contemporary, this lack of expressed appreciation | glish colony in America, he will ever be regarded is alluded to. The writer says: "If France, or Spaine, or any forren soile, in this country with the reverence due to the best of those noble pioneers who came hither to plant Could claime thee theirs-for these thy paines and toile, new empires. History and song, painting and Th'adst got reward and honor: now adays What our own natives doe, we seldome praise." And as Captain Smith himself seems never to have put on record any thing concerning his purely private affairs, we are left in profound ignorance of his domestic history. We know not whether he was ever married, with whom he was related, what were his tastes and habits, or what was the amount of his fortune. He is to be judged only by his public actions. These are sufficient to make the world, in all time, admire him as a brave and generous soldier, a wise statesman, and skillful executive officer in civil or military life. As founder of the earliest En sculpture, find worthy themes in commemorating their deeds. If Alexander the Great was thought worthy of having the granite body of Mount Athos hewn into a colossal image of himself, might not Europe and America appropriately join in the labor of fashioning some lofty summit of the Alleghanies into a huge monument to the memory of those PIONEERS who carried the seeds of Christian civilization to the New World, and, amidst perils most fearful, nobly nurtured the young plants of empire until their roots had struck too deep in the soil to be disturbed by the hand of internal faction or the tempest of outward pagan opposition? A SUMMER IN NEW ENGLAND. ILLUSTRATED BY PORTE CRAYON. DISMANTLED. [Third Paper.] It is an Ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three: "By thy long gray beard and glittering eye Now wherefore stopp'st thou me!" He holds him with his skinny hand:- COLERIDGE. O'Nantucket one is impressed entering the harbor of on every hand by the signs of decadence. A few battered and dismantled hulks of whale ships sleep alongside the lethargic old wharves; quiet, listless seeming people saunter about with an aimless air very uncommon in New England; grass - grown streets and dingy warehouses all combine to complete the picture of departed glory.-No, not of departed glory: I mean, simply, "of decadent commercial prosperity;" for the fame of Nantucket is historic, and the glory of having given birth to the boldest and most enterprising mariners that ever furrowed the seas is hers, imperishable and for ever. Of all the attributes of man that which should always command our most unreserved regard is simple manhood; and I must confess that, when I entered the precincts of this island-city, I experienced very much the same sort of feeling as when for the first time I passed the gates of Imperial Rome. Here, I thought, are the familiar haunts of men who have hunted over the aqueous globe and despoiled the deep of its living wealth, who have striven face to face with mighty leviathans and driven them from sea to sea, and from pole to pole, smiting and destroying, enriching commerce, illuminating the darkness of the world. Before Nantucket we had pine knots and tallow; since Nantucket we have camphene and kerosene: representatives of lusty barbarism and an overstrained and diseased civilization. For the golden age of reason, the true and healthful light of convenience and common sense, commend me to the days of the great Physeter macrocephalus. A rapid sail over salt-water, if it does not prove an emetic, is a famous stomachic tonic; and so we made no unreasonable delay sentimentalizing over the homes of the Vikings, but made our way to the Ocean House, where we dined and reposed. Later in the afternoon we went a strolling at our leisure to see whatever was to be seen. The town of Nantucket con tains near seven thousand inhabitants, and in its general features resembles New Bedford, being at the same time smaller, older, more quiet, and less wealthy. Of her ancient mariners, indeed, we saw few; but their wives and children seemed numerous enough. One can not but remark the great preponderance of women and children in the visible population of the place; and this circumstance gives to the streets and thoroughfares in the interior of the town a more cheerful and home-like air. Inquiring for the cause of this disparity in the sexes, your response is found in the old song of The Sea: "The sea has one and all, Fathers, brothers, sons, and lovers." In addition, a few years since, the California fever swept the island with a virulence more fatal than war and pestilence combined. It is estimated that Nantucket lost some six or eight hundred men by that epidemic. At night there was music in the Public Place, and observing the crowd collected to hear it, I judged that at least four-fifths were women. As the morning after our arrival was delightfully fair and fresh, we, by the advice of an acquaintance at the hotel, determined to drive over to Siasconsett, the Newport of the Nantuckoise. Our buggy appeared like all the other craft we saw, a little the worse for time and use; but by the judicious adaptation of some straps, buckles, and a silk handkerchief, we managed to make her sea-worthy-sand-worthy I should have said, for having cleared the town we found our road a plain track of loose sand, through an open country, scantily clothed with grass, weeds, and low shrubs, and totally destitute both of trees and inclosures. Some browsing cattle, sheep, and horses-to say nothing of sand-flies-gave life to this dreary landscape; and several lonely and poor-looking farm-houses in the distance showed that agriculture was not altogether ignored. A drive of eight miles brought us to Siasconsett, situated on the southeast part of the island. The old town, which resembles a group of henhouses, about fifty in number and compactly built, occupies a level grass-plot, immediately on the brink of a sand cliff facing the open ocean. Formerly the cod fishery was actively prosecuted here; but of late years the trade has dwindled into insignificance, and consequently the place retains but a very small permanent population. In recompense, it has become a favorite summer resort for the town folks and strangers who visit the country. For the accommodation of these seekers of health and relaxation a new suburb has arisen which totally eclipses the fishing hamlet in size and appearance. There are a number of pretty private cottages and a neat hotel, none of which, however, were occupied at the time of our visit. As we saw no one of whom to inquire concerning the premises, we drove on slowly until the road seemed to run out; and we turned into a narrow grass-covered way, which, like the streets of Genoa, seemed to have been laid off without any reference to horses and carriages. Dick remarked that we would get tangled up among these blasted turkey-houses, and would not be able to get out without driving over some of them. I persevered, notwithstanding, until we were presently brought up against the village pump. Our shouts opened the door of a tenement near at hand, from whence an old cripple issued, and, shuffling toward us with great eagerness, offered to take our horse. We yielded the reins readily, and inquired if there was a house of entertainment in the place. "Certainly," said he; "jist you go in there (indicating the low door from which he had sallied), and Mistress Cary will entertain you as nice as need be." way's Ready Relief, tobacco, ship biscuit, Pain Killer, jack-knives, lucifer-matches, and jewelry. The prospect was not so bad. The house was well provisioned at least; as tidy as could be expected under the circumstances; and, besides, the most delicate olfactories could not have detected the slightest smell of any kind, except dried codfish: but if folks are squeamish on this or other subjects, they had better stay at home, and be content to do their traveling through Harper's Magazine. As no one appeared to receive us, Dick thumped upon the glass case that contained the fancy goods, jewelry, and gingercakes, and forthwith from a side door entered a little old woman with a mothery vinegar aspect, who saluted us sharply with, "Well, what have ye got to sell?" "Nothing at all," replied Dick, depositing upon a chair the knapsack which contained our baggage. "Then," quoth she, "take your traps and tramp." We entered and found ourselves in a cuddy, measuring about eight by ten, which, in addition to its capacity as public reception room of the hotel, seemed to serve also as a general storehouse of groceries, provisions, and fancy goods of varied character. By a cursory glance I was "Madam," said I, with mildness, yet assumenabled to inventory a portion of the contents, ing some dignity of manner, "we are strangers as follows: Dried codfish, bottled beer, sugar- who have come a-pleasuring to this famous place, candy, fishing lines and hooks, eggs, whisky, gin- and have been informed that you could enterger-cakes, opodeldoc, pork, cigars, cheese, Rad- tain us for the day, perhaps." "Oh, that's it, is it? That's quite another | Dick, who scorns all humbug in such matters, thing. Set down, Sirs, and rest yourselves, and we'll see what we can do for you." The old woman looked mollified; but to remove the disadvantageous impression that we were pedestrians, I continued, "Our horse and carriage, Madam, has been attended to by your husband." "My husband!" exclaimed Mother Cary. "My husband ?" "Madam, I allude to the lame gentleman who took our horse and promised to have him fed." Our hostess stood for a moment speechless, as if undecided whether she should put me to death à la basilisk, or annihilate me with a package of codfish which lay near at hand. At length she shrieked out, like an angered sea-gull, "My husband, did you say? gentleman, did you call him?-that creature that I hired from the alms-house to attend to people's horses! I guess your eye-sight is not very good, Sir, or you must be strangers in this country. I am Mistress Elizabeth Cary, at your service. My husband! faugh! Ithank God I'm not that low yet!" pronounced the liquor good, ordered a repetition, and pressed a glass on our worthy hostess. By this time she had become radiant. "I like to deal with liberal-minded, polite gentlemen," quoth she. "Then," said Dick, "your visitors during the summer are not always of that stamp?" "I guess not," she replied, with a scornful toss. "Why, there are people that come here who would spend the day skinning a clam rather than pay five cents for a good dinner." "It's abominable that people should be so stingy," cried Dick, slapping the old woman on the back. She returned the salute with a confidential poke in the ribs. "To be sure, young man, they're your half-cut people-trash; but for a gentleman, I can tell one as far as I can see him." Dick helped Mother Cary a second time. "Young man," quoth she, "I don't know where you came from nor who you are, but it's plain to see you've been bred a gentleman." "Come," said I, "the bluefish are waiting for us; let's be off." And so we started for the And in high disdain she flounced out of the beach. room. "Cousin Bob," said Dick, in a cautious whisper, "I think it quite lucky for the poor old hostler that he is only her hireling." "True, Dick. Old, a cripple, and a pauperyet he is not her husband. God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb." Presently Mother Cary re-entered, clothed in calm dignity and severe politeness, with the addition of a high white turban and a glistering black silk gown. We bowed until our heads nearly touched the floor. "Madam," I said, "excuse the absurd and awkward mistake I made just now." "It's of no consequence," she answered, with the slightest trace of acrimony. "I mistook you for a couple of gimcrack peddlers; but it seems neither of us was very sharp-sighted. I hope we'll get better acquainted. What's your orders ?" "I wish ye good sport, gentlemen," screeched Mother Cary. "Your horse shall be well attended to, and any thing I have in the house is at your service." With the assistance of half a dozen fishermen the sail-boat was launched, and we started on our cruise. Unfortunately for our anticipated sport, the breeze failed us entirely. To remedy this we tried the oars; but so stout a craft, with but two oarsmen, made so little progress that we were obliged to abandon the hope of trailing, and forced to adopt another mode of fishing prac ticed here. This is done by throwing the leaded hook to as great a distance as possible, and then drawing it home with sufficient rapidity to keep the bait afloat. A skillful hand will throw out two hundred feet of line, by whirling the lead rapidly round the fore finger and letting go at the proper time; and in drawing it home will lay his line in a clean coil, ready to repeat the throw the instant that he boats his fish or draws his hook from the water. A green hand plumps his lead alternately into the deck and among the rigging, hooks his finger or his breeches, and tangles his line into the most extraordinary loops and knots that can be imagined. In all these performances Dick and myself had some experience. In addition, we caught nothing, and without the excitement of taking the fish the process soon became intolerably fatiguing. So Bluefishing was to be the sport, and the big after rowing and floating about for an hour or boat was to be launched. Where every body is more without any success we anchored, and willing, arrangements are soon made. Our boat-knocking the necks off the porter bottles, solaced man's name was Coffin too, and to sail in com- ourselves with Mother Cary's provisions. While pany with one of the Coffins of Nantucket is something for a landsman; consequently drinks were proposed. In a twinkling Madam produced a bottle of her best whisky-I don't drink whisky myself, but shammed for politeness' sake; but Having ascertained that we could procure a fishing-boat, the hostler was sent to call the boatman, and we proceeded to order liberally; bottles of porter, ship biscuit, cheese, boiled eggs, and divers articles of fishing tackle, until our bill amounted to a round sum. The clink of the solid coin upon the counter effectually smoothed the wrinkles from the amiable mother's countenance, and just then the boatman entered, accompanied by an assistant. the lunch was in progress the fisherman's son pointed out a group of black points dimpling the surface of the water about a hundred feet from us. "There," said he, "goes a shoal of bluefish!" Down went the cheese and beer, and out went the lines. Throwing the lead beyond the shoal, | girl he would wish his sweet-heart to be, and we drew it rapidly through, and each hook was followed by half a dozen or more ravenous fish, snapping, darting, and leaping up to the gunwale of the boat. A noble pair were hooked on our first cast, and presently fresh shoals appeared to the right and left of us, driving by with the tide. Many thousands must have passed us in the course of the next hour, sometimes showing their fins at distances beyond our reach, sometimes passing directly under the boat. The sight of our game aroused the sporting fervor to the highest degree, and for an hour we whirled our leads so industriously and effectively that the bottom of our boat was all a-flutter with the spoils. With the turn of the tide the fish disappeared, and, satisfied with our success, we rowed back to the Siasconsett landing. When we got ashore we straightway repaired, with our ship's company, to the hospitable store-room of Mother Cary, where drinks again went round and all fatigues were for the time forgotten. "Mr. Coffin," inquired Dick, "you have storms on this coast sometimes, don't you?" The sailor gave a solemn wink at the venerable mother, whose back was turned at the time, and replied in a manner savoring of reverential facetiousness: then I'll wager she would have surpassed them all. Nor were her good looks her only recommendation. She was considered uncommonly clever with her books, and no girl of her age was comparable to her in handiness with her needle and smartness in housekeeping. After going over this catalogue of her perfections, it may seem superfluous to add that Hetty was an heiress. Being a married man, I never took the trouble to remember how many houses, shares in whale-ships, and certificates of bank stock her father had left her, but have heard it said frequently that "it was enough to give a clever and industrious young man a very good start in the world." Although Nantucket is not overrun with young men of any kind, Hetty's charms were not suffered to go a-begging; and before she was eighteen she had had offers that most girls would have jumped at; but she seemed to have no mind for any of them. Not that she was by any means indifferent to admiration and attention. On the contrary, she exhibited a fondness for such worldly vanities that set numerous oldfashioned, plaited bonnets and divers unguarded tongues to wagging at her. In fact, she treated her admirers with as much tact and as little remorse as her ancestors had shown to the poor whales; giving a puffing swain the coup de grace, and laughing at his death-flurry; or when the "We have, Sir, some devilish hard blows; dangerous for them as happen to be outside of the breakers; but once get inside and it's smooth-game became troublesome, cutting the line, and er sailing." "This whisky," observed the hostess, "is none of your common stuff. I've got mean whisky for sich as it suits; but this I keep for them that know what's what. Shall I open another bottle, Sirs?" "Certainly, Madam, another bottle. Friends, here's good sport and a full season for Siasconsett; pour out for yourselves." sending the animal plunging away into unknown and unheard-of seas, where four years of salt junk and bilge water generally cured his wounds effectually. From such doings as these it came to be currently reported and believed that the little beauty had no heart; and this serious defect set all the old ladies who had marriageable daughters very much against her; and all the old maids "Mister," whispered Coffin, "I guess you're who hadn't given up yet agreed that her behavall safe inside the breakers." The lame hostler now brought out the buggy, and taking leave of this queer, quizzical, humorsome, jolly little place, we drove back to the city of Nantucket. ior was any thing but prudent. Now it was somewhat singular that one very significant fact had thus far escaped the observation of our heroine's female acquaintance, which was, that for two years or more Hetty had been receiving let "How do you like Siasconsett?" asked our ters from remote parts of the globe, and oftenacquaintance. "We had a pleasant day," I answered; "but I should like to see it during the full season.' "It would be worth your while," said he; "they have lively times then, and I can tell you some good stories." "Then tell us one, by all means." At all places where men and women congregate for social pleasure and recreation, no pie can be opened that Love don't stick his finger in, and Siasconsett, like all summer retreats, great and small, has its spice of gossip and ro mance. Something less than a thousand years ago— said our narrator-Miss Mehetabel Fizgig was the beauty and belle of our island. I won't waste time in attempting to describe her loveliness; but just let every man fancy the sort of times so moulded and faded that she could scarcely decipher them; and that said letters, although by no means cased in filigree and perfumed envelopes, were oftentimes honored with a welcome the very thought of which would have made a crack harpooner miss his throw. Yet true it was, that, besides the lady herself, no one in all Nantucket knew of these things, except an old jolly wag of a sea captain, with one leg spliced with whalebone; and what this old joker knew of the subject we can not explain at this time, because it would spoil the dramatic surprise we have in store for those who have not yet guessed that our heroine's true lover would turn up presently. Well, sure enough, one day the good ship Three Brothers came into port, returning from a long and successful cruise; and among her |