Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1849-08-30

wlthstandlng the amost eh,ire absence o
trees, the scenery Of the island is remarkably
picturesque The undnlating fields are covet-
ed with luybfant grain, the cows and sheep
feed upon the hills, the cliffs rise dark and
frowning upon the shore, meeting unmoved
the impoteni fury Of the angry waves, and
around lies the al embracing sea, restless as
the heart of man, mysterious as its desires, and
boundless as it's aspirations. Aluidneck, the
Indian ta.ne Of the island, which signifies the
Isle Of Peace, seems particularly we'll adapted
to this beautiful spot.
81 Hail, pleasant isle ~ freshly shine to-day
The sky, the beach, the breakef; and the bay,
As when, slow curling o'et the oak-w DDS
green,
Misntonofho's council. smoke was seen.
And il these waters bsthed their locks jet,
Thy dusky dsughters--old Netaunsmet!
Though gone thine ancient nams-,h'ne an.
cient race
Not yet is hed the genius Of the place.
Though the pale settlers axe, and wars rude
hand,
Have felled the sylvan monarchs Of the land
And though skeleton, the sycamore
Means in the wind and finds his leaves no
more
Though the ligh, deer no more thy green
sward tread,
And many 4 song of olden days is fled
Ye, there's aglory haunts thy sapphire sky,
Thy emerald slope and swell, not soon shall
die"
So sings the poet who has made his home
here, and whose sweet notes reach us from
time to time, like the mysterious music Of
Pascagoula, which he has so well described
Newport was formerly the residence Of many
Jews and the Jewish bprialgIound, With its
classic entrance; scuiptured with the inverted
torch, is a prominent festuie Of the town.
The synagogue, however, has been closed fof
some time. The Re !wood Library here was
one OF The earliest founded and best selected in
the country and although ii was greatly in
jured by the Ehghsh While the island was til
,hcf possession dffng the revolutionary var,
even now tn scholar may devote himself with
grea, advantage to lis dastj volumes. Not
far from the town is Tonomy or Tammany
Hill, which was strongly. fortified by the Eng
lish, and the form and boundaries Of the old
entrenchment are yet visible, The tatte is a
vulgar abbreyiation Of w Wonnunfetonomy, wfo
was the resident sachem OF governor Of the
island at the time Il was purchased by tho FIRST
settlers, and whose wigwam was situated here.
The Aquidnecks, or original natives ii the is'
and, wer conquered by the Narraganse,ts
some time before the settlement Of Plymouth j
and remained tributaries 10 them unit the
white inhabitants took possession oft. New
pom h rich; in romantic and historic associa-
,ions. A few miles from town is Taucluse,
mos, lovely villa, bull, some years since by
an English gentleman Of ffoitdne, who gave ii
this natns from tho tcsi' or hhcied resemblance
of his woes to ,hose Of Petrarch. His, how
lever, wlre not " nisiodious tears" and, conse
quently, o has not given himself 10 fatLe.'
Beyond what is called the Second Beach, is
vast chasm in the rock, known as Purgatory.
Within this gloomy abyss the water is said to
be lalhemiess, and The spectator is thrilled
with horror, as he gazes over the black depths
that seem ydwning 10 ergulf hmr, and where
the sea like some angry monster One
legend attached 10 this place is, that through
it the great Adversary, once upon time, re-
,urLed to the internal regions, and more ap-
propriate place for his exit could not be con-
ceived.. 1t is also celebrated as the scene of a
lover's leap. The tradition runs thus A
beautiful and capricious heiress, rambling on
the cliffs with her lover; demanded, as a
test of his devotion, that he should leap across
the abyss He accomplished the feat, but il
placed between the lovers chasm far W der
Than .ha, Of Purgatory, for, from the bank he
had miraculously gained, the lover made his
particular parting compliments to The lady. A
singular incident ia recorded in the early his
tory of Newport, which comes down well au-
thenticated, and which loses none of its inter.
est from the seventy OF eighty years that have
transpired ainse il occurred, and which have
failed to throw any light on the mystery. The
farmers and fishermen one morning discovered
a vessel under full sail, with her colors flying,
making rapidly towards the shore, which, at
that point, was considered inaccessible. The
Inhabitants gathered in crowds upon The
beach, expecting, every moment, to witness
the destruction Of the vessel, which seemed
guided by unseen hands, and which, gliding
between the rocks and pillows, at last reached
The shore in perfect safety. No one appearing
g., ihe deck, she was boarded. Coffee was
found boiling on the fire, and every thing
seemed to T.. prepared for the breakfast of the
crow but with he exception Of dog, no
living thing appeared Oh board of her. There
had been no storm on the coasl, the vessel was
in good condition, and to this day iserc has
Iecn no 'asi'lac'ost conjecture as to tho 'a''
of its crew.