to the Common Council, which was replete with sound, +practical suggestions, he said:-- + + It seems to me that a successful and faithful administration of the + government of our city may be accomplished by constantly bearing in + mind that we are the trustees and agents of our fellow-citizens, + holding their funds in sacred trust to be expended for their + benefit; that we should at all times be prepared to render an + honest account to them touching the matter of its expenditure; and + that the affairs of the city should be conducted as far as possible + upon the same principles as a good businessman manages his private + concerns. + +It suffices to say that, so far as the mayor himself was concerned, and +so far as his power and influence extended, he lived up fully to the +letter and spirit of this suggestion. Although hampered by an adverse +political majority in the Common Council, still measurably under the +influence of the old rings, and more intent upon preventing the mayor +from winning public favor which might, perchance, inure to the benefit +of his party (though standing himself entirely beyond party in his +relations to the public welfare), than upon the faithful discharge of +their own duties, he succeeded, by the force of his own earnest +personality, by searching investigation into the workings of all the +departments of city affairs, by the ruthless exposure and denunciation +of various corrupt schemes of jobbery and plunder, and by the persistent +recommendation of measures and methods which commended themselves to his +judgment, in accomplishing much in the way of the reform for which his +election had been sought. He used the veto power with a vigor and a +significance which had characterized the action of no predecessor in the +office, and often regardless of the fact that its exercise might be +distorted by designing enemies, personal or political, to insure him at +least the temporary disapprobation of large classes of citizens; but he +used it only when fully satisfied, through patient research and careful +deliberation, that duty and obligation imperatively required it. It is +conceded that in his brief year's administration he saved a million of +dollars to the city treasury, stamped out numerous abuses, and +stimulated the spirit of faithful devotion in various branches of the +municipal service. Men of all parties unite in saying that the city of +Buffalo was never favored with the services of a more faithful, +conscientious, and thoroughly impartial executive head. + +But he was not to continue the work of administrative reform in that +particular field of labor. The people had called him "up higher." His +reputation as a true Democrat, an honest reformer, and a faithful public +servant, had spread abroad through the State, and when the Democratic +State Convention assembled in the early autumn of that year it was +clearly apparent that the nomination of Grover Cleveland, the reform +mayor of Buffalo, as the candidate of the party for the supreme +magistracy of the Empire State, was the one certain guaranty of +overwhelming Democratic victory at the polls. That nomination was +promptly made, and the result which followed was without parallel in the +annals of American political history. He was elected governor by a +majority of nearly two hundred thousand, and, although internal +dissensions in the Republican party, then existing, contributed largely +to the general result, the most significant feature of the election is +found in the fact that the largest relative Democratic gain was made in +his own county of Erie, where he received upwards of seven thousand +majority against more than three thousand majority for Garfield in the +last presidential election, showing him strongest before the people +where his personal character and attributes, as well as his +qualifications for positions of high public trust, are most thoroughly +known. + +As governor of New York, which position he has occupied for the last +twenty months, first with a Democratic and later with a Republican +legislature, Mr. Cleveland has followed the same rule of official +conduct adopted for his guidance in other positions. Mindful of all +proper obligations to his own political party, he has never permitted +party demands to stand in the way of his duty to the public and the +State. Believing, to quote his own language, "in an open and sturdy +partisanship which secures the legitimate advantages of party +supremacy," he also believes that parties were made for the people, and +declares himself "unwilling, knowingly, to give assent to measures +purely partisan which will sacrifice or endanger the people's +interests." In the office of governor, as well as in that of mayor, he +has made vigorous but discriminate use of the veto power, and in the one +case, as in the other, it has invariably been found, upon candid +investigation, that his action has been taken under a profound sense of +the binding authority of the fundamental law, and with an unflinching +regard for the rights and interests of the whole people,--however +violent, at times, may have been the denunciation of demagogic +opponents, or clamorous the protests of those who sought merely +temporary advantages in particular directions, regardless of ultimate +results upon the general welfare. In this, as in other positions, his +general line of action has been such as to command the hearty approval +of patriotic men of all parties; and if he has incurred the hostility of +any, it has been through his opposition to the schemes of corrupt rings +and the purposes of selfish individuals, which he regarded detrimental +to the public good; or through his support of wholesome measures, +calculated to protect the body politic, and thwart their illegitimate +designs in other directions. + +And now, Grover Cleveland stands before the people of the whole country +the duly nominated candidate of the Democratic party for the highest +office in the gift of the Republic; while his candidacy is indorsed and +enthusiastically supported by tens of thousands of pure and unselfish +men of the opposite party, who see, through his election, the only hope +of a return to constitutional methods and honest practices in the +administration of the Federal Government, without which ere long the +complete and irremediable subversion and destruction of the government +itself will be accomplished. This candidacy comes not through his own +seeking. Grover Cleveland never sought an office in all his life. He has +consented to serve his fellow-citizens in public station only at their +solicitation and command. He has served them faithfully and well so far +as he has been called, and none need fear that, if called to still +higher responsibilities and a broader field of duty, he will not prove +equal to the emergency--equally true to himself and his trust. + +Grover Cleveland is a man "cast in nature's noblest mould." Of +commanding presence, with a physical development commensurate with his +mental powers, thoroughly democratic in habit and manner, accessible to +all, meeting the humblest and highest upon equal terms, sympathizing +heartily with the honest laborer in every field of action, frank and +outspoken in his opinions, hating hypocrisy and sham with all his soul, +fighting corruption and dishonesty wherever he finds them, respecting +the opinions and listening to the suggestions of others, but acting +invariably in accordance with his own convictions of right, he fills the +perfect measure of honest manhood; and whether he be President of the +American Republic, or simple citizen, he will never, it is safe to +assume, forfeit either his own self-respect, or the confident regard of +his fellow-men. + + * * * * * + +BOUNDARY LINES OF OLD GROTON.--IV. + +BY THE HON. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. + + +About this time it was proposed to form a new township from Groton, +Lancaster, and Harvard, including a small parcel of land, known as Stow +Leg, a strip of territory perhaps two hundred rods in width and a mile +in length, lying west of the Nashua river. This "Leg" had belonged +originally to Stow, but by the incorporation of Harvard had become +wholly detached from that town. The proposed township covered nearly the +same territory as that now occupied by Shirley. The attempt, however, +does not appear to have been successful. The following covenant, signed +by certain inhabitants of the towns interested in the movement, is on +file, and with it a rough plan of the neighborhood; but I find no other +allusion to the matter either in petitions or records. + + We the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the Extream Parts of + Groton Lancaster and Harvard as allso the Proprietors of the Land + belonging to the Town of Stow (which Land is Scituate, Lying and + being Between the Towns above said Namely Groton Lancaster and + Harvard) Do Covenant and Promise to and with Each other And We Do + Hereby of our own Free Will and Motion In the Exercise of Love and + Charity Towards one another with Mutual Consent in the strongest + Manner Binding our Selves the Subscribers each and every of us + Conjointly one to another (for the Gosples Sake) Firmly Covenanting + and Promising to and with Each other that we will as Speedely as + may be with Conveniency Petition the Several Towns to which we + Respectively belong and Likewise the Great and General Court That + we may be Erected or Incorporated into a Destinct and separate + Township of our Selves with those Lands within the Bounds and + Limits Here after Described viz Beginning at the River called + Lancaster [Nashua] River at the turning of Sd River Below the Brige + called John Whits Brige & Runing Northerly to Hell Pond and on + Still to the Line Betwixt Harvard and Groton Including John Farwell + then to Coyecus Brook Leaveing the Mills and Down Said Brook to the + River and down Said River to the Rye ford way then Runing Westerly + to the Northerly End of Horse Pond & so on to Luningburg Line, + Including Robert Henry & Daniel Page and then Runing Southerly + Extendig Beyound Luningburg So far Into Lancaster as that Running + Easterly the Place on which Ralph Kindal formerly Lived Shall be + Included and so on Running Easterly to the Turn in the River first + mentioned + + Moreover we Do Covenant Promise and Engage Truly and Faithfully + that will Consent to and Justifie any Petition that Shall be + Prefered in our names and behalf to our Respective Towns and to the + Great & General Court for the Ends and Purposes above Mentioned + + Furthermore we Do Covenant Promise and Engage as above that we will + advance money for and Pay all Such Reasonable and necessary Charges + that may arise in the Prosecuting and Obtaining our Said Petitions + and that we will Each and Every of us Respectively Endever to + Promote and Maintain Peace Unity Concord and Good Agreement + amoungst our Selves as Becometh Christians + + And now haveing thus Covenanted as above Said We Do Each and Every + one of us who have Hereunto Subscribed Protest and Declare that + Every Article and Parigraph and Thing Containd in the above Writen + Shall be Absolutely and Unacceptionably Binding in Manner and form + as above Declared and Shall So Continue upon and Against Each and + Every one of us untill we are Erected or Incorporated Into a + Township as above said or that Provedance Shall Remove us by Death + or Otherways any thing to the Contrary Notwithstanding + + Witness our Hands the Eight Day of December one Thousand Seven + Hundred and Fourty Seven and in the Twentieth Year Of His Majesties + Reign Georg the Secund King &c + + Harvard + + Richard hall + Jon'n Bigelow + Joseph Hutchins + Simeon Farnsworth + Timothy hall + Phenihas Farnsworth + Amos Russll + Johnathan--Read (His mark) + Jonathan Read iu + Abijah Willard + + Groton + Samuel Hazen + Joseph Preist + Samell flood + John pearce + Charles Richards + Daniel Page + John Longley jn'r + Abijah Willard + Manasser Divoll + John Osgood + Abijah Frost + John Peirce hous rite + + Lancaster + Henry Haskell + John Nicholls + Thomas Wright + William Willard + Joshua Johnson + Daniel Willard + Joseph Priest + William Farmer + Joseph Bond + Henry Willard + Benjamin Willard + Jacob Houghton + Corp Elias Sawyer + Amos Am Atherton (his mark) + + Stow + John Houghton Ju + John Sampson + Joseph Brown + Hannah Brown + Samuel Randal + Benjamin Samson + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXV., 220-222.] + +Hell Pond, mentioned in this covenant, is situated in the northwest part +of Harvard, and so called "from its amazing depth," says the Reverend +Peter Whitney, in the History of Worcester County (page 158). + +Two years after this covenant was signed, another attempt was made to +divide the town, but it did not succeed. The lines of the proposed +township included nearly the same territory as the present ones of +Shirley. The following references to the scheme are found, under their +respective dates, in the printed Journal of the House of +Representatives:-- + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, + praying they may be erected into a distinct and seperate Township + or Precinct, agreable to the Plan therewith exhibited, for the + Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petitioners serve the Town of + Lunenburg, and the first Parish in _Groton_, with Copies of this + Petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the 29th of + _December_ next, if the Court be then Sitting, if not on the first + Friday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 100), November 30, + 1749.] + + _Samuel Watts_, Esq; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_ and _Groton_, as entred the 30th of + _November_ last, and refer'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council + _December_ 29th 1749. Read again, with the Answer of the Town of + _Lunenburg_, and _Ordered_, That the Consideration of this Petition + be refer'd to the second Wednesday of the next Sitting of this + Court. Sent down for Concurrence. + + With a Petition from sundry Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_, praying to + be set off from said Town of _Leominster_. Pass'd in Council, _viz_ + In Council _December_ 29th 1749. Read and _Ordered_, That the + Petitioners serve the Town of _Lunenburg_, with a Copy of this + petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the second + Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 143), December 29, + 1749.] + + _John Chandler_, Esq; brought down the Petitions of _John Whitney_, + and others of the westerly Part of _Groton_, and the easterly Part + of the Town of _Lunenburgh_, and _Edward Hartwell_, Esq; and others + of said Town, Pass'd in Council, _-viz._ In Council _April_ 4th + 1750. _Ordered_, That _Samuel Watts, James Minot_, and _John Otis_, + Esqrs; with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee + to consider the Petitions above-mentioned, and the several Answers + thereto, hear the Parties, and report what they judge proper for + the Court to do thereon. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and concur'd, and Mr. _Rice_, Capt. _Livermore_, Col. + _Richards_, and Mr. _Daniel Pierce_, are joined in the Affair. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 214), April 5, + 1750.] + + _Joseph Wilder_, Esq., brought down the Report of a Committee of + both Houses, on the Petition of _John Whitney_, and others, as + entred the 30th of _November_ last, and refer'd. Signed _James + Minott_, per Order. + + Pass'd in Council, _viz._ In Council _June_ 21, 1750. Read and + _Voted_, That this Report be not accepted, and that the Petition of + _John Whitney_ and others therein refer'd to, be accordingly + dismiss'd, and that the Petitioners pay the Charge of the + Committee. + + Send down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 41), June 22, 1750.] + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of the westerly Part of _Groton_, + and the easterly Part of _Lunenburg_, praying that their Memorial + and Report thereon, which was dismiss'd the 22'd of _June_ last, + may be revived and reconsidered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That Mr. _Turner_, Mr. _Tyng_, and Major + _Jones_ with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a + Committee to take this Petition under Consideration, and report + what they judge proper to be done thereon. Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 76, 77), October 3, + 1750.] + + _John Greenleafe_, Esq.; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, as entred the 3d Currant, + and referr'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council _October_ 3d + 1750. Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That this Petition be + dismiss'd. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That the Petitioner serve the + Town of _Lunenburg_ with a Copy of this Petition, that they shew + Cause, if any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next + Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be + granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 93), October 9, + 1750.] + + A Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others of the Southwesterly Part + of _Groton_, praying that their Petition exhibited in _November_ + 1749 may be revived, and the Papers prefer'd at that Time again + considered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petition lie on the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 64), October 9, + 1751.] + + _Ordered_, That the Petition of _John Whitney_ and others of the + Southwesterly Part of _Groton_, lie upon the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 81), January 3, + 1752.] + + The Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others, as entred _October_ 9th + 1751, Inhabitants of the Southwesterly Part of _Groton_ and the + Eastwardly Part of _Lunenberg_, setting forth that in _November_ + 1749, they preferred a Petition to this Court, praying to be set + off from the Towns to which they belong, and made into a distant + [distinct?] and seperate Town and Parish, for the Reasons therein + mentioned; praying that the aforesaid Memorial and Petition, with + the Report of the said Committee thereon, and all the Papers + thereto belonging, may be revived, and again taken into + consideration. + + Read again, and the Question was put, _Whether the Prayer of the + Petition should be so far granted as that the petition and Papers + accompanying it should be revived_? + + It pass'd in the Negative. And _Voted_, That the Memorial be + dismiss'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 92), January 9, + 1753.] + +The discussion in regard to the division of the town resulted in setting +off the district of Shirley, on January 5, 1753, three months before the +district of Pepperell was formed. In the Act of Incorporation the name +was left blank, as it was in the one incorporating Pepperell, and +"Shirley" was filled in at the time of its engrossment. It was so named +after William Shirley, the governor of the province at that period. It +never was incorporated specifically as a town, but became one by a +general Act of the Legislature, passed on March 23, 1786. It was +represented, while a district, in the session of the General Court which +met at Watertown, on July 19, 1775, as well as in the Provincial +Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly acquired the powers and +privileges of a town, which were afterward confirmed by the act just +mentioned. + +The act for establishing the district of Shirley is as follows:-- + + Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Vicesimo Sexto. + + An Act for dividing the Town of Groton and making a District by the + Name of.... + + Whereas the Inhabitants of the Southwesterly part of the Town of + Groton by Reason of the Difficulties they labour under being remote + from the place of the publick worship of God have addressed this + Court to be Sett off a Separate District whereunto the Inhabitants + of Said Town have Manifested their Consent Be it therefore enacted + by the Lieutenant Governour Council and House of Representatives + that the Southwestwardly part of the Town of Groton Comprehended + within the following boundaries viz begining at the the [_sic_] + mouth of Squanacook River where it runs into Lancaster [Nashua] + River from thence up Said Lancaster River till it Comes to Land + belonging to the Township of Stow thence Westwardly bounding + Southwardly to said Stow Land tilll it comes to the Southwest + Corner of the Township of Groton thence Northwardly bounding + westwardly to Luningburgh and Townsend to Squanacook River + afores'd thence down said River and Joyning thereto to the mouth + thereof being the first bound--Be and hereby is Sett off from the + said Town of Groton and Erected into a Separate and Distinct + District by the name of ... and that the Inhabitants thereof be and + hereby are Vested with all the powers priviledges and Immunities + which the Inhabitants of any Town within this Province do or by law + ought to Enjoy Excepting only the Priviledge of choosing a + Representative to represent them in the Great & General Court, in + choosing of whom the Inhabitants of Said District Shall Joyn with + the Inhabitants of the Town of Groton, as heretofore has been + Usual, & also in paying said Representative + + Provided nevertheless the Said District Shall pay their + proportionable part of all such Town County Parish and Province + Charges as are already Assessed upon the Town of Groton in like + manner as though this Act had never been made. + + And Be it further Enacted that M'r Jn'o. Whitney be and hereby is + impowred to Issue his Warrant directed to Some principal Inhabitant + in s'd District requireing Him to Notifie & warn the Inhabitants of + S'd District qualified by law to vote in Town affairs to meet at + Such Time & place as shall be therein Set forth to Choose all such + officers as Shall be Necessary to manage the affairs of s'd + District + + In the House of Rep'ives June 4, 1752 + + Read three several times and pass'd to be Engross'd + + T. HUBBARD Spk'r. + + Sent up for concurrence + + In Council Nov'r. 28, 1752 Read a first Time 29 a second Time and + pass'd a Concurrence + + THO's. CLARKE Dp'ty Secry. + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXVI., 293, 294.] + +This act did not take effect until January 5, 1753, when it was signed +by the governor. + +On June 3, 1771, thirty years after Groton Gore had been lost by the +running of the provincial line, the proprietors of the town held a +meeting, and appointed Lieutenant Josiah Sawtell, Colonel John Bulkley, +and Lieutenant Nathaniel Parker, a committee to petition the General +Court for a grant of land to make up for this loss. They presented the +matter to that body on June 7, and the following entry in the records +gives the result:-- + + The Committee on the Petition of _Josiah Sartel_, and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Whereas it appears to this Court, That the + Proprietors aforesaid, had a Grant made to them by the General + Court in_ April 1735, _of Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred Acres of + Land, in Consideration of Land taken from said_ Groton _by_ + Littleton, _Major_ Willard _and_ Read's _Farms being prior Grants, + and for their extraordinary Suffering in the former Indian Wars and + in_ June 1736 _said Grant was confirmed to said Proprietors, since + which Time, the said Proprietors have been entirely dispossessed of + said Land by the running of the Line between this Province and_ + New-Hampshire: _And whereas it appears there has been no + Compensation made to the said Proprietors of_ Groton, _for the + Lands lost as aforesaid, excepting Three Thousand Acres granted in_ + November _last_, to James Prescot, William Prescot, _and_ Oliver + Prescot _for their Proportion thereof_. Therefore _Resolved_, That + in Lieu thereof, there be granted to the Proprietors of _Groton_, + their Heirs and Assigns forever, Seven Thousand and Eight Hundred + Acres of the unappropriated Lands belonging to this Province, in + the Western Part of the Province, to be layed out adjoining to some + former Grant, and that they return a Plan thereof, taken by a + Surveyor and Chainmen under Oath into the Secretary's Office, + within twelve Months for Confirmation. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 44), June 13, 1771.] + +These conditions, as recommended by the report of the committee, appear +to have been fulfilled, and a grant was accordingly made. It lay on the +eastern border of Berkshire county, just south of the central part, and +was described as follows:-- + + The Committee on a Plan of a Tract of Land granted to the + Proprietors of _Groton_, reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That the Plan hereunto annexed, + containing three Thousand nine Hundred and sixty Acres of Province + Land, laid out in Part to satisfy a Grant made by the Great and + General Court at their Sessions in _June_ 1771, to the Proprietors + of Groton, in Lieu of Land they lost by the late running of the + _New-Hampshire_ Line, as mention'd in their Petition, laid out in + the County of _Berkshire_, and is bounded as followeth, viz. + Beginning at a Burch Tree and Stones laid round it the Southwest + Corner of _Tyringham-Equivalent_ Lands standing on the East Branch + of _Farmington_ River; then North eighteen Degrees East in the West + Line of said _Equivalent_ five Hundred and sixty-one Rods to a + small Beach Tree and Stones laid round it, which Tree is the + Southeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Woolcut's_ Grant; then + running West eighteen Degrees North in the South Line of said Grant + two Hundred and forty Rods to a Beach Tree marked I.W. and Stones + laid round it, which is the Southwest Corner of said Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East in the West Line of said Grant + four Hundred Rods to a Heap of Stones which is the Northwest Corner + of said Grant; then running East eighteen Degrees South two Hundred + and forty Rods in the North Line of said Grant to a large Hemlock + Tree and Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of + said Grant; it is also the Northwest Corner of said _Equivalent_, + and the Southwest Corner of a Grant called _Taylors_ Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East one Hundred and sixty Rods in + the West Line of said _Taylors_ Grant to the Northwest Corner of + the same; then running East nine Degrees South in the Line of said + _Taylors_ Grant eight Hundred Rods to a Stake and Stones standing + in the West Line of _Blanford_, marked W.T. then running North + eighteen Degrees East in said _Blanford_ West Line five Hundred and + thirty Rods to a Beach Tree and Stones laid round it which is the + Northwest Corner of said _Blanford_; then running East ten Degrees + South forty-two Rods in the North Line of said _Blanford_ to a + Stake and Stones which is the Southwest Corner of _Merryfield_; + then running North ten Degrees East in said _Merryfield_ West Line + three Hundred and three Rods to a Heap of Stones the Southeast + Corner of _Becket_; then running West two Degrees South in said + _Becket_ South Line four Hundred and twenty-six Rods to the + Northeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Belcher's_ Grant; then + running South in the East Line of said _Belchers_ Grant two Hundred + and sixteen Rods to a small Maple Tree marked T.R. which is the + Northwest Corner of a Grant of Land called _Rand's_ Grant; then + running East in the North Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred + and fifty Rods to a Hemlock Pole and Stones laid round it, which is + the Northeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running South in + the East Line of said _Rand's_ Grant three Hundred and thirty-one + Rods to a Hemlock Tree marked and Stones laid round it, which is + the Southeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running West in + the South Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to + a Beach Pole marked T.R. the Southwest Corner of said _Rand's_ + Grant; then running North in the West Line of said _Rand's_ Grant + eighty-three Rods to the Southeast Corner of said _Belcher's_ + Grant; then running West bounding North three Hundred and + forty-eight on said _Belcher's_ Grant and four Hundred and + fifty-three Rods on a Grant called _Chandler's_ Grant, then running + North on the West Line of said _Chandler's_ Grant four Hundred and + sixty to said _Becket's_ South Line; then running West in said + _Becket_ South Line twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the North + West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the Four _Housatonick_ + Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand four + Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional + Lands to the Place where the said East Line crosses said + _Farmington_ River; then Southerly or down Stream three Hundred and + thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly on said River, + be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the + Proprietors of _Groton_ aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. + _Provided_ the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, + nor interfere with any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183). April + 24, 1772.] + +I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the +proprietors. Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and +Oliver Prescott, acting for themselves, had petitioned the General Court +for a tract of land to make up their own losses. They were the sons of +the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose influence and agency the +original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the largest +proprietors of the town. The following extracts from the Journal of the +House relate to their application:-- + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, and others, Children and Heirs of + _Benjamin Prescot_, late of _Groton_, Esq; deceased, praying a + Grant of the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in + consideration of sundry Tracts which they have lost by the late + running of the Line between this Government and _New-Hampshire_. + + Read and committed to Col. _Clap_, Col. _Nickols_, Col. _Williams_ + of _Roxbury_, Col. _Buckminster_, and Mr. _Lancaster_, to consider + and Report. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12, + 1764.] + +On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but +I do not find that it came up for consideration at that time. It does +not appear again for some years. + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, praying that a + Grant of Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which + falls within the _New-Hampshire_ Line. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2, + 1770.] + +This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel +Holten, of Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua +Bigelow, of Worcester. + + The Committee on the Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That in Lieu of Lands mentioned + in the Petition, there be granted to the Petitioners, their Heirs + and Assigns, Four Thousand Four Hundred Acres of the unappropriated + Lands belonging to the Province, to be laid out in the Westerly + Part thereof, adjoining to some former Grants, provided they can + find the same; or Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Acres of + the unappropriated Lands lying on the Easterly side of _Saco_ + River; it being their Proportion in said Grant: And return a Plan + thereof taken by a Surveyor and Chainman under Oath, into the + Secretary's Office within Twelve Months. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 156), November 14, + 1770.] + +The Committee appointed to consider the Plan of two Tracts of Land +granted to _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, reported. + + Read and accepted. _Resolved_, That both the above Plans, the one + containing Four Thousand one Hundred and thirty Acres, the other + containing two Hundred and seventy Acres, delineated and described + as is set forth by the Surveyor in the Description thereof hereunto + annexed, be accepted, and hereby is confirmed to _James Prescot_, + Esq; and others named in their Petition, and to their Heirs and + Assigns in Lieu of and full Satisfaction for Four Thousand four + Hundred Acres of Land lost by the late running of the Line between + this Province and _New-Hampshire_, as mention'd in a Grant made by + both Houses of the Assembly, A.D. 1765, but not consented to by the + Governor. _Provided_ both said Plans together do not exceed the + Quantity of Four Thousand four Hundred Acres, nor interfere with + any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 73), June 22, 1771.] + +It is evident from these reports that the Prescott brothers took the +forty-four hundred acres in the westerly part of the province, rather +than the fifty-eight hundred and eighty acres on the easterly side of +the Saco river, though I have been unable to identify, beyond a doubt, +the tract of land thus granted. I am inclined to think however, that it +is the one mentioned in the Memorial of the One Hundredth Anniversary of +the Incorporation of Middlefield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1883. The +town is situated on the westerly border of Hampshire County,--forming a +jog into Berkshire,--and was made up in part of Prescott's Grant. A map +is given in the "Memorial" volume (page 16) which shows that the Grant +was originally in Berkshire county, very near to the tract of land given +to the proprietors of Groton. + +Professor Edward P. Smith, of Worcester, delivered an historical address +on the occasion of the anniversary, and he says:-- + + Prescott's Grant, the nucleus of the town, appears as a large + quadrilateral, containing more than a thousand acres in the north + and west part of the town. Who the Prescott was to whom the grant + was made is not known, further than that he must have been some one + who had rendered military or other services to the State. That he + was the Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill is, indeed, possible; + but, as the grant was probably made before the Revolutionary War, + that supposition seems hardly tenable. (Page 15.) + +By an act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793, a large +section of territory was taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. +This change produced a very irregular boundary between the two towns, +and made, according to Butler's History of Groton (page 66), more than +eighty angles in the line, causing much inconvenience. The following +copy from the "Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" gives the +names of the families thus transferred:-- + + An Act to set off _Caleb Woods_, and others, from _Groton_, and to + annex them to _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Caleb Woods, Silas Blood, Amaziah Swallow, Nathaniel Cummings, + Ebenezer Procter, Silas Blood_, jun. _Silas Marshall, Levi Parker, + Amos Woods, Isaac Lawrence, Peter Blood, Caleb Blood_, jun. _Henry + Blood, Caleb Woods_, jun. and _Silas Marshall_, jun., together with + their families and estates, and also the estates of Doctor _Jonas + Marshall_, the heirs of Captain _Solomon Woods_, deceased, and + _Joseph Parkhurst_, which they now own in said _Groton_, be, and + they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_, in the county of + _Middlesex_, and annexed to _Dunstable_, in said county, and shall + hereafter be considered a part of the same, there to do duty and + receive privileges, as the other inhabitants of said _Dunstable. + Provided, nevertheless_, That the persons above-mentioned shall pay + all taxes that have been legally assessed on them by said + _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had never been passed. + + [This act passed _February_ 25, 1793.] + +The zigzag line caused by this act was somewhat modified by the two +following ones, passed at different times a few years later. I think +that the very irregular boundary between the two towns, with its +eighty-six angles, as mentioned by Mr. Butler, was produced by the +subsequent annexations to Dunstable. + + An Act to set of _Nathaniel Lawrence with_ his Estate, from the + Town of _Groton_, and annex them to the Town of _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Nathaniel Lawrence_ of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, + together with his estate, which he now owns in that town, be, and + hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, and annexed to the + town of _Dunstable_, in the same county; and shall hereafter be + considered as part of the same; there to do duty and receive + privileges as other inhabitants of said town of _Dunstable: + Provided nevertheless_, That the said _Nathaniel Lawrence_ shall be + holden to pay all taxes that have been legally assessed on him by + said town of _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had not + been passed. + + [This act passed _January_ 26, 1796.] + + An act to set off Willard Robbins with his estate from the town of + _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Dunstable_, in the same county. + + Sec. 1. BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, + in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_. That + Willard Robbins, of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, with + his estate, be, and hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, + and annexed to the town of _Dunstable_, in said county, there to do + duty and receive privileges in the same manner as other inhabitants + of the said town of _Dunstable_. + + Sec. 2. _And be it further enacted_, That the said Willard Robbins + shall be holden to pay and discharge all legal assessments and + taxes, that have been assessed upon him by said town of _Groton_ + prior to the passing this act. + + [This act passed _June_ 18, 1803.] + +The boundary between the two towns now remained unchanged until February +15, 1820, when another act was passed by the Legislature making a +further surrender of territory. It took a considerable parcel of land +and gave it to Dunstable, thereby straightening and simplifying the +jurisdictional line, which at this time formed but five angles. + +In the autumn of 1794 a plan of Groton, Pepperell, and Shirley was made +by Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., which gives a few interesting facts. The +following notes are taken from the copy now in the office of the +Secretary of State. It will be seen that Dr. Prescott refers to the land +set off by the Act of February 25, 1793:-- + + This Plan contains the Bounds of three Towns, viz. Groton, + Pepperrell & Shirley,--all which, together with whatsoever is + delineated on said Plan, was taken by an actual Survey, agreeably + to a resolve of the General Court, passed June 25, 1794, & under + the Inspection of the Selectmen & Committee's from the respective + towns, appointed for that purpose in the month of Sept'r. 1794. + + By OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. Surveyor. + + The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is + Thirty two Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua + is from 8 to 10 rods in width. The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods + in width. In Groton are twenty natural Ponds, six of which are + delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey. Several of the other + Ponds are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the + whole contain about two Thousand Acres. There are no Mines in said + Town, except one of Iron Ore, nearly exhausted. Every other Matter + directed to be delineated, described or specifyed, may be found on + the Plan. + + SAM'll LAWRENCE } + ZACH'h FITCH } Committee. + OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju'r.} + + The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven + miles; from Boston forty Miles. + + The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width. + + The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five + Miles; & from Boston thirty Eight Miles. + + Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width. The + Plan contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns + necessary to be described. + + OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. + + What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of + Land set off from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, + passed February 25, 1793. As by said Act, the petitioners and their + Farms were set off, without specifying particular bounds, Accuracy + cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without very great + expence and Trouble. + +By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory +lying on the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner +of Groton, was annexed to Shirley. This tract continued to form a part +of Shirley until the incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when +its political condition was again changed, and its government +transferred to the new town. The act authorizing the annexation is as +follows,--and I give it entire in order to show the loose way of +describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:-- + + An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of _Groton_, and + annex the same to the town of _Shirley_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + tract of Land at the south western extremity of the town of + _Groton_, bounded by a line beginning at a large white oak stump, + on the southeast side of _Nashua River_, being the northwest corner + of the town of _Harvard_; thence running southeasterly on _Harvard_ + line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a + pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town + line; thence northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to + _Harvard_ at SIMON DABY'S southerly corner, thence northeasterly on + said SIMON DABY'S line to a pine tree marked, thence northerly to a + heap of stones on a ledge of rocks; thence northerly on said SIMON + DABY'S line to a heap of stones on a large rock; thence + northwesterly still on said SIMON DABY'S line to a stake and stones + in the roots of a pine tree, fallen down, in a valley, said SIMON + DABY'S northeast corner and SAMUEL CHASE'S southerly corner, thence + northerly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line, to the road leading to ABIL + MORSE'S mill, at a heap of stones on the north easterly side of + said road, thence northeasterly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line by said + road to a heap of stones, thence northeasterly on said CHASE'S + line, to a stake and stones at the end of a ditch at a brook; + thence down said brook to _Nashua River_, thence up said river, to + the bounds first mentioned, together with the inhabitants thereof, + be, and they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_ and + annexed to the town of _Shirley_, there to do duty and receive + privileges in the same manner as other lands and inhabitants of the + said town of _Shirley_. + + SECT. 2. _Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted_, That + the said tract of land and the inhabitants thereof shall be liable + to be taxed by the town of _Groton_, their full proportion in a tax + to the amount of the debts now due from said town of _Groton_, in + the same manner as if this act had not been passed: _Provided_ such + tax be made and assessed within one year from the time of passing + this act; and shall also be liable to pay their proportion of all + state taxes that may be assessed on the town of _Groton_ until a + new valuation be taken. + + [This act passed _February_ 6, 1798.] + +All the changes of territorial jurisdiction thus far noted have been in +one direction,--from Groton to the surrounding towns; but now the tide +turns, and for a wonder she received, by legislative enactment, on +February 3, 1803, a small parcel of land just large enough for a +potato-patch. The annexation came from Pepperell, and the amount +received was four acres and twenty rods in extent. The following is a +copy:-- + + An act to set off a certain parcel of land from the town of + _Pepperell_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Groton_, in the same county. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + certain tract of land, bounded, beginning at the end of a wall by + the road leading by Zachariah Fitch's, in said _Groton_; thence + running easterly, by land of Jonas Fitch, to the _Nashua River_, + (so called;) thence up said river to said road, near the bridge + over the same river; thence, bounding by the same road, to the + bounds first mentioned, containing four acres and twenty rods, be, + and hereby is set off from said town of _Pepperell_ and annexed to + said town of _Groton_ forever. + + [This act passed _February_ 3, 1803.] + +The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was opened through the township of +Groton in the month of December, 1848. It ran at that time a distance of +eight miles through its territory, keeping on the east side of the +Nashua river, which for a considerable part of the way was the dividing +line between Groton and Pepperell. The railroad station for the people +of Pepperell was on the Groton side of the river, and in the course of a +few years a small village sprang up in the neighborhood. All the +interests and sympathies of this little settlement were with Pepperell; +and under these circumstances the Legislature, on May 18, 1857, passed +an act of annexation, by which it became in reality what it was in +sentiment,--a part and parcel of that town. The first section of the act +is as follows:-- + + An act to set off a part of the Town of Groton, and annex the same + to the Town of Pepperell. + + _Be it enacted, &c., as follows_: + + All that part of the town of Groton, in the county of Middlesex, + with the inhabitants thereon, lying north of the following + described line is hereby set off from the town of Groton, and + annexed to the town of Pepperell, to wit: Beginning at the boundary + between said town of Groton and the town of Dunstable, at a stone + monument in the wall on land of Elbridge Chapman and land of Joseph + Sanderson, and running south, eighty-six degrees west, about six + hundred and sixty rods, to a stone monument at the corner of land + called the "Job Shattuck Farm," and land of James Hobart, near the + Nashua River and Worcester and Nashua Railroad; thence in same line + to the centre of Nashua River and the boundary of said town of + Pepperell: _provided, however_, that for the purpose of electing a + representative to the general court, the said territory shall + continue to be a part of the town of Groton, until a new + apportionment for representatives is made; and the inhabitants + resident therein shall be entitled to vote in the choice of such + representatives, and shall be eligible to the office of + representative in the town of Groton, in the same manner as if this + act had not been passed. + +[Illustration: Map of Groton Plantation in 1884] + +The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original +grant--and perhaps the last for many years to come--is the Act of +February 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This +enactment took from Groton a large section of territory lying near its +southern borders, and from Shirley all that part of the town on the +easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to it from Groton on +February 6, 1798. + +Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of more than two +centuries, been hewed and hacked down to less than one-half of its +original dimensions. It has furnished, substantially, the entire +territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, and has contributed more or +less largely to form five other towns. An examination of the +accompanying map will show these changes more clearly than any verbal or +written description. + + * * * * * + +SAILS. + + + The ship's white sails are all unfurl'd + To the salt breath of the sea; + And never a ship in all the world + Sails on with the wind more free. + + For the white sails are white hopes of youth, + The breath of the future blows; + But whither the vessel flies, in truth, + There is no man that knows. + + * * * * * + +ELIZABETH.[1] + +A ROMANCE OF COLONIAL DAYS. + +BY FRANCES C. SPARHAWK, Author of "A Lazy Man's Work." + +[Footnote 1: 1884, by Frances C. Sparhawk.] + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +ON THE TIDE. + + +One August evening of the year 1743 a boat lay as if anchored in the +beautiful Piscataqua; her sail seemed swung only to show its whiteness +in the bright moonlight. Every cord upon it hung lifeless, serving only +the purpose of pictured lines, one silvered in the light, the dark +shadow of the other traced in clear outlines on the sail. The swash of +the waves against the side of the boat was too slight to sway it; the +sheet dipped in the water and swung almost imperceptibly, while now and +then a few straws floated against it and caught there. The moon, high in +the heavens, gave pearly tints to the clouds that floated near it; the +pines on the shore flung dark masses against the oaks and maples, or +stood as a Rembrandt background for the boughs of the trees on which the +moonlight fell, or for some ghostly procession of the white birch +trunks. The water, in the shadows as dark and smooth as a Claude +Lorraine glass, showed far off in the moonlight faint quivers of its +surface here and there, as if the breeze so longed for were coming to +the idle boat. But it was too far off, or too faint, for it spent itself +before reaching the watchers there, although at the symptoms one of them +rose with great show of solemnity, and making a trumpet of his hands, +blew vigorously against the sail. But neither these movements nor the +concerts of whistling were successful. At last another of the company +leaning over the side of the boat busied himself with the sheet. + +"I'll tell you the reason this boat don't go," he said, gravely, "the +rope was all twisted. I've straightened it out, and taken off the +straws." + +A burst of laughter greeted him as he turned around his face, still +grave, but his dark eyes, roving from one to another, their laughing +expression hidden in the shadow, for the moon was behind him. + +"What a useful member of society you are, Stephen," cried Katie +Archdale. "I don't see how we could get on without you." + +"I don't think we're getting on with him _very_ fast," remarked a young +gentleman sitting opposite Katie, pointing significantly at a curve of +the shore that they had not drifted out of sight of in the last half +hour. + +"At least he has roused us," returned the girl, "for I half believe I +was sleepy before." + +"I believe it wholly," answered Stephen, taking his seat beside her +again and looking down into her face teazingly with a cousinly freedom. +But it was not altogether a cousinly regard from which Katie drew back +after a moment, tossing her head coquettishly, and with a heightened +color, glancing past at her friend beyond him, who sat dipping one hand +in the water and looking dreamily at the shore. Stephen Archdale and his +cousin Katie lived within a few miles of each other, and there had +always been constant intercourse between their families. When boy and +girl, Stephen, four years the elder, the two had played together, and +they had grown up, as people said, like brother and sister. But of late +it was rumored that the conduct of young Archdale was more loverlike +than brotherly, and that, if Katie choose, the tie between them would +one day be closer than that of cousinhood. The stranger who sat opposite +Archdale, watching them both in silence, was of the same opinion. He was +rather portly for his age, which could not have been over thirty, and as +he sat in the boat he looked a taller man than he proved to be when on +his feet. His dark-brown beard was full, his eyes, like Archdale's, were +in shadow, for he had drawn down his hat well over his brows, while +Stephen and young Waldo sat bareheaded in the August air. + +"I wonder"--began Katie. + +"A sturgeon!" cried Mrs. Eveleigh, the last member of the party. + +But the sound proved the soft dip of the paddle in the water as a canoe +came toward them going down the stream. Its Indian occupant when he shot +by turned his gaze stealthily upon the gay party. + +"How many more of your red savages are there coming to spy upon us?" And +the speaker pushed back his hat a trifle, and looked up and down the +river with an anxiety that he could not quite conceal. + +"You've not been out here long enough," laughed Waldo. "There's no +danger; the red savages are friendly with us just at this moment, and +will remain so until we forget our rifles some day, or they learn that +we're short of ammunition. Shoot 'em down without mercy whenever they +come spying about--it's the only way. They're friendly so long as they +are afraid, and not a moment longer. For instance, why should that +fellow stop? He saw three men whom he knew were armed, besides that +young man who's pretending to sail the boat--why don't you do it, Kit?" +and Waldo laughed good-humoredly at the lad whose office had become a +sinecure. "When you get used to them, Mr. Harwin," he added, "they will +not make you shiver." + +"Oh, they don't do that now," returned the other, indifferently, "but, +the ladies"-- + +"As to the ladies," laughed Katie, "one of them is quite fond of the +red-skins; the other," glancing at her friend, "has gone into a brown +study; I don't believe she's heard or seen anything for the last half +hour. Elizabeth, when you fish up any pearls there out of the water, +share them with us, won't you?" + +"No, she'll do no such thing," interposed Mistress Eveleigh; "she'll +give them all to you." The tone was so serious that Elizabeth cried, +indignantly,-- + +"Cousin Patience, how can you?" + +"I suppose she likes to tease you," retorted Katie, still laughing, "and +so do I. It's so funny to see you wake out of a revery and find +yourself." + +"And not find myself, you mean," returned Elizabeth, joining in with a +ripple of merriment. + +"Master Waldo knows all about the red-skins," said Archdale to his +opposite neighbor; "he had the pleasure of shooting one last winter." + +"Did you?" exclaimed Mrs. Eveleigh, while Harwin looked at the young +fellow with a new interest. "How did it happen? Tell us about it." + +"Yes, tell us about it," cried Katie, turning toward Waldo. But +Elizabeth was still looking at Archdale. Suppose the shooting had been +necessary, how could he speak of killing a human being as he would an +animal, and then lean back and look at Mr. Waldo with a smile on his +face? + +Kenelm Waldo, on his part, gazed at the speaker in astonishment. + +"'Pon honor," he cried, "I never killed a red-skin in my life, or even +had a shot at one. Oh, I know now what he means; he is talking of a fox +that I shot two miles from his house, one that you ought to have secured +yourself, Mr. Archdale. This was the way I did it, the best way." + +When he had finished his account, Katie said:-- + +"I have a plan for amusing ourselves. Let us make every one tell a +story, and we'll lay forfeits on the person that doesn't give us an +interesting one. Mistress Eveleigh, please begin." + +"That is rather arbitrary, Mistress Katie, with no warning," returned +that lady, smiling. "But since we've been talking about the Indians, I +will tell you something that my mother did once before she was married, +while she was living down on the Cape." + +"What a pity, Katie, you did not keep Mistress Eveleigh until the last," +cried Archdale; "I know she will have the best story of us all." + +"You have too high estimation of my powers," returned Mrs. Eveleigh, +flattered; "but if I do well," she added, "it must be remembered that +none of you have had forty-five years in which to find one." + +The story, like a thousand others of that time, was of the presence of +mind and courage of one of the early settlers of America, and was +listened to with the attention it deserved. All, with one exception, +were outspoken in admiration of its heroine. + +"You say nothing, Mistress Royal," said Waldo; "but it may be you've +heard it before, since you and Mistress Eveleigh are in the same house." + +"Yes," she answered, "I have heard it before." She moved her head +quickly as she spoke, and as the moonlight struck her face, Archdale +fancied that he saw a moist brightness in her eyes. But certainly no +tear fell, and when the next moment Katie declared it Elizabeth's turn +for a story, she told some trifling anecdote that had in it neither +sentiment nor heroism. It was laughable though, and was about to receive +its deserts of praise when at Archdale's first word Elizabeth cried, +eagerly:-- + +"Don't, please. It was not worth telling; only I could remember nothing +else." + +At this entreaty Harwin stared at her, and his lip curled disdainfully +under the hand that partially covered his face. "Have you so much wealth +of fascination, young lady," his thoughts ran, "that you can afford to +scatter your coins in this way? I rather think not." His eyes rested +upon her for a moment as she sat looking at Katie Archdale, and the +scorn of his mouth deepened. "Admiration of one woman for another," he +commented. "Pshaw! the girl lavishes everything; she will soon be +bankrupt. She is drinking in the intoxication of Katie's beauty just +as--no, not like me, of course. If ever there could be excuse for such a +thing it would be here, for Katie is bewitching, she is perfect; +affectionate, too, but with no nonsense about _her_. She reserves her +admiration for--for whom does she reserve it? For the proud young nabob +beside her, or for the good-humored little coxcomb over here? It shall +be for neither; it shall be for me. I, too, can be fascinating when I +take the trouble. Fair lady, I have plans for you." + +"Master Harwin," cried the girl's clear voice, interrupting his +thoughts, "why don't you begin? We're waiting for you." + +"Pardon me," he answered, "I was not aware of it. Well, since you are +inexorable, I'll try. I will not attempt anything in this New World, +which you all know so much more about than I do, for then there'd be +every chance of my being heavily fined. But if you want a story of Old +England, perhaps on that ground I can barely escape my forfeit." + +"We shall be delighted," said Miss Royal, courteously, for Katie, to +whom she saw that he was speaking, was at the moment claimed by +Archdale; he was saying something to her in a low voice, and she gave +him willing attention. + +Only a flash in the narrator's eyes as he began showed that he noticed +this. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +OPPORTUNITY. + + +"Once upon a time, then," he said, "in Scotland, no matter in what part, +there dwelt two disconsolate people. They ought to have been very happy, +for they were lovers, but, as you may have noticed, lovers are happy +only under the condition that love runs smooth, and here it was +extremely rough. The suitor was of ancient family and poor, the lady was +charming, and wilful--and an heiress? You are all waiting to hear me say +that--no, she was poor, too. And so you see that a doubling of +impecuniosity was quite impossible, for poverty rolls up fast in a +geometrical progression. But the lovers had no such scruples. It's a +romantic story enough if I could tell it to you in detail." + +"And why not?" cried Katie, whose interest was making him wish that +were possible. + +"I should have to go back for generations, and tell you of family feuds +as old as the families themselves, a Montague and Capulet state of +affairs, although each family had so much respect for the golden +amenities of life that its possession by the other would have softened +the asperity of feeling. But each was poor,--poor, I mean, for people in +that station. + +"The lady, as I said, was a beauty; the gentleman had extra will enough +when it was roused to make up for the absence of beauty, although, +indeed, the lady was not lacking in that quality either, and so, +opposition made them only more determined to have their own way. It was +impossible to run away,--she was too well guarded; defiance was the only +thing, and I must confess that from what I knew of them both, I think +they enjoyed it. The Capulets, as I will call them, were dissenters, the +Montagues belonged to the Established Church. Now, the Capulets were +very zealous, and at this time a famous itinerant preacher came into +their neighborhood. They, being the greatest people in the place, +invited him to stay at their house during his visit. He often preached +in the open air. One day, at the end of one of those eloquent +discourses, a young man in countryman's dress came up and asked him to +marry himself and a young woman whom he had been waiting upon a long +time, but who had refused to be married unless this very preacher could +perform the ceremony. 'She said it would be a blessed wedlock of your +joining,' pursued the young fellow. The preacher, although he was a +great man, was only human,--it is well, I suppose, that we never outgrow +our humanity,--and felt flattered by the young girl's belief in his +sanctity. He proposed the next day for the ceremony, and was arranging +to marry the rustic couple on the lawn before the house of his host when +the young man interrupted him by stating that it must be gone through +with immediately, for his lady-love was so shy that it was with +difficulty she had been persuaded to come to-night, and she would never +consent if he gave her all that time to think the matter over in, nor +would she be willing to come up on the lawn with the great people. She +was at hand with one of her friends; everything was prepared; would he +marry them then? At that moment? The bewildered minister looked up the +road before him, where the carriage of the Capulets was disappearing at +the top of the hill; he had been told that the daughter would remain +with him, and that the carriage would return as soon as Mamma Capulet +had made inquiries about a cottager who was ill; for his congregation +had been crowding about him with questions and tearful confessions of +sins, and the good Capulets, who had the opportunity to make their +confessions in private, were in haste to be gone. Where was his fair +companion? He looked about him; he had lost sight of her in the throng. +But in a few moments she came forward, accompanying the bride, who the +groom explained was a protégée of hers. Miss Capulet had drawn down her +veil, and in answer to this statement nodded to the reverend gentleman +and murmured an assent. The bride's face, too, was hidden by her bonnet +and by her shyness, which prevented her from once looking up. The name +of the groom lingered with surprise on the minister's lips, for it was +not a clodhopper's name, I assure you; but he had heard nothing of the +love affair. When he came to the bride's name, however, he did pause, +for it was that of the Capulet. 'How is this?' he asked. 'How has she +the same name as you, my child?' Before the veiled lady could answer, +the groom informed him that the bride's family, being old retainers of +the other, had the same last name, as it was in Scottish clans, and that +the bride herself, born on the same day as the young lady at the great +house, had received also the same Christian name, which explained her +being under Miss Capulet's protection. The good man was conscious that, +though his piety was eminent, his knowledge of all genealogy but Bible +was deficient, and when both women softly assented to this statement, +his air of perplexity gave place to the manner of a man who understands +the business of the hour. He was in a hurry, and in an incredibly short +time the two were one. 'Is it all over?' asked the groom. 'Are we +securely married?' 'You are joined in the holy bonds of matrimony until +death do you part,' returned the clergyman, solemnly, beginning to add +his blessing. But this died half-uttered on his lips, for the bride +slowly raised her head, threw back her bonnet, and the haughty face and +laughing eyes of the Capulet were before him. 'Bear witness,' she said, +her shyness completely gone, 'that I'm this gentleman's wife.' 'You are, +indeed,' he stammered. 'But how--why--who is this?' and he reached out a +trembling hand toward the veiled lady. 'My maid,' returned the bride; +'she came here like one of the cottagers, and we exchanged gowns while +you were talking to the people.' 'I hope, I sincerely hope, it's all +right,' returned the poor man; 'but if I had known, I would have spoken +to your honored parent, first.' 'Yes, I'm sure of that,' she laughed, +'and then we should not have been so happy.' At the moment a post-chaise +drove up, into which the bridal pair and the servant made haste to get. +'Pardon me that I cannot accompany you home,' laughed the lady, leaning +out to give the minister her hand in farewell. 'You cannot know how +grateful to you we are. I shall never be able to reward you; I can only +give you my thanks and prayers--and be sure to tell them at home how +firmly you have married us.' The chaise drove off, and the good man was +left alone. He felt inclined to think that he had been dreaming, until +he looked down and saw in his hand a purse of gold pieces that the groom +had slipped into it, whispering, 'If you refuse for yourself, be my +almoner and give it to the poor.' Before the preacher had recovered his +wits the carriage of the Capulets reappeared. The lovers, however, did +not re-appear for two years, and by that time Montague had unexpectedly +fallen heir to a fortune and a title, and was received with open arms by +the new relatives. In our days it's always the one who was not the +prodigal who has the fatted calf killed for him." + + +"I'm afraid the poor minister was not very welcome when he had told his +story," said Elizabeth. + +"Clever enough, on my word," cried Archdale. + +"Not quite to your liking, I fancy, though," answered Harwin. + +"Do you think he would have had the wedding indoors, in the teeth of +everybody?" laughed Katie. + +Harwin assented, adding that he felt convinced that Master Archdale +would have insisted upon all the accompaniments of a grand wedding at +any cost. + +"Yes, I shall have that when my time comes," returned Stephen, looking +straight before him a trifle haughtily. But Harwin noticed that directly +his eyes fell in passing back to their watching of the shore, and that +one sweeping glance was given to Katie. + +"But can people be married in such an instant?" asked Waldo. "I always +thought it was a work of time--rather a formidable piece of business." + +"Oh! when you come to two or three ministers of the Church of England, +and the benedictions, and all that, so it is," said Harwin; "but the +real business part is an affair of--I was going to say less than a +minute." He sat silent after this, with his head bent, then, lifting it +suddenly, before anybody had spoken, he fixed his glance, with a musing +expression, upon Waldo. "I was wondering if I could remember the +formula," he said; "I think I can. Mistress Royal, allow Master Archdale +to take your hand a moment, if you please." + +Elizabeth made no responsive movement, and Archdale, for an instant, +failed to turn toward her. He had been looking at Katie while Harwin was +speaking; but Katie drew back, hastily. + +"Oh, do, Elizabeth!" she cried. "I want to see what it is like; do try +with Stephen, and let us hear." As she spoke, Archdale turned toward +Elizabeth, courteously. + +"Come, Mistress Royal," he said, as Harwin was explaining that he had +asked her because she happened to be on the proper side for a bride, +"let us make an effective tableau for the amusement of these mariners, +who, since they are becalmed themselves, persist in wanting something +going on." + +Elizabeth had heard the entreaty in Katie's light words. She knew that +if she herself had cared for Mr. Archdale she could never have jested at +marrying him. It made her all the more sure that Katie did care, +because, otherwise, the girl would have found it great fun to rouse a +little jealousy in the two admirers opposite, watching every movement. +She yielded her hand to the light clasp that held it, and listened with +less interest than the others to Mr. Harwin's distinct and rapid words +until he came to the sentence, "I pronounce you man and wife." Then she +shivered, and he had scarcely finished the adjuration that +follows--"What God hath joined together let not man put asunder," when +she snatched her hand away. + +"It is too solemn," she cried, "it is too much; we ought not to have +jested so." + +Harwin laughed. + +"Pardon me if I've made you uncomfortable," he said; "but you will +forget it in five minutes, and even for that time you must blame Master +Waldo's curiosity." + +"And mine," added Katie, at which young Waldo gave her a grateful +glance. Then he joined with her in breaking the hush that had fallen on +the others. "Stephen," she said, "now for your story. Do you think you +are coming off scot-free?" + +"I thought we had performed our parts," he said, turning to Elizabeth +with a smile. + +"Mistress Royal has already told her story," cried Waldo, "There's no +escape for you." + +"Escape would be difficult now, I confess." + +"So begin." + +He began obediently, but fortune was kinder than he had expected, for he +had not fairly started when Kit cried out,-- + +"A breeze! Here it comes. Heads to larboard!" And down went Archdale's +and those of the two ladies with him as the sail was shifted and the +boat began to skim the water before the breeze which freshened every +minute. Soon they had gained the cove where they were to land, and +Archdale's story was never finished. + + * * * * * + +THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. + +BY ERNEST NUSSE. + + +The census of 1880 fixed the juvenile population of the United States at +20,000,000, of whom 10,158,954 were boys and 9,884,705 were girls. "From +a political point of view," says the eminent philanthropist, Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry, "the future of the nation depends on the physical and +intellectual education of its children, whose numbers increase every +year, and who will soon constitute the sovereign people. From the moral +and social point of view, the welfare of society imperatively demands +that the atmosphere in which they live, and the treatment that they +receive from those intrusted with their care or custody, shall be such +as to establish in them habits of industry, of sobriety, of honesty, and +good conduct. For injurious treatment of a child, inasmuch as it tends +to result in the distortion of its physical and moral nature, +constitutes an offence whose importance seriously effects the public +order." But what is to be understood by cruel treatment? It consists in +every act of omission or of commission which causes or procures physical +injury or death. It is hardly necessary to observe that this definition +must be limited to its practical meaning, rather than interpreted in its +broader, philosophical sense. We must leave out of the question the +results of improper or imperfect educational training and discipline. It +is doubtless a cause of harm to a delicate and nervous child to force +the development of its intelligence; a harsh word hastily uttered by +parents may leave an ineffaceable impression upon a sensitive +organization; severity degenerates into injustice when it confounds a +peevish act, the result of physical disorder, with an act of deliberate +disobedience. The weakness which resigns its authority In order to spare +itself the care of a child's education engenders for life the spirit of +insubordination. The humiliating and unjust reproach, the stinging +sarcasm, wound the child in its tenderest feelings;--but these are not +the forms of cruelty and wrong which fall within reach of the law. It is +unable to interpose between the parents and the child, except in case of +an actual and serious offence, and for the rest it must rely upon the +affection planted by nature in the hearts of parents. These distinctions +are more felt than expressed, and opinion will never deceive itself in +regard to the conduct of unnatural parents. + +But if these propositions are absolutely incontestable, how do they +leave room for the function of a society? If children are beaten, +abandoned, given over to odious practices, will not the authorities, on +the complaint of those interested, or compelled by public opinion, be +able adequately to fulfil the task? This reasoning, altogether French, +would not properly take into account the American temperament, the +genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, of its institutions, and of its usages. +In France, since the fourteenth century, misdemeanors have been +prosecuted the more generally by the public minister, acting under whose +orders are numerous officers of judiciary police, who entertain the +complaints of the public and send them, with the result of their +examination, to our courts. The magistrates charged with the case +complete the investigations, if they take place. The elements of the +evidence are therefore combined when the prosecution is instituted. In +the United States these intermediate officials exist but imperfectly +between the injured party and the magistrate who renders judgment. From +lack of sufficient evidence, the rights of this injured party run the +risk of being compromised through his inexperience. Moreover, the +complaint of the child, often directed against its parents or its legal +guardians, involves the examination of a delicate situation, which must +be conducted with much discernment. Without comparing the two systems, +American and French, which correspond each to the particular genius of +the two nations, it will be seen that the American system leaves much +more to private initiative, and that it would become ineffectual when +the victim of the offence, being a child, has neither the energy nor the +knowledge necessary to demonstrate that its complaint is well founded, +without the aid of some one in power. This is the aid which is given by +the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; and we +can now understand how the exigency of the case, so powerfully felt by +the practical intelligence of the Americans, has called into existence +this potent organization, which we may call the guardian of the rights +of childhood, for the repression of the offences from which it is liable +to suffer. The following anecdote shows how the necessity for this +institution arose, in a manner at once thrilling and dramatic:-- + +Ten years ago in New York, on the top floor of a tenement-house, in a +miserable room without furniture, a dying woman lay on a pallet, in the +last stage of consumption. A charitable lady who visited her asked what +she could do for her. The dying woman replied: "My hours are numbered, +but how can I die in peace when night and day I hear the beating by her +mother-in-law of the unhappy little girl who lives in the room next to +mine." And, in fact, for a month her heart had been torn by the cries of +this child, Mary Ellen, kept in confinement by this brute. Much moved by +this recital, the visitor felt impelled to demand the interference of +the police. They told her this was impracticable unless she was able to +furnish proof of her allegation. She knew the facts only upon hearsay, +and only in case a misdemeanor were actually proved would it be possible +for the police to interfere as she desired. The charitable feelings of +the lady would not permit her to stop here. She made inquiries among +benevolent societies. But here again she experienced a check. The +societies could not receive the child except upon legal commitment by an +order of court. And charitable persons with the most benevolent +tendencies, being consulted on this difficulty, confessed themselves at +a loss to suggest a remedy in the case, and declared that it was +dangerous to interfere between parents and children; that in so doing +one is liable to become involved in inextricable difficulties, since the +heads of the family are the best guardians of their children. However, +the sorrowful appeal of the dying woman echoed continually in the ears +of her whose charitable aid had been implored. She resolved upon a +supreme effort to rescue this child. She sought Mr. Henry Bergh, a man +who has never been deaf to a cry of despair, and who has devoted his +life to the protection of animals. Mr. Bergh considered the life of a +child to be quite as valuable as that of a beast, and gave it as his +opinion that the tribunals should be appealed to. A warrant was +immediately procured and the child was produced in court, its face +covered with horrible wounds. A pair of scissors with which these wounds +had been inflicted were produced. The facts in the case caused a +profound sensation in the court and throughout the city. The +mother-in-law was arrested, found guilty, and the little girl was taken +from her hands to receive an education which has rendered her an elegant +and accomplished young woman. + +Humble beginnings, which it will be well for us to bear in remembrance +for the confusion of our pride! It is from the protection of animals +that has sprung, in New York, that of the child. And, when we +contemplate the great number of societies in the United States,--the +Humane Society of Saratoga, of Bangor, of Keene, of Taunton, of +Connecticut, the Western Pennsylvania, the Tennessee Society, those of +Nashville, of Cleveland, of Cincinnati, of Indianapolis, of Chicago, of +Peoria, of Sangamon, of Quincy, of Minnesota, of Minneapolis, extending, +simultaneously, their help to children and to the brutes, we shall be no +longer astonished either at the combination of effort explained by this +historic origin, or especially at a philosophy which rightly esteems +that cruelty commences with the animal, only to end fatally with the +human being. The proceeding instituted at the instance of Mr. Henry +Bergh was a most valuable precedent. The establishment of a method of +rescue, encouraged complaints, which, till then, had been silent, of the +abandonment, misery, or sufferings of children. Mr. Bergh's society +found itself besieged, and, after deliberation with his counsel, it was +determined to establish another in New York, whose special mission +should be the protection of children. An old gentleman of high +respectability, belonging to the sect of the Quakers, Mr. John D. +Wright, was elected to the presidency, which office he held until his +death, which occurred on the 21st of August, 1880. His successor is Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry. + +However, inasmuch as the authority with which the society sought to be +invested had reference to public justice, and involved the power to +appear for the defence of the interests of others, and to require the +coöperation of public officials, a law was indispensable, in order to +confer these powers. Such a law was passed August 21, 1875, whose +provisions covered not only the case of the New York society, but +determined the functions of all institutions of a similar nature. On +condition of complying with the prescribed formalities for acquiring a +corporate existence, the law granted to these institutions the right to +make complaints, in any jurisdiction, of violations of the statutes +regarding children; it set forth, formally, the duty of magistrates or +officers of police, to cooperate with the societies acting in the limits +of their several jurisdictions. The boundaries of the ground of +protection were thus defined, but there was still lacking the requisite +legislative authority. Experience showed that, besides the misdemeanors +of common law--attempts upon the morals, murder, assault and battery, +etc.--a multitude of offences against children remained unpunished. The +society, therefore, solicited and obtained from the Legislature, powers +which permitted it to repress acts of cruelty towards children that the +law failed to reach. The first of these measures was the law of 1876, +forbidding the employment of minors under sixteen years as dancers, +beggars, street peddlers, as gymnasts or contortionists, or in indecent +occupations prejudicial to their health or perilous to their life. Then +came the law of June 6, 1877, forbidding the admission of minors under +fourteen years into public places, liquor saloons, balls, concerts, +theatres, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. With these +laws, which it caused to be interpreted in the courts in certain test +cases, the society arrived at the most satisfactory results. There were +no longer seen in New York those juvenile beggars whose miserable +appearance is made an instrument of gain by their worthless masters; +those vagrants who disguise their vagabondage under the pretext of +imaginary professions, collecting cigar stumps and rag picking; those +little girls who sell flowers at the doors of houses of bad repute, +often concealing under this ostensible occupation infamous transactions +with panders who keep them in their pay. A determined warfare was +declared against the Italian padroni, who thrive upon the toil of the +little unfortunates to whom they pretend to teach music, and whom they +utilize as peddlers and chimney-sweepers. The conviction of the too +notorious Ancarola was the signal for the suppression of these shameless +villains; the purchases of children ceased, and the cause of humanity +triumphed, thanks to the combined efforts of the society and of the +Italian consul, after long and earnest conferences. It is not only the +Italians, but the children of all nationalities, who have profited from +this powerful patronage: Hungarian, German, Chinese, Irish, French. One +of our compatriots, a girl of fourteen years, came one day to implore +its aid. Her father was a drunkard, who had reached the lowest round in +the ladder of degradation; her mother had no means of subsistence except +concubinage, nor her two sisters except prostitution. She begged that +they would save her from this life of shame. The society received her, +procured her a position, a good education. Learning that she was heiress +to a considerable property left by a grandfather, the society took +active steps in France to secure to her her rights. Unfortunately, the +agent who had possession of the estate became insolvent after having +squandered the property, and it was impossible to recover it. The +society continued to care for the young girl up to the day of her +marriage to a young man enjoying a regular salary of $1,200, and worthy +of her in all respects. + +The strict watch kept upon the liquor saloons contributed equally to +improve the condition of children. Many were in the habit of being sent +by confirmed drunkards to buy the "liquid poison!" They thus promoted +this vice whose hardened subjects would prolong It even beyond the grave +by asking that "a bottle of whiskey may be put in their coffin." The +obedience of the children was rewarded by invitations to drink, which +initiated them in debauchery. It was among women abandoned to drink that +lived Eliza Clark, a child of eleven years, paying for the drinks with +the gains which she realized from dancing or singing; in return, the +women gave her brandy to drink and tobacco to smoke, so that when she +was found she resembled "a beast more than a human creature." They also +suppressed the playing of pool for drinks by minors, instituted by +saloon keepers to induce them to drink liquor, which was the reward of +those whom fortune favored in the game. + +The police of the theatres performed their duty conscientiously, and the +statutes were obeyed. The necessity of being accompanied by an adult was +felt to be a strange restraint by these gamins eager for the theatre, +whose attractions led them to abandon school, work, and family, and to +procure the money for their admission by stealing it from their parents, +or at a pinch from strangers; and where they would mingle, between the +acts, with pick-pockets and low characters who encouraged them in the +ways of vice. And for a stronger reason, the child was more carefully +protected against the perils of the stage than against those of the +auditory. Juvenile performances were forbidden, and the youthful +performers were excluded successively from the Columbia Opera House or +Theatre des Folies, from the Italian Opera, from the Gem Theatre, from +Parker's American Theatre, and from the Juvenile Opera. Permissions for +individual performances were peremptorily refused even to parents who +were actors. Here the work of the society encountered serious obstacles, +and it is necessary to quote from Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry in order to +appreciate the motives by which the society was actuated in combating +with vigorous purpose the opposition which it met with: "The Press, +which is influenced to a considerable extent by the representations of +theatrical managers, often criticises severely any attempt to deprive +the public of what it is pleased to call its legitimate amusements, by +the suppression of such entertainments. And many pronounced patrons of +the dramatic art even maintain that such exhibitions are indispensable +to the proper development of a dramatic education, and that when the +necessities of the parents require it, charity should encourage the +children to procure this means of obtaining a livelihood. But let us +examine the other side of the question. When the curtain rises in the +theatre, a draught of warm air rushes from the audience on to the stage, +and often paralyzes for some moments the vocal chords of the actors. +When the curtain falls, the cold air comes down from the flies, and the +children, who have become over heated by their physical exertions, +shiver to the marrow before they are able to accustom themselves to this +sudden change of temperature. Every night these things are renewed. +During the day the children sleep as best they can. Their nervous system +is rapidly undermined; their digestion becomes impaired. It is rare that +one can point to instances of children arriving early at positions of +eminence in the dramatic art. It is true that there are a few who shine +as stars in the theatrical profession, and who entered upon their +dramatic career in early childhood; but these are rare exceptions." + +It is not only on the stage that the morals of the children have been +protected; the keepers of low resorts have been prosecuted by the +society. + +It has shut up the den of the too celebrated Owney Geoghegan, who long +defied the law and the police, encouraging the efforts of prostitutes to +debauch young girls. Women of notorious reputation, who enticed away the +children of respectable mechanics to sell them for money, have been +severely punished. In short, not content with bringing to justice these +outrageous offenders with a firmness which has made it the terror of +these oppressors of childhood, the society has been the instrument of +checking acts even of carelessness or imprudence. It no longer permits +the drunkard to keep his children in a cellar where the rats bite their +feet; or the mercenary father to allow his son to engage in a wager, +dangerous to his health, to make a hundred miles in twenty-four hours; +or a man to ride a bicycle bearing on his shoulders his five-year-old +daughter. + +So great a work demanded accommodations of corresponding magnitude. In +1881, and at the price of $43,000, the society purchased a large +building situated at the corner of 23rd street and 4th avenue, one of +the most important thoroughfares of New York. Not far from the offices, +in the main part of the building, is found a collection of all the +instruments of cruelty seized in the legal proceedings,--rods of iron, +whips, firebars (_barres de poeles_), pokers, cudgels (_gourdins_), and +other instruments. These furnish convincing proofs of the sufferings of +the children,--for example those of Maggie Scully, when she said: "I do +all the work at my aunt's house, and if you do not believe that I have +been beaten, look at me, for my aunt has beaten me this morning with a +poker." Adjoining the offices are the rooms for the officers and the +archives of the institution, containing the papers in each case setting +forth the facts and the evidence. On the upper floor is a dormitory, +where the children are kept until final disposition is made of them, +that is to say, generally during one night. In fact, the work is going +on without interruption at all hours of the day and night. If at night a +call by telephone is received from the police-station, an officer of the +society responds immediately to this appeal. + +As is most frequently the case, he finds a drunken woman in the street, +with three or four ragged children gathered about her, covered with +vermin, without fire or lodging, having been abandoned by the father. +The mother is detained at the station, but the children are taken to the +society, where they are washed, fed, and for the first time in their +lives, perhaps, put to sleep in a bed. On the following day, the +children are taken to court. If the parents or guardians are worthy, +they are returned to them; if not, the justice commits them to some +charitable institution. Some of these have a religious character, and +others a secular one; the American judge, in rendering his decision, is +influenced by interests of family, of nationality, of race, or of +religion of the child, as well as by the requirements of the law. Sick +children and nursing infants are sent to the hospital on Randall's +Island, the Ladies' Deborah Nursery, and the Child's Hospital. Each of +the charitable institutions receives a per capita allowance for children +during the time that they remain in their care. + +The society does not abandon them, and if a complaint arises of improper +treatment, it causes legal proceedings to be instituted against those +who are responsible therefor. + +A recent case of this kind was that of the "Old Gentlemen's Home." + +It will be readily seen that the cases which come before the society +must be very numerous: during the nine years of its existence it has +investigated 13,077 complaints, involving 52,308 children, prosecuted +4,035 cases, convicted 3,637 offenders, rescued and placed in homes or +institutions 7,555 children. In the last three years it has temporarily +sheltered and clothed 1,092 children and furnished them with 9,309 +meals. These figures acquire a singular force when one reads in the +annual reports the curious history of these cases setting forth the +facts in detail. In 1882 the magistrates of the city issued 1,267 +warrants. On the information furnished, 834 children were held in +custody, 1,040 released. The city of New York is compelled to pay for +the support of children thus committed to custody. A saving of $108,160 +has therefore been realized to the benefit of the tax-payers of New +York. In 1883 they received 2,966 complaints; there were 1,176 +prosecutions and 1,128 convictions; 2,008 children were placed in +institutions of charity. Of 2,341 children arrested 1,078 were held, +1,263 released. + +The resources of the society are derived exclusively from the liberality +of the public. It receives no aid either from the State or city. On the +contrary, it pay taxes even on the water used in the care of the +children in its charge. The account of receipts and expenditures amounts +to about $17,000. Of the $43,000 which its building cost, $25,000 remain +on mortgage. The field in which the society employs its activity is +already large, and is rapidly extending. It endeavors to obtain from the +legislature laws which will defeat the aims of those too numerous +enterprises which, under color of charity, utilize young children, for +example, the baby farms and those establishments (called _hospitaliers_) +which have neither the means nor the facilities necessary to their +proper conduct. It requires that children shall not be employed in +manual labor before the age of fourteen years, and only after their +physical capability has been certified to by a physician. It insists on +the prohibition of all dangerous occupations. The former articles in +this Bulletin on the abuses which exist in the industrial employment of +children in New York show how justifiable is this action of the society. +"Thousands of children," says Mr. Gerry, "die of diseases contracted in +these injurious employments; in this respect our nation is far behind +Europe in its means of affording protection to children. In France, +severe laws have been in operation since 1841. England has promptly +followed this example, and like the English legislation, that of France +expressly forbids the employment of children in the manufacture of +dangerous substances, of a nature poisonous or explosive. You have only +to visit our hospitals to see the little creatures with hand or fingers +mutilated, from being employed at too early an age in the operation of +machinery. Our negligence makes manifest the wisdom of the French law, +whose lesson is so necessary with us." This needed progress will +without doubt be made, and the society will continue with increased zeal +its charitable work. It gives to the legislator the benefit of a +practical experience in the work, to the child its powerful advocacy in +the courts, to justice the impartiality of prudent investigations, to +public opinion the assurance of the proper conduct of charitable +institutions and an impulse in the direction of improvement. It is thus +that in this land of enterprise, whose customs are adverse to permitting +affairs even of the gravest importance, like the prosecution of crimes +or the direction of works of benevolence, to be concentrated in the +hands of public officials, the consequences of _self-government_ have +been happily corrected in points where they would otherwise become +extreme, in regard to children. The New York society is therefore well +described by its worthy president, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, as "the Hand +of Protection." And this hand is too charitable for us to forbear to +give it a cordial pressure across the vast expanse of the Atlantic. + + * * * * * + +THE MIDDLESEX CANAL. + +BY LORIN L. DAME, A.M. + + +The curious traveller may still trace with little difficulty the line of +the old Middlesex canal, with here and there a break, from the basin at +Charlestown to its junction with the Merrimac at Middlesex village. Like +an accusing ghost, it never strays far from the Boston & Lowell +Railroad, to which it owes its untimely end. + +At Medford, the Woburn sewer runs along one portion of its bed, the Spot +pond water-pipes another. The tow-path, at one point, marks the course +of the defunct Mystic Valley Railroad; at others, it has been +metamorphosed into sections of the highway; at others, it survives as a +cow-path or woodland lane; at Wilmington, the stone sides of a lock have +become the lateral walls of a dwelling-house cellar. + +Judging the canal by the pecuniary recompense it brought its projectors, +it must be admitted a dismal failure; yet its inception was none the +less a comprehensive, far-reaching scheme, which seemed to assure a +future of ample profits and great public usefulness. Inconsiderable as +this work may appear compared with the modern achievements of +engineering, it was, for the times, a gigantic undertaking, beset with +difficulties scarcely conceivable to-day. Boston was a small town of +about twenty thousand inhabitants; Medford, Woburn, and Chelmsford were +insignificant villages; and Lowell was as yet unborn, while the valley +of the Merrimac, northward into New Hampshire, supported a sparse +agricultural population. But the outlook was encouraging. It was a +period of rapid growth and marked improvements. The subject of closer +communication with the interior early became a vital question. +Turnpikes, controlled by corporations, were the principal avenues over +which country produce, lumber, firewood, and building-stone found their +way to the little metropolis. The cost of entertainment at the various +country inns, the frequent tolls, and the inevitable wear and tear of +teaming, enhanced very materially the price of all these articles. The +Middlesex canal was the first step towards the solution of the problem +of cheap transportation. The plan originated with the Hon. James +Sullivan, who was for six years a judge of the Supreme Court of +Massachusetts, attorney-general from 1790 to 1807, and governor in 1807 +and 1808, dying while holding the latter office. + +A brief glance at the map of the New England States will bring out in +bold relief the full significance of Sullivan's scheme. It will be seen +that the Merrimac river, after pursuing a southerly course as far as +Middlesex village, turns abruptly to the north-east. A canal from +Charlestown mill-pond to this bend of the river, a distance of 27-1/4 +miles, would open a continuous water-route of eighty miles to Concord, +N.H. From this point, taking advantage of Lake Sunapee, a canal could +easily be run in a north-westerly direction to the Connecticut at +Windsor, Vt.; and thence, making use of intermediate streams, +communication could be opened with the St. Lawrence. The speculative +mind of Sullivan dwelt upon the pregnant results that must follow the +connection of Boston with New Hampshire and possibly Vermont and Canada. +He consulted his friend, Col. Baldwin, sheriff of Middlesex, who had a +natural taste for engineering, and they came to the conclusion that the +plan was feasible. Should the undertaking succeed between Concord and +Boston, the gradual increase in population and traffic would in time +warrant the completion of the programme. Even should communication never +be established beyond Concord, the commercial advantages of opening to +the market the undeveloped resources of upper New Hampshire would be a +sufficient justification. Accordingly, James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, +Jonathan Porter, Samuel Swan, and five members of the Hall family at +Medford, petitioned the General Court for an act of incorporation. A +charter was granted, bearing date of June 22, 1793, "incorporating James +Sullivan, Esq., and others, by the name of the Proprietors of the +Middlesex Canal," and on the same day was signed by His Excellency John +Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. By this charter the proprietors +were authorized to lay such assessments from time to time as might be +required for the construction of the canal. + +At their first meeting the proprietors intrusted the management of the +corporation to a board of thirteen members, who were to choose a +president and vice-presidents from their own number, the entire board +subject to annual election. Boston capitalists subscribed freely, and +Russell, Gore, Barrell, Craigie, and Brooks appear among the earliest +directors. This board organized on the 11th of October by the choice of +James Sullivan as president, and Col. Baldwin and John Brooks +(afterwards Gov. Brooks) as vice-presidents. The first step was to make +the necessary surveys between the Charlestown basin and the Merrimac at +Chelmsford; but the science of engineering was in its infancy, and it +was difficult to find a competent person to undertake the task. At +length Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, was engaged to make a preliminary +survey; but the directors, not wholly satisfied with his report, +afterwards secured the services of Samuel Weston, an eminent English +engineer, then employed in Pennsylvania on the Potomac canals. His +report, made Aug. 2, 1794, was favorable; and it is interesting to +compare his figures with those of Mr. Thompson. As calculated by +Thompson, the ascent from Medford bridge to the Concord river, at +Billerica, was found to be 68-1/2 ft.; the actual difference in level, +as found by Weston, was 104 ft. By Thompson's survey there was a further +ascent of 16-1/2 ft. to the Merrimac; when, in fact, the water at +Billerica bridge is almost 25 ft. above the Merrimac at Chelmsford. + +Col. Baldwin, who superintended the construction of the canal, removed +the first turf, Sept. 10, 1794. The progress was slow and attended with +many embarrassments. The purchase of land from more than one hundred +proprietors demanded skilful diplomacy. Most of the lands used for the +canal were acquired by voluntary sale, and conveyed in fee-simple to the +corporation. Sixteen lots were taken under authority of the Court of +Sessions; while for thirteen neither deed nor record could be found when +the corporation came to an end. Some of the land was never paid for, as +the owner refused to accept the sum awarded. The compensation ranged +from about $150 an acre in Medford to $25 in Billerica. The numerous +conveyances are all in Sullivan's handwriting. + +Labor was not easily procured, probably from the scarcity of laborers, +as the wages paid, $10 a month and board, were presumably as much as +could be earned in manual labor elsewhere. "An order was sent to England +for a levelling instrument made by S. & W. Jones, of London, and this +was the only instrument used for engineering purposes after the first +survey by Weston." Two routes were considered; the rejected route was +forty years later selected for the Lowell Railroad. The canal, 30 ft. +wide, 4 ft. deep, with 20 locks, 7 aqueducts, and crossed by 50 bridges, +was, in 1802, sufficiently completed for the admission of water, and the +following year was opened to public navigation from the Merrimac to the +Charles. Its cost, about $500,000, of which one-third was for land +damages, was but little more than the estimate. Commencing at +Charlestown mill-pond, it passed through Medford, crossing the Mystic by +a wooden aqueduct of 100 ft., to Horn pond in Woburn. Traversing Woburn +and Wilmington it crossed the Shawshine by an aqueduct of 137 ft., and +struck the Concord, from which it receives its water, at Billerica +Mills. Entering the Concord by a stone guard-lock, it crossed, with a +floating tow-path, and passed out on the northern side through another +stone guard-lock; thence it descended 27 ft., in a course of 5-1/4 +miles, through Chelmsford to the Merrimac, making its entire length +27-1/4 m. + +The proprietors made Charlestown bridge the eastern terminus for their +boats, but ultimately communication was opened with the markets and +wharves upon the harbor, through Mill Creek, over a section of which +Blackstone street now extends. + +As the enterprise had the confidence of the business community, money +for prosecuting the work had been procured with comparative ease. The +stock was divided into 800 shares, and among the original stockholders +appear the names of Ebenezer and Dudley Hall, Oliver Wendall, John Adams +of Quincy, Peter C. Brooks of Medford, and Andrew Craigie of Cambridge. +The stock had steadily advanced from $25 a share in the autumn of 1794 +to $473 in 1803, the year the canal was opened, touching $500 in 1804. +Then a decline set in, a few dollars at a time, till 1816, when its +market value was $300 with few takers, although the canal was in +successful operation, and, in 1814, the obstructions in the Merrimac had +been surmounted, so that canal boats, locking into the river at +Chelmsford, had been poled up stream as far as Concord. + +Firewood and lumber always formed a very considerable item in the +business of the canal. The navy-yard at Charlestown and the shipyards on +the Mystic form any years relied upon the canal for the greater part of +the timber used in shipbuilding; and work was sometimes seriously +retarded by low water in the Merrimac, which interfered with +transportation. The supply of oak and pine about Lake Winnipiseogee, and +along the Merrimac and its tributaries, was thought to be practically +inexhaustible. In the opinion of Daniel Webster, the value of this +timber had been increased $5,000,000 by the canal. Granite from +Tyngsborough, and agricultural products from a great extent of fertile +country, found their way along this channel to Boston; while the return +boats supplied taverns and country stores with their annual stock of +goods. The receipts from tolls, rents, etc. were steadily increasing, +amounting, + + in 1812 to $12,600, + " 1813 " 16,800, + " 1814 " 25,700, + " 1815 " 29,200, + " 1816 " 32,600, + +Yet, valuable, useful, and productive as the canal had proved itself, it +had lost the confidence of the public, and, with a few exceptions, of +the proprietors themselves. The reason for this state of sentiment can +easily be shown. The general depression of business on account of the +embargo and the war of 1812 had its effect upon the canal. In the deaths +of Gov. Sullivan and Col. Baldwin, in the same year, 1808, the +enterprise was deprived of the wise and energetic counsellors to whom it +owed its existence. + +The aqueducts and most of the locks, being built of wood, required large +sums for annual repairs; the expenses arising from imperfections in the +banks, and from the erection of toll-houses and public houses for the +accommodation of the boatmen, were considerable; but the heaviest +expenses were incurred in opening the Merrimac for navigation. From +Concord, N.H., to the head of the canal the river has a fall of 123 ft., +necessitating various locks and canals. The Middlesex Canal Corporation +contributed to the building of the Wiccasee locks and canals, $12,000; +Union locks and canals, $49,932; Hookset canal, $6,750; Bow canal and +locks, $14,115, making a sum total of $82,797 to be paid from the income +of the Middlesex canal. + +The constant demand for money in excess of the incomes had proved +demoralizing. Funds had been raised from time to time by lotteries. In +the Columbian "Centinel & Massachusetts Federalist" of Aug. 15, 1804, +appears an advertisement of the Amoskeag Canal Lottery, 6,000 tickets at +$5, with an enumeration of prizes. The committee, consisting of Phillips +Payson, Samuel Swan, Jr., and Loammi Baldwin, Jr., appealed to the +public for support, assuring the subscribers that all who did not draw +prizes would get the full value of their money in the reduced price of +fuel. + +In 1816 the Legislature of Massachusetts granted the proprietors of the +canal, in consideration of its usefulness to the public, two townships +of land in the district of Maine, near Moosehead lake. This State aid, +however, proved of no immediate service, as purchasers could not be +found for several years for property so remote. Appeals to capitalists, +lotteries, and State aid proved insufficient; the main burden fell upon +the stockholders. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, +assessments had been levied, as occasion required, up to 1816, 99 in +number, amounting to $670 per share; and the corporation was still +staggering under a debt of $64,000. Of course, during all this time, no +dividends could be declared. + +Under these unpromising conditions a committee, consisting of Josiah +Quincy, Joseph Hall, and Joseph Coolidge, Jr., was appointed to devise +the appropriate remedy. "In the opinion of your committee," the report +reads, "the real value of the property, at this moment, greatly exceeds +the market value, and many years will not elapse before it will be +considered among the best of all practicable monied investments. The +Directors contemplate no further extension of the canal. _The work is +done_, both the original and subsidiary canals.... Let the actual +incomes of the canal be as great as they may, so long as they are +consumed in payment of debts and interest on loans, the aspect of the +whole is that of embarrassment and mortgage. The present rates of +income, if continued, and there is every rational prospect, not only of +its continuance, but of its great and rapid increase, will enable the +corporation--when relieved of its present liabilities,--at once to +commence a series of certain, regular, and satisfactory dividends." They +accordingly recommended a final assessment of $80 per share, completely +to extinguish all liabilities. This assessment, the 100th since the +commencement, was levied in 1817, making a sum total of $600,000, +extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. If to this sum the +interest of the various assessments be added, computed to Feb. 1, 1819, +the date of the first dividend, the actual cost of each share is found +to have been $1,455.25. + +The prosperity of the canal property now seemed fully assured. The first +dividend, though only $15, was the promise of golden showers in the near +future, and the stock once more took an upward flight. From 1819 to 1836 +were the palmy days of the canal, unvexed with debts, and subject to +very moderate expenses for annual repairs and management. + +It is difficult to ascertain the whole number of boats employed at any +one time. Many were owned and run by the proprietors of the canal; and +many were constructed and run by private parties who paid the regular +tolls for whatever merchandise they transported. Boats belonging to the +same parties were conspicuously numbered, like railway cars to-day. From +"Regulations relative to the Navigation of the Middlesex Canal," a +pamphlet published in 1830, it appears that boats were required to be +not less than 40 ft. nor more than 75 ft. in length and not less than 9 +ft. nor more than 9-1/2 ft. in width. Two men, a driver and steersman, +usually made up the working force; the boats, however, that went up the +Merrimac required three men, one to steer, and two to pole. The Lowell +boats carried 20 tons of coal; 15 tons were sufficient freight for +Concord; when the water in the Merrimac was low, not more than 6 or 7 +tons could be taken up the river. About 1830 the boatmen received $15 +per month. + +Lumber was transported in rafts of about 75 ft. long and 9 ft. wide; and +these rafts, not exceeding ten in number, were often united in "bands." +A band of seven to ten rafts required the services of five men, +including the driver. Boats were drawn by horses, and lumber by oxen; +and "luggage boats" were required to make two and a half miles an hour, +while "passage boats" attained a speed of four miles. Boats of the same +class, and going the same way, were not allowed to pass each other, thus +making "racing" impossible on the staid waters of the old canal. +Whenever a boat approached a lock, the conductor sounded his horn to +secure the prompt attention of the lock-tender; but due regard was paid +to the religious sentiment of New England. Travelling in the canal being +permitted on Sundays, "in consideration of the distance from home at +which those persons using it generally are, it may be reasonably +expected that they should not disturb those places of public worship +near which they pass, nor occasion any noise to interrupt the +tranquillity of the day. Therefore, it is established that no +_Signal-Horn_ shall be used or blown on Sundays." + +The tariff varied greatly from year to year. In 1827 the rate from +Lowell to Boston was $2.00 the gross ton; but many articles were carried +on much lower terms. + +On account of liability of damage to the banks of the canal, all +navigation ceased at dark; hence, at every lock, or series of locks, a +tavern was established. These were all owned by the corporation, and +were often let to the lock-tender, who eked out his income by the +accommodation of boatmen and horses. The Bunker Hill Tavern, in +Charlestown, situated so as to accommodate both county and canal travel, +was leased, in 1830, for $350; in 1838, it let for $500. The Horn Pond +House, at Woburn, in 1838, was leased for $700. In 1825, a two-story +dwelling-house, 36 X 18, built at a cost of $1,400, for the +accommodation of boatmen and raftsmen, at Charlestown, rented, with +stable attached, for $140. In all these cases, the real estate was +supposed to pay ten per cent. + +Some of these canal-taverns established a wide reputation for good +cheer, and boatmen contrived to be overtaken by night in their +vicinity. Sometimes fifteen or twenty boats would be detained at one of +these favorite resorts, and a jolly crowd fraternized in the primitive +bar-room. The temperance sentiment had not yet taken a firm hold in New +England. "Flip" was the high-toned beverage of those days; but +"black-strap," a compound of rum and molasses, sold at three cents a +glass, was the particular "vanity" of the boatmen. In the smaller +taverns, a barrel of old Medford, surmounted by a pitcher of molasses, +scorning the flimsy subterfuges of modern times, boldly invited its +patrons to draw and mix at their own sweet will. "Plenty of drunkenness, +Uncle Joe, in those days?" we queried of an ancient boatman who was +dilating upon the good old times. "Bless your heart, no!" was the +answer. "Mr. Eddy didn't put up with no drunkards on the canal. They +could drink all night, sir, and be steady as an eight-day clock in the +morning." + +When the feverish haste born of the locomotive and telegraph had not yet +infected society, a trip over the canal in the passenger-packet, the +"Governor Sullivan," must have been an enjoyable experience. Protected +by iron rules from the dangers of collision; undaunted by squalls of +wind, realizing, should the craft be capsized, that he had nothing to do +but walk ashore, the traveller, speeding along at the leisurely pace of +four miles per hour, had ample time for observation and reflection. +Seated, in summer, under a capacious awning, he traversed the valley of +the Mystic skirting the picturesque shores of Mystic pond. Instead of a +foreground of blurred landscape, vanishing, ghostlike, ere its features +could be fairly distinguished, soft bits of characteristic New England +scenery, clear cut as cameos, lingered caressingly on his vision; green +meadows, fields riotous with blossomed clover, fragrant orchards, and +quaint old farmhouses, with a background of low hills wooded to their +summits. + +Passing under bridges, over rivers, between high embankments, and +through deep cuttings, floated up hill by a series of locks, he +marvelled at this triumph of engineering, and, if he were a director, +pictured the manufactories that were to spring up along this great +thoroughfare, swelling its revenues for all time. + +The tow-path of the canal was a famous promenade. Upon Sunday +afternoons, especially, numerous pedestrians from the dusty city +strolled along the canal for a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the +open country, through the Royal estate in Medford, past the substantial +old-fashioned mansion-house of Peter C. Brooks, as far, perhaps, as the +Baldwin estate, and the birthplace of Count Rumford, in Woburn. "I love +that old tow-path," said Uncle Joe. "'Twas there I courted my wife; and +every time the boat went by she came tripping out to walk a piece with +me! Bless you, sir the horses knew her step, and it wan't so heavy, +nuther." + +Meanwhile, under the direction of Caleb Eddy, who assumed the agency of +the corporation in 1825, bringing great business ability and +unquenchable zeal to his task, the perishable wooden locks were +gradually replaced with stone, a new stone dam was built at Billerica, +and the service brought to a high state of efficiency. The new dam was +the occasion of a lawsuit brought by the proprietors of the Sudbury +meadows, claiming damages to the extent of $10,000 for flooding their +meadows. The defendants secured the services of Samuel Hoar, Esq., of +Concord, assisted by the Hon. Daniel Webster, who accepted a retaining +fee of $100 to "manage and argue the case in conjunction with Mr. Hoar. +The cause was to have been tried November, 1833. Mr. Webster was called +on by me and promised to examine the evidence and hold himself in +readiness for the trial, but for some time before he was not to be found +in Boston, at one time at New York, at another in Philadelphia, and so +on from place to place so that I am satisfied no dependance can be +placed with certainty upon his assistance, and," plaintively concludes +the agent, "our $100 has gone to profit and loss account." + +On the other side was the Hon. Jeremiah Mason, assisted by Franklin +Dexter, Esq. This case was decided the following year adversely to the +plaintiffs. + +With the accession of business brought by the corporations at Lowell, +the prospect for increased dividends in the future was extremely +encouraging. The golden age of the canal appeared close at hand; but the +fond hopes of the proprietors were once more destined to disappointment. +Even the genius of James Sullivan had not foreseen the railway +locomotive. In 1829 a petition was presented to the Legislature for the +survey of a railroad from Boston to Lowell. The interests of the canal +were seriously involved. A committee was promptly chosen to draw up for +presentation to the General Court "a remonstrance of the Proprietors of +Middlesex Canal, against the grant of a charter to build a railroad from +Boston to Lowell." This remonstrance, signed by William Sullivan, Joseph +Coolidge, and George Hallett, bears date of Boston, Feb. 12, 1830, and +conclusively shows how little the business men of fifty years ago +anticipated the enormous development of our resources consequent upon +the application of steam to transportation:-- + + The remonstrants take pleasure in declaring, that they join in the + common sentiment of surprise and commendation, that any + intelligence and enterprise should have raised so rapidly and so + permanently, such establishments as are seen at Lowell. The + proprietors of these works have availed themselves of _the canal_, + for their transportation for all articles, except in the winter + months ... and every effort has been made by this corporation to + afford every facility, it was hoped and believed, to the entire + satisfaction of the Lowell proprietors. The average annual amount + of tolls paid by these proprietors has been only about four + thousand dollars. It is believed no safer or cheaper mode of + conveyance can ever be established, nor any so well adapted for + carrying heavy and bulky articles. To establish therefore a + _substitute_ for the canal alongside of it, and in many places + within a few rods of it, and to do that which the canal was made to + do, seems to be a measure not called for by any exigency, nor one + which the Legislature can permit, without implicitly declaring that + all investments of money in public enterprises must be subjected to + the will of any applicants who think that they may benefit + themselves without regard to older enterprises, which have a claim + to protection from public authority. With regard, then, to + transportation of tonnage goods, the means exist for all but the + winter months, as effectually as any that can be provided. + + There is a supposed source of revenue to a railroad, _from + carrying passengers_. As to this, the remonstrants venture no + opinion, except to say, that passengers are now carried, at all + hours, as rapidly and safely as they are anywhere else in the + world.... To this, the remonstrants would add, that the use of a + railroad, _for passengers only_, has been tested by experience, + nowhere, hitherto; and that it remains to be known, whether this is + a mode which will command general confidence and approbation, and + that, therefore, no facts are now before the public, which furnish + the conclusion, that the grant of a railroad is a public exigency + even for such a purpose. The Remonstrants would also add, that so + far as they know and believe, "_there never can be a sufficient + inducement to extend a railroad from Lowell westwardly and + northwestwardly, to the Connecticut, so as to make it the great + avenue to and from the interior, but that its termination must be + at Lowell_" (italics our own), "and, consequently that it is to be + a substitute for the modes of transportation now in use between + that place and Boston, _and cannot deserve patronage from the + supposition that it is to be more extensively useful_...." + + The Remonstrants, therefore, respectfully submit: First, that there + be no such exigency as will warrant the granting of the prayer for + a railroad to and from Lowell. + + Secondly, that, if that prayer be granted, provision should be made + as a condition for granting it, that the Remonstrants shall be + indemnified for the losses which will be thereby occasioned to + them. + +This may seem the wilful blindness of self-interest; but the utterances +of the press and the legislative debates of the period are similar in +tone. In relation to another railroad, the "Boston Transcript" of Sept. +1, 1830, remarks: "It is not astonishing that so much reluctance exists +against plunging into doubtful speculations.... The public itself is +divided as to the practicability of the Rail Road. If they expect the +assistance of capitalists, they must stand ready to guarantee the +_percentum per annum_; without this, all hopes of Rail Roads are +visionary and chimerical." In a report of legislative proceedings +published in the "Boston Courier," of Jan. 25, 1830, Mr. Cogswell, of +Ipswich, remarked: "Railways, Mr. Speaker, may do well enough in old +countries, but will never be the thing for so young a country as this. +When you can make the rivers run back, it will be time enough to make a +railway." Notwithstanding the pathetic remonstrances and strange +vaticinations of the canal proprietors, the Legislature incorporated the +road and refused compensation to the canal. Even while the railroad was +in process of construction, the canal directors do not seem to have +realized the full gravity of the situation. They continued the policy of +replacing wood with stone, and made every effort to perfect the service +in all its details; as late as 1836 the agent recommended improvements. +The amount of tonnage continued to increase--the very sleepers used in +the construction of the railway were boated, it is said, to points +convenient for the workmen. + +In 1832 the canal declared a dividend of $22 per share; from 1834 to +1837, inclusive, a yearly dividend of $30. + +The disastrous competition of the Lowell Railroad was now beginning to +be felt. In 1835 the Lowell goods conveyed by canal paid tonnage dues of +$11,975.51; in 1836 the income from this source had dwindled to +$6,195.77. The canal dividends had been kept up to their highest mark by +the sale of its townships in Maine and other real estate: but now they +began to drop. The year the Lowell road went into full operation the +receipts of the canal were reduced one-third; and when the Nashua & +Lowell road went into full operation, in 1840, they were reduced another +third. The board of directors waged a plucky warfare with the railroads, +reducing the tariff on all articles, and almost abolishing it on some, +till the expenditures of the canal outran its income; but steam came out +triumphant. Even sanguine Caleb Eddy became satisfied that longer +competition was vain, and set himself to the difficult task of saving +fragments from the inevitable wreck. + +At this time (1843) Boston numbered about 100,000 inhabitants, and was +dependent for water upon cisterns and wells. The supply of water in the +wells had been steadily diminishing for years, and what remained was +necessarily subject to contamination from numberless sources. "One +specimen which I analyzed," said Dr. Jackson, "which gave three per +cent, of animal and vegetable putrescent matter, was publicly sold as a +mineral water; it was believed that water having such a remarkable fetid +odor and nauseous taste, could be no other than that of a sulphur +spring; but its medicinal powers vanished with the discovery that the +spring arose from a neighboring drain." Here was a golden opportunity. +Eddy proposed to abandon the canal as a means of transportation, and +convert it into an aqueduct for supplying the City of Boston with +wholesome water. The sections between the Merrimac and Concord at one +extremity, and Charlestown mill-pond and Woburn at the other, were to be +wholly discontinued. Flowing along the open channel of the canal from +the Concord river to Horn-pond locks in Woburn, from thence it was to be +conducted in iron pipes to a reservoir upon Mount Benedict in +Charlestown, a hill eighty feet above the sea-level. + +The good quality of the Concord-river water was vouched for by the +"analysis of four able and practical chemists, Dr. Charles T. Jackson, +of Boston; John W. Webster, of Cambridge University; S.L. Dana, of +Lowell, and A.A. Hayes, Esq., of the chemical works at Roxbury." The +various legal questions involved were submitted to the Hon. Jeremiah +Mason, who gave an opinion, dated Dec. 21, 1842, favorable to the +project. The form for an act of incorporation was drawn up; and a +pamphlet was published, in 1843, by Caleb Eddy, entitled an "Historical +sketch of the Middlesex Canal, with remarks for the consideration of the +Proprietors," setting forth the new scheme in glowing colors. + +But despite the feasibility of the plan proposed, and the energy with +which it was pushed, the agitation came to naught; and Eddy, despairing +of the future, resigned his position as agent in 1845. Among the +directors during these later years were Ebenezer Chadwick, Wm. Appleton, +Wm. Sturgis, Charles F. Adams, A.A. Lawrence, and Abbott Lawrence; but +no business ability could long avert the catastrophe. Stock fell to +$150, and finally the canal was discontinued, according to Amory's Life +of Sullivan, in 1846. It would seem, however, that a revival of +business was deemed within the range of possibilities, for in +conveyances made in 1852 the company reserved the right to use the land +"for canalling purposes"; and the directors annually went through with +the form of electing an agent and collector as late as 1853. + +"Its vocation gone, and valueless for any other service," says Amory, +"the canal property was sold for $130,000. After the final dividends, +little more than the original assessments had been returned to the +stockholders." Oct. 3, 1859, the Supreme Court issued a decree, +declaring that the proprietors had "forfeited all their franchises and +privileges, by reason of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and +neglect." Thus was the corporation forever extinguished. + + * * * * * + +THE TAVERNS OF BOSTON IN YE OLDEN TIME. + +BY DAVID M. BALFOUR. + + +The first tavern in Boston was kept by Samuel Coles. It was opened in +March, 1633, and stood near the south-west corner of Merchants row and +Corn court, with an area in front on Merchants row and also on Fanueil +Hall square, which in latter days have been covered with buildings. It +was destroyed by fire during the early part of the eighteenth century, +and the older portion of the present edifice was erected in 1737, which +has been enlarged on the northerly side. It was towards the close of the +last century known as the "Brazier Inn," and was kept by a widow lady of +that name. It is now known as the "Hancock House," and is kept by a +stalwart Scotchman named Alexander Clarkson. Gov. Vane held a council in +the south-westerly room in the second story with Miantonomoh, the +Narragansett chief. The same room was subsequently occupied by Lafayette +in 1773, and afterwards by Talleyrand in 1798. + +The State Arms Tavern was built in 1645, and stood on the south-east +corner of State and Exchange streets. It was occupied as the +custom-house just before the Revolution. + +The Star Inn was built in 1645, and stood on the north-east corner of +Hanover and Union streets. It was first kept by Thomas Hawkins, and +afterwards by Andrew Neal, a Scotchman. The Scots' Charitable Society, +of which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings there. + +The Roebuck Tavern was built in 1650. It stood on the east side of +Merchants row, between Clinton and North streets. It was believed to +have been built by a descendant of Richard Whittington, the Lord Mayor +of London in 1419, who was famed for his love of cats. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1651, and stood on North street, just +beyond the corner of Fleet street. John Vyall kept it in 1663, and it +was at one time called "Noah's Ark." The peace commissioners sent over +by Charles II. held their sessions there. It was demolished in 1866. + +The King's Arms Tavern was built in 1654, and stood on the southeast +corner of Washington and Brattle streets, opposite the Samuel Adams +statue. + +The Red Lion Tavern stood on the north-west corner of North and Richmond +streets. It was built in 1654, and kept by Nicholas Upsall, a Quaker, +who was persecuted, imprisoned, and banished for his faith. Near this +spot the devastating fire of November 27, 1676, broke out in one +Wakefield's house. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern stood on the site of No. 254 Washington street. +It was built in 1664, and kept by George Monck. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1665, and +stood on Brattle street, upon the site which was afterwards Doolittle's +City Tavern. It was first kept by Robert Turner, and was noted for its +_punch_, and was a favorite resort of public men. + +The Blue Bell Tavern was built in 1673, and stood on the north-west +corner of Batterymarch street and Liberty square; a portion of the Mason +building now occupies its site. It was kept by Nathaniel Bishop, and +afterwards by Alleric & Drury. In 1692 it was called the Castle Tavern, +and ceased to be an inn after 1707. + +The Castle Tavern (the second of that name) stood on the south-west +corner of Dock square and Elm street. It was erected by William Hudson +in 1674, and kept by John Wing in 1687, who gave his name to the street. +In 1694 it was called the George Tavern. + +The King's Head Tavern was built in 1680, and stood at the northeast +corner of North and Fleet streets. It was burnt in 1691, and afterwards +rebuilt. It was kept by James Davenport in 1755. + +The Seven Star Inn stood, in 1684, on the south-west corner of Summer +and Hawley streets. It gave its name to the lane which was afterwards +called Bishop's alley. Here, in 1736, was erected of wood the first +edifice of Trinity Church. The land, which originally contained 15,000 +square feet, was bought of John Gibbins and William Speakman for £450. +This edifice was demolished in 1828 and a stone structure erected in +1830, which was burnt in the great fire, November 8, 1872. The site, +after having its proportions curtailed, in order to widen Summer and +Hawley streets, containing 7,126 square feet, was sold to William D. +Peckman, in 1874, for $194,402. + +The Sun Tavern stood on the southwest corner of Dock and Faneuil Hall +squares. It was built in 1690, and was kept by Samuel Mears in 1724, and +by Day in 1753. It was conveyed by Thomas Valentine in 1741 for £2,475 +($8,250); and by Joseph Jackson in 1794 for £1,333-6-8 ($4,444); and by +E.P. Arnold in 1865 for $20,000. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. It was the head-quarters of the +British officers during the siege. It is the oldest building in Boston. + +The Queen's Head Tavern stood at the north-west corner of North and +Clark streets. It was built in 1691. + +The Green Dragon Inn was built in 1692. It was first kept by Alexander +Smith, who died in 1696, and was succeeded by Hannah Bishop, who was +next succeeded by John Cary. In 1734 Joseph Kidder was its landlord. In +1764 it was conveyed by Catharine Kerr, sister to Dr. William Douglas, +to St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons. It was a hospital during the +Revolution. It was the head-quarters of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, +Samuel Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and other patriots, during the +Revolution. It was called the Green Dragon Tavern after the Revolution, +and at one time the Freemasons' Arms. Daniel Simpson, the veteran +drummer, was at one time its landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. The Green Dragon building, extending +through from Union to (new) Washington street, now denotes its site. + +The Salutation Inn stood on the north-west corner of Hanover and +Salutation streets. It was built by John Brooking in 1692, and sold to +Sir William Phips. John Scollay kept it in 1697, who was succeeded by +Samuel Green in 1731. It became famous, later, when William Campbell +kept it in 1773, when it was a rallying-place for the patriots who gave +rise to the word "_Caucus_." The resolutions for the destruction of the +tea in Boston Harbor were drawn up there. It was also called the "_Two +Palaverers_," from the representation upon the sign of two old gentlemen +in wigs, cocked hats, and knee-breeches, saluting each other with much +ceremony. + +The Golden Bull Tavern was built in 1693, and stood on the south-east +corner of Merchants row and Chatham street. It was kept in 1752 by +Marston. + +The Black Horse Tavern was built in 1700, and stood on the west side of +Prince street, which in former days was called Black Horse lane, and +Salem street. It was noted as a hiding-place for deserters from +Burgoyne's army when stationed at Cambridge. + +The Half Moon Inn was built in 1705, and stood on the north-west corner +of Fleet and Sun court streets. It was kept in 1752 by Deborah Chick. + +The Swan Tavern was built in 1707, and stood at the north-east corner of +Fleet and North streets. + +The Orange Tree Inn was built in 1708, and stood on the north-east +corner of Court and Hanover streets during the Provincial period. White +it was kept by Jonathan Wardwell, in 1712, he set up the first +hackney-coach stand. His widow kept it in 1724. It was demolished in +1785. It was noted for having a well of water which never froze or dried +up. + +The Bull Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the south-west corner of +Summer and Federal streets. It was there that sundry inhabitants at the +South End met and formed the project to erect a church on Church green, +which was called the "New South," and presided over for a long series of +years by Rev. Alexander Young, D.D. + +The Light House Tavern was built in 1717, and stood on the south side of +King (State) street, on the north-west corner of Devonshire street, +opposite the Town House (Old State House). It is not impossible that it +may have been standing there in 1742. There was also another tavern of +the same name at the North End in 1763, from which the "Portsmouth +Flying Stage" started every Saturday morning. It carried six passengers +inside; fare 13s. 6d. sterling ($3.25); to Newburyport, 9s. ($2.17). +Returning, left Portsmouth on Tuesday. + +The Marlboro' Hotel was built in 1708, and took its name from the street +In front, and was the first public house in Boston dignified with the +name of "Hotel." John C. Calhoun lodged there, while Secretary of War, +upon his only visit to Boston, in 1818. McNiel Seymour was its landlord +in 1820. He afterwards became landlord of the Atlantic Hotel, opposite +the Bowling Green in New York. It had a stable in the rear which +accommodated the Providence line of stages. The site of the stable was +afterwards occupied by the Lowell Institute building. Agassiz, Lyell, +Tyndall, Price, and other scientists, delivered lectures there. Its +walls have also resounded with the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, +Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, Charles Sumner, Bayard +Taylor, William Lloyd Garrison, James T. Fields, and other famous men. +Lafayette was given a banquet at the Marlboro' upon his visit to Boston, +in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. About a generation ago it changed its name to the Marlboro' +House, and it was conducted on temperance principles. Hon. Henry Wilson, +Vice-President of the United States, made it his stopping-place while in +the city. The elegant Hemenway building now occupies its site. + +The Cross Tavern was erected in 1709, and stood on the north-west corner +of North and Cross streets. + +The Crown Coffee House stood on the south-west corner of State street +and Chatham row, and was built in 1710 by Gov. Belcher; and Mrs. Anna +Swords was its first landlord, and she was succeeded in 1751 by Robert +Shelcock. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. + +The Bunch of Grapes Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the +north-west corner of State and Kilby streets. Its first landlord was +Francis Holmes, who was succeeded in 1731 by William Coffin, by Joshua +Barker in 1749, and by Col. Joseph Ingersoll in 1764. It was noted as +being the best "_punch-house_" in Boston. Lafayette was a guest there in +1774. In front of it, on the 4th of August, 1806, Charles Austin was +killed by Thomas O. Selfridge in self-defence. The Scots' Charitable +Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The George Tavern was built in 1720, and stood on the north-west corner +of Washington and Northampton streets. It afforded shelter for the +patriots in annoying the British during the siege. Its extensive orchard +and gardens comprised seventeen acres, and extended south to Roxbury +street, and west to Charles river, which, until the modern Back Bay +improvement, extended to the west side of Tremont street. The General +Court, as well as some of the law courts, sat there prior to 1730. The +American post was located there in 1775, which was burnt by the British +at night in July of that year. It was near that spot, in 1824, when +Lafayette visited Boston, a triumphal arch was thrown across Washington +street, bearing the couplet, written by Charles Sprague,-- + + We bow not the neck, we bend not the knee. + But our hearts, LAFAYETTE! we surrender to thee. + +The Royal Exchange Tavern was built in 1726, and stood on the south-west +corner of State and Exchange streets, the site of the Merchants' Bank +building. It gave its name to the street on its easterly side. Luke +Vardy was its first landlord, who was succeeded in 1747 by Robert Stone. +It was in this building, in 1728, that the altercation began which ended +in the first duel fought in Boston, when Benjamin Woodbridge was killed +by Henry Phillips. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. + +The Old Mansion House was built in 1732, and stood on the south side of +Milk street, between Hawley and Arch streets, on the site of the Bowdoin +building. It stood a little back from the street, with large American +elms in front, and was a stopping place for old stage lines. Hon. Robert +C. Winthrop was born there, and Hon. Henry Dearborn occupied it at the +time of his decease. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1735, and +stood on the north-east corner of Water and Batterymarch streets. It was +kept by Joseph Wilson. + +The British Coffee House was built in 1741, and stood on the site of No. +66 State street, afterwards occupied by the Massachusetts Bank. It was +kept, in 1762, by Ballard, and was largely patronized by British +officers. The repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated there in 1767. The +eloquent James Otis was assaulted in it by a British gang, and an injury +was inflicted upon his head, which rendered him insane for a long time. +The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. Its +name was changed to American Coffee House in 1776. + +The Cromwell's Head Tavern was built it 1751, and is still standing on +the north side of School street, upon the site of No. 13, where Mrs. +Harrington deals out coffee and mince pie to her customers. Lieut.-Col. +GEORGE WASHINGTON lodged there in 1756, while upon a visit to Gov. +Shirley, to consult with him upon business connected with the French +war. It was first kept by Anthony Brackett. + +The Admiral Vernon Tavern was built in 1743, and stood on the south-east +corner of State street and Merchants row, and was first kept by Richard +Smith. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Sun Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1757, and stood on +the east side of Washington street, nearly opposite Cornhill, and was +first kept by James Day, and was a popular resort of the Sons of +Liberty. + +The Julien House was built in 1759, and stood on the north-west corner +of Milk and Congress streets, formerly the site of an old tannery. It +was first kept by Jean Baptiste Julien, a French refugee. It was the +resort of the _bon vivants_ of the town in former days. It is narrated +of him that, upon the occasion of a _recherche_ dinner, one of the +guests complained that the viands were not sufficiently high-seasoned. +"_Eh bien_" said Julien, "_put a leetle more de peppaire_." He died in +1805, and he was succeeded by his widow, and afterwards by Rouillard, +until 1823, when it was demolished, and supplanted by Julien, afterwards +Congress Hall. Miss Frances Ann Wright delivered lectures there in 1829. + +The White Horse Tavern stood on the north-west corner of Washington and +Boylston streets. It was first kept by Joseph Morton. + +The Bull's Head Tavern was built in 1774, and stood on the north-east +corner of Congress and Water streets, the site, for several years prior +to 1830, of the post-office, Merchants' Hall, and Topliff's +Reading-room, and now occupied by the Massachusetts and Shawmut banks, +and called the Howe building. + +Concert Hall stood at the south-east corner of Hanover and Court +streets. It was built in 1750, and was at one time occupied by the +Deblois family. It was first occupied as a public house in 1791. It was +famous for political meetings, fashionable dancing parties, and public +exhibitions. Madrel exhibited his chess-player, conflagration of Moscow, +and other wonderful pieces of mechanism there. The famous Belgian giant, +Bihin, exhibited himself there. He was a well-proportioned man, and such +was his height that the historian Motley stood under his armpits. +Amherst Eaton was its landlord in the early days of the century. It was +kept of late years by Peter B. Brigham, and was demolished in 1868, in +order to widen Hanover street. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently +held its meetings there. + +The Lamb Tavern was built in 1745, and stood on the west side of +Washington street, just beyond the corner of West street. Colonel Doty +kept it in 1760, who was succeeded by Edward Kingman in 1826, and by +Laban Adams, in whose honor the Adams House was named and opened in +1846. It was a popular resort of the country members of the Legislature. + +The Lion Tavern was built in 1793, and stood just north of the Lamb +Tavern, and occupied the site of the building for several years known as +the Melodeon. In 1835 the tavern was converted into the Lion Theatre, +which had a short-lived existence. It was then purchased by the Handel +and Haydn Society, and occupied for musical purposes, lectures, and +other entertainments. Rev. Theodore Parker began lecturing there soon +after the famous South Boston sermon upon the transient and permanent in +Christianity. + +The North End Coffee House was built in 1782, and stood on the +north-west corner of North and Fleet streets. It was kept by the +grandfather of the Illustrious David D. Porter. + +The Bite Tavern was built in 1795, and stood in Faneuil Hall square, a +little west of Change avenue. James M. Stevens was its last landlord. It +was a favorite resort of market-men, and ceased to be a public house +about a quarter of a century ago. + +Holland's Coffee House was built in 1800, in Howard street, near Court +street. It was afterwards called the Howard Street House, and kept by +William Gallagher, whose tomb "erected by those connected with him by no +tie of kindred, who knew, loved, and honored him," stands on Primrose +Path in Mt. Auburn. It was afterwards called the Pemberton House. It was +a favorite resort of literary, dramatic, and musical people. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed +by fire in 1854, and the site was occupied for a short time by a wooden +circular structure called Father Miller's Tabernacle, which, in turn, +was burnt, when the Howard Athenæum rose upon its site. + +The Eastern Stage House was built in 1806, and upon the site of No. 90 +North street. It was from that spot that the first stage-coach in +America started, in 1660, for Portsmouth (N.H.). It was first kept by +Col. Ephraim Wildes, and afterwards by his son, Moses. It was built of +brick, three stories high, and entered by a flight of steps, and +contained sixty rooms. It was the most extensive stage rendezvous in +Boston, accommodating the stages to Portsmouth, Portland, Bangor, and +Maine, generally. The stages entered its spacious court-yard under an +arch leading from North street. After an existence of forty years, it +was demolished to make room for commercial improvements. + +Earl's Coffee House was built in 1807, and was located at No. 24 Hanover +street, upon the site, in part, of the present American House. It was +kept by Hezekiah Earl, and was the head-quarters of the New York, +Albany, and other stage lines. + +Wilde's Tavern was built in the same year, and was located on the +north-east corner of (new) Washington and Elm streets. It was demolished +in 1874 to make room for the Washington-street extension. + +Doolittle's City Tavern was also built in 1807, and stood on the +north-west corner of (new) Washington and Brattle streets. It was the +head-quarters of the Providence line of stages. It was demolished in +1874 to make room for the improvement before alluded to. + +The Exchange Coffee House was built in 1808, and stood on Congress +street, upon the site of the present Howard Bank building, and at the +time of its erection was the largest house of public entertainment in +the United States. It extended through to Devonshire street, with an +entrance on State street. It bounded 132 feet on Congress street, with a +depth of 94 feet and upwards. It covered an area of 12,753 square feet, +was seven stories in height, surmounted with a dome 101 feet in +diameter. It had 210 apartments. Its erection was begun in 1805, and +occupied two and a half years in construction. Commodore Hull, after +capturing the _Guerrière_ in 1812, had a public dinner given him there. +The Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and some subordinate lodges, had their +head-quarters there. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. It was destroyed by fire in 1818, rebuilt in 1822, with +contracted dimensions, and in 1853 was demolished to give place to the +City Exchange on Congress square and Devonshire street. James Wilson, +the last of the town-criers, had his office in the Bell-in-Hand Tavern +in the basement. At the time of the fire Hon. Henry Clay was a guest in +the house, and worked bravely at the engine brakes. Hon. David Crockett, +a famous member of Congress from Tennessee, lodged there during his +visit to Boston in 1834. He addressed an audience from the eastern +portico of the Old State House, and in expatiating upon the prospects of +the country, predicted that it would extend within a score of years from +the _At_lantic to the "_Spe_cific." Among his witty sayings will be +remembered,--"Be sure you're right then go ahead." He died in 1841, +fighting for Texan independence. It was kept in former days by Col. +James Hamilton, afterwards by William Gallagher, Hart Davenport, and +lastly by McGill & Fearing. + +Washington Hotel was built in 1809, and stood in Bromfield street. It +subsequently took the name of Indian Queen, and latterly Bromfield +House. Selden Crockett was its last landlord. It ceased to be a public +house about a dozen years since. + +The Elm Street Hotel was built in 1812, and stood on the north-west +corner of (new) Washington and (No. 9) Elm streets. It was kept by Hart +Davenport. Its yard was obliterated in 1874 to make room for the +Washington-street extension, and the building in 1882 for a site for +commercial purposes. + +The Massachusetts House was built in 1816, and still stands on the +south-west corner of Endicott and Cross streets. It is a favorite resort +of horse-jockeys and horse-fanciers. + +Forster's Coffee House was built in 1817, and stood on the corner of +Court and Howard streets. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held +its meetings there. + +The Commercial Coffee House stood on the north-east corner of Milk and +Batterymarch streets. It was built in 1817, and stood on the site of +Hallowell's shipyard. It was kept by William Merriam in 1829, John Low +in 1837, Col. Whitney in 1844, and lastly, in 1848, by James Longley, +when it ceased to be a public house, and gave place to the Thorndike +building. The preliminary meeting of the Mercantile Library Association +was held there in 1820. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. + +Washington Hotel (the second of that name) was erected in 1819, and +stood on the north-west corner of Washington street and Worcester place. +It was kept in 1836, and for a few years succeeding, by Amherst Eaton. +The Washington House was built in 1820, and stood on the site of the +present Washington market, on the south-west corner of Washington and +Lenox streets. The Messrs. Cooley kept it, and it was a favorite resort +for sleighing parties. + +In 1821 William Fenno opened a tavern in Cornhill square, and afterwards +on the east side of Theatre alley (Devonshire street), near the corner +of Franklin, adjoining what was the site of the (old) Boston Theatre, +and latterly in Province street, near the south-easterly corner of +Bromfield street. + +The Stackpole House was built in 1732, and was the mansion of William +Stackpole, a noted Boston merchant. It stood on the north-east corner of +Milk and Devonshire streets, and was first kept as a public house in +1823 by Rouillard, formerly of the Julien House, and was a favorite +resort of the choice spirits of former days. It was afterwards kept by +James W. Ryan. Among its last landlords was Alexander McGregor, a +stalwart Scotchman, and descendant of Rev James McGregor who led the +colony which made the first settlement in Deny (N.H.) in 1824. The +Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It was demolished in 1868, to make +room for the post-office edifice. + +The Sun Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1801, and stood on +the north-west corner of Battery march and Hamilton streets, and was the +mansion of Benjamin Hallowell, who owned a shipyard opposite to his +residence. It was first kept as a public house in 1824 by Goodwich, and +in 1841 by Capewell, when it ceased to be a public house, and was +demolished when Fort Hill was leveled in 1865. It was a popular resort +of Eastern people. + +The Lafayette Hotel was built in 1825, and stood on the east side of +Washington street, opposite Boylston market. It was largely patronized +by people from the country. Haskell was its landlord in 1836. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Tremont House was built in 1828, and opened October 1, 1829. It was +owned by William H. Eliot, brother of the mayor of Boston 1837-1840. It +was the prototype of the large caravanseries which dot the continent +from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its first landlord was Dwight Boyden, +who retired from its management in 1836 to assume that of the Astor +House, which was opened May 1 in that year. It was the stopping-place of +Webster on his way from Marshfield to Washington. It sheltered President +Jackson upon his visit to Boston in 1833, a decade later President +Tyler, and President Johnson in 1867. It was the temporary abode of +Charles Dickens upon his first visit to America in 1842. Under its roof +the Ashburton treaty, defining the north-eastern boundary between the +United States and Great Britain, was negotiated by Lord Ashburton on +behalf of the mother country, Abbott Lawrence on the part of +Massachusetts, and Edward Kent on the part of Maine. Some of the most +renowned men in the world have fed at its tables and slept under its +roof. It still lives in its pristine vigor, and will not yield the palm +to any hostelry in the world. + +The Franklin House was built in 1830, and stood on the west side of +Merchants row, between North Market and North streets, opposite the head +of Clinton street. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. Joshua +Sears, an eminent merchant on Long wharf, made it his home for several +years. + +The Shawmut House was built in 1831, and stood on the north side of +Hanover street, and its site is now absorbed in the American House. The +Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +Liberty Tree Tavern was built in 1833, and stood on the south-east +corner of Washington and Essex streets, upon the identical spot where +formerly stood the famous Liberty Tree, which was planted in 1646, and +become famous in Stamp Act times, and was cut down by the British in +1775. + +The Mount Washington House was built in 1834 by a company of which Hon. +John K. Simpson was president, who occupied the "Old Feather Store" on +the corner of Faneuil Hall square and North street, built in 1680. The +company became bankrupt, and it was sold in 1839 to the Perkins +Institute and New England Asylum for the Blind. Its location on +Washington Heights admirably adapts it for the benevolent purpose for +which it is now used. + +The Maverick House was opened on Noddies or Williams Island on the 27th +of May, 1835. At the date of its erection the island contained but a +score of dwellings, two or three factories, and a half-dozen of +mechanics' shops. Major Jabez W. Barton was its first landlord. It was +built of wood, 94 feet long and 85 feet wide, six stories high, and +contained more than eighty rooms. In 1838 its width was increased to 160 +feet. C.M. Taft became its landlord in 1841. The house, stables, and +furniture were sold in 1842 to John W. Fenno for $62,500. The house was +taken down in 1845 and a block of buildings erected by Noah Sturtevant. +Different parts of the block were respectively occupied as a hotel, +dwelling-houses, stores, and offices, until it was burnt January 25, +1857. A new building was erected upon its site, by Mr. Sturtevant, of +iron and brick covered with mastic, 130 feet long on Maverick square, +with an average width of no feet, and containing 180 rooms. It was +opened February 23, 1858, and was called for a decade or more the +Sturtevant House, when it resumed its former name of Maverick House. In +its rear, on the 25th of September, 1819, a duel was fought by +Lieutenants Finch and White between two elm-trees standing between +Meridian and Border streets, nearly opposite the Church of the Holy +Redeemer. White fell and died upon the spot. + +The Pearl Street House stood on the north-west corner of Milk and Pearl +streets, and was built in 1816, and was the mansion of William Pratt. It +was first occupied as a hotel in 1836. Colonel Shepherd was its first +landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. It was obliterated in the great fire of November 8, 1872. + +The Perkins House was built in 1815, and was the mansion of Hon. Thomas +H. Perkins, who donated it in 1833 to the Asylum for the Blind. It stood +on the west side of Pearl street, about midway between Milk and High +streets. It remained there under the management of Samuel G. Howe until +the encroachments of business demanded its removal. In 1839 the +institution was transferred to the Mount Washington House. The Perkins +House was opened in that year under the management of a Scotchman named +Thomas Gordon. It was a favorite resort of those who dined down-town. +The Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It ceased to be a public house In +1848, when it succumbed to the advancing waves of commerce. + +The Congress House, built in the same year, was the mansion of Daniel +Hammond, and stood on the north-east corner of Pearl and High streets. +It was opened as a public house in 1840, and was kept by Hastings, until +it was swept away in the great fire before alluded to. + +The Greyhound Tavern stood on Washington street, opposite Vernon street, +upon the site of Graham block. It was built in 1645, and was famous for +the excellence of its punch, and was much resorted to by the convivial +spirits of Boston and vicinity. Its last landlord was John Greaton. In +1752, and for many years subsequently, the Masonic fraternity celebrated +St. John's day there, and the courts sat there during the prevalence of +small-pox in Boston. A catamount, caught in the woods about eighty miles +from Boston, was exhibited there. It was a recruiting station for +enlistments during the French war. Gen. Washington resided there during +the winter of 1776. It ceased to be a tavern just after the Revolution. +Such was its size that it contained forty fireplaces. On its site was +erected the first fire-engine house in Roxbury. A portion of the +building still stands in the rear of Graham block. + +The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east +corner of Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a +meeting was held "to settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In +their house." Its last landlord was Samuel Ruggles. + +The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in +Brookline, about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between +Roxbury and Brookline, upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on +the south-west corner of Washington street and Brookline avenue. It was +a two-story hipped-roof house, and its enlargement from time to time, by +the purchase and removal of old houses thither from Boston and vicinity, +resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and produced +a new order of architecture, appropriately called "_conglomerate_" With +its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish +color, with a seat running along the front under an overhanging +projection of the second story. In front and near each end were large +elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which still remains. Its +sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and ladle, +overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a +favorite resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was +patronized by British officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and +the bridges destroyed its usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, +and demolished in 1833, with the exception of one of its adjuncts, which +now stands on the easterly side of Brookline avenue, nearly opposite +Emerald street. + +Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, +built by, and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a +famous auctioneer of Boston, and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," +on the south-east corner of Washington street and Blue Hill avenue. It +was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and was owned by John +Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a public +house in 1796. + +Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. +It was built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it +was known as the "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. +It was first occupied as a public house in 1820, and it was the place of +refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a mob from the (old) Boston +Theatre, December 21, 1825. + +The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly +corner of Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. +It was kept by Capt. Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen company of +the third parish in the Lexington battle. It was purchased in 1794, with +forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and he occupied it +during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward until +the close of his honorable life. + +On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond +block now stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied +in 1805 as the Old Red Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce. + +The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west +corner of Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George +Zeigler. It ceased to be a public house about a third of a century ago. + +Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South +streets, near the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It +was built in 1805, and first kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long +famous for good dinners. The widow of Samuel Burrill kept it during the +War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale Hotel. + +The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph +Ruggles, a well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn +in Roxbury in 1765. After the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the +mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. Simmons, who sold it to the +Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the following year +as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing a +hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, +subsequently as Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The +old mansion now stands on the north side of Norfolk street, and is +occupied as a tenement-house. It was the starting-point of the Roxbury +hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South Church on the first +of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a public +house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of +domestic and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than +sixty of which now stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and +flowed. + +In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from +Dunstable (Eng.) at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called +"Great House," originally erected by Thomas Graves for the governor's +residence, for court-meetings, and public religious worship, which stood +in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley House, and the base of +the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid £30 for the +premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, no +card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the +use of a pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses +of the guests. He was liable to a fine of ten shillings for every +offence of selling at a price exceeding sixpence for a meal, or taking +more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of meal-times," or for +selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like special +occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." +Mr. Long and his sons following him carried on the house for +three-quarters of a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, +1664, and his widow May 27, 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed +the house to his widow Mary, daughter of Increase Nowell. The estate had +a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was deeded by Mrs. +Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." +Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called +"The Old Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of +Charlestown, on the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. +Finally, the land was bought by the town, and is now part of City +square. + +The Cape Breton Tavern was built in 1731, and stood on the corner of +Main street and Hancock square. It was burnt in the general +conflagration of June 17, 1775. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1748, and stood on the south-east corner of +Charles River avenue and Water street. It was kept by Benjamin Gerrish. + +The Warren Tavern was built in 1775, and still stands on the south-west +corner of Main and Pleasant streets. It was first kept by Eliphalet +Newell. It was from that edifice that the procession connected with +funeral ceremonies in honor of GEORGE WASHINGTON started on the 31st of +December, 1799, when the nation mourned as one man the departed patriot, +statesman, and chieftain, "upon whose like they should not look again." + +Trumbull's Tavern stood on the north-east corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1771. + +The Indian Chief Tavern was built in 1779, and was the mansion of David +Wood, an influential citizen of Charlestown. It occupied the site of +Harvard Church. It was there that David Starrett, cashier of the +Hillsboro', N.H., bank, was said to have been robbed and murdered on the +evening of March 26, 1812. Suspicion attached to Samuel Gordon, the +landlord. A reward of $200 was offered for the recovery of his dead +body, but without success. In 1814 Hon. Nathan Appleton received a +letter from Starrett, in South America, whither he had fled owing to the +insolvency of the bank. It contained a hall, in the second story, known +as "Massachusetts Hall." It was removed in 1818 to the north-west corner +of Main and Miller streets, and its name changed to Eagle Tavern. It +still stands, although it ceased to be a public house a quarter of a +century since. + +The Mansion House stood on the south side of City square and north-west +corner of Warren avenue. It was erected in 1780 by Hon. Thomas Russell +as a family mansion, and occupied by him until his decease in 1796. It +was afterwards occupied by Commodore John Shaw, John Soley, Grand Master +of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Massachusetts, and Andrew Dunlap, +U.S. District Attorney, who conducted the trial of the twelve pirates of +the schooner "Pindu," in 1834. It was first occupied as a hotel in 1835, +and kept by Gorham Bigelow, and afterwards by James Ramsay. It was +demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House. + +Page's Tavern stood at the corner of Main and Gardner streets, and was +afterwards known as "Richards'", and more latterly, "Babcock's." It was +the starting-point of the Charlestown hourly coaches, which commenced +running April 1, 1828, to Brattle street; fare, twelve and a half cents. +Passengers were accommodated by being called for, or left at their +residences on cross streets. It ceased to be a public house about a +generation ago. + +Piper's Tavern stood on the south-west corner of Main and Alford +streets. + +Pierce's Hotel stood on the north-west corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1795 by Hon. Thomas Russell for a +family mansion; but he died just before its completion. In one of its +rooms was a remarkable clock with a blue dial and moving figures of men, +which appeared when the clock struck the hours, and then disappeared. +The ordaining council of the first pastor of Harvard Church convened +there. It was at one time occupied by Silas Whitney, Jr., who was buried +from there with Masonic honors in 1824. Potter, the celebrated +ventriloquist, held his exhibitions there, to the delight of the +youngsters of that day. It was last kept by James Walker, and its name +changed to the Middlesex House. It was destroyed by the great fire of +August 28, 1835. + +Robbin's Tavern stood on the west side of City square and south-east +corner of Harvard street. It was built in 1796, and stood directly in +the rear of the site of the Three Cranes Tavern, before alluded to. It +was demolished in 1816, and the Charlestown Town Hall erected upon its +site, which, in turn, was demolished in 1868 to make room for the City +Hall. + +Ireland's Tavern was built in 1797, and stood on the north side of +Cambridge street, near the Lowell Railroad bridge. + +Yoelin's Tavern was built in 1798, and stood on the east side of City +square and north-west corner of Chamber street. It was first occupied as +a tavern in 1821, and was destroyed by the great fire before alluded to. +The first meeting of the proprietors of Warren bridge was held there in +1828. + +Copp's Tavern was built in 1799, and stood on the south side of City +square, near the corner of Bow street. The building, which had ceased +for some years to be occupied as a tavern, was demolished in 1866 to +make room for the Waverley House. + +"_Sic transit gloria mundi_." Thus have disappeared from time to time, +with but few exceptions, the taverns, inns, and coffee-houses of the +Town of Boston, while the bodily forms of those who took their ease in +them have long since crumbled into dust. We will now resign to the pen +of the local historian of a century hence to describe the mammoth +hostelries of the City of Boston, which have arisen since the era of +railways, steamships, electric telegraphs, ocean cables, telephones, +electric lights, and other modern developments of science and art. + + * * * * * + +EDITOR'S TABLE. + + +A correspondent asks in connection with an article in the May number on +"Town and City Histories," in which was incidentally mentioned the +government of Western towns by trustees, the following question: "Can +you tell me where I can find that government treated of; also, that of +towns in the Middle and Southern States?" The question is a hard one to +answer. Of the town meeting, that peculiarly New England institution, +much has been written; but about the local forms of government prevalent +in the States between the Hudson and the Pacific Ocean very little has +found its way into print. The local historians seem to take it for +granted that all these things are understood everywhere, and so shed +little light on the question. The pages of this magazine will be open to +any one who can give the desired information. + +The season of agricultural fairs, "cattle-shows" and the like, is about +over. There is scarcely a county in New England, scarcely a State in the +Union, but has had a fair of some sort or other. Most of them report +better exhibits and larger attendance than ever before. Some few report +a falling off in attendance. That all these fairs have done exhibitors +much good is doubtful; that they have benefited the thinking portion of +their attendants is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the thinking portion +of a farming community is lamentably small. Most people go to a +"cattle-show" to be amused; a few go to learn. The few that derive +benefit from seeing the wonders of the earth collected in pens and on +tables are helped just as a teacher gets benefit from a teacher's +institute--both get food for thought. At the cattle-show the farmer +_may_ learn of new methods and see their results. The trouble is that +the ordinary farmer goes to the fair for the same reason that the +average citizen buys a ticket to the menagerie--to see the circus. There +are more clowns at a cattle-show than the sawdust ever saw. The horses +may not be so pretty or gaudy, but they go faster. One man defended +himself very frankly at the dinner of a county fair in this State when +he said: "The Lord made horses to go, and I like to see them do it." +This question of trotting or no trotting at the fair is not a new one; +but with age it seems to acquire toughness,--like chickens, for +instance. + +But passing by the horse question, we come to the question of clowns, +which is really a very serious one. It may be irreverent to compare +"cattle-show" orators to circus clowns, but really the temptation is +irresistible; and then they are the only features of the respective +exhibitions that have speaking parts. Joking aside, there are important +lessons which the speaking and the speakers at the recent fairs may +teach us. We find that the candidate for office has become a great +attraction, one which the fair-managers bid high for. They draw well, +too. + +This calls to mind this year's Salisbury Beach Festival, a time-honored +institution which has degenerated into a money-making affair in these +later days. This year there was, to be sure, a large crowd present, but +yet the attendance was smaller than in any year for a long time. The +number of people present was between 3,500 and 5,000. Prominent +gentlemen in Essex County were advertised to address the crowd. The +newspaper comment on the event is short and to the point: "There was no +speaking, as the crowd was more interested in seeing the Lawrence Base +Ball Club beat the Newbury porters, by a score of 9 to 7." Again: "The +principal attractions were Professors Parker and Martin at the skating +rink, and the 4,000-pound ox." + +_O Tempora! O Mores!_ + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. +2, November, 1884, by Various + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13741 *** diff --git a/13741-h/13741-h.htm b/13741-h/13741-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..98eac7c --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-h/13741-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2900 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> +<html lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> + <title>The Bay State Monthly - November, 1884.</title> + <style title="Standard Format" type="text/css"> + /*<![CDATA[*/ + <!-- + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify;} + p.TOC {text-align: left; font-variant: small-caps;} + p.sc {font-variant: small-caps;} + html>body p.TOC {margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%;} + blockquote {text-align: justify;} + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {text-align: center;} + pre {font-size: 1.0em;} + hr {text-align: center; width: 50%;} + html>body hr {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;} + hr.full {width: 100%;} + html>body hr.full {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.short {text-align: center; width: 20%;} + html>body hr.short {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;} + .footnote {font-size: 0.9em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + /* To hide page numbers */ + .newpage { display: none; } + /* To display right-aligned line numbers */ + .poem { + margin: 0em 10% 0em 10%; + text-align: left; + } + .poem .stanza { + margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; + } + .poem .author { + text-align: right; + } + .poem .line:after { + display: block; + content: attr(title); + text-align: right; + } + /* To indent wrapped lines */ + .poem .line { + height: auto; + margin-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; + } + .figure, .figcenter, .figright, .figleft + {padding: 1em; margin: 0; text-align: center; font-size: 0.8em;} + .figure img, .figcenter img, .figright img, .figleft img + {border: none;} + .figure p, .figcenter p, .figright p, .figleft p + {margin: 0; text-align: center;} + .figcenter {margin: auto;} + .figright {float: right;} + .figleft {float: left;} +span.rightnote { +position: absolute; +left: 88%; +right: 1%; +font-size: 0.7em; +border-bottom: solid 1px; +text-align: left; +} +/* Use this if there are inline transliterations. */ +/* [lang][title]:after {content: " [Trans: " attr(title) "]";} */ + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> + <style title="Original Page Numbers" type="text/css"> + /*<![CDATA[*/ + <!-- + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify;} + p.TOC {text-align: left; font-variant: small-caps;} + p.sc {font-variant: small-caps;} + html>body p.TOC {margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%;} + blockquote {text-align: justify;} + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {text-align: center;} + pre {font-size: 1.0em;} + hr {text-align: center; width: 50%;} + html>body hr {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;} + hr.full {width: 100%;} + html>body hr.full {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.short {text-align: center; width: 20%;} + html>body hr.short {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;} + .footnote {font-size: 0.9em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + /* To show page numbers */ + .newpage {position: absolute; left: 1%; right: 91%; font-size: 8pt;} + /* To display right-aligned line numbers */ + .poem { + margin: 0em 10% 0em 10%; + text-align: left; + } + .poem .stanza { + margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; + } + .poem .author { + text-align: right; + } + .poem .line:after { + display: block; + content: attr(title); + text-align: right; + } + /* To indent wrapped lines */ + .poem .line { + height: auto; + margin-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; + } + .figure, .figcenter, .figright, .figleft + {padding: 1em; margin: 0; text-align: center; font-size: 0.8em;} + .figure img, .figcenter img, .figright img, .figleft img + {border: none;} + .figure p, .figcenter p, .figright p, .figleft p + {margin: 0; text-align: center;} + .figcenter {margin: auto;} + .figright {float: right;} + .figleft {float: left;} +span.rightnote { +position: absolute; +left: 88%; +right: 1%; +font-size: 0.7em; +border-bottom: solid 1px; +text-align: left; +} +/* Use this if there are inline transliterations. */ +/* [lang][title]:after {content: " [Trans: " attr(title) "]";} */ + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13741 ***</div> + + <a name="page61" id="page61"></a><span class="newpage">[61]</span> + <h1>THE BAY STATE MONTHLY.</h1> + <center> + <i>A Massachusetts Magazine</i>. + </center> + <center> + VOL. II. + </center> + <center> + NOVEMBER, 1884. + </center> + <center> + No. 2. + </center> + <hr class="short" /> + <div class="figcenter"> + <a href="images/image2_full.png"><img src="images/image2_thumbnail.png" + alt="Grover Cleveland" /></a> + <p>Grover Cleveland.</p> + </div> + <h2>GROVER CLEVELAND.</h2> + <center> + By HENRY H. METCALF. + </center> + <p>Save only that of Ulysses S. Grant, no name in America has come from comparative + obscurity into national eminence in so short a time as that of GROVER CLEVELAND.</p> + <p>The fame of Grant was wrought out through the exigencies of a great civil war, in + which the unity of the Republic was the issue involved. The distinction which + Cleveland has achieved comes of valiant service in another field of conflict, wherein + the issue involves the perpetuity and dominance of the great principles which + constitute the framework and fibre of republican government itself. Under ordinary + circumstances, probably, neither Grant nor Cleveland would have risen above the plane + of every-day life. The same, too, might perhaps justly be said even of Washington. In + the history of human progress it will be seen that every great crisis involving the + triumph of the principles and tendencies which make for the moral, social, or + political advancement of mankind has developed a leader endowed with the special + qualities demanded by the occasion.</p> + <p>The brilliant and self-assertive men who press forward to leadership in ordinary + times, whether impelled by mere love of notoriety, personal ambition, or an honest + desire to promote the welfare of their fellow-men, seldom become masters of the + situation when a supreme emergency arises. They may set in motion great contending + forces; they may precipitate conflicts whose ultimate outcome brings inestimable + benefit to mankind; but other hands and other minds are required to direct the issue + and shape the result. The master spirit of the occasion is born thereof. Ulysses S. + Grant had absolutely no part in bringing about that great conflict of ideas and + systems which culminated in the war of the rebellion; nor had he even figured + prominently in the field of military achievement until long after hostilities were + commenced, and the struggle had assumed proportions entirely unforeseen by, and + actually appalling <a name="page62" id="page62"></a><span class="newpage">[62]</span> + to, not only the people themselves, but those In control of active operations in the + field. But the emergency developed the man required to meet it, and Grant came to the + front.</p> + <p>So, too, in this later and greater conflict, which is to test the virtue and + determine the durability of popular government—whose outcome is to decide + whether political parties are to be the mere instruments through which the people + express their will, and whose relations can be changed as the public good may seem to + require, or whether the government itself shall be subordinated to party, and its + functions prostituted for the perpetuation of party ascendency and the aggrandizement + of corrupt and selfish individuals—the leader in whom the hopes of those who + contend for the supremacy of the popular will, the surbordination of party-power to + public welfare, and the administration of the government in the interests of the + whole people, are now thoroughly centred, is one who has gained no distinction in + shaping partisan contests, and won no laurels in the halls of legislation or the + forum of public debate. He is, simply, the man who, in the last few years, first in + one, and then in another still more important position of official responsibility, + has demonstrated more emphatically than any other in recent times (possibly because + circumstances have more generally drawn attention in his direction) his thorough + devotion to the doctrine that public office is a public trust; and has, therefore, + been selected as the best representative and exponent of the popular idea in the + great political conflict about to be brought to an issue.</p> + <p>The purpose and scope of this brief article permit no detailed account of the + private life or public career of Grover Cleveland. Those who have cared to do so have + already familiarized themselves with the same through the ordinary channels; yet, as + a matter of record, a few salient facts may be presented.</p> + <p>Grover Cleveland was born in the village of Caldwell, near Newark, New Jersey, + March 18, 1837. His paternal ancestry was of the substantial English stock.</p> + <p>I. Aaron Cleveland, an early settler in the valley of the Connecticut. He was + liberally educated, and, ardently devoted to the interests of the Church, he + determined to take holy orders, and returned to England for confirmation therein. + Coming back to America he settled in the ministry at East Haddam, Conn. Some fifteen + years later, in August, 1757, he died, while on a visit to Philadelphia, at the + residence of his friend, Benjamin Franklin, then publisher of the <i>Pennsylvania + Gazette</i>, who spoke of him, in an obituary notice in his paper, as "a gentleman of + a humane and pious disposition, indefatigable in his ministry, easy and affable in + his conversation, open and sincere in his friendship, and above every species of + meanness and dissimulation."</p> + <p>II. Aaron Cleveland, born at East Haddam, Conn., February 9, 1744. He was a hatter + by trade and located in Norwich, which town he represented in the Legislature, where + he introduced a bill for the abolition of slavery, of which institution he was a + determined opponent. Subsequently he became a Congregational clergyman, and a power + in that denomination. <a name="page63" id="page63"></a><span + class="newpage">[63]</span> He died at New Haven in 1815.</p> + <p>III. William Cleveland, second son of the above, a silversmith by occupation, also + dwelt in Norwich. His wife was Margaret Falley. He was prosperous in business, + respected in the community, and deacon of the church of which his father had been + pastor for a quarter of a century previous to his decease.</p> + <p>IV. Richard Falley Cleveland, second son of William, born in 1804, graduated from + Yale in 1824 with high honors. He, too, became a clergyman, having adopted the + Presbyterian faith, and pursued his studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, after + serving a year as a tutor in Baltimore, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Anne + Neale, daughter of a prominent law publisher of Irish birth, with whom he united in + marriage after completing his studies, in 1829. He was located in pastorates, + successively, at Windham, Conn.; Portsmouth, Va.; Caldwell, N.J., and Fayetteville, + N.Y. Subsequently, moved by failing health, he sought a change, and, as agent of the + American Home Missionary Society, located at Clinton. Two years later he returned to + pastoral service, though still In feeble health, establishing himself and family at + Holland Patent, a few miles north of the city of Utica. Here he died suddenly, a few + weeks after his removal, leaving to his wife and nine children no other fortune than + the legacy of an honorable name, and the enduring influence of a true and devoted + life.</p> + <p>V. Grover Cleveland, third son and fifth child of Richard Falley and Anne (Neale) + Ceveland, was sixteen years of age when his father died. The sad event necessarily + marked a turning-point in his career. He was forced to look life and duty seriously + in the face, and he proved himself equal to the emergency. It had been a cherished + hope of his boyhood that he might secure the benefit of a classical education at + Hamilton College, from which his eldest brother, William (now a Presbyterian + clergyman at Forestport, N.Y.), had then recently graduated. But this was now out of + the question. He had not only to provide for himself, but he felt bound to aid his + mother in the support of the younger members of the family. The idea of the college + course, for which he had partially fitted himself in the preparatory school at + Clinton, was relinquished, and the battle of life commenced in earnest. He had + already learned something of the lesson of self-reliance, having served for a year or + more as a clerk in a grocery at Fayetteville, and he soon secured a situation as an + assistant in the Institution for the Blind in the city of New York, where his brother + William was then engaged as a teacher. Here he remained nearly two years, faithfully + discharging the duties assigned him, and promptly forwarding to his mother such + portion of his moderate wages as remained after providing for his own personal + necessities. The situation, however, grew irksome. As the young man's capabilities + developed his ambition was aroused. There was no way of advancement open before him + here, and he felt that his duty to himself, as well as others, demanded that he make + the best practicable use of the powers with which he was endowed. Returning home for + a short visit, and taking counsel with his mother, he <a name="page64" + id="page64"></a><span class="newpage">[64]</span> soon set out for the "West," the + field toward which ambitious young men have turned, with hearts full of hope, for the + last half century.</p> + <p>His proposed destination was Cleveland, Ohio; his cherished ambition the study and + practice of the law. He was accompanied on his journey by a young friend of kindred + aspirations. Arriving at Buffalo he called on an uncle, Mr. Lewis F. Allen, who had a + fine stock farm, just out of the city, and who finally induced him to remain there, + promising to secure him admission to a law office in Buffalo. He remained with his + uncle for a time, assisting him in the preparation of the manuscript of the "American + Herd Book," a work upon which he was then engaged; but in the course of a few months + (in August, 1855) he secured admission as a student in one of the best known law + offices of the city—that of Rogers, Bowen, & Rogers. Blessed with good + health and industrious habits, with an earnest determination to succeed, he entered + upon the work before him. For a time he boarded at his uncle's house, taking the long + walk to and from the office at morning and night; but after a few months he was + enabled to be of such assistance in the office in clerical and other work, that, from + the modest compensation allowed, he secured lodgings in the city and provided for all + his humble wants.</p> + <p>After four years of unremitting study and toil, he was admitted to the Erie county + bar, having laid the foundation for future professional success in a thorough mastery + of legal principles and all the details of practice, and in those well-established + habits of thought and application by which his subsequent life has been so fully + characterized. He had gained, also, the confidence and esteem of his preceptors and + employers, and after his admission continued with them as confidential clerk in + charge of the office business, receiving a salary which enabled him, then, to + contribute materially to the assistance of his mother in providing for the wants of + the family and maintaining the comforts of the humble home in Holland Patent, toward + which his fondest thoughts have turned in all the years of his busy life, and where + such periods of recreation as he has felt warranted in indulging have mainly been + spent.</p> + <p>In 1863 Mr. Cleveland received an appointment as assistant district attorney for + Erie county, a strong testimonial to the legal abilities of so youthful a + practitioner, considering the array of professional talent in the county and the + responsibilities of the position. The war was then in progress; two brothers, one the + next older, and the other younger than himself, had enlisted in the Union army; and + when, a few months after his appointment, as he had fairly familiarized himself with + the details of important cases intrusted to his care, he was himself drafted, he + pursued the only practicable course, and provided a substitute for the service. In + the fall of 1865, while yet serving as deputy, he was unanimously selected by the + Democratic Nominating Convention as candidate for district attorney. The county was + strongly Republican, but young Cleveland received a support beyond his party strength + and was beaten, by a few hundred majority only, by the Republican nominee, Lyman K. + Bass, <a name="page65" id="page65"></a><span class="newpage">[65]</span> then and + since his warm personal friend.</p> + <p>Upon the expiration of his term of service as deputy district attorney, in + January, 1866, he entered actively into practice, having formed a partnership with + the late Isaac K. Vanderpoel, a prominent lawyer and ex-State treasurer. The burden + of the labor fell to the share of the junior partner, and through his close attention + to the interests of clients the business of the firm soon became extensive and the + income fairly remunerative. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, through + the election of Mr. Vanderpoel as police judge, and soon after the new firm of + Cleveland, Laning, & Folsom was formed. In 1870 Mr. Cleveland was urged by + leading Democrats of Erie county to accept the party nomination for sheriff. The + proposition was by no means in accordance with his desires or inclinations. The + office, although a most important one in a large and populous county, and commanding + liberal compensation in fees, was a most thankless one in many respects: its duties, + always delicate and exacting, sometimes disagreeable in the extreme, and its + responsibilities great. It was felt, however, that the acceptance of this nomination + by one who so thoroughly commanded the confidence of the people, and whose + professional training and experience gave him superior qualification for the office, + would insure to the county ticket of the party, with due care in the selection of + other candidates, the strength necessary to success in the election. As a loyal + member of the party to whose principles he had ever been devotedly attached, and in + the support of whose cause he had labored in every consistent capacity since becoming + a voter, he finally yielded, accepted the nomination, and, as had been hoped, was + duly elected along with the entire ticket. He administered the office, upon which he + entered in January following, upon strict business principles, and to the eminent + satisfaction of the courts, the bar, and the public at large, during the full term of + three years. There were no duties, however irksome, from which he shrank; no + responsibilities which he failed to meet in a becoming manner; and when, on the first + of January, 1874, his term expired and he returned to his legal practice, it was with + a larger measure of popular esteem than he had ever before enjoyed.</p> + <p>In resuming professional labor he formed a partnership with his friend and former + antagonist, Lyman K. Bass, Mr. Wilson S. Bissel also becoming a member of the firm. + Now thirty-seven years of age, with mental powers thoroughly developed, and a + capacity for labor far greater than that with which most men are favored, he was + eminently well equipped for substantial achievement in his chosen field of effort; + and it is not too much to say that, in the next seven years, during which he gave + uninterrupted attention to the work, he accomplished as much in the way of honest + professional triumph as any lawyer in Western New York. He sought no mere personal + distinction, but put his heart into his work, and practically made his clients' + interests his own. His judgment was sound, his industry indefatigable, his integrity + unquestioned. He was eminently well fitted for judicial service, but could never be + induced to put himself <a name="page66" id="page66"></a><span + class="newpage">[66]</span> in the way of preferment in that direction. He was always + the "working member" of the firms with which he was connected. As an advocate, he + made no pretensions to brilliancy; but in the preparation of cases, and in the cogent + statement of principles involved, as well as in the effective presentation of + pertinent facts, he found no superiors, and few equals, among his associates at the + bar.</p> + <p>Caring nothing for the pecuniary rewards of labor, beyond the provision for his + own modest wants and the comfort of those, in a measure, depending upon his + assistance, Mr. Cleveland has accumulated no large fortune; although, with the + opportunities at hand, had he made wealth his object, he might have secured it. On + the other hand, he has befriended many a poor client to his own cost; and, while + failing in many cases to collect the fees which were his due, he has contributed to + public and private charities with a liberal, but unostentatious hand. Though he has + never posed as a "working-men's candidate" for official preferment, the laboring + people of his city and section have long known him as the true and sympathetic friend + of every honest son and daughter of toil.</p> + <p>When, in the autumn of 1881, the people of the great city of Buffalo, the third in + the Empire State in population, and the second in commercial importance, tired of the + corruption, the robbery, and oppression of the ring rule, which had fastened its grip + upon them under long years of Republican ascendency, turned at last to the Democratic + party for relief, the Democracy of the city saw in Grover Cleveland the one man of + all others with whom as their candidate for mayor, they might reasonably hope to win, + not simply a partisan triumph, but a victory for honest government in which all + patriotic citizens might well rejoice. Much against his own will, after repeated + solicitation on the part of leading Democrats, and many Republicans, who appreciated + his character and fitness, he again consented to become the candidate of his party + for responsible office; and, at the election which followed, so great was the desire + for a change in municipal matters, and so general the confidence in Mr. Cleveland as + the man under whose direction the needed reform might be effected, that his majority + for mayor was about three thousand five hundred, or nearly the same figure with which + the Republican ticket had ordinarily triumphed.</p> + <p>Entering upon the duties of his office as mayor, January 1, 1882, he soon gave + practical assurance of the fact that the people of Buffalo had made no mistake in the + selection of their chief municipal servant. In his first message to the Common + Council, which was replete with sound, practical suggestions, he said:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>It seems to me that a successful and faithful administration of the government + of our city may be accomplished by constantly bearing in mind that we are the + trustees and agents of our fellow-citizens, holding their funds in sacred trust to + be expended for their benefit; that we should at all times be prepared to render an + honest account to them touching the matter of its expenditure; and that the affairs + of the city should be conducted as far as possible upon the same principles as a + good businessman manages his private concerns.</p> + </blockquote> + <a name="page67" id="page67"></a><span class="newpage">[67]</span> + <p>It suffices to say that, so far as the mayor himself was concerned, and so far as + his power and influence extended, he lived up fully to the letter and spirit of this + suggestion. Although hampered by an adverse political majority in the Common Council, + still measurably under the influence of the old rings, and more intent upon + preventing the mayor from winning public favor which might, perchance, inure to the + benefit of his party (though standing himself entirely beyond party in his relations + to the public welfare), than upon the faithful discharge of their own duties, he + succeeded, by the force of his own earnest personality, by searching investigation + into the workings of all the departments of city affairs, by the ruthless exposure + and denunciation of various corrupt schemes of jobbery and plunder, and by the + persistent recommendation of measures and methods which commended themselves to his + judgment, in accomplishing much in the way of the reform for which his election had + been sought. He used the veto power with a vigor and a significance which had + characterized the action of no predecessor in the office, and often regardless of the + fact that its exercise might be distorted by designing enemies, personal or + political, to insure him at least the temporary disapprobation of large classes of + citizens; but he used it only when fully satisfied, through patient research and + careful deliberation, that duty and obligation imperatively required it. It is + conceded that in his brief year's administration he saved a million of dollars to the + city treasury, stamped out numerous abuses, and stimulated the spirit of faithful + devotion in various branches of the municipal service. Men of all parties unite in + saying that the city of Buffalo was never favored with the services of a more + faithful, conscientious, and thoroughly impartial executive head.</p> + <p>But he was not to continue the work of administrative reform in that particular + field of labor. The people had called him "up higher." His reputation as a true + Democrat, an honest reformer, and a faithful public servant, had spread abroad + through the State, and when the Democratic State Convention assembled in the early + autumn of that year it was clearly apparent that the nomination of Grover Cleveland, + the reform mayor of Buffalo, as the candidate of the party for the supreme magistracy + of the Empire State, was the one certain guaranty of overwhelming Democratic victory + at the polls. That nomination was promptly made, and the result which followed was + without parallel in the annals of American political history. He was elected governor + by a majority of nearly two hundred thousand, and, although internal dissensions in + the Republican party, then existing, contributed largely to the general result, the + most significant feature of the election is found in the fact that the largest + relative Democratic gain was made in his own county of Erie, where he received + upwards of seven thousand majority against more than three thousand majority for + Garfield in the last presidential election, showing him strongest before the people + where his personal character and attributes, as well as his qualifications for + positions of high public trust, are most thoroughly known.</p> + <a name="page68" id="page68"></a><span class="newpage">[68]</span> + <p>As governor of New York, which position he has occupied for the last twenty + months, first with a Democratic and later with a Republican legislature, Mr. + Cleveland has followed the same rule of official conduct adopted for his guidance in + other positions. Mindful of all proper obligations to his own political party, he has + never permitted party demands to stand in the way of his duty to the public and the + State. Believing, to quote his own language, "in an open and sturdy partisanship + which secures the legitimate advantages of party supremacy," he also believes that + parties were made for the people, and declares himself "unwilling, knowingly, to give + assent to measures purely partisan which will sacrifice or endanger the people's + interests." In the office of governor, as well as in that of mayor, he has made + vigorous but discriminate use of the veto power, and in the one case, as in the + other, it has invariably been found, upon candid investigation, that his action has + been taken under a profound sense of the binding authority of the fundamental law, + and with an unflinching regard for the rights and interests of the whole + people,—however violent, at times, may have been the denunciation of demagogic + opponents, or clamorous the protests of those who sought merely temporary advantages + in particular directions, regardless of ultimate results upon the general welfare. In + this, as in other positions, his general line of action has been such as to command + the hearty approval of patriotic men of all parties; and if he has incurred the + hostility of any, it has been through his opposition to the schemes of corrupt rings + and the purposes of selfish individuals, which he regarded detrimental to the public + good; or through his support of wholesome measures, calculated to protect the body + politic, and thwart their illegitimate designs in other directions.</p> + <p>And now, Grover Cleveland stands before the people of the whole country the duly + nominated candidate of the Democratic party for the highest office in the gift of the + Republic; while his candidacy is indorsed and enthusiastically supported by tens of + thousands of pure and unselfish men of the opposite party, who see, through his + election, the only hope of a return to constitutional methods and honest practices in + the administration of the Federal Government, without which ere long the complete and + irremediable subversion and destruction of the government itself will be + accomplished. This candidacy comes not through his own seeking. Grover Cleveland + never sought an office in all his life. He has consented to serve his fellow-citizens + in public station only at their solicitation and command. He has served them + faithfully and well so far as he has been called, and none need fear that, if called + to still higher responsibilities and a broader field of duty, he will not prove equal + to the emergency—equally true to himself and his trust.</p> + <p>Grover Cleveland is a man "cast in nature's noblest mould." Of commanding + presence, with a physical development commensurate with his mental powers, thoroughly + democratic in habit and manner, accessible to all, meeting the humblest and highest + upon equal terms, sympathizing heartily with the honest laborer <a name="page69" + id="page69"></a><span class="newpage">[69]</span> in every field of action, frank and + outspoken in his opinions, hating hypocrisy and sham with all his soul, fighting + corruption and dishonesty wherever he finds them, respecting the opinions and + listening to the suggestions of others, but acting invariably in accordance with his + own convictions of right, he fills the perfect measure of honest manhood; and whether + he be President of the American Republic, or simple citizen, he will never, it is + safe to assume, forfeit either his own self-respect, or the confident regard of his + fellow-men.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>BOUNDARY LINES OF OLD GROTON.—IV.</h2> + <center> + BY THE HON. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. + </center> + <p>About this time it was proposed to form a new township from Groton, Lancaster, and + Harvard, including a small parcel of land, known as Stow Leg, a strip of territory + perhaps two hundred rods in width and a mile in length, lying west of the Nashua + river. This "Leg" had belonged originally to Stow, but by the incorporation of + Harvard had become wholly detached from that town. The proposed township covered + nearly the same territory as that now occupied by Shirley. The attempt, however, does + not appear to have been successful. The following covenant, signed by certain + inhabitants of the towns interested in the movement, is on file, and with it a rough + plan of the neighborhood; but I find no other allusion to the matter either in + petitions or records.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>"We the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the Extream Parts of Groton Lancaster + and Harvard as allso the Proprietors of the Land belonging to the Town of Stow + (which Land is Scituate, Lying and being Between the Towns above said Namely Groton + Lancaster and Harvard) Do Covenant and Promise to and with Each other And We Do + Hereby of our own Free Will and Motion In the Exercise of Love and Charity Towards + one another with Mutual Consent in the strongest Manner Binding our Selves the + Subscribers each and every of us Conjointly one to another (for the Gosples Sake) + Firmly Covenanting and Promising to and with Each other that we will as Speedely as + may be with Conveniency Petition the Several Towns to which we Respectively belong + and Likewise the Great and General Court That we may be Erected or Incorporated + into a Destinct and separate Township of our Selves with those Lands within the + Bounds and Limits Here after Described viz Beginning at the River called Lancaster + [Nashua] River at the turning of Sd River Below the Brige called John Whits Brige + & Runing Northerly to Hell Pond and on Still to the Line Betwixt Harvard and + Groton Including John Farwell then to Coyecus Brook Leaveing the Mills and Down + Said Brook to the River and down Said River to the Rye ford way then Runing + Westerly to the Northerly End of Horse Pond & so on to Luningburg Line, + Including Robert Henry & Daniel Page and then Runing Southerly Extendig Beyound + Luningburg So far Into Lancaster as that Running Easterly the Place on which Ralph + Kindal formerly Lived Shall be Included and so on Running Easterly to the Turn in + the River first mentioned</p> + <p>Moreover we Do Covenant Promise and Engage Truly and Faithfully that will + Consent to and Justifie any Petition that Shall be Prefered in our names and behalf + to our Respective Towns and to the Great & <a name="page70" + id="page70"></a><span class="newpage">[70]</span> General Court for the Ends and + Purposes above Mentioned</p> + <p>Furthermore we Do Covenant Promise and Engage as above that we will advance + money for and Pay all Such Reasonable and necessary Charges that may arise in the + Prosecuting and Obtaining our Said Petitions and that we will Each and Every of us + Respectively Endever to Promote and Maintain Peace Unity Concord and Good Agreement + amoungst our Selves as Becometh Christians</p> + <p>And now haveing thus Covenanted as above Said We Do Each and Every one of us who + have Hereunto Subscribed Protest and Declare that Every Article and Parigraph and + Thing Containd in the above Writen Shall be Absolutely and Unacceptionably Binding + in Manner and form as above Declared and Shall So Continue upon and Against Each + and Every one of us untill we are Erected or Incorporated Into a Township as above + said or that Provedance Shall Remove us by Death or Otherways any thing to the + Contrary Notwithstanding</p> + <p>Witness our Hands the Eight Day of December one Thousand Seven Hundred and + Fourty Seven and in the Twentieth Year Of His Majesties Reign Georg the Secund King + &c</p> + <p> Harvard</p> + <p>Richard hall<br /> + Jon<sup>n</sup> Bigelow<br /> + Joseph Hutchins<br /> + Simeon Farnsworth<br /> + Timothy hall<br /> + Phenihas Farnsworth<br /> + Amos Russll<br /> + Johnathan—Read<br /> + Jonathan Read iu<br /> + Abijah Willard</p> + <p> Groton</p> + <p>Samuel Hazen<br /> + Joseph Preist<br /> + Samell flood<br /> + John pearce<br /> + Charles Richards<br /> + Daniel Page<br /> + John Longley jn'r<br /> + Abijah Willard<br /> + Manasser Divoll<br /> + John Osgood<br /> + Abijah Frost<br /> + John Peirce hous rite</p> + <p> Lancaster</p> + <p>Henry Haskell<br /> + John Nicholls<br /> + Thomas Wright<br /> + William Willard<br /> + Joshua Johnson<br /> + Daniel Willard<br /> + Joseph Priest<br /> + William Farmer<br /> + Joseph Bond<br /> + Henry Willard<br /> + Benjamin Willard<br /> + Jacob Houghton<br /> + Corp Elias Sawyer<br /> + Amos Am Atherton</p> + <p> Stow</p> + <p>John Houghton Ju<br /> + John Sampson<br /> + Joseph Brown<br /> + Hannah Brown<br /> + Samuel Randal<br /> + Benjamin Samson</p> + <p class="i2">[Massachusetts Archives, CXV., 220-222.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>Hell Pond, mentioned in this covenant, is situated in the northwest part of + Harvard, and so called "from its amazing depth," says the Reverend Peter Whitney, in + the History of Worcester County (page 158).</p> + <p>Two years after this covenant was signed, another attempt was made to divide the + town, but it did not succeed. The lines of the proposed township included nearly the + same territory as the present ones of Shirley. The following references to the scheme + are found, under their respective dates, in the printed Journal of the House of + Representatives:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of <i>Groton</i> and <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying + they may be erected into a distinct and seperate <a name="page71" + id="page71"></a><span class="newpage">[71]</span> Township or Precinct, agreable to + the Plan therewith exhibited, for the Reasons mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petitioners serve the Town of Lunenburg, and + the first Parish in <i>Groton</i>, with Copies of this Petition, that they shew + Cause, if any they have, on the 29th of <i>December</i> next, if the Court be then + Sitting, if not on the first Friday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the + Prayer thereof should not be granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 100), November 30, 1749.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>Samuel Watts</i>, Esq; brought down the Petition of sundry Inhabitants of + <i>Lunenburg</i> and <i>Groton</i>, as entred the 30th of <i>November</i> last, and + refer'd. Pass'd in Council, <i>viz</i>. In Council <i>December</i> 29th 1749. Read + again, with the Answer of the Town of <i>Lunenburg</i>, and <i>Ordered</i>, That + the Consideration of this Petition be refer'd to the second Wednesday of the next + Sitting of this Court. Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>With a Petition from sundry Inhabitants of <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying to be set + off from said Town of <i>Leominster</i>. Pass'd in Council, <i>viz</i> In Council + <i>December</i> 29th 1749. Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petitioners serve the + Town of <i>Lunenburg</i>, with a Copy of this petition, that they shew Cause, if + any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the + Prayer thereof should not be granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 143), December 29, 1749.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>John Chandler</i>, Esq; brought down the Petitions of <i>John Whitney</i>, + and others of the westerly Part of <i>Groton</i>, and the easterly Part of the Town + of <i>Lunenburgh</i>, and <i>Edward Hartwell</i>, Esq; and others of said Town, + Pass'd in Council, <i>-viz.</i> In Council <i>April</i> 4th 1750. <i>Ordered</i>, + That <i>Samuel Watts, James Minot</i>, and <i>John Otis</i>, Esqrs; with such as + the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to consider the Petitions + above-mentioned, and the several Answers thereto, hear the Parties, and report what + they judge proper for the Court to do thereon.</p> + <p>Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>Read and concur'd, and Mr. <i>Rice</i>, Capt. <i>Livermore</i>, Col. + <i>Richards</i>, and Mr. <i>Daniel Pierce</i>, are joined in the Affair.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 214), April 5, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>Joseph Wilder</i>, Esq., brought down the Report of a Committee of both + Houses, on the Petition of <i>John Whitney</i>, and others, as entred the 30th of + <i>November</i> last, and refer'd. Signed <i>James Minott</i>, per Order.</p> + <p>Pass'd in Council, <i>viz.</i> In Council <i>June</i> 21, 1750. Read and + <i>Voted</i>, That this Report be not accepted, and that the Petition of <i>John + Whitney</i> and others therein refer'd to, be accordingly dismiss'd, and that the + Petitioners pay the Charge of the Committee.</p> + <p>Send down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 41), June 22, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of the westerly Part of <i>Groton</i>, and the + easterly Part of <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying that their Memorial and Report thereon, + which was dismiss'd the 22<sup>d</sup> of <i>June</i> last, may be revived and reconsidered, + for the Reasons mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That Mr. <i>Turner</i>, Mr. <i>Tyng</i>, and Major + <i>Jones</i> with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to take + this Petition under Consideration, and report what they judge proper to be done + thereon. Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 76, 77), October 3, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>John Greenleafe</i>, Esq.; brought down the Petition of sundry Inhabitants of + <i>Groton</i> and <i>Lunenburg</i>, as entred the 3d Currant, and referr'd. Pass'd + in Council, <i>viz</i>. In Council <i>October</i> 3d 1750. Read and nonconcur'd, + and <i>Ordered</i>, That this Petition be dismiss'd.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>Read and nonconcur'd, and <i>Ordered</i>, <a name="page72" id="page72"></a><span + class="newpage">[72]</span> That the Petitioner serve the Town of <i>Lunenburg</i> + with a Copy of this Petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the second + Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be + granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 93), October 9, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>A Memorial of <i>John Whitney</i> and others of the Southwesterly Part of + <i>Groton</i>, praying that their Petition exhibited in <i>November</i> 1749 may be + revived, and the Papers prefer'd at that Time again considered, for the Reasons + mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petition lie on the Table.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 64), October 9, 1751.]</p> + <p><i>Ordered</i>, That the Petition of <i>John Whitney</i> and others of the + Southwesterly Part of <i>Groton</i>, lie upon the Table.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 81), January 3, 1752.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The Memorial of <i>John Whitney</i> and others, as entred <i>October</i> 9th + 1751, Inhabitants of the Southwesterly Part of <i>Groton</i> and the Eastwardly + Part of <i>Lunenberg</i>, setting forth that in <i>November</i> 1749, they + preferred a Petition to this Court, praying to be set off from the Towns to which + they belong, and made into a distant [distinct?] and seperate Town and Parish, for + the Reasons therein mentioned; praying that the aforesaid Memorial and Petition, + with the Report of the said Committee thereon, and all the Papers thereto + belonging, may be revived, and again taken into consideration.</p> + <p>Read again, and the Question was put, <i>Whether the Prayer of the Petition + should be so far granted as that the petition and Papers accompanying it should be + revived</i>?</p> + <p>It pass'd in the Negative. And <i>Voted</i>, That the Memorial be dismiss'd.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 92), January 9, 1753.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The discussion in regard to the division of the town resulted in setting off the + district of Shirley, on January 5, 1753, three months before the district of + Pepperell was formed. In the Act of Incorporation the name was left blank, as it was + in the one incorporating Pepperell, and "Shirley" was filled in at the time of its + engrossment. It was so named after William Shirley, the governor of the province at + that period. It never was incorporated specifically as a town, but became one by a + general Act of the Legislature, passed on March 23, 1786. It was represented, while a + district, in the session of the General Court which met at Watertown, on July 19, + 1775, as well as in the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly + acquired the powers and privileges of a town, which were afterward confirmed by the + act just mentioned.</p> + <p>The act for establishing the district of Shirley is as follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Vicesimo Sexto.</p> + <p>An Act for dividing the Town of Groton and making a District by the Name + of....</p> + <p>Whereas the Inhabitants of the Southwesterly part of the Town of Groton by + Reason of the Difficulties they labour under being remote from the place of the + publick worship of God have addressed this Court to be Sett off a Separate District + whereunto the Inhabitants of Said Town have Manifested their Consent Be it + therefore enacted by the Lieutenant Governour Council and House of Representatives + that the Southwestwardly part of the Town of Groton Comprehended within the + following boundaries viz begining at the the [<i>sic</i>] mouth of Squanacook River + where it runs into Lancaster [Nashua] River from thence up Said Lancaster River + till it Comes to Land belonging to the Township of Stow thence Westwardly bounding + Southwardly to said Stow Land tilll it comes to the Southwest Corner of the + Township of Groton thence Northwardly bounding westwardly to Luningburgh <a + name="page73" id="page73"></a><span class="newpage">[73]</span> and Townsend to + Squanacook River afores<sup>d</sup> thence down said River and Joyning thereto to the mouth + thereof being the first bound—Be and hereby is Sett off from the said Town of + Groton and Erected into a Separate and Distinct District by the name of ... and + that the Inhabitants thereof be and hereby are Vested with all the powers + priviledges and Immunities which the Inhabitants of any Town within this Province + do or by law ought to Enjoy Excepting only the Priviledge of choosing a + Representative to represent them in the Great & General Court, in choosing of + whom the Inhabitants of Said District Shall Joyn with the Inhabitants of the Town + of Groton, as heretofore has been Usual, & also in paying said + Representative</p> + <p>Provided nevertheless the Said District Shall pay their proportionable part of + all such Town County Parish and Province Charges as are already Assessed upon the + Town of Groton in like manner as though this Act had never been made.</p> + <p>And Be it further Enacted that M<sup>r</sup> Jn<sup>o</sup>. Whitney be and hereby is impowred to + Issue his Warrant directed to Some principal Inhabitant in s<sup>d</sup> District requireing + Him to Notifie & warn the Inhabitants of S<sup>d</sup> District qualified by law to vote + in Town affairs to meet at Such Time & place as shall be therein Set forth to + Choose all such officers as Shall be Necessary to manage the affairs of s<sup>d</sup> + District</p> + <p>In the House of Rep<sup>ives</sup> June 4, 1752</p> + <p>Read three several times and pass'd to be Engross'd</p> + <p>T. HUBBARD Spk<sup>r</sup>.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>Sent up for concurrence</p> + <p>In Council Nov<sup>r</sup>. 28, 1752 Read a first Time 29 a second Time and pass'd a + Concurrence</p> + <p>THO<sup>s</sup>. CLARKE Dp<sup>ty</sup> Secry.</p> + <p>[Massachusetts Archives, CXVI., 293, 294.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This act did not take effect until January 5, 1753, when it was signed by the + governor.</p> + <p>On June 3, 1771, thirty years after Groton Gore had been lost by the running of + the provincial line, the proprietors of the town held a meeting, and appointed + Lieutenant Josiah Sawtell, Colonel John Bulkley, and Lieutenant Nathaniel Parker, a + committee to petition the General Court for a grant of land to make up for this loss. + They presented the matter to that body on June 7, and the following entry in the + records gives the result:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on the Petition of <i>Josiah Sartel</i>, and others, reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Whereas it appears to this Court, That the Proprietors + aforesaid, had a Grant made to them by the General Court in</i> April 1735, <i>of + Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred Acres of Land, in Consideration of Land taken from + said</i> Groton <i>by</i> Littleton, <i>Major</i> Willard <i>and</i> Read's + <i>Farms being prior Grants, and for their extraordinary Suffering in the former + Indian Wars and in</i> June 1736 <i>said Grant was confirmed to said Proprietors, + since which Time, the said Proprietors have been entirely dispossessed of said Land + by the running of the Line between this Province and</i> New-Hampshire: <i>And + whereas it appears there has been no Compensation made to the said Proprietors + of</i> Groton, <i>for the Lands lost as aforesaid, excepting Three Thousand Acres + granted in</i> November <i>last</i>, to James Prescot, William Prescot, <i>and</i> + Oliver Prescot <i>for their Proportion thereof</i>. Therefore <i>Resolved</i>, That + in Lieu thereof, there be granted to the Proprietors of <i>Groton</i>, their Heirs + and Assigns forever, Seven Thousand and Eight Hundred Acres of the unappropriated + Lands belonging to this Province, in the Western Part of the Province, to be layed + out adjoining to some former Grant, and that they return a Plan thereof, taken by a + Surveyor and Chainmen under Oath into the Secretary's Office, within twelve Months + for Confirmation.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 44), June 13, 1771.]</p> + </blockquote> + <a name="page74" id="page74"></a><span class="newpage">[74]</span> + <p>These conditions, as recommended by the report of the committee, appear to have + been fulfilled, and a grant was accordingly made. It lay on the eastern border of + Berkshire county, just south of the central part, and was described as + follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on a Plan of a Tract of Land granted to the Proprietors of + <i>Groton</i>, reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Resolved</i>, That the Plan hereunto annexed, + containing three Thousand nine Hundred and sixty Acres of Province Land, laid out + in Part to satisfy a Grant made by the Great and General Court at their Sessions in + <i>June</i> 1771, to the Proprietors of Groton, in Lieu of Land they lost by the + late running of the <i>New-Hampshire</i> Line, as mention'd in their Petition, laid + out in the County of <i>Berkshire</i>, and is bounded as followeth, viz. Beginning + at a Burch Tree and Stones laid round it the Southwest Corner of + <i>Tyringham-Equivalent</i> Lands standing on the East Branch of <i>Farmington</i> + River; then North eighteen Degrees East in the West Line of said <i>Equivalent</i> + five Hundred and sixty-one Rods to a small Beach Tree and Stones laid round it, + which Tree is the Southeast Corner of a Grant of Land called <i>Woolcut's</i> + Grant; then running West eighteen Degrees North in the South Line of said Grant two + Hundred and forty Rods to a Beach Tree marked I.W. and Stones laid round it, which + is the Southwest Corner of said Grant; then running North eighteen Degrees East in + the West Line of said Grant four Hundred Rods to a Heap of Stones which is the + Northwest Corner of said Grant; then running East eighteen Degrees South two + Hundred and forty Rods in the North Line of said Grant to a large Hemlock Tree and + Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of said Grant; it is also the + Northwest Corner of said <i>Equivalent</i>, and the Southwest Corner of a Grant + called <i>Taylors</i> Grant; then running North eighteen Degrees East one Hundred + and sixty Rods in the West Line of said <i>Taylors</i> Grant to the Northwest + Corner of the same; then running East nine Degrees South in the Line of said + <i>Taylors</i> Grant eight Hundred Rods to a Stake and Stones standing in the West + Line of <i>Blanford</i>, marked W.T. then running North eighteen Degrees East in + said <i>Blanford</i> West Line five Hundred and thirty Rods to a Beach Tree and + Stones laid round it which is the Northwest Corner of said <i>Blanford</i>; then + running East ten Degrees South forty-two Rods in the North Line of said + <i>Blanford</i> to a Stake and Stones which is the Southwest Corner of + <i>Merryfield</i>; then running North ten Degrees East in said <i>Merryfield</i> + West Line three Hundred and three Rods to a Heap of Stones the Southeast Corner of + <i>Becket</i>; then running West two Degrees South in said <i>Becket</i> South Line + four Hundred and twenty-six Rods to the Northeast Corner of a Grant of Land called + <i>Belcher's</i> Grant; then running South in the East Line of said <i>Belchers</i> + Grant two Hundred and sixteen Rods to a small Maple Tree marked T.R. which is the + Northwest Corner of a Grant of Land called <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running East + in the North Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to a + Hemlock Pole and Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of said + <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running South in the East Line of said <i>Rand's</i> + Grant three Hundred and thirty-one Rods to a Hemlock Tree marked and Stones laid + round it, which is the Southeast Corner of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running + West in the South Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to a + Beach Pole marked T.R. the Southwest Corner of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then + running North in the West Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant eighty-three Rods to the + Southeast Corner of said <i>Belcher's</i> Grant; then running West bounding North + three Hundred and forty-eight on said <i>Belcher's</i> Grant and four Hundred and + fifty-three Rods on a Grant called <i>Chandler's</i> Grant, then running North on + the West Line of said <i>Chandler's</i> Grant four Hundred and sixty to said + <i>Becket's</i> South Line; then running West in said <i>Becket</i> South Line + twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the <a name="page75" id="page75"></a><span + class="newpage">[75]</span> North West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the + Four <i>Housatonick</i> Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand + four Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional Lands to the + Place where the said East Line crosses said <i>Farmington</i> River; then Southerly + or down Stream three Hundred and thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly + on said River, be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the + Proprietors of <i>Groton</i> aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. + <i>Provided</i> the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, nor interfere + with any former Grant.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183). April 24, 1772.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the proprietors. + Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and Oliver Prescott, acting + for themselves, had petitioned the General Court for a tract of land to make up their + own losses. They were the sons of the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose + influence and agency the original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the + largest proprietors of the town. The following extracts from the Journal of the House + relate to their application:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, and others, Children and Heirs of + <i>Benjamin Prescot</i>, late of <i>Groton</i>, Esq; deceased, praying a Grant of + the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in consideration of sundry Tracts which + they have lost by the late running of the Line between this Government and + <i>New-Hampshire</i>.</p> + <p>Read and committed to Col. <i>Clap</i>, Col. <i>Nickols</i>, Col. + <i>Williams</i> of <i>Roxbury</i>, Col. <i>Buckminster</i>, and Mr. + <i>Lancaster</i>, to consider and Report.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12, 1764.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but I do not + find that it came up for consideration at that time. It does not appear again for + some years.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, praying that a Grant of + Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which falls within the + <i>New-Hampshire</i> Line.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2, 1770.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel Holten, of + Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua Bigelow, of + Worcester.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on the Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, + reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Resolved</i>, That in Lieu of Lands mentioned in the + Petition, there be granted to the Petitioners, their Heirs and Assigns, Four + Thousand Four Hundred Acres of the unappropriated Lands belonging to the Province, + to be laid out in the Westerly Part thereof, adjoining to some former Grants, + provided they can find the same; or Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Acres of + the unappropriated Lands lying on the Easterly side of <i>Saco</i> River; it being + their Proportion in said Grant: And return a Plan thereof taken by a Surveyor and + Chainman under Oath, into the Secretary's Office within Twelve Months.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 156), November 14, 1770.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The Committee appointed to consider the Plan of two Tracts of Land granted to + <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, reported.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Read and accepted. <i>Resolved</i>, That both the above Plans, the one + containing Four Thousand one Hundred and thirty Acres, the other containing two + Hundred and seventy Acres, delineated and described as is set forth by the Surveyor + in the Description thereof hereunto annexed, be accepted, and hereby is confirmed + to <a name="page76" id="page76"></a><span class="newpage">[76]</span> <i>James + Prescot</i>, Esq; and others named in their Petition, and to their Heirs and + Assigns in Lieu of and full Satisfaction for Four Thousand four Hundred Acres of + Land lost by the late running of the Line between this Province and + <i>New-Hampshire</i>, as mention'd in a Grant made by both Houses of the Assembly, + A.D. 1765, but not consented to by the Governor. <i>Provided</i> both said Plans + together do not exceed the Quantity of Four Thousand four Hundred Acres, nor + interfere with any former Grant.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 73), June 22, 1771.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>It is evident from these reports that the Prescott brothers took the forty-four + hundred acres in the westerly part of the province, rather than the fifty-eight + hundred and eighty acres on the easterly side of the Saco river, though I have been + unable to identify, beyond a doubt, the tract of land thus granted. I am inclined to + think however, that it is the one mentioned in the Memorial of the One Hundredth + Anniversary of the Incorporation of Middlefield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1883. The + town is situated on the westerly border of Hampshire County,—forming a jog into + Berkshire,—and was made up in part of Prescott's Grant. A map is given in the + "Memorial" volume (page 16) which shows that the Grant was originally in Berkshire + county, very near to the tract of land given to the proprietors of Groton.</p> + <p>Professor Edward P. Smith, of Worcester, delivered an historical address on the + occasion of the anniversary, and he says:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Prescott's Grant, the nucleus of the town, appears as a large quadrilateral, + containing more than a thousand acres in the north and west part of the town. Who + the Prescott was to whom the grant was made is not known, further than that he must + have been some one who had rendered military or other services to the State. That + he was the Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill is, indeed, possible; but, as the + grant was probably made before the Revolutionary War, that supposition seems hardly + tenable. (Page 15.)</p> + </blockquote> + <p>By an act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793, a large section of + territory was taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. This change produced a very + irregular boundary between the two towns, and made, according to Butler's History of + Groton (page 66), more than eighty angles in the line, causing much inconvenience. + The following copy from the "Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" gives the + names of the families thus transferred:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set off <i>Caleb Woods</i>, and others, from <i>Groton</i>, and to + annex them to <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That <i>Caleb Woods, Silas Blood, + Amaziah Swallow, Nathaniel Cummings, Ebenezer Procter, Silas Blood</i>, jun. + <i>Silas Marshall, Levi Parker, Amos Woods, Isaac Lawrence, Peter Blood, Caleb + Blood</i>, jun. <i>Henry Blood, Caleb Woods</i>, jun. and <i>Silas Marshall</i>, + jun., together with their families and estates, and also the estates of Doctor + <i>Jonas Marshall</i>, the heirs of Captain <i>Solomon Woods</i>, deceased, and + <i>Joseph Parkhurst</i>, which they now own in said <i>Groton</i>, be, and they are + hereby set off from the town of <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, + and annexed to <i>Dunstable</i>, in said county, and shall hereafter be considered + a part of the same, there to do duty and receive privileges, as the other + inhabitants of said <i>Dunstable. Provided, nevertheless</i>, That the persons + above-mentioned shall pay all taxes that have been legally assessed on <a + name="page77" id="page77"></a><span class="newpage">[77]</span> them by said + <i>Groton</i>, in the same manner as if this Act had never been passed.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 25, 1793.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The zigzag line caused by this act was somewhat modified by the two following + ones, passed at different times a few years later. I think that the very irregular + boundary between the two towns, with its eighty-six angles, as mentioned by Mr. + Butler, was produced by the subsequent annexations to Dunstable.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set of <i>Nathaniel Lawrence with</i> his Estate, from the Town of + <i>Groton</i>, and annex them to the Town of <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That <i>Nathaniel Lawrence</i> of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, together with his estate, which + he now owns in that town, be, and hereby is set off from said town of + <i>Groton</i>, and annexed to the town of <i>Dunstable</i>, in the same county; and + shall hereafter be considered as part of the same; there to do duty and receive + privileges as other inhabitants of said town of <i>Dunstable: Provided + nevertheless</i>, That the said <i>Nathaniel Lawrence</i> shall be holden to pay + all taxes that have been legally assessed on him by said town of <i>Groton</i>, in + the same manner as if this Act had not been passed.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>January</i> 26, 1796.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off Willard Robbins with his estate from the town of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, and to annex the same to the town + of <i>Dunstable</i>, in the same county.</p> + <p>Sec. 1. Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General + Court assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>. That Willard Robbins, of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, with his estate, be, and hereby + is set off from said town of <i>Groton</i>, and annexed to the town of + <i>Dunstable</i>, in said county, there to do duty and receive privileges in the + same manner as other inhabitants of the said town of <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Sec. 2. <i>And be it further enacted</i>, That the said Willard Robbins shall be + holden to pay and discharge all legal assessments and taxes, that have been + assessed upon him by said town of <i>Groton</i> prior to the passing this act.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>June</i> 18, 1803.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The boundary between the two towns now remained unchanged until February 15, 1820, + when another act was passed by the Legislature making a further surrender of + territory. It took a considerable parcel of land and gave it to Dunstable, thereby + straightening and simplifying the jurisdictional line, which at this time formed but + five angles.</p> + <p>In the autumn of 1794 a plan of Groton, Pepperell, and Shirley was made by Dr. + Oliver Prescott, Jr., which gives a few interesting facts. The following notes are + taken from the copy now in the office of the Secretary of State. It will be seen that + Dr. Prescott refers to the land set off by the Act of February 25, 1793:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>This Plan contains the Bounds of three Towns, viz. Groton, Pepperrell & + Shirley,—all which, together with whatsoever is delineated on said Plan, was + taken by an actual Survey, agreeably to a resolve of the General Court, passed June + 25, 1794, & under the Inspection of the Selectmen & Committee's from the + respective towns, appointed for that purpose in the month of Sept<sup>r</sup>. 1794.</p> + <p>By OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju<sup>r</sup>. Surveyor.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is Thirty two + Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua is from 8 to 10 rods + in width. The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods in width. In Groton are twenty <a + name="page78" id="page78"></a><span class="newpage">[78]</span> natural Ponds, six + of which are delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey. Several of the other Ponds + are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the whole contain + about two Thousand Acres. There are no Mines in said Town, except one of Iron Ore, + nearly exhausted. Every other Matter directed to be delineated, described or + specifyed, may be found on the Plan.</p> + <p>SAM<sup>ll</sup> LAWRENCE} ZACH<sup>h</sup> FITCH} Committee. OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju<sup>r</sup>.}</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven miles; from + Boston forty Miles.</p> + <p>The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width.</p> + <p>The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five Miles; & from + Boston thirty Eight Miles.</p> + <p>Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width. The Plan + contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns necessary to be + described.</p> + <p>OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju<sup>r</sup>.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of Land set off + from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793. As + by said Act, the petitioners and their Farms were set off, without specifying + particular bounds, Accuracy cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without + very great expence and Trouble.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory lying on + the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner of Groton, was + annexed to Shirley. This tract continued to form a part of Shirley until the + incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when its political condition was again + changed, and its government transferred to the new town. The act authorizing the + annexation is as follows,—and I give it entire in order to show the loose way + of describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of <i>Groton</i>, and annex the + same to the town of <i>Shirley</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That a tract of Land at the south + western extremity of the town of <i>Groton</i>, bounded by a line beginning at a + large white oak stump, on the southeast side of <i>Nashua River</i>, being the + northwest corner of the town of <i>Harvard</i>; thence running southeasterly on + <i>Harvard</i> line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a + pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town line; thence + northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to <i>Harvard</i> at SIMON DABY'S + southerly corner, thence northeasterly on said SIMON DABY'S line to a pine tree + marked, thence northerly to a heap of stones on a ledge of rocks; thence northerly + on said SIMON DABY'S line to a heap of stones on a large rock; thence northwesterly + still on said SIMON DABY'S line to a stake and stones in the roots of a pine tree, + fallen down, in a valley, said SIMON DABY'S northeast corner and SAMUEL CHASE'S + southerly corner, thence northerly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line, to the road leading + to ABIL MORSE'S mill, at a heap of stones on the north easterly side of said road, + thence northeasterly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line by said road to a heap of stones, + thence northeasterly on said CHASE'S line, to a stake and stones at the end of a + ditch at a brook; thence down said brook to <i>Nashua River</i>, thence up said + river, to the bounds first mentioned, together with the inhabitants thereof, be, + and they are hereby set off from the town of <i>Groton</i> and annexed to the town + of <i>Shirley</i>, there to do duty and receive privileges in the same manner as + other lands and inhabitants of the said town of <i>Shirley</i>.</p> + <p>SECT. 2. <i>Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted</i>, That the said + tract of land and the inhabitants thereof shall be <a name="page79" + id="page79"></a><span class="newpage">[79]</span> liable to be taxed by the town of + <i>Groton</i>, their full proportion in a tax to the amount of the debts now due + from said town of <i>Groton</i>, in the same manner as if this act had not been + passed: <i>Provided</i> such tax be made and assessed within one year from the time + of passing this act; and shall also be liable to pay their proportion of all state + taxes that may be assessed on the town of <i>Groton</i> until a new valuation be + taken.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 6, 1798.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>All the changes of territorial jurisdiction thus far noted have been in one + direction,—from Groton to the surrounding towns; but now the tide turns, and + for a wonder she received, by legislative enactment, on February 3, 1803, a small + parcel of land just large enough for a potato-patch. The annexation came from + Pepperell, and the amount received was four acres and twenty rods in extent. The + following is a copy:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off a certain parcel of land from the town of <i>Pepperell</i>, in + the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, and to annex the same to the town of <i>Groton</i>, + in the same county.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That a certain tract of land, + bounded, beginning at the end of a wall by the road leading by Zachariah Fitch's, + in said <i>Groton</i>; thence running easterly, by land of Jonas Fitch, to the + <i>Nashua River</i>, (so called;) thence up said river to said road, near the + bridge over the same river; thence, bounding by the same road, to the bounds first + mentioned, containing four acres and twenty rods, be, and hereby is set off from + said town of <i>Pepperell</i> and annexed to said town of <i>Groton</i> + forever.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 3, 1803.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was opened through the township of Groton in the + month of December, 1848. It ran at that time a distance of eight miles through its + territory, keeping on the east side of the Nashua river, which for a considerable + part of the way was the dividing line between Groton and Pepperell. The railroad + station for the people of Pepperell was on the Groton side of the river, and in the + course of a few years a small village sprang up in the neighborhood. All the + interests and sympathies of this little settlement were with Pepperell; and under + these circumstances the Legislature, on May 18, 1857, passed an act of annexation, by + which it became in reality what it was in sentiment,—a part and parcel of that + town. The first section of the act is as follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off a part of the Town of Groton, and annex the same to the Town + of Pepperell.</p> + <p><i>Be it enacted, &c., as follows</i>:</p> + <p>All that part of the town of Groton, in the county of Middlesex, with the + inhabitants thereon, lying north of the following described line is hereby set off + from the town of Groton, and annexed to the town of Pepperell, to wit: Beginning at + the boundary between said town of Groton and the town of Dunstable, at a stone + monument in the wall on land of Elbridge Chapman and land of Joseph Sanderson, and + running south, eighty-six degrees west, about six hundred and sixty rods, to a + stone monument at the corner of land called the "Job Shattuck Farm," and land of + James Hobart, near the Nashua River and Worcester and Nashua Railroad; thence in + same line to the centre of Nashua River and the boundary of said town of Pepperell: + <i>provided, however</i>, that for the purpose of electing a representative to the + general court, the said territory shall continue to be a part of the town of + Groton, until a new apportionment for representatives is made; and the inhabitants + resident therein shall be entitled to vote in the choice <a name="page81" + id="page81"></a><span class="newpage">[81]</span> of such representatives, and + shall be eligible to the office of representative in the town of Groton, in the + same manner as if this act had not been passed.</p> + </blockquote> + <div class="figcenter"> + <a href="images/image1_full.png"><img src="images/image1_thumbnail.png" + alt="Groton Plantation" /></a> + <p>Map of Groton Plantation in 1884.</p> + </div> + <p>The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original + grant—and perhaps the last for many years to come—is the Act of February + 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This enactment took from Groton + a large section of territory lying near its southern borders, and from Shirley all + that part of the town on the easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to + it from Groton on February 6, 1798.</p> + <p>Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of more than two centuries, + been hewed and hacked down to less than one-half of its original dimensions. It has + furnished, substantially, the entire territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, and + has contributed more or less largely to form five other towns. An examination of the + accompanying map will show these changes more clearly than any verbal or written + description.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>SAILS.</h2> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <div class="line"> + The ship's white sails are all unfurl'd + </div> + <div class="line"> + To the salt breath of the sea; + </div> + <div class="line"> + And never a ship in all the world + </div> + <div class="line"> + Sails on with the wind more free. + </div> + </div> + <div class="stanza"> + <div class="line"> + For the white sails are white hopes of youth, + </div> + <div class="line"> + The breath of the future blows; + </div> + <div class="line"> + But whither the vessel flies, in truth, + </div> + <div class="line"> + There is no man that knows. + </div> + </div> + </div> + <hr /> + <a name="page82" id="page82"></a><span class="newpage">[82]</span> + <h2>ELIZABETH. <a id="footnotetag1" name="footnotetag1"></a><a + href="#footnote1"><sup>1</sup></a></h2> + <center> + A ROMANCE OF COLONIAL DAYS. + </center> + <center> + BY FRANCES C. SPARHAWK, Author of "A Lazy Man's Work." + </center> + <hr class="short" /> + <h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> + <h4>ON THE TIDE.</h4> + <p>One August evening of the year 1743 a boat lay as if anchored in the beautiful + Piscataqua; her sail seemed swung only to show its whiteness in the bright moonlight. + Every cord upon it hung lifeless, serving only the purpose of pictured lines, one + silvered in the light, the dark shadow of the other traced in clear outlines on the + sail. The swash of the waves against the side of the boat was too slight to sway it; + the sheet dipped in the water and swung almost imperceptibly, while now and then a + few straws floated against it and caught there. The moon, high in the heavens, gave + pearly tints to the clouds that floated near it; the pines on the shore flung dark + masses against the oaks and maples, or stood as a Rembrandt background for the boughs + of the trees on which the moonlight fell, or for some ghostly procession of the white + birch trunks. The water, in the shadows as dark and smooth as a Claude Lorraine + glass, showed far off in the moonlight faint quivers of its surface here and there, + as if the breeze so longed for were coming to the idle boat. But it was too far off, + or too faint, for it spent itself before reaching the watchers there, although at the + symptoms one of them rose with great show of solemnity, and making a trumpet of his + hands, blew vigorously against the sail. But neither these movements nor the concerts + of whistling were successful. At last another of the company leaning over the side of + the boat busied himself with the sheet.</p> + <p>"I'll tell you the reason this boat don't go," he said, gravely, "the rope was all + twisted. I've straightened it out, and taken off the straws."</p> + <p>A burst of laughter greeted him as he turned around his face, still grave, but his + dark eyes, roving from one to another, their laughing expression hidden in the + shadow, for the moon was behind him.</p> + <p>"What a useful member of society you are, Stephen," cried Katie Archdale. "I don't + see how we could get on without you."</p> + <p>"I don't think we're getting on with him <i>very</i> fast," remarked a young + gentleman sitting opposite Katie, pointing significantly at a curve of the shore that + they had not drifted out of sight of in the last half hour.</p> + <p>"At least he has roused us," returned the girl, "for I half believe I was sleepy + before."</p> + <p>"I believe it wholly," answered Stephen, taking his seat beside her again and + looking down into her face teazingly with a cousinly freedom. But it was not + altogether a cousinly regard from which Katie drew back after a moment, tossing her + head coquettishly, and with a heightened color, glancing past at her friend beyond + him, who sat dipping one hand in the water and looking dreamily at the shore. Stephen + Archdale and his cousin Katie lived within a few miles of each <a name="page83" + id="page83"></a><span class="newpage">[83]</span> other, and there had always been + constant intercourse between their families. When boy and girl, Stephen, four years + the elder, the two had played together, and they had grown up, as people said, like + brother and sister. But of late it was rumored that the conduct of young Archdale was + more loverlike than brotherly, and that, if Katie choose, the tie between them would + one day be closer than that of cousinhood. The stranger who sat opposite Archdale, + watching them both in silence, was of the same opinion. He was rather portly for his + age, which could not have been over thirty, and as he sat in the boat he looked a + taller man than he proved to be when on his feet. His dark-brown beard was full, his + eyes, like Archdale's, were in shadow, for he had drawn down his hat well over his + brows, while Stephen and young Waldo sat bareheaded in the August air.</p> + <p>"I wonder"—began Katie.</p> + <p>"A sturgeon!" cried Mrs. Eveleigh, the last member of the party.</p> + <p>But the sound proved the soft dip of the paddle in the water as a canoe came + toward them going down the stream. Its Indian occupant when he shot by turned his + gaze stealthily upon the gay party.</p> + <p>"How many more of your red savages are there coming to spy upon us?" And the + speaker pushed back his hat a trifle, and looked up and down the river with an + anxiety that he could not quite conceal.</p> + <p>"You've not been out here long enough," laughed Waldo. "There's no danger; the red + savages are friendly with us just at this moment, and will remain so until we forget + our rifles some day, or they learn that we're short of ammunition. Shoot 'em down + without mercy whenever they come spying about—it's the only way. They're + friendly so long as they are afraid, and not a moment longer. For instance, why + should that fellow stop? He saw three men whom he knew were armed, besides that young + man who's pretending to sail the boat—why don't you do it, Kit?" and Waldo + laughed good-humoredly at the lad whose office had become a sinecure. "When you get + used to them, Mr. Harwin," he added, "they will not make you shiver."</p> + <p>"Oh, they don't do that now," returned the other, indifferently, "but, the + ladies"—</p> + <p>"As to the ladies," laughed Katie, "one of them is quite fond of the red-skins; + the other," glancing at her friend, "has gone into a brown study; I don't believe + she's heard or seen anything for the last half hour. Elizabeth, when you fish up any + pearls there out of the water, share them with us, won't you?"</p> + <p>"No, she'll do no such thing," interposed Mistress Eveleigh; "she'll give them all + to you." The tone was so serious that Elizabeth cried, indignantly,—</p> + <p>"Cousin Patience, how can you?"</p> + <p>"I suppose she likes to tease you," retorted Katie, still laughing, "and so do I. + It's so funny to see you wake out of a revery and find yourself."</p> + <p>"And not find myself, you mean," returned Elizabeth, joining in with a ripple of + merriment.</p> + <p>"Master Waldo knows all about the red-skins," said Archdale to his opposite + neighbor; "he had the pleasure of shooting one last winter."</p> + <a name="page84" id="page84"></a><span class="newpage">[84]</span> + <p>"Did you?" exclaimed Mrs. Eveleigh, while Harwin looked at the young fellow with a + new interest. "How did it happen? Tell us about it."</p> + <p>"Yes, tell us about it," cried Katie, turning toward Waldo. But Elizabeth was + still looking at Archdale. Suppose the shooting had been necessary, how could he + speak of killing a human being as he would an animal, and then lean back and look at + Mr. Waldo with a smile on his face?</p> + <p>Kenelm Waldo, on his part, gazed at the speaker in astonishment.</p> + <p>"'Pon honor," he cried, "I never killed a red-skin in my life, or even had a shot + at one. Oh, I know now what he means; he is talking of a fox that I shot two miles + from his house, one that you ought to have secured yourself, Mr. Archdale. This was + the way I did it, the best way."</p> + <p>When he had finished his account, Katie said:—</p> + <p>"I have a plan for amusing ourselves. Let us make every one tell a story, and + we'll lay forfeits on the person that doesn't give us an interesting one. Mistress + Eveleigh, please begin."</p> + <p>"That is rather arbitrary, Mistress Katie, with no warning," returned that lady, + smiling. "But since we've been talking about the Indians, I will tell you something + that my mother did once before she was married, while she was living down on the + Cape."</p> + <p>"What a pity, Katie, you did not keep Mistress Eveleigh until the last," cried + Archdale; "I know she will have the best story of us all."</p> + <p>"You have too high estimation of my powers," returned Mrs. Eveleigh, flattered; + "but if I do well," she added, "it must be remembered that none of you have had + forty-five years in which to find one."</p> + <p>The story, like a thousand others of that time, was of the presence of mind and + courage of one of the early settlers of America, and was listened to with the + attention it deserved. All, with one exception, were outspoken in admiration of its + heroine.</p> + <p>"You say nothing, Mistress Royal," said Waldo; "but it may be you've heard it + before, since you and Mistress Eveleigh are in the same house."</p> + <p>"Yes," she answered, "I have heard it before." She moved her head quickly as she + spoke, and as the moonlight struck her face, Archdale fancied that he saw a moist + brightness in her eyes. But certainly no tear fell, and when the next moment Katie + declared it Elizabeth's turn for a story, she told some trifling anecdote that had in + it neither sentiment nor heroism. It was laughable though, and was about to receive + its deserts of praise when at Archdale's first word Elizabeth cried, + eagerly:—</p> + <p>"Don't, please. It was not worth telling; only I could remember nothing else."</p> + <p>At this entreaty Harwin stared at her, and his lip curled disdainfully under the + hand that partially covered his face. "Have you so much wealth of fascination, young + lady," his thoughts ran, "that you can afford to scatter your coins in this way? I + rather think not." His eyes rested upon her for a moment as she sat looking at Katie + Archdale, and the scorn of his mouth deepened. "Admiration of one woman for another," + he commented. "Pshaw! the girl lavishes everything; she will soon be bankrupt. She is + drinking in the intoxication <a name="page85" id="page85"></a><span + class="newpage">[85]</span> of Katie's beauty just as—no, not like me, of + course. If ever there could be excuse for such a thing it would be here, for Katie is + bewitching, she is perfect; affectionate, too, but with no nonsense about <i>her</i>. + She reserves her admiration for—for whom does she reserve it? For the proud + young nabob beside her, or for the good-humored little coxcomb over here? It shall be + for neither; it shall be for me. I, too, can be fascinating when I take the trouble. + Fair lady, I have plans for you."</p> + <p>"Master Harwin," cried the girl's clear voice, interrupting his thoughts, "why + don't you begin? We're waiting for you."</p> + <p>"Pardon me," he answered, "I was not aware of it. Well, since you are inexorable, + I'll try. I will not attempt anything in this New World, which you all know so much + more about than I do, for then there'd be every chance of my being heavily fined. But + if you want a story of Old England, perhaps on that ground I can barely escape my + forfeit."</p> + <p>"We shall be delighted," said Miss Royal, courteously, for Katie, to whom she saw + that he was speaking, was at the moment claimed by Archdale; he was saying something + to her in a low voice, and she gave him willing attention.</p> + <p>Only a flash in the narrator's eyes as he began showed that he noticed this.</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> + <h4>OPPORTUNITY.</h4> + <p>"Once upon a time, then," he said, "in Scotland, no matter in what part, there + dwelt two disconsolate people. They ought to have been very happy, for they were + lovers, but, as you may have noticed, lovers are happy only under the condition that + love runs smooth, and here it was extremely rough. The suitor was of ancient family + and poor, the lady was charming, and wilful—and an heiress? You are all waiting + to hear me say that—no, she was poor, too. And so you see that a doubling of + impecuniosity was quite impossible, for poverty rolls up fast in a geometrical + progression. But the lovers had no such scruples. It's a romantic story enough if I + could tell it to you in detail."</p> + <p>"And why not?" cried Katie, whose interest was making him wish that were + possible.</p> + <p>"I should have to go back for generations, and tell you of family feuds as old as + the families themselves, a Montague and Capulet state of affairs, although each + family had so much respect for the golden amenities of life that its possession by + the other would have softened the asperity of feeling. But each was poor,—poor, + I mean, for people in that station.</p> + <p>"The lady, as I said, was a beauty; the gentleman had extra will enough when it + was roused to make up for the absence of beauty, although, indeed, the lady was not + lacking in that quality either, and so, opposition made them only more determined to + have their own way. It was impossible to run away,—she was too well guarded; + defiance was the only thing, and I must confess that from what I knew of them both, I + think they enjoyed it. The Capulets, as I will call them, were dissenters, the + Montagues belonged to the Established Church. Now, the <a name="page86" + id="page86"></a><span class="newpage">[86]</span> Capulets were very zealous, and at + this time a famous itinerant preacher came into their neighborhood. They, being the + greatest people in the place, invited him to stay at their house during his visit. He + often preached in the open air. One day, at the end of one of those eloquent + discourses, a young man in countryman's dress came up and asked him to marry himself + and a young woman whom he had been waiting upon a long time, but who had refused to + be married unless this very preacher could perform the ceremony. 'She said it would + be a blessed wedlock of your joining,' pursued the young fellow. The preacher, + although he was a great man, was only human,—it is well, I suppose, that we + never outgrow our humanity,—and felt flattered by the young girl's belief in + his sanctity. He proposed the next day for the ceremony, and was arranging to marry + the rustic couple on the lawn before the house of his host when the young man + interrupted him by stating that it must be gone through with immediately, for his + lady-love was so shy that it was with difficulty she had been persuaded to come + to-night, and she would never consent if he gave her all that time to think the + matter over in, nor would she be willing to come up on the lawn with the great + people. She was at hand with one of her friends; everything was prepared; would he + marry them then? At that moment? The bewildered minister looked up the road before + him, where the carriage of the Capulets was disappearing at the top of the hill; he + had been told that the daughter would remain with him, and that the carriage would + return as soon as Mamma Capulet had made inquiries about a cottager who was ill; for + his congregation had been crowding about him with questions and tearful confessions + of sins, and the good Capulets, who had the opportunity to make their confessions in + private, were in haste to be gone. Where was his fair companion? He looked about him; + he had lost sight of her in the throng. But in a few moments she came forward, + accompanying the bride, who the groom explained was a protégée of hers. + Miss Capulet had drawn down her veil, and in answer to this statement nodded to the + reverend gentleman and murmured an assent. The bride's face, too, was hidden by her + bonnet and by her shyness, which prevented her from once looking up. The name of the + groom lingered with surprise on the minister's lips, for it was not a clodhopper's + name, I assure you; but he had heard nothing of the love affair. When he came to the + bride's name, however, he did pause, for it was that of the Capulet. 'How is this?' + he asked. 'How has she the same name as you, my child?' Before the veiled lady could + answer, the groom informed him that the bride's family, being old retainers of the + other, had the same last name, as it was in Scottish clans, and that the bride + herself, born on the same day as the young lady at the great house, had received also + the same Christian name, which explained her being under Miss Capulet's protection. + The good man was conscious that, though his piety was eminent, his knowledge of all + genealogy but Bible was deficient, and when both women softly assented to this + statement, <a name="page87" id="page87"></a><span class="newpage">[87]</span> his air + of perplexity gave place to the manner of a man who understands the business of the + hour. He was in a hurry, and in an incredibly short time the two were one. 'Is it all + over?' asked the groom. 'Are we securely married?' 'You are joined in the holy bonds + of matrimony until death do you part,' returned the clergyman, solemnly, beginning to + add his blessing. But this died half-uttered on his lips, for the bride slowly raised + her head, threw back her bonnet, and the haughty face and laughing eyes of the + Capulet were before him. 'Bear witness,' she said, her shyness completely gone, 'that + I'm this gentleman's wife.' 'You are, indeed,' he stammered. 'But + how—why—who is this?' and he reached out a trembling hand toward the + veiled lady. 'My maid,' returned the bride; 'she came here like one of the cottagers, + and we exchanged gowns while you were talking to the people.' 'I hope, I sincerely + hope, it's all right,' returned the poor man; 'but if I had known, I would have + spoken to your honored parent, first.' 'Yes, I'm sure of that,' she laughed, 'and + then we should not have been so happy.' At the moment a post-chaise drove up, into + which the bridal pair and the servant made haste to get. 'Pardon me that I cannot + accompany you home,' laughed the lady, leaning out to give the minister her hand in + farewell. 'You cannot know how grateful to you we are. I shall never be able to + reward you; I can only give you my thanks and prayers—and be sure to tell them + at home how firmly you have married us.' The chaise drove off, and the good man was + left alone. He felt inclined to think that he had been dreaming, until he looked down + and saw in his hand a purse of gold pieces that the groom had slipped into it, + whispering, 'If you refuse for yourself, be my almoner and give it to the poor.' + Before the preacher had recovered his wits the carriage of the Capulets reappeared. + The lovers, however, did not re-appear for two years, and by that time Montague had + unexpectedly fallen heir to a fortune and a title, and was received with open arms by + the new relatives. In our days it's always the one who was not the prodigal who has + the fatted calf killed for him."</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <p>"I'm afraid the poor minister was not very welcome when he had told his story," + said Elizabeth.</p> + <p>"Clever enough, on my word," cried Archdale.</p> + <p>"Not quite to your liking, I fancy, though," answered Harwin.</p> + <p>"Do you think he would have had the wedding indoors, in the teeth of everybody?" + laughed Katie.</p> + <p>Harwin assented, adding that he felt convinced that Master Archdale would have + insisted upon all the accompaniments of a grand wedding at any cost.</p> + <p>"Yes, I shall have that when my time comes," returned Stephen, looking straight + before him a trifle haughtily. But Harwin noticed that directly his eyes fell in + passing back to their watching of the shore, and that one sweeping glance was given + to Katie.</p> + <p>"But can people be married in such an instant?" asked Waldo. "I always thought it + was a work of time—rather a formidable piece of business."</p> + <a name="page88" id="page88"></a><span class="newpage">[88]</span> + <p>"Oh! when you come to two or three ministers of the Church of England, and the + benedictions, and all that, so it is," said Harwin; "but the real business part is an + affair of—I was going to say less than a minute." He sat silent after this, + with his head bent, then, lifting it suddenly, before anybody had spoken, he fixed + his glance, with a musing expression, upon Waldo. "I was wondering if I could + remember the formula," he said; "I think I can. Mistress Royal, allow Master Archdale + to take your hand a moment, if you please."</p> + <p>Elizabeth made no responsive movement, and Archdale, for an instant, failed to + turn toward her. He had been looking at Katie while Harwin was speaking; but Katie + drew back, hastily.</p> + <p>"Oh, do, Elizabeth!" she cried. "I want to see what it is like; do try with + Stephen, and let us hear." As she spoke, Archdale turned toward Elizabeth, + courteously.</p> + <p>"Come, Mistress Royal," he said, as Harwin was explaining that he had asked her + because she happened to be on the proper side for a bride, "let us make an effective + tableau for the amusement of these mariners, who, since they are becalmed themselves, + persist in wanting something going on."</p> + <p>Elizabeth had heard the entreaty in Katie's light words. She knew that if she + herself had cared for Mr. Archdale she could never have jested at marrying him. It + made her all the more sure that Katie did care, because, otherwise, the girl would + have found it great fun to rouse a little jealousy in the two admirers opposite, + watching every movement. She yielded her hand to the light clasp that held it, and + listened with less interest than the others to Mr. Harwin's distinct and rapid words + until he came to the sentence, "I pronounce you man and wife." Then she shivered, and + he had scarcely finished the adjuration that follows—"What God hath joined + together let not man put asunder," when she snatched her hand away.</p> + <p>"It is too solemn," she cried, "it is too much; we ought not to have jested + so."</p> + <p>Harwin laughed.</p> + <p>"Pardon me if I've made you uncomfortable," he said; "but you will forget it in + five minutes, and even for that time you must blame Master Waldo's curiosity."</p> + <p>"And mine," added Katie, at which young Waldo gave her a grateful glance. Then he + joined with her in breaking the hush that had fallen on the others. "Stephen," she + said, "now for your story. Do you think you are coming off scot-free?"</p> + <p>"I thought we had performed our parts," he said, turning to Elizabeth with a + smile.</p> + <p>"Mistress Royal has already told her story," cried Waldo, "There's no escape for + you."</p> + <p>"Escape would be difficult now, I confess."</p> + <p>"So begin."</p> + <p>He began obediently, but fortune was kinder than he had expected, for he had not + fairly started when Kit cried out,—</p> + <p>"A breeze! Here it comes. Heads to larboard!" And down went Archdale's and those + of the two ladies with him as the sail was shifted and the boat began to skim the + water before the breeze which freshened every minute. Soon they had gained the cove + where they were to land, and Archdale's story was never finished.</p> + <a name="page89" id="page89"></a><span class="newpage">[89]</span> + <hr /> + <h2>THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN.</h2> + <center> + BY ERNEST NUSSE. + </center> + <p>The census of 1880 fixed the juvenile population of the United States at + 20,000,000, of whom 10,158,954 were boys and 9,884,705 were girls. "From a political + point of view," says the eminent philanthropist, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, "the future + of the nation depends on the physical and intellectual education of its children, + whose numbers increase every year, and who will soon constitute the sovereign people. + From the moral and social point of view, the welfare of society imperatively demands + that the atmosphere in which they live, and the treatment that they receive from + those intrusted with their care or custody, shall be such as to establish in them + habits of industry, of sobriety, of honesty, and good conduct. For injurious + treatment of a child, inasmuch as it tends to result in the distortion of its + physical and moral nature, constitutes an offence whose importance seriously effects + the public order." But what is to be understood by cruel treatment? It consists in + every act of omission or of commission which causes or procures physical injury or + death. It is hardly necessary to observe that this definition must be limited to its + practical meaning, rather than interpreted in its broader, philosophical sense. We + must leave out of the question the results of improper or imperfect educational + training and discipline. It is doubtless a cause of harm to a delicate and nervous + child to force the development of its intelligence; a harsh word hastily uttered by + parents may leave an ineffaceable impression upon a sensitive organization; severity + degenerates into injustice when it confounds a peevish act, the result of physical + disorder, with an act of deliberate disobedience. The weakness which resigns its + authority In order to spare itself the care of a child's education engenders for life + the spirit of insubordination. The humiliating and unjust reproach, the stinging + sarcasm, wound the child in its tenderest feelings;—but these are not the forms + of cruelty and wrong which fall within reach of the law. It is unable to interpose + between the parents and the child, except in case of an actual and serious offence, + and for the rest it must rely upon the affection planted by nature in the hearts of + parents. These distinctions are more felt than expressed, and opinion will never + deceive itself in regard to the conduct of unnatural parents.</p> + <p>But if these propositions are absolutely incontestable, how do they leave room for + the function of a society? If children are beaten, abandoned, given over to odious + practices, will not the authorities, on the complaint of those interested, or + compelled by public opinion, be able adequately to fulfil the task? This reasoning, + altogether French, would not properly take into account the American temperament, the + genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, of its institutions, and of its usages. In France, + since the fourteenth century, misdemeanors have been prosecuted the more generally by + the public minister, acting under whose orders are numerous officers of judiciary <a + name="page90" id="page90"></a><span class="newpage">[90]</span> police, who entertain + the complaints of the public and send them, with the result of their examination, to + our courts. The magistrates charged with the case complete the investigations, if + they take place. The elements of the evidence are therefore combined when the + prosecution is instituted. In the United States these intermediate officials exist + but imperfectly between the injured party and the magistrate who renders judgment. + From lack of sufficient evidence, the rights of this injured party run the risk of + being compromised through his inexperience. Moreover, the complaint of the child, + often directed against its parents or its legal guardians, involves the examination + of a delicate situation, which must be conducted with much discernment. Without + comparing the two systems, American and French, which correspond each to the + particular genius of the two nations, it will be seen that the American system leaves + much more to private initiative, and that it would become ineffectual when the victim + of the offence, being a child, has neither the energy nor the knowledge necessary to + demonstrate that its complaint is well founded, without the aid of some one in power. + This is the aid which is given by the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty + to Children; and we can now understand how the exigency of the case, so powerfully + felt by the practical intelligence of the Americans, has called into existence this + potent organization, which we may call the guardian of the rights of childhood, for + the repression of the offences from which it is liable to suffer. The following + anecdote shows how the necessity for this institution arose, in a manner at once + thrilling and dramatic:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Ten years ago in New York, on the top floor of a tenement-house, in a miserable + room without furniture, a dying woman lay on a pallet, in the last stage of + consumption. A charitable lady who visited her asked what she could do for her. The + dying woman replied: "My hours are numbered, but how can I die in peace when night + and day I hear the beating by her mother-in-law of the unhappy little girl who + lives in the room next to mine." And, in fact, for a month her heart had been torn + by the cries of this child, Mary Ellen, kept in confinement by this brute. Much + moved by this recital, the visitor felt impelled to demand the interference of the + police. They told her this was impracticable unless she was able to furnish proof + of her allegation. She knew the facts only upon hearsay, and only in case a + misdemeanor were actually proved would it be possible for the police to interfere + as she desired. The charitable feelings of the lady would not permit her to stop + here. She made inquiries among benevolent societies. But here again she experienced + a check. The societies could not receive the child except upon legal commitment by + an order of court. And charitable persons with the most benevolent tendencies, + being consulted on this difficulty, confessed themselves at a loss to suggest a + remedy in the case, and declared that it was dangerous to interfere between parents + and children; that in so doing one is liable to become involved in inextricable + difficulties, since the heads of the family are the best guardians of their + children. However, the sorrowful appeal of the dying woman echoed continually in + the ears of her whose charitable aid had been implored. She resolved upon a supreme + effort to rescue this child. She sought Mr. Henry Bergh, a man who has never been + deaf to a cry of despair, and who has devoted his life to the protection of + animals. Mr. Bergh considered the life <a name="page91" id="page91"></a><span + class="newpage">[91]</span> of a child to be quite as valuable as that of a beast, + and gave it as his opinion that the tribunals should be appealed to. A warrant was + immediately procured and the child was produced in court, its face covered with + horrible wounds. A pair of scissors with which these wounds had been inflicted were + produced. The facts in the case caused a profound sensation in the court and + throughout the city. The mother-in-law was arrested, found guilty, and the little + girl was taken from her hands to receive an education which has rendered her an + elegant and accomplished young woman.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>Humble beginnings, which it will be well for us to bear in remembrance for the + confusion of our pride! It is from the protection of animals that has sprung, in New + York, that of the child. And, when we contemplate the great number of societies in + the United States,—the Humane Society of Saratoga, of Bangor, of Keene, of + Taunton, of Connecticut, the Western Pennsylvania, the Tennessee Society, those of + Nashville, of Cleveland, of Cincinnati, of Indianapolis, of Chicago, of Peoria, of + Sangamon, of Quincy, of Minnesota, of Minneapolis, extending, simultaneously, their + help to children and to the brutes, we shall be no longer astonished either at the + combination of effort explained by this historic origin, or especially at a + philosophy which rightly esteems that cruelty commences with the animal, only to end + fatally with the human being. The proceeding instituted at the instance of Mr. Henry + Bergh was a most valuable precedent. The establishment of a method of rescue, + encouraged complaints, which, till then, had been silent, of the abandonment, misery, + or sufferings of children. Mr. Bergh's society found itself besieged, and, after + deliberation with his counsel, it was determined to establish another in New York, + whose special mission should be the protection of children. An old gentleman of high + respectability, belonging to the sect of the Quakers, Mr. John D. Wright, was elected + to the presidency, which office he held until his death, which occurred on the 21st + of August, 1880. His successor is Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry.</p> + <p>However, inasmuch as the authority with which the society sought to be invested + had reference to public justice, and involved the power to appear for the defence of + the interests of others, and to require the coöperation of public officials, a + law was indispensable, in order to confer these powers. Such a law was passed August + 21, 1875, whose provisions covered not only the case of the New York society, but + determined the functions of all institutions of a similar nature. On condition of + complying with the prescribed formalities for acquiring a corporate existence, the + law granted to these institutions the right to make complaints, in any jurisdiction, + of violations of the statutes regarding children; it set forth, formally, the duty of + magistrates or officers of police, to cooperate with the societies acting in the + limits of their several jurisdictions. The boundaries of the ground of protection + were thus defined, but there was still lacking the requisite legislative authority. + Experience showed that, besides the misdemeanors of common law—attempts upon + the morals, murder, assault and battery, etc.—a multitude of offences against + children remained unpunished. The society, therefore, solicited and obtained from <a + name="page92" id="page92"></a><span class="newpage">[92]</span> the Legislature, + powers which permitted it to repress acts of cruelty towards children that the law + failed to reach. The first of these measures was the law of 1876, forbidding the + employment of minors under sixteen years as dancers, beggars, street peddlers, as + gymnasts or contortionists, or in indecent occupations prejudicial to their health or + perilous to their life. Then came the law of June 6, 1877, forbidding the admission + of minors under fourteen years into public places, liquor saloons, balls, concerts, + theatres, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. With these laws, which it + caused to be interpreted in the courts in certain test cases, the society arrived at + the most satisfactory results. There were no longer seen in New York those juvenile + beggars whose miserable appearance is made an instrument of gain by their worthless + masters; those vagrants who disguise their vagabondage under the pretext of imaginary + professions, collecting cigar stumps and rag picking; those little girls who sell + flowers at the doors of houses of bad repute, often concealing under this ostensible + occupation infamous transactions with panders who keep them in their pay. A + determined warfare was declared against the Italian padroni, who thrive upon the toil + of the little unfortunates to whom they pretend to teach music, and whom they utilize + as peddlers and chimney-sweepers. The conviction of the too notorious Ancarola was + the signal for the suppression of these shameless villains; the purchases of children + ceased, and the cause of humanity triumphed, thanks to the combined efforts of the + society and of the Italian consul, after long and earnest conferences. It is not only + the Italians, but the children of all nationalities, who have profited from this + powerful patronage: Hungarian, German, Chinese, Irish, French. One of our + compatriots, a girl of fourteen years, came one day to implore its aid. Her father + was a drunkard, who had reached the lowest round in the ladder of degradation; her + mother had no means of subsistence except concubinage, nor her two sisters except + prostitution. She begged that they would save her from this life of shame. The + society received her, procured her a position, a good education. Learning that she + was heiress to a considerable property left by a grandfather, the society took active + steps in France to secure to her her rights. Unfortunately, the agent who had + possession of the estate became insolvent after having squandered the property, and + it was impossible to recover it. The society continued to care for the young girl up + to the day of her marriage to a young man enjoying a regular salary of $1,200, and + worthy of her in all respects.</p> + <p>The strict watch kept upon the liquor saloons contributed equally to improve the + condition of children. Many were in the habit of being sent by confirmed drunkards to + buy the "liquid poison!" They thus promoted this vice whose hardened subjects would + prolong It even beyond the grave by asking that "a bottle of whiskey may be put in + their coffin." The obedience of the children was rewarded by invitations to drink, + which initiated them in debauchery. It was among women abandoned to drink that lived + Eliza Clark, a child of eleven years, paying for the drinks <a name="page93" + id="page93"></a><span class="newpage">[93]</span> with the gains which she realized + from dancing or singing; in return, the women gave her brandy to drink and tobacco to + smoke, so that when she was found she resembled "a beast more than a human creature." + They also suppressed the playing of pool for drinks by minors, instituted by saloon + keepers to induce them to drink liquor, which was the reward of those whom fortune + favored in the game.</p> + <p>The police of the theatres performed their duty conscientiously, and the statutes + were obeyed. The necessity of being accompanied by an adult was felt to be a strange + restraint by these gamins eager for the theatre, whose attractions led them to + abandon school, work, and family, and to procure the money for their admission by + stealing it from their parents, or at a pinch from strangers; and where they would + mingle, between the acts, with pick-pockets and low characters who encouraged them in + the ways of vice. And for a stronger reason, the child was more carefully protected + against the perils of the stage than against those of the auditory. Juvenile + performances were forbidden, and the youthful performers were excluded successively + from the Columbia Opera House or Theatre des Folies, from the Italian Opera, from the + Gem Theatre, from Parker's American Theatre, and from the Juvenile Opera. Permissions + for individual performances were peremptorily refused even to parents who were + actors. Here the work of the society encountered serious obstacles, and it is + necessary to quote from Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry in order to appreciate the motives by + which the society was actuated in combating with vigorous purpose the opposition + which it met with: "The Press, which is influenced to a considerable extent by the + representations of theatrical managers, often criticises severely any attempt to + deprive the public of what it is pleased to call its legitimate amusements, by the + suppression of such entertainments. And many pronounced patrons of the dramatic art + even maintain that such exhibitions are indispensable to the proper development of a + dramatic education, and that when the necessities of the parents require it, charity + should encourage the children to procure this means of obtaining a livelihood. But + let us examine the other side of the question. When the curtain rises in the theatre, + a draught of warm air rushes from the audience on to the stage, and often paralyzes + for some moments the vocal chords of the actors. When the curtain falls, the cold air + comes down from the flies, and the children, who have become over heated by their + physical exertions, shiver to the marrow before they are able to accustom themselves + to this sudden change of temperature. Every night these things are renewed. During + the day the children sleep as best they can. Their nervous system is rapidly + undermined; their digestion becomes impaired. It is rare that one can point to + instances of children arriving early at positions of eminence in the dramatic art. It + is true that there are a few who shine as stars in the theatrical profession, and who + entered upon their dramatic career in early childhood; but these are rare + exceptions."</p> + <p>It is not only on the stage that the morals of the children have been protected; + <a name="page94" id="page94"></a><span class="newpage">[94]</span> the keepers of low + resorts have been prosecuted by the society.</p> + <p>It has shut up the den of the too celebrated Owney Geoghegan, who long defied the + law and the police, encouraging the efforts of prostitutes to debauch young girls. + Women of notorious reputation, who enticed away the children of respectable mechanics + to sell them for money, have been severely punished. In short, not content with + bringing to justice these outrageous offenders with a firmness which has made it the + terror of these oppressors of childhood, the society has been the instrument of + checking acts even of carelessness or imprudence. It no longer permits the drunkard + to keep his children in a cellar where the rats bite their feet; or the mercenary + father to allow his son to engage in a wager, dangerous to his health, to make a + hundred miles in twenty-four hours; or a man to ride a bicycle bearing on his + shoulders his five-year-old daughter.</p> + <p>So great a work demanded accommodations of corresponding magnitude. In 1881, and + at the price of $43,000, the society purchased a large building situated at the + corner of 23rd street and 4th avenue, one of the most important thoroughfares of New + York. Not far from the offices, in the main part of the building, is found a + collection of all the instruments of cruelty seized in the legal + proceedings,—rods of iron, whips, firebars (<i>barres de poeles</i>), pokers, + cudgels (<i>gourdins</i>), and other instruments. These furnish convincing proofs of + the sufferings of the children,—for example those of Maggie Scully, when she + said: "I do all the work at my aunt's house, and if you do not believe that I have + been beaten, look at me, for my aunt has beaten me this morning with a poker." + Adjoining the offices are the rooms for the officers and the archives of the + institution, containing the papers in each case setting forth the facts and the + evidence. On the upper floor is a dormitory, where the children are kept until final + disposition is made of them, that is to say, generally during one night. In fact, the + work is going on without interruption at all hours of the day and night. If at night + a call by telephone is received from the police-station, an officer of the society + responds immediately to this appeal.</p> + <p>As is most frequently the case, he finds a drunken woman in the street, with three + or four ragged children gathered about her, covered with vermin, without fire or + lodging, having been abandoned by the father. The mother is detained at the station, + but the children are taken to the society, where they are washed, fed, and for the + first time in their lives, perhaps, put to sleep in a bed. On the following day, the + children are taken to court. If the parents or guardians are worthy, they are + returned to them; if not, the justice commits them to some charitable institution. + Some of these have a religious character, and others a secular one; the American + judge, in rendering his decision, is influenced by interests of family, of + nationality, of race, or of religion of the child, as well as by the requirements of + the law. Sick children and nursing infants are sent to the hospital on Randall's + Island, the Ladies' Deborah Nursery, and the Child's Hospital. Each of the charitable + institutions receives a per capita allowance for children during the time that they + remain in their care.</p> + <a name="page95" id="page95"></a><span class="newpage">[95]</span> + <p>The society does not abandon them, and if a complaint arises of improper + treatment, it causes legal proceedings to be instituted against those who are + responsible therefor.</p> + <p>A recent case of this kind was that of the "Old Gentlemen's Home."</p> + <p>It will be readily seen that the cases which come before the society must be very + numerous: during the nine years of its existence it has investigated 13,077 + complaints, involving 52,308 children, prosecuted 4,035 cases, convicted 3,637 + offenders, rescued and placed in homes or institutions 7,555 children. In the last + three years it has temporarily sheltered and clothed 1,092 children and furnished + them with 9,309 meals. These figures acquire a singular force when one reads in the + annual reports the curious history of these cases setting forth the facts in detail. + In 1882 the magistrates of the city issued 1,267 warrants. On the information + furnished, 834 children were held in custody, 1,040 released. The city of New York is + compelled to pay for the support of children thus committed to custody. A saving of + $108,160 has therefore been realized to the benefit of the tax-payers of New York. In + 1883 they received 2,966 complaints; there were 1,176 prosecutions and 1,128 + convictions; 2,008 children were placed in institutions of charity. Of 2,341 children + arrested 1,078 were held, 1,263 released.</p> + <p>The resources of the society are derived exclusively from the liberality of the + public. It receives no aid either from the State or city. On the contrary, it pay + taxes even on the water used in the care of the children in its charge. The account + of receipts and expenditures amounts to about $17,000. Of the $43,000 which its + building cost, $25,000 remain on mortgage. The field in which the society employs its + activity is already large, and is rapidly extending. It endeavors to obtain from the + legislature laws which will defeat the aims of those too numerous enterprises which, + under color of charity, utilize young children, for example, the baby farms and those + establishments (called <i>hospitaliers</i>) which have neither the means nor the + facilities necessary to their proper conduct. It requires that children shall not be + employed in manual labor before the age of fourteen years, and only after their + physical capability has been certified to by a physician. It insists on the + prohibition of all dangerous occupations. The former articles in this Bulletin on the + abuses which exist in the industrial employment of children in New York show how + justifiable is this action of the society. "Thousands of children," says Mr. Gerry, + "die of diseases contracted in these injurious employments; in this respect our + nation is far behind Europe in its means of affording protection to children. In + France, severe laws have been in operation since 1841. England has promptly followed + this example, and like the English legislation, that of France expressly forbids the + employment of children in the manufacture of dangerous substances, of a nature + poisonous or explosive. You have only to visit our hospitals to see the little + creatures with hand or fingers mutilated, from being employed at too early an age in + the operation of machinery. Our negligence makes manifest the wisdom of the French + law, whose lesson <a name="page96" id="page96"></a><span class="newpage">[96]</span> + is so necessary with us." This needed progress will without doubt be made, and the + society will continue with increased zeal its charitable work. It gives to the + legislator the benefit of a practical experience in the work, to the child its + powerful advocacy in the courts, to justice the impartiality of prudent + investigations, to public opinion the assurance of the proper conduct of charitable + institutions and an impulse in the direction of improvement. It is thus that in this + land of enterprise, whose customs are adverse to permitting affairs even of the + gravest importance, like the prosecution of crimes or the direction of works of + benevolence, to be concentrated in the hands of public officials, the consequences of + <i>self-government</i> have been happily corrected in points where they would + otherwise become extreme, in regard to children. The New York society is therefore + well described by its worthy president, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, as "the Hand of + Protection." And this hand is too charitable for us to forbear to give it a cordial + pressure across the vast expanse of the Atlantic.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>THE MIDDLESEX CANAL.</h2> + <center> + BY LORIN L. DAME, A.M. + </center> + <p>The curious traveller may still trace with little difficulty the line of the old + Middlesex canal, with here and there a break, from the basin at Charlestown to its + junction with the Merrimac at Middlesex village. Like an accusing ghost, it never + strays far from the Boston & Lowell Railroad, to which it owes its untimely + end.</p> + <p>At Medford, the Woburn sewer runs along one portion of its bed, the Spot pond + water-pipes another. The tow-path, at one point, marks the course of the defunct + Mystic Valley Railroad; at others, it has been metamorphosed into sections of the + highway; at others, it survives as a cow-path or woodland lane; at Wilmington, the + stone sides of a lock have become the lateral walls of a dwelling-house cellar.</p> + <p>Judging the canal by the pecuniary recompense it brought its projectors, it must + be admitted a dismal failure; yet its inception was none the less a comprehensive, + far-reaching scheme, which seemed to assure a future of ample profits and great + public usefulness. Inconsiderable as this work may appear compared with the modern + achievements of engineering, it was, for the times, a gigantic undertaking, beset + with difficulties scarcely conceivable to-day. Boston was a small town of about + twenty thousand inhabitants; Medford, Woburn, and Chelmsford were insignificant + villages; and Lowell was as yet unborn, while the valley of the Merrimac, northward + into New Hampshire, supported a sparse agricultural population. But the outlook was + encouraging. It was a period of rapid growth and marked improvements. The subject of + closer communication with the interior early became a vital question. Turnpikes, <a + name="page97" id="page97"></a><span class="newpage">[97]</span> controlled by + corporations, were the principal avenues over which country produce, lumber, + firewood, and building-stone found their way to the little metropolis. The cost of + entertainment at the various country inns, the frequent tolls, and the inevitable + wear and tear of teaming, enhanced very materially the price of all these articles. + The Middlesex canal was the first step towards the solution of the problem of cheap + transportation. The plan originated with the Hon. James Sullivan, who was for six + years a judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, attorney-general from 1790 to + 1807, and governor in 1807 and 1808, dying while holding the latter office.</p> + <p>A brief glance at the map of the New England States will bring out in bold relief + the full significance of Sullivan's scheme. It will be seen that the Merrimac river, + after pursuing a southerly course as far as Middlesex village, turns abruptly to the + north-east. A canal from Charlestown mill-pond to this bend of the river, a distance + of 27-1/4 miles, would open a continuous water-route of eighty miles to Concord, N.H. + From this point, taking advantage of Lake Sunapee, a canal could easily be run in a + north-westerly direction to the Connecticut at Windsor, Vt.; and thence, making use + of intermediate streams, communication could be opened with the St. Lawrence. The + speculative mind of Sullivan dwelt upon the pregnant results that must follow the + connection of Boston with New Hampshire and possibly Vermont and Canada. He consulted + his friend, Col. Baldwin, sheriff of Middlesex, who had a natural taste for + engineering, and they came to the conclusion that the plan was feasible. Should the + undertaking succeed between Concord and Boston, the gradual increase in population + and traffic would in time warrant the completion of the programme. Even should + communication never be established beyond Concord, the commercial advantages of + opening to the market the undeveloped resources of upper New Hampshire would be a + sufficient justification. Accordingly, James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, Jonathan + Porter, Samuel Swan, and five members of the Hall family at Medford, petitioned the + General Court for an act of incorporation. A charter was granted, bearing date of + June 22, 1793, "incorporating James Sullivan, Esq., and others, by the name of the + Proprietors of the Middlesex Canal," and on the same day was signed by His Excellency + John Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. By this charter the proprietors were + authorized to lay such assessments from time to time as might be required for the + construction of the canal.</p> + <p>At their first meeting the proprietors intrusted the management of the corporation + to a board of thirteen members, who were to choose a president and vice-presidents + from their own number, the entire board subject to annual election. Boston + capitalists subscribed freely, and Russell, Gore, Barrell, Craigie, and Brooks appear + among the earliest directors. This board organized on the 11th of October by the + choice of James Sullivan as president, and Col. Baldwin and John Brooks (afterwards + Gov. Brooks) as vice-presidents. The first step was to make the necessary <a + name="page98" id="page98"></a><span class="newpage">[98]</span> surveys between the + Charlestown basin and the Merrimac at Chelmsford; but the science of engineering was + in its infancy, and it was difficult to find a competent person to undertake the + task. At length Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, was engaged to make a preliminary survey; + but the directors, not wholly satisfied with his report, afterwards secured the + services of Samuel Weston, an eminent English engineer, then employed in Pennsylvania + on the Potomac canals. His report, made Aug. 2, 1794, was favorable; and it is + interesting to compare his figures with those of Mr. Thompson. As calculated by + Thompson, the ascent from Medford bridge to the Concord river, at Billerica, was + found to be 68-1/2 ft.; the actual difference in level, as found by Weston, was 104 + ft. By Thompson's survey there was a further ascent of 16-1/2 ft. to the Merrimac; + when, in fact, the water at Billerica bridge is almost 25 ft. above the Merrimac at + Chelmsford.</p> + <p>Col. Baldwin, who superintended the construction of the canal, removed the first + turf, Sept. 10, 1794. The progress was slow and attended with many embarrassments. + The purchase of land from more than one hundred proprietors demanded skilful + diplomacy. Most of the lands used for the canal were acquired by voluntary sale, and + conveyed in fee-simple to the corporation. Sixteen lots were taken under authority of + the Court of Sessions; while for thirteen neither deed nor record could be found when + the corporation came to an end. Some of the land was never paid for, as the owner + refused to accept the sum awarded. The compensation ranged from about $150 an acre in + Medford to $25 in Billerica. The numerous conveyances are all in Sullivan's + handwriting.</p> + <p>Labor was not easily procured, probably from the scarcity of laborers, as the + wages paid, $10 a month and board, were presumably as much as could be earned in + manual labor elsewhere. "An order was sent to England for a levelling instrument made + by S. & W. Jones, of London, and this was the only instrument used for + engineering purposes after the first survey by Weston." Two routes were considered; + the rejected route was forty years later selected for the Lowell Railroad. The canal, + 30 ft. wide, 4 ft. deep, with 20 locks, 7 aqueducts, and crossed by 50 bridges, was, + in 1802, sufficiently completed for the admission of water, and the following year + was opened to public navigation from the Merrimac to the Charles. Its cost, about + $500,000, of which one-third was for land damages, was but little more than the + estimate. Commencing at Charlestown mill-pond, it passed through Medford, crossing + the Mystic by a wooden aqueduct of 100 ft., to Horn pond in Woburn. Traversing Woburn + and Wilmington it crossed the Shawshine by an aqueduct of 137 ft., and struck the + Concord, from which it receives its water, at Billerica Mills. Entering the Concord + by a stone guard-lock, it crossed, with a floating tow-path, and passed out on the + northern side through another stone guard-lock; thence it descended 27 ft., in a + course of 5-1/4 miles, through Chelmsford to the Merrimac, making its entire length + 27-1/4 m.</p> + <p>The proprietors made Charlestown bridge the eastern terminus for their boats, but + ultimately communication <a name="page99" id="page99"></a><span + class="newpage">[99]</span> was opened with the markets and wharves upon the harbor, + through Mill Creek, over a section of which Blackstone street now extends.</p> + <p>As the enterprise had the confidence of the business community, money for + prosecuting the work had been procured with comparative ease. The stock was divided + into 800 shares, and among the original stockholders appear the names of Ebenezer and + Dudley Hall, Oliver Wendall, John Adams of Quincy, Peter C. Brooks of Medford, and + Andrew Craigie of Cambridge. The stock had steadily advanced from $25 a share in the + autumn of 1794 to $473 in 1803, the year the canal was opened, touching $500 in 1804. + Then a decline set in, a few dollars at a time, till 1816, when its market value was + $300 with few takers, although the canal was in successful operation, and, in 1814, + the obstructions in the Merrimac had been surmounted, so that canal boats, locking + into the river at Chelmsford, had been poled up stream as far as Concord.</p> + <p>Firewood and lumber always formed a very considerable item in the business of the + canal. The navy-yard at Charlestown and the shipyards on the Mystic form any years + relied upon the canal for the greater part of the timber used in shipbuilding; and + work was sometimes seriously retarded by low water in the Merrimac, which interfered + with transportation. The supply of oak and pine about Lake Winnipiseogee, and along + the Merrimac and its tributaries, was thought to be practically inexhaustible. In the + opinion of Daniel Webster, the value of this timber had been increased $5,000,000 by + the canal. Granite from Tyngsborough, and agricultural products from a great extent + of fertile country, found their way along this channel to Boston; while the return + boats supplied taverns and country stores with their annual stock of goods. The + receipts from tolls, rents, etc. were steadily increasing, amounting,</p> +<pre> +in 1812 to $12,600, +" 1813 " 16,800, +" 1814 " 25,700, +" 1815 " 29,200, +" 1816 " 32,600, +</pre> + <p>Yet, valuable, useful, and productive as the canal had proved itself, it had lost + the confidence of the public, and, with a few exceptions, of the proprietors + themselves. The reason for this state of sentiment can easily be shown. The general + depression of business on account of the embargo and the war of 1812 had its effect + upon the canal. In the deaths of Gov. Sullivan and Col. Baldwin, in the same year, + 1808, the enterprise was deprived of the wise and energetic counsellors to whom it + owed its existence.</p> + <p>The aqueducts and most of the locks, being built of wood, required large sums for + annual repairs; the expenses arising from imperfections in the banks, and from the + erection of toll-houses and public houses for the accommodation of the boatmen, were + considerable; but the heaviest expenses were incurred in opening the Merrimac for + navigation. From Concord, N.H., to the head of the canal the river has a fall of 123 + ft., necessitating various locks and canals. The Middlesex Canal Corporation + contributed to the building of the Wiccasee locks and canals, $12,000; Union locks + and canals, $49,932; Hookset canal, $6,750; Bow canal <a name="page100" + id="page100"></a><span class="newpage">[100]</span> and locks, $14,115, making a sum + total of $82,797 to be paid from the income of the Middlesex canal.</p> + <p>The constant demand for money in excess of the incomes had proved demoralizing. + Funds had been raised from time to time by lotteries. In the Columbian "Centinel + & Massachusetts Federalist" of Aug. 15, 1804, appears an advertisement of the + Amoskeag Canal Lottery, 6,000 tickets at $5, with an enumeration of prizes. The + committee, consisting of Phillips Payson, Samuel Swan, Jr., and Loammi Baldwin, Jr., + appealed to the public for support, assuring the subscribers that all who did not + draw prizes would get the full value of their money in the reduced price of fuel.</p> + <p>In 1816 the Legislature of Massachusetts granted the proprietors of the canal, in + consideration of its usefulness to the public, two townships of land in the district + of Maine, near Moosehead lake. This State aid, however, proved of no immediate + service, as purchasers could not be found for several years for property so remote. + Appeals to capitalists, lotteries, and State aid proved insufficient; the main burden + fell upon the stockholders. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, + assessments had been levied, as occasion required, up to 1816, 99 in number, + amounting to $670 per share; and the corporation was still staggering under a debt of + $64,000. Of course, during all this time, no dividends could be declared.</p> + <p>Under these unpromising conditions a committee, consisting of Josiah Quincy, + Joseph Hall, and Joseph Coolidge, Jr., was appointed to devise the appropriate + remedy. "In the opinion of your committee," the report reads, "the real value of the + property, at this moment, greatly exceeds the market value, and many years will not + elapse before it will be considered among the best of all practicable monied + investments. The Directors contemplate no further extension of the canal. <i>The work + is done</i>, both the original and subsidiary canals.... Let the actual incomes of + the canal be as great as they may, so long as they are consumed in payment of debts + and interest on loans, the aspect of the whole is that of embarrassment and mortgage. + The present rates of income, if continued, and there is every rational prospect, not + only of its continuance, but of its great and rapid increase, will enable the + corporation—when relieved of its present liabilities,—at once to commence + a series of certain, regular, and satisfactory dividends." They accordingly + recommended a final assessment of $80 per share, completely to extinguish all + liabilities. This assessment, the 100th since the commencement, was levied in 1817, + making a sum total of $600,000, extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. If to + this sum the interest of the various assessments be added, computed to Feb. 1, 1819, + the date of the first dividend, the actual cost of each share is found to have been + $1,455.25.</p> + <p>The prosperity of the canal property now seemed fully assured. The first dividend, + though only $15, was the promise of golden showers in the near future, and the stock + once more took an upward flight. From 1819 to 1836 were the palmy days of the canal, + unvexed with debts, and subject to very moderate <a name="page101" + id="page101"></a><span class="newpage">[101]</span> expenses for annual repairs and + management.</p> + <p>It is difficult to ascertain the whole number of boats employed at any one time. + Many were owned and run by the proprietors of the canal; and many were constructed + and run by private parties who paid the regular tolls for whatever merchandise they + transported. Boats belonging to the same parties were conspicuously numbered, like + railway cars to-day. From "Regulations relative to the Navigation of the Middlesex + Canal," a pamphlet published in 1830, it appears that boats were required to be not + less than 40 ft. nor more than 75 ft. in length and not less than 9 ft. nor more than + 9-1/2 ft. in width. Two men, a driver and steersman, usually made up the working + force; the boats, however, that went up the Merrimac required three men, one to + steer, and two to pole. The Lowell boats carried 20 tons of coal; 15 tons were + sufficient freight for Concord; when the water in the Merrimac was low, not more than + 6 or 7 tons could be taken up the river. About 1830 the boatmen received $15 per + month.</p> + <p>Lumber was transported in rafts of about 75 ft. long and 9 ft. wide; and these + rafts, not exceeding ten in number, were often united in "bands." A band of seven to + ten rafts required the services of five men, including the driver. Boats were drawn + by horses, and lumber by oxen; and "luggage boats" were required to make two and a + half miles an hour, while "passage boats" attained a speed of four miles. Boats of + the same class, and going the same way, were not allowed to pass each other, thus + making "racing" impossible on the staid waters of the old canal. Whenever a boat + approached a lock, the conductor sounded his horn to secure the prompt attention of + the lock-tender; but due regard was paid to the religious sentiment of New England. + Travelling in the canal being permitted on Sundays, "in consideration of the distance + from home at which those persons using it generally are, it may be reasonably + expected that they should not disturb those places of public worship near which they + pass, nor occasion any noise to interrupt the tranquillity of the day. Therefore, it + is established that no <i>Signal-Horn</i> shall be used or blown on Sundays."</p> + <p>The tariff varied greatly from year to year. In 1827 the rate from Lowell to + Boston was $2.00 the gross ton; but many articles were carried on much lower + terms.</p> + <p>On account of liability of damage to the banks of the canal, all navigation ceased + at dark; hence, at every lock, or series of locks, a tavern was established. These + were all owned by the corporation, and were often let to the lock-tender, who eked + out his income by the accommodation of boatmen and horses. The Bunker Hill Tavern, in + Charlestown, situated so as to accommodate both county and canal travel, was leased, + in 1830, for $350; in 1838, it let for $500. The Horn Pond House, at Woburn, in 1838, + was leased for $700. In 1825, a two-story dwelling-house, 36 X 18, built at a cost of + $1,400, for the accommodation of boatmen and raftsmen, at Charlestown, rented, with + stable attached, for $140. In all these cases, the real estate was supposed to pay + ten per cent.</p> + <p>Some of these canal-taverns established a wide reputation for good <a + name="page102" id="page102"></a><span class="newpage">[102]</span> cheer, and boatmen + contrived to be overtaken by night in their vicinity. Sometimes fifteen or twenty + boats would be detained at one of these favorite resorts, and a jolly crowd + fraternized in the primitive bar-room. The temperance sentiment had not yet taken a + firm hold in New England. "Flip" was the high-toned beverage of those days; but + "black-strap," a compound of rum and molasses, sold at three cents a glass, was the + particular "vanity" of the boatmen. In the smaller taverns, a barrel of old Medford, + surmounted by a pitcher of molasses, scorning the flimsy subterfuges of modern times, + boldly invited its patrons to draw and mix at their own sweet will. "Plenty of + drunkenness, Uncle Joe, in those days?" we queried of an ancient boatman who was + dilating upon the good old times. "Bless your heart, no!" was the answer. "Mr. Eddy + didn't put up with no drunkards on the canal. They could drink all night, sir, and be + steady as an eight-day clock in the morning."</p> + <p>When the feverish haste born of the locomotive and telegraph had not yet infected + society, a trip over the canal in the passenger-packet, the "Governor Sullivan," must + have been an enjoyable experience. Protected by iron rules from the dangers of + collision; undaunted by squalls of wind, realizing, should the craft be capsized, + that he had nothing to do but walk ashore, the traveller, speeding along at the + leisurely pace of four miles per hour, had ample time for observation and reflection. + Seated, in summer, under a capacious awning, he traversed the valley of the Mystic + skirting the picturesque shores of Mystic pond. Instead of a foreground of blurred + landscape, vanishing, ghostlike, ere its features could be fairly distinguished, soft + bits of characteristic New England scenery, clear cut as cameos, lingered caressingly + on his vision; green meadows, fields riotous with blossomed clover, fragrant + orchards, and quaint old farmhouses, with a background of low hills wooded to their + summits.</p> + <p>Passing under bridges, over rivers, between high embankments, and through deep + cuttings, floated up hill by a series of locks, he marvelled at this triumph of + engineering, and, if he were a director, pictured the manufactories that were to + spring up along this great thoroughfare, swelling its revenues for all time.</p> + <p>The tow-path of the canal was a famous promenade. Upon Sunday afternoons, + especially, numerous pedestrians from the dusty city strolled along the canal for a + breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the open country, through the Royal estate in + Medford, past the substantial old-fashioned mansion-house of Peter C. Brooks, as far, + perhaps, as the Baldwin estate, and the birthplace of Count Rumford, in Woburn. "I + love that old tow-path," said Uncle Joe. "'Twas there I courted my wife; and every + time the boat went by she came tripping out to walk a piece with me! Bless you, sir + the horses knew her step, and it wan't so heavy, nuther."</p> + <p>Meanwhile, under the direction of Caleb Eddy, who assumed the agency of the + corporation in 1825, bringing great business ability and unquenchable zeal to his + task, the perishable wooden locks were gradually replaced with stone, a new stone dam + was built at Billerica, and the service brought to a high state of efficiency. <a + name="page103" id="page103"></a><span class="newpage">[103]</span> The new dam was + the occasion of a lawsuit brought by the proprietors of the Sudbury meadows, claiming + damages to the extent of $10,000 for flooding their meadows. The defendants secured + the services of Samuel Hoar, Esq., of Concord, assisted by the Hon. Daniel Webster, + who accepted a retaining fee of $100 to "manage and argue the case in conjunction + with Mr. Hoar. The cause was to have been tried November, 1833. Mr. Webster was + called on by me and promised to examine the evidence and hold himself in readiness + for the trial, but for some time before he was not to be found in Boston, at one time + at New York, at another in Philadelphia, and so on from place to place so that I am + satisfied no dependance can be placed with certainty upon his assistance, and," + plaintively concludes the agent, "our $100 has gone to profit and loss account."</p> + <p>On the other side was the Hon. Jeremiah Mason, assisted by Franklin Dexter, Esq. + This case was decided the following year adversely to the plaintiffs.</p> + <p>With the accession of business brought by the corporations at Lowell, the prospect + for increased dividends in the future was extremely encouraging. The golden age of + the canal appeared close at hand; but the fond hopes of the proprietors were once + more destined to disappointment. Even the genius of James Sullivan had not foreseen + the railway locomotive. In 1829 a petition was presented to the Legislature for the + survey of a railroad from Boston to Lowell. The interests of the canal were seriously + involved. A committee was promptly chosen to draw up for presentation to the General + Court "a remonstrance of the Proprietors of Middlesex Canal, against the grant of a + charter to build a railroad from Boston to Lowell." This remonstrance, signed by + William Sullivan, Joseph Coolidge, and George Hallett, bears date of Boston, Feb. 12, + 1830, and conclusively shows how little the business men of fifty years ago + anticipated the enormous development of our resources consequent upon the application + of steam to transportation:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The remonstrants take pleasure in declaring, that they join in the common + sentiment of surprise and commendation, that any intelligence and enterprise should + have raised so rapidly and so permanently, such establishments as are seen at + Lowell. The proprietors of these works have availed themselves of <i>the canal</i>, + for their transportation for all articles, except in the winter months ... and + every effort has been made by this corporation to afford every facility, it was + hoped and believed, to the entire satisfaction of the Lowell proprietors. The + average annual amount of tolls paid by these proprietors has been only about four + thousand dollars. It is believed no safer or cheaper mode of conveyance can ever be + established, nor any so well adapted for carrying heavy and bulky articles. To + establish therefore a <i>substitute</i> for the canal alongside of it, and in many + places within a few rods of it, and to do that which the canal was made to do, + seems to be a measure not called for by any exigency, nor one which the Legislature + can permit, without implicitly declaring that all investments of money in public + enterprises must be subjected to the will of any applicants who think that they may + benefit themselves without regard to older enterprises, which have a claim to + protection from public authority. With regard, then, to transportation of tonnage + goods, the means exist for all but the winter months, as effectually as any that + can be provided.</p> + <p>There is a supposed source of revenue <a name="page104" id="page104"></a><span + class="newpage">[104]</span> to a railroad, <i>from carrying passengers</i>. As to + this, the remonstrants venture no opinion, except to say, that passengers are now + carried, at all hours, as rapidly and safely as they are anywhere else in the + world.... To this, the remonstrants would add, that the use of a railroad, <i>for + passengers only</i>, has been tested by experience, nowhere, hitherto; and that it + remains to be known, whether this is a mode which will command general confidence + and approbation, and that, therefore, no facts are now before the public, which + furnish the conclusion, that the grant of a railroad is a public exigency even for + such a purpose. The Remonstrants would also add, that so far as they know and + believe, "<i>there never can be a sufficient inducement to extend a railroad from + Lowell westwardly and northwestwardly, to the Connecticut, so as to make it the + great avenue to and from the interior, but that its termination must be at + Lowell</i>" (italics our own), "and, consequently that it is to be a substitute for + the modes of transportation now in use between that place and Boston, <i>and cannot + deserve patronage from the supposition that it is to be more extensively + useful</i>...."</p> + <p>The Remonstrants, therefore, respectfully submit: First, that there be no such + exigency as will warrant the granting of the prayer for a railroad to and from + Lowell.</p> + <p>Secondly, that, if that prayer be granted, provision should be made as a + condition for granting it, that the Remonstrants shall be indemnified for the + losses which will be thereby occasioned to them.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This may seem the wilful blindness of self-interest; but the utterances of the + press and the legislative debates of the period are similar in tone. In relation to + another railroad, the "Boston Transcript" of Sept. 1, 1830, remarks: "It is not + astonishing that so much reluctance exists against plunging into doubtful + speculations.... The public itself is divided as to the practicability of the Rail + Road. If they expect the assistance of capitalists, they must stand ready to + guarantee the <i>percentum per annum</i>; without this, all hopes of Rail Roads are + visionary and chimerical." In a report of legislative proceedings published in the + "Boston Courier," of Jan. 25, 1830, Mr. Cogswell, of Ipswich, remarked: "Railways, + Mr. Speaker, may do well enough in old countries, but will never be the thing for so + young a country as this. When you can make the rivers run back, it will be time + enough to make a railway." Notwithstanding the pathetic remonstrances and strange + vaticinations of the canal proprietors, the Legislature incorporated the road and + refused compensation to the canal. Even while the railroad was in process of + construction, the canal directors do not seem to have realized the full gravity of + the situation. They continued the policy of replacing wood with stone, and made every + effort to perfect the service in all its details; as late as 1836 the agent + recommended improvements. The amount of tonnage continued to increase—the very + sleepers used in the construction of the railway were boated, it is said, to points + convenient for the workmen.</p> + <p>In 1832 the canal declared a dividend of $22 per share; from 1834 to 1837, + inclusive, a yearly dividend of $30.</p> + <p>The disastrous competition of the Lowell Railroad was now beginning to be felt. In + 1835 the Lowell goods conveyed by canal paid tonnage dues of $11,975.51; in 1836 the + income from this source had dwindled to <a name="page105" id="page105"></a><span + class="newpage">[105]</span> $6,195.77. The canal dividends had been kept up to their + highest mark by the sale of its townships in Maine and other real estate: but now + they began to drop. The year the Lowell road went into full operation the receipts of + the canal were reduced one-third; and when the Nashua & Lowell road went into + full operation, in 1840, they were reduced another third. The board of directors + waged a plucky warfare with the railroads, reducing the tariff on all articles, and + almost abolishing it on some, till the expenditures of the canal outran its income; + but steam came out triumphant. Even sanguine Caleb Eddy became satisfied that longer + competition was vain, and set himself to the difficult task of saving fragments from + the inevitable wreck.</p> + <p>At this time (1843) Boston numbered about 100,000 inhabitants, and was dependent + for water upon cisterns and wells. The supply of water in the wells had been steadily + diminishing for years, and what remained was necessarily subject to contamination + from numberless sources. "One specimen which I analyzed," said Dr. Jackson, "which + gave three per cent, of animal and vegetable putrescent matter, was publicly sold as + a mineral water; it was believed that water having such a remarkable fetid odor and + nauseous taste, could be no other than that of a sulphur spring; but its medicinal + powers vanished with the discovery that the spring arose from a neighboring drain." + Here was a golden opportunity. Eddy proposed to abandon the canal as a means of + transportation, and convert it into an aqueduct for supplying the City of Boston with + wholesome water. The sections between the Merrimac and Concord at one extremity, and + Charlestown mill-pond and Woburn at the other, were to be wholly discontinued. + Flowing along the open channel of the canal from the Concord river to Horn-pond locks + in Woburn, from thence it was to be conducted in iron pipes to a reservoir upon Mount + Benedict in Charlestown, a hill eighty feet above the sea-level.</p> + <p>The good quality of the Concord-river water was vouched for by the "analysis of + four able and practical chemists, Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of Boston; John W. Webster, + of Cambridge University; S.L. Dana, of Lowell, and A.A. Hayes, Esq., of the chemical + works at Roxbury." The various legal questions involved were submitted to the Hon. + Jeremiah Mason, who gave an opinion, dated Dec. 21, 1842, favorable to the project. + The form for an act of incorporation was drawn up; and a pamphlet was published, in + 1843, by Caleb Eddy, entitled an "Historical sketch of the Middlesex Canal, with + remarks for the consideration of the Proprietors," setting forth the new scheme in + glowing colors.</p> + <p>But despite the feasibility of the plan proposed, and the energy with which it was + pushed, the agitation came to naught; and Eddy, despairing of the future, resigned + his position as agent in 1845. Among the directors during these later years were + Ebenezer Chadwick, Wm. Appleton, Wm. Sturgis, Charles F. Adams, A.A. Lawrence, and + Abbott Lawrence; but no business ability could long avert the catastrophe. Stock fell + to $150, and finally the canal was discontinued, according to Amory's Life of + Sullivan, in 1846. <a name="page106" id="page106"></a><span + class="newpage">[106]</span> It would seem, however, that a revival of business was + deemed within the range of possibilities, for in conveyances made in 1852 the company + reserved the right to use the land "for canalling purposes"; and the directors + annually went through with the form of electing an agent and collector as late as + 1853.</p> + <p>"Its vocation gone, and valueless for any other service," says Amory, "the canal + property was sold for $130,000. After the final dividends, little more than the + original assessments had been returned to the stockholders." Oct. 3, 1859, the + Supreme Court issued a decree, declaring that the proprietors had "forfeited all + their franchises and privileges, by reason of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and + neglect." Thus was the corporation forever extinguished.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>THE TAVERNS OF BOSTON IN YE OLDEN TIME.</h2> + <center> + BY DAVID M. BALFOUR. + </center> + <p>The first tavern in Boston was kept by Samuel Coles. It was opened in March, 1633, + and stood near the south-west corner of Merchants row and Corn court, with an area in + front on Merchants row and also on Fanueil Hall square, which in latter days have + been covered with buildings. It was destroyed by fire during the early part of the + eighteenth century, and the older portion of the present edifice was erected in 1737, + which has been enlarged on the northerly side. It was towards the close of the last + century known as the "Brazier Inn," and was kept by a widow lady of that name. It is + now known as the "Hancock House," and is kept by a stalwart Scotchman named Alexander + Clarkson. Gov. Vane held a council in the south-westerly room in the second story + with Miantonomoh, the Narragansett chief. The same room was subsequently occupied by + Lafayette in 1773, and afterwards by Talleyrand in 1798.</p> + <p>The State Arms Tavern was built in 1645, and stood on the south-east corner of + State and Exchange streets. It was occupied as the custom-house just before the + Revolution.</p> + <p>The Star Inn was built in 1645, and stood on the north-east corner of Hanover and + Union streets. It was first kept by Thomas Hawkins, and afterwards by Andrew Neal, a + Scotchman. The Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, + frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Roebuck Tavern was built in 1650. It stood on the east side of Merchants row, + between Clinton and North streets. It was believed to have been built by a descendant + of Richard Whittington, the Lord Mayor of London in 1419, who was famed for his love + of cats.</p> + <p>The Ship Tavern was built in 1651, and stood on North street, just beyond the + corner of Fleet street. John Vyall kept it in 1663, and it was at one time called + "Noah's Ark." The peace commissioners sent over by Charles II. held their sessions + there. It was demolished in 1866.</p> + <p>The King's Arms Tavern was <a name="page107" id="page107"></a><span + class="newpage">[107]</span> built in 1654, and stood on the southeast corner of + Washington and Brattle streets, opposite the Samuel Adams statue.</p> + <p>The Red Lion Tavern stood on the north-west corner of North and Richmond streets. + It was built in 1654, and kept by Nicholas Upsall, a Quaker, who was persecuted, + imprisoned, and banished for his faith. Near this spot the devastating fire of + November 27, 1676, broke out in one Wakefield's house.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern stood on the site of No. 254 Washington street. It was + built in 1664, and kept by George Monck.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1665, and stood on + Brattle street, upon the site which was afterwards Doolittle's City Tavern. It was + first kept by Robert Turner, and was noted for its <i>punch</i>, and was a favorite + resort of public men.</p> + <p>The Blue Bell Tavern was built in 1673, and stood on the north-west corner of + Batterymarch street and Liberty square; a portion of the Mason building now occupies + its site. It was kept by Nathaniel Bishop, and afterwards by Alleric & Drury. In + 1692 it was called the Castle Tavern, and ceased to be an inn after 1707.</p> + <p>The Castle Tavern (the second of that name) stood on the south-west corner of Dock + square and Elm street. It was erected by William Hudson in 1674, and kept by John + Wing in 1687, who gave his name to the street. In 1694 it was called the George + Tavern.</p> + <p>The King's Head Tavern was built in 1680, and stood at the northeast corner of + North and Fleet streets. It was burnt in 1691, and afterwards rebuilt. It was kept by + James Davenport in 1755.</p> + <p>The Seven Star Inn stood, in 1684, on the south-west corner of Summer and Hawley + streets. It gave its name to the lane which was afterwards called Bishop's alley. + Here, in 1736, was erected of wood the first edifice of Trinity Church. The land, + which originally contained 15,000 square feet, was bought of John Gibbins and William + Speakman for £450. This edifice was demolished in 1828 and a stone structure + erected in 1830, which was burnt in the great fire, November 8, 1872. The site, after + having its proportions curtailed, in order to widen Summer and Hawley streets, + containing 7,126 square feet, was sold to William D. Peckman, in 1874, for + $194,402.</p> + <p>The Sun Tavern stood on the southwest corner of Dock and Faneuil Hall squares. It + was built in 1690, and was kept by Samuel Mears in 1724, and by Day in 1753. It was + conveyed by Thomas Valentine in 1741 for £2,475 ($8,250); and by Joseph Jackson + in 1794 for £1,333-6-8 ($4,444); and by E.P. Arnold in 1865 for $20,000. The + Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was the + head-quarters of the British officers during the siege. It is the oldest building in + Boston.</p> + <p>The Queen's Head Tavern stood at the north-west corner of North and Clark streets. + It was built in 1691.</p> + <p>The Green Dragon Inn was built in 1692. It was first kept by Alexander Smith, who + died in 1696, and was succeeded by Hannah Bishop, who was next succeeded by John + Cary. In 1734 Joseph Kidder was its landlord. In 1764 it was conveyed <a + name="page108" id="page108"></a><span class="newpage">[108]</span> by Catharine Kerr, + sister to Dr. William Douglas, to St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons. It was a hospital + during the Revolution. It was the head-quarters of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, + Samuel Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and other patriots, during the Revolution. It + was called the Green Dragon Tavern after the Revolution, and at one time the + Freemasons' Arms. Daniel Simpson, the veteran drummer, was at one time its landlord. + The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. The Green Dragon + building, extending through from Union to (new) Washington street, now denotes its + site.</p> + <p>The Salutation Inn stood on the north-west corner of Hanover and Salutation + streets. It was built by John Brooking in 1692, and sold to Sir William Phips. John + Scollay kept it in 1697, who was succeeded by Samuel Green in 1731. It became famous, + later, when William Campbell kept it in 1773, when it was a rallying-place for the + patriots who gave rise to the word "<i>Caucus</i>." The resolutions for the + destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor were drawn up there. It was also called the + "<i>Two Palaverers</i>," from the representation upon the sign of two old gentlemen + in wigs, cocked hats, and knee-breeches, saluting each other with much ceremony.</p> + <p>The Golden Bull Tavern was built in 1693, and stood on the south-east corner of + Merchants row and Chatham street. It was kept in 1752 by Marston.</p> + <p>The Black Horse Tavern was built in 1700, and stood on the west side of Prince + street, which in former days was called Black Horse lane, and Salem street. It was + noted as a hiding-place for deserters from Burgoyne's army when stationed at + Cambridge.</p> + <p>The Half Moon Inn was built in 1705, and stood on the north-west corner of Fleet + and Sun court streets. It was kept in 1752 by Deborah Chick.</p> + <p>The Swan Tavern was built in 1707, and stood at the north-east corner of Fleet and + North streets.</p> + <p>The Orange Tree Inn was built in 1708, and stood on the north-east corner of Court + and Hanover streets during the Provincial period. White it was kept by Jonathan + Wardwell, in 1712, he set up the first hackney-coach stand. His widow kept it in + 1724. It was demolished in 1785. It was noted for having a well of water which never + froze or dried up.</p> + <p>The Bull Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the south-west corner of Summer + and Federal streets. It was there that sundry inhabitants at the South End met and + formed the project to erect a church on Church green, which was called the "New + South," and presided over for a long series of years by Rev. Alexander Young, + D.D.</p> + <p>The Light House Tavern was built in 1717, and stood on the south side of King + (State) street, on the north-west corner of Devonshire street, opposite the Town + House (Old State House). It is not impossible that it may have been standing there in + 1742. There was also another tavern of the same name at the North End in 1763, from + which the "Portsmouth Flying Stage" started every Saturday morning. It carried six + passengers inside; fare 13s. 6d. sterling ($3.25); to <a name="page109" + id="page109"></a><span class="newpage">[109]</span> Newburyport, 9s. ($2.17). + Returning, left Portsmouth on Tuesday.</p> + <p>The Marlboro' Hotel was built in 1708, and took its name from the street In front, + and was the first public house in Boston dignified with the name of "Hotel." John C. + Calhoun lodged there, while Secretary of War, upon his only visit to Boston, in 1818. + McNiel Seymour was its landlord in 1820. He afterwards became landlord of the + Atlantic Hotel, opposite the Bowling Green in New York. It had a stable in the rear + which accommodated the Providence line of stages. The site of the stable was + afterwards occupied by the Lowell Institute building. Agassiz, Lyell, Tyndall, Price, + and other scientists, delivered lectures there. Its walls have also resounded with + the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, + Charles Sumner, Bayard Taylor, William Lloyd Garrison, James T. Fields, and other + famous men. Lafayette was given a banquet at the Marlboro' upon his visit to Boston, + in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. About a + generation ago it changed its name to the Marlboro' House, and it was conducted on + temperance principles. Hon. Henry Wilson, Vice-President of the United States, made + it his stopping-place while in the city. The elegant Hemenway building now occupies + its site.</p> + <p>The Cross Tavern was erected in 1709, and stood on the north-west corner of North + and Cross streets.</p> + <p>The Crown Coffee House stood on the south-west corner of State street and Chatham + row, and was built in 1710 by Gov. Belcher; and Mrs. Anna Swords was its first + landlord, and she was succeeded in 1751 by Robert Shelcock. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Bunch of Grapes Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the north-west corner + of State and Kilby streets. Its first landlord was Francis Holmes, who was succeeded + in 1731 by William Coffin, by Joshua Barker in 1749, and by Col. Joseph Ingersoll in + 1764. It was noted as being the best "<i>punch-house</i>" in Boston. Lafayette was a + guest there in 1774. In front of it, on the 4th of August, 1806, Charles Austin was + killed by Thomas O. Selfridge in self-defence. The Scots' Charitable Society + frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The George Tavern was built in 1720, and stood on the north-west corner of + Washington and Northampton streets. It afforded shelter for the patriots in annoying + the British during the siege. Its extensive orchard and gardens comprised seventeen + acres, and extended south to Roxbury street, and west to Charles river, which, until + the modern Back Bay improvement, extended to the west side of Tremont street. The + General Court, as well as some of the law courts, sat there prior to 1730. The + American post was located there in 1775, which was burnt by the British at night in + July of that year. It was near that spot, in 1824, when Lafayette visited Boston, a + triumphal arch was thrown across Washington street, bearing the couplet, written by + Charles Sprague,—</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="line"> + We bow not the neck, we bend not the knee. + </div> + <div class="line"> + But our hearts, LAFAYETTE! we surrender to thee. + </div> + </div> + <p>The Royal Exchange Tavern was built in 1726, and stood on the south-west corner of + State and Exchange <a name="page110" id="page110"></a><span + class="newpage">[110]</span> streets, the site of the Merchants' Bank building. It + gave its name to the street on its easterly side. Luke Vardy was its first landlord, + who was succeeded in 1747 by Robert Stone. It was in this building, in 1728, that the + altercation began which ended in the first duel fought in Boston, when Benjamin + Woodbridge was killed by Henry Phillips. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently + held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Old Mansion House was built in 1732, and stood on the south side of Milk + street, between Hawley and Arch streets, on the site of the Bowdoin building. It + stood a little back from the street, with large American elms in front, and was a + stopping place for old stage lines. Hon. Robert C. Winthrop was born there, and Hon. + Henry Dearborn occupied it at the time of his decease.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1735, and stood on + the north-east corner of Water and Batterymarch streets. It was kept by Joseph + Wilson.</p> + <p>The British Coffee House was built in 1741, and stood on the site of No. 66 State + street, afterwards occupied by the Massachusetts Bank. It was kept, in 1762, by + Ballard, and was largely patronized by British officers. The repeal of the Stamp Act + was celebrated there in 1767. The eloquent James Otis was assaulted in it by a + British gang, and an injury was inflicted upon his head, which rendered him insane + for a long time. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + Its name was changed to American Coffee House in 1776.</p> + <p>The Cromwell's Head Tavern was built it 1751, and is still standing on the north + side of School street, upon the site of No. 13, where Mrs. Harrington deals out + coffee and mince pie to her customers. Lieut.-Col. GEORGE WASHINGTON lodged there in + 1756, while upon a visit to Gov. Shirley, to consult with him upon business connected + with the French war. It was first kept by Anthony Brackett.</p> + <p>The Admiral Vernon Tavern was built in 1743, and stood on the south-east corner of + State street and Merchants row, and was first kept by Richard Smith. The Scots' + Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Sun Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1757, and stood on the east + side of Washington street, nearly opposite Cornhill, and was first kept by James Day, + and was a popular resort of the Sons of Liberty.</p> + <p>The Julien House was built in 1759, and stood on the north-west corner of Milk and + Congress streets, formerly the site of an old tannery. It was first kept by Jean + Baptiste Julien, a French refugee. It was the resort of the <i>bon vivants</i> of the + town in former days. It is narrated of him that, upon the occasion of a + <i>recherche</i> dinner, one of the guests complained that the viands were not + sufficiently high-seasoned. "<i>Eh bien</i>" said Julien, "<i>put a leetle more de + peppaire</i>." He died in 1805, and he was succeeded by his widow, and afterwards by + Rouillard, until 1823, when it was demolished, and supplanted by Julien, afterwards + Congress Hall. Miss Frances Ann Wright delivered lectures there in 1829.</p> + <p>The White Horse Tavern stood on the north-west corner of Washington <a + name="page111" id="page111"></a><span class="newpage">[111]</span> and Boylston + streets. It was first kept by Joseph Morton.</p> + <p>The Bull's Head Tavern was built in 1774, and stood on the north-east corner of + Congress and Water streets, the site, for several years prior to 1830, of the + post-office, Merchants' Hall, and Topliff's Reading-room, and now occupied by the + Massachusetts and Shawmut banks, and called the Howe building.</p> + <p>Concert Hall stood at the south-east corner of Hanover and Court streets. It was + built in 1750, and was at one time occupied by the Deblois family. It was first + occupied as a public house in 1791. It was famous for political meetings, fashionable + dancing parties, and public exhibitions. Madrel exhibited his chess-player, + conflagration of Moscow, and other wonderful pieces of mechanism there. The famous + Belgian giant, Bihin, exhibited himself there. He was a well-proportioned man, and + such was his height that the historian Motley stood under his armpits. Amherst Eaton + was its landlord in the early days of the century. It was kept of late years by Peter + B. Brigham, and was demolished in 1868, in order to widen Hanover street. The Scots' + Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Lamb Tavern was built in 1745, and stood on the west side of Washington + street, just beyond the corner of West street. Colonel Doty kept it in 1760, who was + succeeded by Edward Kingman in 1826, and by Laban Adams, in whose honor the Adams + House was named and opened in 1846. It was a popular resort of the country members of + the Legislature.</p> + <p>The Lion Tavern was built in 1793, and stood just north of the Lamb Tavern, and + occupied the site of the building for several years known as the Melodeon. In 1835 + the tavern was converted into the Lion Theatre, which had a short-lived existence. It + was then purchased by the Handel and Haydn Society, and occupied for musical + purposes, lectures, and other entertainments. Rev. Theodore Parker began lecturing + there soon after the famous South Boston sermon upon the transient and permanent in + Christianity.</p> + <p>The North End Coffee House was built in 1782, and stood on the north-west corner + of North and Fleet streets. It was kept by the grandfather of the Illustrious David + D. Porter.</p> + <p>The Bite Tavern was built in 1795, and stood in Faneuil Hall square, a little west + of Change avenue. James M. Stevens was its last landlord. It was a favorite resort of + market-men, and ceased to be a public house about a quarter of a century ago.</p> + <p>Holland's Coffee House was built in 1800, in Howard street, near Court street. It + was afterwards called the Howard Street House, and kept by William Gallagher, whose + tomb "erected by those connected with him by no tie of kindred, who knew, loved, and + honored him," stands on Primrose Path in Mt. Auburn. It was afterwards called the + Pemberton House. It was a favorite resort of literary, dramatic, and musical people. + The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed by + fire in 1854, and the site was occupied for a short time by a wooden circular + structure <a name="page112" id="page112"></a><span class="newpage">[112]</span> + called Father Miller's Tabernacle, which, in turn, was burnt, when the Howard + Athenæum rose upon its site.</p> + <p>The Eastern Stage House was built in 1806, and upon the site of No. 90 North + street. It was from that spot that the first stage-coach in America started, in 1660, + for Portsmouth (N.H.). It was first kept by Col. Ephraim Wildes, and afterwards by + his son, Moses. It was built of brick, three stories high, and entered by a flight of + steps, and contained sixty rooms. It was the most extensive stage rendezvous in + Boston, accommodating the stages to Portsmouth, Portland, Bangor, and Maine, + generally. The stages entered its spacious court-yard under an arch leading from + North street. After an existence of forty years, it was demolished to make room for + commercial improvements.</p> + <p>Earl's Coffee House was built in 1807, and was located at No. 24 Hanover street, + upon the site, in part, of the present American House. It was kept by Hezekiah Earl, + and was the head-quarters of the New York, Albany, and other stage lines.</p> + <p>Wilde's Tavern was built in the same year, and was located on the north-east + corner of (new) Washington and Elm streets. It was demolished in 1874 to make room + for the Washington-street extension.</p> + <p>Doolittle's City Tavern was also built in 1807, and stood on the north-west corner + of (new) Washington and Brattle streets. It was the head-quarters of the Providence + line of stages. It was demolished in 1874 to make room for the improvement before + alluded to.</p> + <p>The Exchange Coffee House was built in 1808, and stood on Congress street, upon + the site of the present Howard Bank building, and at the time of its erection was the + largest house of public entertainment in the United States. It extended through to + Devonshire street, with an entrance on State street. It bounded 132 feet on Congress + street, with a depth of 94 feet and upwards. It covered an area of 12,753 square + feet, was seven stories in height, surmounted with a dome 101 feet in diameter. It + had 210 apartments. Its erection was begun in 1805, and occupied two and a half years + in construction. Commodore Hull, after capturing the <i>Guerrière</i> in 1812, + had a public dinner given him there. The Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and some + subordinate lodges, had their head-quarters there. The Scots' Charitable Society + frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed by fire in 1818, rebuilt in + 1822, with contracted dimensions, and in 1853 was demolished to give place to the + City Exchange on Congress square and Devonshire street. James Wilson, the last of the + town-criers, had his office in the Bell-in-Hand Tavern in the basement. At the time + of the fire Hon. Henry Clay was a guest in the house, and worked bravely at the + engine brakes. Hon. David Crockett, a famous member of Congress from Tennessee, + lodged there during his visit to Boston in 1834. He addressed an audience from the + eastern portico of the Old State House, and in expatiating upon the prospects of the + country, predicted that it would extend within a score of years from the + <i>At</i>lantic to the "<i>Spe</i>cific." Among his witty sayings will be + remembered,—"Be <a name="page113" id="page113"></a><span + class="newpage">[113]</span> sure you're right then go ahead." He died in 1841, + fighting for Texan independence. It was kept in former days by Col. James Hamilton, + afterwards by William Gallagher, Hart Davenport, and lastly by McGill & + Fearing.</p> + <p>Washington Hotel was built in 1809, and stood in Bromfield street. It subsequently + took the name of Indian Queen, and latterly Bromfield House. Selden Crockett was its + last landlord. It ceased to be a public house about a dozen years since.</p> + <p>The Elm Street Hotel was built in 1812, and stood on the north-west corner of + (new) Washington and (No. 9) Elm streets. It was kept by Hart Davenport. Its yard was + obliterated in 1874 to make room for the Washington-street extension, and the + building in 1882 for a site for commercial purposes.</p> + <p>The Massachusetts House was built in 1816, and still stands on the south-west + corner of Endicott and Cross streets. It is a favorite resort of horse-jockeys and + horse-fanciers.</p> + <p>Forster's Coffee House was built in 1817, and stood on the corner of Court and + Howard streets. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Commercial Coffee House stood on the north-east corner of Milk and + Batterymarch streets. It was built in 1817, and stood on the site of Hallowell's + shipyard. It was kept by William Merriam in 1829, John Low in 1837, Col. Whitney in + 1844, and lastly, in 1848, by James Longley, when it ceased to be a public house, and + gave place to the Thorndike building. The preliminary meeting of the Mercantile + Library Association was held there in 1820. It was a favorite resort of Eastern + people.</p> + <p>Washington Hotel (the second of that name) was erected in 1819, and stood on the + north-west corner of Washington street and Worcester place. It was kept in 1836, and + for a few years succeeding, by Amherst Eaton. The Washington House was built in 1820, + and stood on the site of the present Washington market, on the south-west corner of + Washington and Lenox streets. The Messrs. Cooley kept it, and it was a favorite + resort for sleighing parties.</p> + <p>In 1821 William Fenno opened a tavern in Cornhill square, and afterwards on the + east side of Theatre alley (Devonshire street), near the corner of Franklin, + adjoining what was the site of the (old) Boston Theatre, and latterly in Province + street, near the south-easterly corner of Bromfield street.</p> + <p>The Stackpole House was built in 1732, and was the mansion of William Stackpole, a + noted Boston merchant. It stood on the north-east corner of Milk and Devonshire + streets, and was first kept as a public house in 1823 by Rouillard, formerly of the + Julien House, and was a favorite resort of the choice spirits of former days. It was + afterwards kept by James W. Ryan. Among its last landlords was Alexander McGregor, a + stalwart Scotchman, and descendant of Rev James McGregor who led the colony which + made the first settlement in Deny (N.H.) in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society, of + which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings there. It was + demolished in 1868, to make room for the post-office edifice.</p> + <a name="page114" id="page114"></a><span class="newpage">[114]</span> + <p>The Sun Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1801, and stood on the + north-west corner of Battery march and Hamilton streets, and was the mansion of + Benjamin Hallowell, who owned a shipyard opposite to his residence. It was first kept + as a public house in 1824 by Goodwich, and in 1841 by Capewell, when it ceased to be + a public house, and was demolished when Fort Hill was leveled in 1865. It was a + popular resort of Eastern people.</p> + <p>The Lafayette Hotel was built in 1825, and stood on the east side of Washington + street, opposite Boylston market. It was largely patronized by people from the + country. Haskell was its landlord in 1836. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently + held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Tremont House was built in 1828, and opened October 1, 1829. It was owned by + William H. Eliot, brother of the mayor of Boston 1837-1840. It was the prototype of + the large caravanseries which dot the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its + first landlord was Dwight Boyden, who retired from its management in 1836 to assume + that of the Astor House, which was opened May 1 in that year. It was the + stopping-place of Webster on his way from Marshfield to Washington. It sheltered + President Jackson upon his visit to Boston in 1833, a decade later President Tyler, + and President Johnson in 1867. It was the temporary abode of Charles Dickens upon his + first visit to America in 1842. Under its roof the Ashburton treaty, defining the + north-eastern boundary between the United States and Great Britain, was negotiated by + Lord Ashburton on behalf of the mother country, Abbott Lawrence on the part of + Massachusetts, and Edward Kent on the part of Maine. Some of the most renowned men in + the world have fed at its tables and slept under its roof. It still lives in its + pristine vigor, and will not yield the palm to any hostelry in the world.</p> + <p>The Franklin House was built in 1830, and stood on the west side of Merchants row, + between North Market and North streets, opposite the head of Clinton street. It was a + favorite resort of Eastern people. Joshua Sears, an eminent merchant on Long wharf, + made it his home for several years.</p> + <p>The Shawmut House was built in 1831, and stood on the north side of Hanover + street, and its site is now absorbed in the American House. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>Liberty Tree Tavern was built in 1833, and stood on the south-east corner of + Washington and Essex streets, upon the identical spot where formerly stood the famous + Liberty Tree, which was planted in 1646, and become famous in Stamp Act times, and + was cut down by the British in 1775.</p> + <p>The Mount Washington House was built in 1834 by a company of which Hon. John K. + Simpson was president, who occupied the "Old Feather Store" on the corner of Faneuil + Hall square and North street, built in 1680. The company became bankrupt, and it was + sold in 1839 to the Perkins Institute and New England Asylum for the Blind. Its + location on Washington Heights admirably adapts it for the benevolent purpose for + which it is now used.</p> + <a name="page115" id="page115"></a><span class="newpage">[115]</span> + <p>The Maverick House was opened on Noddies or Williams Island on the 27th of May, + 1835. At the date of its erection the island contained but a score of dwellings, two + or three factories, and a half-dozen of mechanics' shops. Major Jabez W. Barton was + its first landlord. It was built of wood, 94 feet long and 85 feet wide, six stories + high, and contained more than eighty rooms. In 1838 its width was increased to 160 + feet. C.M. Taft became its landlord in 1841. The house, stables, and furniture were + sold in 1842 to John W. Fenno for $62,500. The house was taken down in 1845 and a + block of buildings erected by Noah Sturtevant. Different parts of the block were + respectively occupied as a hotel, dwelling-houses, stores, and offices, until it was + burnt January 25, 1857. A new building was erected upon its site, by Mr. Sturtevant, + of iron and brick covered with mastic, 130 feet long on Maverick square, with an + average width of no feet, and containing 180 rooms. It was opened February 23, 1858, + and was called for a decade or more the Sturtevant House, when it resumed its former + name of Maverick House. In its rear, on the 25th of September, 1819, a duel was + fought by Lieutenants Finch and White between two elm-trees standing between Meridian + and Border streets, nearly opposite the Church of the Holy Redeemer. White fell and + died upon the spot.</p> + <p>The Pearl Street House stood on the north-west corner of Milk and Pearl streets, + and was built in 1816, and was the mansion of William Pratt. It was first occupied as + a hotel in 1836. Colonel Shepherd was its first landlord. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there. It was obliterated in the great fire of + November 8, 1872.</p> + <p>The Perkins House was built in 1815, and was the mansion of Hon. Thomas H. + Perkins, who donated it in 1833 to the Asylum for the Blind. It stood on the west + side of Pearl street, about midway between Milk and High streets. It remained there + under the management of Samuel G. Howe until the encroachments of business demanded + its removal. In 1839 the institution was transferred to the Mount Washington House. + The Perkins House was opened in that year under the management of a Scotchman named + Thomas Gordon. It was a favorite resort of those who dined down-town. The Scots' + Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings + there. It ceased to be a public house In 1848, when it succumbed to the advancing + waves of commerce.</p> + <p>The Congress House, built in the same year, was the mansion of Daniel Hammond, and + stood on the north-east corner of Pearl and High streets. It was opened as a public + house in 1840, and was kept by Hastings, until it was swept away in the great fire + before alluded to.</p> + <p>The Greyhound Tavern stood on Washington street, opposite Vernon street, upon the + site of Graham block. It was built in 1645, and was famous for the excellence of its + punch, and was much resorted to by the convivial spirits of Boston and vicinity. Its + last landlord was John Greaton. In 1752, and for many years subsequently, the Masonic + fraternity celebrated St. John's day <a name="page116" id="page116"></a><span + class="newpage">[116]</span> there, and the courts sat there during the prevalence of + small-pox in Boston. A catamount, caught in the woods about eighty miles from Boston, + was exhibited there. It was a recruiting station for enlistments during the French + war. Gen. Washington resided there during the winter of 1776. It ceased to be a + tavern just after the Revolution. Such was its size that it contained forty + fireplaces. On its site was erected the first fire-engine house in Roxbury. A portion + of the building still stands in the rear of Graham block.</p> + <p>The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east corner of + Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a meeting was held "to + settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In their house." Its last landlord + was Samuel Ruggles.</p> + <p>The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in Brookline, + about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between Roxbury and Brookline, + upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on the south-west corner of Washington + street and Brookline avenue. It was a two-story hipped-roof house, and its + enlargement from time to time, by the purchase and removal of old houses thither from + Boston and vicinity, resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and + produced a new order of architecture, appropriately called "<i>conglomerate</i>" With + its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish color, with a + seat running along the front under an overhanging projection of the second story. In + front and near each end were large elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which + still remains. Its sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and + ladle, overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a favorite + resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was patronized by British + officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and the bridges destroyed its + usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, and demolished in 1833, with the + exception of one of its adjuncts, which now stands on the easterly side of Brookline + avenue, nearly opposite Emerald street.</p> + <p>Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, built by, + and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a famous auctioneer of Boston, + and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," on the south-east corner of Washington + street and Blue Hill avenue. It was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and + was owned by John Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a + public house in 1796.</p> + <p>Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. It was + built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it was known as the + "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. It was first occupied as a + public house in 1820, and it was the place of refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a + mob from the (old) Boston Theatre, December 21, 1825.</p> + <p>The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly corner of + Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. It was kept by Capt. + Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen <a name="page117" id="page117"></a><span + class="newpage">[117]</span> company of the third parish in the Lexington battle. It + was purchased in 1794, with forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and + he occupied it during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward + until the close of his honorable life.</p> + <p>On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond block now + stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied in 1805 as the Old Red + Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce.</p> + <p>The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west corner of + Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George Zeigler. It ceased to + be a public house about a third of a century ago.</p> + <p>Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South streets, near + the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It was built in 1805, and first + kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long famous for good dinners. The widow of + Samuel Burrill kept it during the War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale + Hotel.</p> + <p>The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph Ruggles, a + well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn in Roxbury in 1765. After + the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. + Simmons, who sold it to the Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the + following year as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing + a hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, subsequently as + Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The old mansion now stands on + the north side of Norfolk street, and is occupied as a tenement-house. It was the + starting-point of the Roxbury hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South + Church on the first of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a + public house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of domestic + and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than sixty of which now + stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and flowed.</p> + <p>In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from Dunstable (Eng.) + at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called "Great House," originally erected + by Thomas Graves for the governor's residence, for court-meetings, and public + religious worship, which stood in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley + House, and the base of the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid + £30 for the premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, + no card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the use of a + pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses of the guests. He was + liable to a fine of ten shillings for every offence of selling at a price exceeding + sixpence for a meal, or taking more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of + meal-times," or for selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like + special occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." Mr. + Long and his sons <a name="page118" id="page118"></a><span + class="newpage">[118]</span> following him carried on the house for three-quarters of + a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, 1664, and his widow May 27, + 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed the house to his widow Mary, daughter of + Increase Nowell. The estate had a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was + deeded by Mrs. Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." + Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called "The Old + Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of Charlestown, on the + day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. Finally, the land was bought by the + town, and is now part of City square.</p> + <p>The Cape Breton Tavern was built in 1731, and stood on the corner of Main street + and Hancock square. It was burnt in the general conflagration of June 17, 1775.</p> + <p>The Ship Tavern was built in 1748, and stood on the south-east corner of Charles + River avenue and Water street. It was kept by Benjamin Gerrish.</p> + <p>The Warren Tavern was built in 1775, and still stands on the south-west corner of + Main and Pleasant streets. It was first kept by Eliphalet Newell. It was from that + edifice that the procession connected with funeral ceremonies in honor of GEORGE + WASHINGTON started on the 31st of December, 1799, when the nation mourned as one man + the departed patriot, statesman, and chieftain, "upon whose like they should not look + again."</p> + <p>Trumbull's Tavern stood on the north-east corner of Charles River avenue and Water + street. It was built in 1771.</p> + <p>The Indian Chief Tavern was built in 1779, and was the mansion of David Wood, an + influential citizen of Charlestown. It occupied the site of Harvard Church. It was + there that David Starrett, cashier of the Hillsboro', N.H., bank, was said to have + been robbed and murdered on the evening of March 26, 1812. Suspicion attached to + Samuel Gordon, the landlord. A reward of $200 was offered for the recovery of his + dead body, but without success. In 1814 Hon. Nathan Appleton received a letter from + Starrett, in South America, whither he had fled owing to the insolvency of the bank. + It contained a hall, in the second story, known as "Massachusetts Hall." It was + removed in 1818 to the north-west corner of Main and Miller streets, and its name + changed to Eagle Tavern. It still stands, although it ceased to be a public house a + quarter of a century since.</p> + <p>The Mansion House stood on the south side of City square and north-west corner of + Warren avenue. It was erected in 1780 by Hon. Thomas Russell as a family mansion, and + occupied by him until his decease in 1796. It was afterwards occupied by Commodore + John Shaw, John Soley, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of + Massachusetts, and Andrew Dunlap, U.S. District Attorney, who conducted the trial of + the twelve pirates of the schooner "Pindu," in 1834. It was first occupied as a hotel + in 1835, and kept by Gorham Bigelow, and afterwards by James Ramsay. It was + demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House.</p> + <a name="page119" id="page119"></a><span class="newpage">[119]</span> + <p>Page's Tavern stood at the corner of Main and Gardner streets, and was afterwards + known as "Richards'", and more latterly, "Babcock's." It was the starting-point of + the Charlestown hourly coaches, which commenced running April 1, 1828, to Brattle + street; fare, twelve and a half cents. Passengers were accommodated by being called + for, or left at their residences on cross streets. It ceased to be a public house + about a generation ago.</p> + <p>Piper's Tavern stood on the south-west corner of Main and Alford streets.</p> + <p>Pierce's Hotel stood on the north-west corner of Charles River avenue and Water + street. It was built in 1795 by Hon. Thomas Russell for a family mansion; but he died + just before its completion. In one of its rooms was a remarkable clock with a blue + dial and moving figures of men, which appeared when the clock struck the hours, and + then disappeared. The ordaining council of the first pastor of Harvard Church + convened there. It was at one time occupied by Silas Whitney, Jr., who was buried + from there with Masonic honors in 1824. Potter, the celebrated ventriloquist, held + his exhibitions there, to the delight of the youngsters of that day. It was last kept + by James Walker, and its name changed to the Middlesex House. It was destroyed by the + great fire of August 28, 1835.</p> + <p>Robbin's Tavern stood on the west side of City square and south-east corner of + Harvard street. It was built in 1796, and stood directly in the rear of the site of + the Three Cranes Tavern, before alluded to. It was demolished in 1816, and the + Charlestown Town Hall erected upon its site, which, in turn, was demolished in 1868 + to make room for the City Hall.</p> + <p>Ireland's Tavern was built in 1797, and stood on the north side of Cambridge + street, near the Lowell Railroad bridge.</p> + <p>Yoelin's Tavern was built in 1798, and stood on the east side of City square and + north-west corner of Chamber street. It was first occupied as a tavern in 1821, and + was destroyed by the great fire before alluded to. The first meeting of the + proprietors of Warren bridge was held there in 1828.</p> + <p>Copp's Tavern was built in 1799, and stood on the south side of City square, near + the corner of Bow street. The building, which had ceased for some years to be + occupied as a tavern, was demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House.</p> + <p>"<i>Sic transit gloria mundi</i>." Thus have disappeared from time to time, with + but few exceptions, the taverns, inns, and coffee-houses of the Town of Boston, while + the bodily forms of those who took their ease in them have long since crumbled into + dust. We will now resign to the pen of the local historian of a century hence to + describe the mammoth hostelries of the City of Boston, which have arisen since the + era of railways, steamships, electric telegraphs, ocean cables, telephones, electric + lights, and other modern developments of science and art.</p> + <a name="page120" id="page120"></a><span class="newpage">[120]</span> + <hr /> + <h2>EDITOR'S TABLE.</h2> + <p>A correspondent asks in connection with an article in the May number on "Town and + City Histories," in which was incidentally mentioned the government of Western towns + by trustees, the following question: "Can you tell me where I can find that + government treated of; also, that of towns in the Middle and Southern States?" The + question is a hard one to answer. Of the town meeting, that peculiarly New England + institution, much has been written; but about the local forms of government prevalent + in the States between the Hudson and the Pacific Ocean very little has found its way + into print. The local historians seem to take it for granted that all these things + are understood everywhere, and so shed little light on the question. The pages of + this magazine will be open to any one who can give the desired information.</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <p>The season of agricultural fairs, "cattle-shows" and the like, is about over. + There is scarcely a county in New England, scarcely a State in the Union, but has had + a fair of some sort or other. Most of them report better exhibits and larger + attendance than ever before. Some few report a falling off in attendance. That all + these fairs have done exhibitors much good is doubtful; that they have benefited the + thinking portion of their attendants is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the thinking + portion of a farming community is lamentably small. Most people go to a "cattle-show" + to be amused; a few go to learn. The few that derive benefit from seeing the wonders + of the earth collected in pens and on tables are helped just as a teacher gets + benefit from a teacher's institute—both get food for thought. At the + cattle-show the farmer <i>may</i> learn of new methods and see their results. The + trouble is that the ordinary farmer goes to the fair for the same reason that the + average citizen buys a ticket to the menagerie—to see the circus. There are + more clowns at a cattle-show than the sawdust ever saw. The horses may not be so + pretty or gaudy, but they go faster. One man defended himself very frankly at the + dinner of a county fair in this State when he said: "The Lord made horses to go, and + I like to see them do it." This question of trotting or no trotting at the fair is + not a new one; but with age it seems to acquire toughness,—like chickens, for + instance.</p> + <p>But passing by the horse question, we come to the question of clowns, which is + really a very serious one. It may be irreverent to compare "cattle-show" orators to + circus clowns, but really the temptation is irresistible; and then they are the only + features of the respective exhibitions that have speaking parts. Joking aside, there + are important lessons which the speaking and the speakers at the recent fairs may + teach us. We find that the candidate for office has become a great attraction, one + which the fair-managers bid high for. They draw well, too.</p> + <p>This calls to mind this year's Salisbury Beach Festival, a time-honored + institution which has degenerated into a money-making affair in these later days. + This year there was, to be sure, a large crowd present, but yet the attendance was + smaller than in any year for a long time. The number of people present was between + 3,500 and 5,000. Prominent gentlemen in Essex County were advertised to address the + crowd. The newspaper comment on the event is short and to the point: "There was no + speaking, as the crowd was more interested in seeing the Lawrence Base Ball Club beat + the Newbury porters, by a score of 9 to 7." Again: "The principal attractions were + Professors Parker and Martin at the skating rink, and the 4,000-pound ox."</p> + <p><i>O Tempora! O Mores!</i></p> + <hr class="full" /> + <div class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote1" name="footnote1"></a> <b>Footnote 1</b>: (<a + href="#footnotetag1">return</a>) + <p>1884, by Frances C. Sparhawk.</p> + </div> + + <div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13741 ***</div> +</body> +</html> + + diff --git a/13741-h/images/image1_full.png b/13741-h/images/image1_full.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8802f32 --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-h/images/image1_full.png diff --git a/13741-h/images/image1_thumbnail.png b/13741-h/images/image1_thumbnail.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..721072c --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-h/images/image1_thumbnail.png diff --git a/13741-h/images/image2_full.png b/13741-h/images/image2_full.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d2d8294 --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-h/images/image2_full.png diff --git a/13741-h/images/image2_thumbnail.png b/13741-h/images/image2_thumbnail.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fe507f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/13741-h/images/image2_thumbnail.png diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1830194 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #13741 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13741) diff --git a/old/13741-8.txt b/old/13741-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cbb0524 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/13741-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3804 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. 2, +November, 1884, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. 2, November, 1884 + +Author: Various + +Release Date: October 14, 2004 [EBook #13741] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BAY STATE MONTHLY, *** + + + + +Produced by Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci, the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team, and Cornell University + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Engraved by Geo. E. Perine, New York. Grover Cleveland] + + + + +THE + +BAY STATE MONTHLY. + +_A Massachusetts Magazine_. + +VOL. II. + +NOVEMBER, 1884. + +No. 2. + + * * * * * + +GROVER CLEVELAND. + +By HENRY H. METCALF. + + +Save only that of Ulysses S. Grant, no name in America has come from +comparative obscurity into national eminence in so short a time as that +of GROVER CLEVELAND. + +The fame of Grant was wrought out through the exigencies of a great +civil war, in which the unity of the Republic was the issue involved. +The distinction which Cleveland has achieved comes of valiant service in +another field of conflict, wherein the issue involves the perpetuity and +dominance of the great principles which constitute the framework and +fibre of republican government itself. Under ordinary circumstances, +probably, neither Grant nor Cleveland would have risen above the plane +of every-day life. The same, too, might perhaps justly be said even of +Washington. In the history of human progress it will be seen that every +great crisis involving the triumph of the principles and tendencies +which make for the moral, social, or political advancement of mankind +has developed a leader endowed with the special qualities demanded by +the occasion. + +The brilliant and self-assertive men who press forward to leadership in +ordinary times, whether impelled by mere love of notoriety, personal +ambition, or an honest desire to promote the welfare of their +fellow-men, seldom become masters of the situation when a supreme +emergency arises. They may set in motion great contending forces; they +may precipitate conflicts whose ultimate outcome brings inestimable +benefit to mankind; but other hands and other minds are required to +direct the issue and shape the result. The master spirit of the occasion +is born thereof. Ulysses S. Grant had absolutely no part in bringing +about that great conflict of ideas and systems which culminated in the +war of the rebellion; nor had he even figured prominently in the field +of military achievement until long after hostilities were commenced, and +the struggle had assumed proportions entirely unforeseen by, and +actually appalling to, not only the people themselves, but those In +control of active operations in the field. But the emergency developed +the man required to meet it, and Grant came to the front. + +So, too, in this later and greater conflict, which is to test the virtue +and determine the durability of popular government--whose outcome is to +decide whether political parties are to be the mere instruments through +which the people express their will, and whose relations can be changed +as the public good may seem to require, or whether the government itself +shall be subordinated to party, and its functions prostituted for the +perpetuation of party ascendency and the aggrandizement of corrupt and +selfish individuals--the leader in whom the hopes of those who contend +for the supremacy of the popular will, the surbordination of party-power +to public welfare, and the administration of the government in the +interests of the whole people, are now thoroughly centred, is one who +has gained no distinction in shaping partisan contests, and won no +laurels in the halls of legislation or the forum of public debate. He +is, simply, the man who, in the last few years, first in one, and then +in another still more important position of official responsibility, has +demonstrated more emphatically than any other in recent times (possibly +because circumstances have more generally drawn attention in his +direction) his thorough devotion to the doctrine that public office is a +public trust; and has, therefore, been selected as the best +representative and exponent of the popular idea in the great political +conflict about to be brought to an issue. + +The purpose and scope of this brief article permit no detailed account +of the private life or public career of Grover Cleveland. Those who have +cared to do so have already familiarized themselves with the same +through the ordinary channels; yet, as a matter of record, a few salient +facts may be presented. + +Grover Cleveland was born in the village of Caldwell, near Newark, New +Jersey, March 18, 1837. His paternal ancestry was of the substantial +English stock. + +I. Aaron Cleveland, an early settler in the valley of the Connecticut. +He was liberally educated, and, ardently devoted to the interests of the +Church, he determined to take holy orders, and returned to England for +confirmation therein. Coming back to America he settled in the ministry +at East Haddam, Conn. Some fifteen years later, in August, 1757, he +died, while on a visit to Philadelphia, at the residence of his friend, +Benjamin Franklin, then publisher of the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, who +spoke of him, in an obituary notice in his paper, as "a gentleman of a +humane and pious disposition, indefatigable in his ministry, easy and +affable in his conversation, open and sincere in his friendship, and +above every species of meanness and dissimulation." + +II. Aaron Cleveland, born at East Haddam, Conn., February 9, 1744. He +was a hatter by trade and located in Norwich, which town he represented +in the Legislature, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of +slavery, of which institution he was a determined opponent. Subsequently +he became a Congregational clergyman, and a power in that denomination. +He died at New Haven in 1815. + +III. William Cleveland, second son of the above, a silversmith by +occupation, also dwelt in Norwich. His wife was Margaret Falley. He was +prosperous in business, respected in the community, and deacon of the +church of which his father had been pastor for a quarter of a century +previous to his decease. + +IV. Richard Falley Cleveland, second son of William, born in 1804, +graduated from Yale in 1824 with high honors. He, too, became a +clergyman, having adopted the Presbyterian faith, and pursued his +studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, after serving a year as a +tutor in Baltimore, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Anne Neale, +daughter of a prominent law publisher of Irish birth, with whom he +united in marriage after completing his studies, in 1829. He was located +in pastorates, successively, at Windham, Conn.; Portsmouth, Va.; +Caldwell, N.J., and Fayetteville, N.Y. Subsequently, moved by failing +health, he sought a change, and, as agent of the American Home +Missionary Society, located at Clinton. Two years later he returned to +pastoral service, though still In feeble health, establishing himself +and family at Holland Patent, a few miles north of the city of Utica. +Here he died suddenly, a few weeks after his removal, leaving to his +wife and nine children no other fortune than the legacy of an honorable +name, and the enduring influence of a true and devoted life. + +V. Grover Cleveland, third son and fifth child of Richard Falley and +Anne (Neale) Ceveland, was sixteen years of age when his father died. +The sad event necessarily marked a turning-point in his career. He was +forced to look life and duty seriously in the face, and he proved +himself equal to the emergency. It had been a cherished hope of his +boyhood that he might secure the benefit of a classical education at +Hamilton College, from which his eldest brother, William (now a +Presbyterian clergyman at Forestport, N.Y.), had then recently +graduated. But this was now out of the question. He had not only to +provide for himself, but he felt bound to aid his mother in the support +of the younger members of the family. The idea of the college course, +for which he had partially fitted himself in the preparatory school at +Clinton, was relinquished, and the battle of life commenced in earnest. +He had already learned something of the lesson of self-reliance, having +served for a year or more as a clerk in a grocery at Fayetteville, and +he soon secured a situation as an assistant in the Institution for the +Blind in the city of New York, where his brother William was then +engaged as a teacher. Here he remained nearly two years, faithfully +discharging the duties assigned him, and promptly forwarding to his +mother such portion of his moderate wages as remained after providing +for his own personal necessities. The situation, however, grew irksome. +As the young man's capabilities developed his ambition was aroused. +There was no way of advancement open before him here, and he felt that +his duty to himself, as well as others, demanded that he make the best +practicable use of the powers with which he was endowed. Returning home +for a short visit, and taking counsel with his mother, he soon set out +for the "West," the field toward which ambitious young men have turned, +with hearts full of hope, for the last half century. + +His proposed destination was Cleveland, Ohio; his cherished ambition the +study and practice of the law. He was accompanied on his journey by a +young friend of kindred aspirations. Arriving at Buffalo he called on an +uncle, Mr. Lewis F. Allen, who had a fine stock farm, just out of the +city, and who finally induced him to remain there, promising to secure +him admission to a law office in Buffalo. He remained with his uncle for +a time, assisting him in the preparation of the manuscript of the +"American Herd Book," a work upon which he was then engaged; but in the +course of a few months (in August, 1855) he secured admission as a +student in one of the best known law offices of the city--that of +Rogers, Bowen, & Rogers. Blessed with good health and industrious +habits, with an earnest determination to succeed, he entered upon the +work before him. For a time he boarded at his uncle's house, taking the +long walk to and from the office at morning and night; but after a few +months he was enabled to be of such assistance in the office in clerical +and other work, that, from the modest compensation allowed, he secured +lodgings in the city and provided for all his humble wants. + +After four years of unremitting study and toil, he was admitted to the +Erie county bar, having laid the foundation for future professional +success in a thorough mastery of legal principles and all the details of +practice, and in those well-established habits of thought and +application by which his subsequent life has been so fully +characterized. He had gained, also, the confidence and esteem of his +preceptors and employers, and after his admission continued with them as +confidential clerk in charge of the office business, receiving a salary +which enabled him, then, to contribute materially to the assistance of +his mother in providing for the wants of the family and maintaining the +comforts of the humble home in Holland Patent, toward which his fondest +thoughts have turned in all the years of his busy life, and where such +periods of recreation as he has felt warranted in indulging have mainly +been spent. + +In 1863 Mr. Cleveland received an appointment as assistant district +attorney for Erie county, a strong testimonial to the legal abilities of +so youthful a practitioner, considering the array of professional talent +in the county and the responsibilities of the position. The war was then +in progress; two brothers, one the next older, and the other younger +than himself, had enlisted in the Union army; and when, a few months +after his appointment, as he had fairly familiarized himself with the +details of important cases intrusted to his care, he was himself +drafted, he pursued the only practicable course, and provided a +substitute for the service. In the fall of 1865, while yet serving as +deputy, he was unanimously selected by the Democratic Nominating +Convention as candidate for district attorney. The county was strongly +Republican, but young Cleveland received a support beyond his party +strength and was beaten, by a few hundred majority only, by the +Republican nominee, Lyman K. Bass, then and since his warm personal +friend. + +Upon the expiration of his term of service as deputy district attorney, +in January, 1866, he entered actively into practice, having formed a +partnership with the late Isaac K. Vanderpoel, a prominent lawyer and +ex-State treasurer. The burden of the labor fell to the share of the +junior partner, and through his close attention to the interests of +clients the business of the firm soon became extensive and the income +fairly remunerative. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, +through the election of Mr. Vanderpoel as police judge, and soon after +the new firm of Cleveland, Laning, & Folsom was formed. In 1870 Mr. +Cleveland was urged by leading Democrats of Erie county to accept the +party nomination for sheriff. The proposition was by no means in +accordance with his desires or inclinations. The office, although a most +important one in a large and populous county, and commanding liberal +compensation in fees, was a most thankless one in many respects: its +duties, always delicate and exacting, sometimes disagreeable in the +extreme, and its responsibilities great. It was felt, however, that the +acceptance of this nomination by one who so thoroughly commanded the +confidence of the people, and whose professional training and experience +gave him superior qualification for the office, would insure to the +county ticket of the party, with due care in the selection of other +candidates, the strength necessary to success in the election. As a +loyal member of the party to whose principles he had ever been devotedly +attached, and in the support of whose cause he had labored in every +consistent capacity since becoming a voter, he finally yielded, accepted +the nomination, and, as had been hoped, was duly elected along with the +entire ticket. He administered the office, upon which he entered in +January following, upon strict business principles, and to the eminent +satisfaction of the courts, the bar, and the public at large, during the +full term of three years. There were no duties, however irksome, from +which he shrank; no responsibilities which he failed to meet in a +becoming manner; and when, on the first of January, 1874, his term +expired and he returned to his legal practice, it was with a larger +measure of popular esteem than he had ever before enjoyed. + +In resuming professional labor he formed a partnership with his friend +and former antagonist, Lyman K. Bass, Mr. Wilson S. Bissel also becoming +a member of the firm. Now thirty-seven years of age, with mental powers +thoroughly developed, and a capacity for labor far greater than that +with which most men are favored, he was eminently well equipped for +substantial achievement in his chosen field of effort; and it is not too +much to say that, in the next seven years, during which he gave +uninterrupted attention to the work, he accomplished as much in the way +of honest professional triumph as any lawyer in Western New York. He +sought no mere personal distinction, but put his heart into his work, +and practically made his clients' interests his own. His judgment was +sound, his industry indefatigable, his integrity unquestioned. He was +eminently well fitted for judicial service, but could never be induced +to put himself in the way of preferment in that direction. He was +always the "working member" of the firms with which he was connected. As +an advocate, he made no pretensions to brilliancy; but in the +preparation of cases, and in the cogent statement of principles +involved, as well as in the effective presentation of pertinent facts, +he found no superiors, and few equals, among his associates at the bar. + +Caring nothing for the pecuniary rewards of labor, beyond the provision +for his own modest wants and the comfort of those, in a measure, +depending upon his assistance, Mr. Cleveland has accumulated no large +fortune; although, with the opportunities at hand, had he made wealth +his object, he might have secured it. On the other hand, he has +befriended many a poor client to his own cost; and, while failing in +many cases to collect the fees which were his due, he has contributed to +public and private charities with a liberal, but unostentatious hand. +Though he has never posed as a "working-men's candidate" for official +preferment, the laboring people of his city and section have long known +him as the true and sympathetic friend of every honest son and daughter +of toil. + +When, in the autumn of 1881, the people of the great city of Buffalo, +the third in the Empire State in population, and the second in +commercial importance, tired of the corruption, the robbery, and +oppression of the ring rule, which had fastened its grip upon them under +long years of Republican ascendency, turned at last to the Democratic +party for relief, the Democracy of the city saw in Grover Cleveland the +one man of all others with whom as their candidate for mayor, they might +reasonably hope to win, not simply a partisan triumph, but a victory for +honest government in which all patriotic citizens might well rejoice. +Much against his own will, after repeated solicitation on the part of +leading Democrats, and many Republicans, who appreciated his character +and fitness, he again consented to become the candidate of his party for +responsible office; and, at the election which followed, so great was +the desire for a change in municipal matters, and so general the +confidence in Mr. Cleveland as the man under whose direction the needed +reform might be effected, that his majority for mayor was about three +thousand five hundred, or nearly the same figure with which the +Republican ticket had ordinarily triumphed. + +Entering upon the duties of his office as mayor, January 1, 1882, he +soon gave practical assurance of the fact that the people of Buffalo had +made no mistake in the selection of their chief municipal servant. In +his first message to the Common Council, which was replete with sound, +practical suggestions, he said:-- + + It seems to me that a successful and faithful administration of the + government of our city may be accomplished by constantly bearing in + mind that we are the trustees and agents of our fellow-citizens, + holding their funds in sacred trust to be expended for their + benefit; that we should at all times be prepared to render an + honest account to them touching the matter of its expenditure; and + that the affairs of the city should be conducted as far as possible + upon the same principles as a good businessman manages his private + concerns. + +It suffices to say that, so far as the mayor himself was concerned, and +so far as his power and influence extended, he lived up fully to the +letter and spirit of this suggestion. Although hampered by an adverse +political majority in the Common Council, still measurably under the +influence of the old rings, and more intent upon preventing the mayor +from winning public favor which might, perchance, inure to the benefit +of his party (though standing himself entirely beyond party in his +relations to the public welfare), than upon the faithful discharge of +their own duties, he succeeded, by the force of his own earnest +personality, by searching investigation into the workings of all the +departments of city affairs, by the ruthless exposure and denunciation +of various corrupt schemes of jobbery and plunder, and by the persistent +recommendation of measures and methods which commended themselves to his +judgment, in accomplishing much in the way of the reform for which his +election had been sought. He used the veto power with a vigor and a +significance which had characterized the action of no predecessor in the +office, and often regardless of the fact that its exercise might be +distorted by designing enemies, personal or political, to insure him at +least the temporary disapprobation of large classes of citizens; but he +used it only when fully satisfied, through patient research and careful +deliberation, that duty and obligation imperatively required it. It is +conceded that in his brief year's administration he saved a million of +dollars to the city treasury, stamped out numerous abuses, and +stimulated the spirit of faithful devotion in various branches of the +municipal service. Men of all parties unite in saying that the city of +Buffalo was never favored with the services of a more faithful, +conscientious, and thoroughly impartial executive head. + +But he was not to continue the work of administrative reform in that +particular field of labor. The people had called him "up higher." His +reputation as a true Democrat, an honest reformer, and a faithful public +servant, had spread abroad through the State, and when the Democratic +State Convention assembled in the early autumn of that year it was +clearly apparent that the nomination of Grover Cleveland, the reform +mayor of Buffalo, as the candidate of the party for the supreme +magistracy of the Empire State, was the one certain guaranty of +overwhelming Democratic victory at the polls. That nomination was +promptly made, and the result which followed was without parallel in the +annals of American political history. He was elected governor by a +majority of nearly two hundred thousand, and, although internal +dissensions in the Republican party, then existing, contributed largely +to the general result, the most significant feature of the election is +found in the fact that the largest relative Democratic gain was made in +his own county of Erie, where he received upwards of seven thousand +majority against more than three thousand majority for Garfield in the +last presidential election, showing him strongest before the people +where his personal character and attributes, as well as his +qualifications for positions of high public trust, are most thoroughly +known. + +As governor of New York, which position he has occupied for the last +twenty months, first with a Democratic and later with a Republican +legislature, Mr. Cleveland has followed the same rule of official +conduct adopted for his guidance in other positions. Mindful of all +proper obligations to his own political party, he has never permitted +party demands to stand in the way of his duty to the public and the +State. Believing, to quote his own language, "in an open and sturdy +partisanship which secures the legitimate advantages of party +supremacy," he also believes that parties were made for the people, and +declares himself "unwilling, knowingly, to give assent to measures +purely partisan which will sacrifice or endanger the people's +interests." In the office of governor, as well as in that of mayor, he +has made vigorous but discriminate use of the veto power, and in the one +case, as in the other, it has invariably been found, upon candid +investigation, that his action has been taken under a profound sense of +the binding authority of the fundamental law, and with an unflinching +regard for the rights and interests of the whole people,--however +violent, at times, may have been the denunciation of demagogic +opponents, or clamorous the protests of those who sought merely +temporary advantages in particular directions, regardless of ultimate +results upon the general welfare. In this, as in other positions, his +general line of action has been such as to command the hearty approval +of patriotic men of all parties; and if he has incurred the hostility of +any, it has been through his opposition to the schemes of corrupt rings +and the purposes of selfish individuals, which he regarded detrimental +to the public good; or through his support of wholesome measures, +calculated to protect the body politic, and thwart their illegitimate +designs in other directions. + +And now, Grover Cleveland stands before the people of the whole country +the duly nominated candidate of the Democratic party for the highest +office in the gift of the Republic; while his candidacy is indorsed and +enthusiastically supported by tens of thousands of pure and unselfish +men of the opposite party, who see, through his election, the only hope +of a return to constitutional methods and honest practices in the +administration of the Federal Government, without which ere long the +complete and irremediable subversion and destruction of the government +itself will be accomplished. This candidacy comes not through his own +seeking. Grover Cleveland never sought an office in all his life. He has +consented to serve his fellow-citizens in public station only at their +solicitation and command. He has served them faithfully and well so far +as he has been called, and none need fear that, if called to still +higher responsibilities and a broader field of duty, he will not prove +equal to the emergency--equally true to himself and his trust. + +Grover Cleveland is a man "cast in nature's noblest mould." Of +commanding presence, with a physical development commensurate with his +mental powers, thoroughly democratic in habit and manner, accessible to +all, meeting the humblest and highest upon equal terms, sympathizing +heartily with the honest laborer in every field of action, frank and +outspoken in his opinions, hating hypocrisy and sham with all his soul, +fighting corruption and dishonesty wherever he finds them, respecting +the opinions and listening to the suggestions of others, but acting +invariably in accordance with his own convictions of right, he fills the +perfect measure of honest manhood; and whether he be President of the +American Republic, or simple citizen, he will never, it is safe to +assume, forfeit either his own self-respect, or the confident regard of +his fellow-men. + + * * * * * + +BOUNDARY LINES OF OLD GROTON.--IV. + +BY THE HON. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. + + +About this time it was proposed to form a new township from Groton, +Lancaster, and Harvard, including a small parcel of land, known as Stow +Leg, a strip of territory perhaps two hundred rods in width and a mile +in length, lying west of the Nashua river. This "Leg" had belonged +originally to Stow, but by the incorporation of Harvard had become +wholly detached from that town. The proposed township covered nearly the +same territory as that now occupied by Shirley. The attempt, however, +does not appear to have been successful. The following covenant, signed +by certain inhabitants of the towns interested in the movement, is on +file, and with it a rough plan of the neighborhood; but I find no other +allusion to the matter either in petitions or records. + + We the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the Extream Parts of + Groton Lancaster and Harvard as allso the Proprietors of the Land + belonging to the Town of Stow (which Land is Scituate, Lying and + being Between the Towns above said Namely Groton Lancaster and + Harvard) Do Covenant and Promise to and with Each other And We Do + Hereby of our own Free Will and Motion In the Exercise of Love and + Charity Towards one another with Mutual Consent in the strongest + Manner Binding our Selves the Subscribers each and every of us + Conjointly one to another (for the Gosples Sake) Firmly Covenanting + and Promising to and with Each other that we will as Speedely as + may be with Conveniency Petition the Several Towns to which we + Respectively belong and Likewise the Great and General Court That + we may be Erected or Incorporated into a Destinct and separate + Township of our Selves with those Lands within the Bounds and + Limits Here after Described viz Beginning at the River called + Lancaster [Nashua] River at the turning of Sd River Below the Brige + called John Whits Brige & Runing Northerly to Hell Pond and on + Still to the Line Betwixt Harvard and Groton Including John Farwell + then to Coyecus Brook Leaveing the Mills and Down Said Brook to the + River and down Said River to the Rye ford way then Runing Westerly + to the Northerly End of Horse Pond & so on to Luningburg Line, + Including Robert Henry & Daniel Page and then Runing Southerly + Extendig Beyound Luningburg So far Into Lancaster as that Running + Easterly the Place on which Ralph Kindal formerly Lived Shall be + Included and so on Running Easterly to the Turn in the River first + mentioned + + Moreover we Do Covenant Promise and Engage Truly and Faithfully + that will Consent to and Justifie any Petition that Shall be + Prefered in our names and behalf to our Respective Towns and to the + Great & General Court for the Ends and Purposes above Mentioned + + Furthermore we Do Covenant Promise and Engage as above that we will + advance money for and Pay all Such Reasonable and necessary Charges + that may arise in the Prosecuting and Obtaining our Said Petitions + and that we will Each and Every of us Respectively Endever to + Promote and Maintain Peace Unity Concord and Good Agreement + amoungst our Selves as Becometh Christians + + And now haveing thus Covenanted as above Said We Do Each and Every + one of us who have Hereunto Subscribed Protest and Declare that + Every Article and Parigraph and Thing Containd in the above Writen + Shall be Absolutely and Unacceptionably Binding in Manner and form + as above Declared and Shall So Continue upon and Against Each and + Every one of us untill we are Erected or Incorporated Into a + Township as above said or that Provedance Shall Remove us by Death + or Otherways any thing to the Contrary Notwithstanding + + Witness our Hands the Eight Day of December one Thousand Seven + Hundred and Fourty Seven and in the Twentieth Year Of His Majesties + Reign Georg the Secund King &c + + Harvard + + Richard hall + Jon'n Bigelow + Joseph Hutchins + Simeon Farnsworth + Timothy hall + Phenihas Farnsworth + Amos Russll + Johnathan--Read (His mark) + Jonathan Read iu + Abijah Willard + + Groton + Samuel Hazen + Joseph Preist + Samell flood + John pearce + Charles Richards + Daniel Page + John Longley jn'r + Abijah Willard + Manasser Divoll + John Osgood + Abijah Frost + John Peirce hous rite + + Lancaster + Henry Haskell + John Nicholls + Thomas Wright + William Willard + Joshua Johnson + Daniel Willard + Joseph Priest + William Farmer + Joseph Bond + Henry Willard + Benjamin Willard + Jacob Houghton + Corp Elias Sawyer + Amos Am Atherton (his mark) + + Stow + John Houghton Ju + John Sampson + Joseph Brown + Hannah Brown + Samuel Randal + Benjamin Samson + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXV., 220-222.] + +Hell Pond, mentioned in this covenant, is situated in the northwest part +of Harvard, and so called "from its amazing depth," says the Reverend +Peter Whitney, in the History of Worcester County (page 158). + +Two years after this covenant was signed, another attempt was made to +divide the town, but it did not succeed. The lines of the proposed +township included nearly the same territory as the present ones of +Shirley. The following references to the scheme are found, under their +respective dates, in the printed Journal of the House of +Representatives:-- + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, + praying they may be erected into a distinct and seperate Township + or Precinct, agreable to the Plan therewith exhibited, for the + Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petitioners serve the Town of + Lunenburg, and the first Parish in _Groton_, with Copies of this + Petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the 29th of + _December_ next, if the Court be then Sitting, if not on the first + Friday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 100), November 30, + 1749.] + + _Samuel Watts_, Esq; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_ and _Groton_, as entred the 30th of + _November_ last, and refer'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council + _December_ 29th 1749. Read again, with the Answer of the Town of + _Lunenburg_, and _Ordered_, That the Consideration of this Petition + be refer'd to the second Wednesday of the next Sitting of this + Court. Sent down for Concurrence. + + With a Petition from sundry Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_, praying to + be set off from said Town of _Leominster_. Pass'd in Council, _viz_ + In Council _December_ 29th 1749. Read and _Ordered_, That the + Petitioners serve the Town of _Lunenburg_, with a Copy of this + petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the second + Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 143), December 29, + 1749.] + + _John Chandler_, Esq; brought down the Petitions of _John Whitney_, + and others of the westerly Part of _Groton_, and the easterly Part + of the Town of _Lunenburgh_, and _Edward Hartwell_, Esq; and others + of said Town, Pass'd in Council, _-viz._ In Council _April_ 4th + 1750. _Ordered_, That _Samuel Watts, James Minot_, and _John Otis_, + Esqrs; with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee + to consider the Petitions above-mentioned, and the several Answers + thereto, hear the Parties, and report what they judge proper for + the Court to do thereon. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and concur'd, and Mr. _Rice_, Capt. _Livermore_, Col. + _Richards_, and Mr. _Daniel Pierce_, are joined in the Affair. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 214), April 5, + 1750.] + + _Joseph Wilder_, Esq., brought down the Report of a Committee of + both Houses, on the Petition of _John Whitney_, and others, as + entred the 30th of _November_ last, and refer'd. Signed _James + Minott_, per Order. + + Pass'd in Council, _viz._ In Council _June_ 21, 1750. Read and + _Voted_, That this Report be not accepted, and that the Petition of + _John Whitney_ and others therein refer'd to, be accordingly + dismiss'd, and that the Petitioners pay the Charge of the + Committee. + + Send down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 41), June 22, 1750.] + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of the westerly Part of _Groton_, + and the easterly Part of _Lunenburg_, praying that their Memorial + and Report thereon, which was dismiss'd the 22'd of _June_ last, + may be revived and reconsidered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That Mr. _Turner_, Mr. _Tyng_, and Major + _Jones_ with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a + Committee to take this Petition under Consideration, and report + what they judge proper to be done thereon. Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 76, 77), October 3, + 1750.] + + _John Greenleafe_, Esq.; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, as entred the 3d Currant, + and referr'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council _October_ 3d + 1750. Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That this Petition be + dismiss'd. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That the Petitioner serve the + Town of _Lunenburg_ with a Copy of this Petition, that they shew + Cause, if any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next + Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be + granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 93), October 9, + 1750.] + + A Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others of the Southwesterly Part + of _Groton_, praying that their Petition exhibited in _November_ + 1749 may be revived, and the Papers prefer'd at that Time again + considered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petition lie on the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 64), October 9, + 1751.] + + _Ordered_, That the Petition of _John Whitney_ and others of the + Southwesterly Part of _Groton_, lie upon the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 81), January 3, + 1752.] + + The Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others, as entred _October_ 9th + 1751, Inhabitants of the Southwesterly Part of _Groton_ and the + Eastwardly Part of _Lunenberg_, setting forth that in _November_ + 1749, they preferred a Petition to this Court, praying to be set + off from the Towns to which they belong, and made into a distant + [distinct?] and seperate Town and Parish, for the Reasons therein + mentioned; praying that the aforesaid Memorial and Petition, with + the Report of the said Committee thereon, and all the Papers + thereto belonging, may be revived, and again taken into + consideration. + + Read again, and the Question was put, _Whether the Prayer of the + Petition should be so far granted as that the petition and Papers + accompanying it should be revived_? + + It pass'd in the Negative. And _Voted_, That the Memorial be + dismiss'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 92), January 9, + 1753.] + +The discussion in regard to the division of the town resulted in setting +off the district of Shirley, on January 5, 1753, three months before the +district of Pepperell was formed. In the Act of Incorporation the name +was left blank, as it was in the one incorporating Pepperell, and +"Shirley" was filled in at the time of its engrossment. It was so named +after William Shirley, the governor of the province at that period. It +never was incorporated specifically as a town, but became one by a +general Act of the Legislature, passed on March 23, 1786. It was +represented, while a district, in the session of the General Court which +met at Watertown, on July 19, 1775, as well as in the Provincial +Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly acquired the powers and +privileges of a town, which were afterward confirmed by the act just +mentioned. + +The act for establishing the district of Shirley is as follows:-- + + Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Vicesimo Sexto. + + An Act for dividing the Town of Groton and making a District by the + Name of.... + + Whereas the Inhabitants of the Southwesterly part of the Town of + Groton by Reason of the Difficulties they labour under being remote + from the place of the publick worship of God have addressed this + Court to be Sett off a Separate District whereunto the Inhabitants + of Said Town have Manifested their Consent Be it therefore enacted + by the Lieutenant Governour Council and House of Representatives + that the Southwestwardly part of the Town of Groton Comprehended + within the following boundaries viz begining at the the [_sic_] + mouth of Squanacook River where it runs into Lancaster [Nashua] + River from thence up Said Lancaster River till it Comes to Land + belonging to the Township of Stow thence Westwardly bounding + Southwardly to said Stow Land tilll it comes to the Southwest + Corner of the Township of Groton thence Northwardly bounding + westwardly to Luningburgh and Townsend to Squanacook River + afores'd thence down said River and Joyning thereto to the mouth + thereof being the first bound--Be and hereby is Sett off from the + said Town of Groton and Erected into a Separate and Distinct + District by the name of ... and that the Inhabitants thereof be and + hereby are Vested with all the powers priviledges and Immunities + which the Inhabitants of any Town within this Province do or by law + ought to Enjoy Excepting only the Priviledge of choosing a + Representative to represent them in the Great & General Court, in + choosing of whom the Inhabitants of Said District Shall Joyn with + the Inhabitants of the Town of Groton, as heretofore has been + Usual, & also in paying said Representative + + Provided nevertheless the Said District Shall pay their + proportionable part of all such Town County Parish and Province + Charges as are already Assessed upon the Town of Groton in like + manner as though this Act had never been made. + + And Be it further Enacted that M'r Jn'o. Whitney be and hereby is + impowred to Issue his Warrant directed to Some principal Inhabitant + in s'd District requireing Him to Notifie & warn the Inhabitants of + S'd District qualified by law to vote in Town affairs to meet at + Such Time & place as shall be therein Set forth to Choose all such + officers as Shall be Necessary to manage the affairs of s'd + District + + In the House of Rep'ives June 4, 1752 + + Read three several times and pass'd to be Engross'd + + T. HUBBARD Spk'r. + + Sent up for concurrence + + In Council Nov'r. 28, 1752 Read a first Time 29 a second Time and + pass'd a Concurrence + + THO's. CLARKE Dp'ty Secry. + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXVI., 293, 294.] + +This act did not take effect until January 5, 1753, when it was signed +by the governor. + +On June 3, 1771, thirty years after Groton Gore had been lost by the +running of the provincial line, the proprietors of the town held a +meeting, and appointed Lieutenant Josiah Sawtell, Colonel John Bulkley, +and Lieutenant Nathaniel Parker, a committee to petition the General +Court for a grant of land to make up for this loss. They presented the +matter to that body on June 7, and the following entry in the records +gives the result:-- + + The Committee on the Petition of _Josiah Sartel_, and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Whereas it appears to this Court, That the + Proprietors aforesaid, had a Grant made to them by the General + Court in_ April 1735, _of Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred Acres of + Land, in Consideration of Land taken from said_ Groton _by_ + Littleton, _Major_ Willard _and_ Read's _Farms being prior Grants, + and for their extraordinary Suffering in the former Indian Wars and + in_ June 1736 _said Grant was confirmed to said Proprietors, since + which Time, the said Proprietors have been entirely dispossessed of + said Land by the running of the Line between this Province and_ + New-Hampshire: _And whereas it appears there has been no + Compensation made to the said Proprietors of_ Groton, _for the + Lands lost as aforesaid, excepting Three Thousand Acres granted in_ + November _last_, to James Prescot, William Prescot, _and_ Oliver + Prescot _for their Proportion thereof_. Therefore _Resolved_, That + in Lieu thereof, there be granted to the Proprietors of _Groton_, + their Heirs and Assigns forever, Seven Thousand and Eight Hundred + Acres of the unappropriated Lands belonging to this Province, in + the Western Part of the Province, to be layed out adjoining to some + former Grant, and that they return a Plan thereof, taken by a + Surveyor and Chainmen under Oath into the Secretary's Office, + within twelve Months for Confirmation. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 44), June 13, 1771.] + +These conditions, as recommended by the report of the committee, appear +to have been fulfilled, and a grant was accordingly made. It lay on the +eastern border of Berkshire county, just south of the central part, and +was described as follows:-- + + The Committee on a Plan of a Tract of Land granted to the + Proprietors of _Groton_, reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That the Plan hereunto annexed, + containing three Thousand nine Hundred and sixty Acres of Province + Land, laid out in Part to satisfy a Grant made by the Great and + General Court at their Sessions in _June_ 1771, to the Proprietors + of Groton, in Lieu of Land they lost by the late running of the + _New-Hampshire_ Line, as mention'd in their Petition, laid out in + the County of _Berkshire_, and is bounded as followeth, viz. + Beginning at a Burch Tree and Stones laid round it the Southwest + Corner of _Tyringham-Equivalent_ Lands standing on the East Branch + of _Farmington_ River; then North eighteen Degrees East in the West + Line of said _Equivalent_ five Hundred and sixty-one Rods to a + small Beach Tree and Stones laid round it, which Tree is the + Southeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Woolcut's_ Grant; then + running West eighteen Degrees North in the South Line of said Grant + two Hundred and forty Rods to a Beach Tree marked I.W. and Stones + laid round it, which is the Southwest Corner of said Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East in the West Line of said Grant + four Hundred Rods to a Heap of Stones which is the Northwest Corner + of said Grant; then running East eighteen Degrees South two Hundred + and forty Rods in the North Line of said Grant to a large Hemlock + Tree and Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of + said Grant; it is also the Northwest Corner of said _Equivalent_, + and the Southwest Corner of a Grant called _Taylors_ Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East one Hundred and sixty Rods in + the West Line of said _Taylors_ Grant to the Northwest Corner of + the same; then running East nine Degrees South in the Line of said + _Taylors_ Grant eight Hundred Rods to a Stake and Stones standing + in the West Line of _Blanford_, marked W.T. then running North + eighteen Degrees East in said _Blanford_ West Line five Hundred and + thirty Rods to a Beach Tree and Stones laid round it which is the + Northwest Corner of said _Blanford_; then running East ten Degrees + South forty-two Rods in the North Line of said _Blanford_ to a + Stake and Stones which is the Southwest Corner of _Merryfield_; + then running North ten Degrees East in said _Merryfield_ West Line + three Hundred and three Rods to a Heap of Stones the Southeast + Corner of _Becket_; then running West two Degrees South in said + _Becket_ South Line four Hundred and twenty-six Rods to the + Northeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Belcher's_ Grant; then + running South in the East Line of said _Belchers_ Grant two Hundred + and sixteen Rods to a small Maple Tree marked T.R. which is the + Northwest Corner of a Grant of Land called _Rand's_ Grant; then + running East in the North Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred + and fifty Rods to a Hemlock Pole and Stones laid round it, which is + the Northeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running South in + the East Line of said _Rand's_ Grant three Hundred and thirty-one + Rods to a Hemlock Tree marked and Stones laid round it, which is + the Southeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running West in + the South Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to + a Beach Pole marked T.R. the Southwest Corner of said _Rand's_ + Grant; then running North in the West Line of said _Rand's_ Grant + eighty-three Rods to the Southeast Corner of said _Belcher's_ + Grant; then running West bounding North three Hundred and + forty-eight on said _Belcher's_ Grant and four Hundred and + fifty-three Rods on a Grant called _Chandler's_ Grant, then running + North on the West Line of said _Chandler's_ Grant four Hundred and + sixty to said _Becket's_ South Line; then running West in said + _Becket_ South Line twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the North + West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the Four _Housatonick_ + Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand four + Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional + Lands to the Place where the said East Line crosses said + _Farmington_ River; then Southerly or down Stream three Hundred and + thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly on said River, + be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the + Proprietors of _Groton_ aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. + _Provided_ the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, + nor interfere with any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183). April + 24, 1772.] + +I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the +proprietors. Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and +Oliver Prescott, acting for themselves, had petitioned the General Court +for a tract of land to make up their own losses. They were the sons of +the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose influence and agency the +original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the largest +proprietors of the town. The following extracts from the Journal of the +House relate to their application:-- + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, and others, Children and Heirs of + _Benjamin Prescot_, late of _Groton_, Esq; deceased, praying a + Grant of the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in + consideration of sundry Tracts which they have lost by the late + running of the Line between this Government and _New-Hampshire_. + + Read and committed to Col. _Clap_, Col. _Nickols_, Col. _Williams_ + of _Roxbury_, Col. _Buckminster_, and Mr. _Lancaster_, to consider + and Report. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12, + 1764.] + +On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but +I do not find that it came up for consideration at that time. It does +not appear again for some years. + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, praying that a + Grant of Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which + falls within the _New-Hampshire_ Line. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2, + 1770.] + +This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel +Holten, of Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua +Bigelow, of Worcester. + + The Committee on the Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That in Lieu of Lands mentioned + in the Petition, there be granted to the Petitioners, their Heirs + and Assigns, Four Thousand Four Hundred Acres of the unappropriated + Lands belonging to the Province, to be laid out in the Westerly + Part thereof, adjoining to some former Grants, provided they can + find the same; or Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Acres of + the unappropriated Lands lying on the Easterly side of _Saco_ + River; it being their Proportion in said Grant: And return a Plan + thereof taken by a Surveyor and Chainman under Oath, into the + Secretary's Office within Twelve Months. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 156), November 14, + 1770.] + +The Committee appointed to consider the Plan of two Tracts of Land +granted to _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, reported. + + Read and accepted. _Resolved_, That both the above Plans, the one + containing Four Thousand one Hundred and thirty Acres, the other + containing two Hundred and seventy Acres, delineated and described + as is set forth by the Surveyor in the Description thereof hereunto + annexed, be accepted, and hereby is confirmed to _James Prescot_, + Esq; and others named in their Petition, and to their Heirs and + Assigns in Lieu of and full Satisfaction for Four Thousand four + Hundred Acres of Land lost by the late running of the Line between + this Province and _New-Hampshire_, as mention'd in a Grant made by + both Houses of the Assembly, A.D. 1765, but not consented to by the + Governor. _Provided_ both said Plans together do not exceed the + Quantity of Four Thousand four Hundred Acres, nor interfere with + any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 73), June 22, 1771.] + +It is evident from these reports that the Prescott brothers took the +forty-four hundred acres in the westerly part of the province, rather +than the fifty-eight hundred and eighty acres on the easterly side of +the Saco river, though I have been unable to identify, beyond a doubt, +the tract of land thus granted. I am inclined to think however, that it +is the one mentioned in the Memorial of the One Hundredth Anniversary of +the Incorporation of Middlefield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1883. The +town is situated on the westerly border of Hampshire County,--forming a +jog into Berkshire,--and was made up in part of Prescott's Grant. A map +is given in the "Memorial" volume (page 16) which shows that the Grant +was originally in Berkshire county, very near to the tract of land given +to the proprietors of Groton. + +Professor Edward P. Smith, of Worcester, delivered an historical address +on the occasion of the anniversary, and he says:-- + + Prescott's Grant, the nucleus of the town, appears as a large + quadrilateral, containing more than a thousand acres in the north + and west part of the town. Who the Prescott was to whom the grant + was made is not known, further than that he must have been some one + who had rendered military or other services to the State. That he + was the Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill is, indeed, possible; + but, as the grant was probably made before the Revolutionary War, + that supposition seems hardly tenable. (Page 15.) + +By an act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793, a large +section of territory was taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. +This change produced a very irregular boundary between the two towns, +and made, according to Butler's History of Groton (page 66), more than +eighty angles in the line, causing much inconvenience. The following +copy from the "Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" gives the +names of the families thus transferred:-- + + An Act to set off _Caleb Woods_, and others, from _Groton_, and to + annex them to _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Caleb Woods, Silas Blood, Amaziah Swallow, Nathaniel Cummings, + Ebenezer Procter, Silas Blood_, jun. _Silas Marshall, Levi Parker, + Amos Woods, Isaac Lawrence, Peter Blood, Caleb Blood_, jun. _Henry + Blood, Caleb Woods_, jun. and _Silas Marshall_, jun., together with + their families and estates, and also the estates of Doctor _Jonas + Marshall_, the heirs of Captain _Solomon Woods_, deceased, and + _Joseph Parkhurst_, which they now own in said _Groton_, be, and + they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_, in the county of + _Middlesex_, and annexed to _Dunstable_, in said county, and shall + hereafter be considered a part of the same, there to do duty and + receive privileges, as the other inhabitants of said _Dunstable. + Provided, nevertheless_, That the persons above-mentioned shall pay + all taxes that have been legally assessed on them by said + _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had never been passed. + + [This act passed _February_ 25, 1793.] + +The zigzag line caused by this act was somewhat modified by the two +following ones, passed at different times a few years later. I think +that the very irregular boundary between the two towns, with its +eighty-six angles, as mentioned by Mr. Butler, was produced by the +subsequent annexations to Dunstable. + + An Act to set of _Nathaniel Lawrence with_ his Estate, from the + Town of _Groton_, and annex them to the Town of _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Nathaniel Lawrence_ of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, + together with his estate, which he now owns in that town, be, and + hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, and annexed to the + town of _Dunstable_, in the same county; and shall hereafter be + considered as part of the same; there to do duty and receive + privileges as other inhabitants of said town of _Dunstable: + Provided nevertheless_, That the said _Nathaniel Lawrence_ shall be + holden to pay all taxes that have been legally assessed on him by + said town of _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had not + been passed. + + [This act passed _January_ 26, 1796.] + + An act to set off Willard Robbins with his estate from the town of + _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Dunstable_, in the same county. + + Sec. 1. BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, + in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_. That + Willard Robbins, of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, with + his estate, be, and hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, + and annexed to the town of _Dunstable_, in said county, there to do + duty and receive privileges in the same manner as other inhabitants + of the said town of _Dunstable_. + + Sec. 2. _And be it further enacted_, That the said Willard Robbins + shall be holden to pay and discharge all legal assessments and + taxes, that have been assessed upon him by said town of _Groton_ + prior to the passing this act. + + [This act passed _June_ 18, 1803.] + +The boundary between the two towns now remained unchanged until February +15, 1820, when another act was passed by the Legislature making a +further surrender of territory. It took a considerable parcel of land +and gave it to Dunstable, thereby straightening and simplifying the +jurisdictional line, which at this time formed but five angles. + +In the autumn of 1794 a plan of Groton, Pepperell, and Shirley was made +by Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., which gives a few interesting facts. The +following notes are taken from the copy now in the office of the +Secretary of State. It will be seen that Dr. Prescott refers to the land +set off by the Act of February 25, 1793:-- + + This Plan contains the Bounds of three Towns, viz. Groton, + Pepperrell & Shirley,--all which, together with whatsoever is + delineated on said Plan, was taken by an actual Survey, agreeably + to a resolve of the General Court, passed June 25, 1794, & under + the Inspection of the Selectmen & Committee's from the respective + towns, appointed for that purpose in the month of Sept'r. 1794. + + By OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. Surveyor. + + The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is + Thirty two Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua + is from 8 to 10 rods in width. The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods + in width. In Groton are twenty natural Ponds, six of which are + delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey. Several of the other + Ponds are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the + whole contain about two Thousand Acres. There are no Mines in said + Town, except one of Iron Ore, nearly exhausted. Every other Matter + directed to be delineated, described or specifyed, may be found on + the Plan. + + SAM'll LAWRENCE } + ZACH'h FITCH } Committee. + OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju'r.} + + The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven + miles; from Boston forty Miles. + + The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width. + + The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five + Miles; & from Boston thirty Eight Miles. + + Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width. The + Plan contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns + necessary to be described. + + OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. + + What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of + Land set off from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, + passed February 25, 1793. As by said Act, the petitioners and their + Farms were set off, without specifying particular bounds, Accuracy + cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without very great + expence and Trouble. + +By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory +lying on the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner +of Groton, was annexed to Shirley. This tract continued to form a part +of Shirley until the incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when +its political condition was again changed, and its government +transferred to the new town. The act authorizing the annexation is as +follows,--and I give it entire in order to show the loose way of +describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:-- + + An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of _Groton_, and + annex the same to the town of _Shirley_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + tract of Land at the south western extremity of the town of + _Groton_, bounded by a line beginning at a large white oak stump, + on the southeast side of _Nashua River_, being the northwest corner + of the town of _Harvard_; thence running southeasterly on _Harvard_ + line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a + pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town + line; thence northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to + _Harvard_ at SIMON DABY'S southerly corner, thence northeasterly on + said SIMON DABY'S line to a pine tree marked, thence northerly to a + heap of stones on a ledge of rocks; thence northerly on said SIMON + DABY'S line to a heap of stones on a large rock; thence + northwesterly still on said SIMON DABY'S line to a stake and stones + in the roots of a pine tree, fallen down, in a valley, said SIMON + DABY'S northeast corner and SAMUEL CHASE'S southerly corner, thence + northerly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line, to the road leading to ABIL + MORSE'S mill, at a heap of stones on the north easterly side of + said road, thence northeasterly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line by said + road to a heap of stones, thence northeasterly on said CHASE'S + line, to a stake and stones at the end of a ditch at a brook; + thence down said brook to _Nashua River_, thence up said river, to + the bounds first mentioned, together with the inhabitants thereof, + be, and they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_ and + annexed to the town of _Shirley_, there to do duty and receive + privileges in the same manner as other lands and inhabitants of the + said town of _Shirley_. + + SECT. 2. _Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted_, That + the said tract of land and the inhabitants thereof shall be liable + to be taxed by the town of _Groton_, their full proportion in a tax + to the amount of the debts now due from said town of _Groton_, in + the same manner as if this act had not been passed: _Provided_ such + tax be made and assessed within one year from the time of passing + this act; and shall also be liable to pay their proportion of all + state taxes that may be assessed on the town of _Groton_ until a + new valuation be taken. + + [This act passed _February_ 6, 1798.] + +All the changes of territorial jurisdiction thus far noted have been in +one direction,--from Groton to the surrounding towns; but now the tide +turns, and for a wonder she received, by legislative enactment, on +February 3, 1803, a small parcel of land just large enough for a +potato-patch. The annexation came from Pepperell, and the amount +received was four acres and twenty rods in extent. The following is a +copy:-- + + An act to set off a certain parcel of land from the town of + _Pepperell_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Groton_, in the same county. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + certain tract of land, bounded, beginning at the end of a wall by + the road leading by Zachariah Fitch's, in said _Groton_; thence + running easterly, by land of Jonas Fitch, to the _Nashua River_, + (so called;) thence up said river to said road, near the bridge + over the same river; thence, bounding by the same road, to the + bounds first mentioned, containing four acres and twenty rods, be, + and hereby is set off from said town of _Pepperell_ and annexed to + said town of _Groton_ forever. + + [This act passed _February_ 3, 1803.] + +The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was opened through the township of +Groton in the month of December, 1848. It ran at that time a distance of +eight miles through its territory, keeping on the east side of the +Nashua river, which for a considerable part of the way was the dividing +line between Groton and Pepperell. The railroad station for the people +of Pepperell was on the Groton side of the river, and in the course of a +few years a small village sprang up in the neighborhood. All the +interests and sympathies of this little settlement were with Pepperell; +and under these circumstances the Legislature, on May 18, 1857, passed +an act of annexation, by which it became in reality what it was in +sentiment,--a part and parcel of that town. The first section of the act +is as follows:-- + + An act to set off a part of the Town of Groton, and annex the same + to the Town of Pepperell. + + _Be it enacted, &c., as follows_: + + All that part of the town of Groton, in the county of Middlesex, + with the inhabitants thereon, lying north of the following + described line is hereby set off from the town of Groton, and + annexed to the town of Pepperell, to wit: Beginning at the boundary + between said town of Groton and the town of Dunstable, at a stone + monument in the wall on land of Elbridge Chapman and land of Joseph + Sanderson, and running south, eighty-six degrees west, about six + hundred and sixty rods, to a stone monument at the corner of land + called the "Job Shattuck Farm," and land of James Hobart, near the + Nashua River and Worcester and Nashua Railroad; thence in same line + to the centre of Nashua River and the boundary of said town of + Pepperell: _provided, however_, that for the purpose of electing a + representative to the general court, the said territory shall + continue to be a part of the town of Groton, until a new + apportionment for representatives is made; and the inhabitants + resident therein shall be entitled to vote in the choice of such + representatives, and shall be eligible to the office of + representative in the town of Groton, in the same manner as if this + act had not been passed. + +[Illustration: Map of Groton Plantation in 1884] + +The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original +grant--and perhaps the last for many years to come--is the Act of +February 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This +enactment took from Groton a large section of territory lying near its +southern borders, and from Shirley all that part of the town on the +easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to it from Groton on +February 6, 1798. + +Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of more than two +centuries, been hewed and hacked down to less than one-half of its +original dimensions. It has furnished, substantially, the entire +territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, and has contributed more or +less largely to form five other towns. An examination of the +accompanying map will show these changes more clearly than any verbal or +written description. + + * * * * * + +SAILS. + + + The ship's white sails are all unfurl'd + To the salt breath of the sea; + And never a ship in all the world + Sails on with the wind more free. + + For the white sails are white hopes of youth, + The breath of the future blows; + But whither the vessel flies, in truth, + There is no man that knows. + + * * * * * + +ELIZABETH.[1] + +A ROMANCE OF COLONIAL DAYS. + +BY FRANCES C. SPARHAWK, Author of "A Lazy Man's Work." + +[Footnote 1: 1884, by Frances C. Sparhawk.] + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +ON THE TIDE. + + +One August evening of the year 1743 a boat lay as if anchored in the +beautiful Piscataqua; her sail seemed swung only to show its whiteness +in the bright moonlight. Every cord upon it hung lifeless, serving only +the purpose of pictured lines, one silvered in the light, the dark +shadow of the other traced in clear outlines on the sail. The swash of +the waves against the side of the boat was too slight to sway it; the +sheet dipped in the water and swung almost imperceptibly, while now and +then a few straws floated against it and caught there. The moon, high in +the heavens, gave pearly tints to the clouds that floated near it; the +pines on the shore flung dark masses against the oaks and maples, or +stood as a Rembrandt background for the boughs of the trees on which the +moonlight fell, or for some ghostly procession of the white birch +trunks. The water, in the shadows as dark and smooth as a Claude +Lorraine glass, showed far off in the moonlight faint quivers of its +surface here and there, as if the breeze so longed for were coming to +the idle boat. But it was too far off, or too faint, for it spent itself +before reaching the watchers there, although at the symptoms one of them +rose with great show of solemnity, and making a trumpet of his hands, +blew vigorously against the sail. But neither these movements nor the +concerts of whistling were successful. At last another of the company +leaning over the side of the boat busied himself with the sheet. + +"I'll tell you the reason this boat don't go," he said, gravely, "the +rope was all twisted. I've straightened it out, and taken off the +straws." + +A burst of laughter greeted him as he turned around his face, still +grave, but his dark eyes, roving from one to another, their laughing +expression hidden in the shadow, for the moon was behind him. + +"What a useful member of society you are, Stephen," cried Katie +Archdale. "I don't see how we could get on without you." + +"I don't think we're getting on with him _very_ fast," remarked a young +gentleman sitting opposite Katie, pointing significantly at a curve of +the shore that they had not drifted out of sight of in the last half +hour. + +"At least he has roused us," returned the girl, "for I half believe I +was sleepy before." + +"I believe it wholly," answered Stephen, taking his seat beside her +again and looking down into her face teazingly with a cousinly freedom. +But it was not altogether a cousinly regard from which Katie drew back +after a moment, tossing her head coquettishly, and with a heightened +color, glancing past at her friend beyond him, who sat dipping one hand +in the water and looking dreamily at the shore. Stephen Archdale and his +cousin Katie lived within a few miles of each other, and there had +always been constant intercourse between their families. When boy and +girl, Stephen, four years the elder, the two had played together, and +they had grown up, as people said, like brother and sister. But of late +it was rumored that the conduct of young Archdale was more loverlike +than brotherly, and that, if Katie choose, the tie between them would +one day be closer than that of cousinhood. The stranger who sat opposite +Archdale, watching them both in silence, was of the same opinion. He was +rather portly for his age, which could not have been over thirty, and as +he sat in the boat he looked a taller man than he proved to be when on +his feet. His dark-brown beard was full, his eyes, like Archdale's, were +in shadow, for he had drawn down his hat well over his brows, while +Stephen and young Waldo sat bareheaded in the August air. + +"I wonder"--began Katie. + +"A sturgeon!" cried Mrs. Eveleigh, the last member of the party. + +But the sound proved the soft dip of the paddle in the water as a canoe +came toward them going down the stream. Its Indian occupant when he shot +by turned his gaze stealthily upon the gay party. + +"How many more of your red savages are there coming to spy upon us?" And +the speaker pushed back his hat a trifle, and looked up and down the +river with an anxiety that he could not quite conceal. + +"You've not been out here long enough," laughed Waldo. "There's no +danger; the red savages are friendly with us just at this moment, and +will remain so until we forget our rifles some day, or they learn that +we're short of ammunition. Shoot 'em down without mercy whenever they +come spying about--it's the only way. They're friendly so long as they +are afraid, and not a moment longer. For instance, why should that +fellow stop? He saw three men whom he knew were armed, besides that +young man who's pretending to sail the boat--why don't you do it, Kit?" +and Waldo laughed good-humoredly at the lad whose office had become a +sinecure. "When you get used to them, Mr. Harwin," he added, "they will +not make you shiver." + +"Oh, they don't do that now," returned the other, indifferently, "but, +the ladies"-- + +"As to the ladies," laughed Katie, "one of them is quite fond of the +red-skins; the other," glancing at her friend, "has gone into a brown +study; I don't believe she's heard or seen anything for the last half +hour. Elizabeth, when you fish up any pearls there out of the water, +share them with us, won't you?" + +"No, she'll do no such thing," interposed Mistress Eveleigh; "she'll +give them all to you." The tone was so serious that Elizabeth cried, +indignantly,-- + +"Cousin Patience, how can you?" + +"I suppose she likes to tease you," retorted Katie, still laughing, "and +so do I. It's so funny to see you wake out of a revery and find +yourself." + +"And not find myself, you mean," returned Elizabeth, joining in with a +ripple of merriment. + +"Master Waldo knows all about the red-skins," said Archdale to his +opposite neighbor; "he had the pleasure of shooting one last winter." + +"Did you?" exclaimed Mrs. Eveleigh, while Harwin looked at the young +fellow with a new interest. "How did it happen? Tell us about it." + +"Yes, tell us about it," cried Katie, turning toward Waldo. But +Elizabeth was still looking at Archdale. Suppose the shooting had been +necessary, how could he speak of killing a human being as he would an +animal, and then lean back and look at Mr. Waldo with a smile on his +face? + +Kenelm Waldo, on his part, gazed at the speaker in astonishment. + +"'Pon honor," he cried, "I never killed a red-skin in my life, or even +had a shot at one. Oh, I know now what he means; he is talking of a fox +that I shot two miles from his house, one that you ought to have secured +yourself, Mr. Archdale. This was the way I did it, the best way." + +When he had finished his account, Katie said:-- + +"I have a plan for amusing ourselves. Let us make every one tell a +story, and we'll lay forfeits on the person that doesn't give us an +interesting one. Mistress Eveleigh, please begin." + +"That is rather arbitrary, Mistress Katie, with no warning," returned +that lady, smiling. "But since we've been talking about the Indians, I +will tell you something that my mother did once before she was married, +while she was living down on the Cape." + +"What a pity, Katie, you did not keep Mistress Eveleigh until the last," +cried Archdale; "I know she will have the best story of us all." + +"You have too high estimation of my powers," returned Mrs. Eveleigh, +flattered; "but if I do well," she added, "it must be remembered that +none of you have had forty-five years in which to find one." + +The story, like a thousand others of that time, was of the presence of +mind and courage of one of the early settlers of America, and was +listened to with the attention it deserved. All, with one exception, +were outspoken in admiration of its heroine. + +"You say nothing, Mistress Royal," said Waldo; "but it may be you've +heard it before, since you and Mistress Eveleigh are in the same house." + +"Yes," she answered, "I have heard it before." She moved her head +quickly as she spoke, and as the moonlight struck her face, Archdale +fancied that he saw a moist brightness in her eyes. But certainly no +tear fell, and when the next moment Katie declared it Elizabeth's turn +for a story, she told some trifling anecdote that had in it neither +sentiment nor heroism. It was laughable though, and was about to receive +its deserts of praise when at Archdale's first word Elizabeth cried, +eagerly:-- + +"Don't, please. It was not worth telling; only I could remember nothing +else." + +At this entreaty Harwin stared at her, and his lip curled disdainfully +under the hand that partially covered his face. "Have you so much wealth +of fascination, young lady," his thoughts ran, "that you can afford to +scatter your coins in this way? I rather think not." His eyes rested +upon her for a moment as she sat looking at Katie Archdale, and the +scorn of his mouth deepened. "Admiration of one woman for another," he +commented. "Pshaw! the girl lavishes everything; she will soon be +bankrupt. She is drinking in the intoxication of Katie's beauty just +as--no, not like me, of course. If ever there could be excuse for such a +thing it would be here, for Katie is bewitching, she is perfect; +affectionate, too, but with no nonsense about _her_. She reserves her +admiration for--for whom does she reserve it? For the proud young nabob +beside her, or for the good-humored little coxcomb over here? It shall +be for neither; it shall be for me. I, too, can be fascinating when I +take the trouble. Fair lady, I have plans for you." + +"Master Harwin," cried the girl's clear voice, interrupting his +thoughts, "why don't you begin? We're waiting for you." + +"Pardon me," he answered, "I was not aware of it. Well, since you are +inexorable, I'll try. I will not attempt anything in this New World, +which you all know so much more about than I do, for then there'd be +every chance of my being heavily fined. But if you want a story of Old +England, perhaps on that ground I can barely escape my forfeit." + +"We shall be delighted," said Miss Royal, courteously, for Katie, to +whom she saw that he was speaking, was at the moment claimed by +Archdale; he was saying something to her in a low voice, and she gave +him willing attention. + +Only a flash in the narrator's eyes as he began showed that he noticed +this. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +OPPORTUNITY. + + +"Once upon a time, then," he said, "in Scotland, no matter in what part, +there dwelt two disconsolate people. They ought to have been very happy, +for they were lovers, but, as you may have noticed, lovers are happy +only under the condition that love runs smooth, and here it was +extremely rough. The suitor was of ancient family and poor, the lady was +charming, and wilful--and an heiress? You are all waiting to hear me say +that--no, she was poor, too. And so you see that a doubling of +impecuniosity was quite impossible, for poverty rolls up fast in a +geometrical progression. But the lovers had no such scruples. It's a +romantic story enough if I could tell it to you in detail." + +"And why not?" cried Katie, whose interest was making him wish that +were possible. + +"I should have to go back for generations, and tell you of family feuds +as old as the families themselves, a Montague and Capulet state of +affairs, although each family had so much respect for the golden +amenities of life that its possession by the other would have softened +the asperity of feeling. But each was poor,--poor, I mean, for people in +that station. + +"The lady, as I said, was a beauty; the gentleman had extra will enough +when it was roused to make up for the absence of beauty, although, +indeed, the lady was not lacking in that quality either, and so, +opposition made them only more determined to have their own way. It was +impossible to run away,--she was too well guarded; defiance was the only +thing, and I must confess that from what I knew of them both, I think +they enjoyed it. The Capulets, as I will call them, were dissenters, the +Montagues belonged to the Established Church. Now, the Capulets were +very zealous, and at this time a famous itinerant preacher came into +their neighborhood. They, being the greatest people in the place, +invited him to stay at their house during his visit. He often preached +in the open air. One day, at the end of one of those eloquent +discourses, a young man in countryman's dress came up and asked him to +marry himself and a young woman whom he had been waiting upon a long +time, but who had refused to be married unless this very preacher could +perform the ceremony. 'She said it would be a blessed wedlock of your +joining,' pursued the young fellow. The preacher, although he was a +great man, was only human,--it is well, I suppose, that we never outgrow +our humanity,--and felt flattered by the young girl's belief in his +sanctity. He proposed the next day for the ceremony, and was arranging +to marry the rustic couple on the lawn before the house of his host when +the young man interrupted him by stating that it must be gone through +with immediately, for his lady-love was so shy that it was with +difficulty she had been persuaded to come to-night, and she would never +consent if he gave her all that time to think the matter over in, nor +would she be willing to come up on the lawn with the great people. She +was at hand with one of her friends; everything was prepared; would he +marry them then? At that moment? The bewildered minister looked up the +road before him, where the carriage of the Capulets was disappearing at +the top of the hill; he had been told that the daughter would remain +with him, and that the carriage would return as soon as Mamma Capulet +had made inquiries about a cottager who was ill; for his congregation +had been crowding about him with questions and tearful confessions of +sins, and the good Capulets, who had the opportunity to make their +confessions in private, were in haste to be gone. Where was his fair +companion? He looked about him; he had lost sight of her in the throng. +But in a few moments she came forward, accompanying the bride, who the +groom explained was a protégée of hers. Miss Capulet had drawn down her +veil, and in answer to this statement nodded to the reverend gentleman +and murmured an assent. The bride's face, too, was hidden by her bonnet +and by her shyness, which prevented her from once looking up. The name +of the groom lingered with surprise on the minister's lips, for it was +not a clodhopper's name, I assure you; but he had heard nothing of the +love affair. When he came to the bride's name, however, he did pause, +for it was that of the Capulet. 'How is this?' he asked. 'How has she +the same name as you, my child?' Before the veiled lady could answer, +the groom informed him that the bride's family, being old retainers of +the other, had the same last name, as it was in Scottish clans, and that +the bride herself, born on the same day as the young lady at the great +house, had received also the same Christian name, which explained her +being under Miss Capulet's protection. The good man was conscious that, +though his piety was eminent, his knowledge of all genealogy but Bible +was deficient, and when both women softly assented to this statement, +his air of perplexity gave place to the manner of a man who understands +the business of the hour. He was in a hurry, and in an incredibly short +time the two were one. 'Is it all over?' asked the groom. 'Are we +securely married?' 'You are joined in the holy bonds of matrimony until +death do you part,' returned the clergyman, solemnly, beginning to add +his blessing. But this died half-uttered on his lips, for the bride +slowly raised her head, threw back her bonnet, and the haughty face and +laughing eyes of the Capulet were before him. 'Bear witness,' she said, +her shyness completely gone, 'that I'm this gentleman's wife.' 'You are, +indeed,' he stammered. 'But how--why--who is this?' and he reached out a +trembling hand toward the veiled lady. 'My maid,' returned the bride; +'she came here like one of the cottagers, and we exchanged gowns while +you were talking to the people.' 'I hope, I sincerely hope, it's all +right,' returned the poor man; 'but if I had known, I would have spoken +to your honored parent, first.' 'Yes, I'm sure of that,' she laughed, +'and then we should not have been so happy.' At the moment a post-chaise +drove up, into which the bridal pair and the servant made haste to get. +'Pardon me that I cannot accompany you home,' laughed the lady, leaning +out to give the minister her hand in farewell. 'You cannot know how +grateful to you we are. I shall never be able to reward you; I can only +give you my thanks and prayers--and be sure to tell them at home how +firmly you have married us.' The chaise drove off, and the good man was +left alone. He felt inclined to think that he had been dreaming, until +he looked down and saw in his hand a purse of gold pieces that the groom +had slipped into it, whispering, 'If you refuse for yourself, be my +almoner and give it to the poor.' Before the preacher had recovered his +wits the carriage of the Capulets reappeared. The lovers, however, did +not re-appear for two years, and by that time Montague had unexpectedly +fallen heir to a fortune and a title, and was received with open arms by +the new relatives. In our days it's always the one who was not the +prodigal who has the fatted calf killed for him." + + +"I'm afraid the poor minister was not very welcome when he had told his +story," said Elizabeth. + +"Clever enough, on my word," cried Archdale. + +"Not quite to your liking, I fancy, though," answered Harwin. + +"Do you think he would have had the wedding indoors, in the teeth of +everybody?" laughed Katie. + +Harwin assented, adding that he felt convinced that Master Archdale +would have insisted upon all the accompaniments of a grand wedding at +any cost. + +"Yes, I shall have that when my time comes," returned Stephen, looking +straight before him a trifle haughtily. But Harwin noticed that directly +his eyes fell in passing back to their watching of the shore, and that +one sweeping glance was given to Katie. + +"But can people be married in such an instant?" asked Waldo. "I always +thought it was a work of time--rather a formidable piece of business." + +"Oh! when you come to two or three ministers of the Church of England, +and the benedictions, and all that, so it is," said Harwin; "but the +real business part is an affair of--I was going to say less than a +minute." He sat silent after this, with his head bent, then, lifting it +suddenly, before anybody had spoken, he fixed his glance, with a musing +expression, upon Waldo. "I was wondering if I could remember the +formula," he said; "I think I can. Mistress Royal, allow Master Archdale +to take your hand a moment, if you please." + +Elizabeth made no responsive movement, and Archdale, for an instant, +failed to turn toward her. He had been looking at Katie while Harwin was +speaking; but Katie drew back, hastily. + +"Oh, do, Elizabeth!" she cried. "I want to see what it is like; do try +with Stephen, and let us hear." As she spoke, Archdale turned toward +Elizabeth, courteously. + +"Come, Mistress Royal," he said, as Harwin was explaining that he had +asked her because she happened to be on the proper side for a bride, +"let us make an effective tableau for the amusement of these mariners, +who, since they are becalmed themselves, persist in wanting something +going on." + +Elizabeth had heard the entreaty in Katie's light words. She knew that +if she herself had cared for Mr. Archdale she could never have jested at +marrying him. It made her all the more sure that Katie did care, +because, otherwise, the girl would have found it great fun to rouse a +little jealousy in the two admirers opposite, watching every movement. +She yielded her hand to the light clasp that held it, and listened with +less interest than the others to Mr. Harwin's distinct and rapid words +until he came to the sentence, "I pronounce you man and wife." Then she +shivered, and he had scarcely finished the adjuration that +follows--"What God hath joined together let not man put asunder," when +she snatched her hand away. + +"It is too solemn," she cried, "it is too much; we ought not to have +jested so." + +Harwin laughed. + +"Pardon me if I've made you uncomfortable," he said; "but you will +forget it in five minutes, and even for that time you must blame Master +Waldo's curiosity." + +"And mine," added Katie, at which young Waldo gave her a grateful +glance. Then he joined with her in breaking the hush that had fallen on +the others. "Stephen," she said, "now for your story. Do you think you +are coming off scot-free?" + +"I thought we had performed our parts," he said, turning to Elizabeth +with a smile. + +"Mistress Royal has already told her story," cried Waldo, "There's no +escape for you." + +"Escape would be difficult now, I confess." + +"So begin." + +He began obediently, but fortune was kinder than he had expected, for he +had not fairly started when Kit cried out,-- + +"A breeze! Here it comes. Heads to larboard!" And down went Archdale's +and those of the two ladies with him as the sail was shifted and the +boat began to skim the water before the breeze which freshened every +minute. Soon they had gained the cove where they were to land, and +Archdale's story was never finished. + + * * * * * + +THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. + +BY ERNEST NUSSE. + + +The census of 1880 fixed the juvenile population of the United States at +20,000,000, of whom 10,158,954 were boys and 9,884,705 were girls. "From +a political point of view," says the eminent philanthropist, Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry, "the future of the nation depends on the physical and +intellectual education of its children, whose numbers increase every +year, and who will soon constitute the sovereign people. From the moral +and social point of view, the welfare of society imperatively demands +that the atmosphere in which they live, and the treatment that they +receive from those intrusted with their care or custody, shall be such +as to establish in them habits of industry, of sobriety, of honesty, and +good conduct. For injurious treatment of a child, inasmuch as it tends +to result in the distortion of its physical and moral nature, +constitutes an offence whose importance seriously effects the public +order." But what is to be understood by cruel treatment? It consists in +every act of omission or of commission which causes or procures physical +injury or death. It is hardly necessary to observe that this definition +must be limited to its practical meaning, rather than interpreted in its +broader, philosophical sense. We must leave out of the question the +results of improper or imperfect educational training and discipline. It +is doubtless a cause of harm to a delicate and nervous child to force +the development of its intelligence; a harsh word hastily uttered by +parents may leave an ineffaceable impression upon a sensitive +organization; severity degenerates into injustice when it confounds a +peevish act, the result of physical disorder, with an act of deliberate +disobedience. The weakness which resigns its authority In order to spare +itself the care of a child's education engenders for life the spirit of +insubordination. The humiliating and unjust reproach, the stinging +sarcasm, wound the child in its tenderest feelings;--but these are not +the forms of cruelty and wrong which fall within reach of the law. It is +unable to interpose between the parents and the child, except in case of +an actual and serious offence, and for the rest it must rely upon the +affection planted by nature in the hearts of parents. These distinctions +are more felt than expressed, and opinion will never deceive itself in +regard to the conduct of unnatural parents. + +But if these propositions are absolutely incontestable, how do they +leave room for the function of a society? If children are beaten, +abandoned, given over to odious practices, will not the authorities, on +the complaint of those interested, or compelled by public opinion, be +able adequately to fulfil the task? This reasoning, altogether French, +would not properly take into account the American temperament, the +genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, of its institutions, and of its usages. +In France, since the fourteenth century, misdemeanors have been +prosecuted the more generally by the public minister, acting under whose +orders are numerous officers of judiciary police, who entertain the +complaints of the public and send them, with the result of their +examination, to our courts. The magistrates charged with the case +complete the investigations, if they take place. The elements of the +evidence are therefore combined when the prosecution is instituted. In +the United States these intermediate officials exist but imperfectly +between the injured party and the magistrate who renders judgment. From +lack of sufficient evidence, the rights of this injured party run the +risk of being compromised through his inexperience. Moreover, the +complaint of the child, often directed against its parents or its legal +guardians, involves the examination of a delicate situation, which must +be conducted with much discernment. Without comparing the two systems, +American and French, which correspond each to the particular genius of +the two nations, it will be seen that the American system leaves much +more to private initiative, and that it would become ineffectual when +the victim of the offence, being a child, has neither the energy nor the +knowledge necessary to demonstrate that its complaint is well founded, +without the aid of some one in power. This is the aid which is given by +the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; and we +can now understand how the exigency of the case, so powerfully felt by +the practical intelligence of the Americans, has called into existence +this potent organization, which we may call the guardian of the rights +of childhood, for the repression of the offences from which it is liable +to suffer. The following anecdote shows how the necessity for this +institution arose, in a manner at once thrilling and dramatic:-- + +Ten years ago in New York, on the top floor of a tenement-house, in a +miserable room without furniture, a dying woman lay on a pallet, in the +last stage of consumption. A charitable lady who visited her asked what +she could do for her. The dying woman replied: "My hours are numbered, +but how can I die in peace when night and day I hear the beating by her +mother-in-law of the unhappy little girl who lives in the room next to +mine." And, in fact, for a month her heart had been torn by the cries of +this child, Mary Ellen, kept in confinement by this brute. Much moved by +this recital, the visitor felt impelled to demand the interference of +the police. They told her this was impracticable unless she was able to +furnish proof of her allegation. She knew the facts only upon hearsay, +and only in case a misdemeanor were actually proved would it be possible +for the police to interfere as she desired. The charitable feelings of +the lady would not permit her to stop here. She made inquiries among +benevolent societies. But here again she experienced a check. The +societies could not receive the child except upon legal commitment by an +order of court. And charitable persons with the most benevolent +tendencies, being consulted on this difficulty, confessed themselves at +a loss to suggest a remedy in the case, and declared that it was +dangerous to interfere between parents and children; that in so doing +one is liable to become involved in inextricable difficulties, since the +heads of the family are the best guardians of their children. However, +the sorrowful appeal of the dying woman echoed continually in the ears +of her whose charitable aid had been implored. She resolved upon a +supreme effort to rescue this child. She sought Mr. Henry Bergh, a man +who has never been deaf to a cry of despair, and who has devoted his +life to the protection of animals. Mr. Bergh considered the life of a +child to be quite as valuable as that of a beast, and gave it as his +opinion that the tribunals should be appealed to. A warrant was +immediately procured and the child was produced in court, its face +covered with horrible wounds. A pair of scissors with which these wounds +had been inflicted were produced. The facts in the case caused a +profound sensation in the court and throughout the city. The +mother-in-law was arrested, found guilty, and the little girl was taken +from her hands to receive an education which has rendered her an elegant +and accomplished young woman. + +Humble beginnings, which it will be well for us to bear in remembrance +for the confusion of our pride! It is from the protection of animals +that has sprung, in New York, that of the child. And, when we +contemplate the great number of societies in the United States,--the +Humane Society of Saratoga, of Bangor, of Keene, of Taunton, of +Connecticut, the Western Pennsylvania, the Tennessee Society, those of +Nashville, of Cleveland, of Cincinnati, of Indianapolis, of Chicago, of +Peoria, of Sangamon, of Quincy, of Minnesota, of Minneapolis, extending, +simultaneously, their help to children and to the brutes, we shall be no +longer astonished either at the combination of effort explained by this +historic origin, or especially at a philosophy which rightly esteems +that cruelty commences with the animal, only to end fatally with the +human being. The proceeding instituted at the instance of Mr. Henry +Bergh was a most valuable precedent. The establishment of a method of +rescue, encouraged complaints, which, till then, had been silent, of the +abandonment, misery, or sufferings of children. Mr. Bergh's society +found itself besieged, and, after deliberation with his counsel, it was +determined to establish another in New York, whose special mission +should be the protection of children. An old gentleman of high +respectability, belonging to the sect of the Quakers, Mr. John D. +Wright, was elected to the presidency, which office he held until his +death, which occurred on the 21st of August, 1880. His successor is Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry. + +However, inasmuch as the authority with which the society sought to be +invested had reference to public justice, and involved the power to +appear for the defence of the interests of others, and to require the +coöperation of public officials, a law was indispensable, in order to +confer these powers. Such a law was passed August 21, 1875, whose +provisions covered not only the case of the New York society, but +determined the functions of all institutions of a similar nature. On +condition of complying with the prescribed formalities for acquiring a +corporate existence, the law granted to these institutions the right to +make complaints, in any jurisdiction, of violations of the statutes +regarding children; it set forth, formally, the duty of magistrates or +officers of police, to cooperate with the societies acting in the limits +of their several jurisdictions. The boundaries of the ground of +protection were thus defined, but there was still lacking the requisite +legislative authority. Experience showed that, besides the misdemeanors +of common law--attempts upon the morals, murder, assault and battery, +etc.--a multitude of offences against children remained unpunished. The +society, therefore, solicited and obtained from the Legislature, powers +which permitted it to repress acts of cruelty towards children that the +law failed to reach. The first of these measures was the law of 1876, +forbidding the employment of minors under sixteen years as dancers, +beggars, street peddlers, as gymnasts or contortionists, or in indecent +occupations prejudicial to their health or perilous to their life. Then +came the law of June 6, 1877, forbidding the admission of minors under +fourteen years into public places, liquor saloons, balls, concerts, +theatres, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. With these +laws, which it caused to be interpreted in the courts in certain test +cases, the society arrived at the most satisfactory results. There were +no longer seen in New York those juvenile beggars whose miserable +appearance is made an instrument of gain by their worthless masters; +those vagrants who disguise their vagabondage under the pretext of +imaginary professions, collecting cigar stumps and rag picking; those +little girls who sell flowers at the doors of houses of bad repute, +often concealing under this ostensible occupation infamous transactions +with panders who keep them in their pay. A determined warfare was +declared against the Italian padroni, who thrive upon the toil of the +little unfortunates to whom they pretend to teach music, and whom they +utilize as peddlers and chimney-sweepers. The conviction of the too +notorious Ancarola was the signal for the suppression of these shameless +villains; the purchases of children ceased, and the cause of humanity +triumphed, thanks to the combined efforts of the society and of the +Italian consul, after long and earnest conferences. It is not only the +Italians, but the children of all nationalities, who have profited from +this powerful patronage: Hungarian, German, Chinese, Irish, French. One +of our compatriots, a girl of fourteen years, came one day to implore +its aid. Her father was a drunkard, who had reached the lowest round in +the ladder of degradation; her mother had no means of subsistence except +concubinage, nor her two sisters except prostitution. She begged that +they would save her from this life of shame. The society received her, +procured her a position, a good education. Learning that she was heiress +to a considerable property left by a grandfather, the society took +active steps in France to secure to her her rights. Unfortunately, the +agent who had possession of the estate became insolvent after having +squandered the property, and it was impossible to recover it. The +society continued to care for the young girl up to the day of her +marriage to a young man enjoying a regular salary of $1,200, and worthy +of her in all respects. + +The strict watch kept upon the liquor saloons contributed equally to +improve the condition of children. Many were in the habit of being sent +by confirmed drunkards to buy the "liquid poison!" They thus promoted +this vice whose hardened subjects would prolong It even beyond the grave +by asking that "a bottle of whiskey may be put in their coffin." The +obedience of the children was rewarded by invitations to drink, which +initiated them in debauchery. It was among women abandoned to drink that +lived Eliza Clark, a child of eleven years, paying for the drinks with +the gains which she realized from dancing or singing; in return, the +women gave her brandy to drink and tobacco to smoke, so that when she +was found she resembled "a beast more than a human creature." They also +suppressed the playing of pool for drinks by minors, instituted by +saloon keepers to induce them to drink liquor, which was the reward of +those whom fortune favored in the game. + +The police of the theatres performed their duty conscientiously, and the +statutes were obeyed. The necessity of being accompanied by an adult was +felt to be a strange restraint by these gamins eager for the theatre, +whose attractions led them to abandon school, work, and family, and to +procure the money for their admission by stealing it from their parents, +or at a pinch from strangers; and where they would mingle, between the +acts, with pick-pockets and low characters who encouraged them in the +ways of vice. And for a stronger reason, the child was more carefully +protected against the perils of the stage than against those of the +auditory. Juvenile performances were forbidden, and the youthful +performers were excluded successively from the Columbia Opera House or +Theatre des Folies, from the Italian Opera, from the Gem Theatre, from +Parker's American Theatre, and from the Juvenile Opera. Permissions for +individual performances were peremptorily refused even to parents who +were actors. Here the work of the society encountered serious obstacles, +and it is necessary to quote from Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry in order to +appreciate the motives by which the society was actuated in combating +with vigorous purpose the opposition which it met with: "The Press, +which is influenced to a considerable extent by the representations of +theatrical managers, often criticises severely any attempt to deprive +the public of what it is pleased to call its legitimate amusements, by +the suppression of such entertainments. And many pronounced patrons of +the dramatic art even maintain that such exhibitions are indispensable +to the proper development of a dramatic education, and that when the +necessities of the parents require it, charity should encourage the +children to procure this means of obtaining a livelihood. But let us +examine the other side of the question. When the curtain rises in the +theatre, a draught of warm air rushes from the audience on to the stage, +and often paralyzes for some moments the vocal chords of the actors. +When the curtain falls, the cold air comes down from the flies, and the +children, who have become over heated by their physical exertions, +shiver to the marrow before they are able to accustom themselves to this +sudden change of temperature. Every night these things are renewed. +During the day the children sleep as best they can. Their nervous system +is rapidly undermined; their digestion becomes impaired. It is rare that +one can point to instances of children arriving early at positions of +eminence in the dramatic art. It is true that there are a few who shine +as stars in the theatrical profession, and who entered upon their +dramatic career in early childhood; but these are rare exceptions." + +It is not only on the stage that the morals of the children have been +protected; the keepers of low resorts have been prosecuted by the +society. + +It has shut up the den of the too celebrated Owney Geoghegan, who long +defied the law and the police, encouraging the efforts of prostitutes to +debauch young girls. Women of notorious reputation, who enticed away the +children of respectable mechanics to sell them for money, have been +severely punished. In short, not content with bringing to justice these +outrageous offenders with a firmness which has made it the terror of +these oppressors of childhood, the society has been the instrument of +checking acts even of carelessness or imprudence. It no longer permits +the drunkard to keep his children in a cellar where the rats bite their +feet; or the mercenary father to allow his son to engage in a wager, +dangerous to his health, to make a hundred miles in twenty-four hours; +or a man to ride a bicycle bearing on his shoulders his five-year-old +daughter. + +So great a work demanded accommodations of corresponding magnitude. In +1881, and at the price of $43,000, the society purchased a large +building situated at the corner of 23rd street and 4th avenue, one of +the most important thoroughfares of New York. Not far from the offices, +in the main part of the building, is found a collection of all the +instruments of cruelty seized in the legal proceedings,--rods of iron, +whips, firebars (_barres de poeles_), pokers, cudgels (_gourdins_), and +other instruments. These furnish convincing proofs of the sufferings of +the children,--for example those of Maggie Scully, when she said: "I do +all the work at my aunt's house, and if you do not believe that I have +been beaten, look at me, for my aunt has beaten me this morning with a +poker." Adjoining the offices are the rooms for the officers and the +archives of the institution, containing the papers in each case setting +forth the facts and the evidence. On the upper floor is a dormitory, +where the children are kept until final disposition is made of them, +that is to say, generally during one night. In fact, the work is going +on without interruption at all hours of the day and night. If at night a +call by telephone is received from the police-station, an officer of the +society responds immediately to this appeal. + +As is most frequently the case, he finds a drunken woman in the street, +with three or four ragged children gathered about her, covered with +vermin, without fire or lodging, having been abandoned by the father. +The mother is detained at the station, but the children are taken to the +society, where they are washed, fed, and for the first time in their +lives, perhaps, put to sleep in a bed. On the following day, the +children are taken to court. If the parents or guardians are worthy, +they are returned to them; if not, the justice commits them to some +charitable institution. Some of these have a religious character, and +others a secular one; the American judge, in rendering his decision, is +influenced by interests of family, of nationality, of race, or of +religion of the child, as well as by the requirements of the law. Sick +children and nursing infants are sent to the hospital on Randall's +Island, the Ladies' Deborah Nursery, and the Child's Hospital. Each of +the charitable institutions receives a per capita allowance for children +during the time that they remain in their care. + +The society does not abandon them, and if a complaint arises of improper +treatment, it causes legal proceedings to be instituted against those +who are responsible therefor. + +A recent case of this kind was that of the "Old Gentlemen's Home." + +It will be readily seen that the cases which come before the society +must be very numerous: during the nine years of its existence it has +investigated 13,077 complaints, involving 52,308 children, prosecuted +4,035 cases, convicted 3,637 offenders, rescued and placed in homes or +institutions 7,555 children. In the last three years it has temporarily +sheltered and clothed 1,092 children and furnished them with 9,309 +meals. These figures acquire a singular force when one reads in the +annual reports the curious history of these cases setting forth the +facts in detail. In 1882 the magistrates of the city issued 1,267 +warrants. On the information furnished, 834 children were held in +custody, 1,040 released. The city of New York is compelled to pay for +the support of children thus committed to custody. A saving of $108,160 +has therefore been realized to the benefit of the tax-payers of New +York. In 1883 they received 2,966 complaints; there were 1,176 +prosecutions and 1,128 convictions; 2,008 children were placed in +institutions of charity. Of 2,341 children arrested 1,078 were held, +1,263 released. + +The resources of the society are derived exclusively from the liberality +of the public. It receives no aid either from the State or city. On the +contrary, it pay taxes even on the water used in the care of the +children in its charge. The account of receipts and expenditures amounts +to about $17,000. Of the $43,000 which its building cost, $25,000 remain +on mortgage. The field in which the society employs its activity is +already large, and is rapidly extending. It endeavors to obtain from the +legislature laws which will defeat the aims of those too numerous +enterprises which, under color of charity, utilize young children, for +example, the baby farms and those establishments (called _hospitaliers_) +which have neither the means nor the facilities necessary to their +proper conduct. It requires that children shall not be employed in +manual labor before the age of fourteen years, and only after their +physical capability has been certified to by a physician. It insists on +the prohibition of all dangerous occupations. The former articles in +this Bulletin on the abuses which exist in the industrial employment of +children in New York show how justifiable is this action of the society. +"Thousands of children," says Mr. Gerry, "die of diseases contracted in +these injurious employments; in this respect our nation is far behind +Europe in its means of affording protection to children. In France, +severe laws have been in operation since 1841. England has promptly +followed this example, and like the English legislation, that of France +expressly forbids the employment of children in the manufacture of +dangerous substances, of a nature poisonous or explosive. You have only +to visit our hospitals to see the little creatures with hand or fingers +mutilated, from being employed at too early an age in the operation of +machinery. Our negligence makes manifest the wisdom of the French law, +whose lesson is so necessary with us." This needed progress will +without doubt be made, and the society will continue with increased zeal +its charitable work. It gives to the legislator the benefit of a +practical experience in the work, to the child its powerful advocacy in +the courts, to justice the impartiality of prudent investigations, to +public opinion the assurance of the proper conduct of charitable +institutions and an impulse in the direction of improvement. It is thus +that in this land of enterprise, whose customs are adverse to permitting +affairs even of the gravest importance, like the prosecution of crimes +or the direction of works of benevolence, to be concentrated in the +hands of public officials, the consequences of _self-government_ have +been happily corrected in points where they would otherwise become +extreme, in regard to children. The New York society is therefore well +described by its worthy president, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, as "the Hand +of Protection." And this hand is too charitable for us to forbear to +give it a cordial pressure across the vast expanse of the Atlantic. + + * * * * * + +THE MIDDLESEX CANAL. + +BY LORIN L. DAME, A.M. + + +The curious traveller may still trace with little difficulty the line of +the old Middlesex canal, with here and there a break, from the basin at +Charlestown to its junction with the Merrimac at Middlesex village. Like +an accusing ghost, it never strays far from the Boston & Lowell +Railroad, to which it owes its untimely end. + +At Medford, the Woburn sewer runs along one portion of its bed, the Spot +pond water-pipes another. The tow-path, at one point, marks the course +of the defunct Mystic Valley Railroad; at others, it has been +metamorphosed into sections of the highway; at others, it survives as a +cow-path or woodland lane; at Wilmington, the stone sides of a lock have +become the lateral walls of a dwelling-house cellar. + +Judging the canal by the pecuniary recompense it brought its projectors, +it must be admitted a dismal failure; yet its inception was none the +less a comprehensive, far-reaching scheme, which seemed to assure a +future of ample profits and great public usefulness. Inconsiderable as +this work may appear compared with the modern achievements of +engineering, it was, for the times, a gigantic undertaking, beset with +difficulties scarcely conceivable to-day. Boston was a small town of +about twenty thousand inhabitants; Medford, Woburn, and Chelmsford were +insignificant villages; and Lowell was as yet unborn, while the valley +of the Merrimac, northward into New Hampshire, supported a sparse +agricultural population. But the outlook was encouraging. It was a +period of rapid growth and marked improvements. The subject of closer +communication with the interior early became a vital question. +Turnpikes, controlled by corporations, were the principal avenues over +which country produce, lumber, firewood, and building-stone found their +way to the little metropolis. The cost of entertainment at the various +country inns, the frequent tolls, and the inevitable wear and tear of +teaming, enhanced very materially the price of all these articles. The +Middlesex canal was the first step towards the solution of the problem +of cheap transportation. The plan originated with the Hon. James +Sullivan, who was for six years a judge of the Supreme Court of +Massachusetts, attorney-general from 1790 to 1807, and governor in 1807 +and 1808, dying while holding the latter office. + +A brief glance at the map of the New England States will bring out in +bold relief the full significance of Sullivan's scheme. It will be seen +that the Merrimac river, after pursuing a southerly course as far as +Middlesex village, turns abruptly to the north-east. A canal from +Charlestown mill-pond to this bend of the river, a distance of 27-1/4 +miles, would open a continuous water-route of eighty miles to Concord, +N.H. From this point, taking advantage of Lake Sunapee, a canal could +easily be run in a north-westerly direction to the Connecticut at +Windsor, Vt.; and thence, making use of intermediate streams, +communication could be opened with the St. Lawrence. The speculative +mind of Sullivan dwelt upon the pregnant results that must follow the +connection of Boston with New Hampshire and possibly Vermont and Canada. +He consulted his friend, Col. Baldwin, sheriff of Middlesex, who had a +natural taste for engineering, and they came to the conclusion that the +plan was feasible. Should the undertaking succeed between Concord and +Boston, the gradual increase in population and traffic would in time +warrant the completion of the programme. Even should communication never +be established beyond Concord, the commercial advantages of opening to +the market the undeveloped resources of upper New Hampshire would be a +sufficient justification. Accordingly, James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, +Jonathan Porter, Samuel Swan, and five members of the Hall family at +Medford, petitioned the General Court for an act of incorporation. A +charter was granted, bearing date of June 22, 1793, "incorporating James +Sullivan, Esq., and others, by the name of the Proprietors of the +Middlesex Canal," and on the same day was signed by His Excellency John +Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. By this charter the proprietors +were authorized to lay such assessments from time to time as might be +required for the construction of the canal. + +At their first meeting the proprietors intrusted the management of the +corporation to a board of thirteen members, who were to choose a +president and vice-presidents from their own number, the entire board +subject to annual election. Boston capitalists subscribed freely, and +Russell, Gore, Barrell, Craigie, and Brooks appear among the earliest +directors. This board organized on the 11th of October by the choice of +James Sullivan as president, and Col. Baldwin and John Brooks +(afterwards Gov. Brooks) as vice-presidents. The first step was to make +the necessary surveys between the Charlestown basin and the Merrimac at +Chelmsford; but the science of engineering was in its infancy, and it +was difficult to find a competent person to undertake the task. At +length Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, was engaged to make a preliminary +survey; but the directors, not wholly satisfied with his report, +afterwards secured the services of Samuel Weston, an eminent English +engineer, then employed in Pennsylvania on the Potomac canals. His +report, made Aug. 2, 1794, was favorable; and it is interesting to +compare his figures with those of Mr. Thompson. As calculated by +Thompson, the ascent from Medford bridge to the Concord river, at +Billerica, was found to be 68-1/2 ft.; the actual difference in level, +as found by Weston, was 104 ft. By Thompson's survey there was a further +ascent of 16-1/2 ft. to the Merrimac; when, in fact, the water at +Billerica bridge is almost 25 ft. above the Merrimac at Chelmsford. + +Col. Baldwin, who superintended the construction of the canal, removed +the first turf, Sept. 10, 1794. The progress was slow and attended with +many embarrassments. The purchase of land from more than one hundred +proprietors demanded skilful diplomacy. Most of the lands used for the +canal were acquired by voluntary sale, and conveyed in fee-simple to the +corporation. Sixteen lots were taken under authority of the Court of +Sessions; while for thirteen neither deed nor record could be found when +the corporation came to an end. Some of the land was never paid for, as +the owner refused to accept the sum awarded. The compensation ranged +from about $150 an acre in Medford to $25 in Billerica. The numerous +conveyances are all in Sullivan's handwriting. + +Labor was not easily procured, probably from the scarcity of laborers, +as the wages paid, $10 a month and board, were presumably as much as +could be earned in manual labor elsewhere. "An order was sent to England +for a levelling instrument made by S. & W. Jones, of London, and this +was the only instrument used for engineering purposes after the first +survey by Weston." Two routes were considered; the rejected route was +forty years later selected for the Lowell Railroad. The canal, 30 ft. +wide, 4 ft. deep, with 20 locks, 7 aqueducts, and crossed by 50 bridges, +was, in 1802, sufficiently completed for the admission of water, and the +following year was opened to public navigation from the Merrimac to the +Charles. Its cost, about $500,000, of which one-third was for land +damages, was but little more than the estimate. Commencing at +Charlestown mill-pond, it passed through Medford, crossing the Mystic by +a wooden aqueduct of 100 ft., to Horn pond in Woburn. Traversing Woburn +and Wilmington it crossed the Shawshine by an aqueduct of 137 ft., and +struck the Concord, from which it receives its water, at Billerica +Mills. Entering the Concord by a stone guard-lock, it crossed, with a +floating tow-path, and passed out on the northern side through another +stone guard-lock; thence it descended 27 ft., in a course of 5-1/4 +miles, through Chelmsford to the Merrimac, making its entire length +27-1/4 m. + +The proprietors made Charlestown bridge the eastern terminus for their +boats, but ultimately communication was opened with the markets and +wharves upon the harbor, through Mill Creek, over a section of which +Blackstone street now extends. + +As the enterprise had the confidence of the business community, money +for prosecuting the work had been procured with comparative ease. The +stock was divided into 800 shares, and among the original stockholders +appear the names of Ebenezer and Dudley Hall, Oliver Wendall, John Adams +of Quincy, Peter C. Brooks of Medford, and Andrew Craigie of Cambridge. +The stock had steadily advanced from $25 a share in the autumn of 1794 +to $473 in 1803, the year the canal was opened, touching $500 in 1804. +Then a decline set in, a few dollars at a time, till 1816, when its +market value was $300 with few takers, although the canal was in +successful operation, and, in 1814, the obstructions in the Merrimac had +been surmounted, so that canal boats, locking into the river at +Chelmsford, had been poled up stream as far as Concord. + +Firewood and lumber always formed a very considerable item in the +business of the canal. The navy-yard at Charlestown and the shipyards on +the Mystic form any years relied upon the canal for the greater part of +the timber used in shipbuilding; and work was sometimes seriously +retarded by low water in the Merrimac, which interfered with +transportation. The supply of oak and pine about Lake Winnipiseogee, and +along the Merrimac and its tributaries, was thought to be practically +inexhaustible. In the opinion of Daniel Webster, the value of this +timber had been increased $5,000,000 by the canal. Granite from +Tyngsborough, and agricultural products from a great extent of fertile +country, found their way along this channel to Boston; while the return +boats supplied taverns and country stores with their annual stock of +goods. The receipts from tolls, rents, etc. were steadily increasing, +amounting, + + in 1812 to $12,600, + " 1813 " 16,800, + " 1814 " 25,700, + " 1815 " 29,200, + " 1816 " 32,600, + +Yet, valuable, useful, and productive as the canal had proved itself, it +had lost the confidence of the public, and, with a few exceptions, of +the proprietors themselves. The reason for this state of sentiment can +easily be shown. The general depression of business on account of the +embargo and the war of 1812 had its effect upon the canal. In the deaths +of Gov. Sullivan and Col. Baldwin, in the same year, 1808, the +enterprise was deprived of the wise and energetic counsellors to whom it +owed its existence. + +The aqueducts and most of the locks, being built of wood, required large +sums for annual repairs; the expenses arising from imperfections in the +banks, and from the erection of toll-houses and public houses for the +accommodation of the boatmen, were considerable; but the heaviest +expenses were incurred in opening the Merrimac for navigation. From +Concord, N.H., to the head of the canal the river has a fall of 123 ft., +necessitating various locks and canals. The Middlesex Canal Corporation +contributed to the building of the Wiccasee locks and canals, $12,000; +Union locks and canals, $49,932; Hookset canal, $6,750; Bow canal and +locks, $14,115, making a sum total of $82,797 to be paid from the income +of the Middlesex canal. + +The constant demand for money in excess of the incomes had proved +demoralizing. Funds had been raised from time to time by lotteries. In +the Columbian "Centinel & Massachusetts Federalist" of Aug. 15, 1804, +appears an advertisement of the Amoskeag Canal Lottery, 6,000 tickets at +$5, with an enumeration of prizes. The committee, consisting of Phillips +Payson, Samuel Swan, Jr., and Loammi Baldwin, Jr., appealed to the +public for support, assuring the subscribers that all who did not draw +prizes would get the full value of their money in the reduced price of +fuel. + +In 1816 the Legislature of Massachusetts granted the proprietors of the +canal, in consideration of its usefulness to the public, two townships +of land in the district of Maine, near Moosehead lake. This State aid, +however, proved of no immediate service, as purchasers could not be +found for several years for property so remote. Appeals to capitalists, +lotteries, and State aid proved insufficient; the main burden fell upon +the stockholders. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, +assessments had been levied, as occasion required, up to 1816, 99 in +number, amounting to $670 per share; and the corporation was still +staggering under a debt of $64,000. Of course, during all this time, no +dividends could be declared. + +Under these unpromising conditions a committee, consisting of Josiah +Quincy, Joseph Hall, and Joseph Coolidge, Jr., was appointed to devise +the appropriate remedy. "In the opinion of your committee," the report +reads, "the real value of the property, at this moment, greatly exceeds +the market value, and many years will not elapse before it will be +considered among the best of all practicable monied investments. The +Directors contemplate no further extension of the canal. _The work is +done_, both the original and subsidiary canals.... Let the actual +incomes of the canal be as great as they may, so long as they are +consumed in payment of debts and interest on loans, the aspect of the +whole is that of embarrassment and mortgage. The present rates of +income, if continued, and there is every rational prospect, not only of +its continuance, but of its great and rapid increase, will enable the +corporation--when relieved of its present liabilities,--at once to +commence a series of certain, regular, and satisfactory dividends." They +accordingly recommended a final assessment of $80 per share, completely +to extinguish all liabilities. This assessment, the 100th since the +commencement, was levied in 1817, making a sum total of $600,000, +extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. If to this sum the +interest of the various assessments be added, computed to Feb. 1, 1819, +the date of the first dividend, the actual cost of each share is found +to have been $1,455.25. + +The prosperity of the canal property now seemed fully assured. The first +dividend, though only $15, was the promise of golden showers in the near +future, and the stock once more took an upward flight. From 1819 to 1836 +were the palmy days of the canal, unvexed with debts, and subject to +very moderate expenses for annual repairs and management. + +It is difficult to ascertain the whole number of boats employed at any +one time. Many were owned and run by the proprietors of the canal; and +many were constructed and run by private parties who paid the regular +tolls for whatever merchandise they transported. Boats belonging to the +same parties were conspicuously numbered, like railway cars to-day. From +"Regulations relative to the Navigation of the Middlesex Canal," a +pamphlet published in 1830, it appears that boats were required to be +not less than 40 ft. nor more than 75 ft. in length and not less than 9 +ft. nor more than 9-1/2 ft. in width. Two men, a driver and steersman, +usually made up the working force; the boats, however, that went up the +Merrimac required three men, one to steer, and two to pole. The Lowell +boats carried 20 tons of coal; 15 tons were sufficient freight for +Concord; when the water in the Merrimac was low, not more than 6 or 7 +tons could be taken up the river. About 1830 the boatmen received $15 +per month. + +Lumber was transported in rafts of about 75 ft. long and 9 ft. wide; and +these rafts, not exceeding ten in number, were often united in "bands." +A band of seven to ten rafts required the services of five men, +including the driver. Boats were drawn by horses, and lumber by oxen; +and "luggage boats" were required to make two and a half miles an hour, +while "passage boats" attained a speed of four miles. Boats of the same +class, and going the same way, were not allowed to pass each other, thus +making "racing" impossible on the staid waters of the old canal. +Whenever a boat approached a lock, the conductor sounded his horn to +secure the prompt attention of the lock-tender; but due regard was paid +to the religious sentiment of New England. Travelling in the canal being +permitted on Sundays, "in consideration of the distance from home at +which those persons using it generally are, it may be reasonably +expected that they should not disturb those places of public worship +near which they pass, nor occasion any noise to interrupt the +tranquillity of the day. Therefore, it is established that no +_Signal-Horn_ shall be used or blown on Sundays." + +The tariff varied greatly from year to year. In 1827 the rate from +Lowell to Boston was $2.00 the gross ton; but many articles were carried +on much lower terms. + +On account of liability of damage to the banks of the canal, all +navigation ceased at dark; hence, at every lock, or series of locks, a +tavern was established. These were all owned by the corporation, and +were often let to the lock-tender, who eked out his income by the +accommodation of boatmen and horses. The Bunker Hill Tavern, in +Charlestown, situated so as to accommodate both county and canal travel, +was leased, in 1830, for $350; in 1838, it let for $500. The Horn Pond +House, at Woburn, in 1838, was leased for $700. In 1825, a two-story +dwelling-house, 36 X 18, built at a cost of $1,400, for the +accommodation of boatmen and raftsmen, at Charlestown, rented, with +stable attached, for $140. In all these cases, the real estate was +supposed to pay ten per cent. + +Some of these canal-taverns established a wide reputation for good +cheer, and boatmen contrived to be overtaken by night in their +vicinity. Sometimes fifteen or twenty boats would be detained at one of +these favorite resorts, and a jolly crowd fraternized in the primitive +bar-room. The temperance sentiment had not yet taken a firm hold in New +England. "Flip" was the high-toned beverage of those days; but +"black-strap," a compound of rum and molasses, sold at three cents a +glass, was the particular "vanity" of the boatmen. In the smaller +taverns, a barrel of old Medford, surmounted by a pitcher of molasses, +scorning the flimsy subterfuges of modern times, boldly invited its +patrons to draw and mix at their own sweet will. "Plenty of drunkenness, +Uncle Joe, in those days?" we queried of an ancient boatman who was +dilating upon the good old times. "Bless your heart, no!" was the +answer. "Mr. Eddy didn't put up with no drunkards on the canal. They +could drink all night, sir, and be steady as an eight-day clock in the +morning." + +When the feverish haste born of the locomotive and telegraph had not yet +infected society, a trip over the canal in the passenger-packet, the +"Governor Sullivan," must have been an enjoyable experience. Protected +by iron rules from the dangers of collision; undaunted by squalls of +wind, realizing, should the craft be capsized, that he had nothing to do +but walk ashore, the traveller, speeding along at the leisurely pace of +four miles per hour, had ample time for observation and reflection. +Seated, in summer, under a capacious awning, he traversed the valley of +the Mystic skirting the picturesque shores of Mystic pond. Instead of a +foreground of blurred landscape, vanishing, ghostlike, ere its features +could be fairly distinguished, soft bits of characteristic New England +scenery, clear cut as cameos, lingered caressingly on his vision; green +meadows, fields riotous with blossomed clover, fragrant orchards, and +quaint old farmhouses, with a background of low hills wooded to their +summits. + +Passing under bridges, over rivers, between high embankments, and +through deep cuttings, floated up hill by a series of locks, he +marvelled at this triumph of engineering, and, if he were a director, +pictured the manufactories that were to spring up along this great +thoroughfare, swelling its revenues for all time. + +The tow-path of the canal was a famous promenade. Upon Sunday +afternoons, especially, numerous pedestrians from the dusty city +strolled along the canal for a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the +open country, through the Royal estate in Medford, past the substantial +old-fashioned mansion-house of Peter C. Brooks, as far, perhaps, as the +Baldwin estate, and the birthplace of Count Rumford, in Woburn. "I love +that old tow-path," said Uncle Joe. "'Twas there I courted my wife; and +every time the boat went by she came tripping out to walk a piece with +me! Bless you, sir the horses knew her step, and it wan't so heavy, +nuther." + +Meanwhile, under the direction of Caleb Eddy, who assumed the agency of +the corporation in 1825, bringing great business ability and +unquenchable zeal to his task, the perishable wooden locks were +gradually replaced with stone, a new stone dam was built at Billerica, +and the service brought to a high state of efficiency. The new dam was +the occasion of a lawsuit brought by the proprietors of the Sudbury +meadows, claiming damages to the extent of $10,000 for flooding their +meadows. The defendants secured the services of Samuel Hoar, Esq., of +Concord, assisted by the Hon. Daniel Webster, who accepted a retaining +fee of $100 to "manage and argue the case in conjunction with Mr. Hoar. +The cause was to have been tried November, 1833. Mr. Webster was called +on by me and promised to examine the evidence and hold himself in +readiness for the trial, but for some time before he was not to be found +in Boston, at one time at New York, at another in Philadelphia, and so +on from place to place so that I am satisfied no dependance can be +placed with certainty upon his assistance, and," plaintively concludes +the agent, "our $100 has gone to profit and loss account." + +On the other side was the Hon. Jeremiah Mason, assisted by Franklin +Dexter, Esq. This case was decided the following year adversely to the +plaintiffs. + +With the accession of business brought by the corporations at Lowell, +the prospect for increased dividends in the future was extremely +encouraging. The golden age of the canal appeared close at hand; but the +fond hopes of the proprietors were once more destined to disappointment. +Even the genius of James Sullivan had not foreseen the railway +locomotive. In 1829 a petition was presented to the Legislature for the +survey of a railroad from Boston to Lowell. The interests of the canal +were seriously involved. A committee was promptly chosen to draw up for +presentation to the General Court "a remonstrance of the Proprietors of +Middlesex Canal, against the grant of a charter to build a railroad from +Boston to Lowell." This remonstrance, signed by William Sullivan, Joseph +Coolidge, and George Hallett, bears date of Boston, Feb. 12, 1830, and +conclusively shows how little the business men of fifty years ago +anticipated the enormous development of our resources consequent upon +the application of steam to transportation:-- + + The remonstrants take pleasure in declaring, that they join in the + common sentiment of surprise and commendation, that any + intelligence and enterprise should have raised so rapidly and so + permanently, such establishments as are seen at Lowell. The + proprietors of these works have availed themselves of _the canal_, + for their transportation for all articles, except in the winter + months ... and every effort has been made by this corporation to + afford every facility, it was hoped and believed, to the entire + satisfaction of the Lowell proprietors. The average annual amount + of tolls paid by these proprietors has been only about four + thousand dollars. It is believed no safer or cheaper mode of + conveyance can ever be established, nor any so well adapted for + carrying heavy and bulky articles. To establish therefore a + _substitute_ for the canal alongside of it, and in many places + within a few rods of it, and to do that which the canal was made to + do, seems to be a measure not called for by any exigency, nor one + which the Legislature can permit, without implicitly declaring that + all investments of money in public enterprises must be subjected to + the will of any applicants who think that they may benefit + themselves without regard to older enterprises, which have a claim + to protection from public authority. With regard, then, to + transportation of tonnage goods, the means exist for all but the + winter months, as effectually as any that can be provided. + + There is a supposed source of revenue to a railroad, _from + carrying passengers_. As to this, the remonstrants venture no + opinion, except to say, that passengers are now carried, at all + hours, as rapidly and safely as they are anywhere else in the + world.... To this, the remonstrants would add, that the use of a + railroad, _for passengers only_, has been tested by experience, + nowhere, hitherto; and that it remains to be known, whether this is + a mode which will command general confidence and approbation, and + that, therefore, no facts are now before the public, which furnish + the conclusion, that the grant of a railroad is a public exigency + even for such a purpose. The Remonstrants would also add, that so + far as they know and believe, "_there never can be a sufficient + inducement to extend a railroad from Lowell westwardly and + northwestwardly, to the Connecticut, so as to make it the great + avenue to and from the interior, but that its termination must be + at Lowell_" (italics our own), "and, consequently that it is to be + a substitute for the modes of transportation now in use between + that place and Boston, _and cannot deserve patronage from the + supposition that it is to be more extensively useful_...." + + The Remonstrants, therefore, respectfully submit: First, that there + be no such exigency as will warrant the granting of the prayer for + a railroad to and from Lowell. + + Secondly, that, if that prayer be granted, provision should be made + as a condition for granting it, that the Remonstrants shall be + indemnified for the losses which will be thereby occasioned to + them. + +This may seem the wilful blindness of self-interest; but the utterances +of the press and the legislative debates of the period are similar in +tone. In relation to another railroad, the "Boston Transcript" of Sept. +1, 1830, remarks: "It is not astonishing that so much reluctance exists +against plunging into doubtful speculations.... The public itself is +divided as to the practicability of the Rail Road. If they expect the +assistance of capitalists, they must stand ready to guarantee the +_percentum per annum_; without this, all hopes of Rail Roads are +visionary and chimerical." In a report of legislative proceedings +published in the "Boston Courier," of Jan. 25, 1830, Mr. Cogswell, of +Ipswich, remarked: "Railways, Mr. Speaker, may do well enough in old +countries, but will never be the thing for so young a country as this. +When you can make the rivers run back, it will be time enough to make a +railway." Notwithstanding the pathetic remonstrances and strange +vaticinations of the canal proprietors, the Legislature incorporated the +road and refused compensation to the canal. Even while the railroad was +in process of construction, the canal directors do not seem to have +realized the full gravity of the situation. They continued the policy of +replacing wood with stone, and made every effort to perfect the service +in all its details; as late as 1836 the agent recommended improvements. +The amount of tonnage continued to increase--the very sleepers used in +the construction of the railway were boated, it is said, to points +convenient for the workmen. + +In 1832 the canal declared a dividend of $22 per share; from 1834 to +1837, inclusive, a yearly dividend of $30. + +The disastrous competition of the Lowell Railroad was now beginning to +be felt. In 1835 the Lowell goods conveyed by canal paid tonnage dues of +$11,975.51; in 1836 the income from this source had dwindled to +$6,195.77. The canal dividends had been kept up to their highest mark by +the sale of its townships in Maine and other real estate: but now they +began to drop. The year the Lowell road went into full operation the +receipts of the canal were reduced one-third; and when the Nashua & +Lowell road went into full operation, in 1840, they were reduced another +third. The board of directors waged a plucky warfare with the railroads, +reducing the tariff on all articles, and almost abolishing it on some, +till the expenditures of the canal outran its income; but steam came out +triumphant. Even sanguine Caleb Eddy became satisfied that longer +competition was vain, and set himself to the difficult task of saving +fragments from the inevitable wreck. + +At this time (1843) Boston numbered about 100,000 inhabitants, and was +dependent for water upon cisterns and wells. The supply of water in the +wells had been steadily diminishing for years, and what remained was +necessarily subject to contamination from numberless sources. "One +specimen which I analyzed," said Dr. Jackson, "which gave three per +cent, of animal and vegetable putrescent matter, was publicly sold as a +mineral water; it was believed that water having such a remarkable fetid +odor and nauseous taste, could be no other than that of a sulphur +spring; but its medicinal powers vanished with the discovery that the +spring arose from a neighboring drain." Here was a golden opportunity. +Eddy proposed to abandon the canal as a means of transportation, and +convert it into an aqueduct for supplying the City of Boston with +wholesome water. The sections between the Merrimac and Concord at one +extremity, and Charlestown mill-pond and Woburn at the other, were to be +wholly discontinued. Flowing along the open channel of the canal from +the Concord river to Horn-pond locks in Woburn, from thence it was to be +conducted in iron pipes to a reservoir upon Mount Benedict in +Charlestown, a hill eighty feet above the sea-level. + +The good quality of the Concord-river water was vouched for by the +"analysis of four able and practical chemists, Dr. Charles T. Jackson, +of Boston; John W. Webster, of Cambridge University; S.L. Dana, of +Lowell, and A.A. Hayes, Esq., of the chemical works at Roxbury." The +various legal questions involved were submitted to the Hon. Jeremiah +Mason, who gave an opinion, dated Dec. 21, 1842, favorable to the +project. The form for an act of incorporation was drawn up; and a +pamphlet was published, in 1843, by Caleb Eddy, entitled an "Historical +sketch of the Middlesex Canal, with remarks for the consideration of the +Proprietors," setting forth the new scheme in glowing colors. + +But despite the feasibility of the plan proposed, and the energy with +which it was pushed, the agitation came to naught; and Eddy, despairing +of the future, resigned his position as agent in 1845. Among the +directors during these later years were Ebenezer Chadwick, Wm. Appleton, +Wm. Sturgis, Charles F. Adams, A.A. Lawrence, and Abbott Lawrence; but +no business ability could long avert the catastrophe. Stock fell to +$150, and finally the canal was discontinued, according to Amory's Life +of Sullivan, in 1846. It would seem, however, that a revival of +business was deemed within the range of possibilities, for in +conveyances made in 1852 the company reserved the right to use the land +"for canalling purposes"; and the directors annually went through with +the form of electing an agent and collector as late as 1853. + +"Its vocation gone, and valueless for any other service," says Amory, +"the canal property was sold for $130,000. After the final dividends, +little more than the original assessments had been returned to the +stockholders." Oct. 3, 1859, the Supreme Court issued a decree, +declaring that the proprietors had "forfeited all their franchises and +privileges, by reason of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and +neglect." Thus was the corporation forever extinguished. + + * * * * * + +THE TAVERNS OF BOSTON IN YE OLDEN TIME. + +BY DAVID M. BALFOUR. + + +The first tavern in Boston was kept by Samuel Coles. It was opened in +March, 1633, and stood near the south-west corner of Merchants row and +Corn court, with an area in front on Merchants row and also on Fanueil +Hall square, which in latter days have been covered with buildings. It +was destroyed by fire during the early part of the eighteenth century, +and the older portion of the present edifice was erected in 1737, which +has been enlarged on the northerly side. It was towards the close of the +last century known as the "Brazier Inn," and was kept by a widow lady of +that name. It is now known as the "Hancock House," and is kept by a +stalwart Scotchman named Alexander Clarkson. Gov. Vane held a council in +the south-westerly room in the second story with Miantonomoh, the +Narragansett chief. The same room was subsequently occupied by Lafayette +in 1773, and afterwards by Talleyrand in 1798. + +The State Arms Tavern was built in 1645, and stood on the south-east +corner of State and Exchange streets. It was occupied as the +custom-house just before the Revolution. + +The Star Inn was built in 1645, and stood on the north-east corner of +Hanover and Union streets. It was first kept by Thomas Hawkins, and +afterwards by Andrew Neal, a Scotchman. The Scots' Charitable Society, +of which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings there. + +The Roebuck Tavern was built in 1650. It stood on the east side of +Merchants row, between Clinton and North streets. It was believed to +have been built by a descendant of Richard Whittington, the Lord Mayor +of London in 1419, who was famed for his love of cats. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1651, and stood on North street, just +beyond the corner of Fleet street. John Vyall kept it in 1663, and it +was at one time called "Noah's Ark." The peace commissioners sent over +by Charles II. held their sessions there. It was demolished in 1866. + +The King's Arms Tavern was built in 1654, and stood on the southeast +corner of Washington and Brattle streets, opposite the Samuel Adams +statue. + +The Red Lion Tavern stood on the north-west corner of North and Richmond +streets. It was built in 1654, and kept by Nicholas Upsall, a Quaker, +who was persecuted, imprisoned, and banished for his faith. Near this +spot the devastating fire of November 27, 1676, broke out in one +Wakefield's house. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern stood on the site of No. 254 Washington street. +It was built in 1664, and kept by George Monck. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1665, and +stood on Brattle street, upon the site which was afterwards Doolittle's +City Tavern. It was first kept by Robert Turner, and was noted for its +_punch_, and was a favorite resort of public men. + +The Blue Bell Tavern was built in 1673, and stood on the north-west +corner of Batterymarch street and Liberty square; a portion of the Mason +building now occupies its site. It was kept by Nathaniel Bishop, and +afterwards by Alleric & Drury. In 1692 it was called the Castle Tavern, +and ceased to be an inn after 1707. + +The Castle Tavern (the second of that name) stood on the south-west +corner of Dock square and Elm street. It was erected by William Hudson +in 1674, and kept by John Wing in 1687, who gave his name to the street. +In 1694 it was called the George Tavern. + +The King's Head Tavern was built in 1680, and stood at the northeast +corner of North and Fleet streets. It was burnt in 1691, and afterwards +rebuilt. It was kept by James Davenport in 1755. + +The Seven Star Inn stood, in 1684, on the south-west corner of Summer +and Hawley streets. It gave its name to the lane which was afterwards +called Bishop's alley. Here, in 1736, was erected of wood the first +edifice of Trinity Church. The land, which originally contained 15,000 +square feet, was bought of John Gibbins and William Speakman for £450. +This edifice was demolished in 1828 and a stone structure erected in +1830, which was burnt in the great fire, November 8, 1872. The site, +after having its proportions curtailed, in order to widen Summer and +Hawley streets, containing 7,126 square feet, was sold to William D. +Peckman, in 1874, for $194,402. + +The Sun Tavern stood on the southwest corner of Dock and Faneuil Hall +squares. It was built in 1690, and was kept by Samuel Mears in 1724, and +by Day in 1753. It was conveyed by Thomas Valentine in 1741 for £2,475 +($8,250); and by Joseph Jackson in 1794 for £1,333-6-8 ($4,444); and by +E.P. Arnold in 1865 for $20,000. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. It was the head-quarters of the +British officers during the siege. It is the oldest building in Boston. + +The Queen's Head Tavern stood at the north-west corner of North and +Clark streets. It was built in 1691. + +The Green Dragon Inn was built in 1692. It was first kept by Alexander +Smith, who died in 1696, and was succeeded by Hannah Bishop, who was +next succeeded by John Cary. In 1734 Joseph Kidder was its landlord. In +1764 it was conveyed by Catharine Kerr, sister to Dr. William Douglas, +to St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons. It was a hospital during the +Revolution. It was the head-quarters of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, +Samuel Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and other patriots, during the +Revolution. It was called the Green Dragon Tavern after the Revolution, +and at one time the Freemasons' Arms. Daniel Simpson, the veteran +drummer, was at one time its landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. The Green Dragon building, extending +through from Union to (new) Washington street, now denotes its site. + +The Salutation Inn stood on the north-west corner of Hanover and +Salutation streets. It was built by John Brooking in 1692, and sold to +Sir William Phips. John Scollay kept it in 1697, who was succeeded by +Samuel Green in 1731. It became famous, later, when William Campbell +kept it in 1773, when it was a rallying-place for the patriots who gave +rise to the word "_Caucus_." The resolutions for the destruction of the +tea in Boston Harbor were drawn up there. It was also called the "_Two +Palaverers_," from the representation upon the sign of two old gentlemen +in wigs, cocked hats, and knee-breeches, saluting each other with much +ceremony. + +The Golden Bull Tavern was built in 1693, and stood on the south-east +corner of Merchants row and Chatham street. It was kept in 1752 by +Marston. + +The Black Horse Tavern was built in 1700, and stood on the west side of +Prince street, which in former days was called Black Horse lane, and +Salem street. It was noted as a hiding-place for deserters from +Burgoyne's army when stationed at Cambridge. + +The Half Moon Inn was built in 1705, and stood on the north-west corner +of Fleet and Sun court streets. It was kept in 1752 by Deborah Chick. + +The Swan Tavern was built in 1707, and stood at the north-east corner of +Fleet and North streets. + +The Orange Tree Inn was built in 1708, and stood on the north-east +corner of Court and Hanover streets during the Provincial period. White +it was kept by Jonathan Wardwell, in 1712, he set up the first +hackney-coach stand. His widow kept it in 1724. It was demolished in +1785. It was noted for having a well of water which never froze or dried +up. + +The Bull Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the south-west corner of +Summer and Federal streets. It was there that sundry inhabitants at the +South End met and formed the project to erect a church on Church green, +which was called the "New South," and presided over for a long series of +years by Rev. Alexander Young, D.D. + +The Light House Tavern was built in 1717, and stood on the south side of +King (State) street, on the north-west corner of Devonshire street, +opposite the Town House (Old State House). It is not impossible that it +may have been standing there in 1742. There was also another tavern of +the same name at the North End in 1763, from which the "Portsmouth +Flying Stage" started every Saturday morning. It carried six passengers +inside; fare 13s. 6d. sterling ($3.25); to Newburyport, 9s. ($2.17). +Returning, left Portsmouth on Tuesday. + +The Marlboro' Hotel was built in 1708, and took its name from the street +In front, and was the first public house in Boston dignified with the +name of "Hotel." John C. Calhoun lodged there, while Secretary of War, +upon his only visit to Boston, in 1818. McNiel Seymour was its landlord +in 1820. He afterwards became landlord of the Atlantic Hotel, opposite +the Bowling Green in New York. It had a stable in the rear which +accommodated the Providence line of stages. The site of the stable was +afterwards occupied by the Lowell Institute building. Agassiz, Lyell, +Tyndall, Price, and other scientists, delivered lectures there. Its +walls have also resounded with the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, +Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, Charles Sumner, Bayard +Taylor, William Lloyd Garrison, James T. Fields, and other famous men. +Lafayette was given a banquet at the Marlboro' upon his visit to Boston, +in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. About a generation ago it changed its name to the Marlboro' +House, and it was conducted on temperance principles. Hon. Henry Wilson, +Vice-President of the United States, made it his stopping-place while in +the city. The elegant Hemenway building now occupies its site. + +The Cross Tavern was erected in 1709, and stood on the north-west corner +of North and Cross streets. + +The Crown Coffee House stood on the south-west corner of State street +and Chatham row, and was built in 1710 by Gov. Belcher; and Mrs. Anna +Swords was its first landlord, and she was succeeded in 1751 by Robert +Shelcock. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. + +The Bunch of Grapes Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the +north-west corner of State and Kilby streets. Its first landlord was +Francis Holmes, who was succeeded in 1731 by William Coffin, by Joshua +Barker in 1749, and by Col. Joseph Ingersoll in 1764. It was noted as +being the best "_punch-house_" in Boston. Lafayette was a guest there in +1774. In front of it, on the 4th of August, 1806, Charles Austin was +killed by Thomas O. Selfridge in self-defence. The Scots' Charitable +Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The George Tavern was built in 1720, and stood on the north-west corner +of Washington and Northampton streets. It afforded shelter for the +patriots in annoying the British during the siege. Its extensive orchard +and gardens comprised seventeen acres, and extended south to Roxbury +street, and west to Charles river, which, until the modern Back Bay +improvement, extended to the west side of Tremont street. The General +Court, as well as some of the law courts, sat there prior to 1730. The +American post was located there in 1775, which was burnt by the British +at night in July of that year. It was near that spot, in 1824, when +Lafayette visited Boston, a triumphal arch was thrown across Washington +street, bearing the couplet, written by Charles Sprague,-- + + We bow not the neck, we bend not the knee. + But our hearts, LAFAYETTE! we surrender to thee. + +The Royal Exchange Tavern was built in 1726, and stood on the south-west +corner of State and Exchange streets, the site of the Merchants' Bank +building. It gave its name to the street on its easterly side. Luke +Vardy was its first landlord, who was succeeded in 1747 by Robert Stone. +It was in this building, in 1728, that the altercation began which ended +in the first duel fought in Boston, when Benjamin Woodbridge was killed +by Henry Phillips. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. + +The Old Mansion House was built in 1732, and stood on the south side of +Milk street, between Hawley and Arch streets, on the site of the Bowdoin +building. It stood a little back from the street, with large American +elms in front, and was a stopping place for old stage lines. Hon. Robert +C. Winthrop was born there, and Hon. Henry Dearborn occupied it at the +time of his decease. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1735, and +stood on the north-east corner of Water and Batterymarch streets. It was +kept by Joseph Wilson. + +The British Coffee House was built in 1741, and stood on the site of No. +66 State street, afterwards occupied by the Massachusetts Bank. It was +kept, in 1762, by Ballard, and was largely patronized by British +officers. The repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated there in 1767. The +eloquent James Otis was assaulted in it by a British gang, and an injury +was inflicted upon his head, which rendered him insane for a long time. +The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. Its +name was changed to American Coffee House in 1776. + +The Cromwell's Head Tavern was built it 1751, and is still standing on +the north side of School street, upon the site of No. 13, where Mrs. +Harrington deals out coffee and mince pie to her customers. Lieut.-Col. +GEORGE WASHINGTON lodged there in 1756, while upon a visit to Gov. +Shirley, to consult with him upon business connected with the French +war. It was first kept by Anthony Brackett. + +The Admiral Vernon Tavern was built in 1743, and stood on the south-east +corner of State street and Merchants row, and was first kept by Richard +Smith. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Sun Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1757, and stood on +the east side of Washington street, nearly opposite Cornhill, and was +first kept by James Day, and was a popular resort of the Sons of +Liberty. + +The Julien House was built in 1759, and stood on the north-west corner +of Milk and Congress streets, formerly the site of an old tannery. It +was first kept by Jean Baptiste Julien, a French refugee. It was the +resort of the _bon vivants_ of the town in former days. It is narrated +of him that, upon the occasion of a _recherche_ dinner, one of the +guests complained that the viands were not sufficiently high-seasoned. +"_Eh bien_" said Julien, "_put a leetle more de peppaire_." He died in +1805, and he was succeeded by his widow, and afterwards by Rouillard, +until 1823, when it was demolished, and supplanted by Julien, afterwards +Congress Hall. Miss Frances Ann Wright delivered lectures there in 1829. + +The White Horse Tavern stood on the north-west corner of Washington and +Boylston streets. It was first kept by Joseph Morton. + +The Bull's Head Tavern was built in 1774, and stood on the north-east +corner of Congress and Water streets, the site, for several years prior +to 1830, of the post-office, Merchants' Hall, and Topliff's +Reading-room, and now occupied by the Massachusetts and Shawmut banks, +and called the Howe building. + +Concert Hall stood at the south-east corner of Hanover and Court +streets. It was built in 1750, and was at one time occupied by the +Deblois family. It was first occupied as a public house in 1791. It was +famous for political meetings, fashionable dancing parties, and public +exhibitions. Madrel exhibited his chess-player, conflagration of Moscow, +and other wonderful pieces of mechanism there. The famous Belgian giant, +Bihin, exhibited himself there. He was a well-proportioned man, and such +was his height that the historian Motley stood under his armpits. +Amherst Eaton was its landlord in the early days of the century. It was +kept of late years by Peter B. Brigham, and was demolished in 1868, in +order to widen Hanover street. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently +held its meetings there. + +The Lamb Tavern was built in 1745, and stood on the west side of +Washington street, just beyond the corner of West street. Colonel Doty +kept it in 1760, who was succeeded by Edward Kingman in 1826, and by +Laban Adams, in whose honor the Adams House was named and opened in +1846. It was a popular resort of the country members of the Legislature. + +The Lion Tavern was built in 1793, and stood just north of the Lamb +Tavern, and occupied the site of the building for several years known as +the Melodeon. In 1835 the tavern was converted into the Lion Theatre, +which had a short-lived existence. It was then purchased by the Handel +and Haydn Society, and occupied for musical purposes, lectures, and +other entertainments. Rev. Theodore Parker began lecturing there soon +after the famous South Boston sermon upon the transient and permanent in +Christianity. + +The North End Coffee House was built in 1782, and stood on the +north-west corner of North and Fleet streets. It was kept by the +grandfather of the Illustrious David D. Porter. + +The Bite Tavern was built in 1795, and stood in Faneuil Hall square, a +little west of Change avenue. James M. Stevens was its last landlord. It +was a favorite resort of market-men, and ceased to be a public house +about a quarter of a century ago. + +Holland's Coffee House was built in 1800, in Howard street, near Court +street. It was afterwards called the Howard Street House, and kept by +William Gallagher, whose tomb "erected by those connected with him by no +tie of kindred, who knew, loved, and honored him," stands on Primrose +Path in Mt. Auburn. It was afterwards called the Pemberton House. It was +a favorite resort of literary, dramatic, and musical people. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed +by fire in 1854, and the site was occupied for a short time by a wooden +circular structure called Father Miller's Tabernacle, which, in turn, +was burnt, when the Howard Athenæum rose upon its site. + +The Eastern Stage House was built in 1806, and upon the site of No. 90 +North street. It was from that spot that the first stage-coach in +America started, in 1660, for Portsmouth (N.H.). It was first kept by +Col. Ephraim Wildes, and afterwards by his son, Moses. It was built of +brick, three stories high, and entered by a flight of steps, and +contained sixty rooms. It was the most extensive stage rendezvous in +Boston, accommodating the stages to Portsmouth, Portland, Bangor, and +Maine, generally. The stages entered its spacious court-yard under an +arch leading from North street. After an existence of forty years, it +was demolished to make room for commercial improvements. + +Earl's Coffee House was built in 1807, and was located at No. 24 Hanover +street, upon the site, in part, of the present American House. It was +kept by Hezekiah Earl, and was the head-quarters of the New York, +Albany, and other stage lines. + +Wilde's Tavern was built in the same year, and was located on the +north-east corner of (new) Washington and Elm streets. It was demolished +in 1874 to make room for the Washington-street extension. + +Doolittle's City Tavern was also built in 1807, and stood on the +north-west corner of (new) Washington and Brattle streets. It was the +head-quarters of the Providence line of stages. It was demolished in +1874 to make room for the improvement before alluded to. + +The Exchange Coffee House was built in 1808, and stood on Congress +street, upon the site of the present Howard Bank building, and at the +time of its erection was the largest house of public entertainment in +the United States. It extended through to Devonshire street, with an +entrance on State street. It bounded 132 feet on Congress street, with a +depth of 94 feet and upwards. It covered an area of 12,753 square feet, +was seven stories in height, surmounted with a dome 101 feet in +diameter. It had 210 apartments. Its erection was begun in 1805, and +occupied two and a half years in construction. Commodore Hull, after +capturing the _Guerrière_ in 1812, had a public dinner given him there. +The Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and some subordinate lodges, had their +head-quarters there. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. It was destroyed by fire in 1818, rebuilt in 1822, with +contracted dimensions, and in 1853 was demolished to give place to the +City Exchange on Congress square and Devonshire street. James Wilson, +the last of the town-criers, had his office in the Bell-in-Hand Tavern +in the basement. At the time of the fire Hon. Henry Clay was a guest in +the house, and worked bravely at the engine brakes. Hon. David Crockett, +a famous member of Congress from Tennessee, lodged there during his +visit to Boston in 1834. He addressed an audience from the eastern +portico of the Old State House, and in expatiating upon the prospects of +the country, predicted that it would extend within a score of years from +the _At_lantic to the "_Spe_cific." Among his witty sayings will be +remembered,--"Be sure you're right then go ahead." He died in 1841, +fighting for Texan independence. It was kept in former days by Col. +James Hamilton, afterwards by William Gallagher, Hart Davenport, and +lastly by McGill & Fearing. + +Washington Hotel was built in 1809, and stood in Bromfield street. It +subsequently took the name of Indian Queen, and latterly Bromfield +House. Selden Crockett was its last landlord. It ceased to be a public +house about a dozen years since. + +The Elm Street Hotel was built in 1812, and stood on the north-west +corner of (new) Washington and (No. 9) Elm streets. It was kept by Hart +Davenport. Its yard was obliterated in 1874 to make room for the +Washington-street extension, and the building in 1882 for a site for +commercial purposes. + +The Massachusetts House was built in 1816, and still stands on the +south-west corner of Endicott and Cross streets. It is a favorite resort +of horse-jockeys and horse-fanciers. + +Forster's Coffee House was built in 1817, and stood on the corner of +Court and Howard streets. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held +its meetings there. + +The Commercial Coffee House stood on the north-east corner of Milk and +Batterymarch streets. It was built in 1817, and stood on the site of +Hallowell's shipyard. It was kept by William Merriam in 1829, John Low +in 1837, Col. Whitney in 1844, and lastly, in 1848, by James Longley, +when it ceased to be a public house, and gave place to the Thorndike +building. The preliminary meeting of the Mercantile Library Association +was held there in 1820. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. + +Washington Hotel (the second of that name) was erected in 1819, and +stood on the north-west corner of Washington street and Worcester place. +It was kept in 1836, and for a few years succeeding, by Amherst Eaton. +The Washington House was built in 1820, and stood on the site of the +present Washington market, on the south-west corner of Washington and +Lenox streets. The Messrs. Cooley kept it, and it was a favorite resort +for sleighing parties. + +In 1821 William Fenno opened a tavern in Cornhill square, and afterwards +on the east side of Theatre alley (Devonshire street), near the corner +of Franklin, adjoining what was the site of the (old) Boston Theatre, +and latterly in Province street, near the south-easterly corner of +Bromfield street. + +The Stackpole House was built in 1732, and was the mansion of William +Stackpole, a noted Boston merchant. It stood on the north-east corner of +Milk and Devonshire streets, and was first kept as a public house in +1823 by Rouillard, formerly of the Julien House, and was a favorite +resort of the choice spirits of former days. It was afterwards kept by +James W. Ryan. Among its last landlords was Alexander McGregor, a +stalwart Scotchman, and descendant of Rev James McGregor who led the +colony which made the first settlement in Deny (N.H.) in 1824. The +Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It was demolished in 1868, to make +room for the post-office edifice. + +The Sun Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1801, and stood on +the north-west corner of Battery march and Hamilton streets, and was the +mansion of Benjamin Hallowell, who owned a shipyard opposite to his +residence. It was first kept as a public house in 1824 by Goodwich, and +in 1841 by Capewell, when it ceased to be a public house, and was +demolished when Fort Hill was leveled in 1865. It was a popular resort +of Eastern people. + +The Lafayette Hotel was built in 1825, and stood on the east side of +Washington street, opposite Boylston market. It was largely patronized +by people from the country. Haskell was its landlord in 1836. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Tremont House was built in 1828, and opened October 1, 1829. It was +owned by William H. Eliot, brother of the mayor of Boston 1837-1840. It +was the prototype of the large caravanseries which dot the continent +from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its first landlord was Dwight Boyden, +who retired from its management in 1836 to assume that of the Astor +House, which was opened May 1 in that year. It was the stopping-place of +Webster on his way from Marshfield to Washington. It sheltered President +Jackson upon his visit to Boston in 1833, a decade later President +Tyler, and President Johnson in 1867. It was the temporary abode of +Charles Dickens upon his first visit to America in 1842. Under its roof +the Ashburton treaty, defining the north-eastern boundary between the +United States and Great Britain, was negotiated by Lord Ashburton on +behalf of the mother country, Abbott Lawrence on the part of +Massachusetts, and Edward Kent on the part of Maine. Some of the most +renowned men in the world have fed at its tables and slept under its +roof. It still lives in its pristine vigor, and will not yield the palm +to any hostelry in the world. + +The Franklin House was built in 1830, and stood on the west side of +Merchants row, between North Market and North streets, opposite the head +of Clinton street. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. Joshua +Sears, an eminent merchant on Long wharf, made it his home for several +years. + +The Shawmut House was built in 1831, and stood on the north side of +Hanover street, and its site is now absorbed in the American House. The +Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +Liberty Tree Tavern was built in 1833, and stood on the south-east +corner of Washington and Essex streets, upon the identical spot where +formerly stood the famous Liberty Tree, which was planted in 1646, and +become famous in Stamp Act times, and was cut down by the British in +1775. + +The Mount Washington House was built in 1834 by a company of which Hon. +John K. Simpson was president, who occupied the "Old Feather Store" on +the corner of Faneuil Hall square and North street, built in 1680. The +company became bankrupt, and it was sold in 1839 to the Perkins +Institute and New England Asylum for the Blind. Its location on +Washington Heights admirably adapts it for the benevolent purpose for +which it is now used. + +The Maverick House was opened on Noddies or Williams Island on the 27th +of May, 1835. At the date of its erection the island contained but a +score of dwellings, two or three factories, and a half-dozen of +mechanics' shops. Major Jabez W. Barton was its first landlord. It was +built of wood, 94 feet long and 85 feet wide, six stories high, and +contained more than eighty rooms. In 1838 its width was increased to 160 +feet. C.M. Taft became its landlord in 1841. The house, stables, and +furniture were sold in 1842 to John W. Fenno for $62,500. The house was +taken down in 1845 and a block of buildings erected by Noah Sturtevant. +Different parts of the block were respectively occupied as a hotel, +dwelling-houses, stores, and offices, until it was burnt January 25, +1857. A new building was erected upon its site, by Mr. Sturtevant, of +iron and brick covered with mastic, 130 feet long on Maverick square, +with an average width of no feet, and containing 180 rooms. It was +opened February 23, 1858, and was called for a decade or more the +Sturtevant House, when it resumed its former name of Maverick House. In +its rear, on the 25th of September, 1819, a duel was fought by +Lieutenants Finch and White between two elm-trees standing between +Meridian and Border streets, nearly opposite the Church of the Holy +Redeemer. White fell and died upon the spot. + +The Pearl Street House stood on the north-west corner of Milk and Pearl +streets, and was built in 1816, and was the mansion of William Pratt. It +was first occupied as a hotel in 1836. Colonel Shepherd was its first +landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. It was obliterated in the great fire of November 8, 1872. + +The Perkins House was built in 1815, and was the mansion of Hon. Thomas +H. Perkins, who donated it in 1833 to the Asylum for the Blind. It stood +on the west side of Pearl street, about midway between Milk and High +streets. It remained there under the management of Samuel G. Howe until +the encroachments of business demanded its removal. In 1839 the +institution was transferred to the Mount Washington House. The Perkins +House was opened in that year under the management of a Scotchman named +Thomas Gordon. It was a favorite resort of those who dined down-town. +The Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It ceased to be a public house In +1848, when it succumbed to the advancing waves of commerce. + +The Congress House, built in the same year, was the mansion of Daniel +Hammond, and stood on the north-east corner of Pearl and High streets. +It was opened as a public house in 1840, and was kept by Hastings, until +it was swept away in the great fire before alluded to. + +The Greyhound Tavern stood on Washington street, opposite Vernon street, +upon the site of Graham block. It was built in 1645, and was famous for +the excellence of its punch, and was much resorted to by the convivial +spirits of Boston and vicinity. Its last landlord was John Greaton. In +1752, and for many years subsequently, the Masonic fraternity celebrated +St. John's day there, and the courts sat there during the prevalence of +small-pox in Boston. A catamount, caught in the woods about eighty miles +from Boston, was exhibited there. It was a recruiting station for +enlistments during the French war. Gen. Washington resided there during +the winter of 1776. It ceased to be a tavern just after the Revolution. +Such was its size that it contained forty fireplaces. On its site was +erected the first fire-engine house in Roxbury. A portion of the +building still stands in the rear of Graham block. + +The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east +corner of Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a +meeting was held "to settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In +their house." Its last landlord was Samuel Ruggles. + +The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in +Brookline, about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between +Roxbury and Brookline, upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on +the south-west corner of Washington street and Brookline avenue. It was +a two-story hipped-roof house, and its enlargement from time to time, by +the purchase and removal of old houses thither from Boston and vicinity, +resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and produced +a new order of architecture, appropriately called "_conglomerate_" With +its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish +color, with a seat running along the front under an overhanging +projection of the second story. In front and near each end were large +elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which still remains. Its +sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and ladle, +overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a +favorite resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was +patronized by British officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and +the bridges destroyed its usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, +and demolished in 1833, with the exception of one of its adjuncts, which +now stands on the easterly side of Brookline avenue, nearly opposite +Emerald street. + +Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, +built by, and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a +famous auctioneer of Boston, and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," +on the south-east corner of Washington street and Blue Hill avenue. It +was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and was owned by John +Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a public +house in 1796. + +Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. +It was built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it +was known as the "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. +It was first occupied as a public house in 1820, and it was the place of +refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a mob from the (old) Boston +Theatre, December 21, 1825. + +The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly +corner of Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. +It was kept by Capt. Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen company of +the third parish in the Lexington battle. It was purchased in 1794, with +forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and he occupied it +during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward until +the close of his honorable life. + +On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond +block now stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied +in 1805 as the Old Red Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce. + +The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west +corner of Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George +Zeigler. It ceased to be a public house about a third of a century ago. + +Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South +streets, near the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It +was built in 1805, and first kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long +famous for good dinners. The widow of Samuel Burrill kept it during the +War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale Hotel. + +The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph +Ruggles, a well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn +in Roxbury in 1765. After the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the +mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. Simmons, who sold it to the +Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the following year +as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing a +hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, +subsequently as Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The +old mansion now stands on the north side of Norfolk street, and is +occupied as a tenement-house. It was the starting-point of the Roxbury +hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South Church on the first +of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a public +house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of +domestic and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than +sixty of which now stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and +flowed. + +In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from +Dunstable (Eng.) at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called +"Great House," originally erected by Thomas Graves for the governor's +residence, for court-meetings, and public religious worship, which stood +in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley House, and the base of +the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid £30 for the +premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, no +card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the +use of a pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses +of the guests. He was liable to a fine of ten shillings for every +offence of selling at a price exceeding sixpence for a meal, or taking +more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of meal-times," or for +selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like special +occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." +Mr. Long and his sons following him carried on the house for +three-quarters of a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, +1664, and his widow May 27, 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed +the house to his widow Mary, daughter of Increase Nowell. The estate had +a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was deeded by Mrs. +Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." +Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called +"The Old Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of +Charlestown, on the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. +Finally, the land was bought by the town, and is now part of City +square. + +The Cape Breton Tavern was built in 1731, and stood on the corner of +Main street and Hancock square. It was burnt in the general +conflagration of June 17, 1775. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1748, and stood on the south-east corner of +Charles River avenue and Water street. It was kept by Benjamin Gerrish. + +The Warren Tavern was built in 1775, and still stands on the south-west +corner of Main and Pleasant streets. It was first kept by Eliphalet +Newell. It was from that edifice that the procession connected with +funeral ceremonies in honor of GEORGE WASHINGTON started on the 31st of +December, 1799, when the nation mourned as one man the departed patriot, +statesman, and chieftain, "upon whose like they should not look again." + +Trumbull's Tavern stood on the north-east corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1771. + +The Indian Chief Tavern was built in 1779, and was the mansion of David +Wood, an influential citizen of Charlestown. It occupied the site of +Harvard Church. It was there that David Starrett, cashier of the +Hillsboro', N.H., bank, was said to have been robbed and murdered on the +evening of March 26, 1812. Suspicion attached to Samuel Gordon, the +landlord. A reward of $200 was offered for the recovery of his dead +body, but without success. In 1814 Hon. Nathan Appleton received a +letter from Starrett, in South America, whither he had fled owing to the +insolvency of the bank. It contained a hall, in the second story, known +as "Massachusetts Hall." It was removed in 1818 to the north-west corner +of Main and Miller streets, and its name changed to Eagle Tavern. It +still stands, although it ceased to be a public house a quarter of a +century since. + +The Mansion House stood on the south side of City square and north-west +corner of Warren avenue. It was erected in 1780 by Hon. Thomas Russell +as a family mansion, and occupied by him until his decease in 1796. It +was afterwards occupied by Commodore John Shaw, John Soley, Grand Master +of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Massachusetts, and Andrew Dunlap, +U.S. District Attorney, who conducted the trial of the twelve pirates of +the schooner "Pindu," in 1834. It was first occupied as a hotel in 1835, +and kept by Gorham Bigelow, and afterwards by James Ramsay. It was +demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House. + +Page's Tavern stood at the corner of Main and Gardner streets, and was +afterwards known as "Richards'", and more latterly, "Babcock's." It was +the starting-point of the Charlestown hourly coaches, which commenced +running April 1, 1828, to Brattle street; fare, twelve and a half cents. +Passengers were accommodated by being called for, or left at their +residences on cross streets. It ceased to be a public house about a +generation ago. + +Piper's Tavern stood on the south-west corner of Main and Alford +streets. + +Pierce's Hotel stood on the north-west corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1795 by Hon. Thomas Russell for a +family mansion; but he died just before its completion. In one of its +rooms was a remarkable clock with a blue dial and moving figures of men, +which appeared when the clock struck the hours, and then disappeared. +The ordaining council of the first pastor of Harvard Church convened +there. It was at one time occupied by Silas Whitney, Jr., who was buried +from there with Masonic honors in 1824. Potter, the celebrated +ventriloquist, held his exhibitions there, to the delight of the +youngsters of that day. It was last kept by James Walker, and its name +changed to the Middlesex House. It was destroyed by the great fire of +August 28, 1835. + +Robbin's Tavern stood on the west side of City square and south-east +corner of Harvard street. It was built in 1796, and stood directly in +the rear of the site of the Three Cranes Tavern, before alluded to. It +was demolished in 1816, and the Charlestown Town Hall erected upon its +site, which, in turn, was demolished in 1868 to make room for the City +Hall. + +Ireland's Tavern was built in 1797, and stood on the north side of +Cambridge street, near the Lowell Railroad bridge. + +Yoelin's Tavern was built in 1798, and stood on the east side of City +square and north-west corner of Chamber street. It was first occupied as +a tavern in 1821, and was destroyed by the great fire before alluded to. +The first meeting of the proprietors of Warren bridge was held there in +1828. + +Copp's Tavern was built in 1799, and stood on the south side of City +square, near the corner of Bow street. The building, which had ceased +for some years to be occupied as a tavern, was demolished in 1866 to +make room for the Waverley House. + +"_Sic transit gloria mundi_." Thus have disappeared from time to time, +with but few exceptions, the taverns, inns, and coffee-houses of the +Town of Boston, while the bodily forms of those who took their ease in +them have long since crumbled into dust. We will now resign to the pen +of the local historian of a century hence to describe the mammoth +hostelries of the City of Boston, which have arisen since the era of +railways, steamships, electric telegraphs, ocean cables, telephones, +electric lights, and other modern developments of science and art. + + * * * * * + +EDITOR'S TABLE. + + +A correspondent asks in connection with an article in the May number on +"Town and City Histories," in which was incidentally mentioned the +government of Western towns by trustees, the following question: "Can +you tell me where I can find that government treated of; also, that of +towns in the Middle and Southern States?" The question is a hard one to +answer. Of the town meeting, that peculiarly New England institution, +much has been written; but about the local forms of government prevalent +in the States between the Hudson and the Pacific Ocean very little has +found its way into print. The local historians seem to take it for +granted that all these things are understood everywhere, and so shed +little light on the question. The pages of this magazine will be open to +any one who can give the desired information. + +The season of agricultural fairs, "cattle-shows" and the like, is about +over. There is scarcely a county in New England, scarcely a State in the +Union, but has had a fair of some sort or other. Most of them report +better exhibits and larger attendance than ever before. Some few report +a falling off in attendance. That all these fairs have done exhibitors +much good is doubtful; that they have benefited the thinking portion of +their attendants is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the thinking portion +of a farming community is lamentably small. Most people go to a +"cattle-show" to be amused; a few go to learn. The few that derive +benefit from seeing the wonders of the earth collected in pens and on +tables are helped just as a teacher gets benefit from a teacher's +institute--both get food for thought. At the cattle-show the farmer +_may_ learn of new methods and see their results. The trouble is that +the ordinary farmer goes to the fair for the same reason that the +average citizen buys a ticket to the menagerie--to see the circus. There +are more clowns at a cattle-show than the sawdust ever saw. The horses +may not be so pretty or gaudy, but they go faster. One man defended +himself very frankly at the dinner of a county fair in this State when +he said: "The Lord made horses to go, and I like to see them do it." +This question of trotting or no trotting at the fair is not a new one; +but with age it seems to acquire toughness,--like chickens, for +instance. + +But passing by the horse question, we come to the question of clowns, +which is really a very serious one. It may be irreverent to compare +"cattle-show" orators to circus clowns, but really the temptation is +irresistible; and then they are the only features of the respective +exhibitions that have speaking parts. Joking aside, there are important +lessons which the speaking and the speakers at the recent fairs may +teach us. We find that the candidate for office has become a great +attraction, one which the fair-managers bid high for. They draw well, +too. + +This calls to mind this year's Salisbury Beach Festival, a time-honored +institution which has degenerated into a money-making affair in these +later days. This year there was, to be sure, a large crowd present, but +yet the attendance was smaller than in any year for a long time. The +number of people present was between 3,500 and 5,000. Prominent +gentlemen in Essex County were advertised to address the crowd. The +newspaper comment on the event is short and to the point: "There was no +speaking, as the crowd was more interested in seeing the Lawrence Base +Ball Club beat the Newbury porters, by a score of 9 to 7." Again: "The +principal attractions were Professors Parker and Martin at the skating +rink, and the 4,000-pound ox." + +_O Tempora! O Mores!_ + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. 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+ content: attr(title); + text-align: right; + } + /* To indent wrapped lines */ + .poem .line { + height: auto; + margin-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; + } + .figure, .figcenter, .figright, .figleft + {padding: 1em; margin: 0; text-align: center; font-size: 0.8em;} + .figure img, .figcenter img, .figright img, .figleft img + {border: none;} + .figure p, .figcenter p, .figright p, .figleft p + {margin: 0; text-align: center;} + .figcenter {margin: auto;} + .figright {float: right;} + .figleft {float: left;} +span.rightnote { +position: absolute; +left: 88%; +right: 1%; +font-size: 0.7em; +border-bottom: solid 1px; +text-align: left; +} +/* Use this if there are inline transliterations. */ +/* [lang][title]:after {content: " [Trans: " attr(title) "]";} */ + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> + </head> + <body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. 2, +November, 1884, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. 2, November, 1884 + +Author: Various + +Release Date: October 14, 2004 [EBook #13741] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BAY STATE MONTHLY, *** + + + + +Produced by Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci, the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team, and Cornell University + + + + + + +</pre> + + <a name="page61" id="page61"></a><span class="newpage">[61]</span> + <h1>THE BAY STATE MONTHLY.</h1> + <center> + <i>A Massachusetts Magazine</i>. + </center> + <center> + VOL. II. + </center> + <center> + NOVEMBER, 1884. + </center> + <center> + No. 2. + </center> + <hr class="short" /> + <div class="figcenter"> + <a href="images/image2_full.png"><img src="images/image2_thumbnail.png" + alt="Grover Cleveland" /></a> + <p>Grover Cleveland.</p> + </div> + <h2>GROVER CLEVELAND.</h2> + <center> + By HENRY H. METCALF. + </center> + <p>Save only that of Ulysses S. Grant, no name in America has come from comparative + obscurity into national eminence in so short a time as that of GROVER CLEVELAND.</p> + <p>The fame of Grant was wrought out through the exigencies of a great civil war, in + which the unity of the Republic was the issue involved. The distinction which + Cleveland has achieved comes of valiant service in another field of conflict, wherein + the issue involves the perpetuity and dominance of the great principles which + constitute the framework and fibre of republican government itself. Under ordinary + circumstances, probably, neither Grant nor Cleveland would have risen above the plane + of every-day life. The same, too, might perhaps justly be said even of Washington. In + the history of human progress it will be seen that every great crisis involving the + triumph of the principles and tendencies which make for the moral, social, or + political advancement of mankind has developed a leader endowed with the special + qualities demanded by the occasion.</p> + <p>The brilliant and self-assertive men who press forward to leadership in ordinary + times, whether impelled by mere love of notoriety, personal ambition, or an honest + desire to promote the welfare of their fellow-men, seldom become masters of the + situation when a supreme emergency arises. They may set in motion great contending + forces; they may precipitate conflicts whose ultimate outcome brings inestimable + benefit to mankind; but other hands and other minds are required to direct the issue + and shape the result. The master spirit of the occasion is born thereof. Ulysses S. + Grant had absolutely no part in bringing about that great conflict of ideas and + systems which culminated in the war of the rebellion; nor had he even figured + prominently in the field of military achievement until long after hostilities were + commenced, and the struggle had assumed proportions entirely unforeseen by, and + actually appalling <a name="page62" id="page62"></a><span class="newpage">[62]</span> + to, not only the people themselves, but those In control of active operations in the + field. But the emergency developed the man required to meet it, and Grant came to the + front.</p> + <p>So, too, in this later and greater conflict, which is to test the virtue and + determine the durability of popular government—whose outcome is to decide + whether political parties are to be the mere instruments through which the people + express their will, and whose relations can be changed as the public good may seem to + require, or whether the government itself shall be subordinated to party, and its + functions prostituted for the perpetuation of party ascendency and the aggrandizement + of corrupt and selfish individuals—the leader in whom the hopes of those who + contend for the supremacy of the popular will, the surbordination of party-power to + public welfare, and the administration of the government in the interests of the + whole people, are now thoroughly centred, is one who has gained no distinction in + shaping partisan contests, and won no laurels in the halls of legislation or the + forum of public debate. He is, simply, the man who, in the last few years, first in + one, and then in another still more important position of official responsibility, + has demonstrated more emphatically than any other in recent times (possibly because + circumstances have more generally drawn attention in his direction) his thorough + devotion to the doctrine that public office is a public trust; and has, therefore, + been selected as the best representative and exponent of the popular idea in the + great political conflict about to be brought to an issue.</p> + <p>The purpose and scope of this brief article permit no detailed account of the + private life or public career of Grover Cleveland. Those who have cared to do so have + already familiarized themselves with the same through the ordinary channels; yet, as + a matter of record, a few salient facts may be presented.</p> + <p>Grover Cleveland was born in the village of Caldwell, near Newark, New Jersey, + March 18, 1837. His paternal ancestry was of the substantial English stock.</p> + <p>I. Aaron Cleveland, an early settler in the valley of the Connecticut. He was + liberally educated, and, ardently devoted to the interests of the Church, he + determined to take holy orders, and returned to England for confirmation therein. + Coming back to America he settled in the ministry at East Haddam, Conn. Some fifteen + years later, in August, 1757, he died, while on a visit to Philadelphia, at the + residence of his friend, Benjamin Franklin, then publisher of the <i>Pennsylvania + Gazette</i>, who spoke of him, in an obituary notice in his paper, as "a gentleman of + a humane and pious disposition, indefatigable in his ministry, easy and affable in + his conversation, open and sincere in his friendship, and above every species of + meanness and dissimulation."</p> + <p>II. Aaron Cleveland, born at East Haddam, Conn., February 9, 1744. He was a hatter + by trade and located in Norwich, which town he represented in the Legislature, where + he introduced a bill for the abolition of slavery, of which institution he was a + determined opponent. Subsequently he became a Congregational clergyman, and a power + in that denomination. <a name="page63" id="page63"></a><span + class="newpage">[63]</span> He died at New Haven in 1815.</p> + <p>III. William Cleveland, second son of the above, a silversmith by occupation, also + dwelt in Norwich. His wife was Margaret Falley. He was prosperous in business, + respected in the community, and deacon of the church of which his father had been + pastor for a quarter of a century previous to his decease.</p> + <p>IV. Richard Falley Cleveland, second son of William, born in 1804, graduated from + Yale in 1824 with high honors. He, too, became a clergyman, having adopted the + Presbyterian faith, and pursued his studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, after + serving a year as a tutor in Baltimore, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Anne + Neale, daughter of a prominent law publisher of Irish birth, with whom he united in + marriage after completing his studies, in 1829. He was located in pastorates, + successively, at Windham, Conn.; Portsmouth, Va.; Caldwell, N.J., and Fayetteville, + N.Y. Subsequently, moved by failing health, he sought a change, and, as agent of the + American Home Missionary Society, located at Clinton. Two years later he returned to + pastoral service, though still In feeble health, establishing himself and family at + Holland Patent, a few miles north of the city of Utica. Here he died suddenly, a few + weeks after his removal, leaving to his wife and nine children no other fortune than + the legacy of an honorable name, and the enduring influence of a true and devoted + life.</p> + <p>V. Grover Cleveland, third son and fifth child of Richard Falley and Anne (Neale) + Ceveland, was sixteen years of age when his father died. The sad event necessarily + marked a turning-point in his career. He was forced to look life and duty seriously + in the face, and he proved himself equal to the emergency. It had been a cherished + hope of his boyhood that he might secure the benefit of a classical education at + Hamilton College, from which his eldest brother, William (now a Presbyterian + clergyman at Forestport, N.Y.), had then recently graduated. But this was now out of + the question. He had not only to provide for himself, but he felt bound to aid his + mother in the support of the younger members of the family. The idea of the college + course, for which he had partially fitted himself in the preparatory school at + Clinton, was relinquished, and the battle of life commenced in earnest. He had + already learned something of the lesson of self-reliance, having served for a year or + more as a clerk in a grocery at Fayetteville, and he soon secured a situation as an + assistant in the Institution for the Blind in the city of New York, where his brother + William was then engaged as a teacher. Here he remained nearly two years, faithfully + discharging the duties assigned him, and promptly forwarding to his mother such + portion of his moderate wages as remained after providing for his own personal + necessities. The situation, however, grew irksome. As the young man's capabilities + developed his ambition was aroused. There was no way of advancement open before him + here, and he felt that his duty to himself, as well as others, demanded that he make + the best practicable use of the powers with which he was endowed. Returning home for + a short visit, and taking counsel with his mother, he <a name="page64" + id="page64"></a><span class="newpage">[64]</span> soon set out for the "West," the + field toward which ambitious young men have turned, with hearts full of hope, for the + last half century.</p> + <p>His proposed destination was Cleveland, Ohio; his cherished ambition the study and + practice of the law. He was accompanied on his journey by a young friend of kindred + aspirations. Arriving at Buffalo he called on an uncle, Mr. Lewis F. Allen, who had a + fine stock farm, just out of the city, and who finally induced him to remain there, + promising to secure him admission to a law office in Buffalo. He remained with his + uncle for a time, assisting him in the preparation of the manuscript of the "American + Herd Book," a work upon which he was then engaged; but in the course of a few months + (in August, 1855) he secured admission as a student in one of the best known law + offices of the city—that of Rogers, Bowen, & Rogers. Blessed with good + health and industrious habits, with an earnest determination to succeed, he entered + upon the work before him. For a time he boarded at his uncle's house, taking the long + walk to and from the office at morning and night; but after a few months he was + enabled to be of such assistance in the office in clerical and other work, that, from + the modest compensation allowed, he secured lodgings in the city and provided for all + his humble wants.</p> + <p>After four years of unremitting study and toil, he was admitted to the Erie county + bar, having laid the foundation for future professional success in a thorough mastery + of legal principles and all the details of practice, and in those well-established + habits of thought and application by which his subsequent life has been so fully + characterized. He had gained, also, the confidence and esteem of his preceptors and + employers, and after his admission continued with them as confidential clerk in + charge of the office business, receiving a salary which enabled him, then, to + contribute materially to the assistance of his mother in providing for the wants of + the family and maintaining the comforts of the humble home in Holland Patent, toward + which his fondest thoughts have turned in all the years of his busy life, and where + such periods of recreation as he has felt warranted in indulging have mainly been + spent.</p> + <p>In 1863 Mr. Cleveland received an appointment as assistant district attorney for + Erie county, a strong testimonial to the legal abilities of so youthful a + practitioner, considering the array of professional talent in the county and the + responsibilities of the position. The war was then in progress; two brothers, one the + next older, and the other younger than himself, had enlisted in the Union army; and + when, a few months after his appointment, as he had fairly familiarized himself with + the details of important cases intrusted to his care, he was himself drafted, he + pursued the only practicable course, and provided a substitute for the service. In + the fall of 1865, while yet serving as deputy, he was unanimously selected by the + Democratic Nominating Convention as candidate for district attorney. The county was + strongly Republican, but young Cleveland received a support beyond his party strength + and was beaten, by a few hundred majority only, by the Republican nominee, Lyman K. + Bass, <a name="page65" id="page65"></a><span class="newpage">[65]</span> then and + since his warm personal friend.</p> + <p>Upon the expiration of his term of service as deputy district attorney, in + January, 1866, he entered actively into practice, having formed a partnership with + the late Isaac K. Vanderpoel, a prominent lawyer and ex-State treasurer. The burden + of the labor fell to the share of the junior partner, and through his close attention + to the interests of clients the business of the firm soon became extensive and the + income fairly remunerative. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, through + the election of Mr. Vanderpoel as police judge, and soon after the new firm of + Cleveland, Laning, & Folsom was formed. In 1870 Mr. Cleveland was urged by + leading Democrats of Erie county to accept the party nomination for sheriff. The + proposition was by no means in accordance with his desires or inclinations. The + office, although a most important one in a large and populous county, and commanding + liberal compensation in fees, was a most thankless one in many respects: its duties, + always delicate and exacting, sometimes disagreeable in the extreme, and its + responsibilities great. It was felt, however, that the acceptance of this nomination + by one who so thoroughly commanded the confidence of the people, and whose + professional training and experience gave him superior qualification for the office, + would insure to the county ticket of the party, with due care in the selection of + other candidates, the strength necessary to success in the election. As a loyal + member of the party to whose principles he had ever been devotedly attached, and in + the support of whose cause he had labored in every consistent capacity since becoming + a voter, he finally yielded, accepted the nomination, and, as had been hoped, was + duly elected along with the entire ticket. He administered the office, upon which he + entered in January following, upon strict business principles, and to the eminent + satisfaction of the courts, the bar, and the public at large, during the full term of + three years. There were no duties, however irksome, from which he shrank; no + responsibilities which he failed to meet in a becoming manner; and when, on the first + of January, 1874, his term expired and he returned to his legal practice, it was with + a larger measure of popular esteem than he had ever before enjoyed.</p> + <p>In resuming professional labor he formed a partnership with his friend and former + antagonist, Lyman K. Bass, Mr. Wilson S. Bissel also becoming a member of the firm. + Now thirty-seven years of age, with mental powers thoroughly developed, and a + capacity for labor far greater than that with which most men are favored, he was + eminently well equipped for substantial achievement in his chosen field of effort; + and it is not too much to say that, in the next seven years, during which he gave + uninterrupted attention to the work, he accomplished as much in the way of honest + professional triumph as any lawyer in Western New York. He sought no mere personal + distinction, but put his heart into his work, and practically made his clients' + interests his own. His judgment was sound, his industry indefatigable, his integrity + unquestioned. He was eminently well fitted for judicial service, but could never be + induced to put himself <a name="page66" id="page66"></a><span + class="newpage">[66]</span> in the way of preferment in that direction. He was always + the "working member" of the firms with which he was connected. As an advocate, he + made no pretensions to brilliancy; but in the preparation of cases, and in the cogent + statement of principles involved, as well as in the effective presentation of + pertinent facts, he found no superiors, and few equals, among his associates at the + bar.</p> + <p>Caring nothing for the pecuniary rewards of labor, beyond the provision for his + own modest wants and the comfort of those, in a measure, depending upon his + assistance, Mr. Cleveland has accumulated no large fortune; although, with the + opportunities at hand, had he made wealth his object, he might have secured it. On + the other hand, he has befriended many a poor client to his own cost; and, while + failing in many cases to collect the fees which were his due, he has contributed to + public and private charities with a liberal, but unostentatious hand. Though he has + never posed as a "working-men's candidate" for official preferment, the laboring + people of his city and section have long known him as the true and sympathetic friend + of every honest son and daughter of toil.</p> + <p>When, in the autumn of 1881, the people of the great city of Buffalo, the third in + the Empire State in population, and the second in commercial importance, tired of the + corruption, the robbery, and oppression of the ring rule, which had fastened its grip + upon them under long years of Republican ascendency, turned at last to the Democratic + party for relief, the Democracy of the city saw in Grover Cleveland the one man of + all others with whom as their candidate for mayor, they might reasonably hope to win, + not simply a partisan triumph, but a victory for honest government in which all + patriotic citizens might well rejoice. Much against his own will, after repeated + solicitation on the part of leading Democrats, and many Republicans, who appreciated + his character and fitness, he again consented to become the candidate of his party + for responsible office; and, at the election which followed, so great was the desire + for a change in municipal matters, and so general the confidence in Mr. Cleveland as + the man under whose direction the needed reform might be effected, that his majority + for mayor was about three thousand five hundred, or nearly the same figure with which + the Republican ticket had ordinarily triumphed.</p> + <p>Entering upon the duties of his office as mayor, January 1, 1882, he soon gave + practical assurance of the fact that the people of Buffalo had made no mistake in the + selection of their chief municipal servant. In his first message to the Common + Council, which was replete with sound, practical suggestions, he said:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>It seems to me that a successful and faithful administration of the government + of our city may be accomplished by constantly bearing in mind that we are the + trustees and agents of our fellow-citizens, holding their funds in sacred trust to + be expended for their benefit; that we should at all times be prepared to render an + honest account to them touching the matter of its expenditure; and that the affairs + of the city should be conducted as far as possible upon the same principles as a + good businessman manages his private concerns.</p> + </blockquote> + <a name="page67" id="page67"></a><span class="newpage">[67]</span> + <p>It suffices to say that, so far as the mayor himself was concerned, and so far as + his power and influence extended, he lived up fully to the letter and spirit of this + suggestion. Although hampered by an adverse political majority in the Common Council, + still measurably under the influence of the old rings, and more intent upon + preventing the mayor from winning public favor which might, perchance, inure to the + benefit of his party (though standing himself entirely beyond party in his relations + to the public welfare), than upon the faithful discharge of their own duties, he + succeeded, by the force of his own earnest personality, by searching investigation + into the workings of all the departments of city affairs, by the ruthless exposure + and denunciation of various corrupt schemes of jobbery and plunder, and by the + persistent recommendation of measures and methods which commended themselves to his + judgment, in accomplishing much in the way of the reform for which his election had + been sought. He used the veto power with a vigor and a significance which had + characterized the action of no predecessor in the office, and often regardless of the + fact that its exercise might be distorted by designing enemies, personal or + political, to insure him at least the temporary disapprobation of large classes of + citizens; but he used it only when fully satisfied, through patient research and + careful deliberation, that duty and obligation imperatively required it. It is + conceded that in his brief year's administration he saved a million of dollars to the + city treasury, stamped out numerous abuses, and stimulated the spirit of faithful + devotion in various branches of the municipal service. Men of all parties unite in + saying that the city of Buffalo was never favored with the services of a more + faithful, conscientious, and thoroughly impartial executive head.</p> + <p>But he was not to continue the work of administrative reform in that particular + field of labor. The people had called him "up higher." His reputation as a true + Democrat, an honest reformer, and a faithful public servant, had spread abroad + through the State, and when the Democratic State Convention assembled in the early + autumn of that year it was clearly apparent that the nomination of Grover Cleveland, + the reform mayor of Buffalo, as the candidate of the party for the supreme magistracy + of the Empire State, was the one certain guaranty of overwhelming Democratic victory + at the polls. That nomination was promptly made, and the result which followed was + without parallel in the annals of American political history. He was elected governor + by a majority of nearly two hundred thousand, and, although internal dissensions in + the Republican party, then existing, contributed largely to the general result, the + most significant feature of the election is found in the fact that the largest + relative Democratic gain was made in his own county of Erie, where he received + upwards of seven thousand majority against more than three thousand majority for + Garfield in the last presidential election, showing him strongest before the people + where his personal character and attributes, as well as his qualifications for + positions of high public trust, are most thoroughly known.</p> + <a name="page68" id="page68"></a><span class="newpage">[68]</span> + <p>As governor of New York, which position he has occupied for the last twenty + months, first with a Democratic and later with a Republican legislature, Mr. + Cleveland has followed the same rule of official conduct adopted for his guidance in + other positions. Mindful of all proper obligations to his own political party, he has + never permitted party demands to stand in the way of his duty to the public and the + State. Believing, to quote his own language, "in an open and sturdy partisanship + which secures the legitimate advantages of party supremacy," he also believes that + parties were made for the people, and declares himself "unwilling, knowingly, to give + assent to measures purely partisan which will sacrifice or endanger the people's + interests." In the office of governor, as well as in that of mayor, he has made + vigorous but discriminate use of the veto power, and in the one case, as in the + other, it has invariably been found, upon candid investigation, that his action has + been taken under a profound sense of the binding authority of the fundamental law, + and with an unflinching regard for the rights and interests of the whole + people,—however violent, at times, may have been the denunciation of demagogic + opponents, or clamorous the protests of those who sought merely temporary advantages + in particular directions, regardless of ultimate results upon the general welfare. In + this, as in other positions, his general line of action has been such as to command + the hearty approval of patriotic men of all parties; and if he has incurred the + hostility of any, it has been through his opposition to the schemes of corrupt rings + and the purposes of selfish individuals, which he regarded detrimental to the public + good; or through his support of wholesome measures, calculated to protect the body + politic, and thwart their illegitimate designs in other directions.</p> + <p>And now, Grover Cleveland stands before the people of the whole country the duly + nominated candidate of the Democratic party for the highest office in the gift of the + Republic; while his candidacy is indorsed and enthusiastically supported by tens of + thousands of pure and unselfish men of the opposite party, who see, through his + election, the only hope of a return to constitutional methods and honest practices in + the administration of the Federal Government, without which ere long the complete and + irremediable subversion and destruction of the government itself will be + accomplished. This candidacy comes not through his own seeking. Grover Cleveland + never sought an office in all his life. He has consented to serve his fellow-citizens + in public station only at their solicitation and command. He has served them + faithfully and well so far as he has been called, and none need fear that, if called + to still higher responsibilities and a broader field of duty, he will not prove equal + to the emergency—equally true to himself and his trust.</p> + <p>Grover Cleveland is a man "cast in nature's noblest mould." Of commanding + presence, with a physical development commensurate with his mental powers, thoroughly + democratic in habit and manner, accessible to all, meeting the humblest and highest + upon equal terms, sympathizing heartily with the honest laborer <a name="page69" + id="page69"></a><span class="newpage">[69]</span> in every field of action, frank and + outspoken in his opinions, hating hypocrisy and sham with all his soul, fighting + corruption and dishonesty wherever he finds them, respecting the opinions and + listening to the suggestions of others, but acting invariably in accordance with his + own convictions of right, he fills the perfect measure of honest manhood; and whether + he be President of the American Republic, or simple citizen, he will never, it is + safe to assume, forfeit either his own self-respect, or the confident regard of his + fellow-men.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>BOUNDARY LINES OF OLD GROTON.—IV.</h2> + <center> + BY THE HON. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. + </center> + <p>About this time it was proposed to form a new township from Groton, Lancaster, and + Harvard, including a small parcel of land, known as Stow Leg, a strip of territory + perhaps two hundred rods in width and a mile in length, lying west of the Nashua + river. This "Leg" had belonged originally to Stow, but by the incorporation of + Harvard had become wholly detached from that town. The proposed township covered + nearly the same territory as that now occupied by Shirley. The attempt, however, does + not appear to have been successful. The following covenant, signed by certain + inhabitants of the towns interested in the movement, is on file, and with it a rough + plan of the neighborhood; but I find no other allusion to the matter either in + petitions or records.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>"We the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the Extream Parts of Groton Lancaster + and Harvard as allso the Proprietors of the Land belonging to the Town of Stow + (which Land is Scituate, Lying and being Between the Towns above said Namely Groton + Lancaster and Harvard) Do Covenant and Promise to and with Each other And We Do + Hereby of our own Free Will and Motion In the Exercise of Love and Charity Towards + one another with Mutual Consent in the strongest Manner Binding our Selves the + Subscribers each and every of us Conjointly one to another (for the Gosples Sake) + Firmly Covenanting and Promising to and with Each other that we will as Speedely as + may be with Conveniency Petition the Several Towns to which we Respectively belong + and Likewise the Great and General Court That we may be Erected or Incorporated + into a Destinct and separate Township of our Selves with those Lands within the + Bounds and Limits Here after Described viz Beginning at the River called Lancaster + [Nashua] River at the turning of Sd River Below the Brige called John Whits Brige + & Runing Northerly to Hell Pond and on Still to the Line Betwixt Harvard and + Groton Including John Farwell then to Coyecus Brook Leaveing the Mills and Down + Said Brook to the River and down Said River to the Rye ford way then Runing + Westerly to the Northerly End of Horse Pond & so on to Luningburg Line, + Including Robert Henry & Daniel Page and then Runing Southerly Extendig Beyound + Luningburg So far Into Lancaster as that Running Easterly the Place on which Ralph + Kindal formerly Lived Shall be Included and so on Running Easterly to the Turn in + the River first mentioned</p> + <p>Moreover we Do Covenant Promise and Engage Truly and Faithfully that will + Consent to and Justifie any Petition that Shall be Prefered in our names and behalf + to our Respective Towns and to the Great & <a name="page70" + id="page70"></a><span class="newpage">[70]</span> General Court for the Ends and + Purposes above Mentioned</p> + <p>Furthermore we Do Covenant Promise and Engage as above that we will advance + money for and Pay all Such Reasonable and necessary Charges that may arise in the + Prosecuting and Obtaining our Said Petitions and that we will Each and Every of us + Respectively Endever to Promote and Maintain Peace Unity Concord and Good Agreement + amoungst our Selves as Becometh Christians</p> + <p>And now haveing thus Covenanted as above Said We Do Each and Every one of us who + have Hereunto Subscribed Protest and Declare that Every Article and Parigraph and + Thing Containd in the above Writen Shall be Absolutely and Unacceptionably Binding + in Manner and form as above Declared and Shall So Continue upon and Against Each + and Every one of us untill we are Erected or Incorporated Into a Township as above + said or that Provedance Shall Remove us by Death or Otherways any thing to the + Contrary Notwithstanding</p> + <p>Witness our Hands the Eight Day of December one Thousand Seven Hundred and + Fourty Seven and in the Twentieth Year Of His Majesties Reign Georg the Secund King + &c</p> + <p> Harvard</p> + <p>Richard hall<br /> + Jon<sup>n</sup> Bigelow<br /> + Joseph Hutchins<br /> + Simeon Farnsworth<br /> + Timothy hall<br /> + Phenihas Farnsworth<br /> + Amos Russll<br /> + Johnathan—Read<br /> + Jonathan Read iu<br /> + Abijah Willard</p> + <p> Groton</p> + <p>Samuel Hazen<br /> + Joseph Preist<br /> + Samell flood<br /> + John pearce<br /> + Charles Richards<br /> + Daniel Page<br /> + John Longley jn'r<br /> + Abijah Willard<br /> + Manasser Divoll<br /> + John Osgood<br /> + Abijah Frost<br /> + John Peirce hous rite</p> + <p> Lancaster</p> + <p>Henry Haskell<br /> + John Nicholls<br /> + Thomas Wright<br /> + William Willard<br /> + Joshua Johnson<br /> + Daniel Willard<br /> + Joseph Priest<br /> + William Farmer<br /> + Joseph Bond<br /> + Henry Willard<br /> + Benjamin Willard<br /> + Jacob Houghton<br /> + Corp Elias Sawyer<br /> + Amos Am Atherton</p> + <p> Stow</p> + <p>John Houghton Ju<br /> + John Sampson<br /> + Joseph Brown<br /> + Hannah Brown<br /> + Samuel Randal<br /> + Benjamin Samson</p> + <p class="i2">[Massachusetts Archives, CXV., 220-222.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>Hell Pond, mentioned in this covenant, is situated in the northwest part of + Harvard, and so called "from its amazing depth," says the Reverend Peter Whitney, in + the History of Worcester County (page 158).</p> + <p>Two years after this covenant was signed, another attempt was made to divide the + town, but it did not succeed. The lines of the proposed township included nearly the + same territory as the present ones of Shirley. The following references to the scheme + are found, under their respective dates, in the printed Journal of the House of + Representatives:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of <i>Groton</i> and <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying + they may be erected into a distinct and seperate <a name="page71" + id="page71"></a><span class="newpage">[71]</span> Township or Precinct, agreable to + the Plan therewith exhibited, for the Reasons mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petitioners serve the Town of Lunenburg, and + the first Parish in <i>Groton</i>, with Copies of this Petition, that they shew + Cause, if any they have, on the 29th of <i>December</i> next, if the Court be then + Sitting, if not on the first Friday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the + Prayer thereof should not be granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 100), November 30, 1749.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>Samuel Watts</i>, Esq; brought down the Petition of sundry Inhabitants of + <i>Lunenburg</i> and <i>Groton</i>, as entred the 30th of <i>November</i> last, and + refer'd. Pass'd in Council, <i>viz</i>. In Council <i>December</i> 29th 1749. Read + again, with the Answer of the Town of <i>Lunenburg</i>, and <i>Ordered</i>, That + the Consideration of this Petition be refer'd to the second Wednesday of the next + Sitting of this Court. Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>With a Petition from sundry Inhabitants of <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying to be set + off from said Town of <i>Leominster</i>. Pass'd in Council, <i>viz</i> In Council + <i>December</i> 29th 1749. Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petitioners serve the + Town of <i>Lunenburg</i>, with a Copy of this petition, that they shew Cause, if + any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the + Prayer thereof should not be granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 143), December 29, 1749.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>John Chandler</i>, Esq; brought down the Petitions of <i>John Whitney</i>, + and others of the westerly Part of <i>Groton</i>, and the easterly Part of the Town + of <i>Lunenburgh</i>, and <i>Edward Hartwell</i>, Esq; and others of said Town, + Pass'd in Council, <i>-viz.</i> In Council <i>April</i> 4th 1750. <i>Ordered</i>, + That <i>Samuel Watts, James Minot</i>, and <i>John Otis</i>, Esqrs; with such as + the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to consider the Petitions + above-mentioned, and the several Answers thereto, hear the Parties, and report what + they judge proper for the Court to do thereon.</p> + <p>Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>Read and concur'd, and Mr. <i>Rice</i>, Capt. <i>Livermore</i>, Col. + <i>Richards</i>, and Mr. <i>Daniel Pierce</i>, are joined in the Affair.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 214), April 5, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>Joseph Wilder</i>, Esq., brought down the Report of a Committee of both + Houses, on the Petition of <i>John Whitney</i>, and others, as entred the 30th of + <i>November</i> last, and refer'd. Signed <i>James Minott</i>, per Order.</p> + <p>Pass'd in Council, <i>viz.</i> In Council <i>June</i> 21, 1750. Read and + <i>Voted</i>, That this Report be not accepted, and that the Petition of <i>John + Whitney</i> and others therein refer'd to, be accordingly dismiss'd, and that the + Petitioners pay the Charge of the Committee.</p> + <p>Send down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 41), June 22, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of the westerly Part of <i>Groton</i>, and the + easterly Part of <i>Lunenburg</i>, praying that their Memorial and Report thereon, + which was dismiss'd the 22<sup>d</sup> of <i>June</i> last, may be revived and reconsidered, + for the Reasons mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That Mr. <i>Turner</i>, Mr. <i>Tyng</i>, and Major + <i>Jones</i> with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to take + this Petition under Consideration, and report what they judge proper to be done + thereon. Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 76, 77), October 3, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p><i>John Greenleafe</i>, Esq.; brought down the Petition of sundry Inhabitants of + <i>Groton</i> and <i>Lunenburg</i>, as entred the 3d Currant, and referr'd. Pass'd + in Council, <i>viz</i>. In Council <i>October</i> 3d 1750. Read and nonconcur'd, + and <i>Ordered</i>, That this Petition be dismiss'd.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>Sent down for Concurrence.</p> + <p>Read and nonconcur'd, and <i>Ordered</i>, <a name="page72" id="page72"></a><span + class="newpage">[72]</span> That the Petitioner serve the Town of <i>Lunenburg</i> + with a Copy of this Petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the second + Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be + granted.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 93), October 9, 1750.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>A Memorial of <i>John Whitney</i> and others of the Southwesterly Part of + <i>Groton</i>, praying that their Petition exhibited in <i>November</i> 1749 may be + revived, and the Papers prefer'd at that Time again considered, for the Reasons + mentioned.</p> + <p>Read and <i>Ordered</i>, That the Petition lie on the Table.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 64), October 9, 1751.]</p> + <p><i>Ordered</i>, That the Petition of <i>John Whitney</i> and others of the + Southwesterly Part of <i>Groton</i>, lie upon the Table.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 81), January 3, 1752.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The Memorial of <i>John Whitney</i> and others, as entred <i>October</i> 9th + 1751, Inhabitants of the Southwesterly Part of <i>Groton</i> and the Eastwardly + Part of <i>Lunenberg</i>, setting forth that in <i>November</i> 1749, they + preferred a Petition to this Court, praying to be set off from the Towns to which + they belong, and made into a distant [distinct?] and seperate Town and Parish, for + the Reasons therein mentioned; praying that the aforesaid Memorial and Petition, + with the Report of the said Committee thereon, and all the Papers thereto + belonging, may be revived, and again taken into consideration.</p> + <p>Read again, and the Question was put, <i>Whether the Prayer of the Petition + should be so far granted as that the petition and Papers accompanying it should be + revived</i>?</p> + <p>It pass'd in the Negative. And <i>Voted</i>, That the Memorial be dismiss'd.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 92), January 9, 1753.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The discussion in regard to the division of the town resulted in setting off the + district of Shirley, on January 5, 1753, three months before the district of + Pepperell was formed. In the Act of Incorporation the name was left blank, as it was + in the one incorporating Pepperell, and "Shirley" was filled in at the time of its + engrossment. It was so named after William Shirley, the governor of the province at + that period. It never was incorporated specifically as a town, but became one by a + general Act of the Legislature, passed on March 23, 1786. It was represented, while a + district, in the session of the General Court which met at Watertown, on July 19, + 1775, as well as in the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly + acquired the powers and privileges of a town, which were afterward confirmed by the + act just mentioned.</p> + <p>The act for establishing the district of Shirley is as follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Vicesimo Sexto.</p> + <p>An Act for dividing the Town of Groton and making a District by the Name + of....</p> + <p>Whereas the Inhabitants of the Southwesterly part of the Town of Groton by + Reason of the Difficulties they labour under being remote from the place of the + publick worship of God have addressed this Court to be Sett off a Separate District + whereunto the Inhabitants of Said Town have Manifested their Consent Be it + therefore enacted by the Lieutenant Governour Council and House of Representatives + that the Southwestwardly part of the Town of Groton Comprehended within the + following boundaries viz begining at the the [<i>sic</i>] mouth of Squanacook River + where it runs into Lancaster [Nashua] River from thence up Said Lancaster River + till it Comes to Land belonging to the Township of Stow thence Westwardly bounding + Southwardly to said Stow Land tilll it comes to the Southwest Corner of the + Township of Groton thence Northwardly bounding westwardly to Luningburgh <a + name="page73" id="page73"></a><span class="newpage">[73]</span> and Townsend to + Squanacook River afores<sup>d</sup> thence down said River and Joyning thereto to the mouth + thereof being the first bound—Be and hereby is Sett off from the said Town of + Groton and Erected into a Separate and Distinct District by the name of ... and + that the Inhabitants thereof be and hereby are Vested with all the powers + priviledges and Immunities which the Inhabitants of any Town within this Province + do or by law ought to Enjoy Excepting only the Priviledge of choosing a + Representative to represent them in the Great & General Court, in choosing of + whom the Inhabitants of Said District Shall Joyn with the Inhabitants of the Town + of Groton, as heretofore has been Usual, & also in paying said + Representative</p> + <p>Provided nevertheless the Said District Shall pay their proportionable part of + all such Town County Parish and Province Charges as are already Assessed upon the + Town of Groton in like manner as though this Act had never been made.</p> + <p>And Be it further Enacted that M<sup>r</sup> Jn<sup>o</sup>. Whitney be and hereby is impowred to + Issue his Warrant directed to Some principal Inhabitant in s<sup>d</sup> District requireing + Him to Notifie & warn the Inhabitants of S<sup>d</sup> District qualified by law to vote + in Town affairs to meet at Such Time & place as shall be therein Set forth to + Choose all such officers as Shall be Necessary to manage the affairs of s<sup>d</sup> + District</p> + <p>In the House of Rep<sup>ives</sup> June 4, 1752</p> + <p>Read three several times and pass'd to be Engross'd</p> + <p>T. HUBBARD Spk<sup>r</sup>.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>Sent up for concurrence</p> + <p>In Council Nov<sup>r</sup>. 28, 1752 Read a first Time 29 a second Time and pass'd a + Concurrence</p> + <p>THO<sup>s</sup>. CLARKE Dp<sup>ty</sup> Secry.</p> + <p>[Massachusetts Archives, CXVI., 293, 294.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This act did not take effect until January 5, 1753, when it was signed by the + governor.</p> + <p>On June 3, 1771, thirty years after Groton Gore had been lost by the running of + the provincial line, the proprietors of the town held a meeting, and appointed + Lieutenant Josiah Sawtell, Colonel John Bulkley, and Lieutenant Nathaniel Parker, a + committee to petition the General Court for a grant of land to make up for this loss. + They presented the matter to that body on June 7, and the following entry in the + records gives the result:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on the Petition of <i>Josiah Sartel</i>, and others, reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Whereas it appears to this Court, That the Proprietors + aforesaid, had a Grant made to them by the General Court in</i> April 1735, <i>of + Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred Acres of Land, in Consideration of Land taken from + said</i> Groton <i>by</i> Littleton, <i>Major</i> Willard <i>and</i> Read's + <i>Farms being prior Grants, and for their extraordinary Suffering in the former + Indian Wars and in</i> June 1736 <i>said Grant was confirmed to said Proprietors, + since which Time, the said Proprietors have been entirely dispossessed of said Land + by the running of the Line between this Province and</i> New-Hampshire: <i>And + whereas it appears there has been no Compensation made to the said Proprietors + of</i> Groton, <i>for the Lands lost as aforesaid, excepting Three Thousand Acres + granted in</i> November <i>last</i>, to James Prescot, William Prescot, <i>and</i> + Oliver Prescot <i>for their Proportion thereof</i>. Therefore <i>Resolved</i>, That + in Lieu thereof, there be granted to the Proprietors of <i>Groton</i>, their Heirs + and Assigns forever, Seven Thousand and Eight Hundred Acres of the unappropriated + Lands belonging to this Province, in the Western Part of the Province, to be layed + out adjoining to some former Grant, and that they return a Plan thereof, taken by a + Surveyor and Chainmen under Oath into the Secretary's Office, within twelve Months + for Confirmation.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 44), June 13, 1771.]</p> + </blockquote> + <a name="page74" id="page74"></a><span class="newpage">[74]</span> + <p>These conditions, as recommended by the report of the committee, appear to have + been fulfilled, and a grant was accordingly made. It lay on the eastern border of + Berkshire county, just south of the central part, and was described as + follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on a Plan of a Tract of Land granted to the Proprietors of + <i>Groton</i>, reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Resolved</i>, That the Plan hereunto annexed, + containing three Thousand nine Hundred and sixty Acres of Province Land, laid out + in Part to satisfy a Grant made by the Great and General Court at their Sessions in + <i>June</i> 1771, to the Proprietors of Groton, in Lieu of Land they lost by the + late running of the <i>New-Hampshire</i> Line, as mention'd in their Petition, laid + out in the County of <i>Berkshire</i>, and is bounded as followeth, viz. Beginning + at a Burch Tree and Stones laid round it the Southwest Corner of + <i>Tyringham-Equivalent</i> Lands standing on the East Branch of <i>Farmington</i> + River; then North eighteen Degrees East in the West Line of said <i>Equivalent</i> + five Hundred and sixty-one Rods to a small Beach Tree and Stones laid round it, + which Tree is the Southeast Corner of a Grant of Land called <i>Woolcut's</i> + Grant; then running West eighteen Degrees North in the South Line of said Grant two + Hundred and forty Rods to a Beach Tree marked I.W. and Stones laid round it, which + is the Southwest Corner of said Grant; then running North eighteen Degrees East in + the West Line of said Grant four Hundred Rods to a Heap of Stones which is the + Northwest Corner of said Grant; then running East eighteen Degrees South two + Hundred and forty Rods in the North Line of said Grant to a large Hemlock Tree and + Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of said Grant; it is also the + Northwest Corner of said <i>Equivalent</i>, and the Southwest Corner of a Grant + called <i>Taylors</i> Grant; then running North eighteen Degrees East one Hundred + and sixty Rods in the West Line of said <i>Taylors</i> Grant to the Northwest + Corner of the same; then running East nine Degrees South in the Line of said + <i>Taylors</i> Grant eight Hundred Rods to a Stake and Stones standing in the West + Line of <i>Blanford</i>, marked W.T. then running North eighteen Degrees East in + said <i>Blanford</i> West Line five Hundred and thirty Rods to a Beach Tree and + Stones laid round it which is the Northwest Corner of said <i>Blanford</i>; then + running East ten Degrees South forty-two Rods in the North Line of said + <i>Blanford</i> to a Stake and Stones which is the Southwest Corner of + <i>Merryfield</i>; then running North ten Degrees East in said <i>Merryfield</i> + West Line three Hundred and three Rods to a Heap of Stones the Southeast Corner of + <i>Becket</i>; then running West two Degrees South in said <i>Becket</i> South Line + four Hundred and twenty-six Rods to the Northeast Corner of a Grant of Land called + <i>Belcher's</i> Grant; then running South in the East Line of said <i>Belchers</i> + Grant two Hundred and sixteen Rods to a small Maple Tree marked T.R. which is the + Northwest Corner of a Grant of Land called <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running East + in the North Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to a + Hemlock Pole and Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of said + <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running South in the East Line of said <i>Rand's</i> + Grant three Hundred and thirty-one Rods to a Hemlock Tree marked and Stones laid + round it, which is the Southeast Corner of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then running + West in the South Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to a + Beach Pole marked T.R. the Southwest Corner of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant; then + running North in the West Line of said <i>Rand's</i> Grant eighty-three Rods to the + Southeast Corner of said <i>Belcher's</i> Grant; then running West bounding North + three Hundred and forty-eight on said <i>Belcher's</i> Grant and four Hundred and + fifty-three Rods on a Grant called <i>Chandler's</i> Grant, then running North on + the West Line of said <i>Chandler's</i> Grant four Hundred and sixty to said + <i>Becket's</i> South Line; then running West in said <i>Becket</i> South Line + twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the <a name="page75" id="page75"></a><span + class="newpage">[75]</span> North West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the + Four <i>Housatonick</i> Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand + four Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional Lands to the + Place where the said East Line crosses said <i>Farmington</i> River; then Southerly + or down Stream three Hundred and thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly + on said River, be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the + Proprietors of <i>Groton</i> aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. + <i>Provided</i> the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, nor interfere + with any former Grant.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183). April 24, 1772.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the proprietors. + Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and Oliver Prescott, acting + for themselves, had petitioned the General Court for a tract of land to make up their + own losses. They were the sons of the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose + influence and agency the original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the + largest proprietors of the town. The following extracts from the Journal of the House + relate to their application:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, and others, Children and Heirs of + <i>Benjamin Prescot</i>, late of <i>Groton</i>, Esq; deceased, praying a Grant of + the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in consideration of sundry Tracts which + they have lost by the late running of the Line between this Government and + <i>New-Hampshire</i>.</p> + <p>Read and committed to Col. <i>Clap</i>, Col. <i>Nickols</i>, Col. + <i>Williams</i> of <i>Roxbury</i>, Col. <i>Buckminster</i>, and Mr. + <i>Lancaster</i>, to consider and Report.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12, 1764.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but I do not + find that it came up for consideration at that time. It does not appear again for + some years.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>A Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, praying that a Grant of + Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which falls within the + <i>New-Hampshire</i> Line.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2, 1770.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel Holten, of + Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua Bigelow, of + Worcester.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The Committee on the Petition of <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, + reported.</p> + <p>Read and accepted, and <i>Resolved</i>, That in Lieu of Lands mentioned in the + Petition, there be granted to the Petitioners, their Heirs and Assigns, Four + Thousand Four Hundred Acres of the unappropriated Lands belonging to the Province, + to be laid out in the Westerly Part thereof, adjoining to some former Grants, + provided they can find the same; or Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Acres of + the unappropriated Lands lying on the Easterly side of <i>Saco</i> River; it being + their Proportion in said Grant: And return a Plan thereof taken by a Surveyor and + Chainman under Oath, into the Secretary's Office within Twelve Months.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 156), November 14, 1770.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The Committee appointed to consider the Plan of two Tracts of Land granted to + <i>James Prescot</i>, Esq; and others, reported.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Read and accepted. <i>Resolved</i>, That both the above Plans, the one + containing Four Thousand one Hundred and thirty Acres, the other containing two + Hundred and seventy Acres, delineated and described as is set forth by the Surveyor + in the Description thereof hereunto annexed, be accepted, and hereby is confirmed + to <a name="page76" id="page76"></a><span class="newpage">[76]</span> <i>James + Prescot</i>, Esq; and others named in their Petition, and to their Heirs and + Assigns in Lieu of and full Satisfaction for Four Thousand four Hundred Acres of + Land lost by the late running of the Line between this Province and + <i>New-Hampshire</i>, as mention'd in a Grant made by both Houses of the Assembly, + A.D. 1765, but not consented to by the Governor. <i>Provided</i> both said Plans + together do not exceed the Quantity of Four Thousand four Hundred Acres, nor + interfere with any former Grant.</p> + <p>Sent up for Concurrence.</p> + <p>[Journal of the House of Representatives (page 73), June 22, 1771.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>It is evident from these reports that the Prescott brothers took the forty-four + hundred acres in the westerly part of the province, rather than the fifty-eight + hundred and eighty acres on the easterly side of the Saco river, though I have been + unable to identify, beyond a doubt, the tract of land thus granted. I am inclined to + think however, that it is the one mentioned in the Memorial of the One Hundredth + Anniversary of the Incorporation of Middlefield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1883. The + town is situated on the westerly border of Hampshire County,—forming a jog into + Berkshire,—and was made up in part of Prescott's Grant. A map is given in the + "Memorial" volume (page 16) which shows that the Grant was originally in Berkshire + county, very near to the tract of land given to the proprietors of Groton.</p> + <p>Professor Edward P. Smith, of Worcester, delivered an historical address on the + occasion of the anniversary, and he says:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Prescott's Grant, the nucleus of the town, appears as a large quadrilateral, + containing more than a thousand acres in the north and west part of the town. Who + the Prescott was to whom the grant was made is not known, further than that he must + have been some one who had rendered military or other services to the State. That + he was the Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill is, indeed, possible; but, as the + grant was probably made before the Revolutionary War, that supposition seems hardly + tenable. (Page 15.)</p> + </blockquote> + <p>By an act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793, a large section of + territory was taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. This change produced a very + irregular boundary between the two towns, and made, according to Butler's History of + Groton (page 66), more than eighty angles in the line, causing much inconvenience. + The following copy from the "Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" gives the + names of the families thus transferred:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set off <i>Caleb Woods</i>, and others, from <i>Groton</i>, and to + annex them to <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That <i>Caleb Woods, Silas Blood, + Amaziah Swallow, Nathaniel Cummings, Ebenezer Procter, Silas Blood</i>, jun. + <i>Silas Marshall, Levi Parker, Amos Woods, Isaac Lawrence, Peter Blood, Caleb + Blood</i>, jun. <i>Henry Blood, Caleb Woods</i>, jun. and <i>Silas Marshall</i>, + jun., together with their families and estates, and also the estates of Doctor + <i>Jonas Marshall</i>, the heirs of Captain <i>Solomon Woods</i>, deceased, and + <i>Joseph Parkhurst</i>, which they now own in said <i>Groton</i>, be, and they are + hereby set off from the town of <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, + and annexed to <i>Dunstable</i>, in said county, and shall hereafter be considered + a part of the same, there to do duty and receive privileges, as the other + inhabitants of said <i>Dunstable. Provided, nevertheless</i>, That the persons + above-mentioned shall pay all taxes that have been legally assessed on <a + name="page77" id="page77"></a><span class="newpage">[77]</span> them by said + <i>Groton</i>, in the same manner as if this Act had never been passed.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 25, 1793.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The zigzag line caused by this act was somewhat modified by the two following + ones, passed at different times a few years later. I think that the very irregular + boundary between the two towns, with its eighty-six angles, as mentioned by Mr. + Butler, was produced by the subsequent annexations to Dunstable.</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set of <i>Nathaniel Lawrence with</i> his Estate, from the Town of + <i>Groton</i>, and annex them to the Town of <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That <i>Nathaniel Lawrence</i> of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, together with his estate, which + he now owns in that town, be, and hereby is set off from said town of + <i>Groton</i>, and annexed to the town of <i>Dunstable</i>, in the same county; and + shall hereafter be considered as part of the same; there to do duty and receive + privileges as other inhabitants of said town of <i>Dunstable: Provided + nevertheless</i>, That the said <i>Nathaniel Lawrence</i> shall be holden to pay + all taxes that have been legally assessed on him by said town of <i>Groton</i>, in + the same manner as if this Act had not been passed.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>January</i> 26, 1796.]</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off Willard Robbins with his estate from the town of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, and to annex the same to the town + of <i>Dunstable</i>, in the same county.</p> + <p>Sec. 1. Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General + Court assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>. That Willard Robbins, of + <i>Groton</i>, in the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, with his estate, be, and hereby + is set off from said town of <i>Groton</i>, and annexed to the town of + <i>Dunstable</i>, in said county, there to do duty and receive privileges in the + same manner as other inhabitants of the said town of <i>Dunstable</i>.</p> + <p>Sec. 2. <i>And be it further enacted</i>, That the said Willard Robbins shall be + holden to pay and discharge all legal assessments and taxes, that have been + assessed upon him by said town of <i>Groton</i> prior to the passing this act.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>June</i> 18, 1803.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The boundary between the two towns now remained unchanged until February 15, 1820, + when another act was passed by the Legislature making a further surrender of + territory. It took a considerable parcel of land and gave it to Dunstable, thereby + straightening and simplifying the jurisdictional line, which at this time formed but + five angles.</p> + <p>In the autumn of 1794 a plan of Groton, Pepperell, and Shirley was made by Dr. + Oliver Prescott, Jr., which gives a few interesting facts. The following notes are + taken from the copy now in the office of the Secretary of State. It will be seen that + Dr. Prescott refers to the land set off by the Act of February 25, 1793:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>This Plan contains the Bounds of three Towns, viz. Groton, Pepperrell & + Shirley,—all which, together with whatsoever is delineated on said Plan, was + taken by an actual Survey, agreeably to a resolve of the General Court, passed June + 25, 1794, & under the Inspection of the Selectmen & Committee's from the + respective towns, appointed for that purpose in the month of Sept<sup>r</sup>. 1794.</p> + <p>By OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju<sup>r</sup>. Surveyor.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is Thirty two + Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua is from 8 to 10 rods + in width. The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods in width. In Groton are twenty <a + name="page78" id="page78"></a><span class="newpage">[78]</span> natural Ponds, six + of which are delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey. Several of the other Ponds + are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the whole contain + about two Thousand Acres. There are no Mines in said Town, except one of Iron Ore, + nearly exhausted. Every other Matter directed to be delineated, described or + specifyed, may be found on the Plan.</p> + <p>SAM<sup>ll</sup> LAWRENCE} ZACH<sup>h</sup> FITCH} Committee. OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju<sup>r</sup>.}</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven miles; from + Boston forty Miles.</p> + <p>The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width.</p> + <p>The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five Miles; & from + Boston thirty Eight Miles.</p> + <p>Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width. The Plan + contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns necessary to be + described.</p> + <p>OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju<sup>r</sup>.</p> + </blockquote> + <blockquote> + <p>What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of Land set off + from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793. As + by said Act, the petitioners and their Farms were set off, without specifying + particular bounds, Accuracy cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without + very great expence and Trouble.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory lying on + the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner of Groton, was + annexed to Shirley. This tract continued to form a part of Shirley until the + incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when its political condition was again + changed, and its government transferred to the new town. The act authorizing the + annexation is as follows,—and I give it entire in order to show the loose way + of describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of <i>Groton</i>, and annex the + same to the town of <i>Shirley</i>.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That a tract of Land at the south + western extremity of the town of <i>Groton</i>, bounded by a line beginning at a + large white oak stump, on the southeast side of <i>Nashua River</i>, being the + northwest corner of the town of <i>Harvard</i>; thence running southeasterly on + <i>Harvard</i> line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a + pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town line; thence + northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to <i>Harvard</i> at SIMON DABY'S + southerly corner, thence northeasterly on said SIMON DABY'S line to a pine tree + marked, thence northerly to a heap of stones on a ledge of rocks; thence northerly + on said SIMON DABY'S line to a heap of stones on a large rock; thence northwesterly + still on said SIMON DABY'S line to a stake and stones in the roots of a pine tree, + fallen down, in a valley, said SIMON DABY'S northeast corner and SAMUEL CHASE'S + southerly corner, thence northerly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line, to the road leading + to ABIL MORSE'S mill, at a heap of stones on the north easterly side of said road, + thence northeasterly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line by said road to a heap of stones, + thence northeasterly on said CHASE'S line, to a stake and stones at the end of a + ditch at a brook; thence down said brook to <i>Nashua River</i>, thence up said + river, to the bounds first mentioned, together with the inhabitants thereof, be, + and they are hereby set off from the town of <i>Groton</i> and annexed to the town + of <i>Shirley</i>, there to do duty and receive privileges in the same manner as + other lands and inhabitants of the said town of <i>Shirley</i>.</p> + <p>SECT. 2. <i>Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted</i>, That the said + tract of land and the inhabitants thereof shall be <a name="page79" + id="page79"></a><span class="newpage">[79]</span> liable to be taxed by the town of + <i>Groton</i>, their full proportion in a tax to the amount of the debts now due + from said town of <i>Groton</i>, in the same manner as if this act had not been + passed: <i>Provided</i> such tax be made and assessed within one year from the time + of passing this act; and shall also be liable to pay their proportion of all state + taxes that may be assessed on the town of <i>Groton</i> until a new valuation be + taken.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 6, 1798.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>All the changes of territorial jurisdiction thus far noted have been in one + direction,—from Groton to the surrounding towns; but now the tide turns, and + for a wonder she received, by legislative enactment, on February 3, 1803, a small + parcel of land just large enough for a potato-patch. The annexation came from + Pepperell, and the amount received was four acres and twenty rods in extent. The + following is a copy:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off a certain parcel of land from the town of <i>Pepperell</i>, in + the county of <i>Middlesex</i>, and to annex the same to the town of <i>Groton</i>, + in the same county.</p> + <p>Be <i>it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court + assembled, and by the authority of the same</i>, That a certain tract of land, + bounded, beginning at the end of a wall by the road leading by Zachariah Fitch's, + in said <i>Groton</i>; thence running easterly, by land of Jonas Fitch, to the + <i>Nashua River</i>, (so called;) thence up said river to said road, near the + bridge over the same river; thence, bounding by the same road, to the bounds first + mentioned, containing four acres and twenty rods, be, and hereby is set off from + said town of <i>Pepperell</i> and annexed to said town of <i>Groton</i> + forever.</p> + <p>[This act passed <i>February</i> 3, 1803.]</p> + </blockquote> + <p>The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was opened through the township of Groton in the + month of December, 1848. It ran at that time a distance of eight miles through its + territory, keeping on the east side of the Nashua river, which for a considerable + part of the way was the dividing line between Groton and Pepperell. The railroad + station for the people of Pepperell was on the Groton side of the river, and in the + course of a few years a small village sprang up in the neighborhood. All the + interests and sympathies of this little settlement were with Pepperell; and under + these circumstances the Legislature, on May 18, 1857, passed an act of annexation, by + which it became in reality what it was in sentiment,—a part and parcel of that + town. The first section of the act is as follows:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>An act to set off a part of the Town of Groton, and annex the same to the Town + of Pepperell.</p> + <p><i>Be it enacted, &c., as follows</i>:</p> + <p>All that part of the town of Groton, in the county of Middlesex, with the + inhabitants thereon, lying north of the following described line is hereby set off + from the town of Groton, and annexed to the town of Pepperell, to wit: Beginning at + the boundary between said town of Groton and the town of Dunstable, at a stone + monument in the wall on land of Elbridge Chapman and land of Joseph Sanderson, and + running south, eighty-six degrees west, about six hundred and sixty rods, to a + stone monument at the corner of land called the "Job Shattuck Farm," and land of + James Hobart, near the Nashua River and Worcester and Nashua Railroad; thence in + same line to the centre of Nashua River and the boundary of said town of Pepperell: + <i>provided, however</i>, that for the purpose of electing a representative to the + general court, the said territory shall continue to be a part of the town of + Groton, until a new apportionment for representatives is made; and the inhabitants + resident therein shall be entitled to vote in the choice <a name="page81" + id="page81"></a><span class="newpage">[81]</span> of such representatives, and + shall be eligible to the office of representative in the town of Groton, in the + same manner as if this act had not been passed.</p> + </blockquote> + <div class="figcenter"> + <a href="images/image1_full.png"><img src="images/image1_thumbnail.png" + alt="Groton Plantation" /></a> + <p>Map of Groton Plantation in 1884.</p> + </div> + <p>The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original + grant—and perhaps the last for many years to come—is the Act of February + 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This enactment took from Groton + a large section of territory lying near its southern borders, and from Shirley all + that part of the town on the easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to + it from Groton on February 6, 1798.</p> + <p>Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of more than two centuries, + been hewed and hacked down to less than one-half of its original dimensions. It has + furnished, substantially, the entire territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, and + has contributed more or less largely to form five other towns. An examination of the + accompanying map will show these changes more clearly than any verbal or written + description.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>SAILS.</h2> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <div class="line"> + The ship's white sails are all unfurl'd + </div> + <div class="line"> + To the salt breath of the sea; + </div> + <div class="line"> + And never a ship in all the world + </div> + <div class="line"> + Sails on with the wind more free. + </div> + </div> + <div class="stanza"> + <div class="line"> + For the white sails are white hopes of youth, + </div> + <div class="line"> + The breath of the future blows; + </div> + <div class="line"> + But whither the vessel flies, in truth, + </div> + <div class="line"> + There is no man that knows. + </div> + </div> + </div> + <hr /> + <a name="page82" id="page82"></a><span class="newpage">[82]</span> + <h2>ELIZABETH. <a id="footnotetag1" name="footnotetag1"></a><a + href="#footnote1"><sup>1</sup></a></h2> + <center> + A ROMANCE OF COLONIAL DAYS. + </center> + <center> + BY FRANCES C. SPARHAWK, Author of "A Lazy Man's Work." + </center> + <hr class="short" /> + <h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> + <h4>ON THE TIDE.</h4> + <p>One August evening of the year 1743 a boat lay as if anchored in the beautiful + Piscataqua; her sail seemed swung only to show its whiteness in the bright moonlight. + Every cord upon it hung lifeless, serving only the purpose of pictured lines, one + silvered in the light, the dark shadow of the other traced in clear outlines on the + sail. The swash of the waves against the side of the boat was too slight to sway it; + the sheet dipped in the water and swung almost imperceptibly, while now and then a + few straws floated against it and caught there. The moon, high in the heavens, gave + pearly tints to the clouds that floated near it; the pines on the shore flung dark + masses against the oaks and maples, or stood as a Rembrandt background for the boughs + of the trees on which the moonlight fell, or for some ghostly procession of the white + birch trunks. The water, in the shadows as dark and smooth as a Claude Lorraine + glass, showed far off in the moonlight faint quivers of its surface here and there, + as if the breeze so longed for were coming to the idle boat. But it was too far off, + or too faint, for it spent itself before reaching the watchers there, although at the + symptoms one of them rose with great show of solemnity, and making a trumpet of his + hands, blew vigorously against the sail. But neither these movements nor the concerts + of whistling were successful. At last another of the company leaning over the side of + the boat busied himself with the sheet.</p> + <p>"I'll tell you the reason this boat don't go," he said, gravely, "the rope was all + twisted. I've straightened it out, and taken off the straws."</p> + <p>A burst of laughter greeted him as he turned around his face, still grave, but his + dark eyes, roving from one to another, their laughing expression hidden in the + shadow, for the moon was behind him.</p> + <p>"What a useful member of society you are, Stephen," cried Katie Archdale. "I don't + see how we could get on without you."</p> + <p>"I don't think we're getting on with him <i>very</i> fast," remarked a young + gentleman sitting opposite Katie, pointing significantly at a curve of the shore that + they had not drifted out of sight of in the last half hour.</p> + <p>"At least he has roused us," returned the girl, "for I half believe I was sleepy + before."</p> + <p>"I believe it wholly," answered Stephen, taking his seat beside her again and + looking down into her face teazingly with a cousinly freedom. But it was not + altogether a cousinly regard from which Katie drew back after a moment, tossing her + head coquettishly, and with a heightened color, glancing past at her friend beyond + him, who sat dipping one hand in the water and looking dreamily at the shore. Stephen + Archdale and his cousin Katie lived within a few miles of each <a name="page83" + id="page83"></a><span class="newpage">[83]</span> other, and there had always been + constant intercourse between their families. When boy and girl, Stephen, four years + the elder, the two had played together, and they had grown up, as people said, like + brother and sister. But of late it was rumored that the conduct of young Archdale was + more loverlike than brotherly, and that, if Katie choose, the tie between them would + one day be closer than that of cousinhood. The stranger who sat opposite Archdale, + watching them both in silence, was of the same opinion. He was rather portly for his + age, which could not have been over thirty, and as he sat in the boat he looked a + taller man than he proved to be when on his feet. His dark-brown beard was full, his + eyes, like Archdale's, were in shadow, for he had drawn down his hat well over his + brows, while Stephen and young Waldo sat bareheaded in the August air.</p> + <p>"I wonder"—began Katie.</p> + <p>"A sturgeon!" cried Mrs. Eveleigh, the last member of the party.</p> + <p>But the sound proved the soft dip of the paddle in the water as a canoe came + toward them going down the stream. Its Indian occupant when he shot by turned his + gaze stealthily upon the gay party.</p> + <p>"How many more of your red savages are there coming to spy upon us?" And the + speaker pushed back his hat a trifle, and looked up and down the river with an + anxiety that he could not quite conceal.</p> + <p>"You've not been out here long enough," laughed Waldo. "There's no danger; the red + savages are friendly with us just at this moment, and will remain so until we forget + our rifles some day, or they learn that we're short of ammunition. Shoot 'em down + without mercy whenever they come spying about—it's the only way. They're + friendly so long as they are afraid, and not a moment longer. For instance, why + should that fellow stop? He saw three men whom he knew were armed, besides that young + man who's pretending to sail the boat—why don't you do it, Kit?" and Waldo + laughed good-humoredly at the lad whose office had become a sinecure. "When you get + used to them, Mr. Harwin," he added, "they will not make you shiver."</p> + <p>"Oh, they don't do that now," returned the other, indifferently, "but, the + ladies"—</p> + <p>"As to the ladies," laughed Katie, "one of them is quite fond of the red-skins; + the other," glancing at her friend, "has gone into a brown study; I don't believe + she's heard or seen anything for the last half hour. Elizabeth, when you fish up any + pearls there out of the water, share them with us, won't you?"</p> + <p>"No, she'll do no such thing," interposed Mistress Eveleigh; "she'll give them all + to you." The tone was so serious that Elizabeth cried, indignantly,—</p> + <p>"Cousin Patience, how can you?"</p> + <p>"I suppose she likes to tease you," retorted Katie, still laughing, "and so do I. + It's so funny to see you wake out of a revery and find yourself."</p> + <p>"And not find myself, you mean," returned Elizabeth, joining in with a ripple of + merriment.</p> + <p>"Master Waldo knows all about the red-skins," said Archdale to his opposite + neighbor; "he had the pleasure of shooting one last winter."</p> + <a name="page84" id="page84"></a><span class="newpage">[84]</span> + <p>"Did you?" exclaimed Mrs. Eveleigh, while Harwin looked at the young fellow with a + new interest. "How did it happen? Tell us about it."</p> + <p>"Yes, tell us about it," cried Katie, turning toward Waldo. But Elizabeth was + still looking at Archdale. Suppose the shooting had been necessary, how could he + speak of killing a human being as he would an animal, and then lean back and look at + Mr. Waldo with a smile on his face?</p> + <p>Kenelm Waldo, on his part, gazed at the speaker in astonishment.</p> + <p>"'Pon honor," he cried, "I never killed a red-skin in my life, or even had a shot + at one. Oh, I know now what he means; he is talking of a fox that I shot two miles + from his house, one that you ought to have secured yourself, Mr. Archdale. This was + the way I did it, the best way."</p> + <p>When he had finished his account, Katie said:—</p> + <p>"I have a plan for amusing ourselves. Let us make every one tell a story, and + we'll lay forfeits on the person that doesn't give us an interesting one. Mistress + Eveleigh, please begin."</p> + <p>"That is rather arbitrary, Mistress Katie, with no warning," returned that lady, + smiling. "But since we've been talking about the Indians, I will tell you something + that my mother did once before she was married, while she was living down on the + Cape."</p> + <p>"What a pity, Katie, you did not keep Mistress Eveleigh until the last," cried + Archdale; "I know she will have the best story of us all."</p> + <p>"You have too high estimation of my powers," returned Mrs. Eveleigh, flattered; + "but if I do well," she added, "it must be remembered that none of you have had + forty-five years in which to find one."</p> + <p>The story, like a thousand others of that time, was of the presence of mind and + courage of one of the early settlers of America, and was listened to with the + attention it deserved. All, with one exception, were outspoken in admiration of its + heroine.</p> + <p>"You say nothing, Mistress Royal," said Waldo; "but it may be you've heard it + before, since you and Mistress Eveleigh are in the same house."</p> + <p>"Yes," she answered, "I have heard it before." She moved her head quickly as she + spoke, and as the moonlight struck her face, Archdale fancied that he saw a moist + brightness in her eyes. But certainly no tear fell, and when the next moment Katie + declared it Elizabeth's turn for a story, she told some trifling anecdote that had in + it neither sentiment nor heroism. It was laughable though, and was about to receive + its deserts of praise when at Archdale's first word Elizabeth cried, + eagerly:—</p> + <p>"Don't, please. It was not worth telling; only I could remember nothing else."</p> + <p>At this entreaty Harwin stared at her, and his lip curled disdainfully under the + hand that partially covered his face. "Have you so much wealth of fascination, young + lady," his thoughts ran, "that you can afford to scatter your coins in this way? I + rather think not." His eyes rested upon her for a moment as she sat looking at Katie + Archdale, and the scorn of his mouth deepened. "Admiration of one woman for another," + he commented. "Pshaw! the girl lavishes everything; she will soon be bankrupt. She is + drinking in the intoxication <a name="page85" id="page85"></a><span + class="newpage">[85]</span> of Katie's beauty just as—no, not like me, of + course. If ever there could be excuse for such a thing it would be here, for Katie is + bewitching, she is perfect; affectionate, too, but with no nonsense about <i>her</i>. + She reserves her admiration for—for whom does she reserve it? For the proud + young nabob beside her, or for the good-humored little coxcomb over here? It shall be + for neither; it shall be for me. I, too, can be fascinating when I take the trouble. + Fair lady, I have plans for you."</p> + <p>"Master Harwin," cried the girl's clear voice, interrupting his thoughts, "why + don't you begin? We're waiting for you."</p> + <p>"Pardon me," he answered, "I was not aware of it. Well, since you are inexorable, + I'll try. I will not attempt anything in this New World, which you all know so much + more about than I do, for then there'd be every chance of my being heavily fined. But + if you want a story of Old England, perhaps on that ground I can barely escape my + forfeit."</p> + <p>"We shall be delighted," said Miss Royal, courteously, for Katie, to whom she saw + that he was speaking, was at the moment claimed by Archdale; he was saying something + to her in a low voice, and she gave him willing attention.</p> + <p>Only a flash in the narrator's eyes as he began showed that he noticed this.</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> + <h4>OPPORTUNITY.</h4> + <p>"Once upon a time, then," he said, "in Scotland, no matter in what part, there + dwelt two disconsolate people. They ought to have been very happy, for they were + lovers, but, as you may have noticed, lovers are happy only under the condition that + love runs smooth, and here it was extremely rough. The suitor was of ancient family + and poor, the lady was charming, and wilful—and an heiress? You are all waiting + to hear me say that—no, she was poor, too. And so you see that a doubling of + impecuniosity was quite impossible, for poverty rolls up fast in a geometrical + progression. But the lovers had no such scruples. It's a romantic story enough if I + could tell it to you in detail."</p> + <p>"And why not?" cried Katie, whose interest was making him wish that were + possible.</p> + <p>"I should have to go back for generations, and tell you of family feuds as old as + the families themselves, a Montague and Capulet state of affairs, although each + family had so much respect for the golden amenities of life that its possession by + the other would have softened the asperity of feeling. But each was poor,—poor, + I mean, for people in that station.</p> + <p>"The lady, as I said, was a beauty; the gentleman had extra will enough when it + was roused to make up for the absence of beauty, although, indeed, the lady was not + lacking in that quality either, and so, opposition made them only more determined to + have their own way. It was impossible to run away,—she was too well guarded; + defiance was the only thing, and I must confess that from what I knew of them both, I + think they enjoyed it. The Capulets, as I will call them, were dissenters, the + Montagues belonged to the Established Church. Now, the <a name="page86" + id="page86"></a><span class="newpage">[86]</span> Capulets were very zealous, and at + this time a famous itinerant preacher came into their neighborhood. They, being the + greatest people in the place, invited him to stay at their house during his visit. He + often preached in the open air. One day, at the end of one of those eloquent + discourses, a young man in countryman's dress came up and asked him to marry himself + and a young woman whom he had been waiting upon a long time, but who had refused to + be married unless this very preacher could perform the ceremony. 'She said it would + be a blessed wedlock of your joining,' pursued the young fellow. The preacher, + although he was a great man, was only human,—it is well, I suppose, that we + never outgrow our humanity,—and felt flattered by the young girl's belief in + his sanctity. He proposed the next day for the ceremony, and was arranging to marry + the rustic couple on the lawn before the house of his host when the young man + interrupted him by stating that it must be gone through with immediately, for his + lady-love was so shy that it was with difficulty she had been persuaded to come + to-night, and she would never consent if he gave her all that time to think the + matter over in, nor would she be willing to come up on the lawn with the great + people. She was at hand with one of her friends; everything was prepared; would he + marry them then? At that moment? The bewildered minister looked up the road before + him, where the carriage of the Capulets was disappearing at the top of the hill; he + had been told that the daughter would remain with him, and that the carriage would + return as soon as Mamma Capulet had made inquiries about a cottager who was ill; for + his congregation had been crowding about him with questions and tearful confessions + of sins, and the good Capulets, who had the opportunity to make their confessions in + private, were in haste to be gone. Where was his fair companion? He looked about him; + he had lost sight of her in the throng. But in a few moments she came forward, + accompanying the bride, who the groom explained was a protégée of hers. + Miss Capulet had drawn down her veil, and in answer to this statement nodded to the + reverend gentleman and murmured an assent. The bride's face, too, was hidden by her + bonnet and by her shyness, which prevented her from once looking up. The name of the + groom lingered with surprise on the minister's lips, for it was not a clodhopper's + name, I assure you; but he had heard nothing of the love affair. When he came to the + bride's name, however, he did pause, for it was that of the Capulet. 'How is this?' + he asked. 'How has she the same name as you, my child?' Before the veiled lady could + answer, the groom informed him that the bride's family, being old retainers of the + other, had the same last name, as it was in Scottish clans, and that the bride + herself, born on the same day as the young lady at the great house, had received also + the same Christian name, which explained her being under Miss Capulet's protection. + The good man was conscious that, though his piety was eminent, his knowledge of all + genealogy but Bible was deficient, and when both women softly assented to this + statement, <a name="page87" id="page87"></a><span class="newpage">[87]</span> his air + of perplexity gave place to the manner of a man who understands the business of the + hour. He was in a hurry, and in an incredibly short time the two were one. 'Is it all + over?' asked the groom. 'Are we securely married?' 'You are joined in the holy bonds + of matrimony until death do you part,' returned the clergyman, solemnly, beginning to + add his blessing. But this died half-uttered on his lips, for the bride slowly raised + her head, threw back her bonnet, and the haughty face and laughing eyes of the + Capulet were before him. 'Bear witness,' she said, her shyness completely gone, 'that + I'm this gentleman's wife.' 'You are, indeed,' he stammered. 'But + how—why—who is this?' and he reached out a trembling hand toward the + veiled lady. 'My maid,' returned the bride; 'she came here like one of the cottagers, + and we exchanged gowns while you were talking to the people.' 'I hope, I sincerely + hope, it's all right,' returned the poor man; 'but if I had known, I would have + spoken to your honored parent, first.' 'Yes, I'm sure of that,' she laughed, 'and + then we should not have been so happy.' At the moment a post-chaise drove up, into + which the bridal pair and the servant made haste to get. 'Pardon me that I cannot + accompany you home,' laughed the lady, leaning out to give the minister her hand in + farewell. 'You cannot know how grateful to you we are. I shall never be able to + reward you; I can only give you my thanks and prayers—and be sure to tell them + at home how firmly you have married us.' The chaise drove off, and the good man was + left alone. He felt inclined to think that he had been dreaming, until he looked down + and saw in his hand a purse of gold pieces that the groom had slipped into it, + whispering, 'If you refuse for yourself, be my almoner and give it to the poor.' + Before the preacher had recovered his wits the carriage of the Capulets reappeared. + The lovers, however, did not re-appear for two years, and by that time Montague had + unexpectedly fallen heir to a fortune and a title, and was received with open arms by + the new relatives. In our days it's always the one who was not the prodigal who has + the fatted calf killed for him."</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <p>"I'm afraid the poor minister was not very welcome when he had told his story," + said Elizabeth.</p> + <p>"Clever enough, on my word," cried Archdale.</p> + <p>"Not quite to your liking, I fancy, though," answered Harwin.</p> + <p>"Do you think he would have had the wedding indoors, in the teeth of everybody?" + laughed Katie.</p> + <p>Harwin assented, adding that he felt convinced that Master Archdale would have + insisted upon all the accompaniments of a grand wedding at any cost.</p> + <p>"Yes, I shall have that when my time comes," returned Stephen, looking straight + before him a trifle haughtily. But Harwin noticed that directly his eyes fell in + passing back to their watching of the shore, and that one sweeping glance was given + to Katie.</p> + <p>"But can people be married in such an instant?" asked Waldo. "I always thought it + was a work of time—rather a formidable piece of business."</p> + <a name="page88" id="page88"></a><span class="newpage">[88]</span> + <p>"Oh! when you come to two or three ministers of the Church of England, and the + benedictions, and all that, so it is," said Harwin; "but the real business part is an + affair of—I was going to say less than a minute." He sat silent after this, + with his head bent, then, lifting it suddenly, before anybody had spoken, he fixed + his glance, with a musing expression, upon Waldo. "I was wondering if I could + remember the formula," he said; "I think I can. Mistress Royal, allow Master Archdale + to take your hand a moment, if you please."</p> + <p>Elizabeth made no responsive movement, and Archdale, for an instant, failed to + turn toward her. He had been looking at Katie while Harwin was speaking; but Katie + drew back, hastily.</p> + <p>"Oh, do, Elizabeth!" she cried. "I want to see what it is like; do try with + Stephen, and let us hear." As she spoke, Archdale turned toward Elizabeth, + courteously.</p> + <p>"Come, Mistress Royal," he said, as Harwin was explaining that he had asked her + because she happened to be on the proper side for a bride, "let us make an effective + tableau for the amusement of these mariners, who, since they are becalmed themselves, + persist in wanting something going on."</p> + <p>Elizabeth had heard the entreaty in Katie's light words. She knew that if she + herself had cared for Mr. Archdale she could never have jested at marrying him. It + made her all the more sure that Katie did care, because, otherwise, the girl would + have found it great fun to rouse a little jealousy in the two admirers opposite, + watching every movement. She yielded her hand to the light clasp that held it, and + listened with less interest than the others to Mr. Harwin's distinct and rapid words + until he came to the sentence, "I pronounce you man and wife." Then she shivered, and + he had scarcely finished the adjuration that follows—"What God hath joined + together let not man put asunder," when she snatched her hand away.</p> + <p>"It is too solemn," she cried, "it is too much; we ought not to have jested + so."</p> + <p>Harwin laughed.</p> + <p>"Pardon me if I've made you uncomfortable," he said; "but you will forget it in + five minutes, and even for that time you must blame Master Waldo's curiosity."</p> + <p>"And mine," added Katie, at which young Waldo gave her a grateful glance. Then he + joined with her in breaking the hush that had fallen on the others. "Stephen," she + said, "now for your story. Do you think you are coming off scot-free?"</p> + <p>"I thought we had performed our parts," he said, turning to Elizabeth with a + smile.</p> + <p>"Mistress Royal has already told her story," cried Waldo, "There's no escape for + you."</p> + <p>"Escape would be difficult now, I confess."</p> + <p>"So begin."</p> + <p>He began obediently, but fortune was kinder than he had expected, for he had not + fairly started when Kit cried out,—</p> + <p>"A breeze! Here it comes. Heads to larboard!" And down went Archdale's and those + of the two ladies with him as the sail was shifted and the boat began to skim the + water before the breeze which freshened every minute. Soon they had gained the cove + where they were to land, and Archdale's story was never finished.</p> + <a name="page89" id="page89"></a><span class="newpage">[89]</span> + <hr /> + <h2>THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN.</h2> + <center> + BY ERNEST NUSSE. + </center> + <p>The census of 1880 fixed the juvenile population of the United States at + 20,000,000, of whom 10,158,954 were boys and 9,884,705 were girls. "From a political + point of view," says the eminent philanthropist, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, "the future + of the nation depends on the physical and intellectual education of its children, + whose numbers increase every year, and who will soon constitute the sovereign people. + From the moral and social point of view, the welfare of society imperatively demands + that the atmosphere in which they live, and the treatment that they receive from + those intrusted with their care or custody, shall be such as to establish in them + habits of industry, of sobriety, of honesty, and good conduct. For injurious + treatment of a child, inasmuch as it tends to result in the distortion of its + physical and moral nature, constitutes an offence whose importance seriously effects + the public order." But what is to be understood by cruel treatment? It consists in + every act of omission or of commission which causes or procures physical injury or + death. It is hardly necessary to observe that this definition must be limited to its + practical meaning, rather than interpreted in its broader, philosophical sense. We + must leave out of the question the results of improper or imperfect educational + training and discipline. It is doubtless a cause of harm to a delicate and nervous + child to force the development of its intelligence; a harsh word hastily uttered by + parents may leave an ineffaceable impression upon a sensitive organization; severity + degenerates into injustice when it confounds a peevish act, the result of physical + disorder, with an act of deliberate disobedience. The weakness which resigns its + authority In order to spare itself the care of a child's education engenders for life + the spirit of insubordination. The humiliating and unjust reproach, the stinging + sarcasm, wound the child in its tenderest feelings;—but these are not the forms + of cruelty and wrong which fall within reach of the law. It is unable to interpose + between the parents and the child, except in case of an actual and serious offence, + and for the rest it must rely upon the affection planted by nature in the hearts of + parents. These distinctions are more felt than expressed, and opinion will never + deceive itself in regard to the conduct of unnatural parents.</p> + <p>But if these propositions are absolutely incontestable, how do they leave room for + the function of a society? If children are beaten, abandoned, given over to odious + practices, will not the authorities, on the complaint of those interested, or + compelled by public opinion, be able adequately to fulfil the task? This reasoning, + altogether French, would not properly take into account the American temperament, the + genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, of its institutions, and of its usages. In France, + since the fourteenth century, misdemeanors have been prosecuted the more generally by + the public minister, acting under whose orders are numerous officers of judiciary <a + name="page90" id="page90"></a><span class="newpage">[90]</span> police, who entertain + the complaints of the public and send them, with the result of their examination, to + our courts. The magistrates charged with the case complete the investigations, if + they take place. The elements of the evidence are therefore combined when the + prosecution is instituted. In the United States these intermediate officials exist + but imperfectly between the injured party and the magistrate who renders judgment. + From lack of sufficient evidence, the rights of this injured party run the risk of + being compromised through his inexperience. Moreover, the complaint of the child, + often directed against its parents or its legal guardians, involves the examination + of a delicate situation, which must be conducted with much discernment. Without + comparing the two systems, American and French, which correspond each to the + particular genius of the two nations, it will be seen that the American system leaves + much more to private initiative, and that it would become ineffectual when the victim + of the offence, being a child, has neither the energy nor the knowledge necessary to + demonstrate that its complaint is well founded, without the aid of some one in power. + This is the aid which is given by the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty + to Children; and we can now understand how the exigency of the case, so powerfully + felt by the practical intelligence of the Americans, has called into existence this + potent organization, which we may call the guardian of the rights of childhood, for + the repression of the offences from which it is liable to suffer. The following + anecdote shows how the necessity for this institution arose, in a manner at once + thrilling and dramatic:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>Ten years ago in New York, on the top floor of a tenement-house, in a miserable + room without furniture, a dying woman lay on a pallet, in the last stage of + consumption. A charitable lady who visited her asked what she could do for her. The + dying woman replied: "My hours are numbered, but how can I die in peace when night + and day I hear the beating by her mother-in-law of the unhappy little girl who + lives in the room next to mine." And, in fact, for a month her heart had been torn + by the cries of this child, Mary Ellen, kept in confinement by this brute. Much + moved by this recital, the visitor felt impelled to demand the interference of the + police. They told her this was impracticable unless she was able to furnish proof + of her allegation. She knew the facts only upon hearsay, and only in case a + misdemeanor were actually proved would it be possible for the police to interfere + as she desired. The charitable feelings of the lady would not permit her to stop + here. She made inquiries among benevolent societies. But here again she experienced + a check. The societies could not receive the child except upon legal commitment by + an order of court. And charitable persons with the most benevolent tendencies, + being consulted on this difficulty, confessed themselves at a loss to suggest a + remedy in the case, and declared that it was dangerous to interfere between parents + and children; that in so doing one is liable to become involved in inextricable + difficulties, since the heads of the family are the best guardians of their + children. However, the sorrowful appeal of the dying woman echoed continually in + the ears of her whose charitable aid had been implored. She resolved upon a supreme + effort to rescue this child. She sought Mr. Henry Bergh, a man who has never been + deaf to a cry of despair, and who has devoted his life to the protection of + animals. Mr. Bergh considered the life <a name="page91" id="page91"></a><span + class="newpage">[91]</span> of a child to be quite as valuable as that of a beast, + and gave it as his opinion that the tribunals should be appealed to. A warrant was + immediately procured and the child was produced in court, its face covered with + horrible wounds. A pair of scissors with which these wounds had been inflicted were + produced. The facts in the case caused a profound sensation in the court and + throughout the city. The mother-in-law was arrested, found guilty, and the little + girl was taken from her hands to receive an education which has rendered her an + elegant and accomplished young woman.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>Humble beginnings, which it will be well for us to bear in remembrance for the + confusion of our pride! It is from the protection of animals that has sprung, in New + York, that of the child. And, when we contemplate the great number of societies in + the United States,—the Humane Society of Saratoga, of Bangor, of Keene, of + Taunton, of Connecticut, the Western Pennsylvania, the Tennessee Society, those of + Nashville, of Cleveland, of Cincinnati, of Indianapolis, of Chicago, of Peoria, of + Sangamon, of Quincy, of Minnesota, of Minneapolis, extending, simultaneously, their + help to children and to the brutes, we shall be no longer astonished either at the + combination of effort explained by this historic origin, or especially at a + philosophy which rightly esteems that cruelty commences with the animal, only to end + fatally with the human being. The proceeding instituted at the instance of Mr. Henry + Bergh was a most valuable precedent. The establishment of a method of rescue, + encouraged complaints, which, till then, had been silent, of the abandonment, misery, + or sufferings of children. Mr. Bergh's society found itself besieged, and, after + deliberation with his counsel, it was determined to establish another in New York, + whose special mission should be the protection of children. An old gentleman of high + respectability, belonging to the sect of the Quakers, Mr. John D. Wright, was elected + to the presidency, which office he held until his death, which occurred on the 21st + of August, 1880. His successor is Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry.</p> + <p>However, inasmuch as the authority with which the society sought to be invested + had reference to public justice, and involved the power to appear for the defence of + the interests of others, and to require the coöperation of public officials, a + law was indispensable, in order to confer these powers. Such a law was passed August + 21, 1875, whose provisions covered not only the case of the New York society, but + determined the functions of all institutions of a similar nature. On condition of + complying with the prescribed formalities for acquiring a corporate existence, the + law granted to these institutions the right to make complaints, in any jurisdiction, + of violations of the statutes regarding children; it set forth, formally, the duty of + magistrates or officers of police, to cooperate with the societies acting in the + limits of their several jurisdictions. The boundaries of the ground of protection + were thus defined, but there was still lacking the requisite legislative authority. + Experience showed that, besides the misdemeanors of common law—attempts upon + the morals, murder, assault and battery, etc.—a multitude of offences against + children remained unpunished. The society, therefore, solicited and obtained from <a + name="page92" id="page92"></a><span class="newpage">[92]</span> the Legislature, + powers which permitted it to repress acts of cruelty towards children that the law + failed to reach. The first of these measures was the law of 1876, forbidding the + employment of minors under sixteen years as dancers, beggars, street peddlers, as + gymnasts or contortionists, or in indecent occupations prejudicial to their health or + perilous to their life. Then came the law of June 6, 1877, forbidding the admission + of minors under fourteen years into public places, liquor saloons, balls, concerts, + theatres, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. With these laws, which it + caused to be interpreted in the courts in certain test cases, the society arrived at + the most satisfactory results. There were no longer seen in New York those juvenile + beggars whose miserable appearance is made an instrument of gain by their worthless + masters; those vagrants who disguise their vagabondage under the pretext of imaginary + professions, collecting cigar stumps and rag picking; those little girls who sell + flowers at the doors of houses of bad repute, often concealing under this ostensible + occupation infamous transactions with panders who keep them in their pay. A + determined warfare was declared against the Italian padroni, who thrive upon the toil + of the little unfortunates to whom they pretend to teach music, and whom they utilize + as peddlers and chimney-sweepers. The conviction of the too notorious Ancarola was + the signal for the suppression of these shameless villains; the purchases of children + ceased, and the cause of humanity triumphed, thanks to the combined efforts of the + society and of the Italian consul, after long and earnest conferences. It is not only + the Italians, but the children of all nationalities, who have profited from this + powerful patronage: Hungarian, German, Chinese, Irish, French. One of our + compatriots, a girl of fourteen years, came one day to implore its aid. Her father + was a drunkard, who had reached the lowest round in the ladder of degradation; her + mother had no means of subsistence except concubinage, nor her two sisters except + prostitution. She begged that they would save her from this life of shame. The + society received her, procured her a position, a good education. Learning that she + was heiress to a considerable property left by a grandfather, the society took active + steps in France to secure to her her rights. Unfortunately, the agent who had + possession of the estate became insolvent after having squandered the property, and + it was impossible to recover it. The society continued to care for the young girl up + to the day of her marriage to a young man enjoying a regular salary of $1,200, and + worthy of her in all respects.</p> + <p>The strict watch kept upon the liquor saloons contributed equally to improve the + condition of children. Many were in the habit of being sent by confirmed drunkards to + buy the "liquid poison!" They thus promoted this vice whose hardened subjects would + prolong It even beyond the grave by asking that "a bottle of whiskey may be put in + their coffin." The obedience of the children was rewarded by invitations to drink, + which initiated them in debauchery. It was among women abandoned to drink that lived + Eliza Clark, a child of eleven years, paying for the drinks <a name="page93" + id="page93"></a><span class="newpage">[93]</span> with the gains which she realized + from dancing or singing; in return, the women gave her brandy to drink and tobacco to + smoke, so that when she was found she resembled "a beast more than a human creature." + They also suppressed the playing of pool for drinks by minors, instituted by saloon + keepers to induce them to drink liquor, which was the reward of those whom fortune + favored in the game.</p> + <p>The police of the theatres performed their duty conscientiously, and the statutes + were obeyed. The necessity of being accompanied by an adult was felt to be a strange + restraint by these gamins eager for the theatre, whose attractions led them to + abandon school, work, and family, and to procure the money for their admission by + stealing it from their parents, or at a pinch from strangers; and where they would + mingle, between the acts, with pick-pockets and low characters who encouraged them in + the ways of vice. And for a stronger reason, the child was more carefully protected + against the perils of the stage than against those of the auditory. Juvenile + performances were forbidden, and the youthful performers were excluded successively + from the Columbia Opera House or Theatre des Folies, from the Italian Opera, from the + Gem Theatre, from Parker's American Theatre, and from the Juvenile Opera. Permissions + for individual performances were peremptorily refused even to parents who were + actors. Here the work of the society encountered serious obstacles, and it is + necessary to quote from Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry in order to appreciate the motives by + which the society was actuated in combating with vigorous purpose the opposition + which it met with: "The Press, which is influenced to a considerable extent by the + representations of theatrical managers, often criticises severely any attempt to + deprive the public of what it is pleased to call its legitimate amusements, by the + suppression of such entertainments. And many pronounced patrons of the dramatic art + even maintain that such exhibitions are indispensable to the proper development of a + dramatic education, and that when the necessities of the parents require it, charity + should encourage the children to procure this means of obtaining a livelihood. But + let us examine the other side of the question. When the curtain rises in the theatre, + a draught of warm air rushes from the audience on to the stage, and often paralyzes + for some moments the vocal chords of the actors. When the curtain falls, the cold air + comes down from the flies, and the children, who have become over heated by their + physical exertions, shiver to the marrow before they are able to accustom themselves + to this sudden change of temperature. Every night these things are renewed. During + the day the children sleep as best they can. Their nervous system is rapidly + undermined; their digestion becomes impaired. It is rare that one can point to + instances of children arriving early at positions of eminence in the dramatic art. It + is true that there are a few who shine as stars in the theatrical profession, and who + entered upon their dramatic career in early childhood; but these are rare + exceptions."</p> + <p>It is not only on the stage that the morals of the children have been protected; + <a name="page94" id="page94"></a><span class="newpage">[94]</span> the keepers of low + resorts have been prosecuted by the society.</p> + <p>It has shut up the den of the too celebrated Owney Geoghegan, who long defied the + law and the police, encouraging the efforts of prostitutes to debauch young girls. + Women of notorious reputation, who enticed away the children of respectable mechanics + to sell them for money, have been severely punished. In short, not content with + bringing to justice these outrageous offenders with a firmness which has made it the + terror of these oppressors of childhood, the society has been the instrument of + checking acts even of carelessness or imprudence. It no longer permits the drunkard + to keep his children in a cellar where the rats bite their feet; or the mercenary + father to allow his son to engage in a wager, dangerous to his health, to make a + hundred miles in twenty-four hours; or a man to ride a bicycle bearing on his + shoulders his five-year-old daughter.</p> + <p>So great a work demanded accommodations of corresponding magnitude. In 1881, and + at the price of $43,000, the society purchased a large building situated at the + corner of 23rd street and 4th avenue, one of the most important thoroughfares of New + York. Not far from the offices, in the main part of the building, is found a + collection of all the instruments of cruelty seized in the legal + proceedings,—rods of iron, whips, firebars (<i>barres de poeles</i>), pokers, + cudgels (<i>gourdins</i>), and other instruments. These furnish convincing proofs of + the sufferings of the children,—for example those of Maggie Scully, when she + said: "I do all the work at my aunt's house, and if you do not believe that I have + been beaten, look at me, for my aunt has beaten me this morning with a poker." + Adjoining the offices are the rooms for the officers and the archives of the + institution, containing the papers in each case setting forth the facts and the + evidence. On the upper floor is a dormitory, where the children are kept until final + disposition is made of them, that is to say, generally during one night. In fact, the + work is going on without interruption at all hours of the day and night. If at night + a call by telephone is received from the police-station, an officer of the society + responds immediately to this appeal.</p> + <p>As is most frequently the case, he finds a drunken woman in the street, with three + or four ragged children gathered about her, covered with vermin, without fire or + lodging, having been abandoned by the father. The mother is detained at the station, + but the children are taken to the society, where they are washed, fed, and for the + first time in their lives, perhaps, put to sleep in a bed. On the following day, the + children are taken to court. If the parents or guardians are worthy, they are + returned to them; if not, the justice commits them to some charitable institution. + Some of these have a religious character, and others a secular one; the American + judge, in rendering his decision, is influenced by interests of family, of + nationality, of race, or of religion of the child, as well as by the requirements of + the law. Sick children and nursing infants are sent to the hospital on Randall's + Island, the Ladies' Deborah Nursery, and the Child's Hospital. Each of the charitable + institutions receives a per capita allowance for children during the time that they + remain in their care.</p> + <a name="page95" id="page95"></a><span class="newpage">[95]</span> + <p>The society does not abandon them, and if a complaint arises of improper + treatment, it causes legal proceedings to be instituted against those who are + responsible therefor.</p> + <p>A recent case of this kind was that of the "Old Gentlemen's Home."</p> + <p>It will be readily seen that the cases which come before the society must be very + numerous: during the nine years of its existence it has investigated 13,077 + complaints, involving 52,308 children, prosecuted 4,035 cases, convicted 3,637 + offenders, rescued and placed in homes or institutions 7,555 children. In the last + three years it has temporarily sheltered and clothed 1,092 children and furnished + them with 9,309 meals. These figures acquire a singular force when one reads in the + annual reports the curious history of these cases setting forth the facts in detail. + In 1882 the magistrates of the city issued 1,267 warrants. On the information + furnished, 834 children were held in custody, 1,040 released. The city of New York is + compelled to pay for the support of children thus committed to custody. A saving of + $108,160 has therefore been realized to the benefit of the tax-payers of New York. In + 1883 they received 2,966 complaints; there were 1,176 prosecutions and 1,128 + convictions; 2,008 children were placed in institutions of charity. Of 2,341 children + arrested 1,078 were held, 1,263 released.</p> + <p>The resources of the society are derived exclusively from the liberality of the + public. It receives no aid either from the State or city. On the contrary, it pay + taxes even on the water used in the care of the children in its charge. The account + of receipts and expenditures amounts to about $17,000. Of the $43,000 which its + building cost, $25,000 remain on mortgage. The field in which the society employs its + activity is already large, and is rapidly extending. It endeavors to obtain from the + legislature laws which will defeat the aims of those too numerous enterprises which, + under color of charity, utilize young children, for example, the baby farms and those + establishments (called <i>hospitaliers</i>) which have neither the means nor the + facilities necessary to their proper conduct. It requires that children shall not be + employed in manual labor before the age of fourteen years, and only after their + physical capability has been certified to by a physician. It insists on the + prohibition of all dangerous occupations. The former articles in this Bulletin on the + abuses which exist in the industrial employment of children in New York show how + justifiable is this action of the society. "Thousands of children," says Mr. Gerry, + "die of diseases contracted in these injurious employments; in this respect our + nation is far behind Europe in its means of affording protection to children. In + France, severe laws have been in operation since 1841. England has promptly followed + this example, and like the English legislation, that of France expressly forbids the + employment of children in the manufacture of dangerous substances, of a nature + poisonous or explosive. You have only to visit our hospitals to see the little + creatures with hand or fingers mutilated, from being employed at too early an age in + the operation of machinery. Our negligence makes manifest the wisdom of the French + law, whose lesson <a name="page96" id="page96"></a><span class="newpage">[96]</span> + is so necessary with us." This needed progress will without doubt be made, and the + society will continue with increased zeal its charitable work. It gives to the + legislator the benefit of a practical experience in the work, to the child its + powerful advocacy in the courts, to justice the impartiality of prudent + investigations, to public opinion the assurance of the proper conduct of charitable + institutions and an impulse in the direction of improvement. It is thus that in this + land of enterprise, whose customs are adverse to permitting affairs even of the + gravest importance, like the prosecution of crimes or the direction of works of + benevolence, to be concentrated in the hands of public officials, the consequences of + <i>self-government</i> have been happily corrected in points where they would + otherwise become extreme, in regard to children. The New York society is therefore + well described by its worthy president, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, as "the Hand of + Protection." And this hand is too charitable for us to forbear to give it a cordial + pressure across the vast expanse of the Atlantic.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>THE MIDDLESEX CANAL.</h2> + <center> + BY LORIN L. DAME, A.M. + </center> + <p>The curious traveller may still trace with little difficulty the line of the old + Middlesex canal, with here and there a break, from the basin at Charlestown to its + junction with the Merrimac at Middlesex village. Like an accusing ghost, it never + strays far from the Boston & Lowell Railroad, to which it owes its untimely + end.</p> + <p>At Medford, the Woburn sewer runs along one portion of its bed, the Spot pond + water-pipes another. The tow-path, at one point, marks the course of the defunct + Mystic Valley Railroad; at others, it has been metamorphosed into sections of the + highway; at others, it survives as a cow-path or woodland lane; at Wilmington, the + stone sides of a lock have become the lateral walls of a dwelling-house cellar.</p> + <p>Judging the canal by the pecuniary recompense it brought its projectors, it must + be admitted a dismal failure; yet its inception was none the less a comprehensive, + far-reaching scheme, which seemed to assure a future of ample profits and great + public usefulness. Inconsiderable as this work may appear compared with the modern + achievements of engineering, it was, for the times, a gigantic undertaking, beset + with difficulties scarcely conceivable to-day. Boston was a small town of about + twenty thousand inhabitants; Medford, Woburn, and Chelmsford were insignificant + villages; and Lowell was as yet unborn, while the valley of the Merrimac, northward + into New Hampshire, supported a sparse agricultural population. But the outlook was + encouraging. It was a period of rapid growth and marked improvements. The subject of + closer communication with the interior early became a vital question. Turnpikes, <a + name="page97" id="page97"></a><span class="newpage">[97]</span> controlled by + corporations, were the principal avenues over which country produce, lumber, + firewood, and building-stone found their way to the little metropolis. The cost of + entertainment at the various country inns, the frequent tolls, and the inevitable + wear and tear of teaming, enhanced very materially the price of all these articles. + The Middlesex canal was the first step towards the solution of the problem of cheap + transportation. The plan originated with the Hon. James Sullivan, who was for six + years a judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, attorney-general from 1790 to + 1807, and governor in 1807 and 1808, dying while holding the latter office.</p> + <p>A brief glance at the map of the New England States will bring out in bold relief + the full significance of Sullivan's scheme. It will be seen that the Merrimac river, + after pursuing a southerly course as far as Middlesex village, turns abruptly to the + north-east. A canal from Charlestown mill-pond to this bend of the river, a distance + of 27-1/4 miles, would open a continuous water-route of eighty miles to Concord, N.H. + From this point, taking advantage of Lake Sunapee, a canal could easily be run in a + north-westerly direction to the Connecticut at Windsor, Vt.; and thence, making use + of intermediate streams, communication could be opened with the St. Lawrence. The + speculative mind of Sullivan dwelt upon the pregnant results that must follow the + connection of Boston with New Hampshire and possibly Vermont and Canada. He consulted + his friend, Col. Baldwin, sheriff of Middlesex, who had a natural taste for + engineering, and they came to the conclusion that the plan was feasible. Should the + undertaking succeed between Concord and Boston, the gradual increase in population + and traffic would in time warrant the completion of the programme. Even should + communication never be established beyond Concord, the commercial advantages of + opening to the market the undeveloped resources of upper New Hampshire would be a + sufficient justification. Accordingly, James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, Jonathan + Porter, Samuel Swan, and five members of the Hall family at Medford, petitioned the + General Court for an act of incorporation. A charter was granted, bearing date of + June 22, 1793, "incorporating James Sullivan, Esq., and others, by the name of the + Proprietors of the Middlesex Canal," and on the same day was signed by His Excellency + John Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. By this charter the proprietors were + authorized to lay such assessments from time to time as might be required for the + construction of the canal.</p> + <p>At their first meeting the proprietors intrusted the management of the corporation + to a board of thirteen members, who were to choose a president and vice-presidents + from their own number, the entire board subject to annual election. Boston + capitalists subscribed freely, and Russell, Gore, Barrell, Craigie, and Brooks appear + among the earliest directors. This board organized on the 11th of October by the + choice of James Sullivan as president, and Col. Baldwin and John Brooks (afterwards + Gov. Brooks) as vice-presidents. The first step was to make the necessary <a + name="page98" id="page98"></a><span class="newpage">[98]</span> surveys between the + Charlestown basin and the Merrimac at Chelmsford; but the science of engineering was + in its infancy, and it was difficult to find a competent person to undertake the + task. At length Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, was engaged to make a preliminary survey; + but the directors, not wholly satisfied with his report, afterwards secured the + services of Samuel Weston, an eminent English engineer, then employed in Pennsylvania + on the Potomac canals. His report, made Aug. 2, 1794, was favorable; and it is + interesting to compare his figures with those of Mr. Thompson. As calculated by + Thompson, the ascent from Medford bridge to the Concord river, at Billerica, was + found to be 68-1/2 ft.; the actual difference in level, as found by Weston, was 104 + ft. By Thompson's survey there was a further ascent of 16-1/2 ft. to the Merrimac; + when, in fact, the water at Billerica bridge is almost 25 ft. above the Merrimac at + Chelmsford.</p> + <p>Col. Baldwin, who superintended the construction of the canal, removed the first + turf, Sept. 10, 1794. The progress was slow and attended with many embarrassments. + The purchase of land from more than one hundred proprietors demanded skilful + diplomacy. Most of the lands used for the canal were acquired by voluntary sale, and + conveyed in fee-simple to the corporation. Sixteen lots were taken under authority of + the Court of Sessions; while for thirteen neither deed nor record could be found when + the corporation came to an end. Some of the land was never paid for, as the owner + refused to accept the sum awarded. The compensation ranged from about $150 an acre in + Medford to $25 in Billerica. The numerous conveyances are all in Sullivan's + handwriting.</p> + <p>Labor was not easily procured, probably from the scarcity of laborers, as the + wages paid, $10 a month and board, were presumably as much as could be earned in + manual labor elsewhere. "An order was sent to England for a levelling instrument made + by S. & W. Jones, of London, and this was the only instrument used for + engineering purposes after the first survey by Weston." Two routes were considered; + the rejected route was forty years later selected for the Lowell Railroad. The canal, + 30 ft. wide, 4 ft. deep, with 20 locks, 7 aqueducts, and crossed by 50 bridges, was, + in 1802, sufficiently completed for the admission of water, and the following year + was opened to public navigation from the Merrimac to the Charles. Its cost, about + $500,000, of which one-third was for land damages, was but little more than the + estimate. Commencing at Charlestown mill-pond, it passed through Medford, crossing + the Mystic by a wooden aqueduct of 100 ft., to Horn pond in Woburn. Traversing Woburn + and Wilmington it crossed the Shawshine by an aqueduct of 137 ft., and struck the + Concord, from which it receives its water, at Billerica Mills. Entering the Concord + by a stone guard-lock, it crossed, with a floating tow-path, and passed out on the + northern side through another stone guard-lock; thence it descended 27 ft., in a + course of 5-1/4 miles, through Chelmsford to the Merrimac, making its entire length + 27-1/4 m.</p> + <p>The proprietors made Charlestown bridge the eastern terminus for their boats, but + ultimately communication <a name="page99" id="page99"></a><span + class="newpage">[99]</span> was opened with the markets and wharves upon the harbor, + through Mill Creek, over a section of which Blackstone street now extends.</p> + <p>As the enterprise had the confidence of the business community, money for + prosecuting the work had been procured with comparative ease. The stock was divided + into 800 shares, and among the original stockholders appear the names of Ebenezer and + Dudley Hall, Oliver Wendall, John Adams of Quincy, Peter C. Brooks of Medford, and + Andrew Craigie of Cambridge. The stock had steadily advanced from $25 a share in the + autumn of 1794 to $473 in 1803, the year the canal was opened, touching $500 in 1804. + Then a decline set in, a few dollars at a time, till 1816, when its market value was + $300 with few takers, although the canal was in successful operation, and, in 1814, + the obstructions in the Merrimac had been surmounted, so that canal boats, locking + into the river at Chelmsford, had been poled up stream as far as Concord.</p> + <p>Firewood and lumber always formed a very considerable item in the business of the + canal. The navy-yard at Charlestown and the shipyards on the Mystic form any years + relied upon the canal for the greater part of the timber used in shipbuilding; and + work was sometimes seriously retarded by low water in the Merrimac, which interfered + with transportation. The supply of oak and pine about Lake Winnipiseogee, and along + the Merrimac and its tributaries, was thought to be practically inexhaustible. In the + opinion of Daniel Webster, the value of this timber had been increased $5,000,000 by + the canal. Granite from Tyngsborough, and agricultural products from a great extent + of fertile country, found their way along this channel to Boston; while the return + boats supplied taverns and country stores with their annual stock of goods. The + receipts from tolls, rents, etc. were steadily increasing, amounting,</p> +<pre> +in 1812 to $12,600, +" 1813 " 16,800, +" 1814 " 25,700, +" 1815 " 29,200, +" 1816 " 32,600, +</pre> + <p>Yet, valuable, useful, and productive as the canal had proved itself, it had lost + the confidence of the public, and, with a few exceptions, of the proprietors + themselves. The reason for this state of sentiment can easily be shown. The general + depression of business on account of the embargo and the war of 1812 had its effect + upon the canal. In the deaths of Gov. Sullivan and Col. Baldwin, in the same year, + 1808, the enterprise was deprived of the wise and energetic counsellors to whom it + owed its existence.</p> + <p>The aqueducts and most of the locks, being built of wood, required large sums for + annual repairs; the expenses arising from imperfections in the banks, and from the + erection of toll-houses and public houses for the accommodation of the boatmen, were + considerable; but the heaviest expenses were incurred in opening the Merrimac for + navigation. From Concord, N.H., to the head of the canal the river has a fall of 123 + ft., necessitating various locks and canals. The Middlesex Canal Corporation + contributed to the building of the Wiccasee locks and canals, $12,000; Union locks + and canals, $49,932; Hookset canal, $6,750; Bow canal <a name="page100" + id="page100"></a><span class="newpage">[100]</span> and locks, $14,115, making a sum + total of $82,797 to be paid from the income of the Middlesex canal.</p> + <p>The constant demand for money in excess of the incomes had proved demoralizing. + Funds had been raised from time to time by lotteries. In the Columbian "Centinel + & Massachusetts Federalist" of Aug. 15, 1804, appears an advertisement of the + Amoskeag Canal Lottery, 6,000 tickets at $5, with an enumeration of prizes. The + committee, consisting of Phillips Payson, Samuel Swan, Jr., and Loammi Baldwin, Jr., + appealed to the public for support, assuring the subscribers that all who did not + draw prizes would get the full value of their money in the reduced price of fuel.</p> + <p>In 1816 the Legislature of Massachusetts granted the proprietors of the canal, in + consideration of its usefulness to the public, two townships of land in the district + of Maine, near Moosehead lake. This State aid, however, proved of no immediate + service, as purchasers could not be found for several years for property so remote. + Appeals to capitalists, lotteries, and State aid proved insufficient; the main burden + fell upon the stockholders. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, + assessments had been levied, as occasion required, up to 1816, 99 in number, + amounting to $670 per share; and the corporation was still staggering under a debt of + $64,000. Of course, during all this time, no dividends could be declared.</p> + <p>Under these unpromising conditions a committee, consisting of Josiah Quincy, + Joseph Hall, and Joseph Coolidge, Jr., was appointed to devise the appropriate + remedy. "In the opinion of your committee," the report reads, "the real value of the + property, at this moment, greatly exceeds the market value, and many years will not + elapse before it will be considered among the best of all practicable monied + investments. The Directors contemplate no further extension of the canal. <i>The work + is done</i>, both the original and subsidiary canals.... Let the actual incomes of + the canal be as great as they may, so long as they are consumed in payment of debts + and interest on loans, the aspect of the whole is that of embarrassment and mortgage. + The present rates of income, if continued, and there is every rational prospect, not + only of its continuance, but of its great and rapid increase, will enable the + corporation—when relieved of its present liabilities,—at once to commence + a series of certain, regular, and satisfactory dividends." They accordingly + recommended a final assessment of $80 per share, completely to extinguish all + liabilities. This assessment, the 100th since the commencement, was levied in 1817, + making a sum total of $600,000, extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. If to + this sum the interest of the various assessments be added, computed to Feb. 1, 1819, + the date of the first dividend, the actual cost of each share is found to have been + $1,455.25.</p> + <p>The prosperity of the canal property now seemed fully assured. The first dividend, + though only $15, was the promise of golden showers in the near future, and the stock + once more took an upward flight. From 1819 to 1836 were the palmy days of the canal, + unvexed with debts, and subject to very moderate <a name="page101" + id="page101"></a><span class="newpage">[101]</span> expenses for annual repairs and + management.</p> + <p>It is difficult to ascertain the whole number of boats employed at any one time. + Many were owned and run by the proprietors of the canal; and many were constructed + and run by private parties who paid the regular tolls for whatever merchandise they + transported. Boats belonging to the same parties were conspicuously numbered, like + railway cars to-day. From "Regulations relative to the Navigation of the Middlesex + Canal," a pamphlet published in 1830, it appears that boats were required to be not + less than 40 ft. nor more than 75 ft. in length and not less than 9 ft. nor more than + 9-1/2 ft. in width. Two men, a driver and steersman, usually made up the working + force; the boats, however, that went up the Merrimac required three men, one to + steer, and two to pole. The Lowell boats carried 20 tons of coal; 15 tons were + sufficient freight for Concord; when the water in the Merrimac was low, not more than + 6 or 7 tons could be taken up the river. About 1830 the boatmen received $15 per + month.</p> + <p>Lumber was transported in rafts of about 75 ft. long and 9 ft. wide; and these + rafts, not exceeding ten in number, were often united in "bands." A band of seven to + ten rafts required the services of five men, including the driver. Boats were drawn + by horses, and lumber by oxen; and "luggage boats" were required to make two and a + half miles an hour, while "passage boats" attained a speed of four miles. Boats of + the same class, and going the same way, were not allowed to pass each other, thus + making "racing" impossible on the staid waters of the old canal. Whenever a boat + approached a lock, the conductor sounded his horn to secure the prompt attention of + the lock-tender; but due regard was paid to the religious sentiment of New England. + Travelling in the canal being permitted on Sundays, "in consideration of the distance + from home at which those persons using it generally are, it may be reasonably + expected that they should not disturb those places of public worship near which they + pass, nor occasion any noise to interrupt the tranquillity of the day. Therefore, it + is established that no <i>Signal-Horn</i> shall be used or blown on Sundays."</p> + <p>The tariff varied greatly from year to year. In 1827 the rate from Lowell to + Boston was $2.00 the gross ton; but many articles were carried on much lower + terms.</p> + <p>On account of liability of damage to the banks of the canal, all navigation ceased + at dark; hence, at every lock, or series of locks, a tavern was established. These + were all owned by the corporation, and were often let to the lock-tender, who eked + out his income by the accommodation of boatmen and horses. The Bunker Hill Tavern, in + Charlestown, situated so as to accommodate both county and canal travel, was leased, + in 1830, for $350; in 1838, it let for $500. The Horn Pond House, at Woburn, in 1838, + was leased for $700. In 1825, a two-story dwelling-house, 36 X 18, built at a cost of + $1,400, for the accommodation of boatmen and raftsmen, at Charlestown, rented, with + stable attached, for $140. In all these cases, the real estate was supposed to pay + ten per cent.</p> + <p>Some of these canal-taverns established a wide reputation for good <a + name="page102" id="page102"></a><span class="newpage">[102]</span> cheer, and boatmen + contrived to be overtaken by night in their vicinity. Sometimes fifteen or twenty + boats would be detained at one of these favorite resorts, and a jolly crowd + fraternized in the primitive bar-room. The temperance sentiment had not yet taken a + firm hold in New England. "Flip" was the high-toned beverage of those days; but + "black-strap," a compound of rum and molasses, sold at three cents a glass, was the + particular "vanity" of the boatmen. In the smaller taverns, a barrel of old Medford, + surmounted by a pitcher of molasses, scorning the flimsy subterfuges of modern times, + boldly invited its patrons to draw and mix at their own sweet will. "Plenty of + drunkenness, Uncle Joe, in those days?" we queried of an ancient boatman who was + dilating upon the good old times. "Bless your heart, no!" was the answer. "Mr. Eddy + didn't put up with no drunkards on the canal. They could drink all night, sir, and be + steady as an eight-day clock in the morning."</p> + <p>When the feverish haste born of the locomotive and telegraph had not yet infected + society, a trip over the canal in the passenger-packet, the "Governor Sullivan," must + have been an enjoyable experience. Protected by iron rules from the dangers of + collision; undaunted by squalls of wind, realizing, should the craft be capsized, + that he had nothing to do but walk ashore, the traveller, speeding along at the + leisurely pace of four miles per hour, had ample time for observation and reflection. + Seated, in summer, under a capacious awning, he traversed the valley of the Mystic + skirting the picturesque shores of Mystic pond. Instead of a foreground of blurred + landscape, vanishing, ghostlike, ere its features could be fairly distinguished, soft + bits of characteristic New England scenery, clear cut as cameos, lingered caressingly + on his vision; green meadows, fields riotous with blossomed clover, fragrant + orchards, and quaint old farmhouses, with a background of low hills wooded to their + summits.</p> + <p>Passing under bridges, over rivers, between high embankments, and through deep + cuttings, floated up hill by a series of locks, he marvelled at this triumph of + engineering, and, if he were a director, pictured the manufactories that were to + spring up along this great thoroughfare, swelling its revenues for all time.</p> + <p>The tow-path of the canal was a famous promenade. Upon Sunday afternoons, + especially, numerous pedestrians from the dusty city strolled along the canal for a + breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the open country, through the Royal estate in + Medford, past the substantial old-fashioned mansion-house of Peter C. Brooks, as far, + perhaps, as the Baldwin estate, and the birthplace of Count Rumford, in Woburn. "I + love that old tow-path," said Uncle Joe. "'Twas there I courted my wife; and every + time the boat went by she came tripping out to walk a piece with me! Bless you, sir + the horses knew her step, and it wan't so heavy, nuther."</p> + <p>Meanwhile, under the direction of Caleb Eddy, who assumed the agency of the + corporation in 1825, bringing great business ability and unquenchable zeal to his + task, the perishable wooden locks were gradually replaced with stone, a new stone dam + was built at Billerica, and the service brought to a high state of efficiency. <a + name="page103" id="page103"></a><span class="newpage">[103]</span> The new dam was + the occasion of a lawsuit brought by the proprietors of the Sudbury meadows, claiming + damages to the extent of $10,000 for flooding their meadows. The defendants secured + the services of Samuel Hoar, Esq., of Concord, assisted by the Hon. Daniel Webster, + who accepted a retaining fee of $100 to "manage and argue the case in conjunction + with Mr. Hoar. The cause was to have been tried November, 1833. Mr. Webster was + called on by me and promised to examine the evidence and hold himself in readiness + for the trial, but for some time before he was not to be found in Boston, at one time + at New York, at another in Philadelphia, and so on from place to place so that I am + satisfied no dependance can be placed with certainty upon his assistance, and," + plaintively concludes the agent, "our $100 has gone to profit and loss account."</p> + <p>On the other side was the Hon. Jeremiah Mason, assisted by Franklin Dexter, Esq. + This case was decided the following year adversely to the plaintiffs.</p> + <p>With the accession of business brought by the corporations at Lowell, the prospect + for increased dividends in the future was extremely encouraging. The golden age of + the canal appeared close at hand; but the fond hopes of the proprietors were once + more destined to disappointment. Even the genius of James Sullivan had not foreseen + the railway locomotive. In 1829 a petition was presented to the Legislature for the + survey of a railroad from Boston to Lowell. The interests of the canal were seriously + involved. A committee was promptly chosen to draw up for presentation to the General + Court "a remonstrance of the Proprietors of Middlesex Canal, against the grant of a + charter to build a railroad from Boston to Lowell." This remonstrance, signed by + William Sullivan, Joseph Coolidge, and George Hallett, bears date of Boston, Feb. 12, + 1830, and conclusively shows how little the business men of fifty years ago + anticipated the enormous development of our resources consequent upon the application + of steam to transportation:—</p> + <blockquote> + <p>The remonstrants take pleasure in declaring, that they join in the common + sentiment of surprise and commendation, that any intelligence and enterprise should + have raised so rapidly and so permanently, such establishments as are seen at + Lowell. The proprietors of these works have availed themselves of <i>the canal</i>, + for their transportation for all articles, except in the winter months ... and + every effort has been made by this corporation to afford every facility, it was + hoped and believed, to the entire satisfaction of the Lowell proprietors. The + average annual amount of tolls paid by these proprietors has been only about four + thousand dollars. It is believed no safer or cheaper mode of conveyance can ever be + established, nor any so well adapted for carrying heavy and bulky articles. To + establish therefore a <i>substitute</i> for the canal alongside of it, and in many + places within a few rods of it, and to do that which the canal was made to do, + seems to be a measure not called for by any exigency, nor one which the Legislature + can permit, without implicitly declaring that all investments of money in public + enterprises must be subjected to the will of any applicants who think that they may + benefit themselves without regard to older enterprises, which have a claim to + protection from public authority. With regard, then, to transportation of tonnage + goods, the means exist for all but the winter months, as effectually as any that + can be provided.</p> + <p>There is a supposed source of revenue <a name="page104" id="page104"></a><span + class="newpage">[104]</span> to a railroad, <i>from carrying passengers</i>. As to + this, the remonstrants venture no opinion, except to say, that passengers are now + carried, at all hours, as rapidly and safely as they are anywhere else in the + world.... To this, the remonstrants would add, that the use of a railroad, <i>for + passengers only</i>, has been tested by experience, nowhere, hitherto; and that it + remains to be known, whether this is a mode which will command general confidence + and approbation, and that, therefore, no facts are now before the public, which + furnish the conclusion, that the grant of a railroad is a public exigency even for + such a purpose. The Remonstrants would also add, that so far as they know and + believe, "<i>there never can be a sufficient inducement to extend a railroad from + Lowell westwardly and northwestwardly, to the Connecticut, so as to make it the + great avenue to and from the interior, but that its termination must be at + Lowell</i>" (italics our own), "and, consequently that it is to be a substitute for + the modes of transportation now in use between that place and Boston, <i>and cannot + deserve patronage from the supposition that it is to be more extensively + useful</i>...."</p> + <p>The Remonstrants, therefore, respectfully submit: First, that there be no such + exigency as will warrant the granting of the prayer for a railroad to and from + Lowell.</p> + <p>Secondly, that, if that prayer be granted, provision should be made as a + condition for granting it, that the Remonstrants shall be indemnified for the + losses which will be thereby occasioned to them.</p> + </blockquote> + <p>This may seem the wilful blindness of self-interest; but the utterances of the + press and the legislative debates of the period are similar in tone. In relation to + another railroad, the "Boston Transcript" of Sept. 1, 1830, remarks: "It is not + astonishing that so much reluctance exists against plunging into doubtful + speculations.... The public itself is divided as to the practicability of the Rail + Road. If they expect the assistance of capitalists, they must stand ready to + guarantee the <i>percentum per annum</i>; without this, all hopes of Rail Roads are + visionary and chimerical." In a report of legislative proceedings published in the + "Boston Courier," of Jan. 25, 1830, Mr. Cogswell, of Ipswich, remarked: "Railways, + Mr. Speaker, may do well enough in old countries, but will never be the thing for so + young a country as this. When you can make the rivers run back, it will be time + enough to make a railway." Notwithstanding the pathetic remonstrances and strange + vaticinations of the canal proprietors, the Legislature incorporated the road and + refused compensation to the canal. Even while the railroad was in process of + construction, the canal directors do not seem to have realized the full gravity of + the situation. They continued the policy of replacing wood with stone, and made every + effort to perfect the service in all its details; as late as 1836 the agent + recommended improvements. The amount of tonnage continued to increase—the very + sleepers used in the construction of the railway were boated, it is said, to points + convenient for the workmen.</p> + <p>In 1832 the canal declared a dividend of $22 per share; from 1834 to 1837, + inclusive, a yearly dividend of $30.</p> + <p>The disastrous competition of the Lowell Railroad was now beginning to be felt. In + 1835 the Lowell goods conveyed by canal paid tonnage dues of $11,975.51; in 1836 the + income from this source had dwindled to <a name="page105" id="page105"></a><span + class="newpage">[105]</span> $6,195.77. The canal dividends had been kept up to their + highest mark by the sale of its townships in Maine and other real estate: but now + they began to drop. The year the Lowell road went into full operation the receipts of + the canal were reduced one-third; and when the Nashua & Lowell road went into + full operation, in 1840, they were reduced another third. The board of directors + waged a plucky warfare with the railroads, reducing the tariff on all articles, and + almost abolishing it on some, till the expenditures of the canal outran its income; + but steam came out triumphant. Even sanguine Caleb Eddy became satisfied that longer + competition was vain, and set himself to the difficult task of saving fragments from + the inevitable wreck.</p> + <p>At this time (1843) Boston numbered about 100,000 inhabitants, and was dependent + for water upon cisterns and wells. The supply of water in the wells had been steadily + diminishing for years, and what remained was necessarily subject to contamination + from numberless sources. "One specimen which I analyzed," said Dr. Jackson, "which + gave three per cent, of animal and vegetable putrescent matter, was publicly sold as + a mineral water; it was believed that water having such a remarkable fetid odor and + nauseous taste, could be no other than that of a sulphur spring; but its medicinal + powers vanished with the discovery that the spring arose from a neighboring drain." + Here was a golden opportunity. Eddy proposed to abandon the canal as a means of + transportation, and convert it into an aqueduct for supplying the City of Boston with + wholesome water. The sections between the Merrimac and Concord at one extremity, and + Charlestown mill-pond and Woburn at the other, were to be wholly discontinued. + Flowing along the open channel of the canal from the Concord river to Horn-pond locks + in Woburn, from thence it was to be conducted in iron pipes to a reservoir upon Mount + Benedict in Charlestown, a hill eighty feet above the sea-level.</p> + <p>The good quality of the Concord-river water was vouched for by the "analysis of + four able and practical chemists, Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of Boston; John W. Webster, + of Cambridge University; S.L. Dana, of Lowell, and A.A. Hayes, Esq., of the chemical + works at Roxbury." The various legal questions involved were submitted to the Hon. + Jeremiah Mason, who gave an opinion, dated Dec. 21, 1842, favorable to the project. + The form for an act of incorporation was drawn up; and a pamphlet was published, in + 1843, by Caleb Eddy, entitled an "Historical sketch of the Middlesex Canal, with + remarks for the consideration of the Proprietors," setting forth the new scheme in + glowing colors.</p> + <p>But despite the feasibility of the plan proposed, and the energy with which it was + pushed, the agitation came to naught; and Eddy, despairing of the future, resigned + his position as agent in 1845. Among the directors during these later years were + Ebenezer Chadwick, Wm. Appleton, Wm. Sturgis, Charles F. Adams, A.A. Lawrence, and + Abbott Lawrence; but no business ability could long avert the catastrophe. Stock fell + to $150, and finally the canal was discontinued, according to Amory's Life of + Sullivan, in 1846. <a name="page106" id="page106"></a><span + class="newpage">[106]</span> It would seem, however, that a revival of business was + deemed within the range of possibilities, for in conveyances made in 1852 the company + reserved the right to use the land "for canalling purposes"; and the directors + annually went through with the form of electing an agent and collector as late as + 1853.</p> + <p>"Its vocation gone, and valueless for any other service," says Amory, "the canal + property was sold for $130,000. After the final dividends, little more than the + original assessments had been returned to the stockholders." Oct. 3, 1859, the + Supreme Court issued a decree, declaring that the proprietors had "forfeited all + their franchises and privileges, by reason of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and + neglect." Thus was the corporation forever extinguished.</p> + <hr /> + <h2>THE TAVERNS OF BOSTON IN YE OLDEN TIME.</h2> + <center> + BY DAVID M. BALFOUR. + </center> + <p>The first tavern in Boston was kept by Samuel Coles. It was opened in March, 1633, + and stood near the south-west corner of Merchants row and Corn court, with an area in + front on Merchants row and also on Fanueil Hall square, which in latter days have + been covered with buildings. It was destroyed by fire during the early part of the + eighteenth century, and the older portion of the present edifice was erected in 1737, + which has been enlarged on the northerly side. It was towards the close of the last + century known as the "Brazier Inn," and was kept by a widow lady of that name. It is + now known as the "Hancock House," and is kept by a stalwart Scotchman named Alexander + Clarkson. Gov. Vane held a council in the south-westerly room in the second story + with Miantonomoh, the Narragansett chief. The same room was subsequently occupied by + Lafayette in 1773, and afterwards by Talleyrand in 1798.</p> + <p>The State Arms Tavern was built in 1645, and stood on the south-east corner of + State and Exchange streets. It was occupied as the custom-house just before the + Revolution.</p> + <p>The Star Inn was built in 1645, and stood on the north-east corner of Hanover and + Union streets. It was first kept by Thomas Hawkins, and afterwards by Andrew Neal, a + Scotchman. The Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, + frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Roebuck Tavern was built in 1650. It stood on the east side of Merchants row, + between Clinton and North streets. It was believed to have been built by a descendant + of Richard Whittington, the Lord Mayor of London in 1419, who was famed for his love + of cats.</p> + <p>The Ship Tavern was built in 1651, and stood on North street, just beyond the + corner of Fleet street. John Vyall kept it in 1663, and it was at one time called + "Noah's Ark." The peace commissioners sent over by Charles II. held their sessions + there. It was demolished in 1866.</p> + <p>The King's Arms Tavern was <a name="page107" id="page107"></a><span + class="newpage">[107]</span> built in 1654, and stood on the southeast corner of + Washington and Brattle streets, opposite the Samuel Adams statue.</p> + <p>The Red Lion Tavern stood on the north-west corner of North and Richmond streets. + It was built in 1654, and kept by Nicholas Upsall, a Quaker, who was persecuted, + imprisoned, and banished for his faith. Near this spot the devastating fire of + November 27, 1676, broke out in one Wakefield's house.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern stood on the site of No. 254 Washington street. It was + built in 1664, and kept by George Monck.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1665, and stood on + Brattle street, upon the site which was afterwards Doolittle's City Tavern. It was + first kept by Robert Turner, and was noted for its <i>punch</i>, and was a favorite + resort of public men.</p> + <p>The Blue Bell Tavern was built in 1673, and stood on the north-west corner of + Batterymarch street and Liberty square; a portion of the Mason building now occupies + its site. It was kept by Nathaniel Bishop, and afterwards by Alleric & Drury. In + 1692 it was called the Castle Tavern, and ceased to be an inn after 1707.</p> + <p>The Castle Tavern (the second of that name) stood on the south-west corner of Dock + square and Elm street. It was erected by William Hudson in 1674, and kept by John + Wing in 1687, who gave his name to the street. In 1694 it was called the George + Tavern.</p> + <p>The King's Head Tavern was built in 1680, and stood at the northeast corner of + North and Fleet streets. It was burnt in 1691, and afterwards rebuilt. It was kept by + James Davenport in 1755.</p> + <p>The Seven Star Inn stood, in 1684, on the south-west corner of Summer and Hawley + streets. It gave its name to the lane which was afterwards called Bishop's alley. + Here, in 1736, was erected of wood the first edifice of Trinity Church. The land, + which originally contained 15,000 square feet, was bought of John Gibbins and William + Speakman for £450. This edifice was demolished in 1828 and a stone structure + erected in 1830, which was burnt in the great fire, November 8, 1872. The site, after + having its proportions curtailed, in order to widen Summer and Hawley streets, + containing 7,126 square feet, was sold to William D. Peckman, in 1874, for + $194,402.</p> + <p>The Sun Tavern stood on the southwest corner of Dock and Faneuil Hall squares. It + was built in 1690, and was kept by Samuel Mears in 1724, and by Day in 1753. It was + conveyed by Thomas Valentine in 1741 for £2,475 ($8,250); and by Joseph Jackson + in 1794 for £1,333-6-8 ($4,444); and by E.P. Arnold in 1865 for $20,000. The + Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was the + head-quarters of the British officers during the siege. It is the oldest building in + Boston.</p> + <p>The Queen's Head Tavern stood at the north-west corner of North and Clark streets. + It was built in 1691.</p> + <p>The Green Dragon Inn was built in 1692. It was first kept by Alexander Smith, who + died in 1696, and was succeeded by Hannah Bishop, who was next succeeded by John + Cary. In 1734 Joseph Kidder was its landlord. In 1764 it was conveyed <a + name="page108" id="page108"></a><span class="newpage">[108]</span> by Catharine Kerr, + sister to Dr. William Douglas, to St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons. It was a hospital + during the Revolution. It was the head-quarters of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, + Samuel Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and other patriots, during the Revolution. It + was called the Green Dragon Tavern after the Revolution, and at one time the + Freemasons' Arms. Daniel Simpson, the veteran drummer, was at one time its landlord. + The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. The Green Dragon + building, extending through from Union to (new) Washington street, now denotes its + site.</p> + <p>The Salutation Inn stood on the north-west corner of Hanover and Salutation + streets. It was built by John Brooking in 1692, and sold to Sir William Phips. John + Scollay kept it in 1697, who was succeeded by Samuel Green in 1731. It became famous, + later, when William Campbell kept it in 1773, when it was a rallying-place for the + patriots who gave rise to the word "<i>Caucus</i>." The resolutions for the + destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor were drawn up there. It was also called the + "<i>Two Palaverers</i>," from the representation upon the sign of two old gentlemen + in wigs, cocked hats, and knee-breeches, saluting each other with much ceremony.</p> + <p>The Golden Bull Tavern was built in 1693, and stood on the south-east corner of + Merchants row and Chatham street. It was kept in 1752 by Marston.</p> + <p>The Black Horse Tavern was built in 1700, and stood on the west side of Prince + street, which in former days was called Black Horse lane, and Salem street. It was + noted as a hiding-place for deserters from Burgoyne's army when stationed at + Cambridge.</p> + <p>The Half Moon Inn was built in 1705, and stood on the north-west corner of Fleet + and Sun court streets. It was kept in 1752 by Deborah Chick.</p> + <p>The Swan Tavern was built in 1707, and stood at the north-east corner of Fleet and + North streets.</p> + <p>The Orange Tree Inn was built in 1708, and stood on the north-east corner of Court + and Hanover streets during the Provincial period. White it was kept by Jonathan + Wardwell, in 1712, he set up the first hackney-coach stand. His widow kept it in + 1724. It was demolished in 1785. It was noted for having a well of water which never + froze or dried up.</p> + <p>The Bull Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the south-west corner of Summer + and Federal streets. It was there that sundry inhabitants at the South End met and + formed the project to erect a church on Church green, which was called the "New + South," and presided over for a long series of years by Rev. Alexander Young, + D.D.</p> + <p>The Light House Tavern was built in 1717, and stood on the south side of King + (State) street, on the north-west corner of Devonshire street, opposite the Town + House (Old State House). It is not impossible that it may have been standing there in + 1742. There was also another tavern of the same name at the North End in 1763, from + which the "Portsmouth Flying Stage" started every Saturday morning. It carried six + passengers inside; fare 13s. 6d. sterling ($3.25); to <a name="page109" + id="page109"></a><span class="newpage">[109]</span> Newburyport, 9s. ($2.17). + Returning, left Portsmouth on Tuesday.</p> + <p>The Marlboro' Hotel was built in 1708, and took its name from the street In front, + and was the first public house in Boston dignified with the name of "Hotel." John C. + Calhoun lodged there, while Secretary of War, upon his only visit to Boston, in 1818. + McNiel Seymour was its landlord in 1820. He afterwards became landlord of the + Atlantic Hotel, opposite the Bowling Green in New York. It had a stable in the rear + which accommodated the Providence line of stages. The site of the stable was + afterwards occupied by the Lowell Institute building. Agassiz, Lyell, Tyndall, Price, + and other scientists, delivered lectures there. Its walls have also resounded with + the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, + Charles Sumner, Bayard Taylor, William Lloyd Garrison, James T. Fields, and other + famous men. Lafayette was given a banquet at the Marlboro' upon his visit to Boston, + in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. About a + generation ago it changed its name to the Marlboro' House, and it was conducted on + temperance principles. Hon. Henry Wilson, Vice-President of the United States, made + it his stopping-place while in the city. The elegant Hemenway building now occupies + its site.</p> + <p>The Cross Tavern was erected in 1709, and stood on the north-west corner of North + and Cross streets.</p> + <p>The Crown Coffee House stood on the south-west corner of State street and Chatham + row, and was built in 1710 by Gov. Belcher; and Mrs. Anna Swords was its first + landlord, and she was succeeded in 1751 by Robert Shelcock. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Bunch of Grapes Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the north-west corner + of State and Kilby streets. Its first landlord was Francis Holmes, who was succeeded + in 1731 by William Coffin, by Joshua Barker in 1749, and by Col. Joseph Ingersoll in + 1764. It was noted as being the best "<i>punch-house</i>" in Boston. Lafayette was a + guest there in 1774. In front of it, on the 4th of August, 1806, Charles Austin was + killed by Thomas O. Selfridge in self-defence. The Scots' Charitable Society + frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The George Tavern was built in 1720, and stood on the north-west corner of + Washington and Northampton streets. It afforded shelter for the patriots in annoying + the British during the siege. Its extensive orchard and gardens comprised seventeen + acres, and extended south to Roxbury street, and west to Charles river, which, until + the modern Back Bay improvement, extended to the west side of Tremont street. The + General Court, as well as some of the law courts, sat there prior to 1730. The + American post was located there in 1775, which was burnt by the British at night in + July of that year. It was near that spot, in 1824, when Lafayette visited Boston, a + triumphal arch was thrown across Washington street, bearing the couplet, written by + Charles Sprague,—</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="line"> + We bow not the neck, we bend not the knee. + </div> + <div class="line"> + But our hearts, LAFAYETTE! we surrender to thee. + </div> + </div> + <p>The Royal Exchange Tavern was built in 1726, and stood on the south-west corner of + State and Exchange <a name="page110" id="page110"></a><span + class="newpage">[110]</span> streets, the site of the Merchants' Bank building. It + gave its name to the street on its easterly side. Luke Vardy was its first landlord, + who was succeeded in 1747 by Robert Stone. It was in this building, in 1728, that the + altercation began which ended in the first duel fought in Boston, when Benjamin + Woodbridge was killed by Henry Phillips. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently + held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Old Mansion House was built in 1732, and stood on the south side of Milk + street, between Hawley and Arch streets, on the site of the Bowdoin building. It + stood a little back from the street, with large American elms in front, and was a + stopping place for old stage lines. Hon. Robert C. Winthrop was born there, and Hon. + Henry Dearborn occupied it at the time of his decease.</p> + <p>The Blue Anchor Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1735, and stood on + the north-east corner of Water and Batterymarch streets. It was kept by Joseph + Wilson.</p> + <p>The British Coffee House was built in 1741, and stood on the site of No. 66 State + street, afterwards occupied by the Massachusetts Bank. It was kept, in 1762, by + Ballard, and was largely patronized by British officers. The repeal of the Stamp Act + was celebrated there in 1767. The eloquent James Otis was assaulted in it by a + British gang, and an injury was inflicted upon his head, which rendered him insane + for a long time. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + Its name was changed to American Coffee House in 1776.</p> + <p>The Cromwell's Head Tavern was built it 1751, and is still standing on the north + side of School street, upon the site of No. 13, where Mrs. Harrington deals out + coffee and mince pie to her customers. Lieut.-Col. GEORGE WASHINGTON lodged there in + 1756, while upon a visit to Gov. Shirley, to consult with him upon business connected + with the French war. It was first kept by Anthony Brackett.</p> + <p>The Admiral Vernon Tavern was built in 1743, and stood on the south-east corner of + State street and Merchants row, and was first kept by Richard Smith. The Scots' + Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Sun Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1757, and stood on the east + side of Washington street, nearly opposite Cornhill, and was first kept by James Day, + and was a popular resort of the Sons of Liberty.</p> + <p>The Julien House was built in 1759, and stood on the north-west corner of Milk and + Congress streets, formerly the site of an old tannery. It was first kept by Jean + Baptiste Julien, a French refugee. It was the resort of the <i>bon vivants</i> of the + town in former days. It is narrated of him that, upon the occasion of a + <i>recherche</i> dinner, one of the guests complained that the viands were not + sufficiently high-seasoned. "<i>Eh bien</i>" said Julien, "<i>put a leetle more de + peppaire</i>." He died in 1805, and he was succeeded by his widow, and afterwards by + Rouillard, until 1823, when it was demolished, and supplanted by Julien, afterwards + Congress Hall. Miss Frances Ann Wright delivered lectures there in 1829.</p> + <p>The White Horse Tavern stood on the north-west corner of Washington <a + name="page111" id="page111"></a><span class="newpage">[111]</span> and Boylston + streets. It was first kept by Joseph Morton.</p> + <p>The Bull's Head Tavern was built in 1774, and stood on the north-east corner of + Congress and Water streets, the site, for several years prior to 1830, of the + post-office, Merchants' Hall, and Topliff's Reading-room, and now occupied by the + Massachusetts and Shawmut banks, and called the Howe building.</p> + <p>Concert Hall stood at the south-east corner of Hanover and Court streets. It was + built in 1750, and was at one time occupied by the Deblois family. It was first + occupied as a public house in 1791. It was famous for political meetings, fashionable + dancing parties, and public exhibitions. Madrel exhibited his chess-player, + conflagration of Moscow, and other wonderful pieces of mechanism there. The famous + Belgian giant, Bihin, exhibited himself there. He was a well-proportioned man, and + such was his height that the historian Motley stood under his armpits. Amherst Eaton + was its landlord in the early days of the century. It was kept of late years by Peter + B. Brigham, and was demolished in 1868, in order to widen Hanover street. The Scots' + Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Lamb Tavern was built in 1745, and stood on the west side of Washington + street, just beyond the corner of West street. Colonel Doty kept it in 1760, who was + succeeded by Edward Kingman in 1826, and by Laban Adams, in whose honor the Adams + House was named and opened in 1846. It was a popular resort of the country members of + the Legislature.</p> + <p>The Lion Tavern was built in 1793, and stood just north of the Lamb Tavern, and + occupied the site of the building for several years known as the Melodeon. In 1835 + the tavern was converted into the Lion Theatre, which had a short-lived existence. It + was then purchased by the Handel and Haydn Society, and occupied for musical + purposes, lectures, and other entertainments. Rev. Theodore Parker began lecturing + there soon after the famous South Boston sermon upon the transient and permanent in + Christianity.</p> + <p>The North End Coffee House was built in 1782, and stood on the north-west corner + of North and Fleet streets. It was kept by the grandfather of the Illustrious David + D. Porter.</p> + <p>The Bite Tavern was built in 1795, and stood in Faneuil Hall square, a little west + of Change avenue. James M. Stevens was its last landlord. It was a favorite resort of + market-men, and ceased to be a public house about a quarter of a century ago.</p> + <p>Holland's Coffee House was built in 1800, in Howard street, near Court street. It + was afterwards called the Howard Street House, and kept by William Gallagher, whose + tomb "erected by those connected with him by no tie of kindred, who knew, loved, and + honored him," stands on Primrose Path in Mt. Auburn. It was afterwards called the + Pemberton House. It was a favorite resort of literary, dramatic, and musical people. + The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed by + fire in 1854, and the site was occupied for a short time by a wooden circular + structure <a name="page112" id="page112"></a><span class="newpage">[112]</span> + called Father Miller's Tabernacle, which, in turn, was burnt, when the Howard + Athenæum rose upon its site.</p> + <p>The Eastern Stage House was built in 1806, and upon the site of No. 90 North + street. It was from that spot that the first stage-coach in America started, in 1660, + for Portsmouth (N.H.). It was first kept by Col. Ephraim Wildes, and afterwards by + his son, Moses. It was built of brick, three stories high, and entered by a flight of + steps, and contained sixty rooms. It was the most extensive stage rendezvous in + Boston, accommodating the stages to Portsmouth, Portland, Bangor, and Maine, + generally. The stages entered its spacious court-yard under an arch leading from + North street. After an existence of forty years, it was demolished to make room for + commercial improvements.</p> + <p>Earl's Coffee House was built in 1807, and was located at No. 24 Hanover street, + upon the site, in part, of the present American House. It was kept by Hezekiah Earl, + and was the head-quarters of the New York, Albany, and other stage lines.</p> + <p>Wilde's Tavern was built in the same year, and was located on the north-east + corner of (new) Washington and Elm streets. It was demolished in 1874 to make room + for the Washington-street extension.</p> + <p>Doolittle's City Tavern was also built in 1807, and stood on the north-west corner + of (new) Washington and Brattle streets. It was the head-quarters of the Providence + line of stages. It was demolished in 1874 to make room for the improvement before + alluded to.</p> + <p>The Exchange Coffee House was built in 1808, and stood on Congress street, upon + the site of the present Howard Bank building, and at the time of its erection was the + largest house of public entertainment in the United States. It extended through to + Devonshire street, with an entrance on State street. It bounded 132 feet on Congress + street, with a depth of 94 feet and upwards. It covered an area of 12,753 square + feet, was seven stories in height, surmounted with a dome 101 feet in diameter. It + had 210 apartments. Its erection was begun in 1805, and occupied two and a half years + in construction. Commodore Hull, after capturing the <i>Guerrière</i> in 1812, + had a public dinner given him there. The Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and some + subordinate lodges, had their head-quarters there. The Scots' Charitable Society + frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed by fire in 1818, rebuilt in + 1822, with contracted dimensions, and in 1853 was demolished to give place to the + City Exchange on Congress square and Devonshire street. James Wilson, the last of the + town-criers, had his office in the Bell-in-Hand Tavern in the basement. At the time + of the fire Hon. Henry Clay was a guest in the house, and worked bravely at the + engine brakes. Hon. David Crockett, a famous member of Congress from Tennessee, + lodged there during his visit to Boston in 1834. He addressed an audience from the + eastern portico of the Old State House, and in expatiating upon the prospects of the + country, predicted that it would extend within a score of years from the + <i>At</i>lantic to the "<i>Spe</i>cific." Among his witty sayings will be + remembered,—"Be <a name="page113" id="page113"></a><span + class="newpage">[113]</span> sure you're right then go ahead." He died in 1841, + fighting for Texan independence. It was kept in former days by Col. James Hamilton, + afterwards by William Gallagher, Hart Davenport, and lastly by McGill & + Fearing.</p> + <p>Washington Hotel was built in 1809, and stood in Bromfield street. It subsequently + took the name of Indian Queen, and latterly Bromfield House. Selden Crockett was its + last landlord. It ceased to be a public house about a dozen years since.</p> + <p>The Elm Street Hotel was built in 1812, and stood on the north-west corner of + (new) Washington and (No. 9) Elm streets. It was kept by Hart Davenport. Its yard was + obliterated in 1874 to make room for the Washington-street extension, and the + building in 1882 for a site for commercial purposes.</p> + <p>The Massachusetts House was built in 1816, and still stands on the south-west + corner of Endicott and Cross streets. It is a favorite resort of horse-jockeys and + horse-fanciers.</p> + <p>Forster's Coffee House was built in 1817, and stood on the corner of Court and + Howard streets. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Commercial Coffee House stood on the north-east corner of Milk and + Batterymarch streets. It was built in 1817, and stood on the site of Hallowell's + shipyard. It was kept by William Merriam in 1829, John Low in 1837, Col. Whitney in + 1844, and lastly, in 1848, by James Longley, when it ceased to be a public house, and + gave place to the Thorndike building. The preliminary meeting of the Mercantile + Library Association was held there in 1820. It was a favorite resort of Eastern + people.</p> + <p>Washington Hotel (the second of that name) was erected in 1819, and stood on the + north-west corner of Washington street and Worcester place. It was kept in 1836, and + for a few years succeeding, by Amherst Eaton. The Washington House was built in 1820, + and stood on the site of the present Washington market, on the south-west corner of + Washington and Lenox streets. The Messrs. Cooley kept it, and it was a favorite + resort for sleighing parties.</p> + <p>In 1821 William Fenno opened a tavern in Cornhill square, and afterwards on the + east side of Theatre alley (Devonshire street), near the corner of Franklin, + adjoining what was the site of the (old) Boston Theatre, and latterly in Province + street, near the south-easterly corner of Bromfield street.</p> + <p>The Stackpole House was built in 1732, and was the mansion of William Stackpole, a + noted Boston merchant. It stood on the north-east corner of Milk and Devonshire + streets, and was first kept as a public house in 1823 by Rouillard, formerly of the + Julien House, and was a favorite resort of the choice spirits of former days. It was + afterwards kept by James W. Ryan. Among its last landlords was Alexander McGregor, a + stalwart Scotchman, and descendant of Rev James McGregor who led the colony which + made the first settlement in Deny (N.H.) in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society, of + which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings there. It was + demolished in 1868, to make room for the post-office edifice.</p> + <a name="page114" id="page114"></a><span class="newpage">[114]</span> + <p>The Sun Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1801, and stood on the + north-west corner of Battery march and Hamilton streets, and was the mansion of + Benjamin Hallowell, who owned a shipyard opposite to his residence. It was first kept + as a public house in 1824 by Goodwich, and in 1841 by Capewell, when it ceased to be + a public house, and was demolished when Fort Hill was leveled in 1865. It was a + popular resort of Eastern people.</p> + <p>The Lafayette Hotel was built in 1825, and stood on the east side of Washington + street, opposite Boylston market. It was largely patronized by people from the + country. Haskell was its landlord in 1836. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently + held its meetings there.</p> + <p>The Tremont House was built in 1828, and opened October 1, 1829. It was owned by + William H. Eliot, brother of the mayor of Boston 1837-1840. It was the prototype of + the large caravanseries which dot the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its + first landlord was Dwight Boyden, who retired from its management in 1836 to assume + that of the Astor House, which was opened May 1 in that year. It was the + stopping-place of Webster on his way from Marshfield to Washington. It sheltered + President Jackson upon his visit to Boston in 1833, a decade later President Tyler, + and President Johnson in 1867. It was the temporary abode of Charles Dickens upon his + first visit to America in 1842. Under its roof the Ashburton treaty, defining the + north-eastern boundary between the United States and Great Britain, was negotiated by + Lord Ashburton on behalf of the mother country, Abbott Lawrence on the part of + Massachusetts, and Edward Kent on the part of Maine. Some of the most renowned men in + the world have fed at its tables and slept under its roof. It still lives in its + pristine vigor, and will not yield the palm to any hostelry in the world.</p> + <p>The Franklin House was built in 1830, and stood on the west side of Merchants row, + between North Market and North streets, opposite the head of Clinton street. It was a + favorite resort of Eastern people. Joshua Sears, an eminent merchant on Long wharf, + made it his home for several years.</p> + <p>The Shawmut House was built in 1831, and stood on the north side of Hanover + street, and its site is now absorbed in the American House. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there.</p> + <p>Liberty Tree Tavern was built in 1833, and stood on the south-east corner of + Washington and Essex streets, upon the identical spot where formerly stood the famous + Liberty Tree, which was planted in 1646, and become famous in Stamp Act times, and + was cut down by the British in 1775.</p> + <p>The Mount Washington House was built in 1834 by a company of which Hon. John K. + Simpson was president, who occupied the "Old Feather Store" on the corner of Faneuil + Hall square and North street, built in 1680. The company became bankrupt, and it was + sold in 1839 to the Perkins Institute and New England Asylum for the Blind. Its + location on Washington Heights admirably adapts it for the benevolent purpose for + which it is now used.</p> + <a name="page115" id="page115"></a><span class="newpage">[115]</span> + <p>The Maverick House was opened on Noddies or Williams Island on the 27th of May, + 1835. At the date of its erection the island contained but a score of dwellings, two + or three factories, and a half-dozen of mechanics' shops. Major Jabez W. Barton was + its first landlord. It was built of wood, 94 feet long and 85 feet wide, six stories + high, and contained more than eighty rooms. In 1838 its width was increased to 160 + feet. C.M. Taft became its landlord in 1841. The house, stables, and furniture were + sold in 1842 to John W. Fenno for $62,500. The house was taken down in 1845 and a + block of buildings erected by Noah Sturtevant. Different parts of the block were + respectively occupied as a hotel, dwelling-houses, stores, and offices, until it was + burnt January 25, 1857. A new building was erected upon its site, by Mr. Sturtevant, + of iron and brick covered with mastic, 130 feet long on Maverick square, with an + average width of no feet, and containing 180 rooms. It was opened February 23, 1858, + and was called for a decade or more the Sturtevant House, when it resumed its former + name of Maverick House. In its rear, on the 25th of September, 1819, a duel was + fought by Lieutenants Finch and White between two elm-trees standing between Meridian + and Border streets, nearly opposite the Church of the Holy Redeemer. White fell and + died upon the spot.</p> + <p>The Pearl Street House stood on the north-west corner of Milk and Pearl streets, + and was built in 1816, and was the mansion of William Pratt. It was first occupied as + a hotel in 1836. Colonel Shepherd was its first landlord. The Scots' Charitable + Society frequently held its meetings there. It was obliterated in the great fire of + November 8, 1872.</p> + <p>The Perkins House was built in 1815, and was the mansion of Hon. Thomas H. + Perkins, who donated it in 1833 to the Asylum for the Blind. It stood on the west + side of Pearl street, about midway between Milk and High streets. It remained there + under the management of Samuel G. Howe until the encroachments of business demanded + its removal. In 1839 the institution was transferred to the Mount Washington House. + The Perkins House was opened in that year under the management of a Scotchman named + Thomas Gordon. It was a favorite resort of those who dined down-town. The Scots' + Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings + there. It ceased to be a public house In 1848, when it succumbed to the advancing + waves of commerce.</p> + <p>The Congress House, built in the same year, was the mansion of Daniel Hammond, and + stood on the north-east corner of Pearl and High streets. It was opened as a public + house in 1840, and was kept by Hastings, until it was swept away in the great fire + before alluded to.</p> + <p>The Greyhound Tavern stood on Washington street, opposite Vernon street, upon the + site of Graham block. It was built in 1645, and was famous for the excellence of its + punch, and was much resorted to by the convivial spirits of Boston and vicinity. Its + last landlord was John Greaton. In 1752, and for many years subsequently, the Masonic + fraternity celebrated St. John's day <a name="page116" id="page116"></a><span + class="newpage">[116]</span> there, and the courts sat there during the prevalence of + small-pox in Boston. A catamount, caught in the woods about eighty miles from Boston, + was exhibited there. It was a recruiting station for enlistments during the French + war. Gen. Washington resided there during the winter of 1776. It ceased to be a + tavern just after the Revolution. Such was its size that it contained forty + fireplaces. On its site was erected the first fire-engine house in Roxbury. A portion + of the building still stands in the rear of Graham block.</p> + <p>The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east corner of + Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a meeting was held "to + settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In their house." Its last landlord + was Samuel Ruggles.</p> + <p>The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in Brookline, + about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between Roxbury and Brookline, + upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on the south-west corner of Washington + street and Brookline avenue. It was a two-story hipped-roof house, and its + enlargement from time to time, by the purchase and removal of old houses thither from + Boston and vicinity, resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and + produced a new order of architecture, appropriately called "<i>conglomerate</i>" With + its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish color, with a + seat running along the front under an overhanging projection of the second story. In + front and near each end were large elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which + still remains. Its sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and + ladle, overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a favorite + resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was patronized by British + officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and the bridges destroyed its + usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, and demolished in 1833, with the + exception of one of its adjuncts, which now stands on the easterly side of Brookline + avenue, nearly opposite Emerald street.</p> + <p>Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, built by, + and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a famous auctioneer of Boston, + and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," on the south-east corner of Washington + street and Blue Hill avenue. It was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and + was owned by John Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a + public house in 1796.</p> + <p>Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. It was + built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it was known as the + "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. It was first occupied as a + public house in 1820, and it was the place of refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a + mob from the (old) Boston Theatre, December 21, 1825.</p> + <p>The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly corner of + Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. It was kept by Capt. + Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen <a name="page117" id="page117"></a><span + class="newpage">[117]</span> company of the third parish in the Lexington battle. It + was purchased in 1794, with forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and + he occupied it during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward + until the close of his honorable life.</p> + <p>On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond block now + stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied in 1805 as the Old Red + Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce.</p> + <p>The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west corner of + Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George Zeigler. It ceased to + be a public house about a third of a century ago.</p> + <p>Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South streets, near + the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It was built in 1805, and first + kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long famous for good dinners. The widow of + Samuel Burrill kept it during the War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale + Hotel.</p> + <p>The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph Ruggles, a + well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn in Roxbury in 1765. After + the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. + Simmons, who sold it to the Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the + following year as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing + a hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, subsequently as + Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The old mansion now stands on + the north side of Norfolk street, and is occupied as a tenement-house. It was the + starting-point of the Roxbury hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South + Church on the first of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a + public house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of domestic + and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than sixty of which now + stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and flowed.</p> + <p>In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from Dunstable (Eng.) + at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called "Great House," originally erected + by Thomas Graves for the governor's residence, for court-meetings, and public + religious worship, which stood in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley + House, and the base of the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid + £30 for the premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, + no card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the use of a + pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses of the guests. He was + liable to a fine of ten shillings for every offence of selling at a price exceeding + sixpence for a meal, or taking more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of + meal-times," or for selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like + special occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." Mr. + Long and his sons <a name="page118" id="page118"></a><span + class="newpage">[118]</span> following him carried on the house for three-quarters of + a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, 1664, and his widow May 27, + 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed the house to his widow Mary, daughter of + Increase Nowell. The estate had a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was + deeded by Mrs. Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." + Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called "The Old + Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of Charlestown, on the + day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. Finally, the land was bought by the + town, and is now part of City square.</p> + <p>The Cape Breton Tavern was built in 1731, and stood on the corner of Main street + and Hancock square. It was burnt in the general conflagration of June 17, 1775.</p> + <p>The Ship Tavern was built in 1748, and stood on the south-east corner of Charles + River avenue and Water street. It was kept by Benjamin Gerrish.</p> + <p>The Warren Tavern was built in 1775, and still stands on the south-west corner of + Main and Pleasant streets. It was first kept by Eliphalet Newell. It was from that + edifice that the procession connected with funeral ceremonies in honor of GEORGE + WASHINGTON started on the 31st of December, 1799, when the nation mourned as one man + the departed patriot, statesman, and chieftain, "upon whose like they should not look + again."</p> + <p>Trumbull's Tavern stood on the north-east corner of Charles River avenue and Water + street. It was built in 1771.</p> + <p>The Indian Chief Tavern was built in 1779, and was the mansion of David Wood, an + influential citizen of Charlestown. It occupied the site of Harvard Church. It was + there that David Starrett, cashier of the Hillsboro', N.H., bank, was said to have + been robbed and murdered on the evening of March 26, 1812. Suspicion attached to + Samuel Gordon, the landlord. A reward of $200 was offered for the recovery of his + dead body, but without success. In 1814 Hon. Nathan Appleton received a letter from + Starrett, in South America, whither he had fled owing to the insolvency of the bank. + It contained a hall, in the second story, known as "Massachusetts Hall." It was + removed in 1818 to the north-west corner of Main and Miller streets, and its name + changed to Eagle Tavern. It still stands, although it ceased to be a public house a + quarter of a century since.</p> + <p>The Mansion House stood on the south side of City square and north-west corner of + Warren avenue. It was erected in 1780 by Hon. Thomas Russell as a family mansion, and + occupied by him until his decease in 1796. It was afterwards occupied by Commodore + John Shaw, John Soley, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of + Massachusetts, and Andrew Dunlap, U.S. District Attorney, who conducted the trial of + the twelve pirates of the schooner "Pindu," in 1834. It was first occupied as a hotel + in 1835, and kept by Gorham Bigelow, and afterwards by James Ramsay. It was + demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House.</p> + <a name="page119" id="page119"></a><span class="newpage">[119]</span> + <p>Page's Tavern stood at the corner of Main and Gardner streets, and was afterwards + known as "Richards'", and more latterly, "Babcock's." It was the starting-point of + the Charlestown hourly coaches, which commenced running April 1, 1828, to Brattle + street; fare, twelve and a half cents. Passengers were accommodated by being called + for, or left at their residences on cross streets. It ceased to be a public house + about a generation ago.</p> + <p>Piper's Tavern stood on the south-west corner of Main and Alford streets.</p> + <p>Pierce's Hotel stood on the north-west corner of Charles River avenue and Water + street. It was built in 1795 by Hon. Thomas Russell for a family mansion; but he died + just before its completion. In one of its rooms was a remarkable clock with a blue + dial and moving figures of men, which appeared when the clock struck the hours, and + then disappeared. The ordaining council of the first pastor of Harvard Church + convened there. It was at one time occupied by Silas Whitney, Jr., who was buried + from there with Masonic honors in 1824. Potter, the celebrated ventriloquist, held + his exhibitions there, to the delight of the youngsters of that day. It was last kept + by James Walker, and its name changed to the Middlesex House. It was destroyed by the + great fire of August 28, 1835.</p> + <p>Robbin's Tavern stood on the west side of City square and south-east corner of + Harvard street. It was built in 1796, and stood directly in the rear of the site of + the Three Cranes Tavern, before alluded to. It was demolished in 1816, and the + Charlestown Town Hall erected upon its site, which, in turn, was demolished in 1868 + to make room for the City Hall.</p> + <p>Ireland's Tavern was built in 1797, and stood on the north side of Cambridge + street, near the Lowell Railroad bridge.</p> + <p>Yoelin's Tavern was built in 1798, and stood on the east side of City square and + north-west corner of Chamber street. It was first occupied as a tavern in 1821, and + was destroyed by the great fire before alluded to. The first meeting of the + proprietors of Warren bridge was held there in 1828.</p> + <p>Copp's Tavern was built in 1799, and stood on the south side of City square, near + the corner of Bow street. The building, which had ceased for some years to be + occupied as a tavern, was demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House.</p> + <p>"<i>Sic transit gloria mundi</i>." Thus have disappeared from time to time, with + but few exceptions, the taverns, inns, and coffee-houses of the Town of Boston, while + the bodily forms of those who took their ease in them have long since crumbled into + dust. We will now resign to the pen of the local historian of a century hence to + describe the mammoth hostelries of the City of Boston, which have arisen since the + era of railways, steamships, electric telegraphs, ocean cables, telephones, electric + lights, and other modern developments of science and art.</p> + <a name="page120" id="page120"></a><span class="newpage">[120]</span> + <hr /> + <h2>EDITOR'S TABLE.</h2> + <p>A correspondent asks in connection with an article in the May number on "Town and + City Histories," in which was incidentally mentioned the government of Western towns + by trustees, the following question: "Can you tell me where I can find that + government treated of; also, that of towns in the Middle and Southern States?" The + question is a hard one to answer. Of the town meeting, that peculiarly New England + institution, much has been written; but about the local forms of government prevalent + in the States between the Hudson and the Pacific Ocean very little has found its way + into print. The local historians seem to take it for granted that all these things + are understood everywhere, and so shed little light on the question. The pages of + this magazine will be open to any one who can give the desired information.</p> + <hr class="short" /> + <p>The season of agricultural fairs, "cattle-shows" and the like, is about over. + There is scarcely a county in New England, scarcely a State in the Union, but has had + a fair of some sort or other. Most of them report better exhibits and larger + attendance than ever before. Some few report a falling off in attendance. That all + these fairs have done exhibitors much good is doubtful; that they have benefited the + thinking portion of their attendants is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the thinking + portion of a farming community is lamentably small. Most people go to a "cattle-show" + to be amused; a few go to learn. The few that derive benefit from seeing the wonders + of the earth collected in pens and on tables are helped just as a teacher gets + benefit from a teacher's institute—both get food for thought. At the + cattle-show the farmer <i>may</i> learn of new methods and see their results. The + trouble is that the ordinary farmer goes to the fair for the same reason that the + average citizen buys a ticket to the menagerie—to see the circus. There are + more clowns at a cattle-show than the sawdust ever saw. The horses may not be so + pretty or gaudy, but they go faster. One man defended himself very frankly at the + dinner of a county fair in this State when he said: "The Lord made horses to go, and + I like to see them do it." This question of trotting or no trotting at the fair is + not a new one; but with age it seems to acquire toughness,—like chickens, for + instance.</p> + <p>But passing by the horse question, we come to the question of clowns, which is + really a very serious one. It may be irreverent to compare "cattle-show" orators to + circus clowns, but really the temptation is irresistible; and then they are the only + features of the respective exhibitions that have speaking parts. Joking aside, there + are important lessons which the speaking and the speakers at the recent fairs may + teach us. We find that the candidate for office has become a great attraction, one + which the fair-managers bid high for. They draw well, too.</p> + <p>This calls to mind this year's Salisbury Beach Festival, a time-honored + institution which has degenerated into a money-making affair in these later days. + This year there was, to be sure, a large crowd present, but yet the attendance was + smaller than in any year for a long time. The number of people present was between + 3,500 and 5,000. Prominent gentlemen in Essex County were advertised to address the + crowd. The newspaper comment on the event is short and to the point: "There was no + speaking, as the crowd was more interested in seeing the Lawrence Base Ball Club beat + the Newbury porters, by a score of 9 to 7." Again: "The principal attractions were + Professors Parker and Martin at the skating rink, and the 4,000-pound ox."</p> + <p><i>O Tempora! O Mores!</i></p> + <hr class="full" /> + <div class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote1" name="footnote1"></a> <b>Footnote 1</b>: (<a + href="#footnotetag1">return</a>) + <p>1884, by Frances C. Sparhawk.</p> + </div> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. +2, November, 1884, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BAY STATE MONTHLY, *** + +***** This file should be named 13741-h.htm or 13741-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/3/7/4/13741/ + +Produced by Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci, the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team, and Cornell University + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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No. 2, +November, 1884, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. No. 2, November, 1884 + +Author: Various + +Release Date: October 14, 2004 [EBook #13741] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BAY STATE MONTHLY, *** + + + + +Produced by Joshua Hutchinson, Josephine Paolucci, the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team, and Cornell University + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Engraved by Geo. E. Perine, New York. Grover Cleveland] + + + + +THE + +BAY STATE MONTHLY. + +_A Massachusetts Magazine_. + +VOL. II. + +NOVEMBER, 1884. + +No. 2. + + * * * * * + +GROVER CLEVELAND. + +By HENRY H. METCALF. + + +Save only that of Ulysses S. Grant, no name in America has come from +comparative obscurity into national eminence in so short a time as that +of GROVER CLEVELAND. + +The fame of Grant was wrought out through the exigencies of a great +civil war, in which the unity of the Republic was the issue involved. +The distinction which Cleveland has achieved comes of valiant service in +another field of conflict, wherein the issue involves the perpetuity and +dominance of the great principles which constitute the framework and +fibre of republican government itself. Under ordinary circumstances, +probably, neither Grant nor Cleveland would have risen above the plane +of every-day life. The same, too, might perhaps justly be said even of +Washington. In the history of human progress it will be seen that every +great crisis involving the triumph of the principles and tendencies +which make for the moral, social, or political advancement of mankind +has developed a leader endowed with the special qualities demanded by +the occasion. + +The brilliant and self-assertive men who press forward to leadership in +ordinary times, whether impelled by mere love of notoriety, personal +ambition, or an honest desire to promote the welfare of their +fellow-men, seldom become masters of the situation when a supreme +emergency arises. They may set in motion great contending forces; they +may precipitate conflicts whose ultimate outcome brings inestimable +benefit to mankind; but other hands and other minds are required to +direct the issue and shape the result. The master spirit of the occasion +is born thereof. Ulysses S. Grant had absolutely no part in bringing +about that great conflict of ideas and systems which culminated in the +war of the rebellion; nor had he even figured prominently in the field +of military achievement until long after hostilities were commenced, and +the struggle had assumed proportions entirely unforeseen by, and +actually appalling to, not only the people themselves, but those In +control of active operations in the field. But the emergency developed +the man required to meet it, and Grant came to the front. + +So, too, in this later and greater conflict, which is to test the virtue +and determine the durability of popular government--whose outcome is to +decide whether political parties are to be the mere instruments through +which the people express their will, and whose relations can be changed +as the public good may seem to require, or whether the government itself +shall be subordinated to party, and its functions prostituted for the +perpetuation of party ascendency and the aggrandizement of corrupt and +selfish individuals--the leader in whom the hopes of those who contend +for the supremacy of the popular will, the surbordination of party-power +to public welfare, and the administration of the government in the +interests of the whole people, are now thoroughly centred, is one who +has gained no distinction in shaping partisan contests, and won no +laurels in the halls of legislation or the forum of public debate. He +is, simply, the man who, in the last few years, first in one, and then +in another still more important position of official responsibility, has +demonstrated more emphatically than any other in recent times (possibly +because circumstances have more generally drawn attention in his +direction) his thorough devotion to the doctrine that public office is a +public trust; and has, therefore, been selected as the best +representative and exponent of the popular idea in the great political +conflict about to be brought to an issue. + +The purpose and scope of this brief article permit no detailed account +of the private life or public career of Grover Cleveland. Those who have +cared to do so have already familiarized themselves with the same +through the ordinary channels; yet, as a matter of record, a few salient +facts may be presented. + +Grover Cleveland was born in the village of Caldwell, near Newark, New +Jersey, March 18, 1837. His paternal ancestry was of the substantial +English stock. + +I. Aaron Cleveland, an early settler in the valley of the Connecticut. +He was liberally educated, and, ardently devoted to the interests of the +Church, he determined to take holy orders, and returned to England for +confirmation therein. Coming back to America he settled in the ministry +at East Haddam, Conn. Some fifteen years later, in August, 1757, he +died, while on a visit to Philadelphia, at the residence of his friend, +Benjamin Franklin, then publisher of the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, who +spoke of him, in an obituary notice in his paper, as "a gentleman of a +humane and pious disposition, indefatigable in his ministry, easy and +affable in his conversation, open and sincere in his friendship, and +above every species of meanness and dissimulation." + +II. Aaron Cleveland, born at East Haddam, Conn., February 9, 1744. He +was a hatter by trade and located in Norwich, which town he represented +in the Legislature, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of +slavery, of which institution he was a determined opponent. Subsequently +he became a Congregational clergyman, and a power in that denomination. +He died at New Haven in 1815. + +III. William Cleveland, second son of the above, a silversmith by +occupation, also dwelt in Norwich. His wife was Margaret Falley. He was +prosperous in business, respected in the community, and deacon of the +church of which his father had been pastor for a quarter of a century +previous to his decease. + +IV. Richard Falley Cleveland, second son of William, born in 1804, +graduated from Yale in 1824 with high honors. He, too, became a +clergyman, having adopted the Presbyterian faith, and pursued his +studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, after serving a year as a +tutor in Baltimore, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Anne Neale, +daughter of a prominent law publisher of Irish birth, with whom he +united in marriage after completing his studies, in 1829. He was located +in pastorates, successively, at Windham, Conn.; Portsmouth, Va.; +Caldwell, N.J., and Fayetteville, N.Y. Subsequently, moved by failing +health, he sought a change, and, as agent of the American Home +Missionary Society, located at Clinton. Two years later he returned to +pastoral service, though still In feeble health, establishing himself +and family at Holland Patent, a few miles north of the city of Utica. +Here he died suddenly, a few weeks after his removal, leaving to his +wife and nine children no other fortune than the legacy of an honorable +name, and the enduring influence of a true and devoted life. + +V. Grover Cleveland, third son and fifth child of Richard Falley and +Anne (Neale) Ceveland, was sixteen years of age when his father died. +The sad event necessarily marked a turning-point in his career. He was +forced to look life and duty seriously in the face, and he proved +himself equal to the emergency. It had been a cherished hope of his +boyhood that he might secure the benefit of a classical education at +Hamilton College, from which his eldest brother, William (now a +Presbyterian clergyman at Forestport, N.Y.), had then recently +graduated. But this was now out of the question. He had not only to +provide for himself, but he felt bound to aid his mother in the support +of the younger members of the family. The idea of the college course, +for which he had partially fitted himself in the preparatory school at +Clinton, was relinquished, and the battle of life commenced in earnest. +He had already learned something of the lesson of self-reliance, having +served for a year or more as a clerk in a grocery at Fayetteville, and +he soon secured a situation as an assistant in the Institution for the +Blind in the city of New York, where his brother William was then +engaged as a teacher. Here he remained nearly two years, faithfully +discharging the duties assigned him, and promptly forwarding to his +mother such portion of his moderate wages as remained after providing +for his own personal necessities. The situation, however, grew irksome. +As the young man's capabilities developed his ambition was aroused. +There was no way of advancement open before him here, and he felt that +his duty to himself, as well as others, demanded that he make the best +practicable use of the powers with which he was endowed. Returning home +for a short visit, and taking counsel with his mother, he soon set out +for the "West," the field toward which ambitious young men have turned, +with hearts full of hope, for the last half century. + +His proposed destination was Cleveland, Ohio; his cherished ambition the +study and practice of the law. He was accompanied on his journey by a +young friend of kindred aspirations. Arriving at Buffalo he called on an +uncle, Mr. Lewis F. Allen, who had a fine stock farm, just out of the +city, and who finally induced him to remain there, promising to secure +him admission to a law office in Buffalo. He remained with his uncle for +a time, assisting him in the preparation of the manuscript of the +"American Herd Book," a work upon which he was then engaged; but in the +course of a few months (in August, 1855) he secured admission as a +student in one of the best known law offices of the city--that of +Rogers, Bowen, & Rogers. Blessed with good health and industrious +habits, with an earnest determination to succeed, he entered upon the +work before him. For a time he boarded at his uncle's house, taking the +long walk to and from the office at morning and night; but after a few +months he was enabled to be of such assistance in the office in clerical +and other work, that, from the modest compensation allowed, he secured +lodgings in the city and provided for all his humble wants. + +After four years of unremitting study and toil, he was admitted to the +Erie county bar, having laid the foundation for future professional +success in a thorough mastery of legal principles and all the details of +practice, and in those well-established habits of thought and +application by which his subsequent life has been so fully +characterized. He had gained, also, the confidence and esteem of his +preceptors and employers, and after his admission continued with them as +confidential clerk in charge of the office business, receiving a salary +which enabled him, then, to contribute materially to the assistance of +his mother in providing for the wants of the family and maintaining the +comforts of the humble home in Holland Patent, toward which his fondest +thoughts have turned in all the years of his busy life, and where such +periods of recreation as he has felt warranted in indulging have mainly +been spent. + +In 1863 Mr. Cleveland received an appointment as assistant district +attorney for Erie county, a strong testimonial to the legal abilities of +so youthful a practitioner, considering the array of professional talent +in the county and the responsibilities of the position. The war was then +in progress; two brothers, one the next older, and the other younger +than himself, had enlisted in the Union army; and when, a few months +after his appointment, as he had fairly familiarized himself with the +details of important cases intrusted to his care, he was himself +drafted, he pursued the only practicable course, and provided a +substitute for the service. In the fall of 1865, while yet serving as +deputy, he was unanimously selected by the Democratic Nominating +Convention as candidate for district attorney. The county was strongly +Republican, but young Cleveland received a support beyond his party +strength and was beaten, by a few hundred majority only, by the +Republican nominee, Lyman K. Bass, then and since his warm personal +friend. + +Upon the expiration of his term of service as deputy district attorney, +in January, 1866, he entered actively into practice, having formed a +partnership with the late Isaac K. Vanderpoel, a prominent lawyer and +ex-State treasurer. The burden of the labor fell to the share of the +junior partner, and through his close attention to the interests of +clients the business of the firm soon became extensive and the income +fairly remunerative. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, +through the election of Mr. Vanderpoel as police judge, and soon after +the new firm of Cleveland, Laning, & Folsom was formed. In 1870 Mr. +Cleveland was urged by leading Democrats of Erie county to accept the +party nomination for sheriff. The proposition was by no means in +accordance with his desires or inclinations. The office, although a most +important one in a large and populous county, and commanding liberal +compensation in fees, was a most thankless one in many respects: its +duties, always delicate and exacting, sometimes disagreeable in the +extreme, and its responsibilities great. It was felt, however, that the +acceptance of this nomination by one who so thoroughly commanded the +confidence of the people, and whose professional training and experience +gave him superior qualification for the office, would insure to the +county ticket of the party, with due care in the selection of other +candidates, the strength necessary to success in the election. As a +loyal member of the party to whose principles he had ever been devotedly +attached, and in the support of whose cause he had labored in every +consistent capacity since becoming a voter, he finally yielded, accepted +the nomination, and, as had been hoped, was duly elected along with the +entire ticket. He administered the office, upon which he entered in +January following, upon strict business principles, and to the eminent +satisfaction of the courts, the bar, and the public at large, during the +full term of three years. There were no duties, however irksome, from +which he shrank; no responsibilities which he failed to meet in a +becoming manner; and when, on the first of January, 1874, his term +expired and he returned to his legal practice, it was with a larger +measure of popular esteem than he had ever before enjoyed. + +In resuming professional labor he formed a partnership with his friend +and former antagonist, Lyman K. Bass, Mr. Wilson S. Bissel also becoming +a member of the firm. Now thirty-seven years of age, with mental powers +thoroughly developed, and a capacity for labor far greater than that +with which most men are favored, he was eminently well equipped for +substantial achievement in his chosen field of effort; and it is not too +much to say that, in the next seven years, during which he gave +uninterrupted attention to the work, he accomplished as much in the way +of honest professional triumph as any lawyer in Western New York. He +sought no mere personal distinction, but put his heart into his work, +and practically made his clients' interests his own. His judgment was +sound, his industry indefatigable, his integrity unquestioned. He was +eminently well fitted for judicial service, but could never be induced +to put himself in the way of preferment in that direction. He was +always the "working member" of the firms with which he was connected. As +an advocate, he made no pretensions to brilliancy; but in the +preparation of cases, and in the cogent statement of principles +involved, as well as in the effective presentation of pertinent facts, +he found no superiors, and few equals, among his associates at the bar. + +Caring nothing for the pecuniary rewards of labor, beyond the provision +for his own modest wants and the comfort of those, in a measure, +depending upon his assistance, Mr. Cleveland has accumulated no large +fortune; although, with the opportunities at hand, had he made wealth +his object, he might have secured it. On the other hand, he has +befriended many a poor client to his own cost; and, while failing in +many cases to collect the fees which were his due, he has contributed to +public and private charities with a liberal, but unostentatious hand. +Though he has never posed as a "working-men's candidate" for official +preferment, the laboring people of his city and section have long known +him as the true and sympathetic friend of every honest son and daughter +of toil. + +When, in the autumn of 1881, the people of the great city of Buffalo, +the third in the Empire State in population, and the second in +commercial importance, tired of the corruption, the robbery, and +oppression of the ring rule, which had fastened its grip upon them under +long years of Republican ascendency, turned at last to the Democratic +party for relief, the Democracy of the city saw in Grover Cleveland the +one man of all others with whom as their candidate for mayor, they might +reasonably hope to win, not simply a partisan triumph, but a victory for +honest government in which all patriotic citizens might well rejoice. +Much against his own will, after repeated solicitation on the part of +leading Democrats, and many Republicans, who appreciated his character +and fitness, he again consented to become the candidate of his party for +responsible office; and, at the election which followed, so great was +the desire for a change in municipal matters, and so general the +confidence in Mr. Cleveland as the man under whose direction the needed +reform might be effected, that his majority for mayor was about three +thousand five hundred, or nearly the same figure with which the +Republican ticket had ordinarily triumphed. + +Entering upon the duties of his office as mayor, January 1, 1882, he +soon gave practical assurance of the fact that the people of Buffalo had +made no mistake in the selection of their chief municipal servant. In +his first message to the Common Council, which was replete with sound, +practical suggestions, he said:-- + + It seems to me that a successful and faithful administration of the + government of our city may be accomplished by constantly bearing in + mind that we are the trustees and agents of our fellow-citizens, + holding their funds in sacred trust to be expended for their + benefit; that we should at all times be prepared to render an + honest account to them touching the matter of its expenditure; and + that the affairs of the city should be conducted as far as possible + upon the same principles as a good businessman manages his private + concerns. + +It suffices to say that, so far as the mayor himself was concerned, and +so far as his power and influence extended, he lived up fully to the +letter and spirit of this suggestion. Although hampered by an adverse +political majority in the Common Council, still measurably under the +influence of the old rings, and more intent upon preventing the mayor +from winning public favor which might, perchance, inure to the benefit +of his party (though standing himself entirely beyond party in his +relations to the public welfare), than upon the faithful discharge of +their own duties, he succeeded, by the force of his own earnest +personality, by searching investigation into the workings of all the +departments of city affairs, by the ruthless exposure and denunciation +of various corrupt schemes of jobbery and plunder, and by the persistent +recommendation of measures and methods which commended themselves to his +judgment, in accomplishing much in the way of the reform for which his +election had been sought. He used the veto power with a vigor and a +significance which had characterized the action of no predecessor in the +office, and often regardless of the fact that its exercise might be +distorted by designing enemies, personal or political, to insure him at +least the temporary disapprobation of large classes of citizens; but he +used it only when fully satisfied, through patient research and careful +deliberation, that duty and obligation imperatively required it. It is +conceded that in his brief year's administration he saved a million of +dollars to the city treasury, stamped out numerous abuses, and +stimulated the spirit of faithful devotion in various branches of the +municipal service. Men of all parties unite in saying that the city of +Buffalo was never favored with the services of a more faithful, +conscientious, and thoroughly impartial executive head. + +But he was not to continue the work of administrative reform in that +particular field of labor. The people had called him "up higher." His +reputation as a true Democrat, an honest reformer, and a faithful public +servant, had spread abroad through the State, and when the Democratic +State Convention assembled in the early autumn of that year it was +clearly apparent that the nomination of Grover Cleveland, the reform +mayor of Buffalo, as the candidate of the party for the supreme +magistracy of the Empire State, was the one certain guaranty of +overwhelming Democratic victory at the polls. That nomination was +promptly made, and the result which followed was without parallel in the +annals of American political history. He was elected governor by a +majority of nearly two hundred thousand, and, although internal +dissensions in the Republican party, then existing, contributed largely +to the general result, the most significant feature of the election is +found in the fact that the largest relative Democratic gain was made in +his own county of Erie, where he received upwards of seven thousand +majority against more than three thousand majority for Garfield in the +last presidential election, showing him strongest before the people +where his personal character and attributes, as well as his +qualifications for positions of high public trust, are most thoroughly +known. + +As governor of New York, which position he has occupied for the last +twenty months, first with a Democratic and later with a Republican +legislature, Mr. Cleveland has followed the same rule of official +conduct adopted for his guidance in other positions. Mindful of all +proper obligations to his own political party, he has never permitted +party demands to stand in the way of his duty to the public and the +State. Believing, to quote his own language, "in an open and sturdy +partisanship which secures the legitimate advantages of party +supremacy," he also believes that parties were made for the people, and +declares himself "unwilling, knowingly, to give assent to measures +purely partisan which will sacrifice or endanger the people's +interests." In the office of governor, as well as in that of mayor, he +has made vigorous but discriminate use of the veto power, and in the one +case, as in the other, it has invariably been found, upon candid +investigation, that his action has been taken under a profound sense of +the binding authority of the fundamental law, and with an unflinching +regard for the rights and interests of the whole people,--however +violent, at times, may have been the denunciation of demagogic +opponents, or clamorous the protests of those who sought merely +temporary advantages in particular directions, regardless of ultimate +results upon the general welfare. In this, as in other positions, his +general line of action has been such as to command the hearty approval +of patriotic men of all parties; and if he has incurred the hostility of +any, it has been through his opposition to the schemes of corrupt rings +and the purposes of selfish individuals, which he regarded detrimental +to the public good; or through his support of wholesome measures, +calculated to protect the body politic, and thwart their illegitimate +designs in other directions. + +And now, Grover Cleveland stands before the people of the whole country +the duly nominated candidate of the Democratic party for the highest +office in the gift of the Republic; while his candidacy is indorsed and +enthusiastically supported by tens of thousands of pure and unselfish +men of the opposite party, who see, through his election, the only hope +of a return to constitutional methods and honest practices in the +administration of the Federal Government, without which ere long the +complete and irremediable subversion and destruction of the government +itself will be accomplished. This candidacy comes not through his own +seeking. Grover Cleveland never sought an office in all his life. He has +consented to serve his fellow-citizens in public station only at their +solicitation and command. He has served them faithfully and well so far +as he has been called, and none need fear that, if called to still +higher responsibilities and a broader field of duty, he will not prove +equal to the emergency--equally true to himself and his trust. + +Grover Cleveland is a man "cast in nature's noblest mould." Of +commanding presence, with a physical development commensurate with his +mental powers, thoroughly democratic in habit and manner, accessible to +all, meeting the humblest and highest upon equal terms, sympathizing +heartily with the honest laborer in every field of action, frank and +outspoken in his opinions, hating hypocrisy and sham with all his soul, +fighting corruption and dishonesty wherever he finds them, respecting +the opinions and listening to the suggestions of others, but acting +invariably in accordance with his own convictions of right, he fills the +perfect measure of honest manhood; and whether he be President of the +American Republic, or simple citizen, he will never, it is safe to +assume, forfeit either his own self-respect, or the confident regard of +his fellow-men. + + * * * * * + +BOUNDARY LINES OF OLD GROTON.--IV. + +BY THE HON. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. + + +About this time it was proposed to form a new township from Groton, +Lancaster, and Harvard, including a small parcel of land, known as Stow +Leg, a strip of territory perhaps two hundred rods in width and a mile +in length, lying west of the Nashua river. This "Leg" had belonged +originally to Stow, but by the incorporation of Harvard had become +wholly detached from that town. The proposed township covered nearly the +same territory as that now occupied by Shirley. The attempt, however, +does not appear to have been successful. The following covenant, signed +by certain inhabitants of the towns interested in the movement, is on +file, and with it a rough plan of the neighborhood; but I find no other +allusion to the matter either in petitions or records. + + We the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the Extream Parts of + Groton Lancaster and Harvard as allso the Proprietors of the Land + belonging to the Town of Stow (which Land is Scituate, Lying and + being Between the Towns above said Namely Groton Lancaster and + Harvard) Do Covenant and Promise to and with Each other And We Do + Hereby of our own Free Will and Motion In the Exercise of Love and + Charity Towards one another with Mutual Consent in the strongest + Manner Binding our Selves the Subscribers each and every of us + Conjointly one to another (for the Gosples Sake) Firmly Covenanting + and Promising to and with Each other that we will as Speedely as + may be with Conveniency Petition the Several Towns to which we + Respectively belong and Likewise the Great and General Court That + we may be Erected or Incorporated into a Destinct and separate + Township of our Selves with those Lands within the Bounds and + Limits Here after Described viz Beginning at the River called + Lancaster [Nashua] River at the turning of Sd River Below the Brige + called John Whits Brige & Runing Northerly to Hell Pond and on + Still to the Line Betwixt Harvard and Groton Including John Farwell + then to Coyecus Brook Leaveing the Mills and Down Said Brook to the + River and down Said River to the Rye ford way then Runing Westerly + to the Northerly End of Horse Pond & so on to Luningburg Line, + Including Robert Henry & Daniel Page and then Runing Southerly + Extendig Beyound Luningburg So far Into Lancaster as that Running + Easterly the Place on which Ralph Kindal formerly Lived Shall be + Included and so on Running Easterly to the Turn in the River first + mentioned + + Moreover we Do Covenant Promise and Engage Truly and Faithfully + that will Consent to and Justifie any Petition that Shall be + Prefered in our names and behalf to our Respective Towns and to the + Great & General Court for the Ends and Purposes above Mentioned + + Furthermore we Do Covenant Promise and Engage as above that we will + advance money for and Pay all Such Reasonable and necessary Charges + that may arise in the Prosecuting and Obtaining our Said Petitions + and that we will Each and Every of us Respectively Endever to + Promote and Maintain Peace Unity Concord and Good Agreement + amoungst our Selves as Becometh Christians + + And now haveing thus Covenanted as above Said We Do Each and Every + one of us who have Hereunto Subscribed Protest and Declare that + Every Article and Parigraph and Thing Containd in the above Writen + Shall be Absolutely and Unacceptionably Binding in Manner and form + as above Declared and Shall So Continue upon and Against Each and + Every one of us untill we are Erected or Incorporated Into a + Township as above said or that Provedance Shall Remove us by Death + or Otherways any thing to the Contrary Notwithstanding + + Witness our Hands the Eight Day of December one Thousand Seven + Hundred and Fourty Seven and in the Twentieth Year Of His Majesties + Reign Georg the Secund King &c + + Harvard + + Richard hall + Jon'n Bigelow + Joseph Hutchins + Simeon Farnsworth + Timothy hall + Phenihas Farnsworth + Amos Russll + Johnathan--Read (His mark) + Jonathan Read iu + Abijah Willard + + Groton + Samuel Hazen + Joseph Preist + Samell flood + John pearce + Charles Richards + Daniel Page + John Longley jn'r + Abijah Willard + Manasser Divoll + John Osgood + Abijah Frost + John Peirce hous rite + + Lancaster + Henry Haskell + John Nicholls + Thomas Wright + William Willard + Joshua Johnson + Daniel Willard + Joseph Priest + William Farmer + Joseph Bond + Henry Willard + Benjamin Willard + Jacob Houghton + Corp Elias Sawyer + Amos Am Atherton (his mark) + + Stow + John Houghton Ju + John Sampson + Joseph Brown + Hannah Brown + Samuel Randal + Benjamin Samson + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXV., 220-222.] + +Hell Pond, mentioned in this covenant, is situated in the northwest part +of Harvard, and so called "from its amazing depth," says the Reverend +Peter Whitney, in the History of Worcester County (page 158). + +Two years after this covenant was signed, another attempt was made to +divide the town, but it did not succeed. The lines of the proposed +township included nearly the same territory as the present ones of +Shirley. The following references to the scheme are found, under their +respective dates, in the printed Journal of the House of +Representatives:-- + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, + praying they may be erected into a distinct and seperate Township + or Precinct, agreable to the Plan therewith exhibited, for the + Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petitioners serve the Town of + Lunenburg, and the first Parish in _Groton_, with Copies of this + Petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the 29th of + _December_ next, if the Court be then Sitting, if not on the first + Friday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 100), November 30, + 1749.] + + _Samuel Watts_, Esq; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_ and _Groton_, as entred the 30th of + _November_ last, and refer'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council + _December_ 29th 1749. Read again, with the Answer of the Town of + _Lunenburg_, and _Ordered_, That the Consideration of this Petition + be refer'd to the second Wednesday of the next Sitting of this + Court. Sent down for Concurrence. + + With a Petition from sundry Inhabitants of _Lunenburg_, praying to + be set off from said Town of _Leominster_. Pass'd in Council, _viz_ + In Council _December_ 29th 1749. Read and _Ordered_, That the + Petitioners serve the Town of _Lunenburg_, with a Copy of this + petition, that they shew Cause, if any they have, on the second + Wednesday of the next Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof + should not be granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 143), December 29, + 1749.] + + _John Chandler_, Esq; brought down the Petitions of _John Whitney_, + and others of the westerly Part of _Groton_, and the easterly Part + of the Town of _Lunenburgh_, and _Edward Hartwell_, Esq; and others + of said Town, Pass'd in Council, _-viz._ In Council _April_ 4th + 1750. _Ordered_, That _Samuel Watts, James Minot_, and _John Otis_, + Esqrs; with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee + to consider the Petitions above-mentioned, and the several Answers + thereto, hear the Parties, and report what they judge proper for + the Court to do thereon. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and concur'd, and Mr. _Rice_, Capt. _Livermore_, Col. + _Richards_, and Mr. _Daniel Pierce_, are joined in the Affair. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 214), April 5, + 1750.] + + _Joseph Wilder_, Esq., brought down the Report of a Committee of + both Houses, on the Petition of _John Whitney_, and others, as + entred the 30th of _November_ last, and refer'd. Signed _James + Minott_, per Order. + + Pass'd in Council, _viz._ In Council _June_ 21, 1750. Read and + _Voted_, That this Report be not accepted, and that the Petition of + _John Whitney_ and others therein refer'd to, be accordingly + dismiss'd, and that the Petitioners pay the Charge of the + Committee. + + Send down for Concurrence. Read and concur'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 41), June 22, 1750.] + + A Petition of sundry Inhabitants of the westerly Part of _Groton_, + and the easterly Part of _Lunenburg_, praying that their Memorial + and Report thereon, which was dismiss'd the 22'd of _June_ last, + may be revived and reconsidered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That Mr. _Turner_, Mr. _Tyng_, and Major + _Jones_ with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a + Committee to take this Petition under Consideration, and report + what they judge proper to be done thereon. Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 76, 77), October 3, + 1750.] + + _John Greenleafe_, Esq.; brought down the Petition of sundry + Inhabitants of _Groton_ and _Lunenburg_, as entred the 3d Currant, + and referr'd. Pass'd in Council, _viz_. In Council _October_ 3d + 1750. Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That this Petition be + dismiss'd. + + Sent down for Concurrence. + + Read and nonconcur'd, and _Ordered_, That the Petitioner serve the + Town of _Lunenburg_ with a Copy of this Petition, that they shew + Cause, if any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next + Sitting of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be + granted. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 93), October 9, + 1750.] + + A Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others of the Southwesterly Part + of _Groton_, praying that their Petition exhibited in _November_ + 1749 may be revived, and the Papers prefer'd at that Time again + considered, for the Reasons mentioned. + + Read and _Ordered_, That the Petition lie on the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 64), October 9, + 1751.] + + _Ordered_, That the Petition of _John Whitney_ and others of the + Southwesterly Part of _Groton_, lie upon the Table. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 81), January 3, + 1752.] + + The Memorial of _John Whitney_ and others, as entred _October_ 9th + 1751, Inhabitants of the Southwesterly Part of _Groton_ and the + Eastwardly Part of _Lunenberg_, setting forth that in _November_ + 1749, they preferred a Petition to this Court, praying to be set + off from the Towns to which they belong, and made into a distant + [distinct?] and seperate Town and Parish, for the Reasons therein + mentioned; praying that the aforesaid Memorial and Petition, with + the Report of the said Committee thereon, and all the Papers + thereto belonging, may be revived, and again taken into + consideration. + + Read again, and the Question was put, _Whether the Prayer of the + Petition should be so far granted as that the petition and Papers + accompanying it should be revived_? + + It pass'd in the Negative. And _Voted_, That the Memorial be + dismiss'd. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 92), January 9, + 1753.] + +The discussion in regard to the division of the town resulted in setting +off the district of Shirley, on January 5, 1753, three months before the +district of Pepperell was formed. In the Act of Incorporation the name +was left blank, as it was in the one incorporating Pepperell, and +"Shirley" was filled in at the time of its engrossment. It was so named +after William Shirley, the governor of the province at that period. It +never was incorporated specifically as a town, but became one by a +general Act of the Legislature, passed on March 23, 1786. It was +represented, while a district, in the session of the General Court which +met at Watertown, on July 19, 1775, as well as in the Provincial +Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly acquired the powers and +privileges of a town, which were afterward confirmed by the act just +mentioned. + +The act for establishing the district of Shirley is as follows:-- + + Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Vicesimo Sexto. + + An Act for dividing the Town of Groton and making a District by the + Name of.... + + Whereas the Inhabitants of the Southwesterly part of the Town of + Groton by Reason of the Difficulties they labour under being remote + from the place of the publick worship of God have addressed this + Court to be Sett off a Separate District whereunto the Inhabitants + of Said Town have Manifested their Consent Be it therefore enacted + by the Lieutenant Governour Council and House of Representatives + that the Southwestwardly part of the Town of Groton Comprehended + within the following boundaries viz begining at the the [_sic_] + mouth of Squanacook River where it runs into Lancaster [Nashua] + River from thence up Said Lancaster River till it Comes to Land + belonging to the Township of Stow thence Westwardly bounding + Southwardly to said Stow Land tilll it comes to the Southwest + Corner of the Township of Groton thence Northwardly bounding + westwardly to Luningburgh and Townsend to Squanacook River + afores'd thence down said River and Joyning thereto to the mouth + thereof being the first bound--Be and hereby is Sett off from the + said Town of Groton and Erected into a Separate and Distinct + District by the name of ... and that the Inhabitants thereof be and + hereby are Vested with all the powers priviledges and Immunities + which the Inhabitants of any Town within this Province do or by law + ought to Enjoy Excepting only the Priviledge of choosing a + Representative to represent them in the Great & General Court, in + choosing of whom the Inhabitants of Said District Shall Joyn with + the Inhabitants of the Town of Groton, as heretofore has been + Usual, & also in paying said Representative + + Provided nevertheless the Said District Shall pay their + proportionable part of all such Town County Parish and Province + Charges as are already Assessed upon the Town of Groton in like + manner as though this Act had never been made. + + And Be it further Enacted that M'r Jn'o. Whitney be and hereby is + impowred to Issue his Warrant directed to Some principal Inhabitant + in s'd District requireing Him to Notifie & warn the Inhabitants of + S'd District qualified by law to vote in Town affairs to meet at + Such Time & place as shall be therein Set forth to Choose all such + officers as Shall be Necessary to manage the affairs of s'd + District + + In the House of Rep'ives June 4, 1752 + + Read three several times and pass'd to be Engross'd + + T. HUBBARD Spk'r. + + Sent up for concurrence + + In Council Nov'r. 28, 1752 Read a first Time 29 a second Time and + pass'd a Concurrence + + THO's. CLARKE Dp'ty Secry. + + [Massachusetts Archives, CXVI., 293, 294.] + +This act did not take effect until January 5, 1753, when it was signed +by the governor. + +On June 3, 1771, thirty years after Groton Gore had been lost by the +running of the provincial line, the proprietors of the town held a +meeting, and appointed Lieutenant Josiah Sawtell, Colonel John Bulkley, +and Lieutenant Nathaniel Parker, a committee to petition the General +Court for a grant of land to make up for this loss. They presented the +matter to that body on June 7, and the following entry in the records +gives the result:-- + + The Committee on the Petition of _Josiah Sartel_, and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Whereas it appears to this Court, That the + Proprietors aforesaid, had a Grant made to them by the General + Court in_ April 1735, _of Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred Acres of + Land, in Consideration of Land taken from said_ Groton _by_ + Littleton, _Major_ Willard _and_ Read's _Farms being prior Grants, + and for their extraordinary Suffering in the former Indian Wars and + in_ June 1736 _said Grant was confirmed to said Proprietors, since + which Time, the said Proprietors have been entirely dispossessed of + said Land by the running of the Line between this Province and_ + New-Hampshire: _And whereas it appears there has been no + Compensation made to the said Proprietors of_ Groton, _for the + Lands lost as aforesaid, excepting Three Thousand Acres granted in_ + November _last_, to James Prescot, William Prescot, _and_ Oliver + Prescot _for their Proportion thereof_. Therefore _Resolved_, That + in Lieu thereof, there be granted to the Proprietors of _Groton_, + their Heirs and Assigns forever, Seven Thousand and Eight Hundred + Acres of the unappropriated Lands belonging to this Province, in + the Western Part of the Province, to be layed out adjoining to some + former Grant, and that they return a Plan thereof, taken by a + Surveyor and Chainmen under Oath into the Secretary's Office, + within twelve Months for Confirmation. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 44), June 13, 1771.] + +These conditions, as recommended by the report of the committee, appear +to have been fulfilled, and a grant was accordingly made. It lay on the +eastern border of Berkshire county, just south of the central part, and +was described as follows:-- + + The Committee on a Plan of a Tract of Land granted to the + Proprietors of _Groton_, reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That the Plan hereunto annexed, + containing three Thousand nine Hundred and sixty Acres of Province + Land, laid out in Part to satisfy a Grant made by the Great and + General Court at their Sessions in _June_ 1771, to the Proprietors + of Groton, in Lieu of Land they lost by the late running of the + _New-Hampshire_ Line, as mention'd in their Petition, laid out in + the County of _Berkshire_, and is bounded as followeth, viz. + Beginning at a Burch Tree and Stones laid round it the Southwest + Corner of _Tyringham-Equivalent_ Lands standing on the East Branch + of _Farmington_ River; then North eighteen Degrees East in the West + Line of said _Equivalent_ five Hundred and sixty-one Rods to a + small Beach Tree and Stones laid round it, which Tree is the + Southeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Woolcut's_ Grant; then + running West eighteen Degrees North in the South Line of said Grant + two Hundred and forty Rods to a Beach Tree marked I.W. and Stones + laid round it, which is the Southwest Corner of said Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East in the West Line of said Grant + four Hundred Rods to a Heap of Stones which is the Northwest Corner + of said Grant; then running East eighteen Degrees South two Hundred + and forty Rods in the North Line of said Grant to a large Hemlock + Tree and Stones laid round it, which is the Northeast Corner of + said Grant; it is also the Northwest Corner of said _Equivalent_, + and the Southwest Corner of a Grant called _Taylors_ Grant; then + running North eighteen Degrees East one Hundred and sixty Rods in + the West Line of said _Taylors_ Grant to the Northwest Corner of + the same; then running East nine Degrees South in the Line of said + _Taylors_ Grant eight Hundred Rods to a Stake and Stones standing + in the West Line of _Blanford_, marked W.T. then running North + eighteen Degrees East in said _Blanford_ West Line five Hundred and + thirty Rods to a Beach Tree and Stones laid round it which is the + Northwest Corner of said _Blanford_; then running East ten Degrees + South forty-two Rods in the North Line of said _Blanford_ to a + Stake and Stones which is the Southwest Corner of _Merryfield_; + then running North ten Degrees East in said _Merryfield_ West Line + three Hundred and three Rods to a Heap of Stones the Southeast + Corner of _Becket_; then running West two Degrees South in said + _Becket_ South Line four Hundred and twenty-six Rods to the + Northeast Corner of a Grant of Land called _Belcher's_ Grant; then + running South in the East Line of said _Belchers_ Grant two Hundred + and sixteen Rods to a small Maple Tree marked T.R. which is the + Northwest Corner of a Grant of Land called _Rand's_ Grant; then + running East in the North Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred + and fifty Rods to a Hemlock Pole and Stones laid round it, which is + the Northeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running South in + the East Line of said _Rand's_ Grant three Hundred and thirty-one + Rods to a Hemlock Tree marked and Stones laid round it, which is + the Southeast Corner of said _Rand's_ Grant; then running West in + the South Line of said _Rand's_ Grant two Hundred and fifty Rods to + a Beach Pole marked T.R. the Southwest Corner of said _Rand's_ + Grant; then running North in the West Line of said _Rand's_ Grant + eighty-three Rods to the Southeast Corner of said _Belcher's_ + Grant; then running West bounding North three Hundred and + forty-eight on said _Belcher's_ Grant and four Hundred and + fifty-three Rods on a Grant called _Chandler's_ Grant, then running + North on the West Line of said _Chandler's_ Grant four Hundred and + sixty to said _Becket's_ South Line; then running West in said + _Becket_ South Line twenty Rods to a Stake and Stones the North + West Corner of additional Lands belonging to the Four _Housatonick_ + Townships; then running South two Degrees West one Thousand four + Hundred and eighty-eight Rods in the East Line of said additional + Lands to the Place where the said East Line crosses said + _Farmington_ River; then Southerly or down Stream three Hundred and + thirty Rods to the first Bounds, bounding Westerly on said River, + be accepted, and is hereby accepted and confirmed unto the + Proprietors of _Groton_ aforesaid, their Heirs and Assigns forever. + _Provided_ the same doth not exceed the Quantity aforementioned, + nor interfere with any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (pages 182, 183). April + 24, 1772.] + +I am unable to say how or when this territory was disposed of by the +proprietors. Seven or eight years before this time, James, William, and +Oliver Prescott, acting for themselves, had petitioned the General Court +for a tract of land to make up their own losses. They were the sons of +the Honorable Benjamin Prescott, through whose influence and agency the +original Groton Gore was granted, and they were also the largest +proprietors of the town. The following extracts from the Journal of the +House relate to their application:-- + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, and others, Children and Heirs of + _Benjamin Prescot_, late of _Groton_, Esq; deceased, praying a + Grant of the unappropriated Lands of this Province, in + consideration of sundry Tracts which they have lost by the late + running of the Line between this Government and _New-Hampshire_. + + Read and committed to Col. _Clap_, Col. _Nickols_, Col. _Williams_ + of _Roxbury_, Col. _Buckminster_, and Mr. _Lancaster_, to consider + and Report. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 187), January 12, + 1764.] + +On February 3, 1764, this petition was put over to the May Session, but +I do not find that it came up for consideration at that time. It does +not appear again for some years. + + A Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, praying that a + Grant of Land may be made them in Lieu of a former Grant, which + falls within the _New-Hampshire_ Line. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 129), November 2, + 1770.] + +This petition was referred to a committee consisting of Dr. Samuel +Holten, of Danvers, Colonel Joseph Gerrish, of Newbury, and Mr. Joshua +Bigelow, of Worcester. + + The Committee on the Petition of _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, + reported. + + Read and accepted, and _Resolved_, That in Lieu of Lands mentioned + in the Petition, there be granted to the Petitioners, their Heirs + and Assigns, Four Thousand Four Hundred Acres of the unappropriated + Lands belonging to the Province, to be laid out in the Westerly + Part thereof, adjoining to some former Grants, provided they can + find the same; or Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Acres of + the unappropriated Lands lying on the Easterly side of _Saco_ + River; it being their Proportion in said Grant: And return a Plan + thereof taken by a Surveyor and Chainman under Oath, into the + Secretary's Office within Twelve Months. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 156), November 14, + 1770.] + +The Committee appointed to consider the Plan of two Tracts of Land +granted to _James Prescot_, Esq; and others, reported. + + Read and accepted. _Resolved_, That both the above Plans, the one + containing Four Thousand one Hundred and thirty Acres, the other + containing two Hundred and seventy Acres, delineated and described + as is set forth by the Surveyor in the Description thereof hereunto + annexed, be accepted, and hereby is confirmed to _James Prescot_, + Esq; and others named in their Petition, and to their Heirs and + Assigns in Lieu of and full Satisfaction for Four Thousand four + Hundred Acres of Land lost by the late running of the Line between + this Province and _New-Hampshire_, as mention'd in a Grant made by + both Houses of the Assembly, A.D. 1765, but not consented to by the + Governor. _Provided_ both said Plans together do not exceed the + Quantity of Four Thousand four Hundred Acres, nor interfere with + any former Grant. + + Sent up for Concurrence. + + [Journal of the House of Representatives (page 73), June 22, 1771.] + +It is evident from these reports that the Prescott brothers took the +forty-four hundred acres in the westerly part of the province, rather +than the fifty-eight hundred and eighty acres on the easterly side of +the Saco river, though I have been unable to identify, beyond a doubt, +the tract of land thus granted. I am inclined to think however, that it +is the one mentioned in the Memorial of the One Hundredth Anniversary of +the Incorporation of Middlefield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1883. The +town is situated on the westerly border of Hampshire County,--forming a +jog into Berkshire,--and was made up in part of Prescott's Grant. A map +is given in the "Memorial" volume (page 16) which shows that the Grant +was originally in Berkshire county, very near to the tract of land given +to the proprietors of Groton. + +Professor Edward P. Smith, of Worcester, delivered an historical address +on the occasion of the anniversary, and he says:-- + + Prescott's Grant, the nucleus of the town, appears as a large + quadrilateral, containing more than a thousand acres in the north + and west part of the town. Who the Prescott was to whom the grant + was made is not known, further than that he must have been some one + who had rendered military or other services to the State. That he + was the Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill is, indeed, possible; + but, as the grant was probably made before the Revolutionary War, + that supposition seems hardly tenable. (Page 15.) + +By an act of the General Court, passed February 25, 1793, a large +section of territory was taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. +This change produced a very irregular boundary between the two towns, +and made, according to Butler's History of Groton (page 66), more than +eighty angles in the line, causing much inconvenience. The following +copy from the "Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" gives the +names of the families thus transferred:-- + + An Act to set off _Caleb Woods_, and others, from _Groton_, and to + annex them to _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Caleb Woods, Silas Blood, Amaziah Swallow, Nathaniel Cummings, + Ebenezer Procter, Silas Blood_, jun. _Silas Marshall, Levi Parker, + Amos Woods, Isaac Lawrence, Peter Blood, Caleb Blood_, jun. _Henry + Blood, Caleb Woods_, jun. and _Silas Marshall_, jun., together with + their families and estates, and also the estates of Doctor _Jonas + Marshall_, the heirs of Captain _Solomon Woods_, deceased, and + _Joseph Parkhurst_, which they now own in said _Groton_, be, and + they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_, in the county of + _Middlesex_, and annexed to _Dunstable_, in said county, and shall + hereafter be considered a part of the same, there to do duty and + receive privileges, as the other inhabitants of said _Dunstable. + Provided, nevertheless_, That the persons above-mentioned shall pay + all taxes that have been legally assessed on them by said + _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had never been passed. + + [This act passed _February_ 25, 1793.] + +The zigzag line caused by this act was somewhat modified by the two +following ones, passed at different times a few years later. I think +that the very irregular boundary between the two towns, with its +eighty-six angles, as mentioned by Mr. Butler, was produced by the +subsequent annexations to Dunstable. + + An Act to set of _Nathaniel Lawrence with_ his Estate, from the + Town of _Groton_, and annex them to the Town of _Dunstable_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That + _Nathaniel Lawrence_ of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, + together with his estate, which he now owns in that town, be, and + hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, and annexed to the + town of _Dunstable_, in the same county; and shall hereafter be + considered as part of the same; there to do duty and receive + privileges as other inhabitants of said town of _Dunstable: + Provided nevertheless_, That the said _Nathaniel Lawrence_ shall be + holden to pay all taxes that have been legally assessed on him by + said town of _Groton_, in the same manner as if this Act had not + been passed. + + [This act passed _January_ 26, 1796.] + + An act to set off Willard Robbins with his estate from the town of + _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Dunstable_, in the same county. + + Sec. 1. BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, + in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_. That + Willard Robbins, of _Groton_, in the county of _Middlesex_, with + his estate, be, and hereby is set off from said town of _Groton_, + and annexed to the town of _Dunstable_, in said county, there to do + duty and receive privileges in the same manner as other inhabitants + of the said town of _Dunstable_. + + Sec. 2. _And be it further enacted_, That the said Willard Robbins + shall be holden to pay and discharge all legal assessments and + taxes, that have been assessed upon him by said town of _Groton_ + prior to the passing this act. + + [This act passed _June_ 18, 1803.] + +The boundary between the two towns now remained unchanged until February +15, 1820, when another act was passed by the Legislature making a +further surrender of territory. It took a considerable parcel of land +and gave it to Dunstable, thereby straightening and simplifying the +jurisdictional line, which at this time formed but five angles. + +In the autumn of 1794 a plan of Groton, Pepperell, and Shirley was made +by Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., which gives a few interesting facts. The +following notes are taken from the copy now in the office of the +Secretary of State. It will be seen that Dr. Prescott refers to the land +set off by the Act of February 25, 1793:-- + + This Plan contains the Bounds of three Towns, viz. Groton, + Pepperrell & Shirley,--all which, together with whatsoever is + delineated on said Plan, was taken by an actual Survey, agreeably + to a resolve of the General Court, passed June 25, 1794, & under + the Inspection of the Selectmen & Committee's from the respective + towns, appointed for that purpose in the month of Sept'r. 1794. + + By OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. Surveyor. + + The reputed distance of Groton from Cambridge [the shire-town] is + Thirty two Miles, & from Boston Thirty five miles; The River Nashua + is from 8 to 10 rods in width. The River Squannacoock 4 or 5 rods + in width. In Groton are twenty natural Ponds, six of which are + delineated on the Plan, by actual Survey. Several of the other + Ponds are in size, nearly equal to those on the plan, & may in the + whole contain about two Thousand Acres. There are no Mines in said + Town, except one of Iron Ore, nearly exhausted. Every other Matter + directed to be delineated, described or specifyed, may be found on + the Plan. + + SAM'll LAWRENCE } + ZACH'h FITCH } Committee. + OLIVER PRESCOTT Ju'r.} + + The reputed distance of Pepperrell from Cambridge is thirty seven + miles; from Boston forty Miles. + + The River Nissitisset is about four Rods in width. + + The reputed distance of Shirley from Cambridge is thirty five + Miles; & from Boston thirty Eight Miles. + + Catacoonamug & Mulpus Brooks are from one to two Rods in width. The + Plan contains every thing relative to the two last mentioned Towns + necessary to be described. + + OLIVER PRESCOTT, Ju'r. + + What is enclosed in this Blue line, contains about the quantity of + Land set off from Groton to Dunstable, by Act of the General Court, + passed February 25, 1793. As by said Act, the petitioners and their + Farms were set off, without specifying particular bounds, Accuracy + cannot be obtained, with respect to this Line, without very great + expence and Trouble. + +By an act passed February 6, 1798, a considerable portion of territory +lying on the easterly side of the Nashua river, in the south-west corner +of Groton, was annexed to Shirley. This tract continued to form a part +of Shirley until the incorporation of Ayer, on February 14, 1871, when +its political condition was again changed, and its government +transferred to the new town. The act authorizing the annexation is as +follows,--and I give it entire in order to show the loose way of +describing boundary lines during the latter part of the last century:-- + + An Act to set off certain Lands from the town of _Groton_, and + annex the same to the town of _Shirley_. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + tract of Land at the south western extremity of the town of + _Groton_, bounded by a line beginning at a large white oak stump, + on the southeast side of _Nashua River_, being the northwest corner + of the town of _Harvard_; thence running southeasterly on _Harvard_ + line, as the town bounds direct, till it comes to the stump of a + pine tree lately fallen down, an antient bound mark in said town + line; thence northerly to a heap of stones by the road leading to + _Harvard_ at SIMON DABY'S southerly corner, thence northeasterly on + said SIMON DABY'S line to a pine tree marked, thence northerly to a + heap of stones on a ledge of rocks; thence northerly on said SIMON + DABY'S line to a heap of stones on a large rock; thence + northwesterly still on said SIMON DABY'S line to a stake and stones + in the roots of a pine tree, fallen down, in a valley, said SIMON + DABY'S northeast corner and SAMUEL CHASE'S southerly corner, thence + northerly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line, to the road leading to ABIL + MORSE'S mill, at a heap of stones on the north easterly side of + said road, thence northeasterly on said SAMUEL CHASE'S line by said + road to a heap of stones, thence northeasterly on said CHASE'S + line, to a stake and stones at the end of a ditch at a brook; + thence down said brook to _Nashua River_, thence up said river, to + the bounds first mentioned, together with the inhabitants thereof, + be, and they are hereby set off from the town of _Groton_ and + annexed to the town of _Shirley_, there to do duty and receive + privileges in the same manner as other lands and inhabitants of the + said town of _Shirley_. + + SECT. 2. _Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted_, That + the said tract of land and the inhabitants thereof shall be liable + to be taxed by the town of _Groton_, their full proportion in a tax + to the amount of the debts now due from said town of _Groton_, in + the same manner as if this act had not been passed: _Provided_ such + tax be made and assessed within one year from the time of passing + this act; and shall also be liable to pay their proportion of all + state taxes that may be assessed on the town of _Groton_ until a + new valuation be taken. + + [This act passed _February_ 6, 1798.] + +All the changes of territorial jurisdiction thus far noted have been in +one direction,--from Groton to the surrounding towns; but now the tide +turns, and for a wonder she received, by legislative enactment, on +February 3, 1803, a small parcel of land just large enough for a +potato-patch. The annexation came from Pepperell, and the amount +received was four acres and twenty rods in extent. The following is a +copy:-- + + An act to set off a certain parcel of land from the town of + _Pepperell_, in the county of _Middlesex_, and to annex the same to + the town of _Groton_, in the same county. + + BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in + General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same_, That a + certain tract of land, bounded, beginning at the end of a wall by + the road leading by Zachariah Fitch's, in said _Groton_; thence + running easterly, by land of Jonas Fitch, to the _Nashua River_, + (so called;) thence up said river to said road, near the bridge + over the same river; thence, bounding by the same road, to the + bounds first mentioned, containing four acres and twenty rods, be, + and hereby is set off from said town of _Pepperell_ and annexed to + said town of _Groton_ forever. + + [This act passed _February_ 3, 1803.] + +The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was opened through the township of +Groton in the month of December, 1848. It ran at that time a distance of +eight miles through its territory, keeping on the east side of the +Nashua river, which for a considerable part of the way was the dividing +line between Groton and Pepperell. The railroad station for the people +of Pepperell was on the Groton side of the river, and in the course of a +few years a small village sprang up in the neighborhood. All the +interests and sympathies of this little settlement were with Pepperell; +and under these circumstances the Legislature, on May 18, 1857, passed +an act of annexation, by which it became in reality what it was in +sentiment,--a part and parcel of that town. The first section of the act +is as follows:-- + + An act to set off a part of the Town of Groton, and annex the same + to the Town of Pepperell. + + _Be it enacted, &c., as follows_: + + All that part of the town of Groton, in the county of Middlesex, + with the inhabitants thereon, lying north of the following + described line is hereby set off from the town of Groton, and + annexed to the town of Pepperell, to wit: Beginning at the boundary + between said town of Groton and the town of Dunstable, at a stone + monument in the wall on land of Elbridge Chapman and land of Joseph + Sanderson, and running south, eighty-six degrees west, about six + hundred and sixty rods, to a stone monument at the corner of land + called the "Job Shattuck Farm," and land of James Hobart, near the + Nashua River and Worcester and Nashua Railroad; thence in same line + to the centre of Nashua River and the boundary of said town of + Pepperell: _provided, however_, that for the purpose of electing a + representative to the general court, the said territory shall + continue to be a part of the town of Groton, until a new + apportionment for representatives is made; and the inhabitants + resident therein shall be entitled to vote in the choice of such + representatives, and shall be eligible to the office of + representative in the town of Groton, in the same manner as if this + act had not been passed. + +[Illustration: Map of Groton Plantation in 1884] + +The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original +grant--and perhaps the last for many years to come--is the Act of +February 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This +enactment took from Groton a large section of territory lying near its +southern borders, and from Shirley all that part of the town on the +easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to it from Groton on +February 6, 1798. + +Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of more than two +centuries, been hewed and hacked down to less than one-half of its +original dimensions. It has furnished, substantially, the entire +territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, and has contributed more or +less largely to form five other towns. An examination of the +accompanying map will show these changes more clearly than any verbal or +written description. + + * * * * * + +SAILS. + + + The ship's white sails are all unfurl'd + To the salt breath of the sea; + And never a ship in all the world + Sails on with the wind more free. + + For the white sails are white hopes of youth, + The breath of the future blows; + But whither the vessel flies, in truth, + There is no man that knows. + + * * * * * + +ELIZABETH.[1] + +A ROMANCE OF COLONIAL DAYS. + +BY FRANCES C. SPARHAWK, Author of "A Lazy Man's Work." + +[Footnote 1: 1884, by Frances C. Sparhawk.] + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +ON THE TIDE. + + +One August evening of the year 1743 a boat lay as if anchored in the +beautiful Piscataqua; her sail seemed swung only to show its whiteness +in the bright moonlight. Every cord upon it hung lifeless, serving only +the purpose of pictured lines, one silvered in the light, the dark +shadow of the other traced in clear outlines on the sail. The swash of +the waves against the side of the boat was too slight to sway it; the +sheet dipped in the water and swung almost imperceptibly, while now and +then a few straws floated against it and caught there. The moon, high in +the heavens, gave pearly tints to the clouds that floated near it; the +pines on the shore flung dark masses against the oaks and maples, or +stood as a Rembrandt background for the boughs of the trees on which the +moonlight fell, or for some ghostly procession of the white birch +trunks. The water, in the shadows as dark and smooth as a Claude +Lorraine glass, showed far off in the moonlight faint quivers of its +surface here and there, as if the breeze so longed for were coming to +the idle boat. But it was too far off, or too faint, for it spent itself +before reaching the watchers there, although at the symptoms one of them +rose with great show of solemnity, and making a trumpet of his hands, +blew vigorously against the sail. But neither these movements nor the +concerts of whistling were successful. At last another of the company +leaning over the side of the boat busied himself with the sheet. + +"I'll tell you the reason this boat don't go," he said, gravely, "the +rope was all twisted. I've straightened it out, and taken off the +straws." + +A burst of laughter greeted him as he turned around his face, still +grave, but his dark eyes, roving from one to another, their laughing +expression hidden in the shadow, for the moon was behind him. + +"What a useful member of society you are, Stephen," cried Katie +Archdale. "I don't see how we could get on without you." + +"I don't think we're getting on with him _very_ fast," remarked a young +gentleman sitting opposite Katie, pointing significantly at a curve of +the shore that they had not drifted out of sight of in the last half +hour. + +"At least he has roused us," returned the girl, "for I half believe I +was sleepy before." + +"I believe it wholly," answered Stephen, taking his seat beside her +again and looking down into her face teazingly with a cousinly freedom. +But it was not altogether a cousinly regard from which Katie drew back +after a moment, tossing her head coquettishly, and with a heightened +color, glancing past at her friend beyond him, who sat dipping one hand +in the water and looking dreamily at the shore. Stephen Archdale and his +cousin Katie lived within a few miles of each other, and there had +always been constant intercourse between their families. When boy and +girl, Stephen, four years the elder, the two had played together, and +they had grown up, as people said, like brother and sister. But of late +it was rumored that the conduct of young Archdale was more loverlike +than brotherly, and that, if Katie choose, the tie between them would +one day be closer than that of cousinhood. The stranger who sat opposite +Archdale, watching them both in silence, was of the same opinion. He was +rather portly for his age, which could not have been over thirty, and as +he sat in the boat he looked a taller man than he proved to be when on +his feet. His dark-brown beard was full, his eyes, like Archdale's, were +in shadow, for he had drawn down his hat well over his brows, while +Stephen and young Waldo sat bareheaded in the August air. + +"I wonder"--began Katie. + +"A sturgeon!" cried Mrs. Eveleigh, the last member of the party. + +But the sound proved the soft dip of the paddle in the water as a canoe +came toward them going down the stream. Its Indian occupant when he shot +by turned his gaze stealthily upon the gay party. + +"How many more of your red savages are there coming to spy upon us?" And +the speaker pushed back his hat a trifle, and looked up and down the +river with an anxiety that he could not quite conceal. + +"You've not been out here long enough," laughed Waldo. "There's no +danger; the red savages are friendly with us just at this moment, and +will remain so until we forget our rifles some day, or they learn that +we're short of ammunition. Shoot 'em down without mercy whenever they +come spying about--it's the only way. They're friendly so long as they +are afraid, and not a moment longer. For instance, why should that +fellow stop? He saw three men whom he knew were armed, besides that +young man who's pretending to sail the boat--why don't you do it, Kit?" +and Waldo laughed good-humoredly at the lad whose office had become a +sinecure. "When you get used to them, Mr. Harwin," he added, "they will +not make you shiver." + +"Oh, they don't do that now," returned the other, indifferently, "but, +the ladies"-- + +"As to the ladies," laughed Katie, "one of them is quite fond of the +red-skins; the other," glancing at her friend, "has gone into a brown +study; I don't believe she's heard or seen anything for the last half +hour. Elizabeth, when you fish up any pearls there out of the water, +share them with us, won't you?" + +"No, she'll do no such thing," interposed Mistress Eveleigh; "she'll +give them all to you." The tone was so serious that Elizabeth cried, +indignantly,-- + +"Cousin Patience, how can you?" + +"I suppose she likes to tease you," retorted Katie, still laughing, "and +so do I. It's so funny to see you wake out of a revery and find +yourself." + +"And not find myself, you mean," returned Elizabeth, joining in with a +ripple of merriment. + +"Master Waldo knows all about the red-skins," said Archdale to his +opposite neighbor; "he had the pleasure of shooting one last winter." + +"Did you?" exclaimed Mrs. Eveleigh, while Harwin looked at the young +fellow with a new interest. "How did it happen? Tell us about it." + +"Yes, tell us about it," cried Katie, turning toward Waldo. But +Elizabeth was still looking at Archdale. Suppose the shooting had been +necessary, how could he speak of killing a human being as he would an +animal, and then lean back and look at Mr. Waldo with a smile on his +face? + +Kenelm Waldo, on his part, gazed at the speaker in astonishment. + +"'Pon honor," he cried, "I never killed a red-skin in my life, or even +had a shot at one. Oh, I know now what he means; he is talking of a fox +that I shot two miles from his house, one that you ought to have secured +yourself, Mr. Archdale. This was the way I did it, the best way." + +When he had finished his account, Katie said:-- + +"I have a plan for amusing ourselves. Let us make every one tell a +story, and we'll lay forfeits on the person that doesn't give us an +interesting one. Mistress Eveleigh, please begin." + +"That is rather arbitrary, Mistress Katie, with no warning," returned +that lady, smiling. "But since we've been talking about the Indians, I +will tell you something that my mother did once before she was married, +while she was living down on the Cape." + +"What a pity, Katie, you did not keep Mistress Eveleigh until the last," +cried Archdale; "I know she will have the best story of us all." + +"You have too high estimation of my powers," returned Mrs. Eveleigh, +flattered; "but if I do well," she added, "it must be remembered that +none of you have had forty-five years in which to find one." + +The story, like a thousand others of that time, was of the presence of +mind and courage of one of the early settlers of America, and was +listened to with the attention it deserved. All, with one exception, +were outspoken in admiration of its heroine. + +"You say nothing, Mistress Royal," said Waldo; "but it may be you've +heard it before, since you and Mistress Eveleigh are in the same house." + +"Yes," she answered, "I have heard it before." She moved her head +quickly as she spoke, and as the moonlight struck her face, Archdale +fancied that he saw a moist brightness in her eyes. But certainly no +tear fell, and when the next moment Katie declared it Elizabeth's turn +for a story, she told some trifling anecdote that had in it neither +sentiment nor heroism. It was laughable though, and was about to receive +its deserts of praise when at Archdale's first word Elizabeth cried, +eagerly:-- + +"Don't, please. It was not worth telling; only I could remember nothing +else." + +At this entreaty Harwin stared at her, and his lip curled disdainfully +under the hand that partially covered his face. "Have you so much wealth +of fascination, young lady," his thoughts ran, "that you can afford to +scatter your coins in this way? I rather think not." His eyes rested +upon her for a moment as she sat looking at Katie Archdale, and the +scorn of his mouth deepened. "Admiration of one woman for another," he +commented. "Pshaw! the girl lavishes everything; she will soon be +bankrupt. She is drinking in the intoxication of Katie's beauty just +as--no, not like me, of course. If ever there could be excuse for such a +thing it would be here, for Katie is bewitching, she is perfect; +affectionate, too, but with no nonsense about _her_. She reserves her +admiration for--for whom does she reserve it? For the proud young nabob +beside her, or for the good-humored little coxcomb over here? It shall +be for neither; it shall be for me. I, too, can be fascinating when I +take the trouble. Fair lady, I have plans for you." + +"Master Harwin," cried the girl's clear voice, interrupting his +thoughts, "why don't you begin? We're waiting for you." + +"Pardon me," he answered, "I was not aware of it. Well, since you are +inexorable, I'll try. I will not attempt anything in this New World, +which you all know so much more about than I do, for then there'd be +every chance of my being heavily fined. But if you want a story of Old +England, perhaps on that ground I can barely escape my forfeit." + +"We shall be delighted," said Miss Royal, courteously, for Katie, to +whom she saw that he was speaking, was at the moment claimed by +Archdale; he was saying something to her in a low voice, and she gave +him willing attention. + +Only a flash in the narrator's eyes as he began showed that he noticed +this. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +OPPORTUNITY. + + +"Once upon a time, then," he said, "in Scotland, no matter in what part, +there dwelt two disconsolate people. They ought to have been very happy, +for they were lovers, but, as you may have noticed, lovers are happy +only under the condition that love runs smooth, and here it was +extremely rough. The suitor was of ancient family and poor, the lady was +charming, and wilful--and an heiress? You are all waiting to hear me say +that--no, she was poor, too. And so you see that a doubling of +impecuniosity was quite impossible, for poverty rolls up fast in a +geometrical progression. But the lovers had no such scruples. It's a +romantic story enough if I could tell it to you in detail." + +"And why not?" cried Katie, whose interest was making him wish that +were possible. + +"I should have to go back for generations, and tell you of family feuds +as old as the families themselves, a Montague and Capulet state of +affairs, although each family had so much respect for the golden +amenities of life that its possession by the other would have softened +the asperity of feeling. But each was poor,--poor, I mean, for people in +that station. + +"The lady, as I said, was a beauty; the gentleman had extra will enough +when it was roused to make up for the absence of beauty, although, +indeed, the lady was not lacking in that quality either, and so, +opposition made them only more determined to have their own way. It was +impossible to run away,--she was too well guarded; defiance was the only +thing, and I must confess that from what I knew of them both, I think +they enjoyed it. The Capulets, as I will call them, were dissenters, the +Montagues belonged to the Established Church. Now, the Capulets were +very zealous, and at this time a famous itinerant preacher came into +their neighborhood. They, being the greatest people in the place, +invited him to stay at their house during his visit. He often preached +in the open air. One day, at the end of one of those eloquent +discourses, a young man in countryman's dress came up and asked him to +marry himself and a young woman whom he had been waiting upon a long +time, but who had refused to be married unless this very preacher could +perform the ceremony. 'She said it would be a blessed wedlock of your +joining,' pursued the young fellow. The preacher, although he was a +great man, was only human,--it is well, I suppose, that we never outgrow +our humanity,--and felt flattered by the young girl's belief in his +sanctity. He proposed the next day for the ceremony, and was arranging +to marry the rustic couple on the lawn before the house of his host when +the young man interrupted him by stating that it must be gone through +with immediately, for his lady-love was so shy that it was with +difficulty she had been persuaded to come to-night, and she would never +consent if he gave her all that time to think the matter over in, nor +would she be willing to come up on the lawn with the great people. She +was at hand with one of her friends; everything was prepared; would he +marry them then? At that moment? The bewildered minister looked up the +road before him, where the carriage of the Capulets was disappearing at +the top of the hill; he had been told that the daughter would remain +with him, and that the carriage would return as soon as Mamma Capulet +had made inquiries about a cottager who was ill; for his congregation +had been crowding about him with questions and tearful confessions of +sins, and the good Capulets, who had the opportunity to make their +confessions in private, were in haste to be gone. Where was his fair +companion? He looked about him; he had lost sight of her in the throng. +But in a few moments she came forward, accompanying the bride, who the +groom explained was a protegee of hers. Miss Capulet had drawn down her +veil, and in answer to this statement nodded to the reverend gentleman +and murmured an assent. The bride's face, too, was hidden by her bonnet +and by her shyness, which prevented her from once looking up. The name +of the groom lingered with surprise on the minister's lips, for it was +not a clodhopper's name, I assure you; but he had heard nothing of the +love affair. When he came to the bride's name, however, he did pause, +for it was that of the Capulet. 'How is this?' he asked. 'How has she +the same name as you, my child?' Before the veiled lady could answer, +the groom informed him that the bride's family, being old retainers of +the other, had the same last name, as it was in Scottish clans, and that +the bride herself, born on the same day as the young lady at the great +house, had received also the same Christian name, which explained her +being under Miss Capulet's protection. The good man was conscious that, +though his piety was eminent, his knowledge of all genealogy but Bible +was deficient, and when both women softly assented to this statement, +his air of perplexity gave place to the manner of a man who understands +the business of the hour. He was in a hurry, and in an incredibly short +time the two were one. 'Is it all over?' asked the groom. 'Are we +securely married?' 'You are joined in the holy bonds of matrimony until +death do you part,' returned the clergyman, solemnly, beginning to add +his blessing. But this died half-uttered on his lips, for the bride +slowly raised her head, threw back her bonnet, and the haughty face and +laughing eyes of the Capulet were before him. 'Bear witness,' she said, +her shyness completely gone, 'that I'm this gentleman's wife.' 'You are, +indeed,' he stammered. 'But how--why--who is this?' and he reached out a +trembling hand toward the veiled lady. 'My maid,' returned the bride; +'she came here like one of the cottagers, and we exchanged gowns while +you were talking to the people.' 'I hope, I sincerely hope, it's all +right,' returned the poor man; 'but if I had known, I would have spoken +to your honored parent, first.' 'Yes, I'm sure of that,' she laughed, +'and then we should not have been so happy.' At the moment a post-chaise +drove up, into which the bridal pair and the servant made haste to get. +'Pardon me that I cannot accompany you home,' laughed the lady, leaning +out to give the minister her hand in farewell. 'You cannot know how +grateful to you we are. I shall never be able to reward you; I can only +give you my thanks and prayers--and be sure to tell them at home how +firmly you have married us.' The chaise drove off, and the good man was +left alone. He felt inclined to think that he had been dreaming, until +he looked down and saw in his hand a purse of gold pieces that the groom +had slipped into it, whispering, 'If you refuse for yourself, be my +almoner and give it to the poor.' Before the preacher had recovered his +wits the carriage of the Capulets reappeared. The lovers, however, did +not re-appear for two years, and by that time Montague had unexpectedly +fallen heir to a fortune and a title, and was received with open arms by +the new relatives. In our days it's always the one who was not the +prodigal who has the fatted calf killed for him." + + +"I'm afraid the poor minister was not very welcome when he had told his +story," said Elizabeth. + +"Clever enough, on my word," cried Archdale. + +"Not quite to your liking, I fancy, though," answered Harwin. + +"Do you think he would have had the wedding indoors, in the teeth of +everybody?" laughed Katie. + +Harwin assented, adding that he felt convinced that Master Archdale +would have insisted upon all the accompaniments of a grand wedding at +any cost. + +"Yes, I shall have that when my time comes," returned Stephen, looking +straight before him a trifle haughtily. But Harwin noticed that directly +his eyes fell in passing back to their watching of the shore, and that +one sweeping glance was given to Katie. + +"But can people be married in such an instant?" asked Waldo. "I always +thought it was a work of time--rather a formidable piece of business." + +"Oh! when you come to two or three ministers of the Church of England, +and the benedictions, and all that, so it is," said Harwin; "but the +real business part is an affair of--I was going to say less than a +minute." He sat silent after this, with his head bent, then, lifting it +suddenly, before anybody had spoken, he fixed his glance, with a musing +expression, upon Waldo. "I was wondering if I could remember the +formula," he said; "I think I can. Mistress Royal, allow Master Archdale +to take your hand a moment, if you please." + +Elizabeth made no responsive movement, and Archdale, for an instant, +failed to turn toward her. He had been looking at Katie while Harwin was +speaking; but Katie drew back, hastily. + +"Oh, do, Elizabeth!" she cried. "I want to see what it is like; do try +with Stephen, and let us hear." As she spoke, Archdale turned toward +Elizabeth, courteously. + +"Come, Mistress Royal," he said, as Harwin was explaining that he had +asked her because she happened to be on the proper side for a bride, +"let us make an effective tableau for the amusement of these mariners, +who, since they are becalmed themselves, persist in wanting something +going on." + +Elizabeth had heard the entreaty in Katie's light words. She knew that +if she herself had cared for Mr. Archdale she could never have jested at +marrying him. It made her all the more sure that Katie did care, +because, otherwise, the girl would have found it great fun to rouse a +little jealousy in the two admirers opposite, watching every movement. +She yielded her hand to the light clasp that held it, and listened with +less interest than the others to Mr. Harwin's distinct and rapid words +until he came to the sentence, "I pronounce you man and wife." Then she +shivered, and he had scarcely finished the adjuration that +follows--"What God hath joined together let not man put asunder," when +she snatched her hand away. + +"It is too solemn," she cried, "it is too much; we ought not to have +jested so." + +Harwin laughed. + +"Pardon me if I've made you uncomfortable," he said; "but you will +forget it in five minutes, and even for that time you must blame Master +Waldo's curiosity." + +"And mine," added Katie, at which young Waldo gave her a grateful +glance. Then he joined with her in breaking the hush that had fallen on +the others. "Stephen," she said, "now for your story. Do you think you +are coming off scot-free?" + +"I thought we had performed our parts," he said, turning to Elizabeth +with a smile. + +"Mistress Royal has already told her story," cried Waldo, "There's no +escape for you." + +"Escape would be difficult now, I confess." + +"So begin." + +He began obediently, but fortune was kinder than he had expected, for he +had not fairly started when Kit cried out,-- + +"A breeze! Here it comes. Heads to larboard!" And down went Archdale's +and those of the two ladies with him as the sail was shifted and the +boat began to skim the water before the breeze which freshened every +minute. Soon they had gained the cove where they were to land, and +Archdale's story was never finished. + + * * * * * + +THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. + +BY ERNEST NUSSE. + + +The census of 1880 fixed the juvenile population of the United States at +20,000,000, of whom 10,158,954 were boys and 9,884,705 were girls. "From +a political point of view," says the eminent philanthropist, Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry, "the future of the nation depends on the physical and +intellectual education of its children, whose numbers increase every +year, and who will soon constitute the sovereign people. From the moral +and social point of view, the welfare of society imperatively demands +that the atmosphere in which they live, and the treatment that they +receive from those intrusted with their care or custody, shall be such +as to establish in them habits of industry, of sobriety, of honesty, and +good conduct. For injurious treatment of a child, inasmuch as it tends +to result in the distortion of its physical and moral nature, +constitutes an offence whose importance seriously effects the public +order." But what is to be understood by cruel treatment? It consists in +every act of omission or of commission which causes or procures physical +injury or death. It is hardly necessary to observe that this definition +must be limited to its practical meaning, rather than interpreted in its +broader, philosophical sense. We must leave out of the question the +results of improper or imperfect educational training and discipline. It +is doubtless a cause of harm to a delicate and nervous child to force +the development of its intelligence; a harsh word hastily uttered by +parents may leave an ineffaceable impression upon a sensitive +organization; severity degenerates into injustice when it confounds a +peevish act, the result of physical disorder, with an act of deliberate +disobedience. The weakness which resigns its authority In order to spare +itself the care of a child's education engenders for life the spirit of +insubordination. The humiliating and unjust reproach, the stinging +sarcasm, wound the child in its tenderest feelings;--but these are not +the forms of cruelty and wrong which fall within reach of the law. It is +unable to interpose between the parents and the child, except in case of +an actual and serious offence, and for the rest it must rely upon the +affection planted by nature in the hearts of parents. These distinctions +are more felt than expressed, and opinion will never deceive itself in +regard to the conduct of unnatural parents. + +But if these propositions are absolutely incontestable, how do they +leave room for the function of a society? If children are beaten, +abandoned, given over to odious practices, will not the authorities, on +the complaint of those interested, or compelled by public opinion, be +able adequately to fulfil the task? This reasoning, altogether French, +would not properly take into account the American temperament, the +genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, of its institutions, and of its usages. +In France, since the fourteenth century, misdemeanors have been +prosecuted the more generally by the public minister, acting under whose +orders are numerous officers of judiciary police, who entertain the +complaints of the public and send them, with the result of their +examination, to our courts. The magistrates charged with the case +complete the investigations, if they take place. The elements of the +evidence are therefore combined when the prosecution is instituted. In +the United States these intermediate officials exist but imperfectly +between the injured party and the magistrate who renders judgment. From +lack of sufficient evidence, the rights of this injured party run the +risk of being compromised through his inexperience. Moreover, the +complaint of the child, often directed against its parents or its legal +guardians, involves the examination of a delicate situation, which must +be conducted with much discernment. Without comparing the two systems, +American and French, which correspond each to the particular genius of +the two nations, it will be seen that the American system leaves much +more to private initiative, and that it would become ineffectual when +the victim of the offence, being a child, has neither the energy nor the +knowledge necessary to demonstrate that its complaint is well founded, +without the aid of some one in power. This is the aid which is given by +the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; and we +can now understand how the exigency of the case, so powerfully felt by +the practical intelligence of the Americans, has called into existence +this potent organization, which we may call the guardian of the rights +of childhood, for the repression of the offences from which it is liable +to suffer. The following anecdote shows how the necessity for this +institution arose, in a manner at once thrilling and dramatic:-- + +Ten years ago in New York, on the top floor of a tenement-house, in a +miserable room without furniture, a dying woman lay on a pallet, in the +last stage of consumption. A charitable lady who visited her asked what +she could do for her. The dying woman replied: "My hours are numbered, +but how can I die in peace when night and day I hear the beating by her +mother-in-law of the unhappy little girl who lives in the room next to +mine." And, in fact, for a month her heart had been torn by the cries of +this child, Mary Ellen, kept in confinement by this brute. Much moved by +this recital, the visitor felt impelled to demand the interference of +the police. They told her this was impracticable unless she was able to +furnish proof of her allegation. She knew the facts only upon hearsay, +and only in case a misdemeanor were actually proved would it be possible +for the police to interfere as she desired. The charitable feelings of +the lady would not permit her to stop here. She made inquiries among +benevolent societies. But here again she experienced a check. The +societies could not receive the child except upon legal commitment by an +order of court. And charitable persons with the most benevolent +tendencies, being consulted on this difficulty, confessed themselves at +a loss to suggest a remedy in the case, and declared that it was +dangerous to interfere between parents and children; that in so doing +one is liable to become involved in inextricable difficulties, since the +heads of the family are the best guardians of their children. However, +the sorrowful appeal of the dying woman echoed continually in the ears +of her whose charitable aid had been implored. She resolved upon a +supreme effort to rescue this child. She sought Mr. Henry Bergh, a man +who has never been deaf to a cry of despair, and who has devoted his +life to the protection of animals. Mr. Bergh considered the life of a +child to be quite as valuable as that of a beast, and gave it as his +opinion that the tribunals should be appealed to. A warrant was +immediately procured and the child was produced in court, its face +covered with horrible wounds. A pair of scissors with which these wounds +had been inflicted were produced. The facts in the case caused a +profound sensation in the court and throughout the city. The +mother-in-law was arrested, found guilty, and the little girl was taken +from her hands to receive an education which has rendered her an elegant +and accomplished young woman. + +Humble beginnings, which it will be well for us to bear in remembrance +for the confusion of our pride! It is from the protection of animals +that has sprung, in New York, that of the child. And, when we +contemplate the great number of societies in the United States,--the +Humane Society of Saratoga, of Bangor, of Keene, of Taunton, of +Connecticut, the Western Pennsylvania, the Tennessee Society, those of +Nashville, of Cleveland, of Cincinnati, of Indianapolis, of Chicago, of +Peoria, of Sangamon, of Quincy, of Minnesota, of Minneapolis, extending, +simultaneously, their help to children and to the brutes, we shall be no +longer astonished either at the combination of effort explained by this +historic origin, or especially at a philosophy which rightly esteems +that cruelty commences with the animal, only to end fatally with the +human being. The proceeding instituted at the instance of Mr. Henry +Bergh was a most valuable precedent. The establishment of a method of +rescue, encouraged complaints, which, till then, had been silent, of the +abandonment, misery, or sufferings of children. Mr. Bergh's society +found itself besieged, and, after deliberation with his counsel, it was +determined to establish another in New York, whose special mission +should be the protection of children. An old gentleman of high +respectability, belonging to the sect of the Quakers, Mr. John D. +Wright, was elected to the presidency, which office he held until his +death, which occurred on the 21st of August, 1880. His successor is Mr. +Elbridge T. Gerry. + +However, inasmuch as the authority with which the society sought to be +invested had reference to public justice, and involved the power to +appear for the defence of the interests of others, and to require the +cooeperation of public officials, a law was indispensable, in order to +confer these powers. Such a law was passed August 21, 1875, whose +provisions covered not only the case of the New York society, but +determined the functions of all institutions of a similar nature. On +condition of complying with the prescribed formalities for acquiring a +corporate existence, the law granted to these institutions the right to +make complaints, in any jurisdiction, of violations of the statutes +regarding children; it set forth, formally, the duty of magistrates or +officers of police, to cooperate with the societies acting in the limits +of their several jurisdictions. The boundaries of the ground of +protection were thus defined, but there was still lacking the requisite +legislative authority. Experience showed that, besides the misdemeanors +of common law--attempts upon the morals, murder, assault and battery, +etc.--a multitude of offences against children remained unpunished. The +society, therefore, solicited and obtained from the Legislature, powers +which permitted it to repress acts of cruelty towards children that the +law failed to reach. The first of these measures was the law of 1876, +forbidding the employment of minors under sixteen years as dancers, +beggars, street peddlers, as gymnasts or contortionists, or in indecent +occupations prejudicial to their health or perilous to their life. Then +came the law of June 6, 1877, forbidding the admission of minors under +fourteen years into public places, liquor saloons, balls, concerts, +theatres, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. With these +laws, which it caused to be interpreted in the courts in certain test +cases, the society arrived at the most satisfactory results. There were +no longer seen in New York those juvenile beggars whose miserable +appearance is made an instrument of gain by their worthless masters; +those vagrants who disguise their vagabondage under the pretext of +imaginary professions, collecting cigar stumps and rag picking; those +little girls who sell flowers at the doors of houses of bad repute, +often concealing under this ostensible occupation infamous transactions +with panders who keep them in their pay. A determined warfare was +declared against the Italian padroni, who thrive upon the toil of the +little unfortunates to whom they pretend to teach music, and whom they +utilize as peddlers and chimney-sweepers. The conviction of the too +notorious Ancarola was the signal for the suppression of these shameless +villains; the purchases of children ceased, and the cause of humanity +triumphed, thanks to the combined efforts of the society and of the +Italian consul, after long and earnest conferences. It is not only the +Italians, but the children of all nationalities, who have profited from +this powerful patronage: Hungarian, German, Chinese, Irish, French. One +of our compatriots, a girl of fourteen years, came one day to implore +its aid. Her father was a drunkard, who had reached the lowest round in +the ladder of degradation; her mother had no means of subsistence except +concubinage, nor her two sisters except prostitution. She begged that +they would save her from this life of shame. The society received her, +procured her a position, a good education. Learning that she was heiress +to a considerable property left by a grandfather, the society took +active steps in France to secure to her her rights. Unfortunately, the +agent who had possession of the estate became insolvent after having +squandered the property, and it was impossible to recover it. The +society continued to care for the young girl up to the day of her +marriage to a young man enjoying a regular salary of $1,200, and worthy +of her in all respects. + +The strict watch kept upon the liquor saloons contributed equally to +improve the condition of children. Many were in the habit of being sent +by confirmed drunkards to buy the "liquid poison!" They thus promoted +this vice whose hardened subjects would prolong It even beyond the grave +by asking that "a bottle of whiskey may be put in their coffin." The +obedience of the children was rewarded by invitations to drink, which +initiated them in debauchery. It was among women abandoned to drink that +lived Eliza Clark, a child of eleven years, paying for the drinks with +the gains which she realized from dancing or singing; in return, the +women gave her brandy to drink and tobacco to smoke, so that when she +was found she resembled "a beast more than a human creature." They also +suppressed the playing of pool for drinks by minors, instituted by +saloon keepers to induce them to drink liquor, which was the reward of +those whom fortune favored in the game. + +The police of the theatres performed their duty conscientiously, and the +statutes were obeyed. The necessity of being accompanied by an adult was +felt to be a strange restraint by these gamins eager for the theatre, +whose attractions led them to abandon school, work, and family, and to +procure the money for their admission by stealing it from their parents, +or at a pinch from strangers; and where they would mingle, between the +acts, with pick-pockets and low characters who encouraged them in the +ways of vice. And for a stronger reason, the child was more carefully +protected against the perils of the stage than against those of the +auditory. Juvenile performances were forbidden, and the youthful +performers were excluded successively from the Columbia Opera House or +Theatre des Folies, from the Italian Opera, from the Gem Theatre, from +Parker's American Theatre, and from the Juvenile Opera. Permissions for +individual performances were peremptorily refused even to parents who +were actors. Here the work of the society encountered serious obstacles, +and it is necessary to quote from Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry in order to +appreciate the motives by which the society was actuated in combating +with vigorous purpose the opposition which it met with: "The Press, +which is influenced to a considerable extent by the representations of +theatrical managers, often criticises severely any attempt to deprive +the public of what it is pleased to call its legitimate amusements, by +the suppression of such entertainments. And many pronounced patrons of +the dramatic art even maintain that such exhibitions are indispensable +to the proper development of a dramatic education, and that when the +necessities of the parents require it, charity should encourage the +children to procure this means of obtaining a livelihood. But let us +examine the other side of the question. When the curtain rises in the +theatre, a draught of warm air rushes from the audience on to the stage, +and often paralyzes for some moments the vocal chords of the actors. +When the curtain falls, the cold air comes down from the flies, and the +children, who have become over heated by their physical exertions, +shiver to the marrow before they are able to accustom themselves to this +sudden change of temperature. Every night these things are renewed. +During the day the children sleep as best they can. Their nervous system +is rapidly undermined; their digestion becomes impaired. It is rare that +one can point to instances of children arriving early at positions of +eminence in the dramatic art. It is true that there are a few who shine +as stars in the theatrical profession, and who entered upon their +dramatic career in early childhood; but these are rare exceptions." + +It is not only on the stage that the morals of the children have been +protected; the keepers of low resorts have been prosecuted by the +society. + +It has shut up the den of the too celebrated Owney Geoghegan, who long +defied the law and the police, encouraging the efforts of prostitutes to +debauch young girls. Women of notorious reputation, who enticed away the +children of respectable mechanics to sell them for money, have been +severely punished. In short, not content with bringing to justice these +outrageous offenders with a firmness which has made it the terror of +these oppressors of childhood, the society has been the instrument of +checking acts even of carelessness or imprudence. It no longer permits +the drunkard to keep his children in a cellar where the rats bite their +feet; or the mercenary father to allow his son to engage in a wager, +dangerous to his health, to make a hundred miles in twenty-four hours; +or a man to ride a bicycle bearing on his shoulders his five-year-old +daughter. + +So great a work demanded accommodations of corresponding magnitude. In +1881, and at the price of $43,000, the society purchased a large +building situated at the corner of 23rd street and 4th avenue, one of +the most important thoroughfares of New York. Not far from the offices, +in the main part of the building, is found a collection of all the +instruments of cruelty seized in the legal proceedings,--rods of iron, +whips, firebars (_barres de poeles_), pokers, cudgels (_gourdins_), and +other instruments. These furnish convincing proofs of the sufferings of +the children,--for example those of Maggie Scully, when she said: "I do +all the work at my aunt's house, and if you do not believe that I have +been beaten, look at me, for my aunt has beaten me this morning with a +poker." Adjoining the offices are the rooms for the officers and the +archives of the institution, containing the papers in each case setting +forth the facts and the evidence. On the upper floor is a dormitory, +where the children are kept until final disposition is made of them, +that is to say, generally during one night. In fact, the work is going +on without interruption at all hours of the day and night. If at night a +call by telephone is received from the police-station, an officer of the +society responds immediately to this appeal. + +As is most frequently the case, he finds a drunken woman in the street, +with three or four ragged children gathered about her, covered with +vermin, without fire or lodging, having been abandoned by the father. +The mother is detained at the station, but the children are taken to the +society, where they are washed, fed, and for the first time in their +lives, perhaps, put to sleep in a bed. On the following day, the +children are taken to court. If the parents or guardians are worthy, +they are returned to them; if not, the justice commits them to some +charitable institution. Some of these have a religious character, and +others a secular one; the American judge, in rendering his decision, is +influenced by interests of family, of nationality, of race, or of +religion of the child, as well as by the requirements of the law. Sick +children and nursing infants are sent to the hospital on Randall's +Island, the Ladies' Deborah Nursery, and the Child's Hospital. Each of +the charitable institutions receives a per capita allowance for children +during the time that they remain in their care. + +The society does not abandon them, and if a complaint arises of improper +treatment, it causes legal proceedings to be instituted against those +who are responsible therefor. + +A recent case of this kind was that of the "Old Gentlemen's Home." + +It will be readily seen that the cases which come before the society +must be very numerous: during the nine years of its existence it has +investigated 13,077 complaints, involving 52,308 children, prosecuted +4,035 cases, convicted 3,637 offenders, rescued and placed in homes or +institutions 7,555 children. In the last three years it has temporarily +sheltered and clothed 1,092 children and furnished them with 9,309 +meals. These figures acquire a singular force when one reads in the +annual reports the curious history of these cases setting forth the +facts in detail. In 1882 the magistrates of the city issued 1,267 +warrants. On the information furnished, 834 children were held in +custody, 1,040 released. The city of New York is compelled to pay for +the support of children thus committed to custody. A saving of $108,160 +has therefore been realized to the benefit of the tax-payers of New +York. In 1883 they received 2,966 complaints; there were 1,176 +prosecutions and 1,128 convictions; 2,008 children were placed in +institutions of charity. Of 2,341 children arrested 1,078 were held, +1,263 released. + +The resources of the society are derived exclusively from the liberality +of the public. It receives no aid either from the State or city. On the +contrary, it pay taxes even on the water used in the care of the +children in its charge. The account of receipts and expenditures amounts +to about $17,000. Of the $43,000 which its building cost, $25,000 remain +on mortgage. The field in which the society employs its activity is +already large, and is rapidly extending. It endeavors to obtain from the +legislature laws which will defeat the aims of those too numerous +enterprises which, under color of charity, utilize young children, for +example, the baby farms and those establishments (called _hospitaliers_) +which have neither the means nor the facilities necessary to their +proper conduct. It requires that children shall not be employed in +manual labor before the age of fourteen years, and only after their +physical capability has been certified to by a physician. It insists on +the prohibition of all dangerous occupations. The former articles in +this Bulletin on the abuses which exist in the industrial employment of +children in New York show how justifiable is this action of the society. +"Thousands of children," says Mr. Gerry, "die of diseases contracted in +these injurious employments; in this respect our nation is far behind +Europe in its means of affording protection to children. In France, +severe laws have been in operation since 1841. England has promptly +followed this example, and like the English legislation, that of France +expressly forbids the employment of children in the manufacture of +dangerous substances, of a nature poisonous or explosive. You have only +to visit our hospitals to see the little creatures with hand or fingers +mutilated, from being employed at too early an age in the operation of +machinery. Our negligence makes manifest the wisdom of the French law, +whose lesson is so necessary with us." This needed progress will +without doubt be made, and the society will continue with increased zeal +its charitable work. It gives to the legislator the benefit of a +practical experience in the work, to the child its powerful advocacy in +the courts, to justice the impartiality of prudent investigations, to +public opinion the assurance of the proper conduct of charitable +institutions and an impulse in the direction of improvement. It is thus +that in this land of enterprise, whose customs are adverse to permitting +affairs even of the gravest importance, like the prosecution of crimes +or the direction of works of benevolence, to be concentrated in the +hands of public officials, the consequences of _self-government_ have +been happily corrected in points where they would otherwise become +extreme, in regard to children. The New York society is therefore well +described by its worthy president, Mr. Elbridge T. Gerry, as "the Hand +of Protection." And this hand is too charitable for us to forbear to +give it a cordial pressure across the vast expanse of the Atlantic. + + * * * * * + +THE MIDDLESEX CANAL. + +BY LORIN L. DAME, A.M. + + +The curious traveller may still trace with little difficulty the line of +the old Middlesex canal, with here and there a break, from the basin at +Charlestown to its junction with the Merrimac at Middlesex village. Like +an accusing ghost, it never strays far from the Boston & Lowell +Railroad, to which it owes its untimely end. + +At Medford, the Woburn sewer runs along one portion of its bed, the Spot +pond water-pipes another. The tow-path, at one point, marks the course +of the defunct Mystic Valley Railroad; at others, it has been +metamorphosed into sections of the highway; at others, it survives as a +cow-path or woodland lane; at Wilmington, the stone sides of a lock have +become the lateral walls of a dwelling-house cellar. + +Judging the canal by the pecuniary recompense it brought its projectors, +it must be admitted a dismal failure; yet its inception was none the +less a comprehensive, far-reaching scheme, which seemed to assure a +future of ample profits and great public usefulness. Inconsiderable as +this work may appear compared with the modern achievements of +engineering, it was, for the times, a gigantic undertaking, beset with +difficulties scarcely conceivable to-day. Boston was a small town of +about twenty thousand inhabitants; Medford, Woburn, and Chelmsford were +insignificant villages; and Lowell was as yet unborn, while the valley +of the Merrimac, northward into New Hampshire, supported a sparse +agricultural population. But the outlook was encouraging. It was a +period of rapid growth and marked improvements. The subject of closer +communication with the interior early became a vital question. +Turnpikes, controlled by corporations, were the principal avenues over +which country produce, lumber, firewood, and building-stone found their +way to the little metropolis. The cost of entertainment at the various +country inns, the frequent tolls, and the inevitable wear and tear of +teaming, enhanced very materially the price of all these articles. The +Middlesex canal was the first step towards the solution of the problem +of cheap transportation. The plan originated with the Hon. James +Sullivan, who was for six years a judge of the Supreme Court of +Massachusetts, attorney-general from 1790 to 1807, and governor in 1807 +and 1808, dying while holding the latter office. + +A brief glance at the map of the New England States will bring out in +bold relief the full significance of Sullivan's scheme. It will be seen +that the Merrimac river, after pursuing a southerly course as far as +Middlesex village, turns abruptly to the north-east. A canal from +Charlestown mill-pond to this bend of the river, a distance of 27-1/4 +miles, would open a continuous water-route of eighty miles to Concord, +N.H. From this point, taking advantage of Lake Sunapee, a canal could +easily be run in a north-westerly direction to the Connecticut at +Windsor, Vt.; and thence, making use of intermediate streams, +communication could be opened with the St. Lawrence. The speculative +mind of Sullivan dwelt upon the pregnant results that must follow the +connection of Boston with New Hampshire and possibly Vermont and Canada. +He consulted his friend, Col. Baldwin, sheriff of Middlesex, who had a +natural taste for engineering, and they came to the conclusion that the +plan was feasible. Should the undertaking succeed between Concord and +Boston, the gradual increase in population and traffic would in time +warrant the completion of the programme. Even should communication never +be established beyond Concord, the commercial advantages of opening to +the market the undeveloped resources of upper New Hampshire would be a +sufficient justification. Accordingly, James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, +Jonathan Porter, Samuel Swan, and five members of the Hall family at +Medford, petitioned the General Court for an act of incorporation. A +charter was granted, bearing date of June 22, 1793, "incorporating James +Sullivan, Esq., and others, by the name of the Proprietors of the +Middlesex Canal," and on the same day was signed by His Excellency John +Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. By this charter the proprietors +were authorized to lay such assessments from time to time as might be +required for the construction of the canal. + +At their first meeting the proprietors intrusted the management of the +corporation to a board of thirteen members, who were to choose a +president and vice-presidents from their own number, the entire board +subject to annual election. Boston capitalists subscribed freely, and +Russell, Gore, Barrell, Craigie, and Brooks appear among the earliest +directors. This board organized on the 11th of October by the choice of +James Sullivan as president, and Col. Baldwin and John Brooks +(afterwards Gov. Brooks) as vice-presidents. The first step was to make +the necessary surveys between the Charlestown basin and the Merrimac at +Chelmsford; but the science of engineering was in its infancy, and it +was difficult to find a competent person to undertake the task. At +length Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, was engaged to make a preliminary +survey; but the directors, not wholly satisfied with his report, +afterwards secured the services of Samuel Weston, an eminent English +engineer, then employed in Pennsylvania on the Potomac canals. His +report, made Aug. 2, 1794, was favorable; and it is interesting to +compare his figures with those of Mr. Thompson. As calculated by +Thompson, the ascent from Medford bridge to the Concord river, at +Billerica, was found to be 68-1/2 ft.; the actual difference in level, +as found by Weston, was 104 ft. By Thompson's survey there was a further +ascent of 16-1/2 ft. to the Merrimac; when, in fact, the water at +Billerica bridge is almost 25 ft. above the Merrimac at Chelmsford. + +Col. Baldwin, who superintended the construction of the canal, removed +the first turf, Sept. 10, 1794. The progress was slow and attended with +many embarrassments. The purchase of land from more than one hundred +proprietors demanded skilful diplomacy. Most of the lands used for the +canal were acquired by voluntary sale, and conveyed in fee-simple to the +corporation. Sixteen lots were taken under authority of the Court of +Sessions; while for thirteen neither deed nor record could be found when +the corporation came to an end. Some of the land was never paid for, as +the owner refused to accept the sum awarded. The compensation ranged +from about $150 an acre in Medford to $25 in Billerica. The numerous +conveyances are all in Sullivan's handwriting. + +Labor was not easily procured, probably from the scarcity of laborers, +as the wages paid, $10 a month and board, were presumably as much as +could be earned in manual labor elsewhere. "An order was sent to England +for a levelling instrument made by S. & W. Jones, of London, and this +was the only instrument used for engineering purposes after the first +survey by Weston." Two routes were considered; the rejected route was +forty years later selected for the Lowell Railroad. The canal, 30 ft. +wide, 4 ft. deep, with 20 locks, 7 aqueducts, and crossed by 50 bridges, +was, in 1802, sufficiently completed for the admission of water, and the +following year was opened to public navigation from the Merrimac to the +Charles. Its cost, about $500,000, of which one-third was for land +damages, was but little more than the estimate. Commencing at +Charlestown mill-pond, it passed through Medford, crossing the Mystic by +a wooden aqueduct of 100 ft., to Horn pond in Woburn. Traversing Woburn +and Wilmington it crossed the Shawshine by an aqueduct of 137 ft., and +struck the Concord, from which it receives its water, at Billerica +Mills. Entering the Concord by a stone guard-lock, it crossed, with a +floating tow-path, and passed out on the northern side through another +stone guard-lock; thence it descended 27 ft., in a course of 5-1/4 +miles, through Chelmsford to the Merrimac, making its entire length +27-1/4 m. + +The proprietors made Charlestown bridge the eastern terminus for their +boats, but ultimately communication was opened with the markets and +wharves upon the harbor, through Mill Creek, over a section of which +Blackstone street now extends. + +As the enterprise had the confidence of the business community, money +for prosecuting the work had been procured with comparative ease. The +stock was divided into 800 shares, and among the original stockholders +appear the names of Ebenezer and Dudley Hall, Oliver Wendall, John Adams +of Quincy, Peter C. Brooks of Medford, and Andrew Craigie of Cambridge. +The stock had steadily advanced from $25 a share in the autumn of 1794 +to $473 in 1803, the year the canal was opened, touching $500 in 1804. +Then a decline set in, a few dollars at a time, till 1816, when its +market value was $300 with few takers, although the canal was in +successful operation, and, in 1814, the obstructions in the Merrimac had +been surmounted, so that canal boats, locking into the river at +Chelmsford, had been poled up stream as far as Concord. + +Firewood and lumber always formed a very considerable item in the +business of the canal. The navy-yard at Charlestown and the shipyards on +the Mystic form any years relied upon the canal for the greater part of +the timber used in shipbuilding; and work was sometimes seriously +retarded by low water in the Merrimac, which interfered with +transportation. The supply of oak and pine about Lake Winnipiseogee, and +along the Merrimac and its tributaries, was thought to be practically +inexhaustible. In the opinion of Daniel Webster, the value of this +timber had been increased $5,000,000 by the canal. Granite from +Tyngsborough, and agricultural products from a great extent of fertile +country, found their way along this channel to Boston; while the return +boats supplied taverns and country stores with their annual stock of +goods. The receipts from tolls, rents, etc. were steadily increasing, +amounting, + + in 1812 to $12,600, + " 1813 " 16,800, + " 1814 " 25,700, + " 1815 " 29,200, + " 1816 " 32,600, + +Yet, valuable, useful, and productive as the canal had proved itself, it +had lost the confidence of the public, and, with a few exceptions, of +the proprietors themselves. The reason for this state of sentiment can +easily be shown. The general depression of business on account of the +embargo and the war of 1812 had its effect upon the canal. In the deaths +of Gov. Sullivan and Col. Baldwin, in the same year, 1808, the +enterprise was deprived of the wise and energetic counsellors to whom it +owed its existence. + +The aqueducts and most of the locks, being built of wood, required large +sums for annual repairs; the expenses arising from imperfections in the +banks, and from the erection of toll-houses and public houses for the +accommodation of the boatmen, were considerable; but the heaviest +expenses were incurred in opening the Merrimac for navigation. From +Concord, N.H., to the head of the canal the river has a fall of 123 ft., +necessitating various locks and canals. The Middlesex Canal Corporation +contributed to the building of the Wiccasee locks and canals, $12,000; +Union locks and canals, $49,932; Hookset canal, $6,750; Bow canal and +locks, $14,115, making a sum total of $82,797 to be paid from the income +of the Middlesex canal. + +The constant demand for money in excess of the incomes had proved +demoralizing. Funds had been raised from time to time by lotteries. In +the Columbian "Centinel & Massachusetts Federalist" of Aug. 15, 1804, +appears an advertisement of the Amoskeag Canal Lottery, 6,000 tickets at +$5, with an enumeration of prizes. The committee, consisting of Phillips +Payson, Samuel Swan, Jr., and Loammi Baldwin, Jr., appealed to the +public for support, assuring the subscribers that all who did not draw +prizes would get the full value of their money in the reduced price of +fuel. + +In 1816 the Legislature of Massachusetts granted the proprietors of the +canal, in consideration of its usefulness to the public, two townships +of land in the district of Maine, near Moosehead lake. This State aid, +however, proved of no immediate service, as purchasers could not be +found for several years for property so remote. Appeals to capitalists, +lotteries, and State aid proved insufficient; the main burden fell upon +the stockholders. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, +assessments had been levied, as occasion required, up to 1816, 99 in +number, amounting to $670 per share; and the corporation was still +staggering under a debt of $64,000. Of course, during all this time, no +dividends could be declared. + +Under these unpromising conditions a committee, consisting of Josiah +Quincy, Joseph Hall, and Joseph Coolidge, Jr., was appointed to devise +the appropriate remedy. "In the opinion of your committee," the report +reads, "the real value of the property, at this moment, greatly exceeds +the market value, and many years will not elapse before it will be +considered among the best of all practicable monied investments. The +Directors contemplate no further extension of the canal. _The work is +done_, both the original and subsidiary canals.... Let the actual +incomes of the canal be as great as they may, so long as they are +consumed in payment of debts and interest on loans, the aspect of the +whole is that of embarrassment and mortgage. The present rates of +income, if continued, and there is every rational prospect, not only of +its continuance, but of its great and rapid increase, will enable the +corporation--when relieved of its present liabilities,--at once to +commence a series of certain, regular, and satisfactory dividends." They +accordingly recommended a final assessment of $80 per share, completely +to extinguish all liabilities. This assessment, the 100th since the +commencement, was levied in 1817, making a sum total of $600,000, +extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. If to this sum the +interest of the various assessments be added, computed to Feb. 1, 1819, +the date of the first dividend, the actual cost of each share is found +to have been $1,455.25. + +The prosperity of the canal property now seemed fully assured. The first +dividend, though only $15, was the promise of golden showers in the near +future, and the stock once more took an upward flight. From 1819 to 1836 +were the palmy days of the canal, unvexed with debts, and subject to +very moderate expenses for annual repairs and management. + +It is difficult to ascertain the whole number of boats employed at any +one time. Many were owned and run by the proprietors of the canal; and +many were constructed and run by private parties who paid the regular +tolls for whatever merchandise they transported. Boats belonging to the +same parties were conspicuously numbered, like railway cars to-day. From +"Regulations relative to the Navigation of the Middlesex Canal," a +pamphlet published in 1830, it appears that boats were required to be +not less than 40 ft. nor more than 75 ft. in length and not less than 9 +ft. nor more than 9-1/2 ft. in width. Two men, a driver and steersman, +usually made up the working force; the boats, however, that went up the +Merrimac required three men, one to steer, and two to pole. The Lowell +boats carried 20 tons of coal; 15 tons were sufficient freight for +Concord; when the water in the Merrimac was low, not more than 6 or 7 +tons could be taken up the river. About 1830 the boatmen received $15 +per month. + +Lumber was transported in rafts of about 75 ft. long and 9 ft. wide; and +these rafts, not exceeding ten in number, were often united in "bands." +A band of seven to ten rafts required the services of five men, +including the driver. Boats were drawn by horses, and lumber by oxen; +and "luggage boats" were required to make two and a half miles an hour, +while "passage boats" attained a speed of four miles. Boats of the same +class, and going the same way, were not allowed to pass each other, thus +making "racing" impossible on the staid waters of the old canal. +Whenever a boat approached a lock, the conductor sounded his horn to +secure the prompt attention of the lock-tender; but due regard was paid +to the religious sentiment of New England. Travelling in the canal being +permitted on Sundays, "in consideration of the distance from home at +which those persons using it generally are, it may be reasonably +expected that they should not disturb those places of public worship +near which they pass, nor occasion any noise to interrupt the +tranquillity of the day. Therefore, it is established that no +_Signal-Horn_ shall be used or blown on Sundays." + +The tariff varied greatly from year to year. In 1827 the rate from +Lowell to Boston was $2.00 the gross ton; but many articles were carried +on much lower terms. + +On account of liability of damage to the banks of the canal, all +navigation ceased at dark; hence, at every lock, or series of locks, a +tavern was established. These were all owned by the corporation, and +were often let to the lock-tender, who eked out his income by the +accommodation of boatmen and horses. The Bunker Hill Tavern, in +Charlestown, situated so as to accommodate both county and canal travel, +was leased, in 1830, for $350; in 1838, it let for $500. The Horn Pond +House, at Woburn, in 1838, was leased for $700. In 1825, a two-story +dwelling-house, 36 X 18, built at a cost of $1,400, for the +accommodation of boatmen and raftsmen, at Charlestown, rented, with +stable attached, for $140. In all these cases, the real estate was +supposed to pay ten per cent. + +Some of these canal-taverns established a wide reputation for good +cheer, and boatmen contrived to be overtaken by night in their +vicinity. Sometimes fifteen or twenty boats would be detained at one of +these favorite resorts, and a jolly crowd fraternized in the primitive +bar-room. The temperance sentiment had not yet taken a firm hold in New +England. "Flip" was the high-toned beverage of those days; but +"black-strap," a compound of rum and molasses, sold at three cents a +glass, was the particular "vanity" of the boatmen. In the smaller +taverns, a barrel of old Medford, surmounted by a pitcher of molasses, +scorning the flimsy subterfuges of modern times, boldly invited its +patrons to draw and mix at their own sweet will. "Plenty of drunkenness, +Uncle Joe, in those days?" we queried of an ancient boatman who was +dilating upon the good old times. "Bless your heart, no!" was the +answer. "Mr. Eddy didn't put up with no drunkards on the canal. They +could drink all night, sir, and be steady as an eight-day clock in the +morning." + +When the feverish haste born of the locomotive and telegraph had not yet +infected society, a trip over the canal in the passenger-packet, the +"Governor Sullivan," must have been an enjoyable experience. Protected +by iron rules from the dangers of collision; undaunted by squalls of +wind, realizing, should the craft be capsized, that he had nothing to do +but walk ashore, the traveller, speeding along at the leisurely pace of +four miles per hour, had ample time for observation and reflection. +Seated, in summer, under a capacious awning, he traversed the valley of +the Mystic skirting the picturesque shores of Mystic pond. Instead of a +foreground of blurred landscape, vanishing, ghostlike, ere its features +could be fairly distinguished, soft bits of characteristic New England +scenery, clear cut as cameos, lingered caressingly on his vision; green +meadows, fields riotous with blossomed clover, fragrant orchards, and +quaint old farmhouses, with a background of low hills wooded to their +summits. + +Passing under bridges, over rivers, between high embankments, and +through deep cuttings, floated up hill by a series of locks, he +marvelled at this triumph of engineering, and, if he were a director, +pictured the manufactories that were to spring up along this great +thoroughfare, swelling its revenues for all time. + +The tow-path of the canal was a famous promenade. Upon Sunday +afternoons, especially, numerous pedestrians from the dusty city +strolled along the canal for a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the +open country, through the Royal estate in Medford, past the substantial +old-fashioned mansion-house of Peter C. Brooks, as far, perhaps, as the +Baldwin estate, and the birthplace of Count Rumford, in Woburn. "I love +that old tow-path," said Uncle Joe. "'Twas there I courted my wife; and +every time the boat went by she came tripping out to walk a piece with +me! Bless you, sir the horses knew her step, and it wan't so heavy, +nuther." + +Meanwhile, under the direction of Caleb Eddy, who assumed the agency of +the corporation in 1825, bringing great business ability and +unquenchable zeal to his task, the perishable wooden locks were +gradually replaced with stone, a new stone dam was built at Billerica, +and the service brought to a high state of efficiency. The new dam was +the occasion of a lawsuit brought by the proprietors of the Sudbury +meadows, claiming damages to the extent of $10,000 for flooding their +meadows. The defendants secured the services of Samuel Hoar, Esq., of +Concord, assisted by the Hon. Daniel Webster, who accepted a retaining +fee of $100 to "manage and argue the case in conjunction with Mr. Hoar. +The cause was to have been tried November, 1833. Mr. Webster was called +on by me and promised to examine the evidence and hold himself in +readiness for the trial, but for some time before he was not to be found +in Boston, at one time at New York, at another in Philadelphia, and so +on from place to place so that I am satisfied no dependance can be +placed with certainty upon his assistance, and," plaintively concludes +the agent, "our $100 has gone to profit and loss account." + +On the other side was the Hon. Jeremiah Mason, assisted by Franklin +Dexter, Esq. This case was decided the following year adversely to the +plaintiffs. + +With the accession of business brought by the corporations at Lowell, +the prospect for increased dividends in the future was extremely +encouraging. The golden age of the canal appeared close at hand; but the +fond hopes of the proprietors were once more destined to disappointment. +Even the genius of James Sullivan had not foreseen the railway +locomotive. In 1829 a petition was presented to the Legislature for the +survey of a railroad from Boston to Lowell. The interests of the canal +were seriously involved. A committee was promptly chosen to draw up for +presentation to the General Court "a remonstrance of the Proprietors of +Middlesex Canal, against the grant of a charter to build a railroad from +Boston to Lowell." This remonstrance, signed by William Sullivan, Joseph +Coolidge, and George Hallett, bears date of Boston, Feb. 12, 1830, and +conclusively shows how little the business men of fifty years ago +anticipated the enormous development of our resources consequent upon +the application of steam to transportation:-- + + The remonstrants take pleasure in declaring, that they join in the + common sentiment of surprise and commendation, that any + intelligence and enterprise should have raised so rapidly and so + permanently, such establishments as are seen at Lowell. The + proprietors of these works have availed themselves of _the canal_, + for their transportation for all articles, except in the winter + months ... and every effort has been made by this corporation to + afford every facility, it was hoped and believed, to the entire + satisfaction of the Lowell proprietors. The average annual amount + of tolls paid by these proprietors has been only about four + thousand dollars. It is believed no safer or cheaper mode of + conveyance can ever be established, nor any so well adapted for + carrying heavy and bulky articles. To establish therefore a + _substitute_ for the canal alongside of it, and in many places + within a few rods of it, and to do that which the canal was made to + do, seems to be a measure not called for by any exigency, nor one + which the Legislature can permit, without implicitly declaring that + all investments of money in public enterprises must be subjected to + the will of any applicants who think that they may benefit + themselves without regard to older enterprises, which have a claim + to protection from public authority. With regard, then, to + transportation of tonnage goods, the means exist for all but the + winter months, as effectually as any that can be provided. + + There is a supposed source of revenue to a railroad, _from + carrying passengers_. As to this, the remonstrants venture no + opinion, except to say, that passengers are now carried, at all + hours, as rapidly and safely as they are anywhere else in the + world.... To this, the remonstrants would add, that the use of a + railroad, _for passengers only_, has been tested by experience, + nowhere, hitherto; and that it remains to be known, whether this is + a mode which will command general confidence and approbation, and + that, therefore, no facts are now before the public, which furnish + the conclusion, that the grant of a railroad is a public exigency + even for such a purpose. The Remonstrants would also add, that so + far as they know and believe, "_there never can be a sufficient + inducement to extend a railroad from Lowell westwardly and + northwestwardly, to the Connecticut, so as to make it the great + avenue to and from the interior, but that its termination must be + at Lowell_" (italics our own), "and, consequently that it is to be + a substitute for the modes of transportation now in use between + that place and Boston, _and cannot deserve patronage from the + supposition that it is to be more extensively useful_...." + + The Remonstrants, therefore, respectfully submit: First, that there + be no such exigency as will warrant the granting of the prayer for + a railroad to and from Lowell. + + Secondly, that, if that prayer be granted, provision should be made + as a condition for granting it, that the Remonstrants shall be + indemnified for the losses which will be thereby occasioned to + them. + +This may seem the wilful blindness of self-interest; but the utterances +of the press and the legislative debates of the period are similar in +tone. In relation to another railroad, the "Boston Transcript" of Sept. +1, 1830, remarks: "It is not astonishing that so much reluctance exists +against plunging into doubtful speculations.... The public itself is +divided as to the practicability of the Rail Road. If they expect the +assistance of capitalists, they must stand ready to guarantee the +_percentum per annum_; without this, all hopes of Rail Roads are +visionary and chimerical." In a report of legislative proceedings +published in the "Boston Courier," of Jan. 25, 1830, Mr. Cogswell, of +Ipswich, remarked: "Railways, Mr. Speaker, may do well enough in old +countries, but will never be the thing for so young a country as this. +When you can make the rivers run back, it will be time enough to make a +railway." Notwithstanding the pathetic remonstrances and strange +vaticinations of the canal proprietors, the Legislature incorporated the +road and refused compensation to the canal. Even while the railroad was +in process of construction, the canal directors do not seem to have +realized the full gravity of the situation. They continued the policy of +replacing wood with stone, and made every effort to perfect the service +in all its details; as late as 1836 the agent recommended improvements. +The amount of tonnage continued to increase--the very sleepers used in +the construction of the railway were boated, it is said, to points +convenient for the workmen. + +In 1832 the canal declared a dividend of $22 per share; from 1834 to +1837, inclusive, a yearly dividend of $30. + +The disastrous competition of the Lowell Railroad was now beginning to +be felt. In 1835 the Lowell goods conveyed by canal paid tonnage dues of +$11,975.51; in 1836 the income from this source had dwindled to +$6,195.77. The canal dividends had been kept up to their highest mark by +the sale of its townships in Maine and other real estate: but now they +began to drop. The year the Lowell road went into full operation the +receipts of the canal were reduced one-third; and when the Nashua & +Lowell road went into full operation, in 1840, they were reduced another +third. The board of directors waged a plucky warfare with the railroads, +reducing the tariff on all articles, and almost abolishing it on some, +till the expenditures of the canal outran its income; but steam came out +triumphant. Even sanguine Caleb Eddy became satisfied that longer +competition was vain, and set himself to the difficult task of saving +fragments from the inevitable wreck. + +At this time (1843) Boston numbered about 100,000 inhabitants, and was +dependent for water upon cisterns and wells. The supply of water in the +wells had been steadily diminishing for years, and what remained was +necessarily subject to contamination from numberless sources. "One +specimen which I analyzed," said Dr. Jackson, "which gave three per +cent, of animal and vegetable putrescent matter, was publicly sold as a +mineral water; it was believed that water having such a remarkable fetid +odor and nauseous taste, could be no other than that of a sulphur +spring; but its medicinal powers vanished with the discovery that the +spring arose from a neighboring drain." Here was a golden opportunity. +Eddy proposed to abandon the canal as a means of transportation, and +convert it into an aqueduct for supplying the City of Boston with +wholesome water. The sections between the Merrimac and Concord at one +extremity, and Charlestown mill-pond and Woburn at the other, were to be +wholly discontinued. Flowing along the open channel of the canal from +the Concord river to Horn-pond locks in Woburn, from thence it was to be +conducted in iron pipes to a reservoir upon Mount Benedict in +Charlestown, a hill eighty feet above the sea-level. + +The good quality of the Concord-river water was vouched for by the +"analysis of four able and practical chemists, Dr. Charles T. Jackson, +of Boston; John W. Webster, of Cambridge University; S.L. Dana, of +Lowell, and A.A. Hayes, Esq., of the chemical works at Roxbury." The +various legal questions involved were submitted to the Hon. Jeremiah +Mason, who gave an opinion, dated Dec. 21, 1842, favorable to the +project. The form for an act of incorporation was drawn up; and a +pamphlet was published, in 1843, by Caleb Eddy, entitled an "Historical +sketch of the Middlesex Canal, with remarks for the consideration of the +Proprietors," setting forth the new scheme in glowing colors. + +But despite the feasibility of the plan proposed, and the energy with +which it was pushed, the agitation came to naught; and Eddy, despairing +of the future, resigned his position as agent in 1845. Among the +directors during these later years were Ebenezer Chadwick, Wm. Appleton, +Wm. Sturgis, Charles F. Adams, A.A. Lawrence, and Abbott Lawrence; but +no business ability could long avert the catastrophe. Stock fell to +$150, and finally the canal was discontinued, according to Amory's Life +of Sullivan, in 1846. It would seem, however, that a revival of +business was deemed within the range of possibilities, for in +conveyances made in 1852 the company reserved the right to use the land +"for canalling purposes"; and the directors annually went through with +the form of electing an agent and collector as late as 1853. + +"Its vocation gone, and valueless for any other service," says Amory, +"the canal property was sold for $130,000. After the final dividends, +little more than the original assessments had been returned to the +stockholders." Oct. 3, 1859, the Supreme Court issued a decree, +declaring that the proprietors had "forfeited all their franchises and +privileges, by reason of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and +neglect." Thus was the corporation forever extinguished. + + * * * * * + +THE TAVERNS OF BOSTON IN YE OLDEN TIME. + +BY DAVID M. BALFOUR. + + +The first tavern in Boston was kept by Samuel Coles. It was opened in +March, 1633, and stood near the south-west corner of Merchants row and +Corn court, with an area in front on Merchants row and also on Fanueil +Hall square, which in latter days have been covered with buildings. It +was destroyed by fire during the early part of the eighteenth century, +and the older portion of the present edifice was erected in 1737, which +has been enlarged on the northerly side. It was towards the close of the +last century known as the "Brazier Inn," and was kept by a widow lady of +that name. It is now known as the "Hancock House," and is kept by a +stalwart Scotchman named Alexander Clarkson. Gov. Vane held a council in +the south-westerly room in the second story with Miantonomoh, the +Narragansett chief. The same room was subsequently occupied by Lafayette +in 1773, and afterwards by Talleyrand in 1798. + +The State Arms Tavern was built in 1645, and stood on the south-east +corner of State and Exchange streets. It was occupied as the +custom-house just before the Revolution. + +The Star Inn was built in 1645, and stood on the north-east corner of +Hanover and Union streets. It was first kept by Thomas Hawkins, and +afterwards by Andrew Neal, a Scotchman. The Scots' Charitable Society, +of which the landlord was a member, frequently held its meetings there. + +The Roebuck Tavern was built in 1650. It stood on the east side of +Merchants row, between Clinton and North streets. It was believed to +have been built by a descendant of Richard Whittington, the Lord Mayor +of London in 1419, who was famed for his love of cats. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1651, and stood on North street, just +beyond the corner of Fleet street. John Vyall kept it in 1663, and it +was at one time called "Noah's Ark." The peace commissioners sent over +by Charles II. held their sessions there. It was demolished in 1866. + +The King's Arms Tavern was built in 1654, and stood on the southeast +corner of Washington and Brattle streets, opposite the Samuel Adams +statue. + +The Red Lion Tavern stood on the north-west corner of North and Richmond +streets. It was built in 1654, and kept by Nicholas Upsall, a Quaker, +who was persecuted, imprisoned, and banished for his faith. Near this +spot the devastating fire of November 27, 1676, broke out in one +Wakefield's house. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern stood on the site of No. 254 Washington street. +It was built in 1664, and kept by George Monck. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1665, and +stood on Brattle street, upon the site which was afterwards Doolittle's +City Tavern. It was first kept by Robert Turner, and was noted for its +_punch_, and was a favorite resort of public men. + +The Blue Bell Tavern was built in 1673, and stood on the north-west +corner of Batterymarch street and Liberty square; a portion of the Mason +building now occupies its site. It was kept by Nathaniel Bishop, and +afterwards by Alleric & Drury. In 1692 it was called the Castle Tavern, +and ceased to be an inn after 1707. + +The Castle Tavern (the second of that name) stood on the south-west +corner of Dock square and Elm street. It was erected by William Hudson +in 1674, and kept by John Wing in 1687, who gave his name to the street. +In 1694 it was called the George Tavern. + +The King's Head Tavern was built in 1680, and stood at the northeast +corner of North and Fleet streets. It was burnt in 1691, and afterwards +rebuilt. It was kept by James Davenport in 1755. + +The Seven Star Inn stood, in 1684, on the south-west corner of Summer +and Hawley streets. It gave its name to the lane which was afterwards +called Bishop's alley. Here, in 1736, was erected of wood the first +edifice of Trinity Church. The land, which originally contained 15,000 +square feet, was bought of John Gibbins and William Speakman for L450. +This edifice was demolished in 1828 and a stone structure erected in +1830, which was burnt in the great fire, November 8, 1872. The site, +after having its proportions curtailed, in order to widen Summer and +Hawley streets, containing 7,126 square feet, was sold to William D. +Peckman, in 1874, for $194,402. + +The Sun Tavern stood on the southwest corner of Dock and Faneuil Hall +squares. It was built in 1690, and was kept by Samuel Mears in 1724, and +by Day in 1753. It was conveyed by Thomas Valentine in 1741 for L2,475 +($8,250); and by Joseph Jackson in 1794 for L1,333-6-8 ($4,444); and by +E.P. Arnold in 1865 for $20,000. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. It was the head-quarters of the +British officers during the siege. It is the oldest building in Boston. + +The Queen's Head Tavern stood at the north-west corner of North and +Clark streets. It was built in 1691. + +The Green Dragon Inn was built in 1692. It was first kept by Alexander +Smith, who died in 1696, and was succeeded by Hannah Bishop, who was +next succeeded by John Cary. In 1734 Joseph Kidder was its landlord. In +1764 it was conveyed by Catharine Kerr, sister to Dr. William Douglas, +to St. Andrew's Lodge of Freemasons. It was a hospital during the +Revolution. It was the head-quarters of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, +Samuel Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and other patriots, during the +Revolution. It was called the Green Dragon Tavern after the Revolution, +and at one time the Freemasons' Arms. Daniel Simpson, the veteran +drummer, was at one time its landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society +frequently held its meetings there. The Green Dragon building, extending +through from Union to (new) Washington street, now denotes its site. + +The Salutation Inn stood on the north-west corner of Hanover and +Salutation streets. It was built by John Brooking in 1692, and sold to +Sir William Phips. John Scollay kept it in 1697, who was succeeded by +Samuel Green in 1731. It became famous, later, when William Campbell +kept it in 1773, when it was a rallying-place for the patriots who gave +rise to the word "_Caucus_." The resolutions for the destruction of the +tea in Boston Harbor were drawn up there. It was also called the "_Two +Palaverers_," from the representation upon the sign of two old gentlemen +in wigs, cocked hats, and knee-breeches, saluting each other with much +ceremony. + +The Golden Bull Tavern was built in 1693, and stood on the south-east +corner of Merchants row and Chatham street. It was kept in 1752 by +Marston. + +The Black Horse Tavern was built in 1700, and stood on the west side of +Prince street, which in former days was called Black Horse lane, and +Salem street. It was noted as a hiding-place for deserters from +Burgoyne's army when stationed at Cambridge. + +The Half Moon Inn was built in 1705, and stood on the north-west corner +of Fleet and Sun court streets. It was kept in 1752 by Deborah Chick. + +The Swan Tavern was built in 1707, and stood at the north-east corner of +Fleet and North streets. + +The Orange Tree Inn was built in 1708, and stood on the north-east +corner of Court and Hanover streets during the Provincial period. White +it was kept by Jonathan Wardwell, in 1712, he set up the first +hackney-coach stand. His widow kept it in 1724. It was demolished in +1785. It was noted for having a well of water which never froze or dried +up. + +The Bull Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the south-west corner of +Summer and Federal streets. It was there that sundry inhabitants at the +South End met and formed the project to erect a church on Church green, +which was called the "New South," and presided over for a long series of +years by Rev. Alexander Young, D.D. + +The Light House Tavern was built in 1717, and stood on the south side of +King (State) street, on the north-west corner of Devonshire street, +opposite the Town House (Old State House). It is not impossible that it +may have been standing there in 1742. There was also another tavern of +the same name at the North End in 1763, from which the "Portsmouth +Flying Stage" started every Saturday morning. It carried six passengers +inside; fare 13s. 6d. sterling ($3.25); to Newburyport, 9s. ($2.17). +Returning, left Portsmouth on Tuesday. + +The Marlboro' Hotel was built in 1708, and took its name from the street +In front, and was the first public house in Boston dignified with the +name of "Hotel." John C. Calhoun lodged there, while Secretary of War, +upon his only visit to Boston, in 1818. McNiel Seymour was its landlord +in 1820. He afterwards became landlord of the Atlantic Hotel, opposite +the Bowling Green in New York. It had a stable in the rear which +accommodated the Providence line of stages. The site of the stable was +afterwards occupied by the Lowell Institute building. Agassiz, Lyell, +Tyndall, Price, and other scientists, delivered lectures there. Its +walls have also resounded with the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, +Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Rufus Choate, Charles Sumner, Bayard +Taylor, William Lloyd Garrison, James T. Fields, and other famous men. +Lafayette was given a banquet at the Marlboro' upon his visit to Boston, +in 1824. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. About a generation ago it changed its name to the Marlboro' +House, and it was conducted on temperance principles. Hon. Henry Wilson, +Vice-President of the United States, made it his stopping-place while in +the city. The elegant Hemenway building now occupies its site. + +The Cross Tavern was erected in 1709, and stood on the north-west corner +of North and Cross streets. + +The Crown Coffee House stood on the south-west corner of State street +and Chatham row, and was built in 1710 by Gov. Belcher; and Mrs. Anna +Swords was its first landlord, and she was succeeded in 1751 by Robert +Shelcock. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. + +The Bunch of Grapes Tavern was built in 1713, and stood on the +north-west corner of State and Kilby streets. Its first landlord was +Francis Holmes, who was succeeded in 1731 by William Coffin, by Joshua +Barker in 1749, and by Col. Joseph Ingersoll in 1764. It was noted as +being the best "_punch-house_" in Boston. Lafayette was a guest there in +1774. In front of it, on the 4th of August, 1806, Charles Austin was +killed by Thomas O. Selfridge in self-defence. The Scots' Charitable +Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The George Tavern was built in 1720, and stood on the north-west corner +of Washington and Northampton streets. It afforded shelter for the +patriots in annoying the British during the siege. Its extensive orchard +and gardens comprised seventeen acres, and extended south to Roxbury +street, and west to Charles river, which, until the modern Back Bay +improvement, extended to the west side of Tremont street. The General +Court, as well as some of the law courts, sat there prior to 1730. The +American post was located there in 1775, which was burnt by the British +at night in July of that year. It was near that spot, in 1824, when +Lafayette visited Boston, a triumphal arch was thrown across Washington +street, bearing the couplet, written by Charles Sprague,-- + + We bow not the neck, we bend not the knee. + But our hearts, LAFAYETTE! we surrender to thee. + +The Royal Exchange Tavern was built in 1726, and stood on the south-west +corner of State and Exchange streets, the site of the Merchants' Bank +building. It gave its name to the street on its easterly side. Luke +Vardy was its first landlord, who was succeeded in 1747 by Robert Stone. +It was in this building, in 1728, that the altercation began which ended +in the first duel fought in Boston, when Benjamin Woodbridge was killed +by Henry Phillips. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. + +The Old Mansion House was built in 1732, and stood on the south side of +Milk street, between Hawley and Arch streets, on the site of the Bowdoin +building. It stood a little back from the street, with large American +elms in front, and was a stopping place for old stage lines. Hon. Robert +C. Winthrop was born there, and Hon. Henry Dearborn occupied it at the +time of his decease. + +The Blue Anchor Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1735, and +stood on the north-east corner of Water and Batterymarch streets. It was +kept by Joseph Wilson. + +The British Coffee House was built in 1741, and stood on the site of No. +66 State street, afterwards occupied by the Massachusetts Bank. It was +kept, in 1762, by Ballard, and was largely patronized by British +officers. The repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated there in 1767. The +eloquent James Otis was assaulted in it by a British gang, and an injury +was inflicted upon his head, which rendered him insane for a long time. +The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. Its +name was changed to American Coffee House in 1776. + +The Cromwell's Head Tavern was built it 1751, and is still standing on +the north side of School street, upon the site of No. 13, where Mrs. +Harrington deals out coffee and mince pie to her customers. Lieut.-Col. +GEORGE WASHINGTON lodged there in 1756, while upon a visit to Gov. +Shirley, to consult with him upon business connected with the French +war. It was first kept by Anthony Brackett. + +The Admiral Vernon Tavern was built in 1743, and stood on the south-east +corner of State street and Merchants row, and was first kept by Richard +Smith. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Sun Tavern (the second of that name) was built in 1757, and stood on +the east side of Washington street, nearly opposite Cornhill, and was +first kept by James Day, and was a popular resort of the Sons of +Liberty. + +The Julien House was built in 1759, and stood on the north-west corner +of Milk and Congress streets, formerly the site of an old tannery. It +was first kept by Jean Baptiste Julien, a French refugee. It was the +resort of the _bon vivants_ of the town in former days. It is narrated +of him that, upon the occasion of a _recherche_ dinner, one of the +guests complained that the viands were not sufficiently high-seasoned. +"_Eh bien_" said Julien, "_put a leetle more de peppaire_." He died in +1805, and he was succeeded by his widow, and afterwards by Rouillard, +until 1823, when it was demolished, and supplanted by Julien, afterwards +Congress Hall. Miss Frances Ann Wright delivered lectures there in 1829. + +The White Horse Tavern stood on the north-west corner of Washington and +Boylston streets. It was first kept by Joseph Morton. + +The Bull's Head Tavern was built in 1774, and stood on the north-east +corner of Congress and Water streets, the site, for several years prior +to 1830, of the post-office, Merchants' Hall, and Topliff's +Reading-room, and now occupied by the Massachusetts and Shawmut banks, +and called the Howe building. + +Concert Hall stood at the south-east corner of Hanover and Court +streets. It was built in 1750, and was at one time occupied by the +Deblois family. It was first occupied as a public house in 1791. It was +famous for political meetings, fashionable dancing parties, and public +exhibitions. Madrel exhibited his chess-player, conflagration of Moscow, +and other wonderful pieces of mechanism there. The famous Belgian giant, +Bihin, exhibited himself there. He was a well-proportioned man, and such +was his height that the historian Motley stood under his armpits. +Amherst Eaton was its landlord in the early days of the century. It was +kept of late years by Peter B. Brigham, and was demolished in 1868, in +order to widen Hanover street. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently +held its meetings there. + +The Lamb Tavern was built in 1745, and stood on the west side of +Washington street, just beyond the corner of West street. Colonel Doty +kept it in 1760, who was succeeded by Edward Kingman in 1826, and by +Laban Adams, in whose honor the Adams House was named and opened in +1846. It was a popular resort of the country members of the Legislature. + +The Lion Tavern was built in 1793, and stood just north of the Lamb +Tavern, and occupied the site of the building for several years known as +the Melodeon. In 1835 the tavern was converted into the Lion Theatre, +which had a short-lived existence. It was then purchased by the Handel +and Haydn Society, and occupied for musical purposes, lectures, and +other entertainments. Rev. Theodore Parker began lecturing there soon +after the famous South Boston sermon upon the transient and permanent in +Christianity. + +The North End Coffee House was built in 1782, and stood on the +north-west corner of North and Fleet streets. It was kept by the +grandfather of the Illustrious David D. Porter. + +The Bite Tavern was built in 1795, and stood in Faneuil Hall square, a +little west of Change avenue. James M. Stevens was its last landlord. It +was a favorite resort of market-men, and ceased to be a public house +about a quarter of a century ago. + +Holland's Coffee House was built in 1800, in Howard street, near Court +street. It was afterwards called the Howard Street House, and kept by +William Gallagher, whose tomb "erected by those connected with him by no +tie of kindred, who knew, loved, and honored him," stands on Primrose +Path in Mt. Auburn. It was afterwards called the Pemberton House. It was +a favorite resort of literary, dramatic, and musical people. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. It was destroyed +by fire in 1854, and the site was occupied for a short time by a wooden +circular structure called Father Miller's Tabernacle, which, in turn, +was burnt, when the Howard Athenaeum rose upon its site. + +The Eastern Stage House was built in 1806, and upon the site of No. 90 +North street. It was from that spot that the first stage-coach in +America started, in 1660, for Portsmouth (N.H.). It was first kept by +Col. Ephraim Wildes, and afterwards by his son, Moses. It was built of +brick, three stories high, and entered by a flight of steps, and +contained sixty rooms. It was the most extensive stage rendezvous in +Boston, accommodating the stages to Portsmouth, Portland, Bangor, and +Maine, generally. The stages entered its spacious court-yard under an +arch leading from North street. After an existence of forty years, it +was demolished to make room for commercial improvements. + +Earl's Coffee House was built in 1807, and was located at No. 24 Hanover +street, upon the site, in part, of the present American House. It was +kept by Hezekiah Earl, and was the head-quarters of the New York, +Albany, and other stage lines. + +Wilde's Tavern was built in the same year, and was located on the +north-east corner of (new) Washington and Elm streets. It was demolished +in 1874 to make room for the Washington-street extension. + +Doolittle's City Tavern was also built in 1807, and stood on the +north-west corner of (new) Washington and Brattle streets. It was the +head-quarters of the Providence line of stages. It was demolished in +1874 to make room for the improvement before alluded to. + +The Exchange Coffee House was built in 1808, and stood on Congress +street, upon the site of the present Howard Bank building, and at the +time of its erection was the largest house of public entertainment in +the United States. It extended through to Devonshire street, with an +entrance on State street. It bounded 132 feet on Congress street, with a +depth of 94 feet and upwards. It covered an area of 12,753 square feet, +was seven stories in height, surmounted with a dome 101 feet in +diameter. It had 210 apartments. Its erection was begun in 1805, and +occupied two and a half years in construction. Commodore Hull, after +capturing the _Guerriere_ in 1812, had a public dinner given him there. +The Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and some subordinate lodges, had their +head-quarters there. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its +meetings there. It was destroyed by fire in 1818, rebuilt in 1822, with +contracted dimensions, and in 1853 was demolished to give place to the +City Exchange on Congress square and Devonshire street. James Wilson, +the last of the town-criers, had his office in the Bell-in-Hand Tavern +in the basement. At the time of the fire Hon. Henry Clay was a guest in +the house, and worked bravely at the engine brakes. Hon. David Crockett, +a famous member of Congress from Tennessee, lodged there during his +visit to Boston in 1834. He addressed an audience from the eastern +portico of the Old State House, and in expatiating upon the prospects of +the country, predicted that it would extend within a score of years from +the _At_lantic to the "_Spe_cific." Among his witty sayings will be +remembered,--"Be sure you're right then go ahead." He died in 1841, +fighting for Texan independence. It was kept in former days by Col. +James Hamilton, afterwards by William Gallagher, Hart Davenport, and +lastly by McGill & Fearing. + +Washington Hotel was built in 1809, and stood in Bromfield street. It +subsequently took the name of Indian Queen, and latterly Bromfield +House. Selden Crockett was its last landlord. It ceased to be a public +house about a dozen years since. + +The Elm Street Hotel was built in 1812, and stood on the north-west +corner of (new) Washington and (No. 9) Elm streets. It was kept by Hart +Davenport. Its yard was obliterated in 1874 to make room for the +Washington-street extension, and the building in 1882 for a site for +commercial purposes. + +The Massachusetts House was built in 1816, and still stands on the +south-west corner of Endicott and Cross streets. It is a favorite resort +of horse-jockeys and horse-fanciers. + +Forster's Coffee House was built in 1817, and stood on the corner of +Court and Howard streets. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held +its meetings there. + +The Commercial Coffee House stood on the north-east corner of Milk and +Batterymarch streets. It was built in 1817, and stood on the site of +Hallowell's shipyard. It was kept by William Merriam in 1829, John Low +in 1837, Col. Whitney in 1844, and lastly, in 1848, by James Longley, +when it ceased to be a public house, and gave place to the Thorndike +building. The preliminary meeting of the Mercantile Library Association +was held there in 1820. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. + +Washington Hotel (the second of that name) was erected in 1819, and +stood on the north-west corner of Washington street and Worcester place. +It was kept in 1836, and for a few years succeeding, by Amherst Eaton. +The Washington House was built in 1820, and stood on the site of the +present Washington market, on the south-west corner of Washington and +Lenox streets. The Messrs. Cooley kept it, and it was a favorite resort +for sleighing parties. + +In 1821 William Fenno opened a tavern in Cornhill square, and afterwards +on the east side of Theatre alley (Devonshire street), near the corner +of Franklin, adjoining what was the site of the (old) Boston Theatre, +and latterly in Province street, near the south-easterly corner of +Bromfield street. + +The Stackpole House was built in 1732, and was the mansion of William +Stackpole, a noted Boston merchant. It stood on the north-east corner of +Milk and Devonshire streets, and was first kept as a public house in +1823 by Rouillard, formerly of the Julien House, and was a favorite +resort of the choice spirits of former days. It was afterwards kept by +James W. Ryan. Among its last landlords was Alexander McGregor, a +stalwart Scotchman, and descendant of Rev James McGregor who led the +colony which made the first settlement in Deny (N.H.) in 1824. The +Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It was demolished in 1868, to make +room for the post-office edifice. + +The Sun Tavern (the third of that name) was built in 1801, and stood on +the north-west corner of Battery march and Hamilton streets, and was the +mansion of Benjamin Hallowell, who owned a shipyard opposite to his +residence. It was first kept as a public house in 1824 by Goodwich, and +in 1841 by Capewell, when it ceased to be a public house, and was +demolished when Fort Hill was leveled in 1865. It was a popular resort +of Eastern people. + +The Lafayette Hotel was built in 1825, and stood on the east side of +Washington street, opposite Boylston market. It was largely patronized +by people from the country. Haskell was its landlord in 1836. The Scots' +Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +The Tremont House was built in 1828, and opened October 1, 1829. It was +owned by William H. Eliot, brother of the mayor of Boston 1837-1840. It +was the prototype of the large caravanseries which dot the continent +from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its first landlord was Dwight Boyden, +who retired from its management in 1836 to assume that of the Astor +House, which was opened May 1 in that year. It was the stopping-place of +Webster on his way from Marshfield to Washington. It sheltered President +Jackson upon his visit to Boston in 1833, a decade later President +Tyler, and President Johnson in 1867. It was the temporary abode of +Charles Dickens upon his first visit to America in 1842. Under its roof +the Ashburton treaty, defining the north-eastern boundary between the +United States and Great Britain, was negotiated by Lord Ashburton on +behalf of the mother country, Abbott Lawrence on the part of +Massachusetts, and Edward Kent on the part of Maine. Some of the most +renowned men in the world have fed at its tables and slept under its +roof. It still lives in its pristine vigor, and will not yield the palm +to any hostelry in the world. + +The Franklin House was built in 1830, and stood on the west side of +Merchants row, between North Market and North streets, opposite the head +of Clinton street. It was a favorite resort of Eastern people. Joshua +Sears, an eminent merchant on Long wharf, made it his home for several +years. + +The Shawmut House was built in 1831, and stood on the north side of +Hanover street, and its site is now absorbed in the American House. The +Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings there. + +Liberty Tree Tavern was built in 1833, and stood on the south-east +corner of Washington and Essex streets, upon the identical spot where +formerly stood the famous Liberty Tree, which was planted in 1646, and +become famous in Stamp Act times, and was cut down by the British in +1775. + +The Mount Washington House was built in 1834 by a company of which Hon. +John K. Simpson was president, who occupied the "Old Feather Store" on +the corner of Faneuil Hall square and North street, built in 1680. The +company became bankrupt, and it was sold in 1839 to the Perkins +Institute and New England Asylum for the Blind. Its location on +Washington Heights admirably adapts it for the benevolent purpose for +which it is now used. + +The Maverick House was opened on Noddies or Williams Island on the 27th +of May, 1835. At the date of its erection the island contained but a +score of dwellings, two or three factories, and a half-dozen of +mechanics' shops. Major Jabez W. Barton was its first landlord. It was +built of wood, 94 feet long and 85 feet wide, six stories high, and +contained more than eighty rooms. In 1838 its width was increased to 160 +feet. C.M. Taft became its landlord in 1841. The house, stables, and +furniture were sold in 1842 to John W. Fenno for $62,500. The house was +taken down in 1845 and a block of buildings erected by Noah Sturtevant. +Different parts of the block were respectively occupied as a hotel, +dwelling-houses, stores, and offices, until it was burnt January 25, +1857. A new building was erected upon its site, by Mr. Sturtevant, of +iron and brick covered with mastic, 130 feet long on Maverick square, +with an average width of no feet, and containing 180 rooms. It was +opened February 23, 1858, and was called for a decade or more the +Sturtevant House, when it resumed its former name of Maverick House. In +its rear, on the 25th of September, 1819, a duel was fought by +Lieutenants Finch and White between two elm-trees standing between +Meridian and Border streets, nearly opposite the Church of the Holy +Redeemer. White fell and died upon the spot. + +The Pearl Street House stood on the north-west corner of Milk and Pearl +streets, and was built in 1816, and was the mansion of William Pratt. It +was first occupied as a hotel in 1836. Colonel Shepherd was its first +landlord. The Scots' Charitable Society frequently held its meetings +there. It was obliterated in the great fire of November 8, 1872. + +The Perkins House was built in 1815, and was the mansion of Hon. Thomas +H. Perkins, who donated it in 1833 to the Asylum for the Blind. It stood +on the west side of Pearl street, about midway between Milk and High +streets. It remained there under the management of Samuel G. Howe until +the encroachments of business demanded its removal. In 1839 the +institution was transferred to the Mount Washington House. The Perkins +House was opened in that year under the management of a Scotchman named +Thomas Gordon. It was a favorite resort of those who dined down-town. +The Scots' Charitable Society, of which the landlord was a member, +frequently held its meetings there. It ceased to be a public house In +1848, when it succumbed to the advancing waves of commerce. + +The Congress House, built in the same year, was the mansion of Daniel +Hammond, and stood on the north-east corner of Pearl and High streets. +It was opened as a public house in 1840, and was kept by Hastings, until +it was swept away in the great fire before alluded to. + +The Greyhound Tavern stood on Washington street, opposite Vernon street, +upon the site of Graham block. It was built in 1645, and was famous for +the excellence of its punch, and was much resorted to by the convivial +spirits of Boston and vicinity. Its last landlord was John Greaton. In +1752, and for many years subsequently, the Masonic fraternity celebrated +St. John's day there, and the courts sat there during the prevalence of +small-pox in Boston. A catamount, caught in the woods about eighty miles +from Boston, was exhibited there. It was a recruiting station for +enlistments during the French war. Gen. Washington resided there during +the winter of 1776. It ceased to be a tavern just after the Revolution. +Such was its size that it contained forty fireplaces. On its site was +erected the first fire-engine house in Roxbury. A portion of the +building still stands in the rear of Graham block. + +The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east +corner of Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a +meeting was held "to settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In +their house." Its last landlord was Samuel Ruggles. + +The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in +Brookline, about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between +Roxbury and Brookline, upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on +the south-west corner of Washington street and Brookline avenue. It was +a two-story hipped-roof house, and its enlargement from time to time, by +the purchase and removal of old houses thither from Boston and vicinity, +resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and produced +a new order of architecture, appropriately called "_conglomerate_" With +its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish +color, with a seat running along the front under an overhanging +projection of the second story. In front and near each end were large +elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which still remains. Its +sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and ladle, +overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a +favorite resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was +patronized by British officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and +the bridges destroyed its usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, +and demolished in 1833, with the exception of one of its adjuncts, which +now stands on the easterly side of Brookline avenue, nearly opposite +Emerald street. + +Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, +built by, and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a +famous auctioneer of Boston, and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," +on the south-east corner of Washington street and Blue Hill avenue. It +was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and was owned by John +Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a public +house in 1796. + +Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. +It was built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it +was known as the "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. +It was first occupied as a public house in 1820, and it was the place of +refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a mob from the (old) Boston +Theatre, December 21, 1825. + +The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly +corner of Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. +It was kept by Capt. Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen company of +the third parish in the Lexington battle. It was purchased in 1794, with +forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and he occupied it +during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward until +the close of his honorable life. + +On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond +block now stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied +in 1805 as the Old Red Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce. + +The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west +corner of Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George +Zeigler. It ceased to be a public house about a third of a century ago. + +Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South +streets, near the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It +was built in 1805, and first kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long +famous for good dinners. The widow of Samuel Burrill kept it during the +War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale Hotel. + +The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph +Ruggles, a well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn +in Roxbury in 1765. After the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the +mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. Simmons, who sold it to the +Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the following year +as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing a +hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, +subsequently as Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The +old mansion now stands on the north side of Norfolk street, and is +occupied as a tenement-house. It was the starting-point of the Roxbury +hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South Church on the first +of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a public +house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of +domestic and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than +sixty of which now stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and +flowed. + +In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from +Dunstable (Eng.) at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called +"Great House," originally erected by Thomas Graves for the governor's +residence, for court-meetings, and public religious worship, which stood +in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley House, and the base of +the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid L30 for the +premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, no +card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the +use of a pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses +of the guests. He was liable to a fine of ten shillings for every +offence of selling at a price exceeding sixpence for a meal, or taking +more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of meal-times," or for +selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like special +occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." +Mr. Long and his sons following him carried on the house for +three-quarters of a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, +1664, and his widow May 27, 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed +the house to his widow Mary, daughter of Increase Nowell. The estate had +a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was deeded by Mrs. +Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." +Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called +"The Old Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of +Charlestown, on the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. +Finally, the land was bought by the town, and is now part of City +square. + +The Cape Breton Tavern was built in 1731, and stood on the corner of +Main street and Hancock square. It was burnt in the general +conflagration of June 17, 1775. + +The Ship Tavern was built in 1748, and stood on the south-east corner of +Charles River avenue and Water street. It was kept by Benjamin Gerrish. + +The Warren Tavern was built in 1775, and still stands on the south-west +corner of Main and Pleasant streets. It was first kept by Eliphalet +Newell. It was from that edifice that the procession connected with +funeral ceremonies in honor of GEORGE WASHINGTON started on the 31st of +December, 1799, when the nation mourned as one man the departed patriot, +statesman, and chieftain, "upon whose like they should not look again." + +Trumbull's Tavern stood on the north-east corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1771. + +The Indian Chief Tavern was built in 1779, and was the mansion of David +Wood, an influential citizen of Charlestown. It occupied the site of +Harvard Church. It was there that David Starrett, cashier of the +Hillsboro', N.H., bank, was said to have been robbed and murdered on the +evening of March 26, 1812. Suspicion attached to Samuel Gordon, the +landlord. A reward of $200 was offered for the recovery of his dead +body, but without success. In 1814 Hon. Nathan Appleton received a +letter from Starrett, in South America, whither he had fled owing to the +insolvency of the bank. It contained a hall, in the second story, known +as "Massachusetts Hall." It was removed in 1818 to the north-west corner +of Main and Miller streets, and its name changed to Eagle Tavern. It +still stands, although it ceased to be a public house a quarter of a +century since. + +The Mansion House stood on the south side of City square and north-west +corner of Warren avenue. It was erected in 1780 by Hon. Thomas Russell +as a family mansion, and occupied by him until his decease in 1796. It +was afterwards occupied by Commodore John Shaw, John Soley, Grand Master +of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Massachusetts, and Andrew Dunlap, +U.S. District Attorney, who conducted the trial of the twelve pirates of +the schooner "Pindu," in 1834. It was first occupied as a hotel in 1835, +and kept by Gorham Bigelow, and afterwards by James Ramsay. It was +demolished in 1866 to make room for the Waverley House. + +Page's Tavern stood at the corner of Main and Gardner streets, and was +afterwards known as "Richards'", and more latterly, "Babcock's." It was +the starting-point of the Charlestown hourly coaches, which commenced +running April 1, 1828, to Brattle street; fare, twelve and a half cents. +Passengers were accommodated by being called for, or left at their +residences on cross streets. It ceased to be a public house about a +generation ago. + +Piper's Tavern stood on the south-west corner of Main and Alford +streets. + +Pierce's Hotel stood on the north-west corner of Charles River avenue +and Water street. It was built in 1795 by Hon. Thomas Russell for a +family mansion; but he died just before its completion. In one of its +rooms was a remarkable clock with a blue dial and moving figures of men, +which appeared when the clock struck the hours, and then disappeared. +The ordaining council of the first pastor of Harvard Church convened +there. It was at one time occupied by Silas Whitney, Jr., who was buried +from there with Masonic honors in 1824. Potter, the celebrated +ventriloquist, held his exhibitions there, to the delight of the +youngsters of that day. It was last kept by James Walker, and its name +changed to the Middlesex House. It was destroyed by the great fire of +August 28, 1835. + +Robbin's Tavern stood on the west side of City square and south-east +corner of Harvard street. It was built in 1796, and stood directly in +the rear of the site of the Three Cranes Tavern, before alluded to. It +was demolished in 1816, and the Charlestown Town Hall erected upon its +site, which, in turn, was demolished in 1868 to make room for the City +Hall. + +Ireland's Tavern was built in 1797, and stood on the north side of +Cambridge street, near the Lowell Railroad bridge. + +Yoelin's Tavern was built in 1798, and stood on the east side of City +square and north-west corner of Chamber street. It was first occupied as +a tavern in 1821, and was destroyed by the great fire before alluded to. +The first meeting of the proprietors of Warren bridge was held there in +1828. + +Copp's Tavern was built in 1799, and stood on the south side of City +square, near the corner of Bow street. The building, which had ceased +for some years to be occupied as a tavern, was demolished in 1866 to +make room for the Waverley House. + +"_Sic transit gloria mundi_." Thus have disappeared from time to time, +with but few exceptions, the taverns, inns, and coffee-houses of the +Town of Boston, while the bodily forms of those who took their ease in +them have long since crumbled into dust. We will now resign to the pen +of the local historian of a century hence to describe the mammoth +hostelries of the City of Boston, which have arisen since the era of +railways, steamships, electric telegraphs, ocean cables, telephones, +electric lights, and other modern developments of science and art. + + * * * * * + +EDITOR'S TABLE. + + +A correspondent asks in connection with an article in the May number on +"Town and City Histories," in which was incidentally mentioned the +government of Western towns by trustees, the following question: "Can +you tell me where I can find that government treated of; also, that of +towns in the Middle and Southern States?" The question is a hard one to +answer. Of the town meeting, that peculiarly New England institution, +much has been written; but about the local forms of government prevalent +in the States between the Hudson and the Pacific Ocean very little has +found its way into print. The local historians seem to take it for +granted that all these things are understood everywhere, and so shed +little light on the question. The pages of this magazine will be open to +any one who can give the desired information. + +The season of agricultural fairs, "cattle-shows" and the like, is about +over. There is scarcely a county in New England, scarcely a State in the +Union, but has had a fair of some sort or other. Most of them report +better exhibits and larger attendance than ever before. Some few report +a falling off in attendance. That all these fairs have done exhibitors +much good is doubtful; that they have benefited the thinking portion of +their attendants is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the thinking portion +of a farming community is lamentably small. Most people go to a +"cattle-show" to be amused; a few go to learn. The few that derive +benefit from seeing the wonders of the earth collected in pens and on +tables are helped just as a teacher gets benefit from a teacher's +institute--both get food for thought. At the cattle-show the farmer +_may_ learn of new methods and see their results. The trouble is that +the ordinary farmer goes to the fair for the same reason that the +average citizen buys a ticket to the menagerie--to see the circus. There +are more clowns at a cattle-show than the sawdust ever saw. The horses +may not be so pretty or gaudy, but they go faster. One man defended +himself very frankly at the dinner of a county fair in this State when +he said: "The Lord made horses to go, and I like to see them do it." +This question of trotting or no trotting at the fair is not a new one; +but with age it seems to acquire toughness,--like chickens, for +instance. + +But passing by the horse question, we come to the question of clowns, +which is really a very serious one. It may be irreverent to compare +"cattle-show" orators to circus clowns, but really the temptation is +irresistible; and then they are the only features of the respective +exhibitions that have speaking parts. Joking aside, there are important +lessons which the speaking and the speakers at the recent fairs may +teach us. We find that the candidate for office has become a great +attraction, one which the fair-managers bid high for. They draw well, +too. + +This calls to mind this year's Salisbury Beach Festival, a time-honored +institution which has degenerated into a money-making affair in these +later days. This year there was, to be sure, a large crowd present, but +yet the attendance was smaller than in any year for a long time. The +number of people present was between 3,500 and 5,000. Prominent +gentlemen in Essex County were advertised to address the crowd. The +newspaper comment on the event is short and to the point: "There was no +speaking, as the crowd was more interested in seeing the Lawrence Base +Ball Club beat the Newbury porters, by a score of 9 to 7." Again: "The +principal attractions were Professors Parker and Martin at the skating +rink, and the 4,000-pound ox." + +_O Tempora! O Mores!_ + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Bay State Monthly, Volume II. 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