Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-06-17

ovation Of the ground from high water TO the
base Of the ruin, is about rs feet. The reader
will Judge from these facts whether the sea ev-
or flowed in close proximity to the temple,
which il is pretended stood in that vicinity
To give the appearance Of plnusibilty 10 the
asse rton that the sea once flowed over the
land which is now thckly Inhabited and set
tied, il is stated in the report that "marine
shells and aqueous formations have been dug
up in those parts. This was evidently stated
to deceive Prof Scrobicn il it is a fact that
he ever came here for the purpose stated, and
If not, TO deceive those at distance from the
scene for every body here knows, that on
ibis, and the adjacent islands and shores, where
the Indians once Inhabited, marine shells OF
every description are dug up frequently wherev.
er there was an Indian settlement or wigwam,
even TO the summit of Mount Hope, once the
residence of King Philip, and on the heights
of Tivcrton, &c.
| once heard an old man say, that he rcmcm-
bered when the old Stone .MiH stood near the
shore where the ferry wharf now isl would not
vouch for his sanity,) and as this has in some
degree been corroborated by Cooper, by a
scene in his Red Rover" it is as likely to be
true, as that the sea ever flowed in close prox-
unity to the phantasma temple in the vicinity
of the Old Ruin.
The whole report attributed TO Professor
Scrobien, appears to be legendary tale, found
ed wholly on fiction, without the connection of
a single fact to give it the appearance of truth
to those who are acquainted with the subjects
reported upon, and so contrived as to deceive
those who are not acquainted with the location
of the old ruin, and well known facts relating
TO it. Ii would be an act Of charity towards
Professor Scrobien for any one, antiquarian or
not, to dsabuse him of the error, by showing
he had no hand in the report attributed to him,
or if he had, TO show that it was founded on
false information given him, and on perverted
facts. 1t is evident that the information was
given on the pretended report written by some
one acquainted with facts not generally known,
and which could not have been discovered or
ascertained, if the pretended excavation and
examination had actually been made, which
facts were perverted to suit the purposes of
whoever communicated them, or wrote, or
dictated the pretended report Edward Pei
ham, (who married granddaughter of Gov
Arnold, to whom the Mill field, so called, came
by descentO who died in l74I, in his Will da-
ted May 2lst, I740, bcqucathcd to his daugh-
ter Iiermoine, the wife of John Banister, (after
other requests to herO "Also one other piece
or parcel Of land, situated lying and being in
Newport aforesaid, containing eight acres, or
thereabouts, with an old Stone Wind MI there.
on standing and being, and commonly called
and known by the name of the Mill field, &c,
bounded Nofthery partly upon Caleb Carr s
Lane, (now Mill street,) partly upon a Work
house standing IN said lane, and partly upon a
Burying Place, to the Northward thereof
stands Meeting House, to be and remain to
the said IIermoine Banister," &c. lie gives
and bequeaths to his daughter Penelope Pei.
ham, after the death of her mother, to whom
the same was bequeathed during her natural
life, parcel of land on Caleb Carrs 8 lane, as
high till il comes upon parallel line with the
stone aoaH at The head Of my upper garden run.
ming North therefrom." The foundation Of the
Work House, which stood in Carr's lane, near
the old Mill, and the aqueducts leading there.
from, part of which had been removed by the
former proprietor of the soil on which it stood,
which of course was known, and was probably
the foundation perverted to the foundation of
the palestrum, or altar of the officiating priest
The stone wall at the head of Mr. Pelham S
upper garden, and running North thercfrom,
must have been according to the bounds
east of the Meeting House and between that
and the Stone Mill This wall was known
from part Of it, which extended North across
what is now Mill street, being displaced, and
the materials used in erecting the foundation
of the church, which appears by their records
The remaining wall, which is of great length.
is without doubt the same, which, in the report,
Is perverted to the foundation of the pretended
"temple to which this baptstry was contin-
gent" antiquarian" after reciting at con-
siderable length, part of the Report relating
to the mode ofoperation in making the excava-
ton and the discoveries made, &c, "until a
more extended one was forbidden, from fear of
loosening the bed of the ruin, says, "This I
trust has disposed of, at greater length than
intended, the principal objection urged by the
Oldest Inhabitant Its truth can be readily
corroborated by the same process which elected
the facts" presume it is meant by excava.
ting about the old ruin this is the very course
would wish to pursue in order to prove the
report totally void of truth. Those who wish
to sustain the position assumed by "Antiqua.
rian," would not consent to this process, and
there is no probability that any excavation
would be allowed-but if il should be permit.
ted, | can assure Antiquarian" that so far
from corroborating the facts said to be elected
by the excavation pretended to have been
made, (Which is already rcfuted in the opinion
of every one open to conviction,) although
there would be no danger Of loosening the
he'd of the ruin n would most ossurodly